Up Up and Away...

Lizzardbits is officially, at this very moment, up in an airplane, skidding over fluffy clouds, admiring the land and water from her skyrise view in the sky.

(Hello, Hillbilly Duhn, guest blogging here!!)

I can't tell you how excited that I am, to finally have my best friend back in the States again. Sure, sure, it will still be awhile before I get to actually lay eyes on her, or hug her silly. But, just knowing that she's back with her kids and family again, warms my heart.

So, here's to Lizzardbits, M and Alex, wishing them a safe journey and all the warm and fuzzies that go with floating hearts and the excitement of a family being reunited. I wish them all the luck in the world and even shed a few tears of happiness for them. I love them all. (my extended family that I adopted way back in the day!!)

I LOVE YOU K. Have a safe and wonderful homecomming!!

5 am

I am up, wide awake at 5 am. Actually I woke up at 3:41 to be exact as that was when M's alarm went off for him to get up for work. I think that the reason why I cannot fall back asleep is that I am so excited, nervous, happy, worried, and have a bazillion things running through my mind to do before we move and saying all the farewells to people and things.

I keep thinking "a week from today, we'll be at the hotel, airport, plane, the USA......." I don't feel bad for me I feel bad for M and his folks and them saying farewell.


and Alex is awake so I must go

My entry to Hillbilly Duhn's Contest

Naked Truth http://hillbillyduhn.blogspot.com/2008/12/contest.html.


Honesty, words spoken with what we believe is correct, free of deception. Is there total and utter honesty in today's life? One would like to believe that there is, but if one delves deeper, one would find that very few things are "true". Things can be proven, as in scientifically are thought to be rather true, like gravity, but then science can play with out perception of truth as well.

A flower, tender, yellow, opens it's fragrant petals as part of the dance of life. Sounds lovely and poetic, but that sentence is filled with untruths. How? What if I were to tell you that flower is actually perceived as purple and black yet fragrant to a bee. Or that the flower is a dandelion and most people think they are a nusance stinky weed. Or a blind person may not know what yellow is, but can recognize their front yard by the smell of the buttercups and dandelions. You can see that peception and belief can skew words into untruths to the other being who sees things differently from oneself.

The naked truth of truth is the acceptance and understanding that other beings believe and see things in different, yet, not wrong ways, from the way that oneself believes and sees things. Yes, acceptance and even love.

Contest!

http://hillbillyduhn.blogspot.com/2008/12/contest.html



go there to win a writing contest! The contest is being called "the Naked Truth" and the prize is a handpainted journal by the very very talented HillBilly Duhn. Go check it out! Better yet, go write something!

WE GOT IT!

fogive my yelling but....WE GOT THE VISA AND WE ARE GOING BACK HOME TO THE STATES ON DECEMBER 16TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



*takes a big breath after that* we actually got the visa on wednesday morning and we bought the plane tickets yesterday. We now have 11 days left here and 9 days to pack. We will have an American Christmas/solstice this year! Hurrah!



do the happy happy joy joy dance with me!

2 years ago...

My plane landed in the UK and I started calling it home. 2 years ago that I became an official immigrant and started settling in to my new, albeit temporary, country. 2 years of homesickness and yearning to move back, taking my new husband and then a little later, new baby back to my homeland. 2 years to really learn what it is to be an American in this "global community". 2 years to really be grateful for what I am blessed with and learning to live and love life!

Hopefully we will be hearing good news on M's visa and hopefully we'll be home for the winter holidays--sounds like peeps haz planz 4 uz back home :):):)

Ahhh SLEEP! sort of...

After nearly 11 months of waking to nurse Alex every 1-2 hours, these last 2 weeks he's been sleeping in 3-4 hour stretches, ahhhh, HOWEVER, last night and the night before he slept through the night! From 10pm to 6am and 10pm to 4am, 8 and 6 hours! (5 hour stretches are considered through the night)---Now if *I* could only retrain my sleep rhythms to his again and *I'll* be sleeping through the night--I still wake up every 2-3 hours to check on him and make sure that he's OK on his mat on the floor next to me (we have a too small mattress to fully family bed, so we put our mattress on the floor and Alex has a mat and blankets next to me)

He still morning nurses for 1-2 hours, where we cuddle-nurse in our bed, and we both doze for a bit, which helps me to eek out those precious minutes of sleep, but it is a light sleep and not one that I could handle overnight.

Sad news for me, I have a major dip in my supply, and am taking fenugreek like it is going out of style, I need to get back in the habit of morning oatmeal again. One great side effect of fenugreek that I forgot that I liked was that I smell like maple syrup.

He's not ready to quit breastfeeding and neither am I, so if oatmeal and fenugreek and nurse-a-thons don't work, I am thinking of trying the dom route, but that is last ditch I think.

So anyway sleep and boobies, there you go, great thoughts for the day!

update on Alex

Update to the ambulance post--Alex has a risidual cough now, and is drooling, but otherwise he is as rambunctious and lively as ever--and walking more and more!

tagged and stuff....

1. What is your funniest childhood story?
Must have been the time when I was about 8 or 9 and I was out playing on a low roof of a stairway to a basement house. I was using as a slide even thought the shingles were rough. Well they sand-papered my behind and I ended up with abrasions to my bum and back of my legs and sitting was horrid for the next day or so. That isn't the worst though--the cute guy in my class, Ronnie E, and my cute neighbor boy, Brian J, saw me walking back home rather stiff legged with my jogging pants shredded in the back and my orange clock underwear hanging out. Embarrassing enough, but I was wearing the last pair of clean undies in my drawer and I absolutely loathed my blue, pink and orange underwear with a clock print on them. I never wanted to go to school again, lol!


2. What would your dream dress look like if you could design it?
This is the base of my dress that I will wear for our American wedding/blessing ceremony/vow renewal. I am going to have a shawl or something over my arms.

My friend, T., borrowed it for her wedding 2 years ago and she looked lovely in it.

3. What weird habit does your other half have? Bruxism--he grinds his teeth in his sleep.

4. How many cookbooks are in your kitchen? 3, one Marks & Spencers British foods and 2 Gordon Ramsey cook books


5. Granny panties or loyal Victoria Secret girl? sexy drawers in my drawers no longer exist--heck I only have 4 pair of underpants (I am always doing laundry)


6. My favorite memory from 2008 so far is? Duh, birth of Alex


7. I secretly... check the toilet paper. every. time. Gross I know, but I have done it ever since I was 10 and my 12 year old friend told me what a period was, as she was having hers and I was horrified. I had thought a period was the punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. So I started obsessively checking. A 22 year old habit is hard to break.


8. I could really go for... Pumpkin pie with cool whip


9. We are going to have a big snowstorm and you will find me... In the states-finding a safe place to mess around driving in the snow. I used to spin cookies with my 1964 Ford in the snow--I loved it!

Here in the UK-bwahahaha! A mere dusting of snow and everyone panics and car pileups are common. Think of Florida getting snow then replace the bright warm sunny weather with dark dreary grey misty rainy weather.

10. I knew s/he was the one...
I have 2 life-partners:

My Beloved Husband--Almost right away when he talked about loving to hug and cuddle and I announced on the other side of my monitor "Awww He's a cuddler, aww, I could love him." 10 days later I wrote "I love you!" and that I love you changed our lives. No regrets, *Sigh* He makes me happy and all warm and fuzzy. We are mushballs!

My best friend--Ha honestly, ready for this K? I knew that we'd be friends back in high school because she was a "smoker", I knew her family had very little money like mine, and she was cool enough to be dating the guy that I had a crush on. Birds of a feather flock together, right? Added bonus that she was artistic and we shared having the hots for our Art teacher. We weren't super close friends in high school, it was after, like June 2nd, that I knew that we'd be forever friends and then the night she and her 1st hubby left for Cali and stopped to see me and my roomie before they left. I gave them all my money and my blessings as they started their new life together. When she came back from Cali and her hubby was stationed overseas was when even though we were far apart, we were and are inseparable.

Now to tag 3 more people. I choose...

I hate choosing so if you read this and feel like you want to do it, leave a comment and a link back to your blog. Thanks!

The Sirens on the Ambulance go WooWoo Woooo

My baby is sick. His breathing WAS extremely shallow and labored. He was coughing snotty and miserable, but it was the breathing that had us concerned. We called an ambulance and we went to the hospital with him. Well we didn't go under sirens; the driver was a very smooth yet swift driver. In the ambulance he was given a nebulizer treatment that made breathing soooo much easier for him. He was seen at the hospital and was given the diagnosis of bronculitis and thus his breathing as it was. It is viral so we just wait it out and do vick's vapor rub and baby ibuprofen to make him as comfy as possible.

His naps and general sleeping have been craptastic and my brain is shutting down from tiredness.

BUT, he is breathing better and I am typing one handed whilst holding him as he naps and nurses at the same time. Poor kiddo, and poor parents.

this is part of why I blew it with no mo nablopomo, but there are other things going on. just to reassure you though--M and I are still goofy madly in love and we are fine :)

bed calls, love to you, oh loyal blog readers :)

I blew it

I missed a day blogging, but honestly people, with the haywire that is going on in my family right now that I really cannot blog about, blogging is the last thing on my mind. so if I am quiet or don't say much, I hope that you understand that real life is priority right now.

so no mo' nablopomo :(

Motrin no Mo', Wear Your Baby Proudly for International Babywearing Week!

Thanks to a babywearing group I belong to near where my folks' live, I was alerted to a craptacular intelligence insulting advertizement by Motrin and directed to Moms who wear their babies. Ugh, *sarcastic note here* I am sooooo gah-laaaaaad that Motrin was there to swoop in to relieve the pain in the neck, shoulders, and back from my "schwing". I am sooooo glad that you called me on being "trendy". blech!

If you search on youtube I am sure that you will find the motrin ad and the HUGE backlash of pissed off PARENTS that wear their babies and children. Twitter is in an uproar, nay the Internet is in an uproar!

This "trendy" way of taking care of babies and young children has been around since parents' wore leathers and cleverly figured out a way to put their baby back on their body with the realization that baby was very portable when baby was in utero, baby can be portable outside of the womb. They did this out of practicality, not some desire to fit in to the "trendy crowd". As it was then, is now today, babies are tied on mothers, fathers, grandparents, guardians and other carers around the WORLD. The "western" world has just started getting its' collective head out of its' bum-hole and realized just because non-western countries do things differently isn't wrong, just different and that western society can and IS learning that babywearing is beneficial other than transportation.

Babywearing promotes a bonding between baby and parents, helps extend and increase successful breastfeeding, helps baby's physical, mental and emotional growth, and surprisingly to the naysayers, promotes the much western idealized characteristic of independence! There are many other benifits that are too numerous to put here in my mini-rant, but those are a few to give you an idea of good this "trendy" thing is :)

here are 2 places to go to learn more about babywearing.
http://www.mamatoto.org/
http://www.thebabywearer.com/

As for me and my house, we will continue to babywear!

I love this picture of the moon. I took it from the top deck of a double decker on 11-11-08 on the 11 bus.


And who doesn't love a happy baby playing on his own and being sweet? Awwww!

the interview...dun dun duuuuuhhh.....

Actually went fairly well. Although we don't have the full ok for M's visa for us to move back to the States, we are (hopefully) 98% there. We need a document signed by my mother and another piece of paper scanned and emailed to us, then those couriered to the Embassy and then if we pass, they'll courier the passport with the visa in it. So we are chasing paperwork around some more, BUT it looks like we'll (hopefully) be home for the solstice and/or Christmas!

Bwahahaha!

And as I read my guest blog post, I was sitting topless, nursing my baby, on my couch and laughing that *I* was half nude!!!


Thank you ever so much Hillbilly Duhn!

*raises coffee cup for a ~*~clink~*~* Here's to another 15 years, and another 15 years and another 15 years and another 15 years.....

15 years and counting...

Have you ever had that dream in which you've showed up somewhere naked?

That's how I feel today. Hello, my name is Hillbilly Duhn, Lizzardbits is out today and I'm filling in. I am honored to be her guest, excited even. However, feeling a little exposed.

I've went outside my hillbilly world today, and forgot to put on my clothes. That's how I feel.

I've known for days I would come here; flipped through 15 years of Brain files, trying to find something to talk about and in the end all I can think about is, "Great! Lizzardbits is gonna come home and find me naked on the couch!"

And my simple hillbilly mind will reply, "What?? I forgot my clothes." And because she's classy, has the grace of a well mannered Queen, she'll stand there silently for a moment, looking at me. Then, she'll laugh.

And laugh and laugh and laugh, and because her laugh makes me laugh, I'll have forgotten the fact I had not been clothed, which will make her jiggle instead of laugh out loud, cause I'm sure you can imagine a naked person laughing, it'll be that silent laugh. The one in which causes your eyes to tear up, no sound to escape past your lips, leaving your body convulsing on the inside, the outside left to do nothing but jiggle... In the end, between choked sobs and laughter, her only words will be, "You're naked -" Jiggle "-On my couch."

Oh yeah-so I am. And so, with all my dignity left behind, I get up and leave in search for some clothes. "I love you K" I say, as I walked naked from the room.

Now, as you can imagine, because she is my best friend, going on 15 years of a friendship that I couldn't for one moment live without, we've had plenty of times like these, where we've done nothing but jiggle and laugh.

Here's to you, K, for many more years of being friends, and now an image of me naked. :) (On your couch.)

Tomorrow---

Tomorrow we finally have our visa interview!!! I am so excited and nervous at the same time--like butterflies the size of boeing 747 airplane big!

wish us luck!

Alex says:

/ m0 nhhjnn ttrrgyr 000 m ...]0
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000y08hhkjyu52251 45

I was going to blog a long meaningful blog, but as I sat down to write alex wanted to type so I let him. He was so happy and filled with joy to do what I do. I wish you could hear him laugh.

Also, he still walks for food, lol


/[htrtvg;.,ye.;y.lye';./p tygujhnmn ygtygn x

Happy Birthday M!

I love you with all that I am and all I ever will be. You are my rock, my best friend, my lover, my wonderful husband and father to my and our children. I am so grateful that I have you and that you are so loving and kind to me, even when I don't deserve it. Today, on the 30th anniversary of your birth, I wish for you to have the best year ever, and Lord willing, another 70 more birthdays with me there by your side enjoying the ride of love and life.

I now have the movie "High Fidelity" on my brain So here have a Meme of my top Fives

Top 5 favorite towns
5. Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Ol' Willie Shakespeare's home town. Touristy, but beautiful.
4. Hot Springs, South Dakota. Beautiful Black Hills little jewel in the touristy trade, but also a nice place to live.
3. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. South Dakota's largest city, but small enough to find one's way around. One of my many "home towns"
2. Kalona, Iowa. Those who know me know why.
1. Sheldon, Iowa, will always be home no matter where in the world I travel.

Top 5 things that give me the creeps
5. zits/blackheads
4. maggots
3. Kanawha
2. Darkness after watching a scary film
1. Bridges-Seriously, I have a phobia.

Top 5 all time favorite songs
5. Reptile, by Nine Inch Nails
4. Du Hast, by Rammstein
3. Gravity, by A Perfect Circle
2. Christian Woman/Black No. 1, by Type O Negative
1. Heart of Glass, by Blondie

Top 5 favorite scents
5. cut grass/watermelon rind
4. Aspen for women (which they no longer make like back in the day)
3. coffee--smells like a warm welcoming house
2. My husband's neck-right after he gets home from work. I joke that he smells like work, but he also has an underlying scent that is subtle in a clean human odor kind of way.
1. breastfed baby's breath

Top 5 things and/or people that help me to be happy
5. my Aripiprozole
4. my friends
3. my family
2. my husband
1. my children

Top 5 things I'd like to be doing right now
5. I am happy to blog, so what I am doing now is what I would like to be doing now.
4. drinking coffee with my friends and laughing at each other laughing and trying hard not to spray coffee out of our noses.
3. driving. anywhere. just driving, even for my driving test to get my USA DL back.
2. arriving back in the States--if the telleporter was fixed I'd zap there now.
1. Hugging all of my children at once

Top 5 Worst recording artists/bands evah
5. tom petty--ugh loathe his voice
4. stevie nicks--she sounds like a billy goat
3. Vanilla Ice--need I say more?
2. the tom and stevie duet--blargh
1. new kids on the block--the epitome of boy bands-yuck!

Top 5 places I'd like to visit
5. egypt--pyramids dude!
4. oregon--portland and corvallis area to be specific
3. Utah--the salt flats with my hot rodded 64 Ford Galaxie 500
2. Highlands of Scotland--or just a loch or two
1. Norway-ja sure ja betcha doncha know!

So if you decided that you want to do a top 5 meme too, leave me a comment so I can look at your blog too! Feel free to add more categories!

Socks

Anyone know what to do with about 30 non holey non matching mens socks? We went through M's socks and have about 30 socks without pairs, but I feel bad about just throwing them away.

Ideas besides sock puppets? would there a be a sock sans pair good-will out there?

Five things I miss about America

At Noble Savage, she wrote a post that sings to this American expat's heart. It also smacks of a top 5 list a la High Fidelity

Here is her list that she did expand on, but you will need to go to her blog to read expansions:
1.My family and friends
2. Wide open spaces
3. Autumn
4. Good, affordable food
5. That wondrous, zany American outlook on life

Mine actually follows closely:

1. I miss Miss MISS my family and friends. Although I call my mom just about every weekday, and my Hillbilly Duhn several times a week, hugging phones is NOTHING like hugging the real live human being on the other end of the line. I crave the day we all are reunited.

2. Driving. I love driving long distances and driving at night. I have been driving since I was 12 mminus the year between moving from the acreage and drivers Ed and the 2 years I have been in the UK making it 17 years in total I have been driving and loving it. I am such a car buff and as much as I am trying to be eco-friendly, I just can not stop loving cars, driving and driving long straight wide roads. Motor oil runs in these veins.

3. American food. I like an indian take away now and again, fish and chips and the tradional English sunday roast, but gosh darn it I want me a valasic dill pickle without any sugar, a corn dog, a miller genuine draft, a root beer float that doesn't cost $3 a can to make, as well as flavored coffees that you don't have to go to a specialty tea shop to buy, and tex mex foods. I would love an apple and a pumpkin pie, and a bone-in wood smoked ham. (I am hungry now, lol)

4. Halloween. Halloween is my fah-vorite holiday evah! I look forwards to Halloween like a little kid looks forwards to his birthday. Where I am at Halloween is barely celebrated and is more of a time where people hide away from trouble youth "yobs and hoodies", lock their doors, turn off their lights and pretend to not be home. Well crap, no wonder the youth are pissy, the candy that they sell to give out sucks. "Here have a packet of pink and white marshmallows!" bleeeh. So as another Halloween passed by like a much anticipated birthday that no one could be bothered to remember--I yearn for a fun filled Halloween with all the kids next year back in the USA.

5. Hearing my own Accent. Something about being able to not translate things in my head from British to American and back again is so nice. A trunk is a trunk, not a boot. Chips are chips, not fries, and toe-may-toe not toe-maah-oh for tomato.

I am going to be cheeky and put a sixth because it is actually a tie between number 5 and this one.
6. Affordable clothing that fits Plus size. I needn't say more than that.

Dude! He can Sing!

My younger brother recently was on the radio. Here is the show the band and he were on.

http://michaelromkey.typepad.com/the_bucktown_revue/files/OctAct2.mp3

Cue up to 3:39 to 5:16 to hear the intro, cue to 5:17 to 10:42 for the first song, and cue to 10:50 to 14:07 to hear the second song.

I am impressed!

and just because...It's my Eldest Brother's Birthday today

Alexander says Happy birthday, ya old fart!

Happy Hawking Castle Walking Fabulous Pre-Birthday Dearest M!

For M's birthday present we went to Warwick Castle so that he could attend a falconeering class, as he has always been a HUGE fan of Owls, Hawks and Eagles and, well, ALL birds of prey. He had a "fabulous time!" Turns out he was the only student that day so his teacher was able to focus all her attention on to both the birds and to M. Due to M's wish to remain anon at this time, I'll post the pictures without him in them, but there are some great pictures of him with Woody a Harris Hawk, Louis the Eagle Owl, and Mouse the Golden Eagle.

http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/

Wow! Voter turnout was Fantastic!

Wow! I am impressed!

* In Minnesota, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said that nearly 80 percent of the state’s registered voters cast ballots (of 3.7 million eligible voters in Minnesota);

• Turnout was so high in the Nebraska 1st Congressional District that some polling places had run out of “I Voted” stickers by early afternoon.

above was found at http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/November/20081104195842esnamfuak7.772464e-02.html&distid=ucs

80 Percent!!! That is fantastic!

For all of you who went out and did your civic and patriotic duty of voting--Thank you!

My Fellow Americans

VOTE!!!

Thousands of men, women. and yes, children throughout our nation 232+ year history have fought and died for the right to vote, to let their and your right to vote and the freedom to choose who to vote for. Please vote!

Alex loves the BIG kitties--edited-Now with promised pictures!

I love this picture as it looks like Alex is trying to eat the antler.






Today we went to a drive through it type safari park, and there were several enclosures with Lions, Lionesses both yellow and white, Tigers both yellow and white, and Cheetahs and Alex love Love LOVED them. He slapped the car window and hollered "kitty, kitty!" We'll have to upload our pictures to the pc so you can see how happy the little dude was. (btw, yes he was out of his carseat to snap the pictures, and travel around the parks but we didn't go any faster than three [3] mph)


As you can now see he loved it :D

tired and typing 1 handed

i have lots to say, but only one hand to type with as the other is holding a nursing Alex.

so in the next few days please look forwards to:

*walking baby
*top 5 things i miss about America (thank you noble savage)
*playing with hawks/playing at a ginormous castle
*safari park

good night *yawn* sleep well!

NaBloPoMo National Blog Posting Month

NaBloPoMo

It is that time of year where bloggers all over the blogosphere take part in NaBloPoMo. To make the chioce to post to your blog or blog at NaBloPoMo everyday for a month. Most choose to do it in November, so have I. Perhaps it will get me in the feel for writing whatever tickles my fancy reather than composing long drawn out posts in my head and then never posting them.

today I had 2 posts, however that doesn't mean that I can skip a day, I must post every day. Eek, I'll have to see if I can blog via my cell (I don't think my twitter feed counts) for the 3 days we are gone to London.

See you tomorrow!

flat out like a lizard...Dudes!

Holy Blog Of Doom, Batman! I just got slapped with a wet salmon - really - I have not updated this since people stopped clapping and Tinkerbelle died... You would not believe that my hands were chopped off and I was waiting for bionic ones. Dudes!

I am flat out like a lizard drinking after setting fire to people wearing Crocs, learning to fart the theme to "Neighbours", just generally being a delightful mistress to my husband, my day is a magical flight from the time the light through yonder window breaks to when I am begging my kid to go to sleep or so help me G-d that kid will be decorating my wall, 'Duct tape still life'. I am totally loving it, dudes. I wish you could be here to share it.

I swear on the bones of my ancestors I will update you with my nefarious activities as soon as I get a chance. You wanna test me? Unless of course the pool with the cocktail bar is heated!

The Lazy Bloggers Post Generator helped me write this post.

In Addition to Yesterday's Post-Pictures from 1968!!!

Mom emailed some pictures to me and to the church that Mom and Dad were married in (the church is celebrating 120 years) and even though I have seen them a bajillion times through out the years, this time around some of them brought a tear to my eye.

Here is Mom with her Daddy. I love my Mom's beautiful smooth thick red hair, and doesn't Grandpa look rather dapper?

Although I don't know the two men on the ends, my aunt Toni (who introduced Mom to Dad) and Stan Bott, Dad's best friend and fellow race car enthusiast. We grew up with the Bott family, and for the longest time I thought that they were my cousins.
Mom's lovely dress was borrowed from Stan's wife, Mary. The pearly crown and veil were Mom's, and underneath the roses was a small white Bible. Many years later, after numerous times of my playing dress up with it and being in storage, the only part of the veil left was the pearly crown which I wore in my hair for my own wedding.
The ceremony took place on a friday evening and was a candle lit service...how cozy and utterly romantic!!!
Grandpa and Grandma, Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa

Beautiful and classy, yeah, my parents clean up well.
I love that my parents had chosen fall colors and fall flowers and that the decoration was just the flowers and candles. (I suspect it was more for budgetary reasons, but it goes to show that one can have a lovely classy wedding and reception meal on a shoestring) The reception was in the church basement.



Check out my Grandma and her "'do"--FABULOUS!!! She's beautiful.
...And Grandpa, very smart!
And then the "girls" attacked Dad's purple DeSoto with vaseline and other goop. They put vaseline on the windshield and in the door handles--not good. Dad had to drive in rain and sleet with one functioning windshieldwiper and vaseline smeared on the windshield...EEK! Good thing they made it to where they were going--otherwise I wouldn't be here to type this.
Perhaps it is testament to my Dad's driving skillz.

Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary to Two Very Special People

Today is the ruby anniversary of my parents. And through numerous moves, good times and bad, richer or poorer (mostly paycheck to paycheck), through emotional turmoil and great jubilation, raising children, parent teacher conferences, hospitalizations, and finding Jesus (I think He was hiding in the bedroom closet) They have stuck together. They have always made the many houses we've lived in feel like home, and we all know that there is no place like home.




Mom and Dad, Have a fantastic day

85 years ago today, Grandma was born!

Happy Birthday Grandma! On the 85th anniversary of your birth, I wish you a fantastic day, and a happy blessed 86th year of life! It was great to talk to you today, and hearing your loving wonderful voice brought a bit of home here to my little spot in England. I love you and miss you.



Grandma is an amazing woman, loving, strong, protective, tidy, and honest. She has lived through the worst part of the Great Depression, moving with her family often-sometimes in the middle of the night. She married Grandpa and slept in the bathtub during their honeymoon as she thought that she'd get pregnant sleeping next to Grandpa. She and Grandpa worked hard as dairy and grain farmers to support their four children (and Grandpa's rather lazy elder brother and his wife and girls) She has worked hard, guarded carefully what and whom she holds dear, and is highly respected by her family, friends, church community, and community of her town. She doesn't beat around the bush and if she doesn't like something she'll let one know in no uncertain terms.

So I hope that I speak on behalf of George, Liz, Ruth, her husband and his 2 kids, Becky, Mike, Joey, Noah, Samuel, Paul, Toni, Denny, Sam, Lisa, Joseph, Teri, Riley, Larry, Emily, Scott, Diana, Hayden, Mark, Zachary, Lillian, Alexander, Andrew, Julie, Dan, Seneca, Jen, Tobin, and Quentin when I say Thank You Grandma and here's to many many more wonderful years!

I Am Not Violent--Honest!

Wow! just Wow! Have you, dear reader, ever had a dream and/or nightmare that makes you say "What the heck?! Where'd that come from?! Do I have issues?!" but then at the same time you think "Dang that felt good, though!" That was happened this morning during my hour extra sleep-in that I had when M watched Alex for me.

My very violent dream was listening to a certain person who is from M's past complaing about her pregnancy, that she has it soooooo baaaaad, and everytime I turned to walk away, she started saying "look at me, look at me! look how baaaaad I have life--waaaah!" I told her to shut the f*** up and that I wanted to get away from her ugly whiney face. She blocked my way so I told her again in a deep and growly voice that she had better move other wise I'd haul off and hit her. "But you can't hit me, I'm pregnant" "But your face isn't" and BOOM I punched her right in her big schnoze. Her face caved in like when one would push in a barbie-doll's nose towards the back of her empty doll head and then comes back to normal position. So I punched her nose over and over again BOOM BOOM BOOM and then spat in her face as I turned and walked away saying "I told you to move outta my way you c**t."

Oh.My.Goodness!!! I guess I had some pent up agression ishooos, but those of you who know me I would NEVER do something like that. Heck, how many times have I picked up a spider and put it outside so I don't smoosh it. I don't spank my kids, and I don't even argue or fight well. The only kinda violent thing that I do is wrestle-play with M and the kids. So that dream was as polar opposite to me as night as to day.

...odd that I feel ookie and relieved at the same time...

Dream analizers--am I going fruit loopy?

Swiped from SophieKat Knits

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now (even if we don't speak often or ever), please post a comment with a completely made up, fictional memory of you and me.

It can be anything you want - good or bad - but it has to be fake.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph in your blog and see what your friends come up with.

Thanks Sophiekat

No Fat Talk Week

I've always had body ishooooos and f.i.n.a.l.l.y I have slowly started to realize that I am a beautiful woman/mother/wife/friend/lover PERSON. My outward appearance will never be Vogue model material--nor do I want to be--as nowadays 100% of photos are airbrushed so the models aren't even themselves model material.

I do want to loose weight, but no longer is it for appearance, I want to see my kids grow up, I want to have enough stamina to laugh and play, I want to feel healthy and my body feel as vibrant as my soul is vibrant.

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9 months old!

Yesterday, Alex hit the nine month mark, sheesh-where did that baby go that I was counting his age in day or weeks? Anyway, speaking of counting, I got to count out 9 seconds for the time that Alex stood without holding on to anything except crackers. Standing alone! Already! He's going to be my early walker, I think.

He also is sticking his tongue out! I know that sounds a bit silly but with his mild tongue tie, sticking his tongue out is a major accomplishment.

He's quite giggly and laughs a lot as of late and I love it! This is the super cute baby stage I think. He is also more into returning hugs and kisses--awww.

He is really into eating solids, which is a bit bittersweet for me, as I loved being the only form of nurishment for him, but now he's going longer in between nursing some days, so instead of 1 1/2 to 2 hours of nursing he'll go 2-3 to even 4 hours! Wow! He drinks water and juice from sippie cups all by himself, and I'll give him crackers or foods off of my plate and he feeds himself. I did similar for his sister and didn't spoon feed her, I just gave her finger foods so she could feed herself, easy! With Z I started solids early, gave him rice cereal in his formula bottle (so he'd sleep through the night--Doh!) spoonfed him pureed baby food, and he turned out to be thee pickiest eater evah! L loves her food of all sorts, perhaps because she was free to take her time to enjoy food and textures both in her mouth and smeared all over herself. I am hoping that Alex follows suit in his sister's footsteps and enjoys food. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this has a name now--Baby Led Weaning. It wasn't until a few months ago that I knew that BLW even had a label/name.

Separation Anxiety

Yesterday Alex went to daycare for an hour and a half. I had been dreading it for several days, as the longest I have been away from him is 45 minutes whilst I went to the Doctor's office for a blood draw. At that time, he stayed with his Daddy, and I think that they ended up napping. But yesterday, he was at a proper daycare with--Strangers. I fretted and worried about how he'd do without me there, if he'd cry inconsolably, reach for me with big tears in his eyes with that "don't go, Mommy!" look in his eyes. As a stay at home mom I was hoping that it would be a very very long time before I had him in daycare, and it was nearly 9 months that we made it, and as previous experience (Z was only 6 WEEKS old when I returned to work and he went into daycare) two days shy of nine months old is purty-derned gud.

I was in the same building, in fact no further than a floor and phone call away. I was sitting in a class with other mothers, and they too, had young babies and children downstairs. The phone would ring and each of us would wait with baited breath to see if our child needed us. One by one 4 mothers were called down to tend to their child's needs. Not I. Nope, Alex didn't need me.

After the class was over, I wents downstairs to pick Alex up, and he had been the "star" baby. He explored, and played, and ate some banana, drank some apple juice, and generally had a great time laughing and playing and doing his own thing. All that fret fret worry fret fret was for naught.

It has been said time and time again that Attachment Parenting philosophies and practices help children become sure-footed and quite independant, and I have to say that anecdotally, with my children, it definately has gone that way. With Z, although I wouldn't spank him, other parenting techniques I did were quite harsh, and I was never really "there" with him. I love him, dearly dearly do I love him, but my ways with him weren't always so loving, and my patience with him was short, and that mixed in with him having ODD and ADHD, well it wasn't a good time for any of us. He was clingy, he had bad bad separation anxiety when I dropped him off at daycares, grandparents' or with his father, and he was quite introverted, and he developed a slight speech impediment. With L, I was "there" with her, more focused on her needs, gentler, more patient. She became very sure of herself, and rarely would we have separation anxiety. She is a happy little girl who makes friends easily and can entertain herself (even when she's not supposed to, or to the detriment of other's eardrums, but hey! she's joyful!) Alex is following happily, noisily, inquisitively in L's footsteps! Anxiety Schmangxiety--bah! I was the only anxious one in this mother and baby team!

Oh and my class? I am going to be a breastfeeding peer supporter! Yay! Lactivism in a truely asked for and positive way!

Today Starts the Nestle-Free Week, Please Boycott All Nestle products

http://lizzardbits.blogspot.com/2008/08/nestle-free-week-is-coming-up-mark-your.html

As you may recall that I wrote and quoted a while ago about the Nestle free week, well it starts today.

http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2008/10/nestle-free-week.html

http://www.nestlecritics.org/

Thank you for not buying any nasty nestle items this week

(~~) OCTOBER IS (~~)

MY Favorite Month!!!
In honor of my favorite month, here is a list of happenings on the days

http://www.brownielocks.com/.

1
Balloons Around The World
Child Health Day
Fire Pup Day
International Day of Older Persons
World Vegetarian Day
2
Guardian Angels Day
Phileas Fogg's Wager Day
National Custodial Workers Day
World Farm Animals Day
3
Lee's National Denim Day
National Diversity Day
World Smile Day
4
Ten-Four Day
World Card Making Day
5
Country Inn & Bed and Breakfast Day
Intergeneration Day
World Communion Day
World Teachers Day

6
Jackie Mayer Rehab Day
Mad Hatter Day
National German-American Day
Physician Assistant (PA) Day
World Habitat Day
7

...Nothin' on this day--make up your own day!
8
Alvin C. York Day
Cosmopolite's Day
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
International Top Spinning Day
National Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day
Native Americans' Day
Yom Kipper
9
Leif Erickson Day
National Depression Screening Day
World Post Day
World Sight Day
10
Emergency Nurses Day
National Cake Decorating Day
Naval Academy Day
World Mental Health Day
11
General Pulaski Memorial Day
International Newspaper Carrier Day
National Coming Out Day
Reptile Awareness Day
Universal Music Day
12
Clergy (Pastor) Appreciation Day
International Moment of Frustration Scream Day
13
Columbus Day
Ironman Competition
National Kick Butt Day
Navy Birthday
14
Be Bald and Be Free Day
15
National Grouch Day
Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce
White Cane Safety Day
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day
16
Department Store Day
Dictionary Day
Get to Know Your Customers Day
Get Smart About Credit Day
International Credit Union Day
World Food Day
National Boss's Day
Boss's Day
17
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Mammography Day
Mulligan Day
18
Sweetest Day
World Menopause Day
World Toy Camera Day
19
Evaluate Your Life Day
Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day
20
Birth of the Bab
World Osteoporosis Day
21
...Nothin on this day either..Make up your own day!
22
Day of International Concern About Young People and Gun Violence
International Day of Radiant Peace
International Stuttering Awareness Day
23
National Mole Day
24
Lung Health Day
United Nations Day
World Development Information Day
Bandanna Day
25
Make A Difference Day
26
World Priest Day
Mother-in-Law Day
27
Cranky Co-workers Day
Navy Day
28
Diwali
National Chocolates Day
St. Jude's Day
29
Internet Day
30
Create A Great Funeral Day
Haunted Refrigerator Night
National Candy Corn Day

National Sing Happy Birthday to Kim Day
31
Books for Treats Day
Frankenstein Friday
National Caramel Apple Day
National Knock-Knock Jokes Day
National Magic Day
National UNICEF Day
Halloween
Samhain

Happy Halloween!

He Speaks!

Along with his four shiny new teeth (that makes 6 total) Alex officially said his first word on Wednesday evening---Kitty, and yesterday he said Daddy. He's been babbling da da da and ti ti ti but now he's attached meaning to his noises. He still hasn't signed anything, but he understands his favorites when we sign them to him. We also makes sure we sign Kitty when he sees or says kitty and same for Daddy. No signs of ma ma ma yet, but that's ok, my elder two said Mama first.

Here is Betty--the kitty

On November 4th--Vote!!!

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=379346&altf=Mj99bsecjut&altl=

A little election fun.



Seriously, though, please, if you are a registered elegible American voter, please go out and vote. If you are not registered to vote, register here now http://www.rockthevote.org/ or if by print out and mail go here http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Register.shtml

Hurry! Some states' deadlines for mail in registration is as soon as October 4th!

Not going to be around your local polling station on November 4th? Can't make it? You can request an absentee ballot. It should be free of cost as a postage paid official return envelope should be provided. Easy!

Even over here in the UK, I have gotten, voted, and sent my absentee ballot back already.

And YES every vote counts!
vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote

Ouch! The Ground Bit my Leg!

Last evening I fell as I missed the last step on some concrete stairs. I was carrying A at the time, but he wasn't hurt at all, in fact I am glad that he was in a Mei Tai carrier strapped to my front rather than in my arms other wise I think I would have dropped him and I'd be telling you about going to a hospital rather than just showing you some pictures of my nasty bruises.


And these pics were taken less than 24 hours after the fall! I am taking asprin and drinking lots of green tea so that I don't end up with a deep vein thrombosis.

Happy 8th Birthday Miss Lil!