Still Riding My Obama High

President Obama has been awfully busy for one week....
(1. Scrub 2. Rinse 3. Repeat)
What an amazing start. I'm as excited today as I was a week ago. My favorite word of the week: "follow through". Okay, that's two words, but whatever. I don't see him going down in history as "the president with the most vacation days". His predecessor holds that at 34% of his days in office. Can you imagine taking off 3 1/2 months out of the year? What a farce.

My second favorite word? "Diplomacy"
ooo, that even sounds just a little sexy ; )

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Not Me Monday (3)

Welcome to Not Me! Monday, where we can be brutally honest with each other, and live to tell about it. We all take shortcuts in life and so many of us moms think that if we admit to it, then we will not be the supermoms everyone sees us to be or expects us to be. Well, here is the place where hundreds of us are not exactly admitting to our shortcuts as almost a form of therapy. MckMama started it all here, on her blog. Join in, learn how and to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

1. I was horsing around with Jack and while I had my back on the floor, I hoisted him up on my feet to do the "helicopter ride". He's finally big enough for me to do this kinda stuff with him, and of course it was "do it again, Mommy" over and over. Finally, I thought it would make a fun photo for my 365 blog. That was until I saw my legs in it... because of course I shave my legs EVERYDAY now that I work from home full time, hardly ever go anywhere in anything but pants because it's oh, about an arctic 11 degrees here! So, obviously, I did not crop out most of my legs in the shot so people could not decipher just how long it's been, like rings of a tree.... not me!

2. I am not still listening to Christmas music because the CD's are still in the stereo and the kids always ask for it. Jeez, it's nearly February. Not me!

3. My son did not point out my dirty floor to my friend (with grown children) during lunch Saturday. Because of course, after having a crawler who wouldn't walk until she was 15 months old and even then, not 100% of the time, I am not taking a break here and there from having to keep the floor food-friendly.

4. My baby daughter let several rather unpleasant bouts of gas just rip during a quiet, intimate memorial service Wednesday. And I did not wave my hand in front of my face nor shake my head at her just so everyone that heard (and smelled nearby) would know that it was not me (seriously, it wasn't me, it WAS her and it was pretty mortifying!)

5. I don't think there is a rule that I have to list 5, but I usually do. I can't remember what 5 was supposed to be. I've been doing this all week.... I almost only had 3. But it's pretty funny that since I've been doing my NMM, I have been hearing the narrative of my blog posts in my head while I'm going through the actions thinking "yep, this is going to be one for NMM...ugh...."

An Unusual Post

If you have some time to burn, check out this unusual post over at my Project 365. I think I was inspired by Tammie when she wrote about her bag and the story it tells about her. What does your fridge say about you?

Pay It Forward

I really wanted to do this (from Lindsay's blog) but she doesn't really know me, so I didn't sign up immediately... until she still needed a good Samaritan tonight. (I'd hate for her to think I was a stalker! But she has the cutest little family (so do I), she loves to cook (so do I), she loves to make super cool cakes (so do I), she's awfully crafty and resourceful (so am I), her oldest son's birthday is September 18 (so is mine) and her last name is Miranda (so is mine!). We have a few things in common. I accidentally found her (the very first blog I stumbled upon) when I was looking for a blog name to use. So now I follow her blog and smile when I can relate and chuckle at her little monkeys!

Read closely...this is how it works...

{The Rules}

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!

2. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Counts!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!
If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Please take the button and post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

SO, REMEMBER... it is good... :) Pass it forward.

GG's tantrum goes global

GG's story was featured on McMama's site! (she's had about 3,395,882 visitors to her blog, roughly 30,000 a day?) GG's the "toddler girl" that's mentioned in the first paragraph.

"We Shall Overcome"

It was just me and my girl today for the inauguration. I thought it was fitting. She and I alone went to the caucus, and then it was just us when we voted early and then today, just us girls for this historic event. I was moved and I am so excited for our future. It will be a long haul, but I have faith in giving him some time to get it going, even though he hit the ground running 2 months ago and I don't see him having a problem with that. I don't think he'll be the president with a record vacation days. I think he's more "like us" than any other president in modern times and I love that two Kansas women raised him. I love that my children will grow up in a changed world, especially given that their heritage is the same as Obama's, with an immigrant father. I think people will be inspired to move more than ever, but more importantly, I believe he will be sure to guide us and show us the ways that we can be a part of this change. Tell us what to do, Mr. President, we are sooo ready.

Not Me Monday (2)

(If you don't know what Not Me Monday from MckMama is, check this post.)


1. I decided with this nasty cold weather we're having that it was high time to bust out the massive ham bone from Christmas out of the freezer and make a yummy soup. Mind you, this was from a 20 pound ham, a WHOLE ham. The bone was waaaay bigger than I remembered and not only did it not fit into my largest stockpot, but it wouldn't come close to fitting in the crock pot either. The bone was at least 1 1/2 inches thick. My wheels went to work. Of course, this did not lead me to the garage full of tools where I might find something to improvise with. And I did not proceed to clean the blades of our tree trimmer and then with everything I had, snap that bone in half. Nope, not me. Man that soup was good.

2. My mother in law brought over a bag of pre-popped kettle corn from Sams on her weekly Wednesday visit. I was skeptical because I make sure the kids eat very healthy and I thought it was probably loaded with sugar and fat. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that bad and you could eat a hefty 2 cups for a serving. I should have known better than to ever have tried that stuff. It was the tastiest blend of crispy sweet and crunchy salty goodness. I have never been one to binge on anything (that is not a facetious statement, I really mean that). About 10 minutes into that bag I did not look down at it and realize that about half that bag was missing. Because like I said, I'm not one to do that. Ever. Not me.

3. I did not bribe my son to sit on the potty in exchange for playing games on my iPhone. Couldn't that really screw him up? Well, you wouldn't catch me doing that. hmm, mm. Not me.

4. My cable news addiction has not returned with a fever pitch leading to the big party Tuesday night. And I absolutely have not googled 24 hour coverage of the inauguration. I also have not thought of several dinner dishes for Tuesday that would include red white and blue. I'm not THAT excited. Not me. Besides, that would make all our republican friends and family just disgusted.

5. I did not begin this week putting plastic covered training pants over the kids' diapers at night so I don't have to change the sheets every morning (including ours) any more. That might be considered lazy parenting and I would die if someone thought that. I'd bet (because I've NEVER actually seen this, but I'd bet that GG's little bubble butt would look pretty funny!) I have to admit, though, the damn diapers are just not holding up anymore to the 12+ hours of sleep. And it's not the greatest way to wake up when a little one crawls into your bed in the morning sopping wet.

Sad News

Our dear friend, Kellee, lost her father this week. I did not know him long, but he was a kind and gentle soul and I am grateful for the time that Kellee had with him most recently. Our hearts go out to you and your family, we are thinking of you. In his honor, a small tribute to our friend's father.... (with wiggly-monkey-girl, GG last spring) Wheeler W. Cornwell
ELLSWORTH- Wheeler W. Cornwell, 88, died Thursday, Jan. 15, at Midland Hospice House, Topeka. He was born July 28, 1920 in Crandall, SD to Carl and Mabel Burgess Cornwell. He was a resident of Ellsworth since 1939. He was a US NAVY veteran of WWII. On Jan. 15, 1946, he married Lena (Lee) Landry in New Orleans, LA. She preceded him in death Mar. 10, 1986. He was also preceded in death by a brother Ernest in 1996. Survivors include sons Larry and wife Cheryl, Henderson, NV, Carl and wife Nancy, Leawood, Bill and wife Tina, Singapore, Scott and wife Sally, Littleton, CO and Casey, Wichita; daughters Corliss Fulton, Oceanside, CA, Kellee Thiessen, Topeka and Holly Fries and husband Rodney, Ellsworth; sisters Theola Novak, Wichita and Dorothy Rehm, Rockland, CA; 15 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Visitation will be 1-8 p.m. Monday at Parsons Funeral Home, Ellsworth with family receiving friends 6-8 p.m. Service will be 10 a.m., Tuesday at the American Legion Hall, Ellsworth, with burial in the Ellsworth Memorial Cemetery. Military honors by US Navy Honorguard and American Legion Post 174. Memorials may be made to Alzheimers Assn., in c/o Parsons Funeral Home, Box 45, Ellsworth, KS 67439. Wheeler W. Cornwell

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Not Me Monday (1)

You can see the complete rules for "Not Me Monday"s here at MckMama's, and about 400 other bloggers' NMM's, but I thought I'd give this a whirl since my friend Lara was brave enough to try it, too!

What is "Not Me! Monday"??

This is how MckMama put it:
"Are you feeling ashamed for letting your child go to bed without brushing his teeth...again!? Did you eat a Snickers bar during a meeting without anyone knowing? Are you feeling embarrassed that you kicked the dog? We'll don't be. Not Me! Monday was born out of a desire to admit some of our imperfections and reveal a few moments we'd rather forget.

Why?

Well, for one, because it's just plain fun to pretend that we really did not do the things that we actually so did do. And, two, because reading through great tales of other people's Not Me! Mondays each week is a great way to level the playing field. We're all human, we all take embarrassing shortcuts, and so we may as well show each other that we're all in good company!"

However, with caring for two very little children for roughly 65-70 hours per week (yes, I adjusted for the hours that Pepe is here) and then another 40 with my grown up job, I may not actually post this ON Monday, but I'll try my best to get it on here at some point in the week (I'll cheat and post date it for that Monday though). You must know, however, this is excruciating for me because of my "A-type" personality, and admitting my faults and embarrassing moments is like having my fingernails slowly removed. Hopefully, though, this will be therapeutic in helping me to relax a little about things and become more open and less perfectionistic. (yeah, right)

and now.... for my FIRST Not Me Monday (deep breath, swallow pride).....

1. We moved our fridge from the garage over the weekend and put it in the basement to have a more convenient place for drinks and ice and such nearer to the bar. We discovered a big box of Russell Stover's chocolates in the drawer that we'd forgotten about. This was from my baby shower from GG when we did the "sugar and spice" theme. Everyone knows that she's 16 1/2 months old now, so you can do the math. Granted, they looked perfectly normal. But of course, I did not dive right in, nor have I been rationing myself ever since. Not me!

2. When I went to the dentist and they asked me how I was feeling after a few minutes of administering the gas, I was not already thoroughly enjoying it and I did not reply "this is SOOOO worth every penny, hahahahaha!". And then, when they asked me if I was feeling okay after I could tell they turned the oxygen back on, I did not say "do we have to stop? Do I have to go home, is that all, are you sure?" I didn't say that, Not me!

3. We had the most amazing ham ever for Christmas dinner. I cooked a 20 pound ham from my parents farm, pretty much organic, no antibiotics, no bad feed, humanely killed, etc, etc, and we used an Alton Brown recipe that was UNbelievable! Anyway, I'd frozen some leftover slices and was on the very LAST one when I decided to make a ham, egg, and cheese grilled sandwich using range free eggs and soy cheese. I go into all this to illustrate just how important this sandwich was to me. You must understand that on any typical day, I take 5 seconds to pour a couple of healthy brands of cereal into a bowl, douse it with soy milk and run to my computer to get some work done while the babies are napping. So this was an extremely rare occurance for me to actually COOK my lunch. The children were finally snoozing and the house was quiet, the kitchen smelled of warm Christmas ham all over again. It was shaping up perfectly, with the egg just the way I like, seasoned to my delight, bread toasted just enough, cheese beginning to get soft and melty... mmmmm.... I moved all the elements to my plate with the spatula one by one, and then finally, the pièce de résistance... that scrumptious thick slice of warm ham..........
slips off the damn spatula and falls *SMACK* on the floor! You obviously know what I did not do next. Not (munch, munch, munch, mmm) me!

4. I did not put off taking down the decorations until the 10th of January. (That would be a total of 7 weeks exactly that the dried up prickly tree was up and I would never allow that to happen!) Not me!

5. I did not restart the Baby Einstein "First Signs" DVD a second time so that I could finish checking work emails. I would never allow my children to watch THAT much educational television! Not me!

The Pie was on Fire!

I died when I saw this photo of Jack reacting to all the smoke after Daddy blew out his candles!

Daddy's Birthday

This one was kind of a big one.... 35!
We made his favorite- French Silk Pie from scratch. Jack and GG devoured it. I put it in front of them, went back for my plate, came back to the table and theirs was both gone. Seriously. (GG's "I'm FULL" expression in the last one cracks me up!)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

I hate football

Okay, I know this is our "Family blog" but, let's face it, the husband never looks at this thing nor contributes to it, so I figure I can vent a little steam now that we're in full blown playoff season. Can I get an "amen"?!

I secretly hate football.

It's probably not a huge secret. I think he knows I dislike it, but I don't think he knows just how deep this has gone now. Let me tell you just a few reasons why and if any of you other fellow "widows" understand, give a little shout out in the comments section.

1. It's the only place 15 seconds can last another 10 minutes. And I'm not even talking about OT!
2. It's on Friday-Monday on at least one channel, but usually at least half a dozen. (yes, I'm counting high school, too, because he'd watch that as well if he thought I wouldn't divorce him.
3. There's no new plot. It's the same crap every game.
4. The only game he's ever taken me to was the 2nd coldest game in Chiefs history -30 windchill and he was pissed because I didn't want to sit outside to eat tailgate food when it was a heat wave at whopping -10 inside the car. (this one pretty much sealed the fate of this post's title)
5. He has favorite teams ranked higher than I care to count. (9th favorite, 15th favorite, etc)
6. His mood will revolve around which teams lost/won that day, this is how I know and believe what I've heard about there being more abused wives in this country on Monday nights.
7. I conceded a few tasteful fan-artifacts for our newly finished (and beautiful, if I could be allowed to so boldly add) basement. I was trying to be nice with these concessions. Gradually, though, it's beginning to look more like a Dolphins bar, not a family room, and it's about to put me over.
8. I enjoyed football in high school and college. I really did. I think because it seemed to have a season (ie: AN END). I guess that's because I didn't live with someone who followed it YEAR ROUND.
9. Superbowl is the best game of the season. But for only one reason. It's the LAST.
**music screeching to a halt** But it's not the last, that's how they fool you, see, there's always the frickin' probowl crap and then, what, like two weeks later it's the draft and then some stupid reality show that watches them at summer camp and then bam! preseason is on again. I'm so stickin' over it, it's ridiculous.
















(that's me, 2nd from the left, the one that looks the warmest, or the least happy to be there, however you want to interpret that) I had on an Air Force Arctic weather parka under that Starter jacket, AND 3 sets of USAF long johns. I WAS STILL FROZEN! Don't tell them I fell asleep during part of it, it was mostly because the fog from my breath had frozen on my sunglasses and I couldn't see the game anymore. (Their beers were freezing by the way and they could hardly drink the slush.) just look at him.... good times he says. riiiight, uh-huh, sure.