It's official. I am the shortest person in my family of 4 now. Not by much. Yet. But it's happening.
I always knew this day would come. I just didn't think I'd actually be just a wee bit sad about it.
Zach is now about 1/2 inch taller than me. Insert sad face icon here. Make that double sad face icon with a little bit of a tear.
I'm not surprised. He's entering 8th grade. I am surprised. He's my baby.
The other day he and I were taking measurements to get a baseline of where we are size wise. He and I are very similarly built. And since he doesn't read this it can't really embarrass him that everyone now knows he has a similar build to his mom! At least I don't think he reads this. My chest is bigger, obviously. My waist is a bit thicker. His arms are a tad bigger than mine. His feet are huge!! When we are heel to heel the tops of my toes come to the bottoms of his.
I'm glad for the boys' height. When they were younger and would go in for check ups the doctor would tell me they would both be at least 6'2. That made me happy, I think it's an advantage to be taller. And so glad they got my dads side of the gene pool for height. Steve is 5'8" or 5'9". Not a thing wrong with that but I know he wishes he were taller.
Just one more sign that sooner rather than later they will leave our little nest. I don't know what I'll do then but I'm excited to see the men they will become.
Update on the summer bucket list.
So far it's been an iffy summer on getting things done that I wanted to do. Haven't traveled at all. Hopefully that will change soon. Even just a few trips out of town.
I did start working out MORE than the 3 days a week I wanted to. I've been averaging 5. I got one fun project done but haven't done any more on Ryan's scrapbook. He's a senior this year and I wanted to present it at his graduation, just showing things he's done throughout his school career. I'm not sure this will ever be done.
I haven't taken more pictures. I have no reason to as I don't really leave the house much.
We've managed to clean out some of the clothes we no longer wear and donate them to Goodwill. I still want to get other items put together to donate. I've gotten some of the cabinets organized.
5 more weeks to get it right.
One of the items on my list was to blog at least 45 days of the summer. I'm at 20 with this one.
Can I possibly find 25 more things to talk about??
I did start working out MORE than the 3 days a week I wanted to. I've been averaging 5. I got one fun project done but haven't done any more on Ryan's scrapbook. He's a senior this year and I wanted to present it at his graduation, just showing things he's done throughout his school career. I'm not sure this will ever be done.
I haven't taken more pictures. I have no reason to as I don't really leave the house much.
We've managed to clean out some of the clothes we no longer wear and donate them to Goodwill. I still want to get other items put together to donate. I've gotten some of the cabinets organized.
5 more weeks to get it right.
One of the items on my list was to blog at least 45 days of the summer. I'm at 20 with this one.
Can I possibly find 25 more things to talk about??
Our social media license should be revoked!
I have a love/hate relationship with social media.
On one hand, it gives us access to information at lightning fast speeds. On the other hand, I didn't really need to know that Kim Kardashian had really swollen feet during her pregnancy. Sometimes social media is used for good. To get the word out about an important project, rally, program, whatever. And sometimes it is used for evil. To spread lies, vicious rumors and to bully other people.
On both Facebook and online news articles, if the topic catches my eye, I will read it. Then I torture myself and read the comments people make. It makes me laugh, it makes me mad but mostly it makes me sad that people feel they can get away with saying the things they say because they are hidden behind an anonymous name. Hell, if it's on Facebook, it's mostly not anonymous, and they still say the stupidest things. It's like being given a license to offend anyone and everyone because there is no real accountability for your comments.
People are cruel with their comments. The same people that would probably never say anything like that to another person face to face are the ones that are unusually cruel. "Brave" because they are hidden. Some are cruel on purpose, just for the attention. And the less attention they receive, the more outrageous they become with their words.
And someone always, always starts in with the politics. Or plays the race card. People throw the N word and the R word around like it's nothing. Liberal or Conservative, each has their own derogatory word for the other. The debates get very heated and I can appreciate a good argument. What I can't and don't appreciate are the debates that go completely overboard in berating someone else for a difference of opinion. Why can't everyone just shut the hell up and agree to disagree without it becoming a personal verbal attack?
The audacity of some people shocks me. Based on someone's opinion, people assume a lot about another person. Oh, you support gay marriage? You MUST be gay or at least have homosexual tendencies. You support Obama? You are probably black. You want background checks for anyone wanting to purchase a gun? You must be a liberal AND you want to take my gun away.
I start reading some of the comments and get pretty heated, which in turn makes ME want to comment. I don't of course, for a few reasons. The voice of reason is never heard above the shouts of the cruel.
On one hand, it gives us access to information at lightning fast speeds. On the other hand, I didn't really need to know that Kim Kardashian had really swollen feet during her pregnancy. Sometimes social media is used for good. To get the word out about an important project, rally, program, whatever. And sometimes it is used for evil. To spread lies, vicious rumors and to bully other people.
On both Facebook and online news articles, if the topic catches my eye, I will read it. Then I torture myself and read the comments people make. It makes me laugh, it makes me mad but mostly it makes me sad that people feel they can get away with saying the things they say because they are hidden behind an anonymous name. Hell, if it's on Facebook, it's mostly not anonymous, and they still say the stupidest things. It's like being given a license to offend anyone and everyone because there is no real accountability for your comments.
People are cruel with their comments. The same people that would probably never say anything like that to another person face to face are the ones that are unusually cruel. "Brave" because they are hidden. Some are cruel on purpose, just for the attention. And the less attention they receive, the more outrageous they become with their words.
And someone always, always starts in with the politics. Or plays the race card. People throw the N word and the R word around like it's nothing. Liberal or Conservative, each has their own derogatory word for the other. The debates get very heated and I can appreciate a good argument. What I can't and don't appreciate are the debates that go completely overboard in berating someone else for a difference of opinion. Why can't everyone just shut the hell up and agree to disagree without it becoming a personal verbal attack?
The audacity of some people shocks me. Based on someone's opinion, people assume a lot about another person. Oh, you support gay marriage? You MUST be gay or at least have homosexual tendencies. You support Obama? You are probably black. You want background checks for anyone wanting to purchase a gun? You must be a liberal AND you want to take my gun away.
I start reading some of the comments and get pretty heated, which in turn makes ME want to comment. I don't of course, for a few reasons. The voice of reason is never heard above the shouts of the cruel.
I'm ok. The withdrawls aren't that bad. R-e-a-l-l-y.
So, not to mock AA or anything like that but don't they start out with something like, "my name is ___ and it's been ___ days since my last drink"?
Hello, my name is Alicia and it's been 2 weeks since my last "normal" TV experience.
That's right. We let go of the satellite TV. A few weeks ago I wrote about it. We were in the planning stages of tossing it. Now we've done it and, agghhhhh. I have mixed feelings.
It's such a habit to just turn on the boob tube and use it for background noise. It's not like there is super great programming. There were certain shows we'd watch and we'd watch the news. But there was nothing on that was worth $80 a month.
So why am I going through withdrawls? It's a bit of work trying to make this whole thing work between the internet, Hulu and Netflix. The searching and the downloading and the uploading and the updates and the....whatever else must be done to just watch a freakin show!
And Ryan has told me that he's going over to Grammy and Dpa's every Sunday once football season starts so he can watch the games. What do they call those guys that come in and work when the others go on strike? Scabs? Ryan's a scab. I don't blame him though. That one is gonna be tough.
In the meantime, I've been watching shows that are ... interesting. Really liked Sherlock Holmes (NOT the movie, but the British one with a man named Cumberbatch) series and an older show called SPY. Another British one. And mustn't forget Pramface from the UK. It's like a "Secret Life of the American Teenager" but smarter and more true to life I think than the cheesy program. Not that I've watched that show...ahem. Ok, fine, I saw it twice. There was something on called Blue with Julia Stiles. I like her. The show was very odd. Odd enough that we watched about 20 minutes and turned it off.
Mostly though, my house is getting better organized. My books are being read. The boys have yet to pick up on this concept. And as the end of summer gets closer I will be creating lesson plans for this next year.
Overall, I know this is a good thing for us. It's just very hard to break this habit.
Hello, my name is Alicia and it's been 2 weeks since my last "normal" TV experience.
That's right. We let go of the satellite TV. A few weeks ago I wrote about it. We were in the planning stages of tossing it. Now we've done it and, agghhhhh. I have mixed feelings.
It's such a habit to just turn on the boob tube and use it for background noise. It's not like there is super great programming. There were certain shows we'd watch and we'd watch the news. But there was nothing on that was worth $80 a month.
So why am I going through withdrawls? It's a bit of work trying to make this whole thing work between the internet, Hulu and Netflix. The searching and the downloading and the uploading and the updates and the....whatever else must be done to just watch a freakin show!
And Ryan has told me that he's going over to Grammy and Dpa's every Sunday once football season starts so he can watch the games. What do they call those guys that come in and work when the others go on strike? Scabs? Ryan's a scab. I don't blame him though. That one is gonna be tough.
In the meantime, I've been watching shows that are ... interesting. Really liked Sherlock Holmes (NOT the movie, but the British one with a man named Cumberbatch) series and an older show called SPY. Another British one. And mustn't forget Pramface from the UK. It's like a "Secret Life of the American Teenager" but smarter and more true to life I think than the cheesy program. Not that I've watched that show...ahem. Ok, fine, I saw it twice. There was something on called Blue with Julia Stiles. I like her. The show was very odd. Odd enough that we watched about 20 minutes and turned it off.
Mostly though, my house is getting better organized. My books are being read. The boys have yet to pick up on this concept. And as the end of summer gets closer I will be creating lesson plans for this next year.
Overall, I know this is a good thing for us. It's just very hard to break this habit.
He's eyeballing me...
Steve is off today. I'm a lucky girl. I really am but in this case I think my sarcasm isn't coming through.
A few minutes ago I wrote a post about Ryan, "Beard Boy". The kids I watch are sleeping so, even though he's sitting right across from me, he texts me.
"You never blog about me... Why?"
"I do too."
"No you don't...And don't ever, ever throw your hands up like that at me again..like your some Italian mom or something".
My responding text had to do with his not properly using "you're". And it included "piss off".
"Wow"
"If you really want me to, I will blog about you"
"Piss off?...really?"
"She said in the nicest voice ever. Even batted her eyes"
"Ok fine. I'm never talking to you again...not even if there is a fire."
"Good"
So he's still sitting across from me. Eyeballing me. If the kids weren't sleeping I'd do a flying karate kick straight to his jugular.
Actually, not that long ago I said, "here, I'm going to jump to you, you catch me, ok?"
I trusted him.
I jumped, bounced and landed on the floor.
Prick.
Happy reading, Steve! :0)
A few minutes ago I wrote a post about Ryan, "Beard Boy". The kids I watch are sleeping so, even though he's sitting right across from me, he texts me.
"You never blog about me... Why?"
"I do too."
"No you don't...And don't ever, ever throw your hands up like that at me again..like your some Italian mom or something".
My responding text had to do with his not properly using "you're". And it included "piss off".
"Wow"
"If you really want me to, I will blog about you"
"Piss off?...really?"
"She said in the nicest voice ever. Even batted her eyes"
"Ok fine. I'm never talking to you again...not even if there is a fire."
"Good"
So he's still sitting across from me. Eyeballing me. If the kids weren't sleeping I'd do a flying karate kick straight to his jugular.
Actually, not that long ago I said, "here, I'm going to jump to you, you catch me, ok?"
I trusted him.
I jumped, bounced and landed on the floor.
Prick.
Happy reading, Steve! :0)
Beard Boy
The following conversation really, really happened today with Ryan. Ryan is 17. He has a beard and is very, very proud of that beard.
Ryan: MOM! Oh my God!! Come here!
I go into the bathroom where he's standing in front of the mirror.
Ryan: Look...history! First time ever. I have food in my beard!!!
Me: Ewww, that's disgusting!
Ryan: No, this is aweso...oh wait. It's just a feather. Damn it!
Ryan loves his beard. Loves the fact that his started in the 8th grade. Is proud of the fact that he is one of the few high school seniors that can grow one.
Ryan's beard is a topic of conversation. Mostly with himself, but it's still a topic of conversation.
Up Yours, Yoshi
The two little boys I have here are 4 and 5 and they like video games. They have a hard time playing them because they lack the coordination but they still want to play them all the time. When they can't do something on any of the games they turn to me. The adult. The one that should know how to do stuff.
But when it comes to video games, I don't. No matter what character I play, be it Peach, Mario or Yoshi or what course I follow, in which cup race, like the Banana Cup, or the Flower Cup, I just can't manage. My sense of direction is way off. Hand-eye coordination, zilch. I run my character into every wall, every creature, every guard rail and even drive in the wrong direction. I am constantly driving into the ocean or any nearby pool or water. I've learned the darker water equals death for the character.
It's not just with Mario Kart. It's with any video game. Iron Man...forget it. Poor Tony Stark walks around in circles when I'm at the controls. The 4 year old figured out how to make him fly. The 5 year old figured out how to make him shoot. Between the 3 of us we should have it figured out by the end of summer.
There has never been any hope for me when it comes to any kind of entertainment games. When my boys were younger we had Rock Band. I could not figure out the guitar to save my life. And they give you the color coordinated song stuff ahead of time! Zach took mercy on me so I could be included one time and had me hold one part of the guitar while he did the colored musical (important) parts. Finally, he got fed up with my inability to do it right and made me quit. He was very nice and patient for an 8 year old.
Video games don't suit me but neither does any other boy game at all. I can't make proper vehicle sounds. My sirens sound like Patrick Star from Spongebob -weewoo weewoo weewoo- and my guns sound puny. Pew-pew-pew. That's what I got.
It's ok though, my inability to play like a boy doesn't seem to really matter in the bigger picture. My boys quickly came to understand that I would never be able to play video games with them. Or army guys. Or cowboys and Indians.
These little boys here now are quick learners. It's only taken them a week to realize I can't do those things either!
But when it comes to video games, I don't. No matter what character I play, be it Peach, Mario or Yoshi or what course I follow, in which cup race, like the Banana Cup, or the Flower Cup, I just can't manage. My sense of direction is way off. Hand-eye coordination, zilch. I run my character into every wall, every creature, every guard rail and even drive in the wrong direction. I am constantly driving into the ocean or any nearby pool or water. I've learned the darker water equals death for the character.
It's not just with Mario Kart. It's with any video game. Iron Man...forget it. Poor Tony Stark walks around in circles when I'm at the controls. The 4 year old figured out how to make him fly. The 5 year old figured out how to make him shoot. Between the 3 of us we should have it figured out by the end of summer.
There has never been any hope for me when it comes to any kind of entertainment games. When my boys were younger we had Rock Band. I could not figure out the guitar to save my life. And they give you the color coordinated song stuff ahead of time! Zach took mercy on me so I could be included one time and had me hold one part of the guitar while he did the colored musical (important) parts. Finally, he got fed up with my inability to do it right and made me quit. He was very nice and patient for an 8 year old.
Video games don't suit me but neither does any other boy game at all. I can't make proper vehicle sounds. My sirens sound like Patrick Star from Spongebob -weewoo weewoo weewoo- and my guns sound puny. Pew-pew-pew. That's what I got.
It's ok though, my inability to play like a boy doesn't seem to really matter in the bigger picture. My boys quickly came to understand that I would never be able to play video games with them. Or army guys. Or cowboys and Indians.
These little boys here now are quick learners. It's only taken them a week to realize I can't do those things either!
We're coming unglued!
I mean unplugged. Sort of. In a round about way. Ok, not really, mostly at all.
*Sigh*
We're cutting the cord to our satellite. We tried once before in our small town but it failed miserably. This time we are better prepared mentally. And we have a back up thingy going on.
I won't be able to watch broadcast television at all. Up here on the hill we don't get any stations even with an antenna. That's really gonna suck. I do like watching some regular stations and the news. Now I'll just get live streaming on my phone or through the Wii. Gotta love Hulu Plus.
I've also been introduced to something called Crackle. My first impression is that it's not very good but it's been an eye opener in the whole crap reality TV business. Did you know there was (don't think there still is?) a reality show featuring a XXX mom? And it was called Mommy XXX. This little 5 minute gem talked about her going in for her 11th boob job. 2 kids, a boy and a girl and a gorgeous house. And her ex husband is also in the industry. I'm not sure why I was surprised by this series, given my strong opinions on "reality" TV. But it is one on a long list of many that I will be avoiding.
So, cutting the cord won't be that hard, we can watch our shows on Hulu, Amazon Prime and the internet. The hardest part, without a doubt, will be the upcoming football season. We LIKE watching as many games as we can. We'll see if we can't find a way to stream them, but so far I haven't found it.
Who knows? Maybe this will force us to read more! (Said no one, ever.)
*Sigh*
We're cutting the cord to our satellite. We tried once before in our small town but it failed miserably. This time we are better prepared mentally. And we have a back up thingy going on.
I won't be able to watch broadcast television at all. Up here on the hill we don't get any stations even with an antenna. That's really gonna suck. I do like watching some regular stations and the news. Now I'll just get live streaming on my phone or through the Wii. Gotta love Hulu Plus.
I've also been introduced to something called Crackle. My first impression is that it's not very good but it's been an eye opener in the whole crap reality TV business. Did you know there was (don't think there still is?) a reality show featuring a XXX mom? And it was called Mommy XXX. This little 5 minute gem talked about her going in for her 11th boob job. 2 kids, a boy and a girl and a gorgeous house. And her ex husband is also in the industry. I'm not sure why I was surprised by this series, given my strong opinions on "reality" TV. But it is one on a long list of many that I will be avoiding.
So, cutting the cord won't be that hard, we can watch our shows on Hulu, Amazon Prime and the internet. The hardest part, without a doubt, will be the upcoming football season. We LIKE watching as many games as we can. We'll see if we can't find a way to stream them, but so far I haven't found it.
Who knows? Maybe this will force us to read more! (Said no one, ever.)
Homemade Ranch Dressing
I came across this recipe on Pinterest. I think I said before that I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. I love how many wonderful ideas are on there, how you can share your own ideas, make public boards, private boards for your own secret wishes if you want...
I came across a recipe for homemade ranch dressing. I can't say I'm the genius behind the recipe because I wouldn't have a clue on where to even begin creating something so wonderful. Here's the one I swiped, but tweaked a little so I couldn't be busted for plagiarism:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk (Greek yogurt instead???)
1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh dill weed, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients and store in an air-tight container. Must be refrigerated. Mason jars are perfect for this!
I came across a recipe for homemade ranch dressing. I can't say I'm the genius behind the recipe because I wouldn't have a clue on where to even begin creating something so wonderful. Here's the one I swiped, but tweaked a little so I couldn't be busted for plagiarism:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk (Greek yogurt instead???)
1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh dill weed, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients and store in an air-tight container. Must be refrigerated. Mason jars are perfect for this!
Jalapeno Poppers
In our special dealio we got this weekend on the veggies, we got a ton of jalapenos. We have made them before but choose large ones since they are not quite as hot. Mostly. The ones we got this time are small to medium. Let's just call them exactly what they are.
Deadly!
Steve and Zach cut the jalapeno's in half, removed the seeds and the vein. It was Zach's first time helping and he regretted it once the inside of his nose was burning. Once they were done I decided to try. The first one had some heat. The second one made me want to die. If you care to try, here's the recipe:
Jalapeno's , cut in half length-wise, seeds removed
Cream cheese (you can even used the pineapple flavored stuff which makes it extra groovy)
Bacon
Once jalapeno's are cut and seeded, spread cream cheese in the pepper and wrap with a slice of bacon. If the peppers are small, cut the bacon in half before wrapping. Bake for half an hour at 375 degrees.
Have milk handy in case you need to relieve that burning sensation!
Deadly!
Steve and Zach cut the jalapeno's in half, removed the seeds and the vein. It was Zach's first time helping and he regretted it once the inside of his nose was burning. Once they were done I decided to try. The first one had some heat. The second one made me want to die. If you care to try, here's the recipe:
Jalapeno's , cut in half length-wise, seeds removed
Cream cheese (you can even used the pineapple flavored stuff which makes it extra groovy)
Bacon
Once jalapeno's are cut and seeded, spread cream cheese in the pepper and wrap with a slice of bacon. If the peppers are small, cut the bacon in half before wrapping. Bake for half an hour at 375 degrees.
Have milk handy in case you need to relieve that burning sensation!
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