Thursday, January 21, 2010

New Year's Greetings



Happy New year!!!!! Okay - I know it's already January 21, but I am always behind the eight ball! You know that! So, over Winter Break, Grandma and Grandpa Wood took us on a little adventure. We cruised the Western Caribbean on board one of the Carnival Fun Ships. We went to Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize and Cozumel! We had a great time and with the exception of Mike's stomach, we all loved every minute.

Nothing like a giant sombrero and a good shaved ice....

Or a tiny sombrero and a couple of dolphins!! We know how to bust it!

Carley with one of her own kind in Honduras!



These Scarlet Macaws where amazing! They were just flying around in the forest like they were sparrows or something.


The guide warned us not to wear or hold anything that we didn't want to lose! This little guy really wanted my earrings. He chewed on one for a bit and the trainer had to pull him off me! I forgave the little monkey because he was adorable!


Don't you think he could pick up a lot of chicks (excuse the pun) with one of these on his shoulder? Stud + parrot = CHICK MAGNET! Especially with the muscle tee.


This is my little piratess! She went to a pirate party on the boat and the black make-up just wouldn't come off! Oh well, she is still pretty cute.



LIZZY WANTS ONE!!!!!





Autumn loved this little guy! It took awhile to convince her to hold it, but she got brave and did it!


Stud + Green Sea Turtle = Green Studtle!!!!


This was the kids favorite activity. We went to the Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman. They raise Green Sea Turtles for FOOD!!! EEWWW! According to our guide, turtle is like chicken or hamburger. The Grand Caymians eat it on a daily basis. In order to preserve the wild population, these guys raise turtles to sell for mass consumption. They are just too cute to eat!!


This is what Hell looks like apparently...didn't think it would be filled with my cute family!!






Saturday, December 12, 2009

scary santa

Just a quick note...is the Santa peeking over the side of this page a little scary? I didn't realize when I downloaded. Sorry if anyone gets spooked. Looks like Santa needs a good dentist. Whatever happened to that little elf on Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer that wanted to be a dentist? Can't he hook Santa up with a new grill? Or, is he still on the Island of Misfit Toys? HMMMM......a dollar to anyone who can come up with the name of that elf/dentist.

dollar store

I have two words for you - DOLLAR STORE. I forgot how much I love the dollar store. I can buy whatever I want at the dollar store, including a pregnancy test. However, I must pose the question: "How reliable is a one dollar pregnancy test?" Anyone out there ever used one? Just curious. Also, one dollar lingerie? You have to dig, but you will find it. I noticed a pair of blue and purple polka-dotted thong underwear (because it was hanging out of the bin of underwear, near the pantyhose! Sickos!) I guess a dollar is about as much as one should have to spend on such an article. Lastly, who wants to spend a small fortune on a wedding? For about twenty bucks, you can have it all: (except for perhaps the dress) Party favors, dinnerware, veils, bouquets, etc... Just one aisle over and you can buy your wedding night attire as well. It's a one stop shopping experience. I love it. ANYWAY...

ps - in case the self-proclaimed God of Grammar reads this - SUE ME!!!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Nighttime Shenanigans

I know this sounds "R" rated, but trust me it couldn't be further. So, you are probably all aware of my sometimes crazy nights. It has only intensified by the graduation of two of the children into teendom, one of whom gets crazy scared if he even looks at Tanner Johnson (the self-proclaimed king-of-the-neighborhood spook meister), the other of whom, let's call her "Marley" to protect her privacy, likes to wake me up to sign her French homework at midnight at least once a week, and who likes to believe that there is nothing wrong with a fourteen year old staying out till midnight on the weekends.
Anyway, so the last few weeks have been going well, with the occasional midnight snacking by he and a few visits by the headache mogul (otherwise known as Erin). So last night, I left Mike in charge of doling out the nightly medications, which I am now almost positive that he did not because of the following... at about 1:30 am, I am awakened by a very loud and persistent five year old desiring a leg rub down (which she doesn't need when she gets her meds). I get up, walk in and plonk down next to her and start rubbing. I rub until I feel like she is asleep, then go to have a handful of M&M's before returning to bed. She almost immediately senses my absence and starts yammering about wanting a drink. So , I go to the kitchen and start rooting through the cupboards to find and cup and she yells from her room "NOT A SMALL SIPPY CUP!!! A BIG ONE! (how did she know?) AND I DON'T WANT WATER OR CHOCOLATE MILK OR PINK JUICE! I WANT AN ORANGE JUICE WITH SPRITE MIXED IN, IN A LARGE SIPPY CUP WITH NO LID AND A BENDY STRAW!!!!" Whoa! Who the "H" does she think I am? A freaking COCKTAIL WAITRESS!?! She is ordering a freaking Mimosa from her bed at two o'clock in the morning! OK, I am not sure what goes into a Mimosa, but it does have something to do with orange juice. So, I bring her water in a small sippy cup with a lid. She freaks. "I WANTED A BIG CUP WITH ORANGE JUICE AND SPRITE!!" Meanwhile, Mike is laying in his comfy bed mumbling something about "Autumn, please be quiet, everyone is sleeping, do you want to come and lay by Daddy? Daddy will rub your back! Come on in and stop crying....blah, blah, blah" There is no way she can hear him because she is crying so loud, that only I can hear him and I can hear him because this is his typical behavior when it comes to Autumns nighttime shenanigans. I ask you, when will this end? When will Melissa get a good night's sleep? More importantly, when all the kids are gone, and Mike and I have separate sleeping arrangements, will I miss this? Will I ever be able to sleep for an entire night? I don't know. I don't think I want to know. Anyway, you see the problem. So, Mike is persuasive from the comfort of his warm bed, and she decides she wants to "snuggle with Daddy in his bed", which means " I want to sleep with my feet in Mommy's face all night long, and not even touch Daddy's side of the bed." So, she comes in and of course, Mike is back to sleep in like three seconds and she proceeds to make herself comfortable which means that I "sleep" with one foot on the floor no blankets to speak of.
Now, you might ask yourself, "Why doesn't she just make Mike get up and take care of it? OR "Why doesn't she just shut Autumn's door and let her cry it out?" The answer is of course that I am a push-over of the worst kind. I didn't want to bug Mike because he works so hard and he was getting up at 4AM to go hunting with his Dad. I didn't want Autumn to keep crying because, I can't stand it when my kids cry, so I will do whatever it takes. The sad thing about all of this is that I don't do it from the goodness of my heart. I do it so that the boat doesn't get rocked too much. I piss myself off. Anyway, hope you enjoyed my little tale of woe. I sure there will be more to come.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

My New Favorite Words

Obagoogie - translation "oh my goodness"; origin: my one year old niece Zoey.
Little Zoey started a great new phrase as far as I am concerned. She doesn't say it much anymore, but her mother and I do. Even my children have caught on. So, whenever you see a cute baby, or a new toy, or are playing with tissue paper or tags, you need to say "obagoogie."

Scrumtrulescent -adj; translation "that is truly awesome/yummy/out-of-this-world etc...origin: Will Ferrell on SNL. My interpretation "This cookie is scrumtrulescent." I'm not really sure what context Mr. Ferrell used it in, I just thought it was a super great new word.

Fece - noun; Translation: short for "feces", or "crap" or the other really bad swear; origin: Chase Driggs. Okay,this is not my favorite word, but, it does get used an awful lot in my home by at least two of my kids. I told Chase I was going to punch him in the face for teaching my kids this little goody, however and alas, I have started using it.

Scumbaggery - noun; translation: really amoral behavior; origin; my little brother Joel. He uses this word in a sentence such as "I am tired of his outright and reprehensible scumbaggery."

So, try to use one of these words in a sentence today. It might make you or someone you love, smile.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

sleep is over-rated, I hate birds and cell phones are evil

Am I right? Does anyone out there over the age of eighteen get more than 5 hours a night? I can't seem to . I have taken to the habit of playing Mah Johng (sp?) in the wee hours of the am. I am actually pretty coherent at 3:30 am. Anyway, if, by some miracle, I am asleep at 3:30 am, by approximately 4:30 am, I am awakened by nature. No, not my bladder calling, rather, the call of the wild. No, not that wild...I am talking about the five zillion feathered friends perched in the overgrowth in the creek outside my window. What in the world are they so happy about? It's 4 o'clock in the morning for pete's sake! Plus, how does a bird poop on a house window? Does the bird have Spiderman-like talents? Can it aim? I don't get it. Anyway, birds are for the birds. Lastly - I hate cell phones. They are the most evil invention yet. Do I really need to be available 24 hours a day? Huh? Do I need to talk on the phone while I am sitting on the toilet? I'll let you answer that question. Am I dead just because I can't be reached? No- I am not dead, nothing is amiss, I just don't want to talk to anyone. Don't take it personally...K I'm done

Friday, June 26, 2009

Semi-public apology

Sorry if I offended anyone with my comment on Michael Jackson. I just feel like the media hypes these things up so much that it is almost intolerable. Of course, I feel for his family and friends, but, come on...Farrah Fawcet died too, and that was barely a blip on the radar. I liked Farrah tons better. I believe I even tried to emulate her hairstyle back in the day. I never tried to emulate Michael Jacksons hairstyle, and that means something to me. Anyway - sorry about being flippant about it, I really do have feelings.