Tears of Inspiration

Book Three..

11pm..Saturday..

DOOOONNEEE!!!!!!!

Oh..and I cooked a Thanksgiving dinner today.. Yeah.. I know.. I'm AHHHMMAAZZINNGG!!!

I finally got the whole Twilight series today...I started New Moon at 5pm..I'm on 175 now..
Dont expect to hear much from me until Sunday.. I'll likely be reading a book a day..

I'm officially a Twilight geek now.. I am SO into it! I cant even imagine where book 2 is leading to right now, and I LOVE that. Usually by page 100 of any book I can typically guess the ending & be right.. not the case here!! Unfortunately, someone on a message board didnt put a SPOILER ALERT in front of a post & I do know something that will be in book FOUR. Which basically sucks ass.. but.. I'm trying to ignore it, unsuccessfully.

Happy reading!!!!!!

...Mike wants Wii..

and then..when he gets that Wii...


..I want a Wii Fit.

If you need our current address to send said Wii & Wii Fit... please, PLEASE..just let me know.

Thank you.

As we all know...

Mike & I have both banned ourselves from cutting our poor childs hair.

SO!!! Andy went & had a pro do it today ( a monther of several boys, of course!!!)

Here he is before....

AANNNDDD...

AFTER!!!!!!!!!!

She did an AMAZING job!!!! Mike said he did SO well, he didnt cry or anything!! WTG Andy!!!!

As requested...HOP BALLS!

OOkkayy..

Finally..its here, the long awaited.. HOP BALL REVIEW!!! ((insert WHOOPPWHHOOPPP here))

My mom took Andy for dinner the other night.. I was laying on the floor with Ryan while Mike folded some laundry & it hit me.

I CAN BLOW UP THE HOP BALL!! ANDY ISNT HERE!!!

I was excited..to say the least. Mike got out the automatic pump thingy that we use on the air mattress & we pumped this baby up!

I hopped on.. and..... I fell off.. on my ass.. It needed more air..

So.. we pumped again... and I just sort of stumbled on my ass...

More air... FINALLY.. I HOPPED!!!!!!!!!!! ..Sort of.. it was no "three feet in the air" like the website says though...


This is my view (listen..you can hear it sticking to the floor..Nope, that isnt my ass sticking to the ball..THAT came later..)

Thats me..hopping along in the hall.. Its pretty hard to hop and take a video.. I might add..And no.. I'm not that fat that I was squashing the thing..It STILL needed more air..but I lack a little thing called...PATIENCE.. So.. I hopped anyway.

Ryan digs the hop ball too... He thought it was hysterical when I held him on it by himself.. Its very very very hard to hold a baby on a hop ball & take a picture.. all by yourself..so.This is the best I got.

Thats right.. No makeup.. free Miller High Life shirt & sweatpants.. Getting a mustache ride..
(I cant believe I'm putting this here b/c my family reads this but omg.. how could I NOT..LOOK AT HIM! He's got the handlebar stache!!!!)



another unsuccessful try..

So.. oh we half bounced.. damn me & my impatience... I will say this..I actually LOL'd..Yes..I laughed OUT LOUD.. All alone by myself as Ryan watched me from the living room & I said..and I quote... "WWHHHHEEEEEE!!!" and then died laughing because.. I am alone, by myself.. 24 years old, in my hall way, bouncing on a giant plastic ball & saying WWWHHHEEEE.

Let me tell you. that thing IS a work out.. I broke a sweat bouncing around.. And you reallyu do get a good butt/thigh work out..I felt the burn!!!
So yes..I bounced around in my underwear..those sweatpants got very hot.. ok??? And I also will say..the ball DID in fact stick to my ass when I stood up from bouncing..and that made me laugh too.. I called Mike to tell him, I thought it was so funny.

I also may have called out "whhooohhoooo" at one point.. I dont remember..Things get a little fuzzy..

I've been asked several times..so I'll add quickly..No..my boobs didnt knock me out. FYI ;-)

Then, worrying Andy would come home & steal my sunshine, I stuffed mustache man in my closet, with a blanket over him..

And then yes... the next day..I shut the bedroom door while Andy napped & bounced for a minute.. And it was fun..and mine. ALLLL MIIINNEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

I give Hop Balls an A+. One I find the "correct amount of air" as the website discusses, I fully do believe I will bounce.... not 3 feet..but perhaps one, off the ground. Maybe if I get back to my once tiny statue..I COULD bounce 3 feet off the air..but uh.. Not for now.
And if I never do reach maximum height, the excitement & happiness of feeling like a child again were worth it all in their own!!!

Weeell...

Lets see..whats new..

The gray kitty is just..gone.. =*(

The little orange one is pregnant & all alone.. So, my gift to myself, "doing good to cat-kind" is that tomorrow she is going to a local Planned Pethood. they operate on donations & voulenteers & spay, neuter & vaccinate, as well as provide well care, flea treatment & screenings at a VERY VERY VERY low cost so people can take in abandonded & feral cats & have them cared for instead of being taken to a shelter & eventually killed.

So.. since they dont spay cats until they are 6 months old (as she is..) this happens alot.. outdoor kittens get pregnant themselves.. and as sad as it makes me to think about it.. She will no longer be "in the family way" when we pick her up on Thursday.

Both Mike & I felt really bad thinking about it, but after reading online how cats under the age of 1 who have kittens can die from child birth, give birth to still borns or disfigured or deformed kittens & have a high chance of complications. I know its whats best for all in the end. Brining more kittens into the already over populated animal world is never good & I dont advocate people breeding for any reason actually. Not show dogs, not designer dogs, not to teach kids about nature..Nothing.

So.. she'll come back to us Thursday still a kitten who wont be a mommy. And its sad..but I know its whats best. We'll continue to treat & vaccinate her but I think she's going to be an indoor/outdoor cat. Let her in at night, when its cold.. but once Andy gets going chasing her yelling "Nononon kittens..and..lots..MITTENS.. nonononn.. shal NO PIE!!!!" her ears go back & she looks somewhere to hide.. SO. I think especially when the weather is nice, she'll be find outside for most of the time. But, she'll be up to date on all her vet care so when she is inside, it wont be a worry around our indoor pets or children, of course.

We have such a small house & with the air mattress blow up, we've had to keep the door to the bedroom shut & it doesnt leave her much room to hide right now!

So.. wish us luck & her some speedy recovery vibes. =(

So..Ryan has suddenly developed a LOVE for food! Its hilarious, Andy never really got into eating until he was over a year old, so I never got to see this, but Ryan opens his mouth & *chews* with this little old man face, it cracks me up! He LOVES it. He's like everything we've tried, sweet potatoes, squash, apples & pears. Andy, ALSO likes it. He says "Andy bite....Ryne bite...Andy bite..Ryne bite" and they each eat a bite out of the little dish.. Its probably the most vegetables Andy has eaten in MONTHS. Which is fine by me! He also likes to wipe both of their faces with a cloth when it gets messy. He's a goooodd helper!

Ryans second tooth has broken through.. and he is in LOVE with standing. He holds on to things with one hand, waves his other hand & then plopshimself down when he sees something he wants to go after next. He squeals & laughs & just loves being up. He "4 walks" at a lightening fast speed now.. He doesnt have time for his knees to touch the ground..he just GOES.

Its been really sweet to watch the 2 of them lately, they're starting to actually play together. And boy..Ryan is BIG. He took a block from Andys block train he was building & Andy took him down to the groud trying to get it back.. Ryan held on the whole time & just went down.. no giving up the block for him!!! Andy has shot up a few inches ( maybe 2?) in the last 1-2 months so Ryan now comes to a little below Andys shoulders.. which for a 21 month difference, isnt much. They're sweet... My 2 "bes friends" as Andy calls them...

Andy is really talking..SO much! he sings his fvaorite songs & rhymes.. He has a new favorite book. The Third Story Cat. ( my old book!) and he reads it to himself.. talks about " and..OHH!! the cat jump..and OHH butterfly!! OOohh dogs barking!" ( these all actually happen in the book too...) Its pretty very adorable to watch. He tells us "Big turd in da butt..'s go fush it!!!" And we change him & flush it.. and he waves bye bye.. lol.

His new favorite song is "All I wanna Do" by Sugarland. He sings "whhoo ho ho ho hooo" and when he watches the music video, it shows a chicken so anytime he hears the song, at the point the chicken would be shown he whispers "LOOOOKK!! CHICKEN!!!!!!!!!!" in an amazed voice..Mike is very annoyed with the song by now..but I like it =X

Hm.. Think thats about it for now! Both boys are napping so I'm going to go watch The Hills from last night & relax while I can!!!

Well...shit.

Ahh.. Lets see...

A month or so ago I was bitching about Mike to 2 of my friends online & Mike saw the email & I joked next time I'd need to change my password before complaining about him..

So.. a few weeks later, it wasnt even an arguement, but I was like "I'm going to go bitch about you..guess I better change my password Mike!!!" (this was also around midnight after a few beers..oops)

I took my password out of *auto sign in* and in the AM I noticed I had a really long password saved..I laughed thinking Mike changed it..

Its been a few weeks & I realized, I didnt know what my AOL password WAS. So for going on 4 days I've been messing with the stupid thing, getting my account frozen, blocked & locked out of it. Apparently AOL knows my own birthdate better than me so I have NO way to change my password..which I also have NO idea what it is...

So.. I have a new e-mail address now!! Go me. I'm sort of an idiot...

Andy's new favorite song is "All I wanna Do" by Sugarland.. he yells (in a whisper) LOOk! CHICKEN!!! ( In the video a chicken is on tv.. ) even when its just being played on the computer..He sings "whoooo hooo hooo hooo hooo.." Its sweet. As are his dance moves..yo.

Well.. by this time next week we'll likely have another cat. Mr. Gray has (we think) impregnanted Mrs. Orange.. his sister & then taken off. Just like a man.....

Shes literally holding herself up on our doorknob begging to get in.. poor thing..shes cold, hungry, pregnant & now alone.

We found a"clinic" ( which we also found out there is actually a PlannedPethood in Ohio, LOL!!!) That is only 2 towns away that does low cost or free neutering/spaying and shots are between $5-15 per shot. We can afford that.. Shes a really sweet cat & Andy loves her.. Max even gets along with her. SO. I'm calling them Tuesday when they open to find out some more information & to get our little buddy in.. I dont know what we're going to do about the kittens..probably take them to the pet shop up the road, obviously NOT keep them.. And then get her fixed..

Mike gets the special task of putting on a full body suit & bathing the stinker once she gets her shots.. And we'll go from there.. Ugh. This is awful

You dont understand..I DONT mop..

I can honestly say, I have no memories of my mother mopping..I'm not saying she didnt..but I can not recall ever seeing her mop ( that beign said.. for some reason I dont remember ANYTHING about my junior year of high school either....)


Mike on the other hand, recalls his mom mopping daily..


Well... I DONT mop.I just...dont do it! I did in Florida b/c the whole house was hard floors.. then I nearly cracke dmy head while slipping & pregannt & have maybe mopped.. a handful? Of times since then..If I need mopping done, I ask Mike.. which ..I never ask Mike..maybe once every few months.. I know..gross.. but I mean.. its just the kitchen really.. and we dont exactly eat off the floors.. ( ok..Andy occasionally pretends to be a dog & he does but WHATEVER!!)

ANYWAY!! I get down on the floor & spray & wipe..l but I just DONT like that big stupid mop & bucket..its annoying..I'd go as far as to say..I HATE IT!

I clean the bathroom floor with Clorox Wipes, LOL..




...I'm feeling suddenly embarrassed..


No no..I'm sharing my embarrasingness to help others like me..

SO!!! I was reading a thread on "environmental friendly mopping" on DS, and I learned about hard floor cleaners..steam mops!


DUDE. I had NO idea these excisted mmkay??? So..I checked the out a week & a half ago.... and then.. a few days ago..I was STILL thinking about it, SO.. I figured, that means i REALLY do want it.. SO.... Mike told me to buy it =)


(it was my Christmas gift!! Last year...I got a dust buster.. YAY!!!)


It came super quick..Walmarts 97cent shipping aint bad 'yall ;-)


Annnddd.. here is my product review!!


Bissel Steam Mop

Before starting...

• Easy to assemble..only 2 screws!!





• You fill it with lukewarm water...it says wait for light to light up to start....Light was on from the start..so, no waiting time.. Niicee!!!





• Its a microfiber washable mop head.. which at first, since it was so clean/un used..it sort of stuck to the floor.. which was akward but as it became wet/used it moved acrossed the floor alot easier..but it did smell a little funny at first....





• Your supposed to hold it for 15 seconds over each spot.. I.... probably held it for 5 seconds..LOL





• It lacks *scrubbers* so while yes, it does steam the stuck crap off the floor, its not a bad idea to wipe over it with a towel of your own just to get the little stuck stuff off of the floor.. ya know what I mean?? It doesnt pick things up along the wall, or the corners, so I wiped along the edge with a towel of my own, which did the job & wasnt hard to do..

Here is half of the floor clean vs the unclean half...



I would say "look closely" but um..its pretty obvious.. that top layer of .....scum...LOL.. Yeah..well..it takes it off!!!!!!!

I did think it left a good amount of water on the floor, which I'm sure in hindsight I could have taken the mop cloth off & wrung it out, but it did bump my leg when I took it over a baby gate & it was actually pretty hot!!!!

So..I did this....



which not only wiped up the excess water, it picked up anything the mop didnt after it had been steamed off the floor!!!

And the end result of the kitchen AND bathroom...




And that baby STEAMS.. The bathroom filled up like a hot shower was running!!!

I'll say..I'm impressed!! It takes longer than mopping since you do spot by spot, but it does a very good job, there are no chemicals involved, its easy to use. The mop heads are washable & it comes with 2, but when those 2 wear out, they are $20 for 2 more..Considering I paid $70 for the whole machine, thats a bit much, and I will probably make my own out of my own microfibertowels. I give it a B+ because it could leave less water behind, it had a very small tank so it needs to be filled often, but those arent big deals, just inconvient & it really does the job!!

So.. I decided I should be aproduct tester.. techincally I already do this *for work* but..i think I should upgrade..So, if there are any products your curious about..you can go ahead & send me the money to buy them, try them & then review them for you!! Good idea huh????

..Yup..

I have a bad habit of waiting so long before I eat that I'm shaking & about to pass out ( once, in high school..twice actually..I DID pass out!! Go me!) And Mike has a love for things "you can pop in the microwave and eat" So, today I was STARVING..looking in the freezer & found a burrito Mike got..it says on the package-
"Made with real cheese"

..... as..opposed...to what???? Ew..

But uh... yes..I did in fact eat it..and it was good.

And that brings me to this.. I have been whining to Mike about being "fat and bloated" all weekend... (what? its true!!) Last night I was laying on the floor with Andy & Ryan & Andy was pointing out my body parts, which.. thanks to Mike, include "boobies" now.. He lifted my shirt..patted my tummy & said "Moms fat tummy" LOL!! I about died laughing.. Mike still doesn't believe me, that I must have prompted him to say so.. .Buuutt..I didn't..and I'm not mad, or offended, I think its pretty hilarious! I keep asking him "Moms what??" seeing if he'll say it again..Today he told me I have a BIG fat tummy!!! Better lay off those "real cheese" products mama!!!


On another "out of the mouths of babes" note... In the mornings & at night, I prompt Andy to tell his brother "good night" or "good morning" and that he loves him.. This morning Andy says "Love you brother".. then said "Love you..MATT."
Uncle Matt?? I asked..he nodded..I asked if he loves Mischa..he said "Yes, love Mursha" then we went on to think.. and then told me he loves Nikki, Johnny & Gamps.. (and then proceeded to ask to go Trick or Treat with them..AGAIN!!) then he thought for a minute & said "Andy love CARS!!!" LOL!! We both had a bit giggle over that one!

Andy is reaallyy gaining on his words ( obviously, as my fat tummy knows!!!) when he poops now he comes & tells you "Big turd in the butt" LOL Mike dies laughing every time.. Eiihh...

He told me in the car the other day "cheeseburger samwich in da mouth????" while pointing at his mouth...Yes..I got him a cheeseburger..How could I not after THAT?!

Ahh.. fun stuff!!!!


I realized something important yesterday..

I told Mike.. "Wanna know something REALLY pathetic??? Almost all of the kids Christmas gifts..there is one for each of them...and for me too..and its sort of killing me that I have to wait for Christmas, when they get theirs, to get mine too.. Because well..I really want to use them! But I don't want to share.. so..I have to wait" LOL!! And sadly..its true!!! I have a giraffe Zoobie, waiting for me.. a stuffed animal, pillow & blanket all in one sitting in the Christmas box in the closet..and I want it! I've had perfect occasions to curl up all alone with that soft, plush little thing..but.. once I do.. Andy will confiscate it for himself..so..Alas.. it sits,stuffed in a box full of Mr.Potato head products & glow sticks & squishy balls.... ((sigh)) It MUST be lonely..Ryan's elephant & Andy's croc are in another box all together...


Andy is getting this for Christmas ( the kid REALLY needs to burn off some energy & in the winter, there aren't a ton of options...)




And uh... (((cough)))... I got THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!







...It SAYS its for ages 13-99.... I fall in that category!! And um.. its ALSO exercise..which apparently, according to Andy, my fat ass needs!! Soo....... SHUTTUP! You KNOW you want one.. mmmkay??? On the website it even has quotes from buyers..and one person said "Thank you Thank you!! I have wanted one of these since 1980!!!" And ya know what?? ME TOO DAMNIT!! I ALWAYS wanted one of those as a kid..so.. now its my turn!!!!

Here is the kicker...I was laying in bed last night thinking about it.. and how incredibly excited I am for it.. and I was really sad, I'll have to wait for Christmas b/c if I blow it up when t comes..Andy will steal it.. Then I thought..

...well...maybe.. I could blow it up..and just lock myself in the bedroom & bounce around on it by myself!! And then hide it when I'm done!!!!!!


..And then.. I realized.. I have a problem. I really, really do. And there is also a REALLY large chance I'm fairly immature in many many MANY ways...


That doesn't really bother me though.. but what DOES bother me, is that I am STILL going to have to wait for Christmas to be able to use that damn ball for myself!! LOL

One of our outdoor kitties is pregnant.. As Mike says "damn inbreeding rednecks!!!" ( I mean..come on..if your a follower you KNOW about my neighborhood..kay??) iam SO sad though.. We really dont have the money to take the to the vet & our neighbor who wanted to got laid off.. His vet told him neutering outdoor cats gives them a disadvantage in the wild b/c they lose some of their "animal instinct" But geeze..these kittens are SMALL.. Their mama was tiny too.. and they're barely 7 months old!! We're going to try to talk to this tiny pet store ( locally owned.. dont worry) down the road & see if they'll take the kittens when they're old enough.. they always have a sign that says "kittens wanted' then a week later "kittens for sale" @@ Not ideal, but I see lots of college girls walking out of there with tiny kittens so.. its the least Mike & I can do.. we were naive & silly once, not realizing that cute tiny free kitten in the pet store would turn into Max's fat shitty ass!! So.. really.. its the LEAST we can do in return for our own experience ;-)

But geeze..poor thing... It snowed the other day & they freaked out.. I cant let them in..fleas.. the kids.. so many reasons.. Both us & our neighbor have built little "kitten houses" for them to shield them from the elements.. hopefully they take advantage of it =(

So.. yep.. I obsessively tried to get Ryan down for a nap since ANdy is sleeping too & thank GOD.. Finally I won.. I am needing "alone" ( aka blogging or computer...) time BADLY. I've been EXHAUSTED lately..I took TWO, count them..TWO naps last week!! I DO NOT NAP. Period.. I NEVER do..I did a FEW times during both pregnancies.. THATS how tired I've been.. As of today its "Time for a Change" and Mike is going to remember our original agreement of his balancing school time better, We agreed, I can handle his absence around the house during this schooling process, if he can handle giving up "his" time ( his time IS school time.. hes alone, hes out of the house..that IS his time!!!) and he can do more of "kid time" and "give Claire her time" when he is home...instead of what we currently have which is "Mikes school time" and "Mikes TV time.." Because unfortunately, playing with the kids, doesnt count if your also watching TV..and they are playing on the floor...and your in a chair..

SOOO.. Mike said this time its a "change you can believe in".. I gagged..and just told him that this needs to be a change I can trust ;-)

Dont forget people.. vote tomorrow!!!!
I already did.. hopefully it will be worth my $1.17 in postage.. if not.. Someone is going to get seriously yelled at.

Oh..and please.. no one fall for the "Didnt you hear?? Republicans are voting on Tuesday..Dem's vote on Wed.." line.. Seriously.. if I ever meet someone who ACTUALLY believes that..I might have to hurt myself..for having laid eyes on a person THAT stupid.

Fat tummy mama, OUT.