Blubber and Bones October 31, 2007

Last Saturday, JJ and I went to go see a movie.  There are few people who will accompany us to the movies because we:

1. Talk to eachother during the whole movie.
2. Comment on the movie, during the movie.
3. If the movie is funny, watch out, because we laugh our asses off and make the other movie-goers stare at us because we laugh so hard.

We went to see The Life of Dan.  JJ wanted to see something funny.  There were parts that were hillarious, but it was also a tear jerker.  Good thing I had extra napkins from the popcorn!

During the movie, we came up with the inside joke of “blubber and bones”.  JJ will know what it means…

What the hell am I going to do when you move, girl???

Thank you for a fun Saturday… just a few hours with you totally lifts my spirits.

What Not to Wear October 30, 2007

I love this show… love it!!!  Can someone please nominate me?  I could really use the $5,000 clothing allowance!  That’s all…

Staples and Outlet Stores October 30, 2007

Yesterday was a bit traumatic…

For those who don’t know, I do medical transcribing from home.  This is pretty much impossible w/ two kids, but I do what I can. 

Anywho… yesterday, we were all in the office… Doodles on my lap and Mr. Man behind me, playing on the floor.  All of a sudden, I hear this guttural scream.  Mr. Man runs over to me screaming “I stapled my fingers!!!”

What???

Sure enough, somehow, he had gotten the stapler and managed to staple his index finger and middle finger TOGETHER.  The staple in his index finger went all the way through his finger… I could see it coming out the other side.  I tried not to toss my cookies by the site of it, and then I had to pull the staple out.  Not fun for either of us!  Luckily though, it did not bleed very much and  called the Dr. and no tetanus shot was needed.  Thank goodness… a shot would have REALLY put Mr. Man over the edge that he was already teetering on.

I needed to get Mr. Man’s mind off of his throbbing fingers, so we went to his favorite place… the outlet mall.  Why is this his favorite place you wonder?  Because they have a quarter machine filled with cool tattoos like scary tigers that Mr. Man loooooves.  So, he got his tatoo, and I got a couple of cute things for the kiddos from the Carters and Gymboree outlets.  And all was right with the world once again!

Pumpkin Patch Gone Wrong… October 28, 2007

Last night, the family went to a “pumpkin patch”.  Now, we do live in Las Vegas (the desert), so a pumpkin patch here is pretty much a blocked off part of a parking lot in a major shopping center with pumpkins (of course), hay, burnt popcorn, stinky toy ponies, and rides that cost about $10.00 each.  Not your traditional pumpkin patch, but we went last year, it was fun, and Mr. Man loved it.

Well, the part that Mr. Man loves the most are the jumpy houses, which is good, because that is pretty much all there is.  So, tonight, we were there for about a half an hour, and he decides to surprise, surprise… hop into yet another jumpy house thingy.  All is right with the world… he is jumping and laughing, I am holding Doodle Bug, and Dandall and I are both watching him with grins on our faces.  In the next second… all hell brakes loose.

I am looking at Mr. Man in the jumpy house, and all of a sudden, it looks a little crooked.  I glance at Mr. Man and he is staring at me with a look of panic on his face.  Next thing I know, I can’t see him… the jumpy house is falling to the ground, and he is screaming “Mommy… mommy!!!”  The power generator went out for two of the jumpy houses, and those things were deflated, flat on the ground in less than 5 seconds.  Luckily, we pulled him out really fast, and a bunch of people stepped in to pull the rest of the kids out, but it was SCARY.  Kids and parents were screaming and panicking… it was nuts.  I am completely traumatized and turned off in regard to the jumpy houses, but Mr. Man isn’t… he wanted to go on more!

Eye Candy and Killa Kela October 26, 2007

Last night, Dandall and I “had” to go to the VIP of a new nightclub called Eye Candy.  Oh sorry… it isn’t a nightclub, it is a “Sound Lounge”.  I can’t keep up with the trendiness.  We “had to go because of Dandall’s job, and I have to say, I was NOT excited.  It has been seven years since I have stepped foot in a nightclub.  Not only did I have nothing to wear, but what I did have to wear that could remotely look “nightclub-esqe” probably would not fit.

Well, I managed to pull off an outfit, and the grandparents came over to watch the kiddos.  We go there, and the place is actually really cool.  It is all high-tech… you can plug your IPods in, “spy” on other booths, etc.  Plenty of ways to entertain yourself, especially of you are drunk (which, I was not).  They also had a list of very cool, yummy sounding, specialized drinks… starting at $14.00.  Holy crap, that is expensive!  Has it really been that long since I have been out?  Inflation… I tell ya!

The best part of the night for me was that they hired some awesome, old school break dancers.  These guys were amazing, and the DJ played old school music to accompany their set.  One song, I totally remembered from back in high school… I said to one of Dandall’s co-workers, “Wow… this song really takes me back!” She said “Yeah… me too, I was in elementary school when it came out!”  Man… am I really getting that old?  Yeah… this girl belongs in the nightclub/sound lounge… not me!

The club also hired this guy named Killa Kela for the VIP opening  This guy was un-freaking-believable… I was blown away by his talent!  He is a beatboxer and has more talent in his pinky than I do in my whole body.  I’d love to see him perform again someday.

Today, it is back to reality, and I am home with the kiddos.  Mr. Man has “camp” at the Music Bug this afternoon and he can hardly contain himself because he gets to wear his “T-Rex” Halloween costume.  This morning, he also informed me that dinosaurs have back bones and that makes them invertebrates. 

The kid is amazing… I LOVE reality!!!

Io ti amo e se non ti basta October 25, 2007

My friend posted this for Dandall and I on her blog for our anniversary.  She posted it in Italian though, so I had her translate it for me.  This might be my new favorite poem…

I love you
and if that’s not enough
I will steal all the stars from the sky
to make you a garland
and the empty sky
won’t complain about what it has lost
because your beauty alone
will fill up the universe.

I love you
and if that’s not enough
I will empty the sea
and all its pearls I will bring
before you
and the sea will not cry
about this displeasure
because a thousand waves and sirens
do not have the charm
of just one look from you.

I love you
and if that’s not enough
I will lift up volcanoes
and their fire I will place
into your hands, and it will be ice
compared to the burning of my passion.

I love you
and if that’s not enough
I will capture the the clouds
and I will bring them to you
and they will rain upon you
when during the summer
you can’t sleep for the heat

and if that’s not enough
so that time will stop
I will stop all the planets in their track

and if that’s not enough
go fuck yourself.

Leaving on a Jet Plane… October 25, 2007

Don’t know when she’ll be back again…

It’s official… JJ is moving to Phoenix.  Actually, it has been official for almost a week now, but I have been in denial, and I still am to an extent.  Yes… she is only moving one state, a 5 hour car ride and a 45 minute plane trip away, but STILL.

JJ and I have been best friends since the 7th grade.  The 7th grade… people!  Do you know what an amazing feat that is for two women?  No boy, man, argument, or other friend has ever gotten in our way.  Hopefully, distance won’t either.  JJ and I are about as opposite as two people can be… she loves sports… I hate them.  She is a Republican… I am a Democrat.  I love girly things… she is a tomboy.  She loves to excercise and could not get by without it… I look in the direction of a treadmill and I am already exhausted.  I am overly dramatic when it comes to just about everything… she laughs at all of my craziness and somehow “gets” it.  I could go on and on here, but somehow, it works.  WE work… beautifully, in fact.

I know if JJ reads this, she will probably say “you are being overly dramatic…it won’t be that bad… we will still see each-other a lot… I’ll be back all of the time.” But, don’t people always say that when they move?

There are two people I totally and completely trust in this entire world… one is Dandall, and the other is JJ.  Period.  I really feel like someone is tearing my right arm off when I think about her moving.  I know it is a great opportunity for her husband, and that Phoenix is a great place to live, but what about me?  After all, this is my blog, therefore, it is all about ME on here!

I just pray that JJ knows how much I love her and how much I need her and how heartbroken I will be for the rest of my life if our friendship ever fades.  Actually, I don’t think I will let that happen, as being a stay at home mom, I have all of the time in the world now to hunt her ass down in Phoenix!

Mama vs. the Dizzies Part Deux October 24, 2007

So, this week, the focus is on the heart.  I went back to see my cardiologist, whom I love, and explained to him that I transcribe medical reports from home and that everyone and their mother has cardiomyopathy and I am just convinced I do too.  I leave out the part that everyone I transcribe that has it is 70 or older.  At this point, that is irrelevant to me.  I also tell him that in my beloved People magazine, they are featuring a new book called “Sick Girl” which is a bout a woman who was perfectly healthy until she turned 25 and started getting dizzy spells, then WHAMO… she needs a heart transplant.  I tell him I think it is a sign.  He just looks at me sweetly and giggles.

He is though willing to put me through the rigamaroll of tests, since I do have mitral valve prolapse ( a heart murmur) and that is why I see him anyway.  He explains to me that the 24 hour holter monitor I wore a year ago that recorded my heart came back beautifully.  I was allowed to have 5 flutters or murmurs an hour and I only had 2 in the entire 24 hour period.  He also told me that my average pulse was 83 and that it even went down to 52 while I was sleeping, but that when I was awake, I managed to ge it up to 148 just by doing nothing.  Yes… I do get myself worked up with anxiety, and that was my proof!

So, I got the echocardiogram, which came back fine except for a “mild physiological leak”.  I have no idea what that really means, but I am assuming it is related t0 the mitral valve.  Then, I wore the holter monitor again and am waiting for those results.  Mr. Man thought the holter stickers and wires were REALLY cool and he said I looked like an alien.  I felt like one too!

Chances are my friends, it is not the ticker.  At least if I rule out all of the “major” stuff, I will feel much more at ease about being lightheaded all of the time, if not better.

A Day of Rest… NOT October 21, 2007

Whomever declared Sunday a day of rest (I believe it was God himself… right?) did not have children.  Well, God has a lot of children, but I doubt any of them are clinging to his legs, telling him it is time to go to Target.

We have a birthday party to go to today at one of those jumpy places. 
Mr. Man is so excited, and Dandall is already complaining.  I also want to take a treck to TJ Max, as my little shopper friend called to tell me that they have Seven brand jeans for like $50.00!  What a deal… who knew?  And oh yeah, we have NO food, so I suppose I should go to the God forsaken grocery store as well.

Lots more to type, but so little time…

Have Your Pumpkin and Eat it Too October 20, 2007

This is a really fun one… especially for the kiddos…

EXTRA GOOD ALPHABET SOUP IN A PUMPKIN

Slice off the top of one medium pumpkin, clean out the inside, and set aside.

Saute 4 cut-up chicken breasts in 3 tablespoons of butter until golden.

Remove chicken and saute 3 sliced carrots,2 sliced celery stalks, ans 1/4 cup scallions.

Add one can each of cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, and chicken alphabet soup.

Stir in one can of water, 1/2 cup of cour cream and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Mix well and pour into the hollow pumpkin.  Top with the pumpkin top.  Place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes.

Scrape pumpkin sides when serving.  Serves 8.