What to Do With This Boy… November 29, 2007

Dandall called me today after dropping Mr. Man off at school and said he had a long talk with Mr. Man’s teacher this morning. 

Every day in his class, they have “circle time” where the kids get in a circle and start to quiet down for story time, or singing, or another activity.  Well, yesterday, apparently, Mr. Man would not quiet down and was causing a ruckus.  His teacher asked him to sit down and he said to her “You are not the boss of me, and you do not make the rules.”

What the heck happened to my sweet boy?  I am horrified, and trying to think of a proper way to teach him that this is not acceptable behavior, or an acceptable way to talk to your peers.  Any advice?

These are a Few of My Favorite Things… November 28, 2007

I am going to start a few new categories, and one of them is my favorite things, because I have lots!

Since the kiddos came along, I have been on the hunt for less expensive, drug store makeup.  My challenge though has been lipstick.  I am very pale, and can never find the right shade in drugstore brands. 

Well, the seach is over… I have found TWO!

1. Loreal, Fairest Nude.  It rocks, and goes with everything!

2. Cover Girl, Petal Shine.  I also really like Cherry shine for a darker color.

To Feed Your Holiday TV Addiction November 27, 2007

If any of you are huge suckers for Holiday shows like I am, here is a long list of what is on!  I can’t take credit for putting this together, but my thanks go out to Kris!

NOVEMBER 27
“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 11:45 a.m., 9 p.m.

“Prancer,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m., 9 p.m.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas,”  ABC, 8 p.m.

NOVEMBER 28
“Shrek the Halls,” ABC, 8 p.m.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas,” DIS, 8 p.m.

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABC, 8:30 p.m.

“Home Alone 4,” ABCFAM, 9 p.m.

NOVEMBER 30
“Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” ABC, 8 p.m.

“Christmas With the Kranks,” FX, 8 p.m.

DECEMBER 1
“Christmas Every Day,” ABCFAM, 7:30 a.m.

“Santa Who?,” ABCFAM, 9:30 a.m.

“Christmas With the Kranks,” FX, noon

“Little House: Bless All the Dear Children,” HALL, 1 p.m.

 ”Jingle All the Way,” ABCFAM, 1:30 p.m.

“Santa Who?,” ABCFAM, 11 p.m.

DECEMBER 2
“Jingle All the Way,” ABCFAM, 10 a.m.

“Charlie & Lola Christmas Special,” DIS, 11:30 a.m.

“Home Alone 4,” ABCFAM, noon

“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 2:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m.

“Elf,” USA, 4:30 p.m.

“The Santa Clause,” TBS, 6 p.m.

“Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas,” DIS, 8 p.m.

DECEMBER 3
“Elf,” USA, 2 p.m.

“Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas,” ABC, 8 p.m.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys,” ABCFAM, 9 p.m.

“Little House: Bless All the Dear Children,” HALL, 11 p.m.

DECEMBER 4
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” CBS, 8 p.m.

“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” ABC, 8 p.m.

DECEMBER 5
“‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” ABCFAM, 10 p.m.

DECEMBER 6
“Charlie & Lola Christmas Special, DIS, 11:30 a.m.

“Deck the Halls,” LIFE, 2 p.m.

“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 6:15 p.m.

“Once Upon a Christmas,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Twice Upon A Christmas,” ABCFAM, 9 p.m.

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” TBS, 9 p.m.

DECEMBER 7
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Elf,” USA, 7 p.m.

“Frosty the Snowman,” CBS, 8 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” ABCFAM, 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m.

“Frosty Returns,” CBS, 8:30 p.m.

“The Santa Clause 2,” DIS, 9 p.m.

DECEMBER 8
“Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July,” ABCFAM, 7 a.m.

“Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey,” “ABCFAM, 10 a.m.

“Pinocchio’s Christmas,” ABCFAM, 10:30 a.m.

“Jack Frost,” ABCFAM, 11:30 a.m.

“Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” ABCFAM, 12:30 p.m.

“‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” ABCFAM, 1 p.m.

“Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” ABCFAM, 1:30 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” ABCFAM, 4:30 p.m.

“Papa’s Angels,” HALL, 5 p.m.

“The Santa Clause 2,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas– Movie,” ABC, 8 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” ABCFAM, 9 p.m.

“Prancer,” ABCFAM, 11:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 9
“Prancer,” ABCFAM, 8 a.m.

“Samantha: An American Girl Holiday,” HALL, 3 p.m.

DECEMBER 10
“Samantha: An American Girl Holiday,” HALL, 1 a.m.

“I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown!,” ABC, 8 p.m.

DECEMBER 11
“Deck the Halls,” HBO, 11:45 a.m.

“Jack Frost,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Shrek the Halls,” ABC, 8 p.m.

“Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too,” ABC, 8:30 p.m.

“Miracle on 34th Street,” WPMY, 8 p.m.

DECEMBER 12
“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 2:30 p.m.

“Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey,” ABCFAM, 7:30 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” ABCFAM, 8 p.m.

“The Santa Clause,” TNT, 8 p.m., midnight

“The Polar Express,” ABCFAM, 10:30 p.m.

“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 11:15 p.m.

DECEMBER 13
“Little Drummer Boy,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Little Drummer Boy: Book II,” ABCFAM, 7:30 p.m.

“An All Dogs Christmas Carol,” WPMY, 8 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” DIS, 8 p.m.

DECEMBER 14
“Charlie & Lola Christmas Special,” DIS, 11:30 a.m.

“Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABCFAM, 8 p.m.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABCFAM, 10:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 15
“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 1 p.m.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” NBC, 8 p.m.

DECEMBER 16
“A Christmas Carol,” AMC, 6:45 a.m.

“Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July,” ABCFAM, 10 a.m.

“Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” STARZ, 11:50 a.m.

“Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey,” ABCFAM, 12:30 p.m.

“Pinocchio’s Christmas,” ABCFAM, 1 p.m.

“Little House: Bless All the Dear Children,” HALL, 1 p.m.

“Jack Frost,” ABCFAM, 2 p.m.

“Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” ABCFAM, 3 p.m.

” ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” ABCFAM, 3:30 p.m.

“Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” ABCFAM, 4 p.m.

“Little House: Bless All the Dear Children,” HALL, 11 p.m.

DECEMBER 17
“Pinocchio’s Christmas,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Olive, the Other Reindeer,” WPMY, 8 p.m.

“Jingle All the Way,” ABCFAM, 8 p.m.

“Jack Frost,” ABCFAM, 10 p.m.

DECEMBER 18
“Charlie & Lola Christmas Special,” DIS, 11:30 a.m.

“Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas,” DIS, 8 p.m.

” ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” ABCFAM, 10 p.m.

“A Christmas Carol,” AMC, 10 p.m.

“Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey,” ABCFAM, 10:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 19
“A Christmas Carol,” AMC, 8:15 a.m.

“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Frosty the Snowman,” CBS, 8 p.m.

“The Santa Clause,” DIS, 8 p.m.

“Frosty Returns,” CBS, 8:30 p.m.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys,” ABCFAM, 9 p.m.

DECEMBER 20
“Prancer,” ABCFAM, 7 a.m.

“Dr. Seuss; The Cat in the Hat,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” ABCFAM, 7:30 p.m.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABCFAM, 8 p.m.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABCFAM, 10:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 21
“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 6:30 a.m.

“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 5:15 p.m.

“Home Alone,” FX, 8 p.m.

“Jingle All the Way,” TNT, 8 p.m.

“Jingle All the Way,” TNT, 10 p.m.

DECEMBER 22
“Home Alone 4,” ABCFAM, 9 a.m.

“A Very Brady Christmas,” ABCFAM, 11 a.m.

“Home Alone,” FX, 6 p.m.

“Elf,” CBS, 8 p.m.

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” TBS, 8 p.m.

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” TBS, 9:45 p.m.

“Jingle All the Way,” TBS, 11:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 23
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” WPMY, noon

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” TNT, 2 p.m.

“Jingle All the Way,” TBS, 4 p.m.

“Elmo’s Christmas Countdown,” ABC, 7 p.m.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABCFAM, 7 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” DIS, 8 p.m.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABCFAM, 9:30 p.m.

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” TNT, 1 a.m.

“A Christmas Carol: The Musical,” USA, 2 a.m.

DECEMBER 24
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” TNT, 8 a.m.

“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 9:15 a.m.

“Jack Frost,” ABCFAM, 11 a.m.

“A Christmas Carol,” AMC, 11:30 a.m.

“Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July,” ABCFAM, noon

“Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” ABCFAM, 2 p.m.

“‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” ABCFAM, 2:30 p.m.

“Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” ABCFAM, 3 p.m.

“A Christmas Carol,” AMC, 5:45 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” ABCFAM, 6 p.m.

“The Santa Clause,” DIS, 6 p.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 8 p.m. (repeats for 24 hours)

“The Santa Clause 2,” DIS, 8 p.m.

“The Nativity Story,” HBO, 8 p.m.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” NBC, 8 p.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 8 p.m.

“The Polar Express,” ABCFAM, 8:30 p.m.

“A Christmas Carol,” AMC, 10 p.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 10 p.m.

Christmas Day
“A Christmas Story,” TBS, midnight

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 2 a.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 4 a.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 6 a.m.

“The Wiggles: Santa’s Rockin’,” DIS, 7 a.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 8 a.m.

“A Christmas Carol,” TNT, 8 a.m.

“Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade,” ABC, 10 a.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 10 a.m.

“The Koala Brothers’ Outback Christmas,” DIS, 10:30 a.m.

“Charlie & Lola Christmas Special,” DIS, 11:30 a.m.

“A Very Brady Christmas,” ABCFAM, noon

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, noon

“Elf,” USA, noon

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 2 p.m.

“Elf,” USA, 2 p.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 4 p.m.

“Home Alone,” FX, 6 p.m.

“A Christmas Story,” TBS, 6 p.m.

“Elf,” USA, 7 p.m.

“Home Alone,” FX, 8 p.m.

“Elf,” USA, 9 p.m.

“The Greatest Story Ever Told,” TCM, 11 p.m.

Haircut From Hell November 27, 2007

Whew… it has been a while!  I am planning to catch up with a few different posts… this is the first.  Two weeks ago, after my last post, I took Mr. Man to get his hair cut.  I usually take him to one of those “kiddie” haircut places, which he loves, but they always do such a horrible job on his hair.

So this time, I took him to my brother’s best friend’s wife.  They are actually both hairdressers, and he cuts Dandall and my brother’s hair.  His wife had an opening, so I figured, why not!  Well, she was great, and gave Mr. Man the best haircut he has ever had.

However…

She had new scissors, and also a 9 week old at home, which means lack of sleep, and the two just don’t mix when you are cutting hair.  Even though Mr. Man was completely still (he loves… I mean, loved getting his hair cut), she snipped a chunk out of his ear.  Poor little Mr. Man being the brave boy that he is, barely even cried, although I could tell he was in a lot of pain.  He saved the crying until he got in the car, in which we had to leave w/ a towel on his ear, because even with a Bandaid, it would not stop bleeding.  It stopped about 20 minutes later, and I didn’t freak out too much, because I know ears bleed a lot.

Well, fast forward to later that afternoon.  I finally coax him into letting me take the Bandaid off so I can clean his ear up and take a good look at it.  As soon as I got it half way off, Mr. Man started to scream and his ear gushed blood.  A trip to the Dr. was in order.  I called Dandall to meet me so someone could hold Mr. Man and care for Doodle Bug, which I knew would be impossible for one person to do in Mr. Man’s condition.  So, of course, he meets me, because he is that kind of good guy.  But I can tell that he thinks I am overreacting a bit… until… the Dr. takes the Bandaid off.

The Dr. was great!  He was having a difficult time though seeing what was happening, because Mr. Man’s ear would NOT stop bleeding.  He finally got a look at it and said “well, this really needs stitches, or to be glued, but there is literally no skin left to do that with.  At this point, Dandall and I finally got a look, and we were both so glad we took him to the Dr.

The Dr. tried everything he could to get it to stop bleeding, with no avail, so poor Mr. Man’s ear had to be burned with silver nitrate to cauterize it so it would stop.  It burns like crazy, and Mr. Man was doing everything he could to keep it together.  By the time the Dr. was done… he, Dandall, Mr. Man and I were ALL sweating!  Needless to say, Mr. Man was taken to Target to get some toys after that experience.

After 10 days of antibiotics to ward off infection, and being careful with his ear, Mr. Man is doing MUCH better.  I felt so bad for him though, AND our friend who cut his hair.  She was just gray colored after it happened, and even she bought Mr. Man a gift!  Luckliy though, she doesn’t know how bad it really was, and does not know about the Dr. fiasco.  I am planning on keeping it that way.

The funniest thing though, was the comment Mr. Man made after leaving the Dr.  He said “See mama… I told you we should have gone to the kids haircut place!!!”  Touche’ little man… touche’…

W.I.F.E. November 15, 2007

I have no idea who this chick is, but how freaking hillarious (and true) is her shirt???

God and Binoculars November 11, 2007

All of a sudden… Mr. Man is obsessed with God.  Well, I guess it’s not all of a sudden, it is since I told him about God putting his sister in my belly.  Every night last week while we were lying in his bed and I was waiting for him to fall asleep, I got bombarded with God questions.  Let me just say that I am not prepared for this!  After all, I myself do not come from a solid religious background (I’ll save that for another post entirely)  I was baptized Catholic almost three years ago, but do not by any means consider myself extremely knowledgeable on the religion yet, or any religion for that matter.   And while Randy is a cradle Catholic, it takes a miracle itself to drag his butt to mass.

So, I ask Mr. Man if he wants to start going to church with me.  Something I haven’t even done in over a year.  He promptly says no.  I tell him that they have free donuts after church, thinking that this information will totally change his mind.  His response was “well… they should have dinosaurs instead of donuts.”  Okay… maybe not.

Then he asks “Mama… how does God see us?”  Oh great, another question!!!  Where is Dandall for all of this stuff, and why do I always get the tough questions? So I tell him that God has special powers and that he can see the whole world from Heaven and watch over us all.  His response… “Ugh… mama!!!  God, like, doesn’t even have binoculars!  He can’t do that!”

I seriously thought I was going to fall out of his bed laughing, but I managed to keep it to a small giggle, for his sake.  That boy I tell you… I love it! 

Celebrate Me Home… November 9, 2007

Does anyone else totally cry every time they hear that sappy Kenny Loggins song during the holiday season, or is it just me???

I am so excited… my baby brother is coming home!!!  He is a professional baseball player and plays back East, so we barely see him.  In fact, he hasn’t even met Doodle Bug yet! And, he is one of my very best friends, and I can’t wait for him to be around for a while!

He will be staying with us for about a month and a half.  It should be interesting, as he thought our house was crazy with just Mr. Man.  Boy is he in for a surprise with Doodle in tow now as well!

I am kind of surprised he is coming home for so long, as we had a big family blow up a couple of years ago, and since then, there has been family drama, and there probably always will be now, which is sad.  It is a long, sad, frustrating story, but bottom line is that my brother was definitely NOT in the wrong at all, but my parents always find a way to make him feel guilty in some way, which is unjustified.  My brother was affected more in the blow out than I was, and I live in LV still, where our parents live as well, so I am closer to them physically and emotionally I suppose.  I am constantly put in the middle between them, and my brother, which I hate.

My mom actually had the nerve to tell my brother today that if he was going to stay with us, that he really should pay us rent or give us some kind of money because things are tight, and he will be staying at our house, eating our food, etc.  I was SO upset.  I would never, ever take his money.  Yes, things are tight, but they aren’t that tight for God’s sake!  I think she just said that to him because she is upset that he isn’t staying with them.

My parents tend to live in the land of denial, and they think if they ignore the elephant in the room, that everyone else will too.  But we won’t… especially my brother.  And, he will never be able too.

Ugh… this is too heavy of a post!  I’ll have to be back tomorrow with something a bit lighter!

Invisible Woman November 6, 2007

It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son to
school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street
when the crossing guard said to him, “Who is that with you, young
fella?”“Nobody,” he shrugged. Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My
son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, “Oh my
goodness, nobody?”

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say
something to my family – like “Turn the TV down, please” – and
nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for
the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say
again, a little louder, “Would someone turn the TV down?” Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We’d been
there for about th ree hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he
was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there
was a break in the conversation, I whispered, “I’m ready to go when
you are.” He just kept right on talking.

I’m invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response,
the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the
phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, “Can’t
you see I’m on the phone?” Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on
the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my
head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I’m invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this?
Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I’m not a pair of
hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, “What time is
it?” I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney
Cha nnel?” I’m a car to order, “Right around 5:30, please.”I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the
eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum
laude but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to
be seen again.

She’s going¸ she’s going¸ she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return
of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a
fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she
stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put
together so well. It was  hard not to compare and feel sorry for
myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only
thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in
a bana na clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter
in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with
a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly
sure why she’d given it to me until I read her ins cription: “To
Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are
building when no one sees.”In the days ahead I would read – no, devour – the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of
their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never
see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their build ing was fueled by their faith that the
eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit
the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving
a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the
man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a
beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.” And
the workman replied, “Because God sees.”

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was
almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you, Charlotte. I
see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you
does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no
cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over.
You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what
it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a
disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of
my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubbor n
pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder.
As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The
writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could
ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people
willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend
he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at
4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a
turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.”
That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just
want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more
to say to his friend, to add, “You’re gonna love it there.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if
we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the
world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty
that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible
women.

~~Author Unknown

THE Question… November 4, 2007

One night, last week, I was lying in bed with my sweet boy.  We had just finished his book, and he was getting ready to fall into a peaceful slumber.  He suddenly turned his head to look at me and said “Mommy… how did D get into your belly?”  I thought he asked how she got out of my belly, so I told him that the doctors cut her out of my belly, just like they did with him, and that is why I have my “birth” scar.

He quicky said “No mommy… I mean how did she get in your belly!”  My heart stopped for a second.  Could my three year old really be asking me this question already???  I thought this question wouldn’t come until at least kindergarten!!!

I didn’t have time to think about a perfect response, and Dandall and I hadn’t even discussed yet how we wanted to handle this question.  I thought I still had a few more years… at least!!!

So, I turned to him and told him that God decided it was time for our family to have another baby, so he put little tiny D in my belly, and she grew and grew inside of me until she was ready to be born.  He just looked at me and said “oh… okay!”

Whew… I dodged that bullet… at least for that night.

Today, Dandall was trying to get Doodle Bug to look at him, but Mr. Man was (as usual) in her face.  Dandall said “Hey… can you back up a bit so I can see her at least?  I did make her after all!”  Mr. Man quickly responded “No you didn’t make her daddy… GOD did!”

Tee hee… Dandall and I both got a giggle off of that one, and our cute, smart little Mr. Man!

Frienemy November 3, 2007

Urban Dictionary Definition: A “toxic” person who poses as a friend but subconsciously or consciously wishes you harm.

There was a segment about “frienemies” on the Today Show this morning, and I had never heard of the word.  It really got me thinking though…

I have had frienemies… in high school in particular, but then again, didn’t we all in high school?

I also had a frienemy about 5 years ago.  We were very good friends.  We had a great time hanging out together, and were with each-other quite often.  We were very close, that was until someone else would try to get in the way.  It seemed okay if she had other close friends, but for me to, well, that was not very okay.  At the time, I was also dating a guy who had a bunch of guy friends we would always hang out with.  This was a lot of fun.  That is, until I didn’t want to date the guy anymore and I wanted to date Dandall.  This is when it became REALLY not okay, as she saw Dandall as a huge threat to our “perfect” friendship, which was really her perfect friendship, because it benefited her greatly.  After Dandall and I got married, the friendship quickly fizzled and ended.

This frienemy and I still kind of run in the same circles… enough to occasionally run into each-other.  We always promise to get together and we never do.  She is married as well now and has a child.  I sometimes think about getting back in touch with her and having an honest conversation about what happened, and trying to work through it.  But, the problem is that I also witnessed her being a frienemy to other people behind their backs, and I don’t think I could ever move past that.  Plus, I wouldn’t trust her, and what’s the point of that.

Today, I am also friends with someone who Dandall and JJ think could turn into a frienemy if I let her get too close.  JJ has joked for years that for some reason, I tend to bring out the “psycho stalkerness” in women.  Some of them tend to get all weird on me when they are perfectly normal otherwise.   I often wonder why. 

Anyway, on the show, they were discussing how women have many more frienemies than men.  And also that men will drop a frienemy like a bad habit and women tend to hang on to them.  I wonder why that is.  I often think that life is too short to spend it with “toxic people” if you can help it.  But then I look at my own life and wonder why I let the frienemies linger, and don’t spend more time cultivating the friendships that are really worth growing.  Hmmm…

So… what is your take on frienemies?