Joy

Yesterday I took Natalie and 3 of her close friends to the mall for the day. They didn't have school due to conferences, which I skipped because Nat got all A's!! Once in awhile, I just have to announce that. I'm just so proud of her! And to plug our school shamelessly, I have nothing but positive things to say about her principal, her teachers, and the staff. At first I was nervous about the 7th and 8th being integrated into the High school, but my fears were laid to rest. They have no interaction with the older kids, and they are walked back and forth by a teacher when they need to be in another area of the school. It really has been a good change after all and Nat loves the building. Pastor Shannon still stops in for lunch regularly, and she loves hanging around with "Shannie", as they've dubbed him.

Anyway, the girls are all dressing up together for the costume contest at school on Friday, and I am taking them "treating" for Halloween. It will be the first time Natalie is excited about going! I absolutely love her friends, and I really enjoyed spending the day with them. It's like having a few extra daughters, which I love!

So while life can be daunting and crazy at times, involving dog poo and other surprises, life can be beautiful and full of joy.

Like I said, finding peace and contentment no matter what. THAT is my ultimate goal, and with God's help, I will get there!!

Life Adjustments

In the last decade, my life has changed quite a bit. I didn't notice it much, as it changed so gradually, but somehow, my kids grew up, I got older, and things just changed. Sometimes it hits all at once. The change in me, the change in our life, the change of our parenting, the loss of two close family members, and yes, the growing up of our babies. BAM! WHAMMO! KABLOOEY!! What the heck happened here??

I am slow to change, and it doesn't always serve me well emotionally. I tend to want to hold on a little longer, and sometimes it just feels like a slow band-aid removal. Sometimes I wish I could just rip and roll with it. Some things I can do that very well. Others are slow and painful! I don't want to wallow in grief, or be too resistant to change, so I try to blow through situations and feelings in hopes of a good outcome. What I've learned is that sometimes I avoid the fire, and what burns is the wait.

Dealing with things head on is something I believe in logically. However, it's not always that easy. My brother, fresh out of rehab, is living with his son, my nephew. It's not going so well. What needs to happen is the hard decision. What he needs won't be easy to give. What makes US feel better should not be the solution. And yet, we avoid the fire. Why? Because it is that painful and our family relationships hang in the balance. As it stands now, his alcoholism stands to destroy several of them. It is so unfair, because he sits there while we all worry and argue about his fate. You really can't understand the words "enabler" or "codependent" unless you have been one or been in the company of one. Don't judge unless you have been. It's a lot more complicated than you might think. My brother will most likely die of his disease and it will have been his choice. Frustrating, sad, indescribable.

So while some may think politics are the hot issue right now, I can't even think about any more adversity. I have to find ways of keeping my peace and contentment no matter what is going on. I have my relationship with God, my family, my friends, my old dog, and a beautiful place to call home. My job as a wife and mom is to keep my head and heart clear of junk so that I can perform at topnotch quality for them.

Sometimes that means I fall out of society for awhile. Sometimes you have to make those adjustments so you can stay focused on what matters and not be distracted by what doesn't. Life is an adjustment every day. Sometimes it's a battle, and there will always be a fire.

I hope I'm ready.

A BooTiful Party

On Saturday night, we had our annual family Halloween party. For years it's just been the four of us, and it was always a time to carve our pumpkins, bob for apples, eat fun food, and watch the Charlie Brown Halloween special. The kids were never all that thrilled with trick or treating, and we would only go to both grandparents' homes, the senior apartments and my childhood neighbors. All that running around made for tired, grouchy kids, and it wasn't all that much fun!

Thus began the tradition of the family party. Each year it has had to change, as the girls grow older. Last year we invited G & G, and had a fun scavenger hunt in the wind and rain. This year we planned a treasure map expedition, complete with clues buried in old fashioned root beer bottles all around the property. After finding all the clues, they had to put it together to find the "treasure", I-Tunes cards! Daddy was uber clever with all the rhyming clues, and the girls wondered why we drank root beer all day before the party!!

The menu was "frankenpizza", "Swamp Slime with veggies", "Dracula's punch", "sewer cake" (compliments of Grandma), "Crispy Snake", and lot of other disgusting and delicious snacks. The girls requested "spooky" but not scary decorations, so I used purple and black, lots of bats, spiders, bones, and lots of slimy gross stuff. It actually looked pretty cute in the kitchen, even though it was "spooky".

After we pigged out, we watched the girls play "Just Dance", and Grandpa played a little Monster Buck Hunt with the funny orange Wii gun. Sophie slept through the whole thing! I sure wanted to sleep after all that work. It is a lot of work and time, but I love to surprise the girls with the menu, the decorations, and the games. They always appreciate it, and it's worth it just to make them smile!

Halloween to our family is nothing but a day to enjoy little kids in cute costumes, eating our weight in candy, and enjoying some happy time together. Any other description of the holiday to me just gives it way too much attention. I'm keeping it about the candy, the pumpkins, and Charlie Brown, of course! That's not so complicated, is it??

Too Much Too Soon

Nat started 7th grade this year, and I started to notice her bonding more and more with a couple of her friends. I thought it was great that she had such a nice circle of friends, so I began asking her what had changed. She didn't really know, but it started to come to her realization slowly. Most of the girls in her class now have boyfriends. Yes, you heard me. Boyfriends. Freshman boyfriends. Natalie and her circle of friends are not into boys yet, so they hang out together. Smart girls!!

Call me old-fashioned, if you must, but does anyone else think that 7th grade is a bit young for all of that?? I've seen them in the parking lot after school, hugging goodbye as they board the busses, and I scratch my head in confusion. Really? You need a boyfriend already? Need?? Has it really come to that? Nattie still likes to cuddle with her dad. I can't imagine her cuddling with a boy at 12 years old!

I have taught my girls that having a boyfriend is something they must wait for! They are not to be calling and texting boys or pulling up their pants, as I saw one classmate do! Whoa! I've encouraged them to have boys as friends, as they can be some of the best friends they'll have in school. Girls can be pretty nasty sometimes. It's always great to have a boy who is a friend. I've taught them that having a boyfriend cannot be so important that it trumps your friendships! I've told them that you'll never NEED a boyfriend, but when you are ready, you may want one. If you never have one, it's probably a good thing. If you like to date, then date and don't get serious! I've also said to them at this point in their lives, boyfriends are NOT ALLOWED!! I know at least 2 other parents who are on board with that concept. I hope there are more out there!

Not only do some of these classmates have boyfriends, but if they happen to get "dumped", they find another boyfriend that same day. Again, I am perplexed by all of this! It's like having a boyfriend is like getting the latest tech gadget, you just can't live without it!

I wasn't interested in boys until high school, believe it or not! I preferred the company of my friends and my books! I thought boys were rude, crude, smelly, offensive, shallow, and pimply!! It seems as soon as boys entered my radar, things got really complicated! In hindsight, I would have spent more time with my friends, having fun.

I am saddened by these girls who think having a boyfriend is so important at this time in their lives. They will be exposed to things they are not ready for. They will compromise. Their self-worth will be decided by some boy. I'm not saying it happens to all of the girls, but not much has changed since I was in 7th grade. The girls are pretty much the same, and the boys? Well, boys are boys.

I pray that my girls will listen to me and their dad when we tell them to wait for these things. We really do know best! There is so much pressure on girls today that parents really need to be up on what's going on around their kids. For me,being home with my girls has given me such a unique perspective of their lives. I am in their lives 24/7. I don't miss much! I know if I was in the work force, I would be preoccupied with other things, and would probably not even think about what their friends are doing. I'm certain I wouldn't be as observant as I am now. My kids don't mind my presence now, but who knows what will happen as they mature. I'm laying down the law while they'll still listen!!

So, tell me, what do YOU think? Is 7th grade too young to date?

Good Customer Service...A Myth??

Today's "rant" is about customer service! I will keep it to just a couple situations, although I could go on and on about lousy experiences. I won't do that unless it helps to teach something of value. I think this one does in the world today.

I am a scrapbooker, at least sometimes, and I was interested in finding some products that are only sold through a direct sales person. I went online and found a local seller, gave her a call, and that's when it began. She seemed very nice on the phone, only lived a few miles away in a neighboring town, and I was hopeful that not only would I get the products I was looking for, but maybe I'd find a new person to scrap with. That can be a difficult thing to find!

My first time talking with her, I should have seen the red flags! She was reluctant to meet me face to face. She said she was in the middle of cleaning and if she didn't answer the door when I came to pick up a catalog (yes, I drove over there!), that she would just have it between the doors. O......kay....

She ended up coming to the door, barely opening the door to meet me. I thought it was a little odd, but figured maybe she had a big mess and was trying to hide it from me. Okay, that's pretty normal. I just let it go.

A week or two went by and I decided to place an order. I sent her an email with my order, which she had told me to do when I was ready. I waited to hear from her. I waited. I waited. I emailed again. I waited again. Finally she responded. What a strange response. She claimed she didn't want to "bother" me by contacting me because another customer really got mad at her for calling. Huh?? Okay. I let that one go too, although I don't know why. I guess I just wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and not judge too soon. Because of her lack of service, I decided to withdraw over half of my order. I had needed some of the products for an upcoming crop and ended up getting them at local stores instead. So, she lost quite a bit, and I really only kept the rest of the order in to be polite. Silly me.

So, I let her know I really wanted to know my total, and here's what she said to me by email, not by phone, of course. "Here is your total. You can leave your check on my door." Yes. Tape it to her door!! Not only did I drive over there....again...I taped my check to her door. She had told me she hadn't been feeling well, and may not answer the door. I took that, and just let it go again.

Weeks went by and I didn't hear from her. She didn't respond to my emails, although she had my check. I sent her another email, not as friendly as the 3 before it, and she finally responded by saying she had had all these problems, and that's why she couldn't contact me. Okay, by now I was just annoyed with the whole thing. I couldn't believe that this was the way she was going to do business with me. I was disappointed that the vision of going to workshops and having crops with this person was completely shot! Not only did it take her forever to contact me, but now she tells me part of my order didn't come in. At that point I had lost any trust I had in her, and figured she just never placed the order anyway.

So, two months had gone by from the time I placed my order to the time she finally told me it was in (after I called her, of course) and guess what? She told me part of it didn't come and she was trying to get it from someone else. She also told me that when it came in, I could pick it up on her porch, between the doors, because she wouldn't be there. No explanations. No apologies. Nothing but weak excuses! So, for the third and final time, I drove to her house, picked up my order between the doors, and vowed never to contact her again.

I didn't get nasty, because I kinda figured out that she didn't have a clue to begin with. I just chose to speak by never doing business with her again. She made a big mistake with me. "Huge!" (As Pretty Woman would have said!) Of course, now I'm looking for a new consultant. Just a note about these consultants, I can't believe how many I've dealt with that give the worst service! I figure if I'm forking out the money, they can at least say thank you and offer to deliver the product. Call me old fashioned. I call it polite. TAPE IT TO THE DOOR. i DON'T THINK SO!!!

I worked in customer service for 12 years and I know how people want and need to be treated. It always annoys me to be a victim to poor customer service. There is just no excuse for it. I am patient to a degree, but sometimes people are just so blatantly rude and wrong! They quickly forget that Golden Rule. Do unto others as you'd have done to you!!!

That's it. I'm done. Thank you for coming. It was a pleasure to serve you today!! Have a nice day and call me if you need anything. I will not put you on hold. I will shake your hand, smile at you and call you by name. I will treat your money as if it as just as crucial to my life as it was to yours to give it up. I will call when I say I'm going to call and I will always put you first!!! And most importantly, when you leave, you will feel better than when you first talked to me.
THAT is good customer service!!!

If I Was A Coach...

Natalie is done with Volleyball! The girls were number one in their conference, but lost quickly in tournaments Monday night. All these times of sitting through basketball and Volleyball games, and soon to be basketball again, lots of things go through my mind.

We have "Pay to Play" athletics, which means a $50 fee for each girl to play. Add to that the equipment needed, plus the (optional, but every girl wants them to fit in)warm-ups, team photos, and all the Powerade, and it can get expensive. Practice was every day for 2 hours, which means getting them there and getting them back, all the while trying to work or care for other kids in the family. Then there is the driving back and forth to all these schools, which are not in close proximity to ours. The games start at 4:30. Not very convenient for most families. A parent has to take time off to come to the games, and hopes to be able to watch their daughter play. Hopes.

Every girl signs a contract that says she will work her hardest at practice, knowing that her hard work will determine her play time. Hmmm....maybe I should have attended EVERY practice, because it seems to me that quite a few of the same girls spent most of their game time on the bench. Maybe I don't have enough inside information, but I continued to feel for the girls who didn't get as much time to play. I just believe that at this age, everyone should get a chance to learn and experience what it's like to be part of a team. I think at ANY age, kids should be able to play when they've signed up, paid, and practiced just like everyone else.

Now before you think I'm "one of those mothers", I didn't expect Natalie to play EVERY game. In fact, I didn't expect ANY of the girls to have that advantage. What I was hoping for was to see ALL of the girls have their moment. My girl had plenty of play time, and with 14 girls, and only 6 playing at a time, I didn't feel she should be out there more than anyone else. You know, I was being fair. What I see when I look at those 12 year old girls is myself at that age. I didn't want them to be discouraged! I wanted them to believe in themselves. I wanted them to learn the game. They can't do that while sitting. No one could.

I have nothing mean to say about her coach, don't get me wrong. She did a fine job with the girls. I just wanted to see less emphasis on winning, and more emphasis on every girl getting an opportunity to play, serve, and contribute. Maybe it's easier said than done, and that's why I don't want to throw the coach under the bus. I really don't. Natalie worked very well with her, and I know she put a lot of time and effort into teaching the girls. I look at many of these girls like a mother, not a coach, so my view is a bit different.

I was discouraged that the girls lost so easily last night, but the truth is, they didn't work hard enough to win. That's an important lesson too! I would like to think that if I was a coach, I would implement the things that I feel are important to every girl out there. Being able to be part of a team is something special. It's earned, yes, but lots of skill levels can earn that privilege. The girl who can't serve, the girl who just struggles, the girl who hits like a champ. They all deserve to be there, to be counted, to feel like they can accomplish something too. If they are putting forth THEIR best effort, then it should be good enough. It's good enough everywhere else, isn't it?? Why not sports?

Well, what ABOUT winning? What about being first? What's wrong with competition? What's wrong with playing your so-called "best" players all the time and leaving the rest out? What if YOUR kid was the one sitting out and YOU were the one driving an hour to watch them warm the bench? What if YOU spent all that money on soccer equipment and your kid played 5 minutes all season? Is it REALLY possible to put your heart into coaching without becoming TOO soft? I really think so!! Especially for these young kids just starting sports.

I heard a story the other day about 4 year olds playing soccer, and it just curled my toes! So, the team was playing this very skilled team (for 4 year olds) who is being coached by an obsessed dad. His team was WAY ahead of the opposing team, yet continued to tell his players to drive that ball, run hard, and they were knocking kids down to do it. The score was ridiculous. I think scoring is ridiculous at that age to begin with, but the losing team went home feeling pretty lousy. 4 years old. I thought it was supposed to be fun!!! What kind of precedent does that set? I just can't stand it.

Well, if I was a coach, we'd play fair. We'd play the best we could and we'd ALL play! Winning and losing would include the whole team. All the ones who practiced. All the ones who worked hard. ALl the ones who paid, showed up, and brought parents to watch!! I would probably be criticized, for sure, because some parents care way too much about winning, even when their kids don't!! But I'd be happy, and my team would be too! And isn't that what it's all about anyway??

Big Silly Funny Kid Life

Yes, anonymous, I used to do shadow puppets with my girls...no spiders!! I don't do spiders in any fashion!

You don't have to have kids to feel like a kid again. You don't have to be a kid to play! I heard something on the radio the other day that talked about how many times a child laughs a day vs. how many times older people laugh a day. It was a huge difference! Of course, it makes sense that we have more things on our minds than kids, and that's why we're not always laughing, but the study said that the less you laugh, the grumpier you will be as an older person. Well, I don't want to be a big grump! At least not permanently. Grumpy moments, yes. Grumpy me, no!

So, get out there and do some fun things. Feel like a kid again. Here are some of my favorite "kid" activities any "big kid" can do!

1. Shoot baskets! Backwards. Granny style. Bounce shots. Eyes closed. Opposite handed. Behind the rim. Get a pal and play "HORSE", "PIG", or "BOOGER".

2. Rake up a big pile of leaves and jump in! No trees? Play it a little risky and do it in the dark in your neighbor's yard! Just don't jump in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker. Just a little something I learned from reading "Peanuts". And if you have a dog, watch for "tootsie rolls" in your leaf pile.

3. Blow up the air mattress and pop in a favorite Disney movie. Pop some popcorn, grab some candy, put on your jammies, and hang out "sleepover" style. I'm a little partial to "Aladdin". This IS more fun with kids, but you can always adjust the movie and add an adult!

4. Throw marshmallows at the ceiling fan, as you may have seen in one of my past posts. It's still fun and a good reason to install a fan if you ask me.

5. Chase the dog or cat around. Let them try to "get" you. Back in the puppy days, Sophie was a hoot, watching her chase us around the house and the yard. She had a thing for gloves, and would pull them right off my hands and then run! She also loved to jump in leaves. Pets are a great companion for fun. Sophie doesn't crack me up as much these days, but I love talking about the old days with her. :)

6. Swing on a swing. Slide down a slide. Eat a popsicle--a red one! Drink loudly with a straw, eat fries with ketchup, use the back of your hand as a napkin!

7. Attempt a cartwheel. Learn to whistle with your fingers. Try to hula hoop. Pop a wheelie on your bike. On the way to the Emergency room, be sure to tell the EMT's a good joke or two.

8. Offer to babysit for a friend or family member. Steve and I love having younger kids around. We just sit back and laugh at all their antics, remembering how much we enjoyed our little girls at that age.

9. Take a nap! Kids have it made with this one, I think!

10. Read a favorite book from your childhood. I recently read, "Are you there God, it's me Margaret". Took me back to age 12! I hurried and came back...yikes!

11. Answer the phone in a weird voice. Answer the phone, "Bubba's Beer Barn", but only for telemarketers, in-laws, and whoever else would "get it". You would be surprised at who doesn't!

12. Sit cross-legged on the floor. Okay, I am just kidding. I can't do that!! ouch!

13. Read the comics. Watch your old favorite cartoons. I love the Looney Tunes, but I'm also known to catch some Jetsons or Flinstones! Yabba Dabba Doo! Hey, open up your front door and yell that right now!! Did you do it? Did you think about it? I knew it!!

14. Write everything in crayon for one day. Excuse notes for the kids, shopping lists, checks! Love notes for the lovey in your life. There's just something special about the smell and the feel of a good ole crayola. Try Play-Doh too. There's a smell that will take you back to kindergarten!! So will the smell of pee, but that's another story for another day. Some kids just aren't that funny.

15. Remember that God has a sense of humor. He loves children and watching us enjoy our lives. We're still His kids!! That means while we are being adults, we can still have mindless fun!!

I have more ideas, so if you're having trouble pulling out your inner child, let me know and I'll give you some more tips! I will never stop "being a kid" and I am always drawn to those who know how to play, little kids or the really big ones like me!! Big ole boring dull grouchy adults just don't do it for me.

So, Anonymous, get out there and be a kid! Have fun!! Come up with a clever shadow puppet and post it on YouTube!! Dinosaur, Horse, Unicorn...but no spiders!!

Live. Love. Laugh. Pee

Although I wish my girls would stop growing up so fast, I find myself enjoying them more and more these days. No, I don't enjoy the increasingly messy bedrooms and tendency to want to stay up later and later. Girls do tend to be a bit sloppy, and it drives me a bit nuts at times! If I can't find them, I just follow the trail of socks, bookbags, hair accessories,and granola bar wrappers, among many other things. They are turning into preteens for sure!

Tonight we headed out to the front yard with the volleyball for a little fun. I've been working with Natalie on her overhand serve, and teaching Serena basic skills. Like every other game we play, it quickly turns to silliness. Serena is trying to memorize the names of the bones, so each time she got hit with the ball, I'd hear, "hey, that hit me right in the clavicle!" "Oh, no, my patellas!" Natalie had to add her version of it, of course, by saying "I hurt my coccyx and my phalanges!" It's all I can do sometimes to not pee my pants! They are so so funny. Serena told me that Coach Klofp is teaching them proper running techniques in gym, so of course, both girls were running around with their legs flying here and there, and hands flapping like bird wings. "How's this, Coach?? Pretty good for a girl, eh?? That Serena...she's a sidesplitter!

Last night's tucking in was even sillier. I went into Serena's room to tell her goodnight, and she hid all but her eyes under her comforter. When I went to kiss her, she darted her face out of the way, and kept doing it over and over until she was laughing hysterically. I teasingly kissed her feet through her blanket and pretended it was her face. This just brought more giggling. And I wonder why they have such a hard time settling down to sleep!

With Natalie I was using one of my best gorpy voices...all nasally and weird, then I pretended to get all tough on her and used one of her preteen phrases. Only, I got it wrong and it came out "I'm gonna zip your Z!" The actual saying is, "Don't make me snap my fingers in a "z" formation...." So, what did I hear all day today?? "Hey, be careful or mom will zip your z!!" Whatevs. LOL,gag me with a spoon...

So another easy laugh session is when I attempt to play the "Just Dance" Wii game. It's great exercise, but I really can't keep up.....at least not yet! The girls are pretty good at it, and like to do "The Bird" because it's super fast and has a lot of crazy moves in it. I personally like "Pump up the Jam" and I have to sing it too! Loudly and with feeling. Oh, to be a fly on my wall, right?

Oh, my crazy funny family. I can't think of a better way to spend my life than with them, laughing and well, peeing my pants. :)

My Best Friend

Friday was our 16th anniversary! Originally we had a trip planned, but because our doggie has been so unpredictable these days, we decided it could wait. It's nothing that couldn't be rescheduled,and in the words of my hubby, "it doesn't matter where we are as long as we're hangin' out together!" So true.

We never really plan big shindigs for our anniversary. Heck, we don't do cards or gifts either! The only requirement for our anniversary is that we focus on each other the whole day! I like that better anyway.

So, Friday the kids didn't have school, and we planned to take them to the apple orchard for a yummy donut and fresh cider. After that, they were off to Grammy and Grampy's for the night and the next day!

We drove into town, got a movie and some Chinese takeout, then came home and pigged out in our comfy chairs. The next day we took a spontaneous road trip, stopping here and there to pick up a caramel apple, a couple of cokes, and a snack or two. Simple but fun. We talked about everything it seems we never have time to discuss, like how cool it would be to have a "party barn" in the backyard, or what we would do if we could do whatever we wanted to do.

We both enjoyed our quiet time at home, and maybe next year we'll take that trip we were planning. If not, it won't matter as long as we're "hangin' out together".

Thank you, God, for my wonderful husband and BEST FRIEND in the whole world!!!

TV Review

My blog will always be like a Variety Show, I guess. Must be my adult ADD (self-diagnosed, as usual). Today I bring you my favorite TV shows. If you don't like TV, well, then stick your nose back in your book or your butt back in your bathtub. This is for old show lovers, new show groupies, and those of us who have a special relationship with our electronic picture boxes.

Okay, enough of the sarcasm. (I'm most sure I learned that word from watching TV)

I used to be a big "Dancing with the Stars" fan until they stopped using actual stars. Now they are picking political children, reality tv people, and people I've never even heard of before. Maybe if they changed the name to "Dancing with the Strangers", I may get interested again. Some of those costumes are not only strange, but extremely skimpy! Hello, PG-13, please.

I'm all for the crime scene dramas, but please, do we need 45 of them?? I can't seem to keep them straight...CSI Miami, Miami Dolphins, CSI dolphins, CSI whatever. Do they not know the crime rates here some of our Michigan cities? Anyway, I'm done with CSI. And Law & Order, and any hospital dramas...too much gore and other stuff I can't stand and won't mention.....Miss Prudey Prudykins here.

I do like some other shows with initials, such as NCIS! I must have humor or forgetta bout it, I'm outta there! No, I don't watch ANY shows that have to do with Jersey, or have the word "Housewives" in them. Those housewives should live my life for one day. They'd change their title to "Princess" in a millisecond.

My favorite crime drama by far.....drumroll.....Castle!! Love that show, and it's Steve's and my date night tv choice. Funny. Clever. Interesting. A winner.

I'm trying to get into "The Defenders" with John Belushi, and "The Whole Truth" with Rob Morrow, star of my all time favorite tv show, Northern Exposure!! I have all 6 seasons on DVD! So far I like them both. I'm also a fan of Jason Ritter (John's son) who stars in "The Event". Reminds me a bit of "Lost", only not so much....I love Jason, but I can't seem to forget his role on "Joan of Arcadia", also a very cool show. He played a parapalegic...quite a stretch to his new role.

I also like just a few other shows, like "American Pickers", "Little People Big World", "Melissa and Joey", "Teach: Tony Danza", "The Middle", "Big Bang Theory", "Glee", "House Hunters". Sometimes I still like "Survivor", and I will check out "Kate Plus 8" just to shock myself with her shrinking clothes and growing...never mind. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I checked out that new show, "Sister Wives", and I felt like I needed to take a bath afterwards. I was just merely curious about the practice of having many wives. Although I don't want to judge their religious choices,it's certainly not anything I can understand. I love my ONE husband and knowing where he's been!! EW. Different Strokes, I guess. (Hey, another great old show!)

The truth of it is, I just don't have time to watch all the shows I like. I set the DVR to record them all, then watch when there is nothing else on, or if it's the weekend and there is only man junk on TV. I need to be passively entertained, and it's how I relax. I suppose I'm addicted to TV, but there are worse things!

Share with me your favorite TV shows from today or yesterday! I promise I won't laugh!

My Rantings

I met with a specialist today to discuss the results of my recent MRI. Due to some "disconnects" between my symptoms, it was decided to do some labwork before we continue with treatment. So, I still don't have a definitive answer! I'm not worried about it, but it would be nice to be over the bump! I'm sure she's just being thorough and careful, and I appreciate that. I should know more next week.

One thing that upset us today was a lady who showed up for her appointment with no insurance and no way to pay for services. I'm not even sure how she got a referral with no insurance. She was under the impression that she would be billed and could pay it a little at a time. Well, no one does that anymore, and it's sad. Insurance is sad! But watching a lady cancel her appointment, walk out, knowing she needs help is just wrong all over the place. These are the times I wish I was a millionaire and could just be her benefactor! We are blessed to have insurance, but we jump through all their hoops just to get what we need and what we have paid for. Our doctor spends his time being frustrated by insurance instead of concentrating on medicine. It's wrong!! When the insurance person is talking to us on the phone about what we need and what we don't, I just can't believe it sometimes. They speak as if they know everything, though they have no medical expertise. They have no idea what their decisions do to the quality of someone's life. Oh, I am done complaining, but sometimes it just gets to me! So, please pray for the lady at the doctor's office today, that she would get the medical care that she needs and deserves.

Cute Buns

I knew you'd be wondering what that title was all about, you stinker you! Sophie is improving! Thank you for all your prayers! She is managing much better, although we aren't getting too hopeful. We know it's still a matter of time. It's just that she seems to be over her "flu" issues. She is now way off her normal diet, and is stuck to me like glue. In other words, I kinda have a newborn baby around here! One day at a time...The Lord has continued to give me strength and patience every day!

So, on to the "buns" in my title. We already told the girls that getting another dog was not in the plans, much to their disappointment. Truly, I could use a break from all the hoopla a puppy causes--chewing, pooping, whining at all hours, jumping, barking, you know what I mean. We also want to do some traveling next year, and who knows, maybe we'll finally be able to do something spontaneous, like not come home after a long day trip to wherever. Anyway...I'm almost to the "buns" part, if you haven't already figured it out.

We decided that the girls would probably be very sad and lonely to lose their cuddle bum, and would need something sweet to hold and love on. We finally broke down to their constant request for bunnies! We know very little about rabbits,but a friend I worked with years ago raised rabbits in the hundreds. Nat also has a farm friend who has a smart farm mom! Anyway, the girls are researching everything bunny for us, and we will get going on it soon. Every rabbit I see in my yard is named "Mr. Bun", and of course, I suggested that for one of the names. They just laughed at me, as usual.

One thing I know is that these will be "cute buns" and the girls will love them. I will love that they are outside and can be cared for easily by a neighbor kid when we are gone! Stay tuned....maybe I will be able to post pictures again soon. Stinkin' computer.....