June 26, 2001||1:51 p.m.
I'm going to have to call all of the neighbors and apologize. Jackson has decided that the best way to get anyone's attention is to scream screech at the top of his lungs. It's one of those noises that makes me feel like all my nerve endings are exposed and causes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. He screeches when he wants something that one of the other boys has. He screeches when he's mad. He screeches when someone takes something from him. It's his new defense mechanism. At his check up last week I mentioned it to the doctor. His response, of course, was to ignore it. Apparently he has never had his nerve endings exposed before or he'd know that ignoring it is nearly impossible!
Gabe has decided to regress..right back into the "terrible twos" (he's 3 1/2). Already this morning I've threatened to wash his mouth out with soap four times, put him in time out 1/2 dozen times, and insinuated a good-old-fashioned ass whipin'. I swear he likes to hear my voice raised. Honestly, he acts like he doesn't even notice I'm yelling at him. Grrrrr.
Thomas has been helpful. He knows we're going camping at the end of the week and he's going out of his way help out wherever he can. As if helping will make Friday come sooner.
Their newest fun thing to do? Stand directly in front of the air conditioner until the cold air nearly takes their breath away. They run away screaming, warm up and go right back for more!
Connie read yesterday's entry and her comment was something along the line of "that was the best story you could come up with about Friday night?". Hmmmm. Guess she wants me to tell you about the fact that she walked through town with two pointy party hats strapped strategically to her body. Or maybe she was hoping I'd mention the fact that it was a clear night...you could see the stars and the MOON. Maybe to jazz things up I should talk about the way she likes to "critique" everyone's singing ability and that she has knack for drawing attention to herself (especially when she stands on chairs). I better stop before I blab about the plate, fire extinguisher, bouquet of flowers, and the stories of a little man with a hunkerin' for Hank Williams Jr. There..those stories should pacify her for awhile...at least until the beer tent rolls into town!
We're not getting the Jeep...
But we ARE going on vacation...3 more days and counting!!

The Virtual Freak Show.

The Best Of Junklog. Guess I owe you that much! "LOL" HeeHee

June 25, 2001||11:05 a.m.
Well...I survived my big night out. I know I promised to post about it Saturday but I, for some strange reason, had no ambition. Could be the fact that I got home at 2:30 a.m. Or it might have something to do with Jackson waking up screaming at 6:00 a.m. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because I had one of those foggy, lingering, I-don't-feel-good headaches half the day. Whatever the reasons, I'm posting now.
We had a whole lot of fun! We live in a very small town with two bars. One is a little run-down hole in the wall that crams people in like sardines on the weekends. The other is also a hole in the wall, but not very crowded. We chose to be sardines. It was my friend Karen (it was her birthday/anniversary) and her husband Kelly, my friend Connie (who put the whole thing together-including party hats and favors!), my sister-in-law Dawn, and Mark's brother Denny also showed up. We spent a lot of time talking about the "old times", and came to the conclusion that it had been 8 years since we had all been out together. (Connie is a military wife who is just home for a year while her husband is in Korea.) And I have to say that, as far as the whole "going out" thing, things hadn't changed that much. We were just as silly and obnoxious as I had remembered. Throw in a couple of pointy party hats and it gets even more obnoxious...if you know what I mean.
Things went well for Mark here at home also. He had no problems with the boys...said they were all very good. I didn't even leave until 9:00 so I imagine they went to bed shortly after I left. It was nice when they woke up in the morning asking if I had fun and that they missed me.
Yesterday Mark's mom finally came home. She had been out of town for a week. To the boys, it must've seemed like a whole lot longer. She never goes away and they talk to or see her daily. They were excited to have her back and talked non-stop about all that they've been up to in the last week.
We have been test-driving a Jeep Cherokee all weekend. It's black, it's shiny, it's very pretty. Mark thinks it's time to trade the van in and get something else. I really like it, but I'm trying not to get attached until we find out if we can afford it. The boys love it (mainly because it has an awesome stereo system), and keep calling it "our SUV".
That's about all the news from home...

The Health Concern. "We've spent all this time on perfect abs and killer pecs and totally ignored ugly feet".

Natural Big Noses.

June 22, 2001||12:06 p.m.
My life seems to be all about teeth these days. As I mentioned earlier this week, Thomas and Gabe went to their first dentist appointments on Wednesday. Only to find out that they both have cavities! Grrrrr. They are great about brushing their teeth...unluckily for them the dentist said they probably inherited Mark and my soft, crappy teeth. When they were infants I gave them flouride drops (we have well water that contains no flouride) religiously, but when they started brushing their teeth I figured they were getting enough. I figured wrong! So they both have to go back in August to get them filled. They're just on the surface, but he wants to take care of them before they get any worse.
Now Jackson is cutting more teeth. He is miserable. I don't care what any doctor says about babies not getting a fever or diarrhea from cutting teeth...mine do. He has been on fire for two days. He seems okay when I keep him doped up on Tylenol and Motrin, but you can tell as soon as it starts wearing off and it's almost time for another dose. Poor little guy! He just wants to sit on my lap and snuggle. I hope he starts feeling better soon. Obviously any mother hates it when her child is in pain but, selfishly, I hope he's feeling better before tonight...because I'VE GOT PLANS! Heehee.
If you know anything at all about me, you'd know that using the words I'VE and GOT PLANS in the same sentence doesn't happen very often. In fact, the last time I have been "out" was right before I was pregnant with Gabe. So that would be back in beginning of 1996. Geesh. It's one of my friends' birthday tomorrow so "the girls" are going to go out and celebrate tonight. I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow...my luck I'll have three beers and be ready to come home by 10:30.
I feel a little guilty about going out and leaving Mark home with the boys. I don't know why...he's been out many times without me over the past few years and it doesn't seem to bother him that I stay home. It's not that he doesn't invite me to go, or that he's one of those "guys night out" guys...he's not. I just have a real problem leaving my kids. I've never left them with a babysitter so that Mark and I can go out together. My thoughts on that are that there will be plenty of time for that later, when they're older. I miss those times. We used to go out alot before we had kids. We haven't been to dinner alone together, or the movies, or to a bar, or anything since we've had kids. Gosh, now that I see it in writing, it seems pretty pathetic. Note to Mark: "I know, I know...you've been telling me this for HOW long"?
So that's what's going on around here...cavities, fever, diarrhea, and a little guilt on my part. Doesn't it make you wish you had my life? Too bad, you can't have it...it's mine and I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

Name That Candy Bar. I did, not surprisingly, very well!

The Rainbow Connection. "More Than 60 Years After 'The Wizard of Oz,' The Remaining Munchkins Are Still Crowd-Pleasers". Have I mentioned that I like The Wizard of Oz? John noticed and kindly sent me this nifty "little" link. Thank you John.

June 20, 2001||6:50 a.m.
I'm not weird. I don't dress in black. I don't often get depressed. But I will admit to having a strange fascination with cemeteries and the "after life". I have a feeling trying to explain my way through this will take awhile, so freshen up your coffee.
It began almost 11 years ago when my mother died suddenly at the age of 53. Five months later my dad was diagnosed with cancer and he died (at the age of 55) 10 months after my mom. I was raised in a fairly strict Catholic home (my mom took us to church EVERY sunday and we attended religion classes until we graduated high school), but after their deaths I felt my faith wane. It's not that I stopped believing in God, or that I didn't believe in Heaven, I just didn't understand it or maybe I just didn't want to try to understand it. Whatever the reasons were, things changed.
I'll start with cemeteries. I don't go out of my way to just stop and stroll through a cemetery, but if I'm already at one I do like to walk through and read headstones. It makes me contemplate the circumstances. I take notice in names, dates, and ages. I recognize the death of an old and wise grandparent, a pure and innocent child, an unsuspecting teenager, or a married couple with death dates being a short period apart. One dying first, the second a short time later...apparently from a broken heart. It happens. I see love in a headstone well taken care of by family members and loved ones that visit often. I see beauty in flowers, plants, and shrubs planted with caring hands and heavy hearts. I understand the pain. I feel the loss of every person I encounter. I get it. I'm usually not sad when I leave, I feel as if strangers have unknowingly shared a very personal part of their lives with me...and for that I am grateful.
As for the afterlife...that fascination started when I saw a "spiritual medium" on one of those day-time talk shows. By the time he was finished I was covered in goosebumps and crying like a baby. Since seeing the first show, I have tuned in many times to see these mediums do their thing. I am not a skeptic, it took absolutely nothing besides what I saw to convince me that these guys are for real. I know there are fakes out there but I give myself enough credit to distinguish between what is real and what is not. If you've never seen James Van Praagh or James Edward, a brief explanation: They sit with you, having never met you and knowing nothing about you, and relay messages from loved ones who have died. It's very touching. I've seen parents trying to understand a childs suicide only to find it was murder. I've witnessed the relief of an adult child learning that their parent who died after months of pain and suffering is at last free of any discomfort. I've seen a young couple come to an understanding when they know that their infant is not alone-they are now in Heaven with a loved one. I've seen mediums give an accurate discription of a murderer. I've watched many broken hearted people find closure.
I would LOVE to have a reading done. Mark thinks it's creepy but getting some kind of peace or closure doesn't seem all that creepy to me. It will never happen though. Besides the fact that these readings can cost any where from $200.00 to $2000.00, these guys are so busy they're booked up through 2002. The satisfaction I get from that? That I'm not the only believer, or the only one who looks for answers where some think there are none to be found.

Cold Marble Musings Photography and cemetery art-sound creepy? It's not!

Equally as interesting:
James Van Praagh

John Edward

George Anderson

Life After Life "dedicated to the rational investigation of the mysteries of human awareness, including the possibility of the persistence of consciousness after death."

June 19, 2001||11:23 a.m.
My baby is a year and a half old already!! I can't believe it...it seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. He had his 18 month check-up yesterday. All went well, but he is definately a child with a fear of strangers, people, and crowds. He was clinging to me from the second we walked through the front doors of the office until the minute we walked out. He screamed the whole time the nurse was in the room with us and it took us all of the ten minutes until the doctor came in to get him calmed down. As soon as the doctor came in it started again. Thank God these people are professionals who see kids like this on a daily basis. They acted like they didn't even notice...I'm sure it bothered us more than it bothered them. But he is healthy, doing all the things he's supposed to be doing at his age, and in good proportion size/weight wise. I'm just glad it's over...for another 6 months anyways.
Now we get to deal with taking the two older boys for their first dental check-ups tomorrow. They're just getting them cleaned, so hopefully they'll sit still and do what the dentist tells them. The promise of a new toothbrush had the opposite effect that I had hoped. It made them NOT want to go thinking that they would have to give up their newly aquired pokemon toothbrushes. Geesh...I can't seem to win for losing!
Mark's softball team is still on their winning streak. They haven't lost a game all season. They played in the wind and rain last night and beat the opposing team something like 17-4. He was disappointed...it was the first game that they hadn't won by like 40-6. He threw together a team to play in a tournament this past weekend. He came home with a huge trophy. The inscription reads: "Grid-Iron Softball Tournament TOILET BOWL CHAMPS"...that should say something for throw-together teams!

The Joe Cartoon Co. Home of the Frog in a Blender-Gerbil in the Microwave. Note: Not suitable for children. Hee Hee

Toy Trunk Railroad-The Coal Fired Comic Strip.

In honor of our much-missed "Survivor: The Australian Outback": Groovy Cartoons and Animation from Australia.

Gaspirtz Cartoons & Comics...Weird & Bizarre or Sick & Twisted! Take your pick.

Otis, Mike and Stuttering Willy. Turd's Eye View. Insult Machine. All this and more from Laugh.Com.

June 18, 2001||10:51 a.m.
I know...another change. Stop rolling your eyes, this is it for awhile I promise. To be honest with you that last one just wasn't me. I am not now nor have I ever been a "girly girl". I grew up a tom-boy and am most comfortable now in sweatpants and a t-shirt with my hair in a ponytail. I don't paint my fingernails (or toenails) and I don't wear lipstick. I rarely wear a dress and when I do I refuse to wear a slip or nylons. Although I am considered a "homemaker/domestic goddess/queen of my domain" I have no decorating skills. We have lived in this house for 5 years and I have yet to decorate one single room and haven't hung anything on the walls except in the room I am at now. Mark is only the second person I have ever been seriously involved with. I didn't even date in high school. I was one of those girls that all the boys wanted to be "good friends" with...in order to get advice on how to treat their girlfriends. I don't follow fashion trends...I don't even know or care what the latest are. I am just not that kind of girl. Now you know why the last design just wasn't me and if there's one thing I don't do, it's pretend to be something I'm not!

June 17, 2001||10:00 p.m.
I'm back!!! No time for explanations, but promise more tomorrow! I added a buttload of sites to The WhyILog go check them out! I'm off to read weblogs and answer email! I've missed you all...