STILL AIN'T DEAD

You know, if I ever am dead, which I hear will actually happen someday, I hope someone will let you guys know.

Anyway.

Yesterday at work I listed two items on eBay. I think they look pretty good, although I'd like to have been more descriptive in the Item Description area. However, as my quota for listings for the store is escalating exponentially over the next few weeks, I've got to keep things short and sweet. (Like me. heh.) This week my quota was to list just one thing, so I'm ahead of the game already.

Today I'll be listing things on Craigslist. I've never dealt with that website before, so if anyone has any suggestions, please toss 'em my way. Everything I list will be for sale, not for free, if that helps.

Things are going swimmingly here on the homefront. K came home in a very good mood yesterday because Ash talked to him! It's amazing the power girls have over boys. I just hope she continues to be as sweet to him as she is to everyone else. (Ash is a very popular girl.) So far, so good. Kimmer, I totally hear you on the "not ready" part - even though K is almost 14, and I'm admittedly getting a little more used to hearing him talk about girls, I'm still not ready ready. And Pey is going to be 10 this year, but she thinks she's 25. Oy. Ry...well, he's 11 but he still thinks girls have cooties, and I'm fine with that.

Not much else going on around here, so I guess I'll sign off and finish up my coffee. Mmmm, caffeine...

I AIN'T DEAD YET

Hubby has been pushing me to post "at least a short little note" on my blog, so here it is. You know, he's right - I've been remiss in keeping up with things, but so much has been going on that I've gotten overwhelmed and just couldn't merge all the happenings into one cohesive format. Therefore, in true Pley fashion, here's a new post in the form of - you guessed it - a LIST.

• I did do the temp job at hubby's company. It lasted three days and went pretty well. I was asked to come back into a different position starting last week, and I agreed to do so. But the new job was an 8-5:00, long-term (read: no end in sight) position, and the more I thought about it, the more anxiety I felt. How was I supposed to keep up with the housework, laundry, meals, and kids if I was never here? I'd be gone every day from 7:00 a.m. to 6:15 p.m., and would be relying on my still-ill MIL to take care of the kids. (She volunteered.) I know that people do this all the time, but I guess I'm not really cut out to be one of those people.
  
• So I went out and found myself a part-time job close to home. It doesn't pay as well as the temp job, but I can't tell you how much happier I am. I get to set my days and hours, and it only takes me four minutes to get to work - five if I hit a red light. I'm maintaining the website and doing eBay listings for a consignment shop. Well, I will be doing those things very soon, as this week I'm in training. Keep an eye out on this eBay shop - I'm going to be listing some nice stuff on there this week. Hopefully today, actually.
• In other news, K has finally taken the big step of calling the girl he likes. Unfortunately, she was sick last week and couldn't go to the Dynamo game with us. Hopefully she'll feel better soon.
• Everyone else seems to be doing okay. I've got to get off here and get ready for work, so that's it for now. Have a great week!
  

ELEVEN DAYS?

That's how long it's been since my last post. Wow.

Speaking of eleven, Ry's 11th birthday was last week. We had a family party here at the house, and Ry had a great time. His favorite gifts were the new Bionicles he'd been jonesing for for weeks.

We actually had Ry's party a couple of days early, as hubby had to leave for another business trip on Ry's actual birthday. It worked out okay, though, because dh came home from work early enough that day for us all to have dinner together before he left.

Rest of the week went by in kind of a blur. Just for grins, I slept in the guest room while dh was gone. The mattress on that bed is not nearly as nice as the one on our king-size bed - it's much firmer than I remember. I kept waking up with my arm asleep. Actually, I was sleeping with my arm under the pillow - as I always do - but this mattress is hard and cut off the circulation.

I guess that's one good way of keeping company from staying too long.

Tomorrow I start back to work for a few days. Same company (hubby's); different department. Last time I was in Legal-New Development. This time I'll be in Property Management. I used to be in PM at a former job, so hopefully I'll be able to draw on my experience. I had zero experience with Legal, so that job was tough. I am optimistic that I'll be more comfortable this time.

Better get to bed now, seeing as how I'm a working girl and all.

QUICKIE

The weather today was very rainy and thundery and lightningy. Thunder freaks the dog smooth out, making her whimper and slink around and try to stick close to the nearest human. The kids and I eat it up because it's the only time she allows us to cuddle with her.

Kids are spending the night at the grandparents' tonight because I'm going with hubby on a business trip to Lake Charles tomorrow. It's just a day trip, but at least we'll get to talk uninterrupted in the car for a few hours. We're looking forward to it. Tonight the two of us went out to dinner at Chili's. I love their lettuce wraps, but one suggestion I'd have for the waiters is to always bring extra napkins whenever someone orders lettuce wraps. Messy.

Ry's birthday is next Tuesday. I have not yet bought him any gifts, but maybe that's something hubby and I can do tomorrow while we're out.

And with that, I'm off to bed. G'nite!

FAILURE

Don't you hate feeling like a failure? That's how I've been feeling the past couple of days. Although I can point to several reasons why I feel that way, I really can't put my finger on the main issue. Maybe if I list things here, the picture will paint itself.

1. Small, I know, but I've failed to update my blog every day this month. That was such a small goal, yet I didn't accomplish it. I have no excuse, as I have been home every day and had computer time every day.

2. Yesterday I was ready to take the kids back to the rock I found them under. They bickered all.day.long. Okay, not all day - there were a couple of hours of peace - but when they fight, they royally piss me off. And that "having to get the last word in" thing? OMG, I can't even explain the rage that brings out in me.

3. My 9-year-old daughter seemingly cannot entertain herself this week (which is spring break and I normally look forward to but NOT this year...anymore). She constantly hangs around me, not talking but just being there. Yesterday at 5:30 I finally told her to go to her room and stay there. She couldn't understand why she was being punished...and really, I couldn't either, but she was getting under my skin and I needed a break.

4. DH and I went to sleep facing opposite directions last night. We rarely do that, and there was really no reason. The longer I lay there, the madder I got. Thank God for sleep, because if I'd stayed awake I might have packed a bag.

5. Where the hell is all this rage coming from? I can't even blame it on PMS, as certain regions of my body are NOT sore (and they always are at that time of the month).

Thus the feeling of failure kicks in. And that pisses me off, too. Why am I calling myself a failure?

Maybe I'm just mad. I sure would like a reason, though, so I could work on it. I hate feeling this way.

RY

My funny, funny middle son - the one we sometimes call our little Isaac because the name means "laughter" - has recently acquired the, um, skill, of scrunching up his face to make us laugh. I usually tell him to stop stretching his skin, but the truth is that he looks pretty darn funny and I can't help giggling.

Cute and nonscrunchy:















Scrunchy:













BTW, that's hubby on our computer in the background of the top pic. Now y'all kind of know where I'm sitting as I write this. Oooh, creepy.

HE'S BA-AACK

Hubby made it home safely from Portland today. His flight was delayed for two hours due to mechanical problems, but he still got to town in time for me to pick him up and get home before the kids' buses were due.

I'm so glad he's back. Admittedly, it's nice to have a short break from preparing separate breakfasts every morning and dinners* every night, but forever? No. I definitely would not be happy without him in my life.

*Not separate dinners, mind you. But this week we had more than one episode of "hey guys, sandwiches again tonight!" Don't get to do that very often.

Next week is spring break, and boy did I ever luck out on activities. On a whim, I emailed a friend this morning who lives near Kemah and asked if she knew of any discounts or coupons for the Kemah Boardwalk. She just happens to be friends with the manager of the Boardwalk, and was able to score us five FREE passes! I am so excited. We've never been there, but it looks like a fantastic place to take the kids - especially since they're older now and can ride more rides.

We may also go to Moody Gardens one day next week. The kids brought home coupons for discounted tickets. Not as good as free, but it still sounds like fun.
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Picture of the day: Hubby and me as Ma & Pa Kettle. We're just purt dang cute, mm-hmm.

HERE LIES A LACK OF ORIGINAL TITLE

Last night when I went to bed, I checked on the kids as usual. Pey was lying on top of her covers and breathing heavily. I leaned down to kiss her and discovered that she was hot. Worrywart that I am, I put her in my bed with me so that I could keep an eye on her.

This morning she was still feverish and had that "I'm sick" look around her eyes. You guys know what I mean. So I kept her home from school today; first day she's missed all year. During the day, she miraculously got better - I checked, a lot - so tomorrow she'll be back in class. She wants to go back, actually, because being the only kid at home is boring, especially when you're sick and mom won't let you do anything fun.

Tomorrow is the last day of school before spring break. The kids can't wait. We have no plans for next week, but at least we should be able to sleep in. Well, I'll still get up with hubby and help him get his breakfast, but overall we should be more rested.

Speaking of hubby, he comes home tomorrow around noon. I'm looking forward to seeing him.
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Here are a couple of pictures for you. They're of my sisters and me thirty some-odd years ago, then the three of us last November. Wonder whatever happened to those old Go-Go boots...

L-R: Me, Tnk, EMTsis

L-R (superhero identities hidden): Constable Tnk, EMTsis, and Just Me (sigh)

HUMPDAY

Last night I did something I've been meaning to do for months: I downloaded Mozilla with Firefox. It's, um, okay, but I don't think I am completely comprehending its legendary awesomeness. If any of my dear readers use it, please enlighten me to its any features which will make me think I'm a rock star. Or at least that I didn't royally screw up.

Basically, here's what I don't want to hear from my husband when he gets back to town on Friday, [click] "Wha--??? [click clicker click] What the ... HEY! What have you DONE to our computer?!?"

Help?

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Today I hosted a Creative Memories beginner's crop at my friend Laura's house. She is like the coolest consultant you've ever met. What I love most is that she is a no-pressure salesperson. She hosts evening crops at her house at least once a month, but she does not give a rat's patootie whether you use CM products or "contraband," as I've dubbed my non-CM stuff (and I have a LOT of non-CM stuff).

Today's crop included my bff Jen, both of my sisters, my oldest friend Gena, and her friend Cyndi. Gena and I bought nothing, but the rest of the newbies managed to spend nearly $200 - which blessed yours truly with a $21 credit for my choice of CM products. I bought adhesive refills, page protectors, and frosted adhesive squares (good for vellum, mmm-hmmm). All FREE. Yay! Although...I've been wondering since I got home whether I spent my credit wisely. Should I have put the $21 toward a cool PowerSort Organizer? The large square punch I've been jonesing for since last year? A bunch of alphabet stickers?

Gah! Maybe I should just count my blessings. Yes, I'll do that.

My hostess gift for today was, well, it's hard to describe. It includes a small CM calendar, two magnets to hold said calendar on the fridge, and a small double punch - a swirl and a starburst. It all sounds cool, but I am so not a fan of the little punches. They're hard to adhere and honestly, I'll never use them. Now, I suppose, the choice is "garage sale" or "eBay."

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K is skipping soccer practice tonight. I think the coach is having practice, but since there's no game this weekend (spring break) I didn't feel it would really matter. K didn't want to go anyway, and since he's such a great kid and always so good about going to practice, I figure he deserves a break. This is it, though - from now on, any weekend there's a game, he'll be at practice. Well, except for next week - on soccer practice night, I think we're planning to go to the Dynamo vs. Puntarenas MLS game. Heh. I have good intentions, anyway.

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The weather is warming up here in H-town. Tonight's low will be in the 50s, and tomorrow's high will be in the 70s. Spring is in the air!

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My aunt (my mom's sister) gave me this picture when I was at her house a couple of weeks ago. I'd never seen the picture before, but it brought me to tears when I did. That's Mom on the left, and a very small me on the right, circa 1969. Mom looks absolutely radiant in this picture, and it makes me long for her to be with me again, just for one more day.

SLEPT BETTER LAST NIGHT

I think pure exhaustion finally set in. After a weekend of being on the go, my body just gave out. I fell into bed at 10:30 and slept until I heard the radio DJs squawking this morning. I could have happily dozed another three hours, but I'm grateful for the uninterrupted REM sleep I got last night.

K is working on a project this week for his Communication Applications class that I'm finding very interesting and fun. The kids had to make up professional-looking résumés for themselves, then on Friday they have to dress in business attire and go through a mock interview. MAN I wish they'd had this kind of stuff when I was in junior high.

K, of course, is already fretting about having to wear a tie to school on Friday. This from the kid who is joining ROTC next year and will have to wear a uniform to school one day a week every week. He says that's different. Ah, okay.

I drove Pey and Ry to school this morning because today is picture day and Ry had to be there early for the Safety Patrol group picture. He's such a cutie. Their individual pictures will be taken later in the day, and I really do hope they come out nice this year. Pey's hair is always messy in the school photos, no matter that we spend half an hour fixing it up in the morning. I guess that's par for the course, though - in my own school pictures (at least the elementary school versions) my hair was always frazzled. I'd be glad to lower my standards IF they'd bring down the prices to a reasonable level. No way I'm paying $25 for one 8x10. Multiply that by three kids and OUCH.

I accidentally ran over a bird while driving the kids to school this morning. I didn't hit it with a tire - it landed in the middle of the street right in front of me and didn't try to fly away until the van was right overhead. In my rearview mirror I could see the little guy flailing around, and I felt really bad. It was a good opportunity for me to talk to K about which animals to dodge and which to just keep driving for - I told him that if he ever gets into a wreck for avoiding a squirrel or bird, well, we'd have to talk. I feel for the little animals, but they're not worth having a wreck over.

Speaking of K, it's time to drive him to school. See ya!

MISSING DH

Hubby has safely made it to Portland, Oregon, where he will be until Friday afternoon. He's been on business trips before, but I was so sad yesterday when I thought about being here without him this week. I guess it says something good about our marriage that I still get teary-eyed when he travels - and we've been married for almost seventeen years.

In our early marriage, hubby was in the navy. We were stationed on Homestead AFB, Florida, for two years. He had one major deployment during that time, and since we didn't have children at the time, when he left on the aircraft carrier, I flew back to Texas to spend time with my family. Sure, I missed him, but for some reason it didn't seem as hard to be apart at that time as it does now. And that separation was for much longer than the five days he's gone this time.

Maybe I'm becoming more sentimental as I get older. Maybe I'm having a premonition about something happening while he's away. Maybe the stupid terrorists have made me afraid of any kind of travel or separation (that doesn't mean they've "won," does it?). My money is on the "sentimental" idea. At least, I pray to God that's it.

Last night I did not sleep well, which is not surprising because I never do when dh is away, but on top of that, I had nightmares. In one, I was picking Pey up from a daycare located inside a shopping mall (never would do that in real life) and was accosted as I walked to my van. The guy waited while I put Pey into her carseat, then got into the van with me, all the while I'm screaming for help. A police officer finally came over, but he said that he wouldn't help because I had obviously let the man into my van of my own accord.

I am not sure if the dream means that I'm worried about being alone with the kids, or if it means that I don't trust cops, or if it means that I'm paranoid about malls and their parking lots. In any event, I was very happy to wake up this morning.

Honey, be safe on your trip. I can't wait to see you on Friday. I love you.

I'M SO TIRED

Yesterday was a good day, what with my family in the house, but man am I exhausted. We stayed up late Friday night, then had to get up really early on Saturday because K had to be at the soccer fields at 7:00 a.m. for team pictures. Add in a houseful of people, two meals to cook, three to clean up after (for dinner, we brought in Cici's pizza), and having to be "on" all day, and you've got yourself a tired little Trace.

We went to bed around 11:00 last night, then SIL knocked on our bedroom door at 4:30 a.m. to let us know they were leaving (she and her son are driving from Houston to Orlando today - yikes). I fell back asleep after they left, and hubby woke me up after 10:00 a.m. to say "hey, it's after 10:00 a.m." I guess I needed to get up, but I sure didn't want to.

Hubby's leaving this afternoon to go to Portland for a week. Meanwhile, I'm trying to come up with a way to take a nap before his flight leaves. I don't see it happening, but a girl can dream... When people let her sleep, that is.

FAMILY TIME

Today was spent with a rather large part of my family. Four of the five siblings and five of the six grandchildren were here. Plus T & J (for all intents and purposes, "dad" and "mom"). My brother was missing, but his ex-wife and one of his sons were here. It's rare that we're all in the same place, so the day was a real treat for me.

I didn't take enough pictures, though, and that is my biggest regret.

TODAY I CLEANED

My SIL and nephew are due to arrive within the next six hours, so I have spent the day cleaning. I mean, cleaning. Laundry is one load from being completed (which is a feat in itself), kitchen is almost spotless (the piles of stuff on the breakfast bar are semi-permanent, I've decided), the floors and baseboards have been scrubbed, carpets Dyson'ed, bathrooms bleached. I even cleaned out the guest room - a.k.a. "garage sale staging area" - so that I could set up the daybed. (Is it daybedS if you pull out the trundle and make up both of them?)

Now I am exhausted. And in desperate need of a shower. I just hope there's still some hot water left after all the laundry I've done today.

GOINGS ON

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Here's a quick rundown:

1. The temp job lasted four days. Then they said they were all caught up and thank you but today is your last day and yes we know it's a quarter to four and we made this decision this morning but hey you're just a temp so piss off.

2. But the hourly wage was awesome, so I wrote a nice email to the HR person the next day and told her to please keep me in mind for future positions. Maybe just not in the legal department. Okay, definitely not in legal...at least, not with the people I was working with before. So she called me this week to work a three-week assignment starting next Monday. I don't want to work over spring break - the kids were already shafted by last year's spring break [Tnk's accident kept me at the hospital all week] and I really wanted to spend time with the kids this year. So I told her I was booked up through the 26th but to please call me if anything comes up after that time.

3. Kids are happy I'm home when they get off the bus.

4. I was very sick last week, so I was glad to be home, too.

5. This week, no sickness. So I finally painted the kids' bathroom. So long, ugly-ass wallpaper!

6. My soon-to-be-ex sister-in-law is bringing my nephew to town tomorrow night. I can't wait to see them. Unfortunately, they're leaving Saturday afternoon, so the visit will be much too short.

7. After a two-month absence, our lawn guys finally showed up today. Yes, we may be spoiled, but I do love not having to weed the damned gardens. I am so not a green thumb.

8. I pity the lawn guys for the dog crap in the backyard, though. Sorry, LGs.

9. The garage door opener quit working two weeks ago. This is a major tragedy. I've had to cart groceries all the way from the driveway to the front door, which, let me tell you, is a real PITA.

10. Yep, definitely spoiled.

11. Garage door fixer-man is due here within the next hour or two. Our springs need adjusting before we can replace the opener (the door will not stay up by itself), and that's not a job for a regular joe. Sixty-five bucks for the guy to tweak the spring. Ahhh, the humanity. I'm going to have to kick my Grocery Game savings into high gear in order to make up for the costs incurred this week.

12. Grocery game savings last Sunday: a little over 51%. Shelf price: $81; my cost: $39.

13. I've got lots of cleaning to do before my SIL gets here tomorrow night. Naturally, here I sit at the computer...

14. I have decided to do a little NaBloPoMo of my own for March. I slacked off so much in February that I decided to kick myself into gear this month. A post a day is my plan. Think I can do it?

15. How've y'all been?

PASS THE BUCK

Here in these parts, and maybe in other parts, too, there exists a shopping establishment called "The 99-cent Only Store." The concept is fabulous - everything is 99 cents. Or less, sometimes, which kinda makes the store name misleading. But I'm not complaining.

Their advertisements run weekly in the Houston Chronicle. Now, popular belief would dictate that with everything costing less than a buck, the store wouldn't have a very big marketing budget. But their ads are definitely eye-catching - and often funny as hell.

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A few weeks ago, when David Beckham joined the LA Galaxy soccer team, this was their ad:

HaHAAA! Ah Posh Spice, have Two Become One?

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I wasn't sure if they'd be able to top that, but this week's Valentine's Day ad was a two-parter that made me choke on my coffee:

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Hope you all had a Valentine's Day full of Good Choices!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

So I got tired of talking about my vajayjay and "the twins" and decided to head in a new direction with this post. Fortunately, I've got new stuff to say.

I got a job.

Yes, really.

I'll be working at an established company in their Legal Department, which I've never done before. Fortunately, the duties, as they were described to me, sound right up my alley. I'm proficient in Word, familiar with Excel, can probably do various other tasks as requested (what does that MEAN?), and am darned professional-lookin' when I gussy myself up.

The beauty of this job is that it's a temporary position. Meaning, I could be employed two weeks or two months or two parsecs (I'm taking Star Wars liberties with the latter word being used to describe time instead of distance). Anyway, I got a call today from the HR person to whom I'd sent my résumé a couple of weeks ago. She asked if I'd be interested in temping for them. Which is the same company DH works for. And they'd pay me a whopping amount of money per hour.

Uh, yeah, I think I can handle that.

Starting tomorrow.

[gulp]

I'm still going to be able to take off for my mammogram on Monday, too.

I'm excited and very nervous at the same time. It's cool that hubby and I will be able to make use of Houston's HOV lane, thus bypassing all the poor drivers on the main lanes. We should be able to get to work and home in near-record time. Hubby's mom even volunteered to come over and meet the kids' school buses every day - which was a load off my shoulders, let me tell you.

On the other hand, I'm nervous as hell about how I'll do in a business environment after all these years.

Tomorrow's the big day, so I'd better get off here and decide what to wear. The attire is "business formal," which in plain English means "pantyhose required."

Oh crud, do I even have any pantyhose?

Wish me luck!

PAPS ARE JUST AS MUCH FUN AS I REMEMBERED

Today I went for the first female checkup I've had since Clinton was in office. Fortunately, my doctor is the nicest person ever to scrape my cervix.

Dr. M did not judge me for waiting so long between appointments, which I really appreciated. Her comment was, "you're here now; that's what's important." She apologized for having cold hands during my breast exam, then again for taking 20 seconds to finish the pap smear and HPV test. Doc, I completely forgive you.

The urinalysis results showed that I have an infection, about which I was completely unaware. Therefore, I have a prescription to fill for antibiotics. Whee, orange pee, here I come.

The tactile breast exam showed two lumps in my left breast, and one in my right. The doctor said she's truly not concerned, yet she scheduled me for a mammogram next Monday. Now, I'm pushing 40, so I was going to have a baseline done this year anyway, but on the order form for the mammogram, she didn't check the "routine screening/asymptomatic" box. Instead, the scarier "diagnostic imaging/consultation" box is checked. She also asks, under "Additional Services," for a "breast ultrasound" of both breasts.

What freaks me out the most is that she drew in little masses on the preprinted breast diagram. Yep, two on the left; one on the right. Check.

After my exam, I was sent in for bloodwork. I had a feeling they'd go ahead and order blood screens today, so in preparation, I did not eat beforehand. In fact, I hadn't eaten since 6:30 last night, so by this time (11:15ish a.m.) I was feeling kinda weak. Somehow, the blood draw didn't seem to help that feeling.

I stopped for a baked potato on the way home because I was starving, but when I got here, I was only able to finish half of it. I'm actually feeling sick right now, and I've got a mother of a headache brewing. I can't get comfortable, which is really frustrating.

On the up side, I've lost six pounds since the last time I saw Dr. M. She made my day by saying, "yeah, like you needed to lose weight." Told you she was sweet.

THANKS

- To Katie, whose blog post made me list my own confessions, including the one in which I admitted that I'm years overdue for a pap.

- To Pez, for persuading me to schedule an appointment.

- To hubby, for taking the new job with the rockin' insurance and low co-pays.

- To my favorite doctor, for being available tomorrow morning at 10:10 a.m.

- To me, for finally taking care of myself. It's about time.

CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL, RIGHT?

Katie may or may not be a good influence. No matter; today I am copying her blogging idea - confessions. None of these are earth-shattering, but they do impact my tiny little world. And here we go...

• I wear my jeans for a long time between washings. We're talking weeks here - possibly a couple of months. If they get visibly dirty, I toss them into the laundry; otherwise, I just toss them over the box fan that's sitting in my closet and call it all good.
• My closet is huge, and also messy. The aforementioned box fan is not plugged in nor useful. It's purpose is apparently to serve as a small horizontal surface that I can put crap on top of. I have an old stereo in there that serves the same purpose.
• My kiddos, save K, do not shower every day. They're all capable of doing it all by themselves, but I hardly ever think about it in time to remind them before bed, so they don't. Twice a week is pretty good around here. K, who hit puberty last year and apparently discovered that teenagers sweat and thus stink, showers every single night. Pey and Ry aren't far behind him in age, so I figure they'll start showering regularly soon enough.
• It's been like six years since I've visited the dentist. Fortunately, I seem to have naturally good teeth. (Hope I didn't just jinx myself there.)
• It has been much MUCH too long since I've had a female exam. I am deeply ashamed, and promise to make an appointment soon, sis.
• My kids are old enough to make their own lunches, clip their own fingernails, and do know our address, so I can't make those claims. Anymore. heh
• I throw out my kids' schoolwork and artwork all the time. Not everything; but definitely most things. Apparently I also feel guilty about it because I still wait until the kids aren't home to start purging - and then I top the artwork with used coffee filters or waffle boxes or some other non-transparent item so that they don't notice.
• I hate doing laundry with a passion. I mean, you won't find another person on this planet who hates it more than I do. Thursday night, Ry told me he had no jeans to wear the next day. So I pulled out a couple of pairs of jeans for each kid (from the enormous mound of laundry sitting three feet from the washing machine) and did a load of jeans. Friday, K said he had no more underwear. This time, I started a whole load, but when it came time for K's shower, I just pulled out two pairs of clean underwear from the washer and tossed them into the dryer with the aforementioned jeans...Oh man, please tell me I'm not the only one who's done that.