In Which I am Maimed

Coming from a large family, we usually had to wait awhile before getting things. As a result I didn't get my first bicycle until I was ten or eleven. I didn't get to go pick out my bicycle, I think my father had some vague plan for surprising us. Anyway this is pretty close to the bike he came home with which only confirmed for me the fact that my parents have no idea who I am. See, I like pink, NOW. When I was ten, I was an ardent little feminist tomboy who wanted no part of anything pink because it was for girls and therefore must be inferior in some way to the stuff for boys. I wanted a cool mountain bike on which I could do tricks. This is not what I had envisioned. And really the actual bicycle I got was much worse than this. It had pink and white streamers, a white basket with plastic flowers on it, it was just all kinds of horrid. (Of course my parents probably thought it was the best bike in the shop and that they were giving their eldest child the best bike EVER, but I was completely ungrateful.) Anyway, if my parents had any thoughts about me riding this bike sedately in the park, I crushed those dreams into oblivion. First I used my bike as a bus to cart all my sisters on rides around the parking lot. This is before they had those laws about helmets so you can imagine a couple of girls careening around the lot with no helmets at high speeds (because what fun would it have been otherwise?) Anyway, despite my parents continually telling me that my bike was not supposed to be for passengers I continued to take them up sometimes two at a time. Of course for me as the driver this was still pretty tame. After all I wanted to do tricks. So I did no hands. I brought both my feet on to the left side of the bike and glided. I was pretty pleased with my skills....until the day I was showing off for one of the neighborhood kids and while doing one of my tricks careened directly into a parked car and went flying. Okay, so I wasn't maimed. But there was a lot of blood and it got infected and left a scar, so it definitely counts. P.S. I looked up the bicycle laws in NJ and part of the law states that "bicyclists should not drive the bicycle with feet removed from the pedals, or with both hands removed from the handlebars or practice any trick or fancy driving in the street. Limit passengers only to the number the bicycle is designed and equipped to carry." So either they heard about my antics and are now trying to ruin the fun of all the children of today or I was a rebel and a rule breaker and didn't even know it. Kids don't try this at home.

Special Day

Tomorrow is a very special day. What? You don't have the holiday marked off on your calendars? What is wrong with you people? Tomorrow is my birthday! So tomorrow I am getting my hair done and going out to dinner with the crazies that make up my family. Since I won't be blogging tomorrow, we have to celebrate today. What to do ... what to do.... Well, some people got the memo and sent presents. (I do accept belated gifts so don't despair.) I have two awards which I haven't posted up yet. I know I've been a very bad blog award recipient. But since tomorrow's my birthday, you can't get mad!!!







This happy award is from MamaO.
The usual rules for this award are to say 10 things which make me happy. Now being pregnant and hormonal (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.) this is my list. This is not a ranked list since it is subject to change at anytime.




1. Mexican food (especially Margaritas, *sigh*)
2. Italian food
3. Puerto Rican food
4. Hot Sandwiches
5. Steaks
6. Seafood
7. Chinese food
8. Cheesecake
9. White chocolate
10. Potato chips





Now this award is from Stephanie @ The Blue Zoo.
Now I'm supposed to tell you some things you don't know about me yet. Now, that all depends on how faithfully you have been reading my blog, doesn't it? It's almost like a test. Anyway, to take the pressure off me because it's my birthday, I stole some questions from






Mama M @ Five Crooked Halos.







How much time do you spend on the computer a day?
Well it all depends on the day, doesn't it? During the week I usually manage to carve out a full two hours for myself between dropping off the four year old and having to pick him up again. On the weekends, I rarely manage to get on the computer at all.


Will you pay for your children's college or raise them to pay their own way?
Hmph. I had to pay my own way and I'm still paying. Not fun. I would like to say that I will pay for everything but I will most likely encourage them to get scholarships and apply to state schools which will only cost me an arm or so. (as opposed to both arms and legs)


Have you ever been in a car accident?
I am not one of those people who have never gotten into an accident. The worst was a head on collision with a tractor trailer. It wasn't my fault. I slid on a sheet of ice and the truck was in my way.


What is you favorite book?
This is a tough one. I can easily read five books or so a week. This makes it hard to choose only one. I do have favorite authors whom I always pick up when I see a new one but I read across genres so there are more than one of those as well.
Dick Francis - mysteries and horse racing that take place in Britain
Nora Roberts - Ranges from contemporary romantic fiction to ghosts, vampires and witches
Mary Balogh - Historical romantic fiction
Catherine Anderson - Contemporary western romances
Elizabeth Peters - Historical mysteries about archaeology



Do you make your bed everyday?
Only when I can't trick my husband into doing it first.


Now that we've become closer friends, I'm sure you are feeling guilty for not getting me a present. It's okay, I also accept cash.

Things Kids Say Thursday #5

So joining in on the Things Kids Say Thursdays. They might not necessarily be funny but they always make me smile. This is inspired by Mudpies for Mommy.



Six year old: (while feeling his hair) I think I need a haircut, it's as puffy as a cake.

Four year old:(feeling his hair) Not me! Mine's as flat as a pancake.





Four year old: Mom, is that a church?

Me: Yes

Six year old: Whose church is it?

Me: Do you mean what saint? It's St. Joseph's church.

Six year old: St Joseph! I know him!

Four year old: I think I am having a baby.

Me: No you're not. Only mommies can have babies.

Four year old: Yes I am. (Lifts up shirt) Look how big my stomach is.

Four year old and six year old are fighting over toy. I ask the four year old, what is this called anyway?

Four Year old: Super Why uses it to go Zap!

Me: Yes, I know but what does he call it?

Four year old: A zapper? (I found out later it's a Why Writer but kids will fight over anything even when they don't know what it is.)

Four year old: I'm sooo tired. I'm so upset of you.

Me: ????

Four year old: ZZZZZZZ

Six year old: You have to cut all this hair off.

Hubby: OK, I'll cut it all off and you can look bald like Charlie Brown.

Six year old: Charlie Brown isn't bald.

Four year old: Charlie Brown has a circle round head, sooo you can call him Circle roundhead Charlie Brown.

My husband was upset because he found out that his mom in Puerto Rico was in the hospital and had a mild heart attack. He was upset and had said something about her dying.

Six year old: Why are you so upset? It's no big deal if she dies.

Me: That isn't a nice thing to say.

Six year old:(puzzled face) But when you die, you live forever in heaven.

What the Hell Wednesday - Baby Names

Here's my weekly rant courtesy of the Blue MonkeyButt Sisters.

Generally, I don't mind people getting excited because I'm pregnant. I don't mind people knowing. (It's easier for them to give up their seats for me and get me food when they know I'm pregnant.) I don't even mind them touching the belly because sometimes the contortions the baby is doing in there are unbelievable. The free unwanted advice generally goes in one ear and out the other. (Pretty much if I don't already know about it, I don't want to know or I would've asked.) The thing that is my personal pet peeve is the name game. As soon as people find out that I know the sex, they right away want to get into what her name is going to be. Even if I already had a name picked out, I wouldn't tell anyone. Here's the reason...People love to spoil a perfectly good name. Say I picked Jennifer (never gonna happen) As soon as I told someone, I would hear some story about how they knew this bitch/slut/bully named Jennifer. WTH? Either that or it's oh my sister/aunt/best friend is named Jennifer! News flash... I have seven sisters, two brothers and my husband has five sisters and one brother. Between us, we pretty much have enough baggage connected with at least half the names in the phone book so we don't need anyone else's. Oh and making this face when I tell you the name is also not appropriate.

If I tell you the name it is because I want you to love it and tell me how brilliant I am. Obviously!

Post It Notes

The Mouse and the Stove

So since I recently had a scare where my husband "might" have seen a mouse in our home, it brought back all the traumatic mouse stories of my childhood. This is the best or most traumatic, whatever.

We lived in a home which had mouse troubles from time to time. I could blame this on the fact that my mother worked full time, my father never cleaned and there were six children living in the house at the time but it wasn't just us. Our whole building was infested and we had the joy of living on the first floor directly above the garbage collection room. We (our nine story building)had to throw our garbage down these little chutes where it magically disappeared. In reality it was collected in larger bags in the basement until garbage day. Anyway, on this particular evening my father caught a mouse in a clear vase where it was jumping up and down in an effort to get out while my father held a broom over it to keep it in. (Shudder) Anyway, this is where I have adopted my first fact of mouse life. There is never just one mouse. My parents, at least to me, expressed the thought that perhaps it was just the one and that would be it. Uh huh. Anyhow, two mornings later, I was innocently making french toast when a mouse ran across the kitchen, practically under my feet. (Shudder) Anyway, a chase ensued. The house is in complete uproar as my mother woke my father up to force him to deal with the mouse and at one point it was cornered behind a bookcase in the living room. Now for me, at this point breakfast is over. There is no way I could have eaten breakfast in the same kitchen after seeing a mouse practically run across my foot. I was also very upset with my parents in the vein of this is why we should have a cat. (My family's love/hate relationship with cats will have to be dealt with in a future post. Needless to say I fall on the love side of the line.) Moving on, I went to school. I return home that afternoon to find the super of the building searching the walls for an entry point. I inform them that it came out from under the stove. After a short time, he pulls out the stove. OMG. Behind the stove were, in addition to mouse droppings, a ginormous hole approximately 18-24 inches across. Here is where all the mice were coming in. Believe you me, there is no way only one mouse made that hole. (Small break while calming convulsions) Anyway, the super closed up the hole with steel wool, a great deal of Spackle and our family welcomed Winkie into the home.

So this story is why when my husband said he "might" have seen a mouse, I made him pull out the fridge and stove from the walls to check for droppings and openings. Nothing. Phew. So now I can sleep at nights.

American Idol

Today's roundtable discussion is on American Idol. Here's my two cents.

What is the point of having four judges if they are all going to agree? My favorite moments on American Idol were when Randy is really feeling a contestant and then Simon tells him to watch it back on tape cause it was horrible. Or when someone really sucked lemons and then Paula was like, I love your dress. Doesn't she look wonderful? And especially when Randy said he doesn't get it and Simon blows everyone away by liking it. I think they have all been working together too long because lately it is just an echo chamber as all four judges say essentially the same thing over and over and over again. Boooooooring!

Now for my contestant picks. My favorite guys are Michael Lynche and ....Todderick Hall. He is totally getting robbed by the judges. Year after year they tell contestants to make the songs their own and when he does, they rip him a new hole. I liked his version of Since You Been Gone and loved loved loved his What's Love Got To Do With It. They keep telling him he's changing the songs around too much. Really, are you gonna tell me that Adam Lambert didn't play around with songs a lot more? Get real. Now of the girls, I thought they really sucked big time last week but this week I liked Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus (you always gotta R-E-S-P-E-C-T someone who takes on Aretha and succeeds) and... Katie Stevens. She is another one totally getting a raw deal. She sings the song really well and they keep telling her to sing younger songs. I think it is ridiculous. No one told Siobhan she couldn't sing Aretha because she wasn't over 50, did they? And Crystal and Lilly have yet to sing a song from this decade, but nobody tells them anything, do they? I think if they are going to rag on younger singers so much for not singing teenybopper songs they shouldn't let them in the competition. I certainly don't want to hear teenybopper songs anyway. Anyway that's what I think this week. I reserve the right to dump any of these singers at any time if they start to stink up the place and someone else gets good.

Now Ryan, why are you trying to stir up pretend controversy? The first time with Ellen was funny, after that, not so much. Nobody believes you and I just want to hear the singers anyway. I'd rather watch Siobhan's lip exercises than speculate on Simon's love life. (Insert gagging here.)

So that's what I think. Put your two cents (or four, nobody's counting) in the comments. Visit here for OPV (other people's viewpoints) or don't (mine are better anyway.) LOL