I have a few collections. Okay, I have several odd collections. One of my favorite collections is of floor cleaners. You see, I own five of them. They all have different purposes. Some are for the hard floors, some for the carpet. I have a couple that are for getting into the tight cracks and corners, and some are made specifically for sucking up dog hair.
You see, I can't help myself. I go into the store and somehow find my way to the floor cleaning mechanisms aisle and next thing you know I've got some sort of cleaning deal in my cart. You see, there *has* to be the perfect machine out there. The one that will clean both hard and carpeted floors. One that will steam clean stains out of the carpet and vacuum dog hair all at once. This machine will get into the cracks and crevasses, without any attachments. It will be light weight and be able to suck up a small child.
I'll admit, I've actually been talked out of the floor cleaning aisle more then once...apparently some people don't think I *need* another appliance to clean the floor. Oh, but I do. One of the top things on my Christmas list this year is a Little Green Machine :)
So, what kinds of things do you collect?
Showing posts with label MFP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MFP. Show all posts
The Flu
We have the flu at our house. I can tell you where we got it (or at least I think I can). Matt brought it home from football. You see, it was against "some rule" for players to bring their own water bottles to the football games. The team was required to share water bottles. The bottles are those squeezy kind. You don't actually *have* to put your mouth on the bottle to get it to work. Apparently the coaches forgot to teach that to the ninth grade football team. Even if they would've offered a lesson on "How To Drink From a Water Bottle 101", I know the attention span of a fifteen year old. The lesson wouldn't have mattered.
Last night I received an email from the coach saying that over 30% of the football players on the ninth grade team were out sick Monday. They have a new policy now. Each player is required to have their own water bottle....geez. took. them. long. enough.
Last night I received an email from the coach saying that over 30% of the football players on the ninth grade team were out sick Monday. They have a new policy now. Each player is required to have their own water bottle....geez. took. them. long. enough.
Tator (aka Francesca Elizabeth)
We have two live pets in our house. I don't count Nathan's fish as pets, they are just decorations. Both of our "real" pets are dogs. The oldest dog is Tator, aka Francesca Elizabeth. The other dog is Bailey and she is an entirely different post.
Tator is a Siberian Husky with a fantastic blood line, not that her blood line was important to us when we picked her out. The things that struck us when we met her were the facts that she was the most beautiful dog I had ever seen, and all she wanted to do was snuggle in my lap. Cute and cuddly...what else mattered?
We brought Tator home almost fourteen years ago. We had somehow lost our dog naming abilities after we picked her out, so she spent several weeks being called "Hey Puppy!" We knew we wanted a fun, dog type name and we also wanted a second, more regal name on her official papers (to be respectful of her blood line). The regal name was much easier for us to come up with. She is partially named after my sister and the other part was just a fancy name I liked :) It was mid-winter when I scooped her up to bring her outside for her nightly outdoor task when we were struck with her name:
Me: "She's like a sack of potatoes!"
Nathan: "Hey, let's call her Tator."
Me: "Okay, Tator is a pretty cool name and it's way better then 'hey puppy'."
So began our years with Tator. Her puppy years were fun. She stayed true to being the cute and cuddly puppy I picked out. Her "teen" years were a mess. Tator decided she didn't like me and *clearly* had it in for me. Nathan would leave the house and Tator would be mean to me. Granted I am a bit on the sensitive side, but I still felt threatened. Soon after the teen years she realized I wasn't going anywhere and we ended up with a respectful agreement. I would feed her, take her places, keep her groomed, clean up after her, and bring her to the vet. She would let me live in her house and sleep with her mate.
There are so many stories I could tell you about her I would consider writing a book, but this is only a blog and the point of this blog is to say out loud that she is old and she's not feeling well. The average life expectancy of a Siberian Husky is 10-14 years. We're lucky that we've had 14 eventful and wonderful years with her, but I am sad that I see it coming to an end.
Besides suffering from "old-age", Tator is suffering from arthritis of the hips. To help her with her pain and mobility we give her an anti-inflammatory medicine. The anti-inflammatory meds will cause damage to her liver. To off set the damage to the liver we are trying things like plain yogurt and cottage cheese. Her stomach has become even more sensitive these days so we also give her pro-biotics. I feel like we are constantly taping her together with one band-aid or another. Some people may understand this and some won't. I'm okay with that.
Over the last year she has had more and more series of tummy discomfort. She has been spending lengthy times being restless and agitated, but then recovering and seeming fine again. Each time we head into an episode I wonder if this will be the last? How many more times can we all do this? How many more sleepless nights can we all take? Is she hurting? Is she sad?
As she spent today outside, by herself, in the yard, unwilling to come in... I miss her already. I'd go out there and stroke her bony body and hope that she feels better soon. You see, I'm not ready to let her go yet. I'm not ready to have less dog hair on my floors, on my furniture, on my clothes, or in my food. I'm not ready to have more freedom and more money.
I am not ready to be a one dog family.
Updated 1/15/2010
Francesca Elizabeth will be resting peacefully today. We are preparing our good-byes, going through our photos and memories, and showing her that we will always love her.
Green Onions
My older two kids (aka Social Guy and The Artist) are growing up fast. This summer they have started getting more and more freedom and of course more responsibilities too. One of the best examples of a growing experience happened just last week. It was a few days before our family camping trip and we had just returned from an amazing long weekend at a friend's cottage. We had a lot to clean up and a lot to get ready for. Our errands list looked something like:
Get Social Guy a hair cut
Go to Cub Foods and pick up green onions
stop at body shop for estimate
go to the bank
go to Target (just because I like to browse and Target is one of my favorite stores...Did you know they have *everything* at Target?)
stop at the library to pick up a book on hold
pick up flea and tick junk for the dogs at Chuck'N Dons
plan the upcoming menu
double check to see that we have all school materials
dishes
laundry
blah blah blah
So I drove up to Great Clips and asked Social Guy if he needed me to come in or if I could just hand him $20 and he could get his hair cut on his own. He agreed that he could get his haircut on his own, so I dropped him off and told him I would be back.
I pulled into the auto body shop. Walked in and talked to the receptionist. She told me to hang out for a bit and one of the estimators would be with me in a couple minutes. After a few moments the estimator, The Artist, and I walked out to the car where he looked it over and took notes. The estimator told me to wait there and he would have my estimate ready in just a few minutes. The Artist noticed I kept looking over at Cub Foods, which was right next to the auto body store.
The Artist, "Do you need something from Cub?"
Me, "Yeah." *at that moment wishing The Artist was more like Social Guy and would be able to run over there and get those green onions for me.*
The Artist, "I could go over there and get what ever you need?" (Yes, she said that as a question.)
Me, "wow! That would be cool. I need green onions. Do you know what green onions are?"
The Artist, "No, but you could describe them to me."
I went ahead and tried my best to describe to her what they looked like and where they would be in the produce department. I handed her $20 and said, "Thanks!" A few minutes later she comes back. She's looking pretty proud of herself and hands me the bag.
The Artist, *in a beautiful, happy, sing-song voice* "These are the green onions, right?"
I look inside the bag....nope. I smile at her and say, "No, these are collard greens."
She was disappointed and mad, more at Cub Foods lousy produce labeling then at herself. I didn't show her the ribbon on the collard greens that said 'collard greens'. I did look at her with a huge smile and said, "Hey, I've never cooked these before. What an adventure! We'll go home, look up a recipe, and try them out. How cool!"
So that night we added a couple things to the list:
look up collard green recipe
make collard greens
The Artist grew a lot that day due to a mild mistake and our whole family tried something new AND loved it! Collard greens will become a new family favorite food and story to remember :)
Tiaras and Tutus~
The MFP
Get Social Guy a hair cut
Go to Cub Foods and pick up green onions
stop at body shop for estimate
go to the bank
go to Target (just because I like to browse and Target is one of my favorite stores...Did you know they have *everything* at Target?)
stop at the library to pick up a book on hold
pick up flea and tick junk for the dogs at Chuck'N Dons
plan the upcoming menu
double check to see that we have all school materials
dishes
laundry
blah blah blah
So I drove up to Great Clips and asked Social Guy if he needed me to come in or if I could just hand him $20 and he could get his hair cut on his own. He agreed that he could get his haircut on his own, so I dropped him off and told him I would be back.
I pulled into the auto body shop. Walked in and talked to the receptionist. She told me to hang out for a bit and one of the estimators would be with me in a couple minutes. After a few moments the estimator, The Artist, and I walked out to the car where he looked it over and took notes. The estimator told me to wait there and he would have my estimate ready in just a few minutes. The Artist noticed I kept looking over at Cub Foods, which was right next to the auto body store.
The Artist, "Do you need something from Cub?"
Me, "Yeah." *at that moment wishing The Artist was more like Social Guy and would be able to run over there and get those green onions for me.*
The Artist, "I could go over there and get what ever you need?" (Yes, she said that as a question.)
Me, "wow! That would be cool. I need green onions. Do you know what green onions are?"
The Artist, "No, but you could describe them to me."
I went ahead and tried my best to describe to her what they looked like and where they would be in the produce department. I handed her $20 and said, "Thanks!" A few minutes later she comes back. She's looking pretty proud of herself and hands me the bag.
The Artist, *in a beautiful, happy, sing-song voice* "These are the green onions, right?"
I look inside the bag....nope. I smile at her and say, "No, these are collard greens."
She was disappointed and mad, more at Cub Foods lousy produce labeling then at herself. I didn't show her the ribbon on the collard greens that said 'collard greens'. I did look at her with a huge smile and said, "Hey, I've never cooked these before. What an adventure! We'll go home, look up a recipe, and try them out. How cool!"
So that night we added a couple things to the list:
look up collard green recipe
make collard greens
The Artist grew a lot that day due to a mild mistake and our whole family tried something new AND loved it! Collard greens will become a new family favorite food and story to remember :)
Tiaras and Tutus~
The MFP
The Third Child...
We have three beautiful children together:
Mine: The Social Guy [The Oldest] - He can talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere (and I am NOT kidding). He remembers faces and names, unlike his mother. He will make friends no matter where he goes. He loves, loves, loves people.
His: The Artist [The Middle Child]- She has the most amazing stories in her head. She can take you on the adventure of a life time without you ever leaving the living room or backyard. She can write them or help you act them out, even at the grocery store.
Ours: The Brainiac [The Baby] - He can figure out how anything works and will tell you how he could make it better. He is happiest in the garage or working with Legos thinking up his next greatest invention. Oh, and he has a really weird East Coast accent.
The three of them are a great mix and most of the time they make a beautiful blend of oil, herbs, and vinegar (in no particular order). But sometimes they separate and it makes parenting their different styles difficult. So one of my favorite things to do is to take them camping. It's a few days when the "Olson Family of Five" is nothing but a perfect blend.
Some of our frequent places to visit are the MN State Parks. The State Parks are usually very clean and quiet, enough privacy and enough running water. We like to hike and "rough it" (rough it = double decker air-mattress for me and hubby, nice sheets, three room tent, mini tents for the teens, organizers, flat top gas griddle, gas grill, gas burner , adapter for the car battery to run plugged in appliances (yes I 'could' bring and run my microwave), reclining chairs, mp3 player and little baby speakers....I think you get the picture.) for as many weekends as we can each summer. Unfortunately we were only able to go family camping once this summer. But, there are so many blog-able events that happened over the weekend you can expect a few blogs this week :)
Seeing that the kids are older (15, 14, 8), they got a lot more freedom this year. The teens went to the showers by themselves. All three kids took the dogs for short, but adventurous walks throughout the park. Our requirements were simple: stay together and bring a walkie talkie.
Then there is the Third Child...
Considering his age, he was probably allowed the most freedom of them all...
Eight Year Old, "Hey dad, I wanna make a fire."
Dad, "ah...no? I paid $4 per tiny bundle of wood and you are not making a fire at 3:00 in the afternoon."
Eight Year Old, "but dad, I really, really want to make a fire. You always make log cabin fires and I wanna build a tee-pee fire."
Dad, "You can make a fire closer to dinner time."
Eight Year Old, "but-sep-for [except for] I wanna make one now."
Dad, "Fine. Go get your own wood and you can make a fire."
Eight Year Old, "All the wood is too big for me to carry."
Dad :::hands Eight Year Old a saw::: "Okay, go saw it into smaller pieces."
Fifteen Year Old tunes into what is going on, "WHAT!?!?! Did you just give the Eight Year Old a saw? AND tell him to go cut his own wood?"
Dad, "Yeah...so?"
Fifteen Year Old :::silently thinking::: "what the FUCK are you thinking?"
Fifteen Year Old, "You never gave me a saw at eight!"
Mom, "oh, you don't even remember being eight."
Fifteen Year Old, "wow"
***Hours later Eight Year Old starts fire with Dad's $4 per "small" bundle of wood***
And of course we didn't give The Oldest Child, aka The Social Butterfly a saw at eight! He would have sawed his finger off while talking to the people at the next camp site...
Tiaras and Tutus~
The MFP
Mine: The Social Guy [The Oldest] - He can talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere (and I am NOT kidding). He remembers faces and names, unlike his mother. He will make friends no matter where he goes. He loves, loves, loves people.
His: The Artist [The Middle Child]- She has the most amazing stories in her head. She can take you on the adventure of a life time without you ever leaving the living room or backyard. She can write them or help you act them out, even at the grocery store.
Ours: The Brainiac [The Baby] - He can figure out how anything works and will tell you how he could make it better. He is happiest in the garage or working with Legos thinking up his next greatest invention. Oh, and he has a really weird East Coast accent.
The three of them are a great mix and most of the time they make a beautiful blend of oil, herbs, and vinegar (in no particular order). But sometimes they separate and it makes parenting their different styles difficult. So one of my favorite things to do is to take them camping. It's a few days when the "Olson Family of Five" is nothing but a perfect blend.
Some of our frequent places to visit are the MN State Parks. The State Parks are usually very clean and quiet, enough privacy and enough running water. We like to hike and "rough it" (rough it = double decker air-mattress for me and hubby, nice sheets, three room tent, mini tents for the teens, organizers, flat top gas griddle, gas grill, gas burner , adapter for the car battery to run plugged in appliances (yes I 'could' bring and run my microwave), reclining chairs, mp3 player and little baby speakers....I think you get the picture.) for as many weekends as we can each summer. Unfortunately we were only able to go family camping once this summer. But, there are so many blog-able events that happened over the weekend you can expect a few blogs this week :)
Seeing that the kids are older (15, 14, 8), they got a lot more freedom this year. The teens went to the showers by themselves. All three kids took the dogs for short, but adventurous walks throughout the park. Our requirements were simple: stay together and bring a walkie talkie.
Then there is the Third Child...
Considering his age, he was probably allowed the most freedom of them all...
Eight Year Old, "Hey dad, I wanna make a fire."
Dad, "ah...no? I paid $4 per tiny bundle of wood and you are not making a fire at 3:00 in the afternoon."
Eight Year Old, "but dad, I really, really want to make a fire. You always make log cabin fires and I wanna build a tee-pee fire."
Dad, "You can make a fire closer to dinner time."
Eight Year Old, "but-sep-for [except for] I wanna make one now."
Dad, "Fine. Go get your own wood and you can make a fire."
Eight Year Old, "All the wood is too big for me to carry."
Dad :::hands Eight Year Old a saw::: "Okay, go saw it into smaller pieces."
Fifteen Year Old tunes into what is going on, "WHAT!?!?! Did you just give the Eight Year Old a saw? AND tell him to go cut his own wood?"
Dad, "Yeah...so?"
Fifteen Year Old :::silently thinking::: "what the FUCK are you thinking?"
Fifteen Year Old, "You never gave me a saw at eight!"
Mom, "oh, you don't even remember being eight."
Fifteen Year Old, "wow"
***Hours later Eight Year Old starts fire with Dad's $4 per "small" bundle of wood***
And of course we didn't give The Oldest Child, aka The Social Butterfly a saw at eight! He would have sawed his finger off while talking to the people at the next camp site...
Tiaras and Tutus~
The MFP
Dear Bejeweled Blitz;
I know I've only been with you for a few months and while I find your "minute man" mentality severely addicting you must know that I am struggling to stay in love with you. You see I have a very competitive nature and I yearn to be victorious and at the top of the leader board of all my friends. I have always felt that if I had just a little more then one damn minute I could win that weekly tournament *at least* once. Maybe with more then one minute of action I could eventually claim that coveted number one spot!
So I must tell you that I've been seeing someone else. He's a lot like you. He looks similar to you but with slightly different coloring and yeah, the sounds are a bit off. BUT...his game lasts longer then a minute, you know what I mean? It's long enough to keep me interested but not so long I end up with carpel tunnel. I can really get into the game and what do you know....I'm now a top scorer :)
Don't worry my Dear Bejeweled Blitz I'll be back, because there's nothing like a quickie in the middle of the afternoon...
Tiaras and Tutus~
The MFP
So I must tell you that I've been seeing someone else. He's a lot like you. He looks similar to you but with slightly different coloring and yeah, the sounds are a bit off. BUT...his game lasts longer then a minute, you know what I mean? It's long enough to keep me interested but not so long I end up with carpel tunnel. I can really get into the game and what do you know....I'm now a top scorer :)
Don't worry my Dear Bejeweled Blitz I'll be back, because there's nothing like a quickie in the middle of the afternoon...
Tiaras and Tutus~
The MFP
Dear Sauerkraut;
Although a part of me wants to thank you for splattering yourself all over my kitchen yesterday, but I am a bit worn out finding leftover kraut in the kitchen.
Yes, you have reminded me that sometimes I should pay attention to my surroundings and not only the random ideas floating in my head. And yes I do think of my friend Andrea and her sunny personality every time I find more pickled cabbage stuck on the *inside* of the cupboards. But my Dear Sauerkraut, I see Andrea several times a week in person and am never more then a phone call, email, or poke on Facebook away from her. I have washed the cupboards, the walls, the fridge, the stove, the floor, my leg, and my sandals. I have laughed the situation silly while watching Baily the Bendy Dog help me clean up my cured cabbage mess. I even received a text from my husband (who was downstairs at the time of the kraut explosion) telling me how much he hearts my laugh, but your stay here has been worn out and it's best to leave now so the memory of your timely blowup remains something to laugh about and not something that drives me insane.
Tiaras and Tutus~
The MFP
Yes, you have reminded me that sometimes I should pay attention to my surroundings and not only the random ideas floating in my head. And yes I do think of my friend Andrea and her sunny personality every time I find more pickled cabbage stuck on the *inside* of the cupboards. But my Dear Sauerkraut, I see Andrea several times a week in person and am never more then a phone call, email, or poke on Facebook away from her. I have washed the cupboards, the walls, the fridge, the stove, the floor, my leg, and my sandals. I have laughed the situation silly while watching Baily the Bendy Dog help me clean up my cured cabbage mess. I even received a text from my husband (who was downstairs at the time of the kraut explosion) telling me how much he hearts my laugh, but your stay here has been worn out and it's best to leave now so the memory of your timely blowup remains something to laugh about and not something that drives me insane.
Tiaras and Tutus~
The MFP
An Ode to Facebook
ah Facebook....I love you Facebook. You have given me such a great tool to communicate with friends and even make a few new ones. Every day feels like the best party ever. You never know what is going to happen, or who will say what, but I am guaranteed a lol, a giggle, a *snort*, and usually a few lmao, rofl, and some pixie dust! But sometimes life is not a party and sometimes one of us needs a hug or a virtual cookie...and even when I can't be there to comfort a friend face to face, hug to hug, I know that I can always send a little love <3, or a Mafia Wars Energy pack.
:::Captian Obvious arrives on the scene::: Well, MFP, it's all about participation. If your friends didn't post and comment on every one's statuses then Facebook would be a boring place in cyberspace and you would spend even more time playing Bejeweled Blitz then mentally or physically healthy. :::Captain Obvious leaves:::
Thanks Captain Obvious....and thanks to Facebook and my all Facebook friends...Party On!
(special thanks to the Lil' Sissy for letting me borrow Captain Obvious...)
:::Captian Obvious arrives on the scene::: Well, MFP, it's all about participation. If your friends didn't post and comment on every one's statuses then Facebook would be a boring place in cyberspace and you would spend even more time playing Bejeweled Blitz then mentally or physically healthy. :::Captain Obvious leaves:::
Thanks Captain Obvious....and thanks to Facebook and my all Facebook friends...Party On!
(special thanks to the Lil' Sissy for letting me borrow Captain Obvious...)
The Mother Freakin' Sleep Over
I know! I know! I know! "What happens at the MFP's house...stays at the MFP's house." BUT...I have to let the world know that I have the most amazing, beautiful, fun friends in the whole universe.
I have friends that will dance with bunnies, draw on bodies, sing with giant spoons, sport a new "do", dance in my living room, try on sundresses, bring delicious food, kick my arse, and read directions when I no longer can. My friends will sit on the front step in the wee hours of the morning, take fun pictures, giggle, share secrets, paint fingernails, and sprinkle each other with glitter. These gals will do yoga and ballet on my sidewalk, try new things (sometimes more then once - just to make sure they don't like it), plus bring me flowers and candles that give me fond memories of my grandma. They will guess how many vacuums I own, let me fall asleep on their lap, and leave love notes around my house to find when I wake up.
This is what my life is all about. It's about not being afraid to share who I am and letting people share themselves with me. To my friends who made it to the Mother Freakin' Sleepover....I love you! To my friends who could not come....I love you and missed you!
I have friends that will dance with bunnies, draw on bodies, sing with giant spoons, sport a new "do", dance in my living room, try on sundresses, bring delicious food, kick my arse, and read directions when I no longer can. My friends will sit on the front step in the wee hours of the morning, take fun pictures, giggle, share secrets, paint fingernails, and sprinkle each other with glitter. These gals will do yoga and ballet on my sidewalk, try new things (sometimes more then once - just to make sure they don't like it), plus bring me flowers and candles that give me fond memories of my grandma. They will guess how many vacuums I own, let me fall asleep on their lap, and leave love notes around my house to find when I wake up.
This is what my life is all about. It's about not being afraid to share who I am and letting people share themselves with me. To my friends who made it to the Mother Freakin' Sleepover....I love you! To my friends who could not come....I love you and missed you!
