I don't really like the summer. Hot weather, tornado sirens, beach sand, humidity- ugh! Not really my thing. I'd be okay if the temperature never got above 75F. Alas, it hit 100F last week- on my birthday, no less- so I've been sort of melty and pitiful lately.
I am content to sit inside the house and relax on the couch or play with Curly Girly. Of course, she wants to go outside every day and stay out there for over an hour until I drag her in because I start sweating in places I didn't know I could sweat from. In fact, I think I may have grown extra body parts just so they can sweat too. :(
Apparently, there are actually people out there that like hot weather. Apparently almost everyone else beside me. So here we go, a song about it:
Yes, I am aware it's not in English. (It's in Korean, in case you are wondering.) It's called "Hot Summer" and the group is F(x). I like their songs, they are catchy. If life were colorful and un-sweaty like this music video, I might tolerate summer a little more. Thank goodness for air conditioning and popsicles in the real world!
-duckyone.
Showing posts with label Curly Girly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Curly Girly. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
I'm still here!
Yes, I'm still here! I watch too much tv and yet I have nothing too exciting to post about TV-wise. Wednesday nights I watch "Toddlers & Tiaras" with my sister, sort of. She lives in another state, but we confer over Facebook chat about the general zaniness of the show.
I think I might have more to say about tv once Playhouse Disney switches to Disney Junior. They have been building up hype for about 3 months, but I think it's going to be a letdown. We'll see. They have 3 new shows: Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Tinga Tinga Tales, and a Babar cartoon. The pirate show looks a little too mature for toddlers, Tinga Tinga Tales is a show about African tales, and the animation for some reason looks very stereotypically "African." I hope the stories are better than the animation. Babar is Babar, I've never seen him before but he's an institution- he looks cool enough. They have 3 new short segments too, "A Poem Is..." which looks cool except the voice in the ad sounds Joan Cusack-ish, and not in a good way, "Oso's 3 Healthy Steps," which my daughter will like and I will be annoyed by, and "Mouskercise," which I am sort of curious about. It looks like most of the lineup will be the same, except that "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" has been phased out and "Little Einsteins" seems banished to early mornings and holidays. "Charlie and Lola" disappeared a few months back too, much to the rejoice on my husband, even though I thought it was cute.
I was watching The Bachelor but it's turned out to be pretty lame and boring. I watched the auditions of American Idol, which are funny and really the only exciting and entertaining part. I've been mostly watching a lot of Disney Channel and way too much Elmo, as usual.
And in real life, things are going quite normally. I'm still working part time and spending the majority time with my daughter. My husband is still working from home, which has turned out really well for us so far. It's winter in the boonies, so it was getting pretty cold last week, with -35F wind chills at night. For now, it's warmed up a little, to the 30s and 40s, so I'm thankful for that. My daughter, Curly Girly, is doing really well- being cute, learning a lot of words, being a typical toddler. She recently learned to jump, which is super adorable!
And in internet life, I've cashed out for Amazon gift cards on Swagbucks.com, iRazoo.com, and Zoombucks.com in the past week or so, ($5 on Swagbucks and iRazoo, $20 on Zoombucks), so I am raking in some nice $ to start off the year! I am saving for a new iPod Touch so hopefully I will have enough before my birthday in June. :)
Well, hopefully I'll have something exciting to ramble on about soon. Anything is more exciting than Disney Junior!
-duckyone.
I think I might have more to say about tv once Playhouse Disney switches to Disney Junior. They have been building up hype for about 3 months, but I think it's going to be a letdown. We'll see. They have 3 new shows: Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Tinga Tinga Tales, and a Babar cartoon. The pirate show looks a little too mature for toddlers, Tinga Tinga Tales is a show about African tales, and the animation for some reason looks very stereotypically "African." I hope the stories are better than the animation. Babar is Babar, I've never seen him before but he's an institution- he looks cool enough. They have 3 new short segments too, "A Poem Is..." which looks cool except the voice in the ad sounds Joan Cusack-ish, and not in a good way, "Oso's 3 Healthy Steps," which my daughter will like and I will be annoyed by, and "Mouskercise," which I am sort of curious about. It looks like most of the lineup will be the same, except that "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" has been phased out and "Little Einsteins" seems banished to early mornings and holidays. "Charlie and Lola" disappeared a few months back too, much to the rejoice on my husband, even though I thought it was cute.
I was watching The Bachelor but it's turned out to be pretty lame and boring. I watched the auditions of American Idol, which are funny and really the only exciting and entertaining part. I've been mostly watching a lot of Disney Channel and way too much Elmo, as usual.
And in real life, things are going quite normally. I'm still working part time and spending the majority time with my daughter. My husband is still working from home, which has turned out really well for us so far. It's winter in the boonies, so it was getting pretty cold last week, with -35F wind chills at night. For now, it's warmed up a little, to the 30s and 40s, so I'm thankful for that. My daughter, Curly Girly, is doing really well- being cute, learning a lot of words, being a typical toddler. She recently learned to jump, which is super adorable!
And in internet life, I've cashed out for Amazon gift cards on Swagbucks.com, iRazoo.com, and Zoombucks.com in the past week or so, ($5 on Swagbucks and iRazoo, $20 on Zoombucks), so I am raking in some nice $ to start off the year! I am saving for a new iPod Touch so hopefully I will have enough before my birthday in June. :)
Well, hopefully I'll have something exciting to ramble on about soon. Anything is more exciting than Disney Junior!
-duckyone.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Happy 2011
Happy New Year....a whole bunch of days late!
Honestly, there's not much going on right now, so I don't have much to ramble about. My favorite shows aren't on right now. My life is pretty normal and boring at the moment. Two of the shows I like (America's Next Top Model and The Amazing Race) start up next month, I think, so I'll probably give my 2 cents about that.
Right now, I've been watching The Bachelor (trainwreck) and Toddlers & Tiaras (even bigger trainwreck). Actually, The Bachelor is pretty lame and tame compared to Toddlers & Tiaras! Those little tiny 2 and 3 year old beauty pageant contestants- getting spray tans, fake hair, and $1000 dresses- it's crazy! I saw a mom on last week's episode who gave her 4 year old 10 Pixy Stix and about a can of soda because the poor girl wasn't energetic enough! And one dad mentioned that his daughter was a product. Classy, isn't it? But I can't stop watching! Next week, one of the little girls brings a PONY on stage! I so have to watch that!
In my normal, boring, average life, I accidentally taught my 2 year old to say "stupid cat" last week. She's officially in her "parrot" phase and repeats near everything we say. She did let me finally put her hair into a ponytail, which was totally cute!
Hopefully I'll have something awesome to blog about soon! Happy New Year everyone!
-duckyone.
Honestly, there's not much going on right now, so I don't have much to ramble about. My favorite shows aren't on right now. My life is pretty normal and boring at the moment. Two of the shows I like (America's Next Top Model and The Amazing Race) start up next month, I think, so I'll probably give my 2 cents about that.
Right now, I've been watching The Bachelor (trainwreck) and Toddlers & Tiaras (even bigger trainwreck). Actually, The Bachelor is pretty lame and tame compared to Toddlers & Tiaras! Those little tiny 2 and 3 year old beauty pageant contestants- getting spray tans, fake hair, and $1000 dresses- it's crazy! I saw a mom on last week's episode who gave her 4 year old 10 Pixy Stix and about a can of soda because the poor girl wasn't energetic enough! And one dad mentioned that his daughter was a product. Classy, isn't it? But I can't stop watching! Next week, one of the little girls brings a PONY on stage! I so have to watch that!
In my normal, boring, average life, I accidentally taught my 2 year old to say "stupid cat" last week. She's officially in her "parrot" phase and repeats near everything we say. She did let me finally put her hair into a ponytail, which was totally cute!
Hopefully I'll have something awesome to blog about soon! Happy New Year everyone!
-duckyone.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
I don't want your stupid vacuum!
So I was watching tv and getting ready to change Curly Girly's diaper tonight at 8PM, and my doorbell rang. Who would possibly want to see us at 8 at night? I peek the door open, and I see a guy standing at the door holding a box of baking soda. That's all the tipoff I need to know it's a Kirby salesman, from the Kirby dealership a few streets over. How do I know? They have the same predictable shpiel every time they knock on the door.
1. They offer you a free product. Today apparently it was baking soda, but in the 3 years I have lived here they've been here no fewer than 5 times and have also offered paper towels and tissues.
2. They offer to clean your floor for free.
3. Once in your door they take forever to show off their vacuum, they say that their vacuum gets up way more dirt than any other by taking a white circle and vacuuming against it so the carpet dirt goes onto the pad for you to see it more easily. My husband made the mistake of letting them in once and they also vacuumed part of my mattress apparently. GROSS! At least they put a clean white circle down, I guess.
4. They try to sell you a ridiculously overpriced vacuum. (I've read about people being charged up to $3000 for these stupid things.) Once you say no, they pretend to call their boss to get the price knocked down. I've heard the price being knocked down to as low as $600, which is still way more than I ever want to pay for a vacuum.
So here's what happened tonight.
*ding dong*
Me: *opens door* *Curly Girly has taken off her diaper and is running around naked and shrieking*
Kirby dude: Hi, I'm here from *insert random initials of some company here* and I'm here to do a survey on cleaning products.
M: You're here to sell vacuums, and I'm not interested. Sorry.
KD: How did you know? Has someone been here before?
M: Yes, several times.
KD: Ok, bye.
So I shut the door, grab a diaper and wipes, and manage to wrangle my daughter and am attempting to put on her diaper when I hear a knock at the door. Freshly diapered kiddo runs around some more and I answer door. There's a different guy, with the baking soda at his side like he is hiding it.
Me: Still selling vacuums, huh?
Kirby dude 2: *fake innocent face* What? Was someone here before?
Me: Yeah, like 30 seconds ago. Oh, and don't bother knocking on the one next door, my neighbor just moved out. (*That was true, neighbor moved out.*)
KD2: *runs off*
How dumb do they think I am? It may have been dark out, but my curtains are open because my Christmas tree is in the window, and I could see their car, lights all on, pulled up in front of my building. Do they think that since I wasn't fooled the first time that I might get a case of the stupids in a mere minute and be gullible when the second guy bangs on my door? And who thinks it's a good idea to try and clean a carpet and sell me stuff at 8PM? If anything, it's not easy to see dirt in your carpet at night, so their demonstration wouldn't be as effective. Anyway, it's just plain rude. Lots of people are eating dinner, having family time, or putting children to bed at 8PM. I've looked it up online and I am not the only one that this has happened to. Not even close. There are hundreds of stories of Kirby visiting at all sorts of weird hours, not telling why they are there at first, or claiming to be taking a survey when they aren't, and being charged way too much for a vacuum. Inside Edition even did a story on it a few years back.
I'm thinking of getting a No Soliciting sign for my door. Not that they'd pay attention to it. There was one on our last apartment's door and people would just come on in and bang on doors anyway.
And just so you don't think this is a Kirby hating post, it isn't, even though I am annoyed at them right now. There are also these college aged kids trying to sell magazines, saying they need a certain number of points to get to go on a vacation to Hawaii or somewhere equally nice. Usually I see their nametags or magazine brochure and I'm like, "I know you're selling magazines, I don't have money, sorry. Bye!" and close the door. The last guy actually said to me, "Don't you want to help me go to Hawaii?" Well, sir, no, no I don't. Why should I be pressured into buying a magazine I don't really want so you, who can apparently afford to go to college when I can barely pay my bills, can go on a fancy vacation. In fact, that $20 I spend on a magazine I don't want makes me $20 shorter for any vacation I may want to take some day. Or, more realistically, $20 short on gas money or my electric bill.
I live in a small "city" where most of the town doesn't have much. It's a nice place, but a lot of people are barely scraping by and a lot get government help. Kirby picked a dumb town to try to sell $3000 vacuums.
Sorry, but I just had to vent about this. I just get so annoyed when these people come to my door over and over and don't take no for an answer. I am especially annoyed that they tried to trick me. They didn't even do a good job at that. Lame.
-duckyone.
1. They offer you a free product. Today apparently it was baking soda, but in the 3 years I have lived here they've been here no fewer than 5 times and have also offered paper towels and tissues.
2. They offer to clean your floor for free.
3. Once in your door they take forever to show off their vacuum, they say that their vacuum gets up way more dirt than any other by taking a white circle and vacuuming against it so the carpet dirt goes onto the pad for you to see it more easily. My husband made the mistake of letting them in once and they also vacuumed part of my mattress apparently. GROSS! At least they put a clean white circle down, I guess.
4. They try to sell you a ridiculously overpriced vacuum. (I've read about people being charged up to $3000 for these stupid things.) Once you say no, they pretend to call their boss to get the price knocked down. I've heard the price being knocked down to as low as $600, which is still way more than I ever want to pay for a vacuum.
So here's what happened tonight.
*ding dong*
Me: *opens door* *Curly Girly has taken off her diaper and is running around naked and shrieking*
Kirby dude: Hi, I'm here from *insert random initials of some company here* and I'm here to do a survey on cleaning products.
M: You're here to sell vacuums, and I'm not interested. Sorry.
KD: How did you know? Has someone been here before?
M: Yes, several times.
KD: Ok, bye.
So I shut the door, grab a diaper and wipes, and manage to wrangle my daughter and am attempting to put on her diaper when I hear a knock at the door. Freshly diapered kiddo runs around some more and I answer door. There's a different guy, with the baking soda at his side like he is hiding it.
Me: Still selling vacuums, huh?
Kirby dude 2: *fake innocent face* What? Was someone here before?
Me: Yeah, like 30 seconds ago. Oh, and don't bother knocking on the one next door, my neighbor just moved out. (*That was true, neighbor moved out.*)
KD2: *runs off*
How dumb do they think I am? It may have been dark out, but my curtains are open because my Christmas tree is in the window, and I could see their car, lights all on, pulled up in front of my building. Do they think that since I wasn't fooled the first time that I might get a case of the stupids in a mere minute and be gullible when the second guy bangs on my door? And who thinks it's a good idea to try and clean a carpet and sell me stuff at 8PM? If anything, it's not easy to see dirt in your carpet at night, so their demonstration wouldn't be as effective. Anyway, it's just plain rude. Lots of people are eating dinner, having family time, or putting children to bed at 8PM. I've looked it up online and I am not the only one that this has happened to. Not even close. There are hundreds of stories of Kirby visiting at all sorts of weird hours, not telling why they are there at first, or claiming to be taking a survey when they aren't, and being charged way too much for a vacuum. Inside Edition even did a story on it a few years back.
I'm thinking of getting a No Soliciting sign for my door. Not that they'd pay attention to it. There was one on our last apartment's door and people would just come on in and bang on doors anyway.
And just so you don't think this is a Kirby hating post, it isn't, even though I am annoyed at them right now. There are also these college aged kids trying to sell magazines, saying they need a certain number of points to get to go on a vacation to Hawaii or somewhere equally nice. Usually I see their nametags or magazine brochure and I'm like, "I know you're selling magazines, I don't have money, sorry. Bye!" and close the door. The last guy actually said to me, "Don't you want to help me go to Hawaii?" Well, sir, no, no I don't. Why should I be pressured into buying a magazine I don't really want so you, who can apparently afford to go to college when I can barely pay my bills, can go on a fancy vacation. In fact, that $20 I spend on a magazine I don't want makes me $20 shorter for any vacation I may want to take some day. Or, more realistically, $20 short on gas money or my electric bill.
I live in a small "city" where most of the town doesn't have much. It's a nice place, but a lot of people are barely scraping by and a lot get government help. Kirby picked a dumb town to try to sell $3000 vacuums.
Sorry, but I just had to vent about this. I just get so annoyed when these people come to my door over and over and don't take no for an answer. I am especially annoyed that they tried to trick me. They didn't even do a good job at that. Lame.
-duckyone.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Yummy!
All the interesting things that my daughter does seem to happen when I am at work and she is home with her daddy. On Halloween, she managed to find my black nail polish (she had watched me paint my nails the night before), get it all over her hands, close up the bottle, and put it back before my husband discovered what she had done. Smart kid, trying to paint her own nails. :) But the more interesting thing happened on Saturday. It was lunch time, but she wanders around and went to look out the window. Now when she looks toward the sunlight, she sneezes. She is also either having a bit of a cold or teething, so you may be able to see where this is headed.
My husband heard her sneeze and then put something into your mouth.
"What was that?"
"I ate."
"What did you eat?"
"I ate it."
"WHAT did you eat?"
"Booger."
"No, don't do that!"
"I ate booger."
He was almost too amazed at her starting to use sentences to be grossed out. Almost. Bleurgh.
Since you read through my tale of grossness, I shall try to make it right- here is a picture of Curly Girly trick or treating! Super cute!
-duckyone.
My husband heard her sneeze and then put something into your mouth.
"What was that?"
"I ate."
"What did you eat?"
"I ate it."
"WHAT did you eat?"
"Booger."
"No, don't do that!"
"I ate booger."
He was almost too amazed at her starting to use sentences to be grossed out. Almost. Bleurgh.
Since you read through my tale of grossness, I shall try to make it right- here is a picture of Curly Girly trick or treating! Super cute!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Small real life update.
Here's my short update of goings on in real life.
Me: I'm good, same old same old really. I've gone to working only 2 days a week :( because of my husband's work schedule at his new job. But it does leave me a lot of time with my kiddo, and too much time to watch tv, blog, and spend time on my iPod! I've taken a recent interest in Twitter parties- they are lots of fun and I've even won a few prizes! I've also been trying to make a little money for Christmas- I couldn't afford Christmas presents for my family last year (except for my husband and kiddo) and I would like to change that this year, because I love to give gifts to my family!
Husband: I don't think I mentioned here that he was fired from his job at the beginning of August. We were pretty ticked at the time. We moved from WY to NE just for that job and he was the store manager. He was demoted with no decent reason right after our daughter was born (talk about adding stress!) demoted again a few months after that, and fired in August. They never did give him a good reason, and when he called the company's main office they wouldn't talk to him; it was always just "She's not in today- call back tomorrow." Ugh.
Anyhow, they did us a favor. My husband got a better job that he really loves, and!!! it lets him work full time from home! Money is a little tight since he was out of a job for over a month, but we are barely scraping buy. He is a lot happier, we see him a lot more (which isn't always a good thing, hahaha), and he's even lost 10 pounds all while eating more, just because he isn't eating junk food all the time and he isn't as stressed out. A good deal, no? :)
Curly Girly: She is doing very well and being completely a 2 year old. She climbs and talks and plays and throws tantrums, just like a normal toddler. She watches too much Sesame Street, which annoys me, but it has taught her all of her alphabet letters, and her numbers from 0-9! I've been trying to teach her to count (she can count to 3 sometimes) and that letters make sounds and words, but I'm still just amazed that she knows so much. Baby and toddler brains are just amazing!
She has also had more adventures than I have ever had! She went to 2 birthday parties this month, and at one of them, she got to ride on an ATV, which she loved! She also got her nails painted for the first time at a party. I had to work during both parties so her daddy took her and I missed out on all the cuteness. :( But at least she's been having a good time and has some cute, well-behaved little friends to play with.
Other family news: My mom has been sick, so good thoughts and prayers are always welcome! It is a brain tumor which is not life threatening, but it's still not supposed to be there and doesn't make her feel her best. I am hoping her doctor figures out the best course of treatment soon! :) Get better soon, mom!
Non-family news: My friend Millie finally got out of the nursing home! Unfortunately that means I can't visit her because she lives too far away for me to walk. However, her son brings her in to shop where I work sometimes so I still get to check up on her. :) She looks immensely better since she's out of the nursing home. Her face has better color, her hair looks nicer, and she seems much happier. She also says that the food is better at home too. :) I am so glad she's out of that place. I miss visiting her but I am glad that she's back in her house and feeling better. She has to have someone in her house 24-7 so they are looking into home care people and will hopefully find someone soon. :)
So that's all for now! :) Sorry this wasn't as short as intended!
-duckyone.
Me: I'm good, same old same old really. I've gone to working only 2 days a week :( because of my husband's work schedule at his new job. But it does leave me a lot of time with my kiddo, and too much time to watch tv, blog, and spend time on my iPod! I've taken a recent interest in Twitter parties- they are lots of fun and I've even won a few prizes! I've also been trying to make a little money for Christmas- I couldn't afford Christmas presents for my family last year (except for my husband and kiddo) and I would like to change that this year, because I love to give gifts to my family!
Husband: I don't think I mentioned here that he was fired from his job at the beginning of August. We were pretty ticked at the time. We moved from WY to NE just for that job and he was the store manager. He was demoted with no decent reason right after our daughter was born (talk about adding stress!) demoted again a few months after that, and fired in August. They never did give him a good reason, and when he called the company's main office they wouldn't talk to him; it was always just "She's not in today- call back tomorrow." Ugh.
Anyhow, they did us a favor. My husband got a better job that he really loves, and!!! it lets him work full time from home! Money is a little tight since he was out of a job for over a month, but we are barely scraping buy. He is a lot happier, we see him a lot more (which isn't always a good thing, hahaha), and he's even lost 10 pounds all while eating more, just because he isn't eating junk food all the time and he isn't as stressed out. A good deal, no? :)
Curly Girly: She is doing very well and being completely a 2 year old. She climbs and talks and plays and throws tantrums, just like a normal toddler. She watches too much Sesame Street, which annoys me, but it has taught her all of her alphabet letters, and her numbers from 0-9! I've been trying to teach her to count (she can count to 3 sometimes) and that letters make sounds and words, but I'm still just amazed that she knows so much. Baby and toddler brains are just amazing!
She has also had more adventures than I have ever had! She went to 2 birthday parties this month, and at one of them, she got to ride on an ATV, which she loved! She also got her nails painted for the first time at a party. I had to work during both parties so her daddy took her and I missed out on all the cuteness. :( But at least she's been having a good time and has some cute, well-behaved little friends to play with.
Other family news: My mom has been sick, so good thoughts and prayers are always welcome! It is a brain tumor which is not life threatening, but it's still not supposed to be there and doesn't make her feel her best. I am hoping her doctor figures out the best course of treatment soon! :) Get better soon, mom!
Non-family news: My friend Millie finally got out of the nursing home! Unfortunately that means I can't visit her because she lives too far away for me to walk. However, her son brings her in to shop where I work sometimes so I still get to check up on her. :) She looks immensely better since she's out of the nursing home. Her face has better color, her hair looks nicer, and she seems much happier. She also says that the food is better at home too. :) I am so glad she's out of that place. I miss visiting her but I am glad that she's back in her house and feeling better. She has to have someone in her house 24-7 so they are looking into home care people and will hopefully find someone soon. :)
So that's all for now! :) Sorry this wasn't as short as intended!
-duckyone.
Friday, October 22, 2010
McBoo!
I am incredibly geeked out right now. I was walking by a McDonald's last week and noticed something that basically made my whole month...THEY HAVE MCBOO BUCKETS! Ok, so they are not really like the original McBoo buckets- I especially miss the lid- but they are giving me delightful 1980s flashbacks right now. Plus, they have stickers so you can dress the Mr. Potato Head pictures on the bucket. Doesn't get too much cooler than that, does it? I made my husband get Happy Meals so both Curly Girly and I could have these splendid buckets. I actually even went on eBay to see if anyone was selling the original McBoos...surprise, surprise, someone is. Alas, I don't have money to spend on a herd of McBoo buckets right now. Because I would be totally tempted.
Yes, I know I'm a geek.
I bet everyone except for my sister is thinking- what the heck is a McBoo bucket? Go HERE or HERE to see their magnificence.
Happy week before Halloween, everyone!
-duckyone.
Yes, I know I'm a geek.
I bet everyone except for my sister is thinking- what the heck is a McBoo bucket? Go HERE or HERE to see their magnificence.
Happy week before Halloween, everyone!
-duckyone.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Hippity hop!
So I joined a Blog Hop. My sister has been doing it for a while and it gets her followers, and since my sister is my only follower who actually looks at my blog, I figured it couldn't hurt. :) Her blog is way nicer than mine! She's all domestic-y and stuff. My blog? Well, it's about whatever entertains me. Mostly cracking dirty Elmo jokes, putting up links to funny Youtube videos, and the occasionally blog on fart clouds. If you're looking for something silly to read, you've come to the right place.
I also post a bit about my 2 year old daughter, aka Curly Girly. She's a sweet kid who gets into a lot of trouble. :)
So, I hope this brings a few followers to my blog, as well as some interesting new blogs from other hoppers to read and follow! Yay!
-duckyone.
I also post a bit about my 2 year old daughter, aka Curly Girly. She's a sweet kid who gets into a lot of trouble. :)
So, I hope this brings a few followers to my blog, as well as some interesting new blogs from other hoppers to read and follow! Yay!
-duckyone.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Trifecta of Grossness.
My poor little Curly Girly was sick last week. I don't know what it was, either some sort of bug or too many birthday parties (she went to two last weekend- that's a lot for me, let alone a 2 year old!), but she woke up Monday morning feeling pretty crummy. And since my husband had to work, guess who was on vomit patrol? Yup, that would be me. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad and she was better by Tuesday afternoon. But that isn't really what I came here to talk about.
The poor feline family members must have been feeling left out when I was tending to a sick toddler, because one of them decided to inhale their kibble like a Hoover and then regurgitate it back onto my living room carpet. Then, I find cat poo that migrated from the litter box.
"Could my week get any grosser?" I thought to myself. Perhaps the wrong question to ask. Once Curly Girly was feeling better, she decided to one up the cats and take off a poopy diaper, leaving me a little treat on the living room floor to clean up.
Well, I bet you're thinking that at least nothing got peed on. I made the mistake of thinking that too. In the perfect end to a perfectly gross week, Curly Girly took off her diaper, squealing "Potty! Potty!" So I ran her to the toilet, where she sat, babbling to me about "Potty! Peepee, Poopoo!" However, nothing came out. I even tried to tickle it out of her. No dice. So, defeated, I took her back downstairs, and went in search of a diaper. She must have decided that the living room floor was already gross enough, so she added to the nastiness. Thanks, kid. It's a good thing I have Lysol wipes and tons of Lysol spray handy.
My toddler has completed the Trifecta of Grossness, now it's the feline's turn.
It's your move now, cats.
-duckyone.
The poor feline family members must have been feeling left out when I was tending to a sick toddler, because one of them decided to inhale their kibble like a Hoover and then regurgitate it back onto my living room carpet. Then, I find cat poo that migrated from the litter box.
"Could my week get any grosser?" I thought to myself. Perhaps the wrong question to ask. Once Curly Girly was feeling better, she decided to one up the cats and take off a poopy diaper, leaving me a little treat on the living room floor to clean up.
Well, I bet you're thinking that at least nothing got peed on. I made the mistake of thinking that too. In the perfect end to a perfectly gross week, Curly Girly took off her diaper, squealing "Potty! Potty!" So I ran her to the toilet, where she sat, babbling to me about "Potty! Peepee, Poopoo!" However, nothing came out. I even tried to tickle it out of her. No dice. So, defeated, I took her back downstairs, and went in search of a diaper. She must have decided that the living room floor was already gross enough, so she added to the nastiness. Thanks, kid. It's a good thing I have Lysol wipes and tons of Lysol spray handy.
My toddler has completed the Trifecta of Grossness, now it's the feline's turn.
It's your move now, cats.
-duckyone.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Clouds of DOOM!
Three times in the last two weeks, I have managed to end up walking through the most heinous fart clouds. Now I admit, the first time I probably deserved it. I saw a poster in the clothing section and went to put it away, which caused me to lean over to about hiney level to do so. But the other times, I was standing at my full 5'6", too high to be crack level with anyone's stinky wind.
The second time was especially awful- it smelled like someone may have had a bonus come out with it. The third time was tonight, and this time was a coworker and not a customer. I told my husband, he seemed equal parts grossed out and amused. But then, when giving Curly Girly a bath, he walked out of the room to avoid stinking us out, then quickly back in and shut the door. All that did was trap the stench in. Boys are icky.
I feel like I have a Fart Ninja following me around. What did I do to deserve this? Do any of you get visits from a Fart Ninja, Fart Bandit, or Fart Fairy? I wish the Fart Fairy was more like the Tooth Fairy, so I could collect quarters for passing gas. But no, all the Fart Fairy does is delivers a stinky surprise.
I really ought to put on too much perfume so I can't smell anything else but myself.
-duckyone.
The second time was especially awful- it smelled like someone may have had a bonus come out with it. The third time was tonight, and this time was a coworker and not a customer. I told my husband, he seemed equal parts grossed out and amused. But then, when giving Curly Girly a bath, he walked out of the room to avoid stinking us out, then quickly back in and shut the door. All that did was trap the stench in. Boys are icky.
I feel like I have a Fart Ninja following me around. What did I do to deserve this? Do any of you get visits from a Fart Ninja, Fart Bandit, or Fart Fairy? I wish the Fart Fairy was more like the Tooth Fairy, so I could collect quarters for passing gas. But no, all the Fart Fairy does is delivers a stinky surprise.
I really ought to put on too much perfume so I can't smell anything else but myself.
-duckyone.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sesame Street: A YouTube Interview with Elmo
Check it out! Chris from Hooper's Store on Sesame Street interviewed Elmo with questions sent in by YouTube users. Sadly, my question didn't get enough votes to make the cut, but the interview is awesome, so you should watch it anyway! Elmo is really funny in this. This is from Sesame Street's official YouTube channel.
Also, I am so glad that the new season of Sesame Street starts next week. We have last season on DVR, and I am getting really bored of it, I think I have most of it memorized because Curly Girly always wants to watch it! Anyone else excited? And tell me what you think of the Elmo interview!
-duckyone
Also, I am so glad that the new season of Sesame Street starts next week. We have last season on DVR, and I am getting really bored of it, I think I have most of it memorized because Curly Girly always wants to watch it! Anyone else excited? And tell me what you think of the Elmo interview!
-duckyone
Sunday, September 12, 2010
ELMO PARTY!
We just had the Elmo themed birthday for Curly Girly this weekend. It turned out really cute, and the kiddos had a lot of fun, so I'd like to share some pictures!
And finally, a couple of shots of the birthday girl on her special day!
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Outside of invitations and envelopes
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The invitations, banner, and goody bag tags were all done using my Cricut. Took a lot of cutting, gluing, and glitter, but it was worth it! Next up, yummy yummy cake! We did a main cake that was red velvet with homemade buttercream frosting, and cupcakes that were white with homemade buttercream frosting.
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| Finished cake! My husband did a great job! |
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| The cupcakes I frosted didn't look as nice. |
Here's a few photos of the decorations and other assorted stuff...
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| Balloons and the goody bags. |
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| Closeup of the goody bags. Chock full of Elmo goodness! |
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| 2 rooms had red and orange streamers and red balloons. |
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She wore a pretty Elmo dress!
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| Opening her presents. The book there has her picture throughout the story! |
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| Tried to get a family picture. Didn't work well. At least you can see we all wore Elmo! |
And there you have it- One awesome Elmo party! There were so many more things I wanted to do with decorations and food that we didn't get to, but the kids (6 there including the birthday girl) had an awesome time and left full of pizza and cake and tuckered out! Don't know how we will compete with this for next year when she turns three! :)
-duckyone.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Old people in the future
I took Curly Girly to the nursing home to visit my buddy Millie again (she's doing well, in case you were wondering), and she was sitting in her room watching Dragnet. The last few times I have come to see her, she's been watching Little House on the Prairie. She also tells me that she likes to watch Lawrence Welk. (Well, not watch, since she's blind, but you know what I mean.) I haven't seen a single episode of any one of these shows. I think I've seen maybe a few minutes of Little House once or twice. All I know that they were made before I was born. In the case of The Lawrence Welk show, that was made even before my parents were born. As I was walking out, I saw a lady watching I Love Lucy, which is also really old, but I've actually seen that, and it's pretty funny.
So I bet you're wondering why I'm rambling on about what old ladies watch in nursing homes. It just got me to thinking. What will I watch when I'm a little old lady in a nursing home? I can just picture me sitting there in a wheelchair, watching Saved By The Bell or The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. If that's what's going to happen, I'm all for it!
"Now pass me my prune juice and bowl of peppermints, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is on!"
-duckyone
Monday, August 30, 2010
Letters
I was looking through my Elmo's Party Cricut cartridge one day last week, trying to come up with stuff to make for Curly Girly's upcoming birthday party. For those of you unfamiliar with a Cricut book, each page shows what is on a particular button, and there are several choices for each button. So on the page I was looking at, there were assorted Elmo parts and the letter T from the Elmo font. Curly Girly comes up to me (because she has super Elmo radar), points to the page, and says "T."
"What?"
"T, T, T."
My husband turns around and stares at her at this point, and we are both thinking it is a coincidence. So I turn the page, where there is an O up top and a P down the bottom, and she says, "P, P, P." At this point, she has boggled both of our little brains, trying to figure out if she really knows any letters at age 23 months or she is just lucky. So I go through the pages, one letter at a time, and she pointed to them and got at least half of them right!
She does have a Dr. Seuss "ABC" book, and a small Elmo alphabet board book, but those aren't her favorites and we don't read them too her often. I certainly haven't been teaching her letters, since I figured that would come much later. Our best guess is that she learned these letters from watching too much Sesame Street. And all this time I thought she wasn't paying attention to anything but Elmo, since she runs around so much. Since then, I have gotten out her package of foam letters and numbers, and she seems very interested in them, pointing out letters and acting very proud of herself. And of course, Mummy and Daddy are very proud of her too.
Who needs parents when you have Elmo? :)
-duckyone
"What?"
"T, T, T."
My husband turns around and stares at her at this point, and we are both thinking it is a coincidence. So I turn the page, where there is an O up top and a P down the bottom, and she says, "P, P, P." At this point, she has boggled both of our little brains, trying to figure out if she really knows any letters at age 23 months or she is just lucky. So I go through the pages, one letter at a time, and she pointed to them and got at least half of them right!
She does have a Dr. Seuss "ABC" book, and a small Elmo alphabet board book, but those aren't her favorites and we don't read them too her often. I certainly haven't been teaching her letters, since I figured that would come much later. Our best guess is that she learned these letters from watching too much Sesame Street. And all this time I thought she wasn't paying attention to anything but Elmo, since she runs around so much. Since then, I have gotten out her package of foam letters and numbers, and she seems very interested in them, pointing out letters and acting very proud of herself. And of course, Mummy and Daddy are very proud of her too.
Who needs parents when you have Elmo? :)
-duckyone
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Consignment shopping
Curly Girly is growing like a weed, so we took her to the consignment store yesterday in search of good clothes. Sure, I could take her to Walmart or Target or K-Mart, but why pay $5 for a t-shirt when I can get a gently used one for $1-2, and she won't notice the difference? On our last trip, in March, we got her a cute purple Nike sweatsuit for like $6! I found the same thing online, brand new, for over $30.
Yesterday's trip was just for clothes, but we ended up buying more than that. We found a pink and white Little Tikes plastic table (for some reason it has pink Ikea stools instead of pink chairs) for only $20. There was a grey Little Tikes table with drawers and matching chairs that we liked better, but it was $40, and Curly Girly went straight to the pink one anyway! Then, my husband found one of those Kid Tough cameras for only $10. New, those things sell for $40-50. Kiddo doesn't care what color it is, she just likes cameras, but this one happens to be pink, and she loves it- she carried it around all day yesterday.The last non-clothes item we found was a bag of plastic dishes, perfect for her toy kitchen. It seemed to be items from random sets but they vaguely match, and there is even a coffee pot that makes noise!
As for the clothes, we found plenty of those too. We got her 2 dresses, 3 pairs of pants, 1 sweatshirt, 1 sweater, 1 windbreaker, about 6 shirts, and even 4 pairs of cute little Elmo undies! I was holding clothes up to her when we got home and she had the biggest smile on her face!
Grand total for the clothes and all of her other fun things was $78! If I went to a regular store, I probably couldn't even get her that many pieces of clothing. There were things we wanted but decided against (like a tricycle for $40- a similar one to one I can get at work for $40, plus use my discount and get it for cheaper), so it helps to know what things run brand new so you don't overpay. All of the clothes I got were hardly worn and look great. At the store I went to (and also others I have been to), I have even found items with the original store tags on them! Brand new stuff for cheap! I'm not really the most seasoned consignment shopper but I have been buying clothes for my daughter that way since before she was worn, and she has gotten compliments on some of the outfits I have bought at consignment stores.
On a sort of but not really related note, Curly Girly loved her new table so much that she colored all over it in ball point pen. To clean it: soap and water didn't work well, baby wipes didn't work well, Goo Gone helped a bit more, and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers took the rest off! I really ought to keep a supply of those things around the house. :)
-duckyone.
P.S. I had mentioned on my Twitter about some of my good finds, and someone gave me the link to a place called Consignment Mommies (http://consignmentmommies.com) It has lists of consignment sales, articles about the best way to shop those sales, and even how to repurpose clothes that have seen better days. I am not crafty and handy enough to fix clothes, but it was a really interesting article, and the site is worth a look!
Yesterday's trip was just for clothes, but we ended up buying more than that. We found a pink and white Little Tikes plastic table (for some reason it has pink Ikea stools instead of pink chairs) for only $20. There was a grey Little Tikes table with drawers and matching chairs that we liked better, but it was $40, and Curly Girly went straight to the pink one anyway! Then, my husband found one of those Kid Tough cameras for only $10. New, those things sell for $40-50. Kiddo doesn't care what color it is, she just likes cameras, but this one happens to be pink, and she loves it- she carried it around all day yesterday.The last non-clothes item we found was a bag of plastic dishes, perfect for her toy kitchen. It seemed to be items from random sets but they vaguely match, and there is even a coffee pot that makes noise!
As for the clothes, we found plenty of those too. We got her 2 dresses, 3 pairs of pants, 1 sweatshirt, 1 sweater, 1 windbreaker, about 6 shirts, and even 4 pairs of cute little Elmo undies! I was holding clothes up to her when we got home and she had the biggest smile on her face!
Grand total for the clothes and all of her other fun things was $78! If I went to a regular store, I probably couldn't even get her that many pieces of clothing. There were things we wanted but decided against (like a tricycle for $40- a similar one to one I can get at work for $40, plus use my discount and get it for cheaper), so it helps to know what things run brand new so you don't overpay. All of the clothes I got were hardly worn and look great. At the store I went to (and also others I have been to), I have even found items with the original store tags on them! Brand new stuff for cheap! I'm not really the most seasoned consignment shopper but I have been buying clothes for my daughter that way since before she was worn, and she has gotten compliments on some of the outfits I have bought at consignment stores.
On a sort of but not really related note, Curly Girly loved her new table so much that she colored all over it in ball point pen. To clean it: soap and water didn't work well, baby wipes didn't work well, Goo Gone helped a bit more, and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers took the rest off! I really ought to keep a supply of those things around the house. :)
-duckyone.
P.S. I had mentioned on my Twitter about some of my good finds, and someone gave me the link to a place called Consignment Mommies (http://consignmentmommies.com) It has lists of consignment sales, articles about the best way to shop those sales, and even how to repurpose clothes that have seen better days. I am not crafty and handy enough to fix clothes, but it was a really interesting article, and the site is worth a look!
Greetings from my Elmo nightmare.
No interesting or "funny" stories or dirty Sesame Street jokes today. We finally decided on a day for Curly Girly's 2nd birthday party, so I have been up to my eyeballs in Elmo eyeballs (and noses, and mouths, and other assorted Elmo bits). I am finally getting some use out of my Cricut that I bought recently! I have the Elmo's party cartridge (of course, and it's the only cartridge I've bought for it so far) and I am putting it to use. Last night I assembled birthday invitations last night at like 2AM (except for one defective Elmo hiney which I need to recut) and I am happy with them. They have pop-up Elmos inside! Tonight at about 1AM , I assembled 22 Elmo rectangles that will become a banner once I string them all together. They say "Happy Birthday [Curly Girly]" and they turned out nicely!
What's up next for the Cricut? Elmo name tags for the goody bags, thank you notes, and perhaps Elmo faces to put onto party hats if I can find red party hats. Finding party hats is apparently difficult, since Walmart stopped carrying them and so did the local party supply store. Guess I will be ordering them online. While my Cricut adventures don't look professional like they show on TV, I am happy with what I have made so far. After the kiddo's birthday, I will post pictures of the Elmo madness. With all the Elmos I have glued together thus far, it's a wonder I don't dream about being red and furry and wake up in a cold sweat.
In non-Muppet news, Curly Girly and I went to see Millie again. She was much more cheerful this week, and showed Catherine some birds that the nursing home has. Curly Girly wanted to get to the birds so bad that I had to keep her from banging on the glass. Millie's son and daughter-in-law were there visiting too so we all looked at birds and had a chat. Curly Girly got lots of comments on her curls, of course. We are planning on going again next week to see her. Her daughter-in-law said hopefully Millie will be out of there in a few short weeks, so prayers and good thoughts for her speedy recovery!
Now, it is insanely late and I should be resting up to chase after the kiddo again tomorrow. Assembling more Elmo stuff will probably wait until this weekend on my days off from work.
-duckyone.
What's up next for the Cricut? Elmo name tags for the goody bags, thank you notes, and perhaps Elmo faces to put onto party hats if I can find red party hats. Finding party hats is apparently difficult, since Walmart stopped carrying them and so did the local party supply store. Guess I will be ordering them online. While my Cricut adventures don't look professional like they show on TV, I am happy with what I have made so far. After the kiddo's birthday, I will post pictures of the Elmo madness. With all the Elmos I have glued together thus far, it's a wonder I don't dream about being red and furry and wake up in a cold sweat.
In non-Muppet news, Curly Girly and I went to see Millie again. She was much more cheerful this week, and showed Catherine some birds that the nursing home has. Curly Girly wanted to get to the birds so bad that I had to keep her from banging on the glass. Millie's son and daughter-in-law were there visiting too so we all looked at birds and had a chat. Curly Girly got lots of comments on her curls, of course. We are planning on going again next week to see her. Her daughter-in-law said hopefully Millie will be out of there in a few short weeks, so prayers and good thoughts for her speedy recovery!
Now, it is insanely late and I should be resting up to chase after the kiddo again tomorrow. Assembling more Elmo stuff will probably wait until this weekend on my days off from work.
-duckyone.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Millie
I have a friend named Millie. She is a little old lady. An awesome little old lady. She is 77 years young. She is almost completely blind but still cooks her own meals, lives by herself at home, and walks around her kitchen island to get exercise. She is thin but concerned about letting herself go. She always wears matching outfits, and must have had them a long time if she knows what to put together without seeing them. She watches (well, listens to, anyway) Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights while eating a Banquet tv dinner. She tells stories of her dad who was a music teacher, her husband, her four children, and growing up in Nebraska.
Now, I don't go actively looking for little old ladies as friends. Millie and I just happened to find each other at my work. She needed help getting around the store to buy things, and I like to walk around. I think I was pregnant with Curly Girly the first time I helped her, and at that point walking around really helped me out since I was swelling all up. She walked around the store and I held onto the cart, guiding her around and reading item labels and prices for her. When it came time for her to pay, she had her money all set up where she could find it, and she trusted me with her wallet and checkbook.
I last helped Millie around in June. Her Wednesday visits were habit to me. The other workers "saved" Millie for me, and even if I was on break, she would wait for me to come back. I went on vacation the last week of June, and when I came back, she didn't come in. "Next week," I thought to myself, and worried to myself even though Millie was fairly healthy and active. What if she decided she liked another store better? What if she was broke and needed help (I knew she had hardly any money)? What if she was sick? I waited Wednesday after Wednesday. No Millie. I looked up her phone number and tried to call her. The number had gotten disconnected. At this point I was really starting to freak out.
I went in on Saturday on my day off to pick up some milk and bread. And there I saw her! Millie was there, in a wheelchair, with her daughter in law, doing some quick shopping. I asked her what had happened and she seemed pretty upset. She had some illness that seemed fairly minor to her (her daughter in law seemed to mention it was a little more serious), and got put in the hospital. From there, she got sent to a nursing home. "My kids put me in there!" she said sadly. I found out she was staying fairly close to where I live and I said I could visit her if she didn't mind seeing Curly Girly too, which of course she didn't. Today, I loaded up Curly Girly in the stroller and walked over to see her.
I found Millie in the dining room (tried to get there early but I fail, oops), sitting with a couple friends but looking rather angry. I said "Hi, Millie!" and she sort of snapped at me until she realized who it was. And when she found out Curly Girly was there too, she brightened up. She was really upset to be there, and asked how the weather was, and if we had walked over. She asked how I was, what new things Curly Girly was doing, and how my husband was, and if he had found a job yet. She told me she was doing her therapy every day, trying her best to meet all the requirements to go home. She says she needs to get out in a month or she will lose her house. I don't know the specifics of why she is there or whether or not she will be getting out soon. I stayed there maybe a half hour talking to her, until the wee one got antsy and wanted to leave. We gave her a picture that Curly Girly colored to brighten up her room- I figured even if she can't see it, she would appreciate it, and Curly Girly cutely said, "Byebye! See ya!" and waved.
As we left, I was stopped a few times by little old ladies oohing and aahing over Curly Girly and her hair, and she would wave and say "Byebye!" as we walked away. I felt sad leaving Millie all bummed out, but Cury Girly seemed to brighten the day for a lot of people.
So why am I telling you this long story? Because I wanted to tell you that it doesn't take much to help someone out or make their day a little better. I didn't set out to make friends with little old people. Nursing homes sort of give me the willies a little bit. But I found an unexpected friend, and it only takes a little effort to cheer her up.
My own grandparents (dad's parents) were in nursing homes for many years, but I didn't get out to visit them often. I visited my Grandpa a few times in there before he passed away, but it made me so sad to think of him in there because I knew how much he hated it, and I didn't make it in there often to see him. The last time I saw him was on his birthday, 4 months before he died. We ate little ice cream cups and the nurses went on about his pretty blue eyes and great personality. By the time my grandmother was full time in a nursing home (from assisted living), I had moved 2000 miles away and couldn't readily go visit her. The last time I saw her was when I went to Massachusetts last June to see family. Curly Girly was just wee and non-curly at the time, and no one had met her yet so we were rushing around trying to see everyone we could in just a week. We made the trip to New Hampshire to see my Grandma, and boy am I glad I did. Of course, I didn't know it at the time, but that would be the last time I would see my Grandma. She seemed in good health, but soon after I went home, she took a turn for the worse and she died 2 months later. Curly Girly had a good time visiting her Great Grandma- she was fascinated with the tennis balls on her walker, and we got a picture of the three of us, which turned out really nice and I still like to look at it. I'm not sure if things would have gone differently if I had known it was our last visit with her; I am just glad that we had a good time and I have good memories of that visit.
Take time to visit your loved ones, young and old, sick or healthy, because you never know when the last time you will see someone will be. Make friends with someone new and unexpected, because you never know when someone really cool will cross your path. And be nice to people, because you never know when you might make a difference or make someone's life a little easier or happier.
-duckyone
Now, I don't go actively looking for little old ladies as friends. Millie and I just happened to find each other at my work. She needed help getting around the store to buy things, and I like to walk around. I think I was pregnant with Curly Girly the first time I helped her, and at that point walking around really helped me out since I was swelling all up. She walked around the store and I held onto the cart, guiding her around and reading item labels and prices for her. When it came time for her to pay, she had her money all set up where she could find it, and she trusted me with her wallet and checkbook.
I last helped Millie around in June. Her Wednesday visits were habit to me. The other workers "saved" Millie for me, and even if I was on break, she would wait for me to come back. I went on vacation the last week of June, and when I came back, she didn't come in. "Next week," I thought to myself, and worried to myself even though Millie was fairly healthy and active. What if she decided she liked another store better? What if she was broke and needed help (I knew she had hardly any money)? What if she was sick? I waited Wednesday after Wednesday. No Millie. I looked up her phone number and tried to call her. The number had gotten disconnected. At this point I was really starting to freak out.
I went in on Saturday on my day off to pick up some milk and bread. And there I saw her! Millie was there, in a wheelchair, with her daughter in law, doing some quick shopping. I asked her what had happened and she seemed pretty upset. She had some illness that seemed fairly minor to her (her daughter in law seemed to mention it was a little more serious), and got put in the hospital. From there, she got sent to a nursing home. "My kids put me in there!" she said sadly. I found out she was staying fairly close to where I live and I said I could visit her if she didn't mind seeing Curly Girly too, which of course she didn't. Today, I loaded up Curly Girly in the stroller and walked over to see her.
I found Millie in the dining room (tried to get there early but I fail, oops), sitting with a couple friends but looking rather angry. I said "Hi, Millie!" and she sort of snapped at me until she realized who it was. And when she found out Curly Girly was there too, she brightened up. She was really upset to be there, and asked how the weather was, and if we had walked over. She asked how I was, what new things Curly Girly was doing, and how my husband was, and if he had found a job yet. She told me she was doing her therapy every day, trying her best to meet all the requirements to go home. She says she needs to get out in a month or she will lose her house. I don't know the specifics of why she is there or whether or not she will be getting out soon. I stayed there maybe a half hour talking to her, until the wee one got antsy and wanted to leave. We gave her a picture that Curly Girly colored to brighten up her room- I figured even if she can't see it, she would appreciate it, and Curly Girly cutely said, "Byebye! See ya!" and waved.
As we left, I was stopped a few times by little old ladies oohing and aahing over Curly Girly and her hair, and she would wave and say "Byebye!" as we walked away. I felt sad leaving Millie all bummed out, but Cury Girly seemed to brighten the day for a lot of people.
So why am I telling you this long story? Because I wanted to tell you that it doesn't take much to help someone out or make their day a little better. I didn't set out to make friends with little old people. Nursing homes sort of give me the willies a little bit. But I found an unexpected friend, and it only takes a little effort to cheer her up.
My own grandparents (dad's parents) were in nursing homes for many years, but I didn't get out to visit them often. I visited my Grandpa a few times in there before he passed away, but it made me so sad to think of him in there because I knew how much he hated it, and I didn't make it in there often to see him. The last time I saw him was on his birthday, 4 months before he died. We ate little ice cream cups and the nurses went on about his pretty blue eyes and great personality. By the time my grandmother was full time in a nursing home (from assisted living), I had moved 2000 miles away and couldn't readily go visit her. The last time I saw her was when I went to Massachusetts last June to see family. Curly Girly was just wee and non-curly at the time, and no one had met her yet so we were rushing around trying to see everyone we could in just a week. We made the trip to New Hampshire to see my Grandma, and boy am I glad I did. Of course, I didn't know it at the time, but that would be the last time I would see my Grandma. She seemed in good health, but soon after I went home, she took a turn for the worse and she died 2 months later. Curly Girly had a good time visiting her Great Grandma- she was fascinated with the tennis balls on her walker, and we got a picture of the three of us, which turned out really nice and I still like to look at it. I'm not sure if things would have gone differently if I had known it was our last visit with her; I am just glad that we had a good time and I have good memories of that visit.
Take time to visit your loved ones, young and old, sick or healthy, because you never know when the last time you will see someone will be. Make friends with someone new and unexpected, because you never know when someone really cool will cross your path. And be nice to people, because you never know when you might make a difference or make someone's life a little easier or happier.
-duckyone
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
She says the funniest things!
Curly Girly is learning to talk, and just in the past few months really started to say a lot of different words. Just when I think something she says is totally cute (like "Ewww, gross!" when she takes off her diapers), she manages to top it with something cuter a few days later. Babies and toddlers amaze me because they are constantly learning new things. When they learn something you didn't teach them, it's fascinating.
Anyhow, I got a credit card offer in the mail the other day. I tear them to little bitty bits before I throw them away, but I pull the fake cards out and give them to Curly Girly to play with, because lately she is entertained by cards. (Maybe because she likes to play with Daddy's wallet?) So I hand her the card and she says all excitedly, " 's money??!"
Now I KNOW I didn't teach her that. I don't even have a credit card. Either she watches too much tv, or spends too much time listening to other people at my work. Perhaps both. It's cute at any rate. It also reminds me that it's not too far in the future that I will have to teach her about money and using it responsibly. She's growing up so fast!
-duckyone.
Anyhow, I got a credit card offer in the mail the other day. I tear them to little bitty bits before I throw them away, but I pull the fake cards out and give them to Curly Girly to play with, because lately she is entertained by cards. (Maybe because she likes to play with Daddy's wallet?) So I hand her the card and she says all excitedly, " 's money??!"
Now I KNOW I didn't teach her that. I don't even have a credit card. Either she watches too much tv, or spends too much time listening to other people at my work. Perhaps both. It's cute at any rate. It also reminds me that it's not too far in the future that I will have to teach her about money and using it responsibly. She's growing up so fast!
-duckyone.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Potty Time With Elmo!
So the kiddo all of a sudden hates dirty diapers. She even tries to change her own diapers. She used to not mind sitting in a dirty diaper and fussed when we insisted on changing her. Now, she finds her diapers, opens one, sits on it backward, and then takes her dirty diaper off to give to me or her daddy. Sometimes she will hand us the diaper first, with an accompanying "Ewww, gross." Thanks, kid. Really nice.
So Curly Girly aka Elmo Addict has an Elmo potty that we got her for Christmas, and I figured it was as good a time as any to bust it out and see what happens. Now this thing talks in a creepy Elmo voice in French, Spanish, and English. I'm all for equal language opportunity, but honestly, Elmo speaking things I didn't understand was giving me the heebie jeebies, so my husband tinkered with it and figured out how to make it just creepy in one language that I at least understand.
Curly Girly sometimes sits on it, but usually just to press the button and make it talk. She's much more interested in watching me go to the bathroom. Ewww, gross. I'm not one for putting on Ducky's Potty Show, so it's kind of weird to have another person in there watching me go. Although, she is a very nice audience, and even claps when I flush. *bows* Thank you, thank you, I do 3-4 shows a day so be sure to check me out later, kid.
She seems to understand some basic potty concepts. She can say "pee pee," "poo poo," and "potty." She takes off her own diaper to sit on the potty. She even tries to wipe herself and then bugs me to let her wash her hands afterward. It's totally cute! But she just won't go. She's only one so we have plenty of time though. She even said, "Potty, please!" and then shook the gate for me to let her upstairs to her potty, but when she got up there she pushed the Elmo button a few times and then ran naked into the hallway to torture one of the cats.
So I am actually telling you all of this to tell you that we bought the "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD because I thought it might help her out. It's 45 minutes long, and I think MAYBE 1 minute of that is actually showing a potty. They talk on 123 Sesame Street's outside steps about words for urine and feces. Elmo rides his tricycle around the street and talks about what it feels like to have to go. Then Elmo and another Muppet (Telly maybe? I forget) sing about how it's ok to have accidents when you're learning. Baby Bear talks about how his little sister Curly Bear is potty training. Prairie Dawn has a flashback about buying her big girl underpants (with pianos on them!). So where is the actual potty in potty training?
I was hoping that if Curly Girly saw Elmo sitting on a potty, then maybe she'd want to too. But they only show him on a potty for a few seconds that the beginning, while his dad sings a potty song and then goes in search of air freshener because apparently Elmo reeks. But the rest of the episode it all about the concept of the potty and no instructional potty-ness or how to for the kiddies. No offense, Elmo, but poo to that! (har, har)
There were 2 things I liked about the DVD. 1. A kid says the word "dookie." 2. It was brought to you by the letter P and the number 2! HAHAHAHA!
Anyhow, I just wanted to say that potty training is so much more amusing when Elmo is involved.
-duckyone
So Curly Girly aka Elmo Addict has an Elmo potty that we got her for Christmas, and I figured it was as good a time as any to bust it out and see what happens. Now this thing talks in a creepy Elmo voice in French, Spanish, and English. I'm all for equal language opportunity, but honestly, Elmo speaking things I didn't understand was giving me the heebie jeebies, so my husband tinkered with it and figured out how to make it just creepy in one language that I at least understand.
Curly Girly sometimes sits on it, but usually just to press the button and make it talk. She's much more interested in watching me go to the bathroom. Ewww, gross. I'm not one for putting on Ducky's Potty Show, so it's kind of weird to have another person in there watching me go. Although, she is a very nice audience, and even claps when I flush. *bows* Thank you, thank you, I do 3-4 shows a day so be sure to check me out later, kid.
She seems to understand some basic potty concepts. She can say "pee pee," "poo poo," and "potty." She takes off her own diaper to sit on the potty. She even tries to wipe herself and then bugs me to let her wash her hands afterward. It's totally cute! But she just won't go. She's only one so we have plenty of time though. She even said, "Potty, please!" and then shook the gate for me to let her upstairs to her potty, but when she got up there she pushed the Elmo button a few times and then ran naked into the hallway to torture one of the cats.
So I am actually telling you all of this to tell you that we bought the "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD because I thought it might help her out. It's 45 minutes long, and I think MAYBE 1 minute of that is actually showing a potty. They talk on 123 Sesame Street's outside steps about words for urine and feces. Elmo rides his tricycle around the street and talks about what it feels like to have to go. Then Elmo and another Muppet (Telly maybe? I forget) sing about how it's ok to have accidents when you're learning. Baby Bear talks about how his little sister Curly Bear is potty training. Prairie Dawn has a flashback about buying her big girl underpants (with pianos on them!). So where is the actual potty in potty training?
I was hoping that if Curly Girly saw Elmo sitting on a potty, then maybe she'd want to too. But they only show him on a potty for a few seconds that the beginning, while his dad sings a potty song and then goes in search of air freshener because apparently Elmo reeks. But the rest of the episode it all about the concept of the potty and no instructional potty-ness or how to for the kiddies. No offense, Elmo, but poo to that! (har, har)
There were 2 things I liked about the DVD. 1. A kid says the word "dookie." 2. It was brought to you by the letter P and the number 2! HAHAHAHA!
Anyhow, I just wanted to say that potty training is so much more amusing when Elmo is involved.
-duckyone
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Getting ready for an Elmo-stravaganza.
Curly Girly loves many things. Her parents of course, and her kitties. Strawberries. Dirt. Jonas Brothers. Imagination Movers. Monkeys. Cookies. Tacos. The list goes on. But her undying love and infatuation is ELMO. So we are planning an Elmo party for her 2nd birthday.
We went overboard on her first birthday. What one year old needs cake AND cupcakes? (It was, in my defense, a cupcake themed party, but still...) And the pinata? One year olds have no patience and skill to pull strings on a pinata. So it sat there with the candy still in it. So you think we (read: I) would have learned. But nooooo. There may not be cupcakes this year. But this is probably going to be a ridiculously Elmo filled birthday party and way overboard for a two year old.
I am cheaping out on the decorations. No fancy Elmo tablecloth and plates and fancy colored plastic tableware. I bought solid red balloons and some red crepe paper on clearance at work. As soon as the 4th is over, I will head to clearance to add paper plates, cups, and napkins. I also intend to find a cheap orange tablecloth and orange crepe paper. I did buy 2 Elmo mylar balloons, but I searched the internet for about a month finding the cheapest ones ($1.40 on Amazon, as opposed to $3.00 for the inflated ones of the same pattern at work). I also finally bought a Cricut machine (which I've been drooling over for years, so I found a cheap one on eBay), and the first cartridge I got for it? Elmo's Party, so I can make the invitations and decorations right here!
I should probably also mention that I have been planning this party since early June (maybe even late May), and her party isn't until late September. No, I take that back. I got her first party supplies in DECEMBER, before Christmas. (I won a gift card to a site that had Elmo party stuff so I got the cake pan and some Elmo books for the goody bags for just the price of shipping, hooray!) So that gives you an idea of how involved I am with this party that she probably won't remember and that I really don't have much else to do.
I may have taken the cheap route on the decorations, but I tend to splurge on the goody bags. I want the other kids to feel special too, and the goody bags are like my special mark on the party, if that makes sense. Last year I didn't put too much in the bags (crayons, fake tattoos, etc.) but I personalized little pink canvas-y bags with each little girl's name. This year, the goody bags aren't personalized (yet?!) but they will be filled with enough awesome stuff to make any Elmo-loving toddler happy.
This year's goody bag, put in orange rubbery basket totes (75 cents each, woo!):
*Elmo musical alphabet book (used gift card)
*Sesame Street activity book (used gift card)
*Elmo or Big Bird sticker paper doll book (used gift card)
*bubbles (50 cents each, removed labels and replaced them with Elmo stickers)
*glow bracelets ($1.00 for a 15 pack so about 18 cents per goody bag)
*Elmo sippy cup (used gift card)
*Elmo scratch n sniff stickers ($2.00, or 33 cents a goody bag)
*9" Plush Elmo ($4.88 each from eBay)
*Elmo colored bath fizzy tablets (96 cents each)
*Elmo washcloth (got a 6 pack for just under $5 on eBay)
When I used the gift card, I did pay shipping, which probably amounts to *maybe* $1.50 per goody bag. Even with that, I think I am still under $10 per bag, which I know may be a lot, but the stuff in there is worth way more than what I paid. I am hoping the room full of two and three year olds will be super excited to open them and discover the goodies inside. I also intend to buy a small amount of candy for them as well, which I already have Elmo plastic bags to put it in (paid for with gift card).
I also bought Curly Girly a super cute Elmo dress ($7.50ish on eBay), and her present, an Elmo Loves You doll ($26). We wanted to get her the Elmo Live! Encore doll, but it's $60 and you can't play with it, just watch it, and 2 year olds want toys they can play with!
So here's the breakdown:
Cake pan, plastic bags, 6 Elmo books, 6 activity books, 6 sticker doll books, 6 sippy cups: $12.00
6 Elmo plush: $29.28
Elmo stickers: $2.00
Elmo washcloths: $4.74
2 Elmo mylar balloons: $2.80
Elmo dress: $7.24
6 Elmo bath fizzies: $5.60
6 Bubbles: $3.21
Elmo Cricut cartridge (not including Cricut cause that was not just for the party): $20.00
Elmo Loves You doll: $26.99
glow bracelets: $1.07
Crepe paper and balloons: $2.41
6 orange totes: $4.82
TOTAL SO FAR: $122.15 (includes tax)
It sure does add up fast, doesn't it? We still need paper plates, cups, napkins, tablecloth, and one more crepe paper. Food for the party will just be part of our normal groceries so no big deal there. I really hope Curly Girly likes her party!
-duckyone.
We went overboard on her first birthday. What one year old needs cake AND cupcakes? (It was, in my defense, a cupcake themed party, but still...) And the pinata? One year olds have no patience and skill to pull strings on a pinata. So it sat there with the candy still in it. So you think we (read: I) would have learned. But nooooo. There may not be cupcakes this year. But this is probably going to be a ridiculously Elmo filled birthday party and way overboard for a two year old.
I am cheaping out on the decorations. No fancy Elmo tablecloth and plates and fancy colored plastic tableware. I bought solid red balloons and some red crepe paper on clearance at work. As soon as the 4th is over, I will head to clearance to add paper plates, cups, and napkins. I also intend to find a cheap orange tablecloth and orange crepe paper. I did buy 2 Elmo mylar balloons, but I searched the internet for about a month finding the cheapest ones ($1.40 on Amazon, as opposed to $3.00 for the inflated ones of the same pattern at work). I also finally bought a Cricut machine (which I've been drooling over for years, so I found a cheap one on eBay), and the first cartridge I got for it? Elmo's Party, so I can make the invitations and decorations right here!
I should probably also mention that I have been planning this party since early June (maybe even late May), and her party isn't until late September. No, I take that back. I got her first party supplies in DECEMBER, before Christmas. (I won a gift card to a site that had Elmo party stuff so I got the cake pan and some Elmo books for the goody bags for just the price of shipping, hooray!) So that gives you an idea of how involved I am with this party that she probably won't remember and that I really don't have much else to do.
I may have taken the cheap route on the decorations, but I tend to splurge on the goody bags. I want the other kids to feel special too, and the goody bags are like my special mark on the party, if that makes sense. Last year I didn't put too much in the bags (crayons, fake tattoos, etc.) but I personalized little pink canvas-y bags with each little girl's name. This year, the goody bags aren't personalized (yet?!) but they will be filled with enough awesome stuff to make any Elmo-loving toddler happy.
This year's goody bag, put in orange rubbery basket totes (75 cents each, woo!):
*Elmo musical alphabet book (used gift card)
*Sesame Street activity book (used gift card)
*Elmo or Big Bird sticker paper doll book (used gift card)
*bubbles (50 cents each, removed labels and replaced them with Elmo stickers)
*glow bracelets ($1.00 for a 15 pack so about 18 cents per goody bag)
*Elmo sippy cup (used gift card)
*Elmo scratch n sniff stickers ($2.00, or 33 cents a goody bag)
*9" Plush Elmo ($4.88 each from eBay)
*Elmo colored bath fizzy tablets (96 cents each)
*Elmo washcloth (got a 6 pack for just under $5 on eBay)
When I used the gift card, I did pay shipping, which probably amounts to *maybe* $1.50 per goody bag. Even with that, I think I am still under $10 per bag, which I know may be a lot, but the stuff in there is worth way more than what I paid. I am hoping the room full of two and three year olds will be super excited to open them and discover the goodies inside. I also intend to buy a small amount of candy for them as well, which I already have Elmo plastic bags to put it in (paid for with gift card).
I also bought Curly Girly a super cute Elmo dress ($7.50ish on eBay), and her present, an Elmo Loves You doll ($26). We wanted to get her the Elmo Live! Encore doll, but it's $60 and you can't play with it, just watch it, and 2 year olds want toys they can play with!
So here's the breakdown:
Cake pan, plastic bags, 6 Elmo books, 6 activity books, 6 sticker doll books, 6 sippy cups: $12.00
6 Elmo plush: $29.28
Elmo stickers: $2.00
Elmo washcloths: $4.74
2 Elmo mylar balloons: $2.80
Elmo dress: $7.24
6 Elmo bath fizzies: $5.60
6 Bubbles: $3.21
Elmo Cricut cartridge (not including Cricut cause that was not just for the party): $20.00
Elmo Loves You doll: $26.99
glow bracelets: $1.07
Crepe paper and balloons: $2.41
6 orange totes: $4.82
TOTAL SO FAR: $122.15 (includes tax)
It sure does add up fast, doesn't it? We still need paper plates, cups, napkins, tablecloth, and one more crepe paper. Food for the party will just be part of our normal groceries so no big deal there. I really hope Curly Girly likes her party!
-duckyone.
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