
Just some miscellaneous ramblings from a full time mom and a part time wannabe humorist....
Friday, October 23, 2009
Happy Birthday Bubber!!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Taking the long way...
Me: "So, what is your schedule for baseball practice now?"
Bubber: "Mondays and Wednesdays."
Me: "But you don't have practice next Monday because you have a game."
Bubber: "No. We won't have any practices after the first game."
Me: "What time is your practice tomorrow then?"
Bubber: "Practice is cancelled, I told you that yesterday. (Note to self, try not to zone out when Bubber is talking baseball, no matter HOW much you aren't interested in the topic) There aren't enough players."
Me: "So you don't have any more practices?"
Bubber: "We have practice on Saturday."
Me: "What you're saying is that you ONLY have a practice this Saturday and that's it?"
Bubber: "Yeah."
Me: "So why didn't you just say that?"
Bubber: "You asked what the schedule was. Saturday's practice isn't on the schedule."
Um. Okay.
Seriously? All of that was needed for what should have been a one question/one answer conversation?
Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees that this conversation was kinda like when you were a kid and your dad (or mom, depending on who usually drove) used to take the "back roads" to avoid traffic on the highway, only to make the trip last twice as long to get to the same destination because of all of the twists and turns he had to take to get there.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Blast from the Past Friday
This is Bubber, back when he was 2 1/2. We were at my (then) in-laws house celebrating something - it seems like someone's birthday, but I can't remember whose. Maybe my brother in-law or my (then) husband's. ANYWAY...I have always loved this picture SO much. That sweet little boy is now a 14 and a half year old man-boy who is nearly as tall as his 5'11" father (he surpassed me a couple of years ago, but since I'm only 5'1", that's not a real feat). The doctor has said he will probably end up being around 6'2" by the time he's done growing. Would you look at those EYES? They're even more pretty now than they were then!
And, since I'm PMS-ing and all emotional, I think I'll go cry now....
Thursday, October 30, 2008
October = Fun
There's also a short history lesson at the end. I promise, it's short, and pretty interesting too!



















Friday, September 5, 2008
I was ready for some football...
My mom, stepdad, ex-husband, and his parents were at the game. I know Bubber thought that was pretty cool (although he didn't realize DURING the game that we were all there - he only saw me & my mom). My stepdad didn't speak to me (as usual), but I greeted him (and said goodbye to him) very nicely anyway. It's tough, because our relationship was never what I call "great", but we got along okay. Then he totally stabbed me in the back, and wonders why I called him out on it. There has been a LOT of hurt in our family over stuff that he & my ex did, with my mom and ex-MIL not helping the situation, and I've pretty much been made out to be the "evil one", even to my own children. I've tried to rebuild a relationship with my mom, but it's been pretty hard. I even used to have a pretty good relationship with my ex-MIL, but because of her duplicity in several situations, that relationship is now VERY strained.
I'm so thankful that I have a great mother in law who loves me like I'm her own daughter, because I think it would be pretty depressing to not have someone to share all of the little milestones the kids (or even I myself) have.
As I said before, I'm getting baptized Saturday. I told my mom about it, and she said, "Oh, I have to work." I was disappointed, but not surprised. I hope that she finds a way to be there anyway. (She works for my ex-MIL, so maybe she could arrange to come later??)
Wow - I didn't expect this post to go that route...now I'm sitting here in tears thinking about how a few well-placed words (meant to harm) can really cause devastating damage to so many people. I meant to talk about football, so I guess I'd better get back to that!
Bubber's team lost the game, but they played much better than they did last week. Hopefully they will not be discouraged and will continue to try harder each week. It's fun to watch Bubber get out on the field - he's really excited about playing. Next week, they have a home game, so I won't have to make a long trip to get there...now if they would just lower their ticket prices. Can you believe, $5 EACH?? Needless to say, I'm probably going to be the ONLY one from our household going to most of the games. (Nans went with me last week, though, and that was nice)
Not that this post was meant to have a moral (it was supposed to be about football, for Pete's Sake!), but I'd say that the "moral of this story is..." before you use words or actions to do someone else harm, think of the lasting consequences it will have. Gossip can go a LONG way towards ruining relationships (or even lives).
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
So many posts, so little time...
The girls seem like they are growing by leaps and bounds! I can't believe all of the new words The Jib says now. She's SO funny - especially since all of her words that end in an "s" sound she uses a "t" sound, and when she says "yes", she bobs her head up and down and just says "S-s-s-s-s-s-" (I guess it would be better if I had it on film, but my mother in law has the video camera. I should get that back from her)
Puckey is doing well with the potty training. Last night she actually pooped on the potty, and then told me, "I pooped big just like Daddy!" Ande got a laugh out of that one.
Bubber has his second football game on Thursday. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to go. I may have to ask my mother in law if she can babysit the girls, so I don't have to wrangle them on the bleachers (not to mention the fact that I'd probably get charged to bring them in...)
Bug is looking forward to starting band. She will be playing clarinet this year. I hope she enjoys it - music is such a fun thing to learn. I actually had a dream that she was in marching band, and I was helping teach the kids how to march. (I was in marching band in high school) It was a little weird.
Nans started at her new school yesterday, and she said she liked it pretty well. I think she'll do fine once she makes a couple of new friends. We still haven't worked out how we are going to make the pick-up on our weekends. I used to pick her up from school on our weekends, but that's not really going to work out anymore.
I'm finally getting baptized on Saturday. I don't know what's taken me so long (I gave my life to Christ over 6 years ago), but I'm excited about it, and am thrilled that Bubber and Bug will get to be there too. It's going to be fun, too, since it's at our Pastor's house, and we're having a picnic/pool party afterwards. Hopefully the weather will hold out for us.
My brother in law interviewed for a job here in MI yesterday, but he's not sure if he's going to take it. It would be a pretty big pay cut for him, so I think he's thinking it over. As much as I'd love for them to move here, I'd hate for him to take the job and then have a hard time financially. (It's not that the pay is really that bad, but they're used to living on a lot more)
Well, I guess that's it for now. I'll probably post at least once or twice more today (aren't you lucky?).
For now, it's back to the grind...LOL
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Just a bunch of stuff
Who's been sleeping in my bed?
Yes, that's a sock monkey (made by my mom) that Puckey tucked into our bed the other day.

Videos we've been watching:

School House Rock is pretty much the best I know of...and this set includes ALL of them, including your favorites like "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill." (You can thank me later for getting those songs stuck in your head) We told Ande's mom we'd like her to buy this one for Puckey for her birthday.
Ande and I have spent more time talking to each other lately. I mean, we have always talked, but it's usually about the kids or whatever. Recently, our conversations have held more depth (and sometimes laughter) than usual. It's pretty awesome.
The Jib is learning more and more new words every day. We've added:
- "Becko" (You're welcome) It's so cute, because she knows how to use it properly.
- Book
- Down
- Home
- Potty
- Puckey
- Ride
- Bike
- Outside
- Cold
- Pool
- "Muck" (Milk) - she can also do the sign language sign for it
Just yesterday, The Jib walked into our room, and she looked out our french doors into the backyard. You can see our pool from there, and she pointed and said, "Cold pool!" I love it!
Puckey and The Jib got a "new" ride a couple of weeks ago, courtesy of a local yard sale.
We went for a family bike ride yesterday. I got to try out my "new" bike. My mother in law gave me her bike, which is sorta like riding a lazy boy chair! (Pretty comfy).
However, even with all the comfort of the bike, I was left wondering just when I got so old and out of shape. My backside and thighs were feeling pretty rough by the time we got back home! I guess I'm going to have to start riding a little more often.
Bubber is now participating in "two-a-days" for football, which is just wearing him right out. He seems to like it, though, so I'm happy!! (Although he's eating us out of house and home!!)
Bug is excited about starting Middle School in a few weeks...although I think I'm going to have to start making her get up early pretty soon to get used to it. Right now it's after 10:00am and she's still asleep. (Meanwhile I've been up since about 6:45am)
Nans should be coming for a week at the end of this week or the beginning of next - it seems like FOREVER since we've seen her! We'll get to go school shopping with Grammy (my mother in law) while Nans is home, too. Always have fun doing that!
The bible study I've been doing is going well - it's still just the two of us, but I feel like I've learned some new stuff (and some stuff about myself) that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.
Thanks for all of the prayers you guys have sent my way - it's been effective! I feel more at ease than I did before, and things are looking better all the time. (Maybe part of my problem was hormones - you all know how that goes!)
Monday, June 23, 2008
New Updates...
Anyway, Stan and Lindsay were married this weekend, and it was a beautiful wedding. There was a little bit of awkwardness when we were seated at the same table as my mom (who's in denial) & my stepdad (who won't speak to me). I tried to make the best of it, but I was pretty relieved that Ande and I had to leave fairly early in the evening to pick up the kids.
One great update came from that night, though - my Aunt Kathy was there. I previously blogged about her here, here, and here. She is still pretty thin (she lost about 30lbs while she was sick), but she was smiling and said she feels pretty good. She told me she spent 46 days in the hospital, 21 of which she was in a coma. Her pulmonologist told her that he had not thought she would survive. At that point, I told her that there had been many, many people praying for her, and she made the remark, "It must have worked!" It would be great if you would continue to pray for her salvation, and for me to have more opportunities to talk to her about it.
Everybody seems to have recovered from the "funk" that took out Puckey, The Jib, and Ande last week. I am SO thankful that I got away with only a mild sore throat...
Ande's job has another change, starting today. His route (the car dealerships he regularly visits) has been changed. It's a little sad, because he had made a few new friends on his route, but it's also very good in that he will now be within about 5 minutes of home ALL DAY EVERY DAY! Each dealership he has now is located within about a 5 mile radius of our house. Closer location equals less miles to drive equals less gas to buy! It also means he can come home for lunch, so that will save on "lunch money".
The kids are getting ready for camp...Bubber leaves on Saturday, and Bug and Nans leave 2 weeks after that. I'm praying that they have a great time, and wonderful fellowship with Godly men and women who will help them build a better relationship with Christ.
Speaking of building a better relationship with Christ...a friend of mine from church, Susan, has asked me to do a Bible study with her. We decided on Tuesday evenings, as that's one of the few nights I don't have other obligations. If any of you local readers are interested in checking it out, we're going to meet at church (don't have a time ironed out yet, but I'm sure it will be reasonable). It's a Beth Moore study on Daniel. The book is $15, and I believe we will have a DVD series that will go along with the study. Anyway, if you are interested, leave me a comment or send me an email to let me know!! We haven't officially started yet, so there's still time to get involved!
Another cool thing relating to building a relationship with Christ - a guy who works for one of the dealerships that was on Ande's old route was in a triathlon this weekend. Ande has been sharing his faith with Trevor, and Trevor has been pretty receptive. So, as a way of showing how much Ande (and the rest of our family) support him, we went on Sunday morning to encourage Trevor and some of his co-workers and family who participated in the race. Trevor was absolutely bowled over that we would come down to support him, so I'm really glad that we went.
I was amazed at some of the people I saw who were in the race. There were some people who were pretty old (I heard the oldest participant was 73), and one kid JUST met the age requirement (13). Some people were extremely fit, while others looked quite out of shape. I have to give everyone who was involved credit. I got winded carrying The Jib back to the car when we were leaving, I can't imagine doing the swimming, biking, and running...
Also, thanks to all of you for the compliments on my hair!!! I'm thrilled with it, and your comments have only made me feel that much more happy about it! For Cindy, I go to CC & Co. in Fenton, and have Bridget Shea cut my hair. I've known her since I was 11 (wow, that's 22 years!), and she is definitely my stylist of choice. She's also a Christian, which is an added bonus...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Playing nursemaid
Poor Puckey threw up about 7 or 8 times yesterday. Fortunately, I kept her on a towel and would just throw the towel in the wash when she got sick on it. That only works, though, with little kids who haven't eaten in 24 hours....
Last night she managed to keep down some oyster crackers and water, and perked up a bit. I was glad, because I was starting to worry a little because she wasn't keeping ANYTHING down for most of the day. I didn't want her to get dehydrated.
Speaking of oyster crackers, am I the only one who refused to eat them when I was a little kid because I thought they were MADE of oysters? Just wondering.
Both Puckey and The Jib slept like babies last night (meaning they were up every couple of hours), so today they have been somewhat cranky. I have been a little MORE than somewhat cranky. I don't do well on broken sleep. Fortunately, Bug & Bubber were here today and helped keep the babies entertained so I could have a bit of a nap. I'm feeling almost normal now.
So, now that the babies are feeling a little better, Ande's got whatever they had. He woke up this morning with a headache and a slight fever. He ended up coming home late this morning, and he's been in bed ever since. He did get up once, and almost threw up on me on his way into the bathroom (I was on my way out as he came shuffling in). I'm just glad he made it all the way to the toilet.
I'm starting to feel a little under the weather now. Except I have to follow the "mommy rule" and not actually get sick. Or if I get sick, I still have to take care of everyone else. I have to admit, this is one thing about being a wife/mother I really don't like. I don't get pampered when I'm sick. I still have to be the mommy, even when I feel like my head is going to explode or am on the edge of throwing up. I AM thankful that I rarely get sick, and even when I do, it usually doesn't last too long.
But I WOULD like it if I got to get babied when I got sick, too...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Floods and Broken Power Cords and Holes in Pools, OH MY!!
First, the "GREAT FLOOD of '08" hit. It was Friday, June 6. Bubber had gotten suspended from school for 2 days because he called one of his teachers "retarded". Well, that wasn't the ONLY reason, more like the straw that broke the camel's back. Anyway, I had to go to his school to pick up his assignments, and had to get into his locker to get a couple of books. In his locker, there were about 8 or 9 sweatshirts (which I hadn't seen in MONTHS, to give you an idea of how long they'd been there). So later that afternoon, I asked Bubber to put the ones that stayed here (about half of them belonged at his dad's house) in the basement so I could wash them. So, being the "obedient" (read with a splash of sarcasm) son, he stood at the top of the basement stairs and tossed the sweatshirts down. They splashed when they hit the floor. Not good. Apparently the power cord for the sump pump had a small cut in it, which was causing it to short out. Which eventually caused the breaker in the circuit box to flip off. Which in turn cut the power to our back-up sump pump (say that ten times fast). The water table is pretty high here, so it doesn't take long for the water to start rising. Fortunately, it was only about 3 inches deep at it's deepest point when we discovered the problem. We got all of the water drained, and spent the next day hauling everything out of the basement to dry. We didn't really lose anything important, as most of the stuff I had down there was packed up in plastic containers. Unfortunately, we (still) have all of that stuff sitting on our front porch, so it looks like we either A) are having a yard sale, or B) got evicted. I want to paint the walls in the basement before we put that stuff back down there, so hopefully in the next couple of days I can get that done.
Our next incident was on Saturday, June 7th. We had a tornado watch (or warning, I can't ever remember which is which), plus severe thunderstorm watches and warnings, so we were in the basement. (Yes, the basement that had flooded the previous day). To help keep track of the weather, I brought the laptop down there. It was running on the battery and we have wireless internet, so I didn't have to worry about being electrocuted or anything... After the watch (or warning) was over, I just put the computer back on it's stand and didn't think much more about it. Then Ande wanted to watch a movie or something, and noticed that it was still unplugged. When he went to plug it in, Ande noticed that the pin inside the connector for the power cord (where it plugs into the computer) was bent. In an attempt to "unbend" it, Ande broke it. (OOPS) So...we had to get a new power cord. (THANKS MOM!! Ande's mom bought it for us. She spoils us...) We didn't get the cord in the mail until yesterday, but it's (obviously) working well for us.
Last Wednesday (the 11th), I finally got to visit with my friends Amanda, Cindy, and Marcy. Amanda was visiting from Oklahoma, Cindy is Amanda's mother-in-law, and Marcy is a mutual friend of all of ours. So we (and a total of 9 kids, including Amanda's cousin(?)) met at a local park for a few hours. I'll be posting some pictures of that later. It was fun to get to visit with other moms and get out of the house for a while!
On Friday (the 13th), Nans came to stay the weekend for Father's Day. On Saturday, I decided to (finally) get our pool up. It's just one of those easy-set ones, but it works nice for the kids to splash and play in. So Nans helped me get it ready to fill, and we turned on the hose. A little while later I went out to check on it, and noticed a puddle next to the pool. There was a hole in it. GREAT. We had to empty out the water that remained in the pool and see if we could patch it. We had promised Nans that we could go to the library, and we were also supposed to take Ande's dad to dinner that night, so we got ready and headed out the door. We made a stop at a local pool/spa place and bought a patch kit, then headed to the library. Ande took The Jib upstairs, while I helped Nans & Puckey find some books. The girls found what they wanted, and we headed upstairs to find Ande and The Jib. I stepped out of the elevator just in time to see Ande frantically trying to get the bathroom door open while The Jib was throwing up all over him. Not good. They got cleaned up and we headed back home. We had to cancel our dinner plans, so we ended up watching a couple of videos and hanging out on the couch for the night.
Father's Day was pretty uneventful - The Jib was feeling better, so we went to church and out to lunch with Ande's dad afterward. When we got home, Ande patched the pool and we started the process of filling it. (The patch seems to be working like a champ - the pool is now full and there seems to be no leaking! YEAH!!) Later in the afternoon, we had to make the first of what will likely be our usual Sunday afternoon trips to meet Nans' mom to drop her off. It was about a 140 mile round trip "adventure". Poor Jib cried a good portion of the trip (the sun was shining on her face, and it was pretty hot in the car because the A/C is broken). I'm definitely going to have to get a window shade for her...
Yesterday, Bubber had his first football practice AND a baseball game. It's going to be a busy summer. Bubber's team won the game by 5 runs, so that was a good thing. I know he likes being on a winning team! (Don't we all)
This morning, I woke up to Puckey crying...and throwing up. Yep, whatever The Jib had, Puckey's got it now. I'm just hoping that the rest of the kids don't get it! So I got her cleaned up, and she went back to sleep. Hopefully she'll be back to normal soon. Right now, The Jib and I are the only ones up (and it's 9:00AM!). We're watching a little "Old School Sesame Street", and I'll be making some breakfast pretty soon. I'm thinking pancakes...YUMMY.
Oh, and two last things...
Ande found out last week that his pay structure is changing. There will be no more commission per car, only an hourly rate. His hourly rate DID go up, but it's not going to make up the difference. He's also been working a shorter number of hours (for example, he only had enough work to last him 3.5 hours last Friday), so our income will be taking a major hit. If you could keep Ande's job situation in your prayers, we'd appreciate it. His company anticipates that business will pick up again soon (only a couple of months ago, Ande could work 12 hours a day and still have plenty to do). On a positive note, we will soon have health insurance!! It's been almost a year since we've had it. Thanks to God for His watchful eye on our health, we've not had any serious illnesses/injuries that required a trip to the hospital!
Also, Tricia Lawrenson has been diagnosed with Post-Transplant Lymphoma. Apparently this is a very treatable form of cancer that occurs in transplant patients. Please keep them in your prayers.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Picture post
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Do you have a holder?
One of my favorite things, though, was once when I was taking a shower. Up until he was 2, I would let Bubber take showers with me sometimes. So we were in the shower, and he's jabbering away. Pretty soon, he looked up at me and asked, "Mama, do you have a holder?" I said, "I don't know, do YOU have a holder?" He said, "Yes." So I asked him what it was. He reached down and touched his penis. "Um, NOOOO, Mommy doesn't have a holder. Only boys have holders, honey." Needless to say, Bubber didn't shower with Mama any more after that!!
Of course, now that I'm thinking about funny stuff Bubber used to say, I've got all kinds of funny stuff going through my brain - like the time Puckey pulled my coat open in the grocery story and said, "Nipples Mama!" Not once, not twice, but three times! Good thing there weren't tons of people in the store at the time. LOL Or the time Bubber was next to me at the cash register and he felt the compulsion to inform me that the cashier had a "HUGE NOSE, MAMA!" (Yes, after that we had a little talk about how saying things like that can hurt someone's feelings) When I was (over)due with Puckey, my then three year old nephew told me I "just need to push that baby right out!" Yeah, kids are hilarious, aren't they?