Friday, May 30, 2008

His Moves Have Caught Up With Him




Steven Tyler is known for his bizzare moves on the stage. They are his signature trademark, in addition to his oversized mouth/lips, of course. Aerosmith. LOVE 'EM. Believe it or not I have yet to see them in concert. Key word is yet.

After speculation that Steven Tyler entered rehab for substance abuse, the report goes like this...

Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler says he checked into to a rehab facility earlier this month to recover from foot surgeries to repair problems caused by his stage moves.

"The doctors told me the pain in my feet could be corrected but it would require a few surgeries over time," Tyler says in a statement released Thursday. "The 'foot repair' pain was intense, greater than I'd anticipated. The months of rehabilitative care and the painful strain of physical therapy were traumatic. I really needed a safe environment to recuperate where I could shut off my phone and get back on my feet. Make no mistake, Aerosmith has no plans to stop rocking. There's a new album to record, then another tour."

According to the statement, Tyler was treated at the center after a series of surgeries and post-operative physical therapy "to correct long-time foot injuries resulting from his trademark athletic performance onstage."

The statement follows reports the 60-year-old singer was being treated instead for substance abuse.

Rock On Old Man....Rock On.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Date Night

Meal-Breaded and Fried Chicken Cutlets, garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, and carrots prepared by me

Dessert-slice and bake chocolate chip cookies-slightly under done and a cold glass of milk

Movie-Good Luck Chuck-HILARIOUS!

Highlight of the evening-Getting my whole face kissed up while I was assumed to be sleeping.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Untitled Post








I have several titles for this post, I couldn't narrow it down to just one:

Holy Monsoonage

I'm a Human Raisin

The Zoo Plus Rain = SUCKS

OMG

The Field Trip Gone Bad

I Don't Even Like Stinkin' Animals

I have one of the wettest, most miserable days of my life. I went to the Zoo in Ashboro with Amber on her last field trip of the year. It SUCKED. It was pouring rain the entire time. We saw 2 turtles, a baboons red buttocks (GROSS), and 2 or 3 birds. That does not warrant a day in the cold, wet rain. Can you believe they had us eat outdoors too? The kids had a great time, but hopped right on board when the other chaperon and I decided to retreat back to the bus an hour early. The bus was warm, with heat, and had televisions for the kids to watch a movie. My socks, sneakers, and my jeans up to my knees were saturated. I'm wrinkled and cranky. I thought I was going to have a special day with my daughter today. I guess you know what happened to the person that thought right...........


Monday, May 26, 2008

Monday Fun!!!!

Sunday Fun

I had such a fun and comical Sunday......check this out.....

1. My son got up at 6:30am. HOW RUDE.

2. I volunteered at 10am service, attended 11:30 service, and volunteered at 1pm service. Needless to say, my son was "That Kid" by the 1pm service.

3. I slapped my son right there in EKIDZ in front of the other volunteer workers. I am sure the Lord threw out an AMEN by that point (they all knew he was mine).

4. I said I would take home all of the plates and cups for the entire day and wash them. I forgot we walked to church, and I already had my purse, bible, Alex's bag, and his lunch box. Halfway home, the bag with all of the plates and cups, that was leaking, BUSTED OPEN. I was chasing rolling plates and cups while trying to mind my son that was riding his bicycle home. A fellow church goer offered us a ride home, that's how pathetic we looked.

5. My son had some of my soda on Saturday afternoon. Since then, every time he burps or passes gas, he giggles, and follows up with......"It's the soda Mommy...."

6. At a back yard party at my sisters in-laws, you can always count on an 80's hair band flash back afternoon/evening. I heard the likes of Megadeth, Skidrow, Motley Crew......AWESOME STUFF!

7. I have no explanation to the grown-ups as to why my boyfriend is in the pool throwing the kids all around, or why he is the only adult in the trampoline doing flips with the kids. He used my son as an excuse for a while, but it didn't hold up when he was still in there long after my son got out. I would have joined him fo' sho', but I had a skirt on. I love those qualities in him.

8. My son thought he was swimmimg, and my mother thought he was drowning, so in true Nana style, my 65 year old mother was in the pool in her shoes, ripping my son out of the water like a Mama bear picks up her cubs. AND I GOT HIT IN FRONT OF EVERYONE BY MY MOTHER FOR NOT REACTING FAST ENOUGH. Yes, I still get the slap down at 34 years old.

9. Being that my daughter is "blossoming", after yesterday in her triangle top bikini, she has been forbidden by several adults in her life to wear anything less than a tankini or a one piece bathing suit.

10. My sister blogged about yesterday too....check it out here for her take.

Friday, May 23, 2008

3 Strikes Your Out!

My evening at the Cheesecake Factory:

1. Due to the holiday weekend, and speed street, the restaurant was very slow and not nearly as plentiful as I am used to for a Friday night.

2. A new server (bless his heart) spilled a TRAY...not a glass...a TRAY full of several Strawberry Lemonades down my back, down my pants, in my shoes...it was so cold it hurt.

3. I suggested a salad to a woman that little did I know AND I WISH SHE WOULD HAVE TOLD ME due to religious beliefs does not look at, touch, smell, graze or eat pork. The salad had bacon in it. She ate half of it because it was so dark in the restaurant. When she realized it was pork, she was gagging, and vigorously wiping her tongue with her cloth napkin.

Tomorrow will HAVE to be a better day than today.

You Oughta Know



Song Of The Moment-50 Ways To Leave Your Lover-Paul Simon (hop on the bus Gus..you don't need to discuss muuuuch...just drop off the key Lee, and get yourself free)

________________________

You know this song-right? Everyone knows this song. It was HUGE. This song was released in 1995, and set the precedence that Alanis Morissette was a woman scorned-to say the least. I will not post the lyrics, as they are definitely inappropriate. This grammy winning song was written by Alanis, and Glen Ballard. And what lyrics they are. I bet if you asked anyone, they would point out certain parts of this song, and be able to recite them to you. I have a few musical/personal facts about this song that you may or may not know. Here they are:

1. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers played bass on this song.

2. Dave Navarro played guitar-a former Peppers Band member/Carmen Electra's ex-husband/a man who wears more make-up and nail polish than most women.

3. Taylor Hawkins played drums, who later in 1997 joined the Foo Fighter's as their drummer.

4. Won 2 Grammy's-Best Rock song, and Best Female Rock Performance.

5. Lost out to song of the year to "Kiss From A Rose" by Seal.

6. This song is rumored to be written about Dave Coulier-AKA- Joey from Full House-What an odd couple. Their weirder than Oscar Madison and Felix Unger.

7. Or Bob Saget-COME ON

8. Or Doug Gilmour (Toronto Maple Leafs)

9. Or Mike Peluso (New Jersey Devils)

10. Or Matt LeBlanc

11. Or Leslie Lowe (producer of her first 2 albums)

That's quite a roll call-isn't it?

And last but not least, Weird Al included this song in a polka medley. I haven't heard it, but I can only imagine.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

GROSS, GROSS, GROSS




I never considered myself a "city girl", but maybe I am. I cringe at the site of a mouse, snake, anything in the rodent family, I don't trust birds, and most of these if not all of these animals I have only seen in a cage at the pet store. Robert on the other hand....is an animal lover. ALL animals. "They are all God's creatures, and they all have a right to be here." This may be true, but classifying animals like these as "cute", is just GROSS. We were talking about animals, and I said I don't trust birds...and he laughed at me. He thinks I'm nuts. So I threw out...." You probably think Armadillo's are cute".......expecting an "eeewww...nooooo...not those." What do I get? "They are cute!" I couldn't believe my ears. So I move on to the other gross rodent pictured up there, the opossum. "Baby opossums are cute" he says! I give up. There's no changing the fact that I'm a city girl, and he's a country boy. Regardless....there's nothing "cute" about an Armadillo, or an opossum. I'm not backing down on that one.

Why I love/hate Summer Camp


Why I Love it........

Building Strong Kids!

By choosing YMCA Day Camp you are choosing more than a summer day care service. Your child will learn and grow through our carefully-planned, mission-centered curriculum that teaches your child to:
Make Healthy Choices
Build Relationships
Develop Skills
Become a Servant Leader
The YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

Healthy Choices
Healthy choices involve the spirit, mind and body. Exercise and nutritious snacks are just the beginning. At the YMCA campers will also learn the character values of respect, responsibility, honesty, caring and faith, helping them develop healthy minds and spirits.

Relationships
Every child needs a mentor! Over the years, hundreds of campers have bonded with our fun, energetic leaders. They also make great friends! These relationships will make your child’s summer camp experience unforgettable.

Skills
At YMCA Day Camp, leaders teach critical life skills to your child -- like teamwork, independence and how to discover a talent or passion.

Servant Leadership
The YMCA values the opportunity to teach your child the importance of serving others. Our youngest campers learn service through simple acts of sharing. As our campers grow up with the YMCA, they learn to be leaders who positively impact their community.
________________________________________________
Why I Hate It..........
Filthy Sneakers
Back Packs filled with wet smelly towels and clothes and sand and dirt
Lost towels and bathing suits and lunch boxes and ice packs
packing lunch every night like your packing it for an army
A complaining un-grateful child that doesn't know how lucky she is to be able to have the experience of summer camp, just because she has to get up in the morning
Endless rants of hand slapping rhymes that play in my head...over and over and over.....My name is...chin chin cha charlie..I know karate...punch you in the stomach...oops I'm sorry...please don't tell my Mommy......IMAGINE HEARING THAT 40 TIMES A NIGHT!!!
Okay. so my hates don't even compare to my likes. I am so grateful that Amber gets to go to summer camp each year. I am a firm believer that if you keep children busy, in a controlled environment, it keeps them out of trouble. P.S. What I love the most is that I don't have to pay for it. ;0) Thanks Dad.


Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Don't leave home without 'em!


EARRINGS!!! I blew my hair out this morning-no 80's hair band hair today. No soakin' wet ponytail. I even wore a pretty sun dress. Bracelets, necklace....some of you may be saying-So? Big deal. But it is for me because I don't have to get dressed for work. I can come here in my sweats...and believe me, I do. Getting the kids up and out and myself looking gorgeous everyday just isn't happening. Especially on mornings where I worked the night before at the restaurant. Point of the post? I FORGOT TO PUT MY EARRINGS ON. This is a fashion tragedy for me. I feel naked. I feel like I wasted all of my time getting dressed this morning, because I forgot my J-LO over sized hoops that I love dearly. To make this post even more sick and twisted, If gas wasn't so expensive, I would have gone back for them. Does anyone else have an earring obsession? Or maybe yours is a different obsession. I have read that Kelly has to have polish on her toes all year round as a "tagged" fact on her blog. My sister would not be caught in 50 million years leaving the house without her hair blown out, unlike her lazy little sister. What's your obsession?

Monday, May 19, 2008

Black For A Day

Black nail polish. I think it's either you love it, or you hate it. Here's my take.....

I LOVE it, for a day. That's it. A planned day where your wearing your little black dress, or some type of ensemble that has a huge black factor. And a black mani/pedi is only good for a very short time. As soon as it loses it's shine, or chips, it looks so trashy. I know this because my toes are black right now, and I have been trapped in sneakers for days now because an old black pedi, is a busted black pedi. I have been telling myself that I am going to paint them every night, to no avail. I'm hoping for tomorrow night. I have my own foot bath, and all of these pedi supplies that were a gift to me from a friend. It's just not the same when you have to do it yourself. If I happen to see my brother while my toes are black, he reminds me of how much he hates them. Robert called me freaky when I did my fingers and toes black too, so I'm thinking maybe men aren't a big fan of black nails. But as I said, if you know your wearing black, pair your outfit with a black mani/pedi, and some black strappy heals, and it looks beautiful...for a day.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Birthday Celebration Part II





































Birthday Celebration Part 1


I went to lunch with Amber today and brought her McDonald's, and 2 big Cookie Cakes for her and all of her friends. Daddy walked in not too far behind me. I brought candles, and we sang to her. She was humiliated and thrilled all at the same time. I did have a picture with her too, but these are from my phone and I must have hit discard instead of save. I suck. We went to pick up Danielle after school, and she ate dinner with us, and in about 5 minutes, 4 more cousins will be barreling through the door for some good old Carvel Cake. Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream, separated by crunchies. MMmm...Mmmm...MMM! Last night Daddy took her to Nakato's for dinner, and they sang to her there too! I hope she feels as special as she is over these 2 days of birthday celebration! I will take more pics at cake time and post them later!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

What Happened to My Baby?


My daughter is turning 10 tomorrow. I can't even believe it as I write it. Double digits. I would have loved to freeze her by now and have her stay little forever. I feel like the past 10 years went by in the blink of an eye. I can clearly see her sucking her middle and ring finger until they were beat red before she found her thumb. Here a few highlights of the past decade with my beautiful daughter.
  • 1. When I found out she was a girl, I had hoped she wouldn't be bald. She was born with more hair than some grown men.
  • 2.She cried for the first year of her life, and I dragged my whole family and close friends into the misery.
  • 3. I recall my first psycho mother moment at her first dance recital when another child was on her number, and I rushed the stage like a mad woman...yelling "It's okay baby, just do your dance!" That was the last time I had the urge to shove a 2 year old.
  • 4. Being able to overcome 4+ years of thumb sucking simply by showing her photos of severely damaged teeth due to thumb sucking on the Internet.
  • 5. How thankful I am for having years of one on one time with her. Gymboree, movie nights, long walks, Our Mommy/daughter trip to Disney, playing cards, and cuddling at night.
  • 6. 3 years of walking her into school, and all the way to her classroom. (She cut me off in third grade)
  • 7. Watching her and my niece Danielle bond on a daily basis as if she had a live in sister when she was 18 months old. Thank God Danielle was a big sturdy baby, or she may no longer be with us.
  • 8. Sharing my pregnancy and the birth of my son with her at an age where she could understand and enjoy it.
  • 9. Going through a lot of growing pains with her, as we left our family here to move back to New York, and then leaving our family there to come back here. She always said..."As long as we are together, everything will be Okay."
  • 10. Watching her develop into a young lady over this past year has been quite a transformation. She went from extra long hair, basketball shorts and big t-shirts to layers and long bangs, skinny jeans, and layered tank tops.
What a decade it has been. We actually have both grown so much. I wouldn't be who I am, or where I am without her. Happy Birthday Amber Michelle. You will always be my baby Girl. My Sunshine. I Love You.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Questions?

Alex and I are looking into switching my sons school. He has had 3 directors, and 5 or 6 teachers, one of his teachers is pregnant-and the one he just lost had a baby and is not coming back. He finally has a teacher that he loves, only to be moved next month to the older 2's room. The turn around is just too high. Plus with a little research rather than convenience, he is at the highest priced school that I've looked into thus far. It's walking distance from my house, so I went with it. It is not a brand new building, but was a brand new "school" when we put him in, so all of the toys and furniture were new, and we liked that. I'm noticing the difference between the Mommy questions verses the Daddy questions. Those are my reasons for wanting to move him. daddy's are......"Every time I walk in there to pick him up, all I smell is CRAP. It never smells fresh in there. And for what I'm paying, it could be a lot nicer." The simple explanation to that is that all of the big kids are in the back of the building, and all of the diaper wearing kids are in the front. I have noticed that most schools are set up that way. But to him, "The place smells."
I am previewing the schools, and if I feel they are a possible fit for my son, then I tell Alex, and he comes to take a look. 2 didn't even make the cut, and one we visited.

My Questions:
1. How long are most of your staff members here, and what qualifications do they need to work here? Do they take continuing education classes?
2. Can I supply my own sheets, blanket and pillow for him?
3. What are your hours?
4. What is your child/teacher ratio?
5. Do you have an open door policy?

Daddy's Questions:
1. Does your kitchen get graded by the heath department?
2. Do you have a school nurse on staff, and if not, are all staff members certified in first aid and CPR?
3. Do you take the children off of the premises?
4. Do children nap like this in all schools?(on a cot-no padding-I thought he would die when he saw that)
5. Where do you evacuate to in case of an emergency?
6. Do you have a cleaning crew that comes in every night, or do the teachers do it?
7. What type of solution do you use to disinfect and clean the toys/bathroom and such.
8. Are the floors mopped daily?

As I look at these questions, my questions are Mommy questions. Is he going to be in a safe and loving environment with a staff that truly loves children, and can I come and check on him whenever I please, and if he starts to build relationships here, what is the chance that he will be continuously saying "goodbye" to the people that he has grown comfortable with.

Daddy's questions are more about safety & cleanliness. All good questions, but don't you see the difference? I say..."But he has all of these little friends there..." And Daddy simply says....."He'll make new ones". I guess everyone sees and views things through their own eyes. I thought the search was over, until we went on the playground and there was a PVC pipe stretched across the sidewalk where the children would be walking and playing that was running from the gutter, and there was also a cell phone tower behind the school. SO....I continue the search. I'll keep you posted.

Friday, May 9, 2008

I LOVE 70'S DISCO












If I wasn't meant to be a Classic Rock Queen, then I was definitely meant to be a 70's Disco Diva. I love 70's disco. For Amber's 8th birthday, she had a "70's disco" themed party. Everything was tie-dyed, and colorful...lots of Gold and Silver decor, and we had a D.J. that played ALL 70's disco. It was AWESOME!! If you are ever in the mood to pick your hair out, throw some bell bottoms on, and break it down 70's disco style , here's what I guarantee to be a grade "A" play list.

Bee Gees

  • Staying Alive
  • Night Fever
  • Jive Talkin'
  • You should be dancin'

Donna Summer

  • Last Dance
  • Bad Girls (toot toot...aaahh...beep beep)
  • Hot Stuff
  • Love To Love You Baby
  • On the Radio
  • Heaven Knows

Diana Ross

  • Upside Down
  • I'm Coming Out

Kool and The Gang

  • Get Down On It
  • Ladies Night

Earth Wind And Fire

  • September
  • Let's Groove

KC & The Sunshine Band

  • Boogie Shoes
  • Get Down Tonight

Disco Inferno-The Trammps

We Are Family-Sister Sledge

Right Back Where We Started From-Maxine Nightingale

Ain't Nobody-Chaka Khan

Love Will Keep Us Together-Captain & Tennille

Le Freak-Chic

I Love The Night Life-Alicia Bridges




Thursday, May 8, 2008

THE AMPUTATION


Mickey Mouses amputation of his right leg occurred at approximately 3:34
yesterday afternoon while I was "resting my eyes".

We haven't decided if we are going to do the reconstructive surgery, or
if we are going to just sew it up and love him for who he is.

IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES AN EYE



THE CULPRIT
"D.B" AKA-DEEBS



Wednesday, May 7, 2008

SShhh...don't wake the baby!


I volunteer every Sunday at Elevation Church caring for little blessings ranging between 1 & 2 years of age while their parents enjoy service with no distractions. Some of our babies are "regulars", and we always have new comers. Some adjust wonderfully, and others struggle a bit. Either way, it's rare that any of them fall asleep. This week, two of our newer babies were a little sad, and they eventually fell asleep in Katie's lap. One on one leg, and one on the other leg. As we approached snack time, the girls asked me...should we wake them for snack? "No" I quickly replied. For craft? "Nope" once again. How about for diaper change? Once again-NEGATIVE. Service is about an hour and 15 minutes, and I can guarantee that all of those babies come in the door with a fresh diaper on.

Never wake up a sleeping baby. If they are hungry, they will let you know. If they have "discomfort" in their diaper, they will let you know that too. I made this mistake as a first time mother with my daughter. "oh, it's exactly 180 minutes since the last time she ate....wake the colicky baby that was screaming for 2 hours straight because statistically she should be eating right now." I laugh at myself when I think about it too. That baby rarely slept, and here i am disturbing her, only to bring her to another outburst of gut wrenching hours of screaming. I should have let her sleep. When she was hungry, She would have "waked up". Unless a baby is sleeping 5/6 hours straight (I am speaking of an infant), they had a bowel movement and they are sleeping through it, or the sleep is going to interfere with their night-time sleep, NEVER wake a baby. I never woke my son, and he is still here, perfectly healthy, far from malnourished, and always wakes up happy. And never wake a baby who fell asleep upset. I promise you, they will wake up just as upset, or worse. Whatever you do, don't wake the baby.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Nuttin' but Luv for the Eldery

Thought of the Day: All people are created equally in one human family.

I love old people. There is something historically beautiful about a seasoned human being. I love their age spots, and loose skin on their hands, and their silver hair. Those embellished necklaces that older women wear their glasses on. Oh, and I love their big ears too. You know what else I love? I love when they bless my children. That always touches me. I met an elderly couple yesterday at the store, and they were loving my baby boy. My day came to a halt, I sat down, and just waited while they spoke to him for at least 10 minutes or so. I had him pull out all the stops too. He sang Itsy Bitsy Spider.....No more monkeys....ABC's, "At Attention" (Papa was a marine) FEET TOGETHER, HANDS AT YOUR SIDE, BELLY IN, NO SMILES, SALUTE! The woman wanted to pick him up so bad, but couldn't lift him so I put him on her lap. When they walked away, they didn't say "It was nice to meet you" to him, they said "I'm glad to know you."

Children need elderly, seasoned people in their lives. I can't explain why, but they just do. I was so blessed to live with my grandmother. I vividly remember my grandparents and their siblings playing cards and eating mixed nuts while I was singing "You Are" by Lionel Richie. Good Times. I love me some old peeps.

Friday, May 2, 2008

It's not all "Glitz and Glam"

Song of the Moment: Friend of God by Israel and New Breed

Little blurb-"4 minutes" by Madonna and Justin Timberlake is a disappointment. I thought it was going to be a great song. The kicker is, the music is BANGIN'!!! But as soon as they start singing, IT'S ALL OVER.

For all of those who dream about being a "Rock Star", and wish you could live the "Rock Star" life...Party like a "Rock Star", however you chose to say it, here is just a small chunk of the many examples of how fame and fortune can impact your life in the most devastating, fatal ways. Fame is not all it's cracked up to be if you succumb to the dark side of temptation that lurks around every corner of the music scene.

Disclaimer: I am by no means implying that all of these scenario's took place solely because these individuals are musicians.

Janis Joplin-overdose-dead at 27
Karen Carpenter-complications from anorexia-dead at 32
Jimi Hendrix-asphxiation(literally drowned in his own vomit)-dead at 28
Jim Morrison-snorted heroin after mistaking it for cocaine-dead at 27
John Lennon-assassinated by a deranged fan-dead at 40
Selena-Shot in the back by the president of her fan club-dead at 23
John Bonam (ZEP) -asphxiation from vomit-dead at 32
Darrell Abbot(Pantera)-Shot by a disgruntled fan on stage-dead at 38
Christopher Wallace(Big Poppa)-Drive by Shooting-dead at 24
Tupac Shakur-Drive by Shooting-dead at 25
Kurt Cobain-suicide-dead at 27
Michael Hutchence(INXS)-accidental strangulation during a freaky sex act-dead at 37
Layne Staley(Alice in Chains)-overdose on speedballs (I have no clue what those are)-dead at 34
Elvis Presley (sorry "E" fans-he's really dead)-overdose of prescription drugs-dead at 42
Sid(Sex Pistols) and Nancy-history of severe drug abuse. and domestic violence, he stabbed her, and before he went to trial, he overdosed-dead at 21 and 20
Shannon Hoon(Blind Melon)-"accidental" overdose-dead at 28

Several of these music legends left small children behind as well.

Still Alive, but a HOT MESS.......

Amy WineHouse-Self-harm, depression, eating disorder, and heavy drug abuse-she's very talented too if she could just get her act together.
Richie Sambora-DUI with his 10 year old daughter in the car.
Courtney Love-Jail terms, trials, rehab, and lost her child at one point.
Nikki Sixx-several overdoses, pronounced DEAD. severe addiction to alcohol, cocaine and heroin

I could go on and on with that list, but I think I've had enough. Looking at these statistics, it's not all Glitz and Glam, now is it.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Things are Unraveling....

When your son goes pee-pee in his little potty as your running his bath, and then proceeds to PUT THE FREAKIN' POTTY ON HIS HEAD LIKE A PARTY HAT!!!

It's one of those "Calgone...take me Away.." moments.

I must go....the master is calling...."Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY CORBETT!!!" Like he has another Mommy......