9:25pm "I have to go potty Mom!"
Okay., I say! Thanks for the heads up! I go in there with him and lift the seat in a futile attempt to teach him what to do. I guess I didn't lift it all the way so it started to fall down but thankfully, I caught it at which time Joshua said "That was close Mom! That almost hit my down-boy and I would have had to go to the dentist!" I replied to my son, well honey the dentist is for your teeth so you would have had to go to the doctor. "No Mom, I would have had to go to a down-boy doctor, what's that called?" To which I answered, "a proctologist I think Josh but we'll have to ask Daddy. Why don't you go ask him?"
"No thanks." Into his room and to bed he went.

Why is it a "Down Boy"? Ever see that commercial with that young father changing his sons diaper in what appears to be a guest room of a party and he sprays ALL over the room? Well there were several times, obviously enough for it to stick when I was changing Joshua's diaper and being he was my first boy I would be a little taken aback and said "Down Boy!" for fear of getting it in the face. He remembered and there ya go..................

We enjoyed that. Thanks for listening.

Back to reality

We had a FABULOUS girls weekend!! We definitely missed those of you who couldn't join us. It was total relaxation and I can't wait to do it again!! I could have stayed in my bathrobe for a few more days!! But boy does reality hit full force when you come home. A whole weekend with no one needing anything from you, no agenda, no alarm clock, no one touching you except for a massage therapist, taking multiple naps....that is a little piece of heaven right there. I wonder if anyone would notice if I just went to live at the spa? It's such a happy place. Except there were 2 girls sitting next to us that were not very happy, I just don't get it. They were sooo crabby. How can you be crabby in a place where everything is just hunky dory?
We finished off our wonderful weekend of relaxation with some power shopping and some AWESOME summer sales. It doesn't get better than that.

The worst day of my life is the day I lost my Dad: Frank William Peters

I will be more eloquent at a later date but this picture is my Dad and his first grand-daughter, Katie. He was so special. We and hurting so badly it's impossible to communicate our loss. Thank you to my dear friends; Rachel, Jennifer, Carolyn and Jamie for all you did to make our home coming less painful and if possible ~ lovely ~ with all you did to make our house feel like a home with the flowers, food, (holy crap my house was clean!) and wine. I feel loved. I'm only able to keep going because I KNOW my Dad knew that too. That he was loved...................

Making funny noises with your body??

So, we were at a great resort this weekend with some friends from out of town. We are sitting in the hot tub and one of the daddy's was laying on the decking and all of a sudden asks the other dad...."Have you ever laid on your driveway and made fart noises with your back?" HUH????? And then he proceeded to show us what he meant. I was laughing so hard I almost died. Here we are sitting at a 5 star resort with Mister making back farts. The kids thought it was the MOST hysterical thing they had ever seen. By the way, we had a really fun weekend!!

Good Afternoon

I was reading blogs and drinking tea and missing you all. I know when I return I will miss the rain and endless cups of tea. But still.....
I love to see what everyone is doing, the trivialities and momentous occasions, the trauma and delights that are our lives.
Thank you to whomever started these blogs and thank you to Rachel for dragging me kicking and screaming into this world of internet connections.


I love this picture of me and the kids for 3 reasons,

I am thin
I am happy and
no one is crying!

Ahem....

See? Technical difficulties......

technical difficulties

Sorry, you will have to wait for the fashion show. I am having technical dufficulties so will try again later.

So much better today

I am so much better today, no more bad, sad moods from me! It probably has alot to do with the fat that my 2 eldest are safely at home with their Dad and the SUN HAS COME OUT!!!!!
I put up with months of nothing but rain and now, ta da!!!! I love the sun. Talia and her cousin Erin put on a fashion show for me today, here are the pics, oh and not to forget Ross, he had to get in on the act.

Beware of Chiropracters!!!

Please take note.... On July 3rd my brother (Eric who is 32 yrs old.) went in for a ROUTINE spine adjustment for wellness (he was not experiencing any back pain or problems) to a local chiropractor.

Shortly following , Eric began to experience a wide range of unusual symptoms - dizziness, impaired vision, intense headache, confusion. When some of the symptoms didn't subside he was taken to the Urgent Care, then transfered to the Emergency Room at John C. Lincoln. A CAT scan revealed a TEAR in the artery running up the back of the neck into the brain. Eric was immediately transfered to Barrows Neurological unit at St. Joseph's Hospital.
After a long night of observation and testing the results of a MRI revealed that the tear to the artery had induced a blood clot, which released into his brain causing a small stroke. Eric's doctor is quick to caution against underestimating the "small" part of a stroke as he instructed his family not to confuse "small stroke" with an "insignificant medical event".

Following two days of blood thinner and careful observation Eric was transfered out of the Neurological ICU into a regular room. His conditions have improved and only minor speech and motor skill challenges are currently visible signs of the stroke.

His doctors are amazed at his progress and recovery, however they caution that we might not be able to see all the areas that will be affected by the stroke just yet until Eric resumes some of the normal activities of life.

He was VERY lucky as originally the diagnosis was only surgery to correct the tear. Now he faces months of therapy, medication and the thought of a another blood clot which leads to stroke. He's already been back to the emergency room thinking he was experiencing another minor clot but thank heavens it wasn't. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE beware of Chiropractors!!!

Hello......

I think I am starting to get homesick for AZ. I am reading your posts and looking at pictures and I have a small ache in my heart. I love being home, but it is not home anymore. People have moved on with their lives, as have I, and things are not where I left them. When we first got to England I was looking at houses and fantasising that we would move here and my children would grow up like I did. The more am I am here the more I realise that we are not English and they would be better staying in America and growing up with a consistant lifestyle. As much as I would like it, they would lose out on so many things. Ah, melancholy. Something about a lazy Sunday morning that makes me brood. It also has alot to do with me taking Em and Billy to the airport tomorrow. I will miss them.
I am looking forward to a few weeks with my sister while she is on holiday, then I will be ready to come back. I can't wait to see you all again and sit around the pool sipping cold water!
Cat

Bunco

We had a fun Bunco night at my house, missed all of you who couldn't make it!! It was so great because it was raining and we actually got to sit outside in JULY and be a little chilly. We were outside enjoying the cool weather (no alchohol involved whatsoever.....HA HA) until almost 1 a.m.

I was very tired the next morning but we had a very good time together. I like summer bunco I think.

MENTAL HOSPITAL PHONE MENU

In lieu of the previous post from Laundry Girl.. here is another fun answering machine recording...


Hello and thank you for calling The State Mental Hospital
Please select from the following menu options:

If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly .
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you
If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6 .
If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call .
If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship .
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press .
If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway .
If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696 .
If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep . Please wait for the beep ..
If you have short-term memory loss, press 9 . If you have short-term memory loss, press 9 . If you have short-term memory loss, press 9
If you have low self-esteem, please hang up. Our operators are too busy to talk with you .
If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry . You won't be crazy forever .
If you are blonde, don't press any buttons, you'll just mess it up

This coming week is National Mental Health Care week .
You can do your part by remembering to contact at least one unstable person to show you care .
That's what I just did. Well, my job is done . . . . . Your turn.

funny school answering machine message

High School Answering Machine
This is hilarious - no wonder some people were offended! This is themessage that the Pacific Palisades High School California staff voted unanimously to record on their school telephone answering machine. This is the actual answering machine message for the school. This came about because they implemented a policy requiring students and parents to be responsible for their children's absences and missing homework. The school and teachers are being sued by parents who want their children's failing grades changed to passing grades - even though those children were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete enough school work to pass their classes. The outgoing message:

Hello! You h ave reached the automated answering service of your school.In order to assist you in connecting to the right staff member, pleaselisten to all the options before making a selection:
To lie about why your child is absent - Press 1
To make excuses for why your child did not do his work -Press 2
To complain about what we do - Press 3
To swear at staff members - Press 4
To ask why you didn't get information that was already enclosed in yournewsletter and several flyers mailed to you - Press 5
If you want us to raise your child - Press 6
If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone - Press 7
To request another teacher, for the third time this year - Press 8
To complain about bus transportation - Press 9
To complain about school lunches - Press 0

If you realize this is the real world and your child must beaccountable and responsible for his/her own behaviour, class work, homework and that it's not the teachers' fault for your child's lack ofeffort: Hang up and have a nice day!
If you want this in Spanish, move to a country that speaks it!

Good Story

I've seen this email before, but I just think it's a great story to help us remember to love everyone unconditionally.

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'The audience was stilled by the query.The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'Then he told the following story:Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.

Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play.
The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startledEveryone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

Backpack Advice, What's Cool?

Ladies, I'm trying to "help" choose a backpack for my new kindergartner. As you all know, she's a fairly small girl. She's drawn to the packs with wheels. Seems fine, but really how much does a kindergartner take to/from school? Maybe I'm being silly, but what's cool these days?

Where is everyone and what are you doing?

Hey!! What have you all been doing this summer?? Besides movies and waterparks? What the heck else can you really do here??? I now remember why I LOVE the public school system. I LOVE my boys but they are driving me CRAZY this week. I swear we have been doing nothing but activities and outings ever since school got out, why are they being so mean to me? They know I hate whining....right? and fighting. and bickering at each other. and hitting, kicking, etc. and screaming at full volume. and whining. and wait....whining. I think we all just need a week long nap. 2 weeks till vacation. Oh....the beach is calling. It will all be better at the beach. Right? And Disneyland is a surefire way to cure the summertime blues right? Bellini's in my pool anyone??

What's Up?

So what has been happening? I was away for a whole week drowning in Scotish summer weather (in other words I am very very wet!) and I came back, logged on, dying to read what had happened recently to my friends. Guess what? It doesn't seem like you did much at all......
Someone must have done something.......

What's up

Get Your Name Sent to the Moon! Hurry!

Join NASA's Return to the Moon

Sign up to send your name to the moon. Names will be collected and placed onboard the LRO spacecraft for its historic mission bringing NASA back to the moon. You will also receive a certificate showcasing your support of the mission.

The deadline is June 27, 2008 for the submission of names.

LRO's objectives are to find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology.

http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/

Quote for the day

The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed