Ok I admit it...it has been a week or so since I've written. The snow and a head cold coupled with sales conference have sucked up the oxygen in my life lately. So today I thought I would give you an update on some past posts and tie up some loose ends.
The science fair project came to an end with my son Peyton and I creatively decorating the big tri-fold poster board thingy that everyone has to use. My son had taken pictures of the different houses sitting in my tub getting wet and we taped them to the board and added a border. Done. Complete. Finished. Not so fast...he got an A and is now on his way to the city-wide competition?!? I'll keep you posted.
Regarding the lay-z-boy...for those of you following me on facebook, you know that we spent an entire weekend searching for the replacement. We went to four furniture stores and sat in every recliner they had available. But the recliners had to meet very stringent requirements. The foot rest had to come up part way and stop so that my husband can sit with knees slightly bent to support a popcorn bowl for movie night. The back had to lay all the way down for Sunday afternoon naps. the arm rests had to be at the right height for elbows supporting a newspaper and the seat needed to be wide enough to comfortably fit a wider girth.
Add to that the "lap board" he built with cup holder and mouse so that he can sit in his chair and play Farmville on his laptop.
We found the perfect chair and it was the lay-z-boy store...hidden in a far corner with a dim bulb overhead (think the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree) was the chair. And lo and behold it was the same chair...but worse fabric. My opportunity to finally be rid of the brown corduroy chair has just gone south. The opportunity to instill some sense of grace and style into or living room...gone forever.
It arrives in less than 2 weeks.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The death of my arch nemesis
My husband and I have been married for almost 15 years. During that time, we have had 2 children, 5 dogs, 2 cats, multiple fish and hamsters, several parties, lots of family events with other smallish children and never once did anything bad happen to the Lay-Z-Boy...aka my arch nemesis. No juice stains. No bodily fluids that would have rendered the chair unusable. No puppy chewing or cat clawing. Not even the hamster would cooperate. When it got loose, it found its way into my chair, followed a few seconds later by one of the cats which resulted in patching and sewing and placing the chair close to a wall so that the injuries can't be seen.
So short of a house fire, I had given up hope that the chair would go and had resigned myself to looking for a coffin that would accomodate both my husband and his chair (with the footrest extended of course)
And then it happened. He sat down in it Saturday and there was a terrible noise. Like the sound you would hear from one of those animal planet shows where a cheetah has captured some 4-legged creature. I realized the sound was coming from him. The bottom of the chair had lost/broken a spring. The impossible had happened.
I thought we should rush out, that minute to find a replacement...before he had time to try to fix it himself. But then another impossible event happened...we were hit with a snow and ice storm that (in the south) rendered us helpless and homebound. The roads were bad enough that even I wouldn't tempt fate to go chair shopping.
So as we bicker back and forth about fixing or buying new, I realize my time is running out. Desperate times call for desperate measures. So we are heading out tonight, taking our chances that what has melted won't refreeze to buy a chair.
My mom has said she will send a sympathy card!
Now maybe something in paisley would be nice.
So short of a house fire, I had given up hope that the chair would go and had resigned myself to looking for a coffin that would accomodate both my husband and his chair (with the footrest extended of course)
And then it happened. He sat down in it Saturday and there was a terrible noise. Like the sound you would hear from one of those animal planet shows where a cheetah has captured some 4-legged creature. I realized the sound was coming from him. The bottom of the chair had lost/broken a spring. The impossible had happened.
I thought we should rush out, that minute to find a replacement...before he had time to try to fix it himself. But then another impossible event happened...we were hit with a snow and ice storm that (in the south) rendered us helpless and homebound. The roads were bad enough that even I wouldn't tempt fate to go chair shopping.
So as we bicker back and forth about fixing or buying new, I realize my time is running out. Desperate times call for desperate measures. So we are heading out tonight, taking our chances that what has melted won't refreeze to buy a chair.
My mom has said she will send a sympathy card!
Now maybe something in paisley would be nice.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Where did "family hour" tv go?
I know I am probably dating myself when I say that I remember a time when TV was 3 network channels and the one boring PBS channel. I remember Sunday night of Wild Kingdom and Disney's Wonderful World of Disney show. I remember watching Happy Days, Lavergne and Shirley but then had to go to bed before Three's Company came on because that wasn't appropriate. Same with Saturday night and Love Boat.
So assuming homework is finished and there isn't Scouts (Boy and Girl)or some sports practice we have to run off to, we sit down after dinner to watch tv.
I am amazed at the language, the innuendo and the situations portrayed in these sit-coms. And at 7 or 8 o'clock at night which to me is the "family hour."
Most parents I talk to have relegated themselves to watching Animal Planet, Discovery Channel or other kid-friendly channels like Nick or Disney. We usually find reruns of America's Funniest Home video or we'll use On Demand to pull up a show we know is o.k. like the Cosby Show.
So what does this mean? It means we have lost sight of what is and isn't appropriate for children. It means that we choose to provide a buffer so that we are not pulled into a conversation about lesbians, teenage sex and drug use before we (and our children) are ready. On a lighter note, it means we can't participate in the next day conversation about Lost or The Office or sometimes event benign shows like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.
The American Red Cross is now providing safe sex discussions for community groups for children as young as 12. It seems children these days are growing up way to fast and I know that our TV programming plays a part.
Some info and stats from http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/frtv031.htm
In the violence-sex issue then there is the matter of decides what is too violent or too sexy? What is and isn't acceptable has changed dramatically over the years. In the early days of U.S. broadcasting the words "virgin," "pregnant," and even "stomach" were not seen as suitable for general audiences to hear; and, as we've noted, even an on-screen kiss was once seen as being indecent.
A public kiss still is in some countries. You may remember the cultural backlash recently when a well-known American actor kissed a popular actress on stage in India.
Not only is what's acceptable and not acceptable moving targets in the United States (they keep changing with the times), but as we've seen with the various motion picture codes, they vary with observers.
By age 18, the average American child sees 200,000 violent acts on TV.
By age 18, children witnesses almost 20,000 murders on TV — most by handguns.
73% of the time the people in TV dramas who commit violent acts go unpunished.
47% percent of violent situations show no real harm to the victims, and 58 percent show no real pain.
Only 4 percent of violent programs show nonviolent alternatives to solve programs.
80% of Hollywood executives think there is a link between TV violence and real-life violence.
So assuming homework is finished and there isn't Scouts (Boy and Girl)or some sports practice we have to run off to, we sit down after dinner to watch tv.
I am amazed at the language, the innuendo and the situations portrayed in these sit-coms. And at 7 or 8 o'clock at night which to me is the "family hour."
Most parents I talk to have relegated themselves to watching Animal Planet, Discovery Channel or other kid-friendly channels like Nick or Disney. We usually find reruns of America's Funniest Home video or we'll use On Demand to pull up a show we know is o.k. like the Cosby Show.
So what does this mean? It means we have lost sight of what is and isn't appropriate for children. It means that we choose to provide a buffer so that we are not pulled into a conversation about lesbians, teenage sex and drug use before we (and our children) are ready. On a lighter note, it means we can't participate in the next day conversation about Lost or The Office or sometimes event benign shows like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.
The American Red Cross is now providing safe sex discussions for community groups for children as young as 12. It seems children these days are growing up way to fast and I know that our TV programming plays a part.
Some info and stats from http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/frtv031.htm
In the violence-sex issue then there is the matter of decides what is too violent or too sexy? What is and isn't acceptable has changed dramatically over the years. In the early days of U.S. broadcasting the words "virgin," "pregnant," and even "stomach" were not seen as suitable for general audiences to hear; and, as we've noted, even an on-screen kiss was once seen as being indecent.
A public kiss still is in some countries. You may remember the cultural backlash recently when a well-known American actor kissed a popular actress on stage in India.
Not only is what's acceptable and not acceptable moving targets in the United States (they keep changing with the times), but as we've seen with the various motion picture codes, they vary with observers.
By age 18, the average American child sees 200,000 violent acts on TV.
By age 18, children witnesses almost 20,000 murders on TV — most by handguns.
73% of the time the people in TV dramas who commit violent acts go unpunished.
47% percent of violent situations show no real harm to the victims, and 58 percent show no real pain.
Only 4 percent of violent programs show nonviolent alternatives to solve programs.
80% of Hollywood executives think there is a link between TV violence and real-life violence.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Red Alert! Two Black Hairs Spotted
With an 11 year old girl and a 13 year old boy, we are on Puberty alert at our house. My daughter has come home with the horror story of so and so starting her period, which then requires a reassuring discussion that it is a naturally occuring thing and that she will not die from it.
My son however called me into the bathroom the other day to say he is growing hair. Upon close examination, there were indeed two darker hairs in the nether regions.
My husband, who kept procrastinating about having the talk, forced my hand. There are thousands of books, articles and experts who outline the correct way this topic is to be discussed (without leaving long-lasting emotional scars that will be revealed on Oprah 10 years from now)
So my son and I go walking along a greenway we have by our house. Luckily for us,it is close enough to spring that Mallard ducks (who mate for life) have already begun "hooking up." So praise God. Doesn't He always provide exactly what we need at exactly the right time?
So we have our talk. I think I raised more questions than answered. But I feel we have at least started down the path. And now my husband can do the rest!
My son however called me into the bathroom the other day to say he is growing hair. Upon close examination, there were indeed two darker hairs in the nether regions.
My husband, who kept procrastinating about having the talk, forced my hand. There are thousands of books, articles and experts who outline the correct way this topic is to be discussed (without leaving long-lasting emotional scars that will be revealed on Oprah 10 years from now)
So my son and I go walking along a greenway we have by our house. Luckily for us,it is close enough to spring that Mallard ducks (who mate for life) have already begun "hooking up." So praise God. Doesn't He always provide exactly what we need at exactly the right time?
So we have our talk. I think I raised more questions than answered. But I feel we have at least started down the path. And now my husband can do the rest!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Science Fair Nightmare Part Deux
So we have our houses built...now to test the effects of water on them. In my tub? Sticks, rocks and dirt? UGH. So we place a big rubbermaid tub in the bathtub. and put the houses down in there...one at a time and turn the shower on.
The sticks lasted the required 10 minutes. The cob houses fell apart right away. So with the reins firmly planted in my son's hands, I go downstairs to start dinner. 30 minutes later, I call everyone down. My son, who got caught up reading, had the shower raining on the rock houses this entire time.
I can't wait to see my water bill. I actually dreamed of confronting the science teacher with a plumbing bill for unclogging my drain and awoke mad.
I made my sone pinky swear that I will have "editorial" input for next year's fair topic.
I'll post photos of this mess later.
The sticks lasted the required 10 minutes. The cob houses fell apart right away. So with the reins firmly planted in my son's hands, I go downstairs to start dinner. 30 minutes later, I call everyone down. My son, who got caught up reading, had the shower raining on the rock houses this entire time.
I can't wait to see my water bill. I actually dreamed of confronting the science teacher with a plumbing bill for unclogging my drain and awoke mad.
I made my sone pinky swear that I will have "editorial" input for next year's fair topic.
I'll post photos of this mess later.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Science Fair Nightmare
True story. We have two snow days then a weekend. Monday on my way home from work my son calls me and tells me to pick up straw, rocks, glue, sticks, dirt, clay and sand. All of this is needed for his science fair project that is due Friday...yes 4 days from now. The project is to determine the effect of water on stick, rock and cob houses. Cob houses (just so you know) are the dirt and straw houses you see in Africa.
So I head to Michaels and fill the cart. We decide to build the popsicle stick houses first because that is the easiest. WRONG. I built 4 sides but how to connect them and then there is the issue of a roof. So we put those aside and work on the rock houses. I found river rocks you use in landscaping or in flower vases and started gluing them together with some sort of epoxy the woman at Michaels said would work. WRONG. The rocks kept sliding and I started using the popsicle sticks to try to straighten them. My son exclaims...mom you can't mix the sticks with the rocks. The cat, who wants to see what all the hullabaloo is about jumps on the table, I go to shoo him away and accidentially touch him with my gluey, stick and rock hands. You think that was a mess!
Wednesday night we made the cob slabs for our cob houses. Believe it or not there were recipes on the internet on how to make cob. My son and I took dirt, water, handmade silt (ashes from the fireplace and water-YUCK) and started mixing in a large tub. We added clay, sand and sprinkled in straw. We patted this mess into squares and laid them on a board on my dining room to dry. If I don't get a mother of the year award for this, then I don't know what to do!
Next post...the water test on these little houses...in my bathtub!
So I head to Michaels and fill the cart. We decide to build the popsicle stick houses first because that is the easiest. WRONG. I built 4 sides but how to connect them and then there is the issue of a roof. So we put those aside and work on the rock houses. I found river rocks you use in landscaping or in flower vases and started gluing them together with some sort of epoxy the woman at Michaels said would work. WRONG. The rocks kept sliding and I started using the popsicle sticks to try to straighten them. My son exclaims...mom you can't mix the sticks with the rocks. The cat, who wants to see what all the hullabaloo is about jumps on the table, I go to shoo him away and accidentially touch him with my gluey, stick and rock hands. You think that was a mess!
Wednesday night we made the cob slabs for our cob houses. Believe it or not there were recipes on the internet on how to make cob. My son and I took dirt, water, handmade silt (ashes from the fireplace and water-YUCK) and started mixing in a large tub. We added clay, sand and sprinkled in straw. We patted this mess into squares and laid them on a board on my dining room to dry. If I don't get a mother of the year award for this, then I don't know what to do!
Next post...the water test on these little houses...in my bathtub!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Mush Part Duex
Martha's Perfect Pancakes
Ingredients
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
OR 3 tablespoons Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Martha White® Self-Rising Flour
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
It is the Sunday after Christmas. My son (13) is packing to go to Boy Scout Winter Camp. I have a huge tub I am loading with hand warmer thingies, his lantern, leftover Christmas cookies, Chex mix, etc. And think...I'll make him his favorite breakfast...blueberry pancakes.
So I pull out the old Aunt Jemima all you do is add water box and it is almost empty. Undetered (he is leaving to sleep in a tent in the dead of winter after all) I pull out my Martha White cookbook (my husband says that should have been the first clue to abort this mission). How hard can it be?
So I am making the pancake batter from scratch and after pouring some on the griddle, remember the blueberries. There is no time to puree them, so I sprinkle some on the batter. These pancakes now look like they have the mumps. My son said they looked like the surface of the moon.
So my husband purees blueberries for the next batch and unfortunately, the berry-to-mix ratio was way off...the batter wouldn't even stick together! So I am using my spatula to scrape off the blue steaming mush and my son says...maybe the food will be better at camp!
Below is the recipe for Martha White made-from-scratch pancake batter.
Preparation Directions
1. HEAT griddle or large skillet to medium-high heat (375°F). Spray lightly with no-stick cooking spray.*
2. BEAT eggs in medium bowl. Add milk and melted butter; mix well. Add all remaining ingredients; stir just until large lumps disappear.
3. POUR about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto hot griddle. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbles begin to break on surface. Turn; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown.
TIP *Griddle is ready when small drops of water sizzle and disappear almost immediately. Pancakes will stick if griddle is too cool.
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 3 min
Serving size: 12 pancakes
Ingredients
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
OR 3 tablespoons Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Martha White® Self-Rising Flour
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
It is the Sunday after Christmas. My son (13) is packing to go to Boy Scout Winter Camp. I have a huge tub I am loading with hand warmer thingies, his lantern, leftover Christmas cookies, Chex mix, etc. And think...I'll make him his favorite breakfast...blueberry pancakes.
So I pull out the old Aunt Jemima all you do is add water box and it is almost empty. Undetered (he is leaving to sleep in a tent in the dead of winter after all) I pull out my Martha White cookbook (my husband says that should have been the first clue to abort this mission). How hard can it be?
So I am making the pancake batter from scratch and after pouring some on the griddle, remember the blueberries. There is no time to puree them, so I sprinkle some on the batter. These pancakes now look like they have the mumps. My son said they looked like the surface of the moon.
So my husband purees blueberries for the next batch and unfortunately, the berry-to-mix ratio was way off...the batter wouldn't even stick together! So I am using my spatula to scrape off the blue steaming mush and my son says...maybe the food will be better at camp!
Below is the recipe for Martha White made-from-scratch pancake batter.
Preparation Directions
1. HEAT griddle or large skillet to medium-high heat (375°F). Spray lightly with no-stick cooking spray.*
2. BEAT eggs in medium bowl. Add milk and melted butter; mix well. Add all remaining ingredients; stir just until large lumps disappear.
3. POUR about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto hot griddle. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbles begin to break on surface. Turn; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown.
TIP *Griddle is ready when small drops of water sizzle and disappear almost immediately. Pancakes will stick if griddle is too cool.
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 3 min
Serving size: 12 pancakes
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