Happy Halloween!

I am just grumpy. Knowing that, let me say that I could give Halloween away. Only because of this: it is just one more event that reminds me I don't have my act together. I didn't sew any great costumes, I didn't buy any great costumes, and the kids don't really look like they dressed up. Kacy was Little Red Riding Hood, and she looked the part. The boys wanted to be Army guys, so I bought them desert camo pants and tees, figuring they could wear them again. Kacy likes to dress up, but the boys freaked when I put the new clothes on them. What is with them? I'm afraid they are a bit like me- they don't like change. New clothes=change. They were all REALLY good at the Trunk-or-Treat though. Ryan had to work, so it was me and the kiddos. Kacy took Ed around to the cars and they got their buckets filled with candy. Will wanted me to go with him, but I couldn't as I was passing out the candy. My car decorations were lame. I have issues. Kacy was perfect- she helped with Ed, and then politely asked me if it was okay to stay in the parking lot and visit with her friends. I nearly choked. I'm not that surprised, but it just showed me how she's growing up and I like the direction it's going. Of course I told her "yes," how could I not? Will stayed and helped me pass out candy. He caused me no grief about running around. Ed was on his monkey leash, and besides his wardrobe malfunction (his pants were too big and spent most of the night around his ankles...), he was great. He ate four hot dogs (not the buns), and then sat in the back part of my car with his candy between his legs, eating away. Jessie spent the night in my baby backpack watching everyone. I kept thinking "Is this worth it?" All the scrambling, the not so great costumes, the calories? I got my answer on the way home when Kacy said "Mom, I had a lot of fun tonight. I can't wait for next year. Do you think next year you can make me a princess dress, but without wings? That would be the best." Next year she's going to be a princess, and the boys are going to be Army guys again. Except next year they'll carry guns. It make it seem more complete. Or a helmet? Flak jackets?

**Unrelated mommy moments I want to remember- Today in the car, Will was sitting up front with me. He was playing with the mirror and said "Hey Mom, see those bumps on my tongue? Those are my taste buds. That's how I taste food. See? " (Picture it- go ahead- a four year old who didn't brush his teeth this morning, but DID eat orange candy pumpkins in the car, sticking his tongue out as far as possible.) Then he said, "Hey Mom. (It's always Hey Mom.) What's that thing hanging down in the back of my throat?" So we got to have the uvula conversation! He thought it was so cool that milk could come out of your nose if the hanging down thing didn't do it's job. He said "Ah ha ha- that's cool! And gross!"
Last night in the car we were listening to George Strait and the song said something about "in love". Kacy asked me what that meant, so I told her it was a love different than how you love Mom and Dad, a love like you want to marry someone. She leaned over, touched my arm, and said in a quiet voice "Mom, Spencer says he is in love with me." I said, "Who?" She replied, "You know, Spencer. He says we are going to get married someday, but I don't love him that way. I love him because he's my cousin. Mom, who AM I going to marry?" I thought it was cute that Spencer is holding out for Kacy (he's got EXCELLENT taste), and I was impressed that Kacy knew the difference.

Dirty kids, an addiction, and adopting/adapting

#1- Why are my kids so dirty all the time? Today at the bus stop, I told Kacy to tie her shoes, because I was holding Jessie and could not. So she plopped down and her pink jeans looked like they hadn't been washed in years. Then we get ready to go to playgroup and the boys go outside before me. The dog was out, and between the boys and the dog, the boys ended up filthy and nasty in less than three minutes. My reputation is on the line! I either don't take notice that my kids are filthy, or I don't care. And the fact that I had a sweat shirt on and they didn't- it makes it look like I care more about my own comfort and hygiene than theirs. The complicated truth is that they didn't have sweat shirts on because the brand spankin' fresh laundry I did yesterday was covered in dog slime and dirt. So they were removed. The complicated truth is that I also just can't keep up with my kids. AND because I read other people's blogs and see these cute pictures of kids in the pumpkin patch with the girls hair all perfect, coordinating outfits, and no dirt anywhere on the boys makes me both envious and inadequate.

#2- I am considering taking a blog hiatus because I think I'm addicted to the Internet and spend more time with my computer than with my kids. It all started innocently enough- I was going mental with the cartoons my kids watch, so I busied myself with blogs. Now I'm intertwined with these lives of people, some of whom I've never even met, and I'm wasting time. I can't quit online completely because our playgroup is online, and well as my English class. But I'm gonna cut back.

#3-Go vote. Pick a side, and vote the way you feel is best. I've gotten just a smidgen of flack from both sides of Prop 8, and have also remembered some people who read this (or who will in the future) haven't ever met me, and only know me from my ramblings. So here's the naked truth about how I feel about it: I have decided not to be a fence sitter. As a law abiding and participating citizen of the state I live in, I have to make a choice between marriage between a man and a woman, or marriage between any two people. I am making the choice to vote for the man/woman marriage. Now, if it doesn't pass (I don't think it will...) I will not be upset. I will not make any outcries. I will not pull my kids out of public school. Funny thing about not getting your way is that it teaches to adapt. Not ADOPT, but adapt. I will not change my mind about WHY I am voting the way I am (adopting), but I might have to work harder as a parent to make sure my kids are taught what I believe to be right. I don't believe in drinking alcohol. Do I condemn my friends who do? Do I make a big deal out of it? Does it make me a bigot because I don't believe in drinking alcohol? Am I brainwashing my kids by teaching them not to drink? I say "No". I hate politics for this very reason: 90% of people cannot disagree on something, and still be friends. They can't argue without remaining rational. And on the issue, rationality has all but flown out the window. Okay, I think WAY too much. I'm going to Costco and buying ice cream.

On the menu tonight...

Steamed butternut squash with goat cheese. YUM!
Let me just say that I love the winter squash family. They can sit on your counter for ages, and never go bad. They are good for babies. Put a little garlic salt on them and you are set! This is how I prepare my butternut squash. (I need to try roasting them in chunks with Olive Oil and some kind of herb!) First, I cut off a hunk that I want. If it contains the seedy part, I scrape that part into the trash. Then I put the hunk on a plate (or if my ONE plate is otherwise engaged, a Pyrex dish) with a bit of water, maybe a 1/4 cup? and then cover with that dreaded plastic wrap and nuke it in the microwave for about 7-8 minutes, sometimes longer. You know it's done when you can easily scrap it out of it's hard outer shell. I then sprinkle it with garlic salt (that should be a food group, garlic salt...) and maybe put other things on it. Sour cream as a side dish for Mexican food, cheese, or BBQ sauce; my favorite topping was the Manchego cheese. Manchego is a hard goat cheese. Nutty in flavor- it's a special treat for Ryan because it's so expensive. I got it today for $20.00 a pound. Did I say it's a SPECIAL treat? Oh, but it's SO GOOD.

I got that cheese when I went to the grocery store without my kids. Thank-you Marcie! I didn't even hesitate when she offered. I try to go to the store when I'm near, and today we had a Primary Presidency meeting. I was also out of food. I told the boys to get ready to go to Vons, and Marcie offered to keep them. Usually I weigh the option with "Will my kids torture me or her more?" Not today. Today I flew out the door without looking back because I knew my tired boys would make me miserable. And I went so fast! It was quiet and nice. Ahhhh.

And for the record, this is what I did today:
Primary Presidency meeting
made some phone calls
sewed up Kacy's hood/cape for her Red Riding Hood costume
dishes, twice
swept the floor
cleaned mold out of a hand-me-down freezer
picked up construction debris and filled up our dumpster
took out the house trash
laughed when Ed said "Look Mom, it's duh ribber!" when it was actually the lake. We argued before I gave up and said "Yup, it's a ribber, Ed."
Made dinner (see above, plus grilled beef/turkey burgers), grapes, and cheese
fed/watered the dog
blogged
and before I go to sleep, I will bathe four kids, sweep the floor again, pick up toys, go through the mail, and work on some homework. Hey, I might even shower because I need it. I just rubbed my face and dirt came off of it. I am less grimy than Ed, but not by much. Gross. Even putting myself in the same category as Ed gives me the eebie-jeebies. Shower for sure.
Let's add this: Get peed on by Jessie, because she was wrapped up in a towel after her bath, sitting on my lap while a caught a snippet of news. NICE!

I'm scared and a little sickened

...about our country and the news media and Obama.
#1- our country is full of ungrateful, selfish brats. Is it really common thought that we deserve so much? We have SO MUCH. Electricity, running water, shopping malls, cars, fuel, food that is regulated for our safety, schools, daycare (because you know if you can't afford it, the gov't pays for it...) ah- the list goes on and on. I am so sick of the news saying that Americans are so dissatisfied with the way things are going. I am so sick of Obama saying "We need a CHANGE!" What kind of change do we need? Seriously- maybe because I'm totally wacky here in my little world, but I don't believe that every American deserves everything. I believe you should work for your stuff, and honestly, flat screen TV's and iPods don't count as stuff. (You know my hubby is in law enforcement, and he "gets to" go into houses sometimes to help the Sheriffs and he has said that he can not believe that people will live in nasty, dirty filth and claim to be poor, but have newer cars and plasma TV's and what appears to be four years worth of Tuesday DVD releases from Walmart.)
#2- News media- see above. They perpetuate it all.
#3- Scares the crap out of me (nice, eh?) that this man can't produce a birth certificate showing he was born in the US. I cannot enroll my kids in school without a REAL live birth certificate, yet he could very well be the president. No regard for the rules, so what is he gonna do as president? He wants to change everything Bush has done, so what's that? Let back in the terrorists and raise taxes? According to his tax plan those in the lowest tax bracket will make money from tax returns. ya- they won't pay any into the system because they don't make enough, AND they'll get a refund. No joke, not kidding.

Understand that I was raised with this background: You work hard, you move up. Spend wisely. Your car should never be worth more than your house. One grandpa built houses and farmed a little. My grandparents were frugal and made a little money on wise investments. My other grandpa served in the Navy during WWII and then started his employment with Standard Oil in the mail room. He and my grandma rented a room from a Russian lady in San Fransisco where the bathrooms and kitchen were down the hall. He stuck with it and retired from Standard Oil/Chevron as the Land Manager of the Western Division of the USA. He talked to me a few times about not being snotty about what job you have, that employment and self sufficiency is very important. My dad owns his own small business, and there was two years of my childhood that he didn't get a paycheck. We lived off of a small early retirement account that he had from quitting his job as a diesel mechanic foreman. He started working there when he was 17 or so and swept the floors. He left a foreman and then opened his own shop. He worked hard. (Too hard...) It infuriates me that hard workers are expected to pay for services for lazy people. And those who are genuinely poor, and TRYING to do their best, they will get help. Because most of us help each other out. Everyone I know would help a neighbor in a heartbeat if they were able. I was also raised in a church that has it's own welfare program, where members of the congregation donate money that goes into a food bank of sorts. This is then passed out in both food stuffs and sometimes cash to help those in a rough patch. We also have an employment system to help people find jobs. And it really seems to work well. No one is a "lifer" on this system because our church is all about being self reliant and getting out of/staying out of debt.

I think I'll quit the politics for awhile. Your getting this because I'm worried, and confused about how so many people can be so screwed up in their thinking. Yes- I may have just called you screwed up. Not really sorry- if you are going to vote for Obama I think you need to re-evaluate how much you like the Constitution. And screwed up if you think you deserve more than you do.

ONE more thing- did you know that you have to have parental consent to use a tanning bed if under the age of 18, but not to get an abortion? And that the clinic doesn't have to tell the parents or a relative? Again, does this make sense? CA is putting a proposition on the ballet to require parental/relative NOTIFICATION (not consent) of abortions. And opponents think this is hideous and violates rights of minors. This does not make sense. In case you were wondering, I am voting NO on all bond measures, NO on rehabilitating drug offenders with no jail time, and yes on marriage between one man and one woman, and yes on parental notification for abortions, and NO on mandatory "chickens spreading their wings" cages. And because I believe that McCain is a democrat and Obama is a Marxist/Socialist I will vote for McCain. I can live with a Democrat. A foreign born Marxist who wants to change everything about America? NO THANK-YOU.
I'm sending a Thank-you card to Bush. He has kept me safe. And given me tax rebates. Gracias!

Okay, I'm done and from now on it'll be about my kids, our house building, and what happens to us from day to day. Now, on to bathtime and my homework...

Look at me! Look at me!

I am not a "Look at me!" person- and it's a little silly that these two pictures have me in them. But I was working (this "work" was not hard, but like laundry, is tedious. My feet hurt after a few hours and the sun was a bit much. But, it wasn't hard.), and Ryan was the one taking the pictures. So was his dad- it was a complete role reversal while they were waiting for Cherie and I to get the insulation going. And, I will admit that it is completely unnerving to have people just start taking your picture. Now I know how annoying that can be, but that's not going to stop me from doing it. This is the cellulose insulation. It's messy stuff. Clean in the way of no fumes, no chemicals. It's all recycled, and I'm so GREEN. I like this picture because of the background- check out the sage in bloom. It's the most vibrant yellow!

Ryan shot this from up on the stairs. You know that weird metal structure in the middle of our house? (See below...) It is the skeleton of a floating staircase that wraps around a fireplace. Ryan climbed up there and shot this- please ignore the construction mess in the background. All that foil insulation (that gave me a most awesome farmers tan!) is now covered up, and the grey cellulose insulation is covered by 1 1/8 inch plywood. We now no longer have to balance on the floor joists! Hey dad- If I were you I would seriously consider putting this foil stuff in the walls before you insulate- it adds an R-value of 9 to the walls, and you know the better the house is insulated, the less you have to pay. And grandma M- if you are reading this, I am this close (think of my thumb and pointer finger about 1/4 inch apart) to coming over to your house and checking out your attic for insulation. Your energy bill should NOT have been that much! I could seriously insulate your attic in a day.

Our sub-floor, explained

That shiny stuff between the floor joists is Reflectix foil backed bubble wrap. It is a great radiant heat barrier, and in a floor like this gives an R-value of 14. Up on a roof it is 9, and around walls is 8. It's very thin (less than a 1/4 inch?) and easy to work with. Let me tell you from my personal experience that this stuff is RE-FLEC-TIVE. You know those old tanning thingies that you can hold so your neck gets tan? NO? (Never used one myself, just saw on TV) Or a solar oven? Or even the front windshield sun blockers? That's similar to this stuff. I am tan! The hardest part of this project is balancing on the floor joist, and then squatting up and down, and up and down.
Here is just part of the sub floor, to show the sleepers Ryan and his dad put in. The foil stuff sits on top of this. Yesterday Ryan ran a line so we could have an ice maker. We have not had ice in over two years. The first year of trailer life I attempted, but we just don't have the room, so I gave up completely. Plus we have more mouths to feed= less freezer space. It's the little things! Anyway, as of right now, all this is filled with that foil stuff, and tomorrow morning I'm supposed to start stapling it all down. Not really excited about being back up on those floor joists. But it's almost the last day. Friday we are supposed to put on the sub floor and blow in cellulose insulation. It was breezy today, and if it's that windy on Friday, we will have to postpone. Or think of something different.
Our helper Jessie- this was to keep her safe from the boys. I tried keeping her in the stroller with shade, but she quickly let me know that was unacceptable. Today she sat on our picnic blanket in the shade while we worked. And can I just say that my boys are the filthiest kids on the planet when they are made to watch us work for four hours? They are gross. I patted Ed's head and dust came up out of it. Oh! And I have to document two moments of maturity for our boys. The first was with Will. George got out of his cage this morning before we woke up, and got into yesterdays trash. He spread plastic bags and labels everywhere. I told Will he needed to help me by picking up the trash. He did it. He didn't complain. He did a good job of it without me having to remind him of his task. WOW. The second moment of maturity was with Ed. I was SO HAPPY- this is just a little thing, but SO BIG to me. I couldn't see Ed, and Ryan spotted him over by our trailer. I still couldn't see him, and told Ryan I was going to test Ed. So I yell "Ed, where are you?" and he answered "Wight here!" mimicking my tune. I was so happy because not too long ago he used to hide from us and NOT respond when we called his name. Sweet relief- I may not lose him after all.

Prop 8 AGAIN! and house insulation

Oh yes- here I go again. Just an observation: I worked in Kacy's classroom this morning, and a new reading theme was introduced. The theme this week is FAMILIES. Last week was birds, the week before was colors... (Jocelyn- Spencer has the same...) This is a Houghton-Mifflin curriculum, so the teacher isn't picking the themes, just following the books. She got to the part where they talked about how different families are made up, moms, dads, grandmas, aunts, uncles, all of that. Then she said that different people might live with you in your house, and different people might take care of you, and included foster parents. No big deal, seemed pretty normal to me. But my thought was this: I've read both sides of the argument for prop 8, and the against side says it's intentions are not to teach gay marriage in schools. And I beleive them. They want marriage. But it will be taught nontheless. It would HAVE to be. And yes, even to Kindergardeners. That totally disturbs me. Now, Kacy's teacher said that the school board does have control over the final adoption of curriculum and that if they don't agree with the state approved curriculum they could pay extra to adopt the one of their choosing. And our school board is FULL of old guys who farm and hunt. They are conservative. So I'm not worried for our school district. But I do wonder if religious freedom will be taken away from school teachers who don't believe in gay marriage (again, based on religious beliefs) if they refuse to mention it? Pharmasists don't have to prescribe birth control if it's against their beliefs, but I wonder if the same kind of clause will be in effect for teachers? Hmmm...

This week is a big house building week (Hallelujah chorus in background...) We are insulating the subfloor so we can get the sublfoor sheathed. (Sheeted? Again with those building terms!) I'll post pictures along the way, and when the floor is on I'm going to roll around on it laughing deliriously. Maybe. But since I'm so self conscious I'll just think about doing it. Because you know what happens after the floor is on? YOU FRAME THE WALLS!!!! The excitement makes my head pound. Woo-hoo!

A snippet

This morning Ed was doing something annoying- I don't remember what exactly, but there was a lot going on in that minute with all the kids.
Me: "Ed, you're not helping..."
Ed: "Not hopping? Otay- boing boing boing!" as he starts to hop all over the trailer. And then he just laughed and laughed. I believe the move was calculated...

My political stand, and why

I tend to shy away from political discussions- I hate the contention that is usually associated with every one's opinions. But this prop 8 thing is important. I know that opponents of prop 8 will call me a small minded, hateful, Christian freak (just from comments from other people's blogs- so sad, really) --- take away all that anti-religious stuff, take away the fact that countless studies have come to the same conclusion that the best situation for a raising a family is a mother and a father (thank you Sociology 101, and that family sociology class I had to take...). Forget the idea that it's possible for gay marriage to be taught in school (a first grade field trip already? School sponsored? Go here for the story.) I had this random thought today while thinking about Prop 8: If marriage is going to be allowed between any two people who love each other, then we are going to have to let brothers and sisters get married, fathers to daughters, mothers to sons, and those kissing cousins. As long as they love each other, right? My voting yes on this proposition is not about hating anyone- it takes a lot (A LOT) for me to get mad at anyone. This is about the definition of a social institution that has been around for ages. Is marriage only about love? If it is, then any two people can be married. (And I seriously would not be surprised if this led to litigation because someone wants to marry their dog... anything can happen here in the good ol' USA.) Just something to think about- if you are sitting on the fence, or think "What's the harm of two people who love each other getting married?" then you will also need to be comfortable with the possibilities of siblings and family members getting married. Same difference. Two people=ANY two people. And if sibling marriages are not allowed, that's not really fair, is it? Prop 8 only changes the constitution of CA to read that marriage is between one man and one woman. All the domestic partnership laws don't change. Vote yes on Prop 8 to preserve the definition of marriage that our society has accepted forever.

An Incident with Crystal Lite

You know when you make Crystal Lite, and you pour the powder into the pitcher, and some of the invisible powder particles fly into your nose and it burns a little, and you can kind of taste it in the back of your throat? NO? It's just me then. Anyway, this happens to me all the time, unless I remember to turn my head a bit. Well, imagine that burn up the nose because the contents of eight Crystal Lite packages were strewn into the air and onto the floor of your kitchen (which also happens to be my living room and dining room, living in the trailer and all...). Where was I? Who did this? I was showering. Something I don't get to do often enough, and this is why. I get out of the shower, still wearing my towel (the smell gets my curiosity) and when I open the door, Ed had poured out all the packets onto the floor, and was starting on my baby formula. It was not pretty, it was not fun, and it took four Swiffer moppings to get it all. AND Ed somehow sustained a cut on the top of his foot and kept saying "Oww! Oww! Mom! It hurts!"... the cut was bleeding just a little, but it was covered in Crystal Lite. Ouch. Whatever. I suppose I should try to arrange my showers when my kids are unconscious (becuase of sleep, of course). Some might say, "You should put that stuff up higher!" and don't you think I would if I could? It could've been worse- peanut butter for example (so sorry for that clean up Eliza)!

Warning: Grocery shopping can be harzardous to your health!

In true Ed and Will fashion, they crashed a shopping cart today. They convinced me we NEEDED candy corn, and while I turned my back to peruse the goods, they tipped the cart over. Heads were hit, fingers smashed, knees bruised, tears shed. It was not a pretty sight, and I'm grateful Ed didn't break his hand, or that Will got a concussion. Ed's nasty, dirty, nose picking (and eating- eww) fingers can now add the adjectives "swollen and bruised". The thing is, I only had the three kids, as Kacy was in school. I still made a shopping cart train, where I put the boys in their own cart and Jessie and the food in the other. I then pull the kids behind me using my left hand while pushing the other cart in front of me with my right. It's the only way. I only turned my back for a second. This happened to me recently when Kacy and Will were hanging on the back of the cart (where the handle is), and I had told them not to do that. Being the super good listeners they are, they did it anyway and less than a minute later they were on the ground, shopping cart on top of them. It was in more of a slow motion that time, and since my back wasn't turned I was able to help slow the fall by catching the cart at the last second. They still fell and heads were banged, tears were shed, but nothing serious. Ryan pointed out the common denominator: Will. He might not go shopping with me anymore. He crashes carts. And he insists I buy things like candy corn, Little Debbie snacks, and ice cream.

A Warm Sock

It is Fah-Reezing!!!! Really- it's 57 degrees in the trailer, and it's 45 outside, with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour. I know how hard the wind blows now just by sitting on my bed and observing the outside. Since we live in a trailer, it has become something I've learned- if I fear that the trailer is going to blow away, the wind is at least 70mph. If if just shakes and makes me slightly nauseated, then it's in the 40-50 mph range. Good thing the trailer is not broad side to the wind- we had one storm a year and half ago that blew all the dirt out from our trailer and cars. Houses lost roofs- the wind blew at 70mph for 14 hours. Anyway, our trailer is wearing out. RV's are not made to live in. They are made for camping. Knowing that, ours had held up pretty darn well for three years and four little kids. However, the battery/electrical is on the fritz. It's unpredictable (hence the "fritz"?) and tonight is a bad night. What that means for us is this: the battery system controls the propane regulators for the fridge, the hot water heater, and the heater. Since the batteries are so low on power right now, if I turn on anything, alarms and sensors start screeching. Our regular plugs work just fine... we have TV, computer, and lamps. But no "hot" anything. Now, our friend Kenny lent us a battery charger, but it is really, really dark outside, and really, really cold, I don't feel like being a hero. I warmed the kids blankets in the dryer, and I made them "warm socks".
Here's what you do: Take a cute sock and fill it with rice. It had to be a cute sock (not really, and I took my "not cutest" socks for tonight). It can be white or brown rice. I put three cups of rice into each sock, tied a not in the top (and if the kids are actually going to touch the sock, then sew it closed or tie it tight and have a talk about NOT untying the sock.) Put it in the microwave for a minute and a half (or more...) and then you can use it for sore muscles, necks, or like me tonight- for warming up beds. It's the princess version of the camping trick of putting warm rocks in your sleeping bag. They are completely reusable. Keep them dry. If you really want them relaxing, get some lavendar essential oil and put a drop or two in there. I'm not that fancy though. I think I'll go make me some. As soon as Ryan gets home, he'll fix everything, but this will do until then.

Another hiking note- we went again yesterday, about 3 miles this time, and the kids did great. We all get a little workout, they get to see plants and bugs and stuff, and it tires them out. They think it's fun, but I think if we are going to make it a habit, the boys need better shoes. "Vans" are not made for hiking- a good athletic sneaker or hiking boot might be in the works for Christmas. As well as a little fanny pack with water bottle and small first aid kit for them. Someone always seems to bleed a little.

****Edit- it's 11pm, and I'm up finishing homework online. My trailer is a frigid 55degrees. It's so cold that when Ed peed in his diaper, it woke him up with him saying "I'm poopin mom, I peed!" I took care of the wet diaper and he went back to bed, but I thought that it was funny. I've heard of people peeing in there wetsuits to get warm in the ocean. Same concept? And sorry if you are disgusted by my potty talk. I've just got done analyzing poetry through a topic lens and need a break from academia, alright? ****

The Stock Market is Having a Sale!

Stocks are plunging, and I have finally lost some money- I'm sure of it. I checked my stocks a couple of days ago and I was still about even, but I'm sure after today (DJIA down 600+ points!) I lost more money. But I'm still not worried about the economy. Why? Because we have employment. Because we have very little debt, and even that bugs me to pieces, so the sooner it goes away, the better. And since the market is in such a horrible state, I think I'll buy some more of something. I have no idea what, but everything is on sale right now, so to speak. I'm a little worried that our society thinks we are in a pit of money despair, because with our sometimes sheep-like behavior fueled by the media, it's like a chain reaction. It's our own faults though- most of us live beyond our means. I just cannot feel sorry for someone who bought a house they couldn't afford. And if that house is outfitted with matching furniture and a flat screen TV (with cable, of course...) well... I'm heartless. Maybe living in a trailer has made my heart hard. Having a home is a luxury, not a right. Anyhow, I'm sure this whole thing will be blamed on everyone else- it's always someone else's fault, right? And why aren't financial classes (and child development classes) mandatory in High School? Seriously- we all have to deal with money. Ah, but that's my own personal agenda- one of those "If I was in charge of the world" things.

Anyone have any stock picks? I like stocks in the $20-30 range so I can actually afford more than two stocks. I would LOVE to own some Berkshire-Hathaway (because See's Candy falls under that umbrella), but last year the shares were $130,000 a piece. With my Sharebuilder/ING account, I could own about .00001 of a share. I don't have a lot of money in the stock market- I just want enough to but a washer and dryer for my new house. The fancy front loading, water saving, high capacity ones.

A hiking we will go

Today we took a hike. By my best estimates it was about three and a half miles. The kids did a great job. I wear Jessie on my back, and I drag our landscaping wagon behind me in case the kids get tired. It is their job to help me push it up the hills. Boy am I beat. We walked for two hours. I'd like to think it was the water breaks we took that made us take so long, and the incident with George and the cows (thanks for protecting us from those crazy bovines, George...) I made the kids ride in the wagon when we were going slightly downhill for about a 1/4 mile, and then I made Ed get in the wagon for the last 1/2 mile because he was done. He didn't think he was, but he was falling behind. We all had cereal for dinner, and my feet hurt. And, we all stink.
Jessie is seven months old- and when she thinks she's missing something and she's in her crib, she lifts up her bumper to see what is going on. The first few times she did this I laughed so hard I cried.
I painted this picture in Kindergarten of an oak tree and gave it to my grandma Sorensen long, long ago. Like 26 years ago... She has saved it all these years and gave it back to me, so I took a picture of it as a way to preserve it. It wasn't on acid free paper and all that, so it won't last long. This way, I have a copy of what I did without the storage issue. It'll be published in my blog book in January.
This is a random picture of the sky I took last week. I thought the clouds looked cool. So there you are.

Other than that, we are boring, boring, boring. And that is NOT a complaint. We are so busy, and Saturday I actually had nothing to do. So I did NOTHING. No laundry, no homework, no floors cleaned, stayed in our jammies all day- it was great. Now we are back to "stuff", and it's great too. Lazy people die early- so at this rate I should live to be 100, easy. (But do I want to? Only if I'm no more mental than I already am, and I can still get myself to the bathroom. Then 100 is cool. If not, well I better be nice to my kids and grandkids so they'll take care of me well.)

Our random going ons

***Kacy told me yesterday that the principal of her school is the boss of all the teachers, but she's a girl and should not be the PRINCipal, but the QUEENiple. Right on, sister.

***Took the girls to the doctor today (as well as Target, Walmart, the carwash, the bank...) and Kacy might have allergies with post nasal drip that is causing this nasty cough at night and in the morning. Her lungs are clear, so the doc said to give her Zyrtec (or the Target brand) and see if that helps. Jessie on the other hand had a rough week: a really high fever for 8 hours last Sunday, grumpy baby Thursday through Sunday afternoon, and then Tuesday I noticed she had crust coming out of her ears. Fluid stuff. So in she went today, and her right ear is infected, and the left is so bad the doc couldn't see the eardrum, and with the amount of fluid said her eardrum is probably perferated and will heal on it's own. She has antibiotics.

***A few days ago I saw a red tailed hawk fly up from the ground with a red racer snake in it's mouth. The snake was a good four to five feet long, and of course I didn't have my camera. It's like Wild Kingdom out here. And it reminded me of the Mexican flag, except I think that has an eagle and rattlesnake. Close enough.

*** Ryan came back from his Nevada trip. He cooked good food and explored old mines. Maybe pictures later.