Wednesday, May 20, 2009
And so it ends...
Last night was the American Idol finale (and DWTS, although I haven't talked about that, WTG Shawn!!)
So I'll start with Adam. The whole night feel weird to me for him. He sang "Mad World" well, but it was almost too much with the theatrics. I thought it was a strange choice for him for the finale. And "A Change Is Coming" really didn't do anything for me. Even though I do like his softer side better, that just didn't seem like an *Adam* song. The "No Boundaries" thing...well that was just a train wreck.
Kris did amazing on his first two songs. They were totally *Kris*. I didn't think "What's Going On" was too light, he did it in his way and it was great. Besides, he didn't pick the song, so I didn't think it was really fair of the judges to criticize that. The last song, ugh. He definitely did more justice to it than Adam, but really the song was not good for either of them. Not good at all.
Of course, you know who I want to win. I'm really hoping that all the Danny fans out there are going to throw their support to Kris since Danny's a lot more similar to Kris than Adam.
So I'll start with Adam. The whole night feel weird to me for him. He sang "Mad World" well, but it was almost too much with the theatrics. I thought it was a strange choice for him for the finale. And "A Change Is Coming" really didn't do anything for me. Even though I do like his softer side better, that just didn't seem like an *Adam* song. The "No Boundaries" thing...well that was just a train wreck.
Kris did amazing on his first two songs. They were totally *Kris*. I didn't think "What's Going On" was too light, he did it in his way and it was great. Besides, he didn't pick the song, so I didn't think it was really fair of the judges to criticize that. The last song, ugh. He definitely did more justice to it than Adam, but really the song was not good for either of them. Not good at all.
Of course, you know who I want to win. I'm really hoping that all the Danny fans out there are going to throw their support to Kris since Danny's a lot more similar to Kris than Adam.
Friday, May 15, 2009
And 10 years ago today...
I got married. Hard to believe its been that long, makes me feel old. Makes me feel even older to think that we've been together for 13.5 years (well, the first year was long distance, but still...) That's just a couple years short of half our lives. What makes me feel even older than THAT is that the way we met (online) was thought of as super weird back then, and now its a common and even normal way to meet people and has been for a while. Ah the times, they are a-changin'.
Happy Anniversary baby!
Happy Anniversary baby!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The birthday boy...
Just wanted to post a pic of the 7 year old today...
Oh, and the mommy guilt in me feels the need to point out I realize I did not post a pic of my oldest son, E, on his birthday at the end of February. But he's had this obsession with licking his lips for months on end and has looked literally like a clown in pictures for ages now, so I just couldn't bring myself to post one. He stopped, briefly, recently and darn it all, I forgot to take a pic. *sigh*
7 years ago today...
...my life would change in ways I never expected would happen to me, ever. In ways that only happen to "other people" of course, those poor "other people" that I don't know how they even get up in the morning. Only I didn't know it was going to change that drastically for 3 more days. Fate gave me a 3 day reprieve before it sent my world spinning onto a completely different course.
7 years ago today my second child, R, was born. He came fast and furiously into the world. He wouldn't wait for the hospital nurses and their annoying iv's and constant badgering about epidurals that I didn't want. He barely even waited for my doctor to arrive. He had beautiful skin and the chubbiest cheeks, red hair and long fingers. He looked and seemed absolutely perfect.
Only, he wasn't perfect. 3 days from then we would find out he had a very severe heart defect, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. For all intents and purposes he had half a heart. The half that pumps blood to the body was too small to be of any use. Since then he's gone through 3 open heart surgeries, 2 abdominal surgeries, several cardiac catheterizations, feeding tubes, eating struggles, and whole bunch of other random things thrown in there. All of that with a resilience and grace that many adults do not possess. Not that its always been smooth sailing, quite the opposite in fact. Because in addition to that resilience and grace he possesses a stubborness and determination in his one little body that could rival an entire stadium full of people.
He's not so fast anymore, he's definitely still furious, and he still captures the heart of almost everyone he meets. Something about his smile and the shy way about him (when he's actually behaving like a child instead of a demon) just pulls people in. He is really an unforgetable child, in so many ways.
I'm not sure what kind of person or what kind of mother I'd be had he been born "normal". But at least now I know how those "other people", how "my people", get up in the morning.
Happy 7th Birthday R!!!
7 years ago today my second child, R, was born. He came fast and furiously into the world. He wouldn't wait for the hospital nurses and their annoying iv's and constant badgering about epidurals that I didn't want. He barely even waited for my doctor to arrive. He had beautiful skin and the chubbiest cheeks, red hair and long fingers. He looked and seemed absolutely perfect.
Only, he wasn't perfect. 3 days from then we would find out he had a very severe heart defect, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. For all intents and purposes he had half a heart. The half that pumps blood to the body was too small to be of any use. Since then he's gone through 3 open heart surgeries, 2 abdominal surgeries, several cardiac catheterizations, feeding tubes, eating struggles, and whole bunch of other random things thrown in there. All of that with a resilience and grace that many adults do not possess. Not that its always been smooth sailing, quite the opposite in fact. Because in addition to that resilience and grace he possesses a stubborness and determination in his one little body that could rival an entire stadium full of people.
He's not so fast anymore, he's definitely still furious, and he still captures the heart of almost everyone he meets. Something about his smile and the shy way about him (when he's actually behaving like a child instead of a demon) just pulls people in. He is really an unforgetable child, in so many ways.
I'm not sure what kind of person or what kind of mother I'd be had he been born "normal". But at least now I know how those "other people", how "my people", get up in the morning.
Happy 7th Birthday R!!!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday TV
So it was apparently the older generations year this Biggest Loser season. Jerry's success is nothing short of amazing, Ron is but a shadow of his former self, and Helen took the big prize. Tara and Mike, of course, also had stunning results. It was a tight competition, they all came in so close to the same percentage of weight loss, so congrats to them all!
Overall the rest of the contestants did super well, so many of them lost well over 100 lbs, and mostly on their own too, so wow! I hate to say that there were a couple of people who disappointed me. I hate to say it because of all people I know how truly difficult it is and I don't want to be hypocritical....but, they did have an opportunity and resources given to them that most people will never get and they really didn't take advantage of that. But, at the same time, I think its good to show that losing that much weight isn't a race for a prize, in the real world you don't have to do it all in just a few months in order to be successful. Hopefully their slower rate of loss will lead to real, long-term results.
And so, another season of Biggest Loser is over...and, yet again, here I am exactly where I was when it started. What can I say other than I suck...still. Someday though, someday...
And then we have American Idol...
For the first time ever I just do not have a favorite to root for. I have enjoyed both Danny and Kris the entire season. I really like their voices and their performances. I don't think I could choose between the two of them. I thought they both did really great last night and it makes me sad that one of them has to go.
It makes me sad because there's Adam. Adam, Adam, Adam... I will not deny that the guy can really sing. I will not deny that he can really perform. He is definitely great at what he does. But he was back to his screeching last night and I just do not enjoy that. Seriously, just because you CAN hit a note doesn't mean you should do it quite SO often. I think my ears were "Crying." The other 2 get up there and they are themselves and they just sing, Adam gets up there every time and puts on an act, and it just...I don't know, is feeling really insincere to me. I'm not discrediting his talent, like I've said before he'd be stellar on Broadway, BUT this show is looking for a recording star. At least, that's what it used to be about.
Of course, the judges picked him for the winner from the very beginning. It doesn't matter what anyone else could have done the entire season. They've always chosen their comments in such a way to influence voters, and that has been no more blatantly obvious than it has this season. I'm not quite sure why they wasted so much time giving feedback to the others when really all they were thinking was "That's nice, but you're not Adam." They want him and they will do and say anything to make that happen.
For once I'm not real sad that this show is coming to an end. Despite some great singers, this year has been pretty boring and disappointing. Its been not so much "American Idol" as its been "The Adam Lambert Show". As much as I'd like to hope for a miracle from the voters and have it be a Danny vs Kris finale, there is very little chance that's going to happen. And so there will be no surprise next week, no nail-biting, no sitting on the edge of your seat wondering who will be crowned the victor, no cursing Ryan Seacrest for going to commercial at a pivotal moment. There may be some potential for entertainment watching Adam screech out one of those sappy, feel good, this is the first moment of the rest of my life finale songs...or, maybe not.
Overall the rest of the contestants did super well, so many of them lost well over 100 lbs, and mostly on their own too, so wow! I hate to say that there were a couple of people who disappointed me. I hate to say it because of all people I know how truly difficult it is and I don't want to be hypocritical....but, they did have an opportunity and resources given to them that most people will never get and they really didn't take advantage of that. But, at the same time, I think its good to show that losing that much weight isn't a race for a prize, in the real world you don't have to do it all in just a few months in order to be successful. Hopefully their slower rate of loss will lead to real, long-term results.
And so, another season of Biggest Loser is over...and, yet again, here I am exactly where I was when it started. What can I say other than I suck...still. Someday though, someday...
And then we have American Idol...
For the first time ever I just do not have a favorite to root for. I have enjoyed both Danny and Kris the entire season. I really like their voices and their performances. I don't think I could choose between the two of them. I thought they both did really great last night and it makes me sad that one of them has to go.
It makes me sad because there's Adam. Adam, Adam, Adam... I will not deny that the guy can really sing. I will not deny that he can really perform. He is definitely great at what he does. But he was back to his screeching last night and I just do not enjoy that. Seriously, just because you CAN hit a note doesn't mean you should do it quite SO often. I think my ears were "Crying." The other 2 get up there and they are themselves and they just sing, Adam gets up there every time and puts on an act, and it just...I don't know, is feeling really insincere to me. I'm not discrediting his talent, like I've said before he'd be stellar on Broadway, BUT this show is looking for a recording star. At least, that's what it used to be about.
Of course, the judges picked him for the winner from the very beginning. It doesn't matter what anyone else could have done the entire season. They've always chosen their comments in such a way to influence voters, and that has been no more blatantly obvious than it has this season. I'm not quite sure why they wasted so much time giving feedback to the others when really all they were thinking was "That's nice, but you're not Adam." They want him and they will do and say anything to make that happen.
For once I'm not real sad that this show is coming to an end. Despite some great singers, this year has been pretty boring and disappointing. Its been not so much "American Idol" as its been "The Adam Lambert Show". As much as I'd like to hope for a miracle from the voters and have it be a Danny vs Kris finale, there is very little chance that's going to happen. And so there will be no surprise next week, no nail-biting, no sitting on the edge of your seat wondering who will be crowned the victor, no cursing Ryan Seacrest for going to commercial at a pivotal moment. There may be some potential for entertainment watching Adam screech out one of those sappy, feel good, this is the first moment of the rest of my life finale songs...or, maybe not.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Want a laugh at my expense?
I didn't make it to the grocery store yesterday morning. (No, that's not the funny part.) I avoid taking all 3 children with me like the plague, so I didn't attempt an after school trip. So that meant I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it came to dinner last night.
Some friends of ours had moved and gave us some of the food left in their kitchen. I had these 2 cans of salmon sitting there that I had yet to do anything with. I'd never actually used canned salmon, I usually consume my salmon in the fillet form. I could only think of one thing to make with it, salmon patties, and I knew C might not be a huge fan. I have eaten canned salmon before, but only that which someone else has completely prepared...out of my line of vision. But I didn't have enough of anything else to make an entire meal out of, so I figured what the heck.
So I search around to find a way to make them without eggs because I was out. Find a way using mayo. Sounds gross, but I'm already being adventurous here, so lets just go all the way. All the recipes say to debone the salmon. I vaguely wondered how that would work, was slightly grossed out by the fact that there were bones in the can, and then figured it must not be too big of a deal since all the recipes said to take out the bones.
Then I opened the can. Please tell me that this is a secret joke that the world plays on unsuspecting canned salmon virgins, because I'm fairly certain I have ever seen anything THAT disgusting in my life. I just about threw it away and called C begging him to bring home food. But we had eaten out more times than we should have over the weekend and I was determined not to be a total wuss. I picked my way through the can discarding as much of the bones and skin as I could, along with any part of it that was just too gross looking for me to even imagine eating. I think I probably ended up with half the can in my bowl and the other half I threw away. It was so gross I couldn't even bring myself to feed it to the dog.
As a side note: I never used to eat chicken off a bone because to me that was super disgusting. I tend to like my food to NOT look anything like it did before it died. I have gotten better about it and will eat some off a bone, but the idea still skeeves me out quite a bit. This canned salmon...SO much worse, so, so, so, SO much worse.
Well crap, half a can of salmon is not going to feed my family, so I was going to HAVE to open the other can. I figured that there was just no way any company would sell canned salmon if it was really THAT difficult and THAT gross, there had to be a better way. So I set about to Google-fu myself something, anything, that might salvage the meal.
And lo and behold...you don't have to take the bones out! They are very soft and a good source of calcium, woo hoo!! Ok, that's great and all, but that still leaves the skin and the backbone part for me to dig out. Somehow the second can didn't look *quite* so disgusting as the first, but that really isn't saying much. Overall that can went much more smoothly and I ended up with less than half in the trash.
At least they didn't turn out horribly. They weren't great or anything, my kids liked them, and I guess that's all that matters. I told C he might want to pick himself up something to eat on the way home, just in case. I think they may have been better with an egg, not that I will test that hypothesis because you'd have to pay me a lot of money to open another can of salmon. And you'll never again hear me complain about the cost of fresh salmon because it is most definitely worth it!
Some friends of ours had moved and gave us some of the food left in their kitchen. I had these 2 cans of salmon sitting there that I had yet to do anything with. I'd never actually used canned salmon, I usually consume my salmon in the fillet form. I could only think of one thing to make with it, salmon patties, and I knew C might not be a huge fan. I have eaten canned salmon before, but only that which someone else has completely prepared...out of my line of vision. But I didn't have enough of anything else to make an entire meal out of, so I figured what the heck.
So I search around to find a way to make them without eggs because I was out. Find a way using mayo. Sounds gross, but I'm already being adventurous here, so lets just go all the way. All the recipes say to debone the salmon. I vaguely wondered how that would work, was slightly grossed out by the fact that there were bones in the can, and then figured it must not be too big of a deal since all the recipes said to take out the bones.
Then I opened the can. Please tell me that this is a secret joke that the world plays on unsuspecting canned salmon virgins, because I'm fairly certain I have ever seen anything THAT disgusting in my life. I just about threw it away and called C begging him to bring home food. But we had eaten out more times than we should have over the weekend and I was determined not to be a total wuss. I picked my way through the can discarding as much of the bones and skin as I could, along with any part of it that was just too gross looking for me to even imagine eating. I think I probably ended up with half the can in my bowl and the other half I threw away. It was so gross I couldn't even bring myself to feed it to the dog.
As a side note: I never used to eat chicken off a bone because to me that was super disgusting. I tend to like my food to NOT look anything like it did before it died. I have gotten better about it and will eat some off a bone, but the idea still skeeves me out quite a bit. This canned salmon...SO much worse, so, so, so, SO much worse.
Well crap, half a can of salmon is not going to feed my family, so I was going to HAVE to open the other can. I figured that there was just no way any company would sell canned salmon if it was really THAT difficult and THAT gross, there had to be a better way. So I set about to Google-fu myself something, anything, that might salvage the meal.
And lo and behold...you don't have to take the bones out! They are very soft and a good source of calcium, woo hoo!! Ok, that's great and all, but that still leaves the skin and the backbone part for me to dig out. Somehow the second can didn't look *quite* so disgusting as the first, but that really isn't saying much. Overall that can went much more smoothly and I ended up with less than half in the trash.
At least they didn't turn out horribly. They weren't great or anything, my kids liked them, and I guess that's all that matters. I told C he might want to pick himself up something to eat on the way home, just in case. I think they may have been better with an egg, not that I will test that hypothesis because you'd have to pay me a lot of money to open another can of salmon. And you'll never again hear me complain about the cost of fresh salmon because it is most definitely worth it!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Tuesday TV recap
Since I'm late, I had to change my title so people don't feel the need to remind me that it is in fact Thursday.
American Idol - Well my stupid, piece of #$%^& dvr again did not record, but I was able to catch it pretty early. I only missed Adam's performance. But I suspect that considering it was Rock night it would not have been one of his that I particularly liked anyway. I thought Allison and Kris did good, I wasn't blown away, but solid performances. But my boy Danny, I'm not sure what was up with him. In his duet with Kris he just looked like he wasn't there, he just didn't have the connection, he almost looked bored, or petrified, not sure which. He still sang well, but something was missing. And then his solo performance...I can forgive everything but the end, that was truly frightening. I was a bit scared for his fate and hoped the voting would reflect everything he's done so far and not just that night.
So then on Wednesday Allison was sent packing. As good as she is, I really think she was the right one to go. She can sing, but I think she just needs a bit *more* before she's really winner material. I have thought all along that Adam, Danny, and Kris should be the top 3...and they are, woo hoo!!
Biggest Loser - A marathon? A freaking marathon?? OMG, I can't believe that they had to do that. And its even more unbelievable that they all did it!! Wow, color me impressed! Seeing Ron cross that finish line with everyone there to support him and cheer him on as he did it was truly, truly inspiring.
So Tara and Helen made it to the finals. Good for them, they have both definitely worked extremely hard and their transformations are amazing. And the third finalist comes down to Mike or Ron. Gosh, what a tough choice! Both have done amazingly well and both are so deserving. In the end, they've both changed their lives dramatically for the better and that is what really matters.
I hope that Mike makes it and that he wins the whole thing, can't wait until next week!
American Idol - Well my stupid, piece of #$%^& dvr again did not record, but I was able to catch it pretty early. I only missed Adam's performance. But I suspect that considering it was Rock night it would not have been one of his that I particularly liked anyway. I thought Allison and Kris did good, I wasn't blown away, but solid performances. But my boy Danny, I'm not sure what was up with him. In his duet with Kris he just looked like he wasn't there, he just didn't have the connection, he almost looked bored, or petrified, not sure which. He still sang well, but something was missing. And then his solo performance...I can forgive everything but the end, that was truly frightening. I was a bit scared for his fate and hoped the voting would reflect everything he's done so far and not just that night.
So then on Wednesday Allison was sent packing. As good as she is, I really think she was the right one to go. She can sing, but I think she just needs a bit *more* before she's really winner material. I have thought all along that Adam, Danny, and Kris should be the top 3...and they are, woo hoo!!
Biggest Loser - A marathon? A freaking marathon?? OMG, I can't believe that they had to do that. And its even more unbelievable that they all did it!! Wow, color me impressed! Seeing Ron cross that finish line with everyone there to support him and cheer him on as he did it was truly, truly inspiring.
So Tara and Helen made it to the finals. Good for them, they have both definitely worked extremely hard and their transformations are amazing. And the third finalist comes down to Mike or Ron. Gosh, what a tough choice! Both have done amazingly well and both are so deserving. In the end, they've both changed their lives dramatically for the better and that is what really matters.
I hope that Mike makes it and that he wins the whole thing, can't wait until next week!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
I am an Ant Bully
We used to live in places where ants were a huge problem. We'd have ants traversing our entire living room so they could get from the door to the kitchen. I was the Queen of Raid. I took great joy in watching them die instantly. The more unconventional method of their death, the more entertainment value it held for me.
I know, its terrible, I admit that. I can't help myself, its who I am.
The last place we lived, while it had many, many, MANY flaws...the one thing it did have going for it was regular pest control. I never had an ant problem in the 3 years we lived there. Or maybe the ants in Orange County are just smarter than the ones in San Diego and they knew not to come in my house.
But now, I'm back to being tormented by ants. They invaded my kitchen about 2 weeks ago. I tried to play nice, I really did. I didn't really want to spray pesticides in my house anymore. So I put out Terro ant baits and waited for them to take it back to the nest and die. It worked within a couple days on some that came in by a window a while back. But these...kitchen ants...well they never stopped their endless searching over my counters. Their numbers reduced, but always carrying on. I cursed them (and squished them, or drowned them) daily.
But a couple days ago their numbers increased again and I just had enough. I cannot play nice anymore, I just can NOT do it. So I asked C to bring me home some Raid yesterday.
Whilst I waited for the poison d'jour I was making dinner. And do you know that ants do not like stove burners? Well maybe they don't know that they don't like them, but they shouldn't. How did I come to this knowledge? You see, one was crawling on my stove, as it got closer to the burner where I was boiling pasta it started to shudder and then it just shriveled up and was dead.
That? Was freaking awesome!! So I picked up his friend who was nearby and threw him down on the stove. And again, he crawled around, began to wriggle and writhe, and then was no more. I was so tempted to gather up more of their comrades and watch them fall one by one...but the idea of a bunch of dead ants on my stove while I was cooking grossed me out just a bit too much. Lucky for them.
Today I covered the hole they were coming in with Raid. And again I watched them shrivel and die and my spirit soared. I've yet to clean up the corpses. I'm leaving them as a warning to any survivors that they should be afraid, very afraid.
The Queen of Raid is back!
I know, its terrible, I admit that. I can't help myself, its who I am.
The last place we lived, while it had many, many, MANY flaws...the one thing it did have going for it was regular pest control. I never had an ant problem in the 3 years we lived there. Or maybe the ants in Orange County are just smarter than the ones in San Diego and they knew not to come in my house.
But now, I'm back to being tormented by ants. They invaded my kitchen about 2 weeks ago. I tried to play nice, I really did. I didn't really want to spray pesticides in my house anymore. So I put out Terro ant baits and waited for them to take it back to the nest and die. It worked within a couple days on some that came in by a window a while back. But these...kitchen ants...well they never stopped their endless searching over my counters. Their numbers reduced, but always carrying on. I cursed them (and squished them, or drowned them) daily.
But a couple days ago their numbers increased again and I just had enough. I cannot play nice anymore, I just can NOT do it. So I asked C to bring me home some Raid yesterday.
Whilst I waited for the poison d'jour I was making dinner. And do you know that ants do not like stove burners? Well maybe they don't know that they don't like them, but they shouldn't. How did I come to this knowledge? You see, one was crawling on my stove, as it got closer to the burner where I was boiling pasta it started to shudder and then it just shriveled up and was dead.
That? Was freaking awesome!! So I picked up his friend who was nearby and threw him down on the stove. And again, he crawled around, began to wriggle and writhe, and then was no more. I was so tempted to gather up more of their comrades and watch them fall one by one...but the idea of a bunch of dead ants on my stove while I was cooking grossed me out just a bit too much. Lucky for them.
Today I covered the hole they were coming in with Raid. And again I watched them shrivel and die and my spirit soared. I've yet to clean up the corpses. I'm leaving them as a warning to any survivors that they should be afraid, very afraid.
The Queen of Raid is back!
Friday, May 1, 2009
When does the energy kick in?
Isn't one of the benefits of exercise supposed to be you sleep better and have more energy?? I thought so.
I need it. I need it now.
I've been working out several days a week for the past few weeks, getting back into the groove, I've done even more this week than before. And yet, I have been awake until midnight (not for any particular reason, just haven't felt tired enough to go to bed) and have been waking up around 6:30 almost every morning.
I just can't handle that little sleep. My body and brain know I can't handle that little sleep, so I don't get it.
I've made a pot of coffee every day this week. I am not a regular coffee drinker, so that's a big thing. (And I'm only drinking it in the morning...so that's not what is affecting my sleep.)
Somehow I have to clean my entire kitchen, get another workout in, shower, pick up my boys from school, hound them to finish the stuff they are supposed to clean, get to a store to get more pull ups for my daughter, and clean up every room in the house AGAIN after that same hurricane girl plows through them.
All before 6:00 when the babysitter is coming. All without falling dead asleep while standing up.
So, you hear that energy??? You need to get in gear, and soon!
I need it. I need it now.
I've been working out several days a week for the past few weeks, getting back into the groove, I've done even more this week than before. And yet, I have been awake until midnight (not for any particular reason, just haven't felt tired enough to go to bed) and have been waking up around 6:30 almost every morning.
I just can't handle that little sleep. My body and brain know I can't handle that little sleep, so I don't get it.
I've made a pot of coffee every day this week. I am not a regular coffee drinker, so that's a big thing. (And I'm only drinking it in the morning...so that's not what is affecting my sleep.)
Somehow I have to clean my entire kitchen, get another workout in, shower, pick up my boys from school, hound them to finish the stuff they are supposed to clean, get to a store to get more pull ups for my daughter, and clean up every room in the house AGAIN after that same hurricane girl plows through them.
All before 6:00 when the babysitter is coming. All without falling dead asleep while standing up.
So, you hear that energy??? You need to get in gear, and soon!
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