A Red Letter Day

Well, today is our 35th anniversary.  I can hardly believe it's been that long.  Where has the time gone?  We started out as a couple of  idiots who didn't know the first thing about being married even though one of us had been married  before.  We raised our kids to be fine adults and those years in between flew by with school, activities and family celebrations.
Now we're not such idiots as we used to be.  We know how to be married and it only took us 35 years.
So in celebration today, we are going to participate in today's holiday, National Nude Day.......just kidding.  It is the kick off for National Nude Sports Week.  No kidding.  I'm having a hard time deciding what sport I would like to do.  Nude bowling?   Nude water skiing?  Well, I have all week to decide.
Oh and BTW, happy anniversary, honey.

Oh Those Commercials Again

There have been a few commercials lately that represent children in kind of ugly ways.  Girls usually.
The first example is this little chicklet on the train.  She hypnotizes the guy with a chip until she slams his head against the window.  Then she looks self satisfied.  Wowza, that mom is in for world of hurt.  Pardon the pun, but the kid is already out of control.  I mean, who does that?
Then there is the girl who screams at the top of her lungs at her brother when he dumps his Legos.  MOM HAS A HEADACHE she bellows but mom pops up off the couch and says her headache is gone.  All I can think is no way, Lady, your headache is just beginning.  The kid is a brat.  Plus, you're going to have to pick up all those Legos. Have fun when she's 13.
Finally, there is the frugal family saving up for the opt out plan for their cable television and internet.  They take their kid's lunch money as she comes in the door but after the coach assures them there is no need, the kid picks up all the jars and saunters off with them and the money.  Was it all her lunch money in there? I hope so because she sure seemed to feel justified in taking it.  The parents just sat there so maybe it was.  I'm afraid they have problems in their future with that one. Grand larceny, anyone?
Don't get me wrong.  I want girls to be assertive.  I don't want parents to lie around on the couch or steal their child's lunch money.  I just hate to see little kids portrayed as demons.  That's all.

OMG!!!

I got asked out on a date today.  OK,it was some old guy but I can't remember the last time someone asked me out!  He even offered to pay for my purchase.  Of course, I had to decline and I told him I was already married and he said it was ok because he was married too!  Then I said we should double date.  We both laughed, the cashier laughed and wouldn't that be a cute ending to the story?

Well, it is me so of course that isn't the end.  The guy went on to say how his wife is trying to get rid of him and he can't find a woman who wants him.  Then when the cashier asked him to step aside so I could swipe my card, he sighed and said just like his wife, she told him to get out of the way.
This was quickly becoming a train wreck so I said thanks and got to the door of the store as fast as I could! That is how my story ends.

Don't Miss This

Today is Put A Pillow on the Refrigerator Day.   No kidding.  It's supposed to bring good luck and prosperity.  So what are you waiting for????

No Good Deed

I recently read a book about a man who did good things for others just out of the goodness of his heart.  He was well known and loved in his small town where almost everyone knew him or of him.
So, I thought I'd do some good deeds today.  I don't get to see that many people so I kept my eyes peeled for anyone who might need help.
Well, at the grocery store, the clerk was having a bad time getting things in my cooler bag because the lid kept falling on her.  I said I'd help her and she said no, that's ok but it fell again so I held it and she said in a really mean voice I said I could do it. Oh, ok..........so much for that good deed.
Then I went to the garden center.  I took a long time picking out flowers and just as I got to the register another woman came up too.  The cashier was helping someone else and when he was done, I said to the woman, you can go first.   You look like you just have a question.(because she didn't have any flowers) and she says, NO! YOU were first.  Oh, ok.............
So there you have it.  My good deeds for the day.  They fell flat and luckily I won't see anyone else today except my family.  I do good deeds for them all the time and that will have to do.  I'm done with strangers for today.

While I was Gone

I haven't posted for quite some time.  I guess I just ran out of energy for a while there.  Maintaining two blogs isn't as easy as I thought it would be.

I have learned some things while I was gone.  The first thing is don't ever waterboard yourself in the shower.  I kinda did and it was most unpleasant.  I really hope that when the government said we didn't do it they were telling the truth because I wouldn't want it to happen to anyone.  That being said, one should never ever waterboard one's self.  Trust me.

I also got hooked on those online quizzes that come up on your Facebook news feed.  Now those are a lot of fun and I learned something very important.  I am my own best friend.  No kidding.  I took a test to find out what Disney princess I was and it turned out I was Aurora.(Sleeping Beauty)
Then I took a test on which Disney princess should be my best friend and it turned out to be Aurora.  Hey, that's me.  Hence, I am my own best friend.

Here I am remembering that I am my own best friend and here I am overjoyed at the news.

Sunday, May 11

Happy Mother's Day

Today I was off on an adventure of my own as WP ans Sis were both unavailable.  I decided to go and try on bathing suits. Yikes!
It turned out to be the best experience ever.  It had nothing to do with the bathing suits but everything to do with the little girl and her mom in the next dressing room.  Here's what I overheard:

LG(little girl, around 21/2 years old maybe 3):  I have to go.
LG again: I have to poop.
Mom: You are supposed to tell me when you need to use it.
LG: My daddy said
Mom:    I don't care what daddy said you are supposed to tell me when you need to use it.
LG: tomorrow?
Mom:    Not tomorrow, today
LG:   Monday?
Mom:    No, not Monday. today.
LG:  My daddy said
Mom:   I don't care what daddy said.  you are supposed to tell me when you need to use it.
LG:  starts singing
Mom:   did you go over in that corner and use it?
LG: still singing

I had to leave because I was practically peeing my pants it was so funny.  I ran into them later( I knew them because I recognized LG's shoes)  and told the mom how cute and funny her little girl was.  LG was wearing a straw hat that was for a grown woman and she couldn't see a thing.  Her mom warned her not to bump into me.  She lifted the hat, looked at me, put the hat back on and went on her merry way.
I said to the Mom, "on Monday" and we both cracked up. Oh,the joys of being a mom!

Teacher Appreciation Week again

Little kids learn by doing and playing is what they do best.  So it is obvious to me what kids should be doing....playing.  When you play, you learn.  Not only do you learn the lesson that is hidden in the fun but you also learn how to play with others.
One of the stations that was always open in my Kindergarten was Legos.  Now no student could play there every day because there were many stations open that included math and reading skills that had to be covered.  Legos was the place that kids learned teamwork and found out how to appreciate different skills from their own.  Every kid had a strength and working together helped others recognize it.
Older kids deserve to have fun.  I know it is more serious business once you get to first grade.( I know this because my son told me so when he was in first grade) but kids can still have fun and learn at the same time.
I tutored in a fourth grade after I retired in order to get kids ready for what was then called the Fourth Grade Proficiency Test.  We had fun.  I read to them once a week.  They practiced finding the main characters and anticipating what would happen next in a story.  I fed them candy and had them do word searches.  You see, while we were having fun, the students were building confidence and picking up skills they may have missed in class or didn't appreciate were for life, like sounding out words which fourth graders thought was a first grade thing so they shouldn't do it.  What a world opened up for them when they figured out they still could do it and it was okay.  Their reading skills soared.
They all passed every year I was there.
Why don't we let kids learn like kids?  I just  will never understand  why tests have been chosen over children.

Teacher Appreciation Thursday

Sock it to 'em

How is it that Socrates who lived about a gazillion years ago knows more than we do now?
Thinking is the most important thing we do.  Kids deserve to think for themselves too. With all the emphasis on testing, how much do kids really get to think?
Imagination is an important part of a child's development.  I recently visited a first grade class where the kids were told to just use their imaginations.  They were stunned.  At first, they just gawked but then the ideas started flowing and those kids wrote some great sentences about where they would time travel.
Your imagination helps you create.  It takes you places you may not be able to go. It builds pictures in your mind.  What kind of society will it be if no one uses their imagination?
That scares me.  Think about it.

Teacher Appreciation Wednesday

Teacher Appreciation

Apparently, I was a teacher in the golden years of teaching.  I feel so blessed that I was there then and not now.  Suddenly, the test seems to be the thing.  Kids get tested regularly no matter how old they are.
When I taught school, the kids were the thing.  I spent time getting to know children and focusing on their needs and learning styles.
I worked hard to present concepts that my students would need not only in the classroom but in life.  That included socialization and teamwork and responsibility.  I think it's sad that a first grader in Ohio is expected to know where to put a comma in a dictated sentence they are writing rather than know how to get along with the kid in the next desk.
I worked in Kindergarten for many years.  Sometimes I was the first person to say NO and mean it.  Sometimes I was the first adult that a kid could trust to be there.  Sometimes I was the person who fed them.  I got to introduce my students to good literature and wonderful songs.  We laughed and did silly things.  We worked in teams and played in centers and guess what, THEY LEARNED.
It probably looked like chaos to some but it was organized chaos where children chose activities from the ones I presented and then went to it.  At the time we called it taking ownership of the learning.
You know who has the ownership of the learning now?  It's not teachers, it's sure not the kids, it is state government. The only way the state knows how to evaluate children is to give a test and another test and another test.  Teachers are bogged down in paperwork and children are presented material that they are developmentally not ready for.
Everyone says that education is in a terrible place.  Kids graduate from school unable to read. Well, I think I have the answer to that and it isn't a test.  Let kids be kids when they are little.  Stop forcing them to be little adults before their time.  Let kids from Kindergarten to third grade have fun.  Let them learn at their own pace. If we build a strong base of knowledge, the students will be able to thrive.
Now in Ohio, if you can't read at the 3rd grade level by the end of third grade, there you stay until you do.  That seems so wrong to me.  Why not extend the time kids spend in K-2?  Let them grow.  They'll learn I promise.
So, thanks teachers.  I feel your pain and I am so proud to know that you never give up on your students or yourselves.  Keep up the good work and keep praying for the golden years to come back.

Here Comes the Bride

No, not me.  SON is engaged and we are so happy for them.  Now I can be part of a wedding that I really want to go to!  I love the planning and dreaming but I'm not so hot on the expense.
Just the same, I can't wait...but I have to until October of 2015.  It will be hard but I'm pretty sure I can keep busy until then.

I've had a love of brides since I was a little tiny girl.  Even at 4 years old, I was hooked on brides.  Lace and taffeta and netting and flowers and sparkles, they were all for me.
I wonder what made a little girl fall in love with brides like that?  We didn't go to a wedding or anything like that.  I guess I was just born that way.

 

A Happy Easter to All

Still Just Sayin'

I hate getting yelled at!  Especially if I didn't do anything.
Yesterday, I was driving to Sis' house and I had to make a right at a light.
The woman who was waiting at the same light had a red light but she was turning right and when I turned on my signal, she glared at me and mouthed Well, it's about time.
WHAT?
I turned the signal on at least 500 feet from the street.  I wasn't speeding or going too slow.  I still don't know why she was so mad at me.  My signal isn't broken either. I checked.
I guess she was just a crabby old thing.

I guess I'm lucky it wasn't the Queen!

Believe it or Not

Yesterday I got hit in the head with a bird......no, really.

Thanks a lot, Robin.

Dieting

Just sayin'

Just Sayin' Again

I finally got to see Frozen.  I really liked it.  That's not what I want to talk about though.  At the end I saw that Disney had based this movie on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.  VERY loosely based.
From what I remember the Snow Queen stole children. Well, at least one boy and his close friend had to look for him.  It was quite an adventure, all wrapped up in lessons for the little ones.
The Snow Queen had the boy trapped and he had to spell Eternity in ice pieces in order to get away.  Of course, the friend saves the boy with her love and the Snow Queen isn't around so they go home and live happily ever after.
Do you know the real story of The Little Mermaid?  Equally charming.  She gets legs but her feet feel like daggers and she is in constant pain.  In spite of saying he loves her, the prince marries another  and the little mermaid goes back to the sea and becomes foam.
Now, here is what I think.  I think old Hans was clinically depressed.
Really.  I'm just sayin'.

Just Sayin'

I promise you no spoilers in this post unless you think the Cap walked through the whole movie and didn't fight anyone.

It occurred to me about two thirds of the way into the movie that all those bad guys shot at Captain America and their bullets bounced off his amazing shield.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not for bad guys but I wonder why not one of them thought to shoot him in the legs.  They were sticking out there the whole time.  After ten of your bullets bounced off a shield, wouldn't you rethink your strategy? 
I know that  would be a boring movie but I'm just sayin'.

Four Eyes

OK, I have to admit I need my glasses all the time now.  For instance, I couldn't read a recipe the other day.  I sent my friend, John, a message and I called him Jphn.  I joked about it but it sent it home, Sue, wear your glasses!
It's not that I hate wearing glasses. I actually have a new pair that I just love.  But when I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is open my computer and look at my mail and Facebook.(Just keep the comments to yourselves please)
I CAN'T READ THEM!
I can still watch the television without them and go to the movies without them but that's pretty much it.  I even wear them to shave my legs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, it's all part of the journey of getting older but it is just so frustrating.  Just ask Jphn.

Chew Vigerously

Shopping for a new car isn't fun.  Not anymore.  It should be fun but the rising prices and the huge payments are draining all the fun out of it.  Nevertheless, sometimes you have to buy a car.  That happened to us so we went out "shopping" for a new to us car.
We really wanted a brand spankin' car but no can do so we had to think previously owned.  In other words, used.
Used car lots brought up visions of sleazy salesmen, cars that had been in accidents, old cars, junk cars and the buyer getting cheated for many, many years.  It seems like that is a thing of the past at least if you go to a reputable dealership.
So long story short, we found a car that we liked and as we discussed the details, the salesman asked if we had a trade and we said yes.  We told him what it was and he said he thought they would give DH a fair price on his old car or he could sell it outright to someone else.  OK, here is where the foot in mouth came in.  Helpful Hannah(that would be me) says, "Oh, I'd never let him sell that car to someone else."  Whoops!  It just fell out of my mouth.  The only saving grace is I didn't call it a pile of crap!

Paranoia Strikes Deep

So yesterday I went to the grocery store and stocked up for the week.  I pulled into a great space and started walking towards the store.  The man collecting carts says to me, "Lady, you went through a stop sign."  I DID NOT!!  "Lady, you went through a stop sign and didn't even look."  I DID NOT!!! Just note here, I said nothing of the kind.  I was too scared.
As he got closer I wondered if he was going to hit me or yell at me more or citizen arrest me.  He got closer and said,"Lady, you were on your cell phone."  NO, I WASN'T!  Still silent...still thinking I might get punched.
When the guy is right by me he says "Somebody's going to get killed."  Now I am about to wet my pants.  He finishes by saying, "Right?" to me!
OMG He isn't going to kill me or arrest me. He's talking about someone else and he just wants me to agree with him.  I nodded my head and scurried to the door.

Finally!

I just read a list of 75 things that sound crazy but are fact.  It was a fun read and I hope everyone read it....really.  Especially number 70:
. Peanuts are not nuts. They grow in the ground, so they are legumes.. Peanuts are not nuts. They grow in the ground, so they are legumes.

DH is allergic to nuts but not peanuts.  I think he has told about a zillion people that.  Now I think he should just keep copies of this blog in his pocket and hand them out to save his breath!

OMG!!!

I never thought these ponies would be part of some raging controversy but here they are stuck in the middle of a royal battle.
Now, I don't know all the details and I don't know if the school is messed up or not.  I don't know what the principal or the board of education said.
Having admitted all that, what the heck is wrong with that mother??????????  A nine year old boy is in third grade or maybe even fourth.  Did that mom never go to school?  She thought her kid could just walk in with that book bag and nobody would say anything???????
Maybe the kid was naïve enough to think it was hunky-dory but any adult should be able to tell you that the whole nightmare was just waiting to happen as soon as that kid stepped out of the house.
Kids make fun of everything!!!!!!!!!!  My kid got teased about his freckles, my nephew's red hair was another thing kids teased about.  Now teasing has escalated in the last few years into bullying. 
If that mom did not know her kid would be bullied over that book bag then she needs some child development classes and do an observation at any elementary school in the nation.  She should have told him to use it at home to save important papers.  I know he has the right to like what he likes but there comes a time when a mom is supposed to PROTECT her child and sending him off to school that way was the opposite.   She threw him straight into the lion's den.

Celebrate!!!!!!!!

I am so so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  My DD is coming home....for good.  That's right, no more 5 hour flights or 5 hour drives to lay eyes on her.  She will be right here!
There is something special about our relationship.  We just click.  Oh, we had some problems when she was younger but nothing we couldn't get over and now we are the best of friends.
She loves shopping and so do I.  We will go and buy her some new clothes for the new job she has.  I knew she would get that job. I prayed about it and I just had the sense  it was all going to work out.  You just have to have faith, you know?
Oh, gosh, I know I'm rambling but my  happiness is just overflowing into my typing.  I haven't even made too many mistakes.
What I just want to say is I am so happy she will be here with us. She is my DD.

March 17. 2014

Well, Hello There

You know how I told you there were all those guys on my inbox ads who wanted to date me?  I had to let them down gently.
Well, now the other team is up to bat.  Sorry, girls.  No can do.  I'm married and it's to a man.

Back to the Future

I was paying bills this morning.  I don't have a lot of them but they still need to get done, you know?  So, most of them are done on line but I still write a few checks.
The last one I wrote today was check # 2014.
Sooo, the next time I write a check I'll be in the future but still back here. See?
I don't know why that cracks me up, but it does.

Twins? or Who wore it better?

Isn't she lovely? Bet you didn't know she has a twin and their mother likes to dress them alike.

No wonder Calista didn't get any face time.  LOL

Happy Days

SON is engaged to be married.  I am so proud and happy for them.  He is a wonderful son and she is a lovely girl. I'm going to do my darnedest to be a great mother in law!

Read Across America

The Exploding Brain

I used to tell my kids that I had too much imput and had to have some solitude.  It didn't happen often, the solitude, I mean but the overloaded brain happens to me a lot.
Right now, many things in my life are changing. None of them are bad.  Actually, they are all wonderful.  But they are all happening at the same time and my poor old brain just can't keep up.
So some things have slid, like writing this blog.  I know I never have a lot to say and it is hardly ever anything deep or meaningful but it is a good outlet and keeps me busy.
My other blog, Read Around Sue, can't go by the wayside.  I have made commitments to too many authors.
I have lists galore.  One is for things I need to buy.  One is for things that need to be done around the house.  One is for errands. One is for dinners.  One is for dates I have to keep.  The lists are scattered around the house...strategically placed (I hope) to remind me of all that is to be done.
They always say that the brain is like a computer.  Well, mine needs an update!

Just Stuff

 

This is Jacques Pepin.  He is a famous chef.  This is how I remember him.  Today he was on Rachael Ray's show.  This is him now.

 

You know time really does fly.  I hardly even recognized him.  That's what happens when you don't keep up with your famous chefs.

 

I was never a girl scout.  I was a Blue Bird.  Not that it matters but in Blue Birds they didn't make you sell cookies.  I guess the matter has gotten a bit out of hand and the girls are asked to sell so many boxes some of them go to extreme lengths to sell them.  One scout had the bright idea to sell cookies outside a Medical Marijuana building.  The kid sold out in 45 minutes.

And we all know why!!!

How did James Spader go from this

to this

and I don't mean because he's older!

Actually if I put a picture of myself in my youth and a picture of me today, I'd probably look that much different too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Reality Check

Well, this guy is a drinker.  He is from my soap opera and as much as he tries)and it's not much) he always returns to the bottle.  On the night of the drink above he went on to drink himself into oblivion, took a gun and killed a woman.  Then he had no memory of doing so.  I think that's called a blackout.
Well, he got out of it because there was lack of evidence but he is still torn with guilt because he's pretty sure he did it.  If only he could remember.  So what does this guy do?  He starts carrying a flask and walks around a little drunk all the time.
But now there's been a miracle.  He is starting to remember.  The drunker he gets, the more clear it becomes.  Apparently if you swill enough vodka, your memory returns.
What has that to do with me?  Well, I am having my own reality check today.  I started painting one of the bedrooms upstairs and after I cut in, I started to roll.  I was on my knees, climbed a stepladder, rolled that roller up and down for an hour and a half. I AM EXHAUSTED.  The room is nowhere near to done.  I, however, am a big, fat, sweaty, sweaty, MESS!!
So I am taking a break.  Perhaps I should imbibe a little vodka.....seems to work for that soap opera guy!

Kia Twins

Well, you know I always get excited when I see a Kia just like my little Alien. I see one almost every day or so it seems.  I have to push down the urge to wave to them like I am six.
Today I saw a Kia Soul just like mine as I entered the freeway.  It was way back but it caught up to me.  I was going to wave a little hello just for the heck of it but I chickened out.  Thank goodness I did because on the back window there was a sticker......of a SKULL!!!!!!!!  OMG! A Badass Soul.  Never thought I'd see the day.
Remember when they tried to make the little Kia Hamsters look like they lived in the hood? They were supposed to be badass.  Didn't really work for a car that little old ladies are driving around my town in.  In case you don't here they are

Then they tried to doll them up.  Little old ladies are still flocking to buy Souls.  I don't think that is the crowd they were trying to lure with these guys

Now really don't they look like the Cary Grants of hamsterdom?  I'm sure they were hoping some young women would be tempted by the Soul from this ad but in my neck of the woods, little old ladies are still the biggest Kia Soul fans!

If Kia ever figures that out be prepared to see Grandpa Hamsters in their rocking chairs but they'll jump at the chance to get into a Soul. Why should they?  Just think of the "chicks" they could meet!

Just Sayin'

I just wanted you to know that I have been carrying around this bottle of Grey Poupon for the last twenty minutes.  Why, you ask???

No particular reason.  I just keep forgetting to put it in the pantry.