The Big Purple Dinosaur

It amazes me how watching one episode of a TV show can change your whole opinion of the characters. Up until today I hated everything about Barney & Friends. Now, not so much. Okay, I still hate the "friends," but ol' Barney's not so bad.

I don't know if it was this particular voice that endeared me to him, as opposed to some of the other voices they have had in the past. But for some reason, I decided today that I like the big purple guy....er, dinosaur. I have never been able to stand him, or his voice, or anything he says or does. But the guys voice today was nice. Not all fakey, hokey, cheesy Barney voice. He sounded like a regular guy. And hey, anyone that can say "Hello. Welcome to (name of country here). Come on in." or something like that in, like, five different languages can't be all bad. Right? So, now that I like Barney, might I change my opinion of the "friends?"

Ummm....no. THEY still bug the crap out of me. I can't stand the cheesy smiles, the random bopping motion, the out of control arm movements when they sing. Drives me crazy! It's like they inject all of the kids who come on that show with some kind of nerd virus. Now be honest. Tell me you never wondered what those kids are like OFF set.

You know little Johnny is sitting in his "dressing room" (which is really a cubicle in the middle of a warehouse) with his mother/talent agent/manager/hair and make-up artist/butt wiper going "I cannot BELIEVE Susie is back on the show this season. She is THE worst dancer on this entire show. Not to mention the most horrible singer on the PLANET! She has no talent. I don't know what the casting director sees in her. Who cares if she is the typical (American/Hispanic/Black/Asian/European) girl. I don't CARE if every nationality and sex has to be represented on the show, Mother. She has no talent whatsoever. And I'll tell her straight to her face the next time I see her!!!! Oh, hey Susie. How are you? Great show today. You sounded really good out there. And that dance number out on the playground was great! You are so good, so much better than Miffy. Okay, bye Susie. See you tomorrow. GAWD, what a witch. I hate her so much. The no-talent loser. She couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. And she couldn't dance to save her life. Okay, Mother. I'm ready to go home. What are you making me for dinner when we get there? I'm starving. Working so hard all day long can really work up an appetite. You should really try it sometime, Mother. Working, I mean. Blah, blah, blah...." On it goes until his mother drowns him in the bathtub, or accidentally leaves him at Disney World on the family vacation. I can just imagine it.

Here's a blast from the past for ya':
I hate you, you hate me
Let's go and kill Baaaarney
With a shot shot bang
Barney's on the floor
No more purple dinosaur.

Although, I guess I shouldn't post that, since I like Barney now. Oh well, it's still fun to sing. Okay, I'm finished with my Barney post. I know, I have far too much time on my hands, and far too much free brain space to be thinking about these things. But such is the life of a M.O.A.P.A.A.T. (Mother Of A Preschooler And A Toddler). The intelligent part of my brain is slowly wasting away, and is being replaced by this....nonsensical dribble. 'Sall good, though. It's kind of fun, being slightly removed from reality. Okay, I'm stopping now. Before I drive MYSELF crazy.
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On another note. WE LEAVE FOR SCRAPBOOKING IN 16 HOURS!!!! Two days, no kids, no husband, and SCRAPBOOKING!!! What could be better?

Music, music, music....

So, I've discovered something about myself these last couple of days. I LOVE MUSIC!!!! I never realized how much.

I pulled out my iPod Shuffle the other day, because it was sitting around not being used. See, I usually use it when I exercise, but that is currently on hold, due to a soccer injury. So, anyway, I decided IT needed some exercise, so I took it out and was listening to it while I was cooking dinner the other day. I was having a BALL! I usually listen to the radio while I cook, but it was so fun to have my favorite songs blasting away. I'm sure The Hubster was getting annoyed with me pulling out the earbud and going "What?" EVERYtime he said something to me.

So, after my great experience in the kitchen, I decided to get adventurous. I was reading on Mom to the Screaming Masses' blog about how she was listening to her iPod in Walmart and I was inspired. I decided to try it. So, yesterday I was running some errands, and I took my Shuffle along with me. It was so much fun. I used it in Target too. Now, this last paragraph leads me to an important question.

Is there such a thing as iPod ettiquite? 'Cause, if there is, I'm pretty sure I'm breakin' the rules. I'm walking through the store, singing along. Well, I'm mouthing the words, because, believe me, the general population of Walmart does NOT want to hear me sing. I'm druming the beat on my legs. I'm literally stopping just short of dancing my way through the aisles (sidenote: it took me a lot of tries to spell "aisles").

So, my dear friends. What is the SOP (standard operating procedure) for iPod usage? Am I allowed to rock out in the middle of Walmart? Is it okay to bust out a drum solo on my lower extremities? Should I refrain from dancing my way through the Health and Beauty section?

Here's a little news for ya'. I had so much fun with my Shuffle that I decided to upgrade. I got to buy the new-ish iPod Nano (1GB) today. I was having fun tonight playing with it. It even has extras: games, a calendar, an address book, alarms, a stopwatch, a clock for any time zone in the world. Sweet. I love playing with gadgets.

Have no fear! My Shuffle will not be lonely, shoved in a drawer with a rubber band, three rusted paper clips, a pencil with no eraser, and six or seven pens that have run out of ink. NO!!!!!!! It is going to a good home. My wonderful sister TB has decided to adopt it as her own. Treat it well, TB, treat it well. And just so you all know, TB thinks so highly of my taste in music that she has requested that I leave my playlist intact on my dear Shuffle. You know you love me, girl!

Okay, it is now 1:00 AM (can you tell?). I should REEEEEALLY go to bed now. Later!

It is finished...

Okay, so I finished naming all of my family. You can see the names here. Just thought I'd let you know. Check 'em out, dude...

As for friends and whatnot, I will be naming them as I go along. So, some of you may know who I'm talking about, just from the story. But some may not. Sorry about that.

So I'm not a hairdresser....

but I try. Here is The Girl's hairdo for church this morning. This is as fancy as I get in the hair department. I have no clue where to start on french braids. And don't even try teaching me. Luckily, The Girl has simple tastes, much like her mother.

Okay, this is the front view. Kind of a scary picture of her...

Here is the back view. Nothing fancy, but it looks nice....

And here is her outfit for church. I picked it out all by myself.....

So, there you go. Some Sunday morning pictures of The Girl. Aren't you happy I shared? Okay, now I have to go, because I spend way too much time on here, and I'm starting to get sores on my bum.

Preschooler's Theme Song

Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets
we're on our way
to help a baby [insert animal name here]
to save the day
we're not too big
and we're not too tough
but when we work together
we've got the right stuff

This is the theme song from a new show on Nick Jr. called "Wonder Pets." I have decided that this should be every preschoolers theme song. Okay, maybe not the "to help a baby animal/to save the day"part. But the rest of it. They're not big, and they're not tough. But if they worked together, I'm pretty sure they could take over the world.

I love watching when I drop The Girl off at school (she is in preschool three days a week). I like seeing her interact with all the other kids. Sometimes it makes me sad, 'cause even at that age, the kids can be mean, or at least indifferent.

See, The Girl is a gift-giver. She loves to draw pictures and give them to any adult teacher that she has, whether it's at school or church. Sometimes she'll find something that she wants to give to a friend at school. And I hate to discourage her, because I know gift-giving is part of her personality. But I hate to see the look of disappointment on her face when the kids give her a look like "WHAT is that? I don't want that." 'Cause it's usually an old sticker (a Bob the Builder one for The Crush) or a metallic piece of confetti (for Ponytail). I hate seeing her sad face, and the mama bear almost comes out on these poor little preschoolers who have no clue that they should be nice.

Anyway. I love seeing the preschoolers play together. I love watching them pretend with each other. Even The Boy is starting to pretend now. Mostly it's just by himself, pretending he's an animal or something. But The Girl is BIG into pretend play with her friends. Mostly princesses and stuff. I was just related a funny story from The Girl's first sleepover, a pretend conversation that took place between The Girl and her friend, who I will name...Sleepover. So anyway, here it goes. (SIDENOTE: As you can tell, at least I know she's listening to me) Remember, this conversation is taking place in the throes of pretending.

Sleepover: I love him, and I'm going to KISS him!
The Girl: No, that is NOT one of your choices. You have two choices. You can either choose to obey me, or you can choose not to obey.
Sleepover: I choose not to obey.
The Girl: Why?
Sleepover: Because I LOVE HIM!

Geez, could they BE anymore hilarious? I was almost falling off my chair laughing when she told me about. Especially since the way Sleepover's mom (name to be figured out later) related the conversation, I could tell The Girl sounded EXACTLY like me. How scary is that.

Okay, I've got to go. The Girl and I have to get in the shower before church. Later, all.

You all must be renamed!

So, I've decided to start using nicknames. You know, to protect the innocent. You never know who's reading your stuff, and I don't want anyone to be exposed. I know, I've got pics of my kids splashed all over here, but if no one knows their names, they're okay, right? It's not like they have some national database with pictures in them for people to search through. Do they? Yikes. Okay, so here's what I have so far:

The Hubster = My Husband
The Girl = My Daughter
The Boy = My Son
s/s (for strong/silent) = My Dad
Busy Bee = My Mom
Campbells = Sister #1
Feather = Sister #2
Yella = Sister #3
Tennis Ball (TB) = Sister #4 (oh, don't pretend you don't know why!!!!)

Those are all the major players in my life. For all my peeps, I mean Sisters out there, I'm sure you can think of better nicknames for yourselves. Help me out.

And Tennis Ball, if you can convince me of a better name for you, I might think of changing yours. Let me know.

So, there you go.

Remind me to tell you tomorrow about The Girl's first official sleepover. Umm kay?

Funny video

Here is a funny video I found on someone's blog. Hmmm...I seem to be saying that a lot these days..... Anyway, here it is. Tell me you can't relate.

Funny Video

Johari window.

I don't know much about this, other than I found it on someone's blog, and thought it looked interesting. Go to this page and pick five or six words that describe me.

Johari Window

Can't wait to see what you say!

Beth needs....

Okay, here's how it goes. Go to google.com, and in the search bar, type your first name and the word "needs." So, mine would say Beth needs. See what comes up. Here are mine:

-Beth needs follow-up surgeries.
-Beth needs your vote at FoxSports.com.
-Beth needs your thoughts and prayers.
-Beth needs teeth.
-Beth needs to look within at what she is believing about her weight, food...
-Beth needs a first-floor bedroom.
-Beth needs to get real.
-BETH NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!!!
-Beth needs to set aside money for taxes.

So, there you go.

Ouch, ouch, ouch...

So, I had another soccer game last night. My quads were still kind of sore from my one last week. Well, I go out on the field to start warming up. I jog a little bit, play with the ball. Then, I pass the ball to somebody. And BAM! Pulled my right quad muscle. Like, major. Shortly after, I pulled my left quad. But not quite as bad (probably 'cause I don't use that leg nearly as much as my right leg).

I seriously had no power or strength in my legs. I could barely kick the ball, and everytime I did kick it, it felt like my leg just totally gave out under me. I had to kneel down everytime I passed the ball, because my leg would just buckle.

Of course, being the idiot that I am, I didn't sit out the game. Hey, we didn't have a whole lot of subs. So, by the end of the game it was even worse. I couldn't get into the car normally. I had to sit down on the seat first, the lift my right leg and basically pull it into the car, and then swing my left leg in. I went to Target before I had to pick up The Girl at church (Looking for bath add-in for sore muscles. They didn't have it. Gotta' go to Wal-Mart, I guess.). I probably looked ridiculous, hobbling around there. I couldn't even bend my right knee, because it hurt my quad too much.

I don't feel too bad. There was another lady there, Kelly, who had the EXACT same injury as me. Last week was both of our first games. We were both sore for the same two days after. And we both still had a little bit of soreness in our quads. Then we both pulled our quads at the game. Niiiiiiice.

I put some ice on it last night while I was watching TV. Actually on both of them. And I took Tylenol and Advil last night. They are feeling better today. I put some IcyHot on it after my shower. And I'm going to take some Advil before we hit Old Navy. Sweeeeettt....Old Navy. Yay!

Okay, I'm going to go brush my teeth. And think about waking up The Boy. He's taking a very early nap. So we can go. Lata'.

Cracked Pots

Stole this from someone elses blog. I liked it.

As spring approaches, a parable...

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a long pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the perfect pot always delivered a full portion of water and the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled. "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

Too many hats...

Does anyone else ever feel like they are playing too many roles in their life? Or like some of the roles, which by this point in life should be minor ones, are still major ones, and it's just totally stressing you out? Okay, here's what I mean:

I am God's daughter
I am Me
I am The Hubster's wife
I am The Girl & The Boy's mom
I am Dad & Mom's daughter
I am J, H, D, & K's sister
I am also a lot of other minor roles (MOPS leader, friend to some, G & P's granddaughter-in-law, etc.)

Now, those first six that I listed are all the major ones in my life right now. And sometimes, I feel all of them coming to bear at once: I've got The Hubster pulling on one arm, the kids on the other, Mom and Dad on one leg, and a sister on the other. And the whole time, in my head, I've got Me trying to figure out who the heck I actually am, and somewhere in the background, God's going "Um, hey...when are you gonna' listen to what I have to say?" And sometimes, it just really STRESSES me out. I've got a bunch of people asking, demanding, that I be someone I'm not, and that I'll probably never be. Which makes me feel like crap that I can't be what they think I should be, no matter how hard or long I try, and no matter how bad I want to. I've got Me in there stressing out, because I'm all confused about who I know I am, and who I want to be, and where I want to be. And I've got God trying to tell and show me who he wants me to be, but all the other voices are so LOUD that I can't hear what he's saying.

I know if we weren't living with Mom and Dad, the roles of daughter and sister wouldn't be so major and heavy. But being here, I feel like I'm forced to perform these roles. Like, I can't just not answer the phone, or ignore someone when they come over. It feels like, it's not my house, so it's not my life. You know? If we weren't living here, I would be able to pull back from these roles when I needed a break, and just wanted to focus on Me and God, or The Hubster and the kids.

Sometimes I feel like I just want to run away from everything. From all the roles, except me. And God. I just want to be rid of all those responsibilities and requirements. I'm sure everyone feels like this at some point. But it feels like I feel like this every two hours or so.

I'm working on focusing on the most important role that I have. Being a daughter of God. I'm working on remembering that the only thing that truly matters in this world is what happens between me and God. That when things are right with us, things will be right with everything else. They might suck and be hard, but I will be able to handle it. I've drawn myself a diagram to help me remember. I'll see if I can get it in here.

So, this is my illustration of how I need to live. Where my priorities need to be. There is this song we sing at church. It's called "Be The Center." I don't even remember all the words, but the one that I do remember is "Jesus, be the center." I have to remember to put God first. To worry about the relationship between me and God before I worry about anything else. And I have a really hard time doing that. I tend to put everything else first. The most important relationship, the one that needs to come first, is the one with God. Next comes my relationship with myself. I need to fix me before I can really start to deal with anyone else. Next comes The Hubster and The Kids. They are first on my list of external priorities. Then comes the rest of the world.

So, yeah. That's my thoughts for the day. If I offended anyone, especially sisters, I didn't mean to. These are just the ramblings of my strange little mind.

So, I have the same question as Tennis Ball. Does anyone actually read this? I know I don't post very often, but does anyone check on me periodically, like the crazy old grandma in the nursing home that everyone visits once a month? If so, thanks. I check yours everyday.

My Slideshow

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!!!!!

Okay, so I had my first soccer game tonight. I LOVED IT!!!! I totally forgot how good it feels to get out there and play. Of course, my lungs were burning the entire first half. But by the second half I was okay. Not so tired. Eeeeeeehhhh!!!! I'm so excited. I can't wait until next week to play again. I won't tell you how I did, 'cause I don't really know. I was never good at judging myself. And, of course, The Hubster was no help. He and The Boy came to watch the game while The Girl was at Rainbows. That's the only bummer about playing. I'm missing the Women's Bible Study. :( So, yeah. It was totally awesome. Just wanted to share with you all.

Soccer game

So, I have my first indoor soccer game tonight. I'm nervous. Keep your fingers crossed for me tonight, at 6 pm. I hope I do well. It's been a LONG time since I've played any soccer, and I hope I remember how. I also hope I'm in shape enough that I won't die in the first five minutes of running around the field. Yikes! Okay, gotta' go. I'll let you know how it goes.

God is AWESOME!!!!

Well, okay, it's been a while. Just thought I'd write and say that things are going really good. We've had a good two days around here. I had a really good experience at church yesterday (Sunday), a really good prayer time, and since then I've been in a great mood. There are obviously some things I still need to work on and do, some immediately, some long term. But God did a really great thing for me there, for my heart and my spirit. Pray for me that I will be able to keep it up. That I will continue to make Him the center of my life, and that I will continue to seek Him every day. I've had a lot of patience and humor these last two days, and I love it. So, okay, that's it. Dad is watching wrestling, so I'm going to go take a bath. Don't worry, I'm recording "Medium."

Cannon Beach 02/05 Pictures

Here are some pictures from our trip to Cannon Beach last February (2005). I know they are a year old, but I was looking at them today and wanted to share my favorites. Some of these are on my MySpace account, too.

The Hubster and The Boy playing catch.
The Girl taking in the sea for the first time.
The Wiff, The Girl, and The Hubster at the top of the Astoria Column in Astoria, OR.
The Boy fell in the sand, and he was NOT happy about it.
The Hubster and The Girl walking back from the water.

Some pictures...

Just thought I'd share some pictures before I post some rambling.... These pics are kind of old, but I thought I'd share them anyway. They are some of my favorites. The Girl's school picture (Oct 2005)
The Girl & The Boy (Aug 2005)
The Boy eating the traditional turkey leg (Nov 2005)
The Boy telling Mommy off "No, Mama!" (Nov 2005)

Boy band...

Okay, is it just me, or does my blog look like a boy band CD cover? Just curious. I think that's why I picked it. 'Cause it looks all pop-ish.

So, as for the sore throat. I just bought some Emergen-C stuff. So, I'm going to try high doses of vitamin C for the next few days and see if that improves my condition. 'Cause nothing else is working.

Again, I ask. What's the deal with me posting on here all the time?!?!? I don't get it. Maybe it appeals to me more aesthetically than the other one did. I dunno'.....

There is one thing....okay, a few things...

Okay, so I have discovered one thing I don't like about this blog. It doesn't email you when someone comments on one of your posts. That was one thing I liked about LiveJournal.

Okay, honestly, I cannot STAND the sound of someone eating. I feel bad, 'cause I won't even let The Girl be in the same room with me if she is eating something and I can hear her. I just really, really, really HATE that sound.

Another thing. I'm really conflicted. As H knows, our MOPS group is really struggling for a steering team next year. I feel bad that I said I wasn't going to do it next year, even though I know I don't want to. But I don't know if that is just me being selfish, or if God really doesn't want me to. I guess I really need to pray about it. If I felt like I could handle it, I might even be willing to take on the Coordinator position. It's just that right now, living here, I feel like I'm totally scattered. I don't have a place of my own to get organized. I don't know if I would want my life like that if I were in such a demanding position. So, pray for me. Pray that God would show me a) whether I need to be on the team next year, and b) if I do, what position I should have, and c) if I don't, that He would fill the positions with the right people so I will stop feeling guilty for saying I'm leaving.

Okay, I think that is all that's floating around right now. Oh wait, one more. Why is it that I seem to be writing on here a lot more than I was writing on LiveJournal? I don't know. It's a mystery...

Happy Housewives

Well, The Kids are laying down for naps. I will be soon, too. My throat is KILLING me. I'm trying not to swallow all that often. I even took Tylenol and a decongestant, and nothing is working. I was awake for a couple of hours this morning, just laying in bed, 'cause it hurt.

The Kids are doing good. Little coughs, but that's all.

I'm reading this book called "Happy Housewives" by Darla Shine. It's pretty good so far. It's about learning to love your job as an at-home mom and homemaker, instead of being ashamed of or embarrased by it. She's pretty frank in her writing style, doesn't pull any punches. I like it so far. Got it from the library. Check it out (pun intended).

Okay, I'm going to lay down on the couch. Catch ya' later.

Sick...and tired.

Man, I really hate being sick. Right now, I've got a sore throat from stuff running down the back of it. My nose isn't stuffed up or anything. Just my throat is killing me. The Boy's nose is runny and he has a cough; he sounded like a seal when I got him out of bed. I gave him some medicine when he got up this morning, and he seems to be doing okay. Just tired, like me. I didn't do anything after I took The Girl to school. Usually I go work out, but today, we came home and I laid on the couch and The Boy did too, and we watched TV. I slept on and off, too. The Girl seems to be doing okay. Her cough seems to have come back a little bit, but she seems fine. The jerk. So, when Caillou is over (have I mentioned before that I don't like this show?) the kids will lay down. I don't think I'm going to church tonight. I just want to chill. I might see if J can take The Girl with them. We'll see. If not, she'll stay home too. Which would kind of suck. Okay, I have to go call Silverdale Safeway and try to track down some guy about a donation. Later.

Our first playdate

So, the kids and I just got back from our first official playdate. We went over to Reality (for her professed love of reality television) and Size 11's (for her incredible shoe size) house (Reality is the mom and my friend, and Size 11 is the daughter and The Girl's friend). The Boy came and played with Ahya (for the way The Boy pronounces her real name), the other daughter. The kids had a good time. The girls played dress-up, and Barbies, and Polly Pockets, and all that good girly stuff. We had lunch there. Chicken nuggets, fruit cocktail, and chocolate pudding. Sounds like something I would serve, minus the pudding. I'm not that nice. I had a good time, too. Reality and I just hung out and talked. Moved from room to room, following the little ones. By the time we left at 1:45, all four of the kids were beat. Tired, I mean. We came home and my kids went straight to bed. I think Reality's were going to bed when we left, too. God bless children who still sleep in the middle of the day.

So, that was our excitement for the day. Some other things going on...well, The Hubster and I have another counseling appointment today. Maybe he'll actually talk this time. I'm hoping at the end of April/beginning of May to be taking a photography class with J (my oldest sister, for those of you who don't know). And I may have an opportunity to play indoor soccer on Wednesday nights. I have to think about it and talk to The Hubster about it.

Okay, that's it for now. Just wanted to share. Lata'!

Some recent scrapbook pages....

Here are some recent pages I did while scrapbooking at church.

This is only the beginning.....

Just thought I'd start this post out with a picture of the loves of my life. I like this idea too, of being able to post pictures and all. Not that I'm on here very often anyway. But maybe I can motivate myself. 'Cause I've got a lot of stuff going on in my head that I should probably get out. So, is this a good start....?