No Flying Allowed and A Random Dozen 3

My poor Marli learned the hard way that humans... no matter how enthusiastically they flap... are NOT made to fly. Her maiden voyage off the ladder of her brother's loft bed landed in a an itty bitty walking cast. Healing should take about four weeks. Its a tiny little crack on the toe end of her fifth metatarsal... er... the wee littlest piggy. Look at her little bones... they don't even touch yet. Oh they are so cute on the inside as well as the out... sigh.

We ARE fearfully and wonderfully made.

She was so brave too. From the doctor to getting the x-rays to being fitted for the cast she never complained or cried. I think she rather enjoyed all the attentioin and being carried everywhere.

Anyway, because of Marli's adventure I am a little late in putting up my Random Dozen. Once again Linda @ 2nd Cup has given my brain something to chew on...

... here's what it spit out. :-p'




1. Which is worse: a long, boring meeting or standing in a return/exchange line after Christmas?

I can not remember ever being in a long boring meeting... I can, however, remember being in some overly long completely boring collage classes. I must honestly say that in comparison to those classes I actually enjoy standing in the return/exchange line after Christmas.

For one thing, I am the type that has no qualms about striking up conversations with strangers for my own entertainment. That is totally looked down upon during lectures in a classroom. Another thing is that after Christmas EVERYTHING is half off. It's the perfect time to take back that ugly, green, turtle neck sweater, complete with twinkling lights, that my out of state (and mind) great aunt sent me and grab myself some bargains with the store credit.

The only bargain I ever got from those long past, too boring for words classes was an open eyed nap for the price of tuition. :-p

2. Except for maybe Rosie O'Donnell or Ann Coulter, nobody likes confrontation, yet we all have to deal with it. When you feel cornered and defensive, do you "bite back" or become passive aggressive?

I am sooooo passive ... not aggressive at all... just passive. Go ahead, blame it all on me, I'll take the rap if it brings about peace and order.

3. Do you know anything about your genealogical background? (What country, culture, ties to prominent historical figures, or other stuff.)

On my mother's side I am Pennsylvania Dutch of German descent. A quiet people of huntsmen and crafts women.

On my fathers side I get more German and lots of deep, dark Scandinavian. And by deep and dark I am talking Vikings. My paternal relatives grow out their beards, and don their horned helmets to take part in a Scandinavian festival every year. They wear fur and roar and pillage and plunder on a viking ship shaped float. I've seen pictures... its not pretty.


4. What is the quickest way a person can endear him/herself to you?

Babysit for free. :-D

5. Cake, pie, cookies, or ice cream? (Note there is no "all of the above" option. You must choose one. Feel free to elaborate on flavor or memories tied to this dessert.) If you'd like, you can share a recipe, but you certainly don't have to.

I could live off ice cream. Denali's makes some killer flavors like Bear Claw (dark chocolate, fudge and caramel swirls and chocolate covered cashews) and Extreme Moose Tracks (chocolate ice cream, fudge swirls, and dark chocolate filled chocolate cups). Sinfully good.

6. Females: Do you regularly change your handbag to coordinate with your outfit?

This is going to be such a let down to some of you, but I have used only two different purses in the last 12 years. AND they both look pretty much the same. I had a small, tan, knit bag before I had kids, and now I have a large, tan, knit bag that holds all the stuff I carry for the kids.




7. Are you task-oriented or relationship-oriented?

I must be task oriented cuz I'm not sure I know what being relationship oriented means.

8. IHOP, Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel?

I have only been to IHOP... I think I would prefer one of the other two. ;-)

9. Have you ever left a movie in progress in a theater? Why?

Nope. We are pretty careful about what we go to see at the movie theater. And once I've paid ten bucks to watch something I'm. Going. To. Watch. It.

10. What is one area of life in which you would like to develop more discipline or organization?

The kids' schooling. I'm getting there, but I know I'm still lacking in some areas. We flip flop from one subject to another depending on our mood. Sometimes I even let the kids choose which subject they want to do next. Its worked so far though. Kiah is reading everything she can get her hands on and trying to be extra good at math because she is going to be an astronaut... and "they need to be good at numbers ya know".

James is a little more challengling but he does the work I put in front of him... eventually. He wants to be anything that allows him to drive a vehichle with sirens.

Sometimes our sit down school day lasts two hours other days it will drag on forever... Seems to me it should be a little more regular but, then again, LIFE is not regular.

11. Was middle school fun or painful?

I only remember glimpses of middle school but they can all be rated neutral to good. Certainly not painful, so I choose fun.

12. What is your favorite Fall beverage?

Eggnog. It is so yummy. I don't like the fancy homemade stuff. Just give me the artificially flavored, packaged in a cardboard carton, always on sale, eggnog. MMMMmmmmm.

A Random Dozen

What would I do without my 2nd Cup of Coffee? ;-)

So as not to leave you all wanting more :-p I give you my answers to Linda's awesome new meme.

1. What is something that you have changed your mind about either recently or over a number of years?

Four words...

...The quiver is full.

2. Choose either subject, but does your a) church b) job feel more like a dental chair experience or an easy chair (recliner) experience?

This is going to sound terrible but considering the amount of high pitch whining I hear at church and the fact that I haven't heard a complete sermon in approximately seven years I would have to equate my church experience to a dental chair. Its not the congregants or the pastor whining, lol, its my kids. "I'm hungry, I need to go potty, he keeps touching me, she pulled my dress, are we done, can I go play".... and on and on and ON. I'm not really complaining... just stating the facts my friend, just stating the facts.

Last Sunday I took at least five trips to the bathroom during the one hour sermon, never once relieving myself mind you. I cleaned up a bathroom accident once pre-sermon and once post sermon... one puddly, aaaaaaaaand one not.

Hmmm... seems a good amount of the whining is coming from yours truly... my bad. :-p

Now my job, on the other hand, that's the easy chair. I have a college degree and I make pizzas... see what I'm saying? Its not rocket science. Great peeps, though, and it pays for groceries.


3. Kisses or hugs? I actually typed "huts," which might have been a more interesting question.

I don't mind most hugs, but if you are kissing me you better be my husband or one of my babies. Otherwise you are free to give me as many huts as your little heart desires.

4. What do you think is the biggest threat to families today?

Technology (I say hypocritically). Not stuff like running water and electric lights and the LANDLINE phone. But its getting ridiculous with the bud in one ear and the bluetooth in the other. I'm fine with the radio... anything past that gets a big fat raspberry.

5. A day after you grocery shop, you open a perishable item that is horribly spoiled. Do you take your receipt back to the store to be reimbursed or just throw it away and forget about it?

GASP! WHAT! That's cash in the trash! Having done my time as a grocery store employee I know that any store worth its weight in clippable coupons will gladly do whatever it takes to make their customers happy. I once took back a bad box of Junior Mints (they were hard) and those were just a buck. It was a big box :-O Are junior mints perishable? Apparently so.

6. What personality trait (feel free to address good or bad or both) do you notice yourself adopting from your parents?

From my dad, complacency and a twisted sense of humor. From my mom, the ability to cry at the drop of a hat.

7. How many slices of bread do you leave in the bottom of the bag when you throw it away? Two? Three? Just the heel? None? (I really want to know if you eat the heel.)

!!!???!!!

MORE cash in the trash?

I am a little baffled by this question. Does anyone actually throw away bread? Why? Whats with that? In my household of six we go through about four loaves a week. FOUR BIG FAT LOAVES and I don't buy the cheap spongy stuff either.

When my kids complain of hunger THREE SECONDS AFTER DINNER (C'mon Becky compose yourself)... a slice of bread is one of their options.

French toast once a week, eggs and toast, pb&j every other day, grilled cheeses, cinnamon toast... we eat a lot of bread.

The heels...

I used to be able to trick the kids into eating the heels by turning them inside out on the sandwich... that doesn't work any more. When Marli was a little littler she would eat them during the after dinner feeding frenzy, but she is almost three now and, in her great age and wisdom, has begun to appreciate the finer things in life.

Not wanting to be wasteful I take the heels, bag them up, and keep them in the freezer. When we have collected a loaf or two of heels it is time to visit the ducks... usually on the way to the dump. Its a day out for us. A cheap... er... inexpensive day out. Often times I become faint at the last minute and remain home insisting that the rest of the family goes on with out me (hehhehheh) "The ducks are counting on you" I plead with conviction, and off they go leaving me home ... alone. (Thank you My Love)


The heels... represent freedom. And the ducks will eat anything you throw at them.

8. What mispronunciation or usage error really irritates you?

I can't think of what bothers me but if you are irritated by RANDOMLY capitalized words AND frequently "misused" punctuation!!! Then you ??? probably won't be ONE of my followers, any, time, soon!!!!~

9. In honor of the uniqueness of today's date, what does the numeral 9 mean to you? (Any special life moments attached to the 9th? Are you the 9th kid in your family? Can you count by 9s really fast? etc.)

9... 9th...? Yesterday was the 9th? Really?

10. Does the general color palette in your closet match the colors you chose to decorate your home with?

IF my home were decorated I would totally use the colors from my closet. Navys, burgundys, deep greens, and goldenrod. Then a few surprise splashes of bright color... because it was on sale... and it was the only one in my size.

11. When you're hanging out with friends in the kitchen, do you automatically ask to help, or do you sit there and chat until the host asks if you'd like to help? I'm not implying that the 2nd choice stems from rudeness or laziness, just not a first-response like it is for some people.

I ask if I can help with the hope that they will say, "Oh, no thanks, I got it alllll under control." That way I'm free to chase my kids around their house ensuring that they don't destroy anything.

12. Let's end on a pleasant note: What do you enjoy about September the most?

The promise of Fall. The cooler weather. The shorter days. The rich colors. The warm kitchen where there is always something in the oven.

Go to Linda's @ 2nd Cup of Coffee, grab a mug, link up, and enjoy.

Day Glow Donuts, H1N1, ABCs, and Obama

Let me just start by saying that I was being sarcastic in my previous post when I asked, "Don't those day glow donuts look gooooood?"

I know its odd to find me being a bit sarcastic (ahem) but its the truth.

As I mentioned to a friend (on her blog) I prefer my food in natural earth tones... like chocolate brown.

Warning:
I actually express a political opinion in this post which is unusual for me. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Please, don't hate me. ;-)

So I was watching the news (which I like to call "Information I Was Better Off NOT Knowing"...see, not a bit of sarcasm here) and it turns out that the high school not even 15 minutes (which I attended back in the day) from my house has about 300 students out sick with H1N1 (swine flu). But, as the news reporter stated, there is no need to panic. SERIOUSLY!!!!! 300 students (70% confirmed by the way) are out with a pandemic flu in my very small emo goth community and I should not PANIC! I guess we wouldn't want healthy students to stay home and cause the school to lose even more money. If they are gonna stay home they would rather they already HAVE the flu! Jeewillikers. Just be sure to wash your hands after you visit my blog. Thats all I'm saying.



The reporter then states that no one has been hospitalized in the area due to this flu. Oh thank you, that is such a comfort. GOLLY! See no reason to take any precautions when 1 out of 6 of high school's students are sick. Excuse me while I lick this door handle because obviously there is no need to panic.

Have I mentioned that I am involved with a high school ministry that is made up of about 50-80 students who attend the infected campus. These kids are not just going from school to home with bags over their heads!

*DEEEEEP breath* Aaaaaaand... moving on.

Did you know that Facebook has memes too? Wow! They are pretty much the same ones that circulate here... go figure. You've seen one questionnaire you've seen them all. This one was called The ABCs Of Me. It is a little self absorbed but when I am old and I am reading this again off of my memory chip implant I know it will make me smile at how self absorbed and NOT sarcastic I was.




A - Age: 33, I think, *doing the math*, Yep 33.

B - Bed size: Most nights, too small.

C - Chore you hate: Are there supposed to be some I like?

D - Dog's name: Flip, aka Flippah dippah dooooo dahhhhh! or Flip The Amazing. Our friends come to visit the dog and say hi to us on their way through.

E - Essential start your day item: More sleep.

F - Favorite color(s): Blues (and chocolate brown).

G - Gold or Silver: Don't wear much jewelry but when I do I prefer silver.

H - Height: 5'2"

I - Instruments you play: Flute, Alto sax... piano, sort of. I need lessons.

J - Job title: Wife, Mom,Teacher, Pizza Whisperer.

K - Kids: No thanks. I already have some.

L - Living arrangements: I live in a house with My Love and our four kids and a menagerie of pets who are family in their own special way. My parents live across the street so imagine the show Everybody Loves Raymond but without the humor, laugh tract or situational comedy.

M - Mom's name: Why, is someone talkin' smack about her?

N - Nicknames: Boo, Supafreak, My Love, Mommy.

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Yep, appendicitis. Best vacation ever!

P - Pet Peeve: Rude/stupid drivers (myself included :-/ )

Q - Quote from a movie: "Tuh not tuh", Tow Mater. "I write in my journal to keep secrets from my computer", Dwight Shroot. See, how cultured am I? :-p

R - Right or left handed: Right mostly but the left one works too.

S - Siblings: 1 older brother.

T - Time you wake up: I GET up around 7ish... I WAKE up around 11am.

U - Underwear: Under there!

V - Vegetable you dislike: Bell peppers.

W - Workout style: Mothering.

X - X-rays you've had: Hand, teeth, abdomen.

Y - Yesterday's best moment: My Love came home from work early.

Z - Zoo favorite: Any of the animals I don't get to see in the woods around my house on a daily basis. Like hippos. Hippos are cool! I don't see them around here much. And I like the giraffes.

So there you have it. Next time I do this one hopefully the answers will have changed. I don't want to be stuck in a rut.

Hmmmm....

Right now I am wondering how many of you made it through the whole alphabet and are still with me in my random, late night, semi panicked, half asleep, laundry avoiding state?

Now, whats this I hear about Obama sending out a back to school address to students to be shown in the class room? Couldn't it just be aired prime time so students and parents could watch it together? Have any other presidents attempted to do this? Doesn't he know that he would be considered WAY cooler if he just posted it on U toob and it was found by accident?

I'm just sayin'.

I completely support the president's desire to encourage youngsters to do their best and perhaps it should even become a presidential tradition. However, my home school curriculum will not include my children writing letters to themselves on what they can do to help the president or what the president wants them to do. I'm all for respecting the leader of the free world but I will not follow blindly, and prayerfully neither will my children be required too.

Hopefully he will at least remind them to wash their hands.

Hello September,

Where did you come from? You just popped right up out of nowhere didn't ya. Here I was listening to complaints of a long cold winter, then fanning myself through the lengthy days of Summer... wait!

Where was Spring?

September, you sneaky month you. Where did you hide Spring? Well, you're here now. I guess I have to deal with you. Which means I have to get the kids back into a school friendly schedule of NOT being in their jammies until noon. It means that I have to look at skulls, dead bodies and ISLES of easily consumed candies every time I grocery shop. It means that Autumn is upon us.

I suppose it could also mean that I should get back to blogging more regularly. It doesn't HAVE to mean that but its my blog... so it will.

And since I am a dry well of blog fodder I would like to thank Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee for creating a meme for me to do.



Don't those day glow donuts look goooood?

1. When you go to Wowmart, what one thing do you get every single time, besides a funky-wheeled squeaking cart full of frustration?

Honey Nut Cheerios and Spaghettios with "meat"balls.

2. What is something that people are currently "into" that you just don't get or appreciate?

What are people into nowadays anyway?

3. What is something that really hoists your sail that other people might feel "ho-hum" about?

Spending time ALONE! Grocery shopping ALONE! And my favorite... thrift store shopping ALONE. The only other thing I think is better is spending time ALONE with My Love.

...i like to be alone.

LOL at "hoists your sail".

4. Favorite song to sing in the shower or car?

Always by Jewel, and close runner up is Always and Forever by Heatwave.

5. A really great salad must have this ingredient:

Ranch dressing. I know I'm so uncultured :-p

6. Advice in a nutshell to new bloggers (one or two sentences):

If you want to be noticed you have to notice others. Do it for fun and be true to yourself.

7. What was the alternate name that your parents almost named you? Do you wish they had chosen it instead of the one they gave you?

I think I was going to be Steven which, as a girl, would have been a little awkward... I'll stick with Becky.

8. What in your life are you waiting for?

The return of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Everything else pales in comparison.

9. You get a package in the mail. What is it, and who is it from?

Its FREE homeschool curriculum and all the exact stuff I needed/wanted. Its from my fairy homeschool mother.

10. Today--what song represents you?

I... don't ... know... What song do you think of when you think of me?

11. What is one thing that blogging has taught you about yourself?

I am not alone!!! LOL! There are other mommies who come thiiiiiiiis close ( ) to cooking and eating their children on a daily basis.

12. How are you going to (or how did you) choose the clothes you're wearing today? What do they say about you in general or specifically how you're feeling today?

I will and always do wear whatever is clean and comfy... and the clean part is negotiable. As a slightly psychotic Mommy of four kids age seven and under my clothes say... "hmmm, she must be a carzy Mom of four kids seven and under."

Lets not even talk about the hair do.




If you want to answer a Random Dozen then go ahead. Then stop by Linda's to let her know ya did.

Thanks Linda :-D