I Love Technology.

I seriously do. Technology rocks. We have come a long way. But I also believe my kids are SPOILED ROTTEN because of Technology.

For example: My daughter, Thing One, has an ipod Nano. She can watch movies and videos on it. She can RECORD VIDEO with it. She can get on the computer and with the push of a button, download any song she wants (until her giftcard runs out bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!) and listen to it and it's perfectly clear. Which I kinda resent. Why?

Cut to when *I* was twelve years old. Okay, seriously, no laughter, please--I had this stuffed dog, with a radio in it. (I had no other radio.) Yep. A dog, with two knobs on its underside--one for tuning and one for volume.

On weekends, I would tune in to Dick Clark's top 100 countdown, and I would sit, for HOURS in my room with the door closed, waiting for the songs I wanted with this stupid stuffed dog radio sitting next to a circa late 1970's cassete tape player on my desk. The tape player buttons were set to record, so as soon as Dick stopped yapping over the beginning of the song I wanted, I could hit the button and I would get my song recorded on tape, barring any outside noise. Noise as in, perhaps, me SNEEZING, or my stupid brother knocking on the door and yelling loudly: "LARA --MOM WANTS YOU!" (I was sad beyond sad when my taped version of Thompson Twins' "Lay Your Hands On me" had my brother's voice at the end saying "LAAAAARRAAAAA!" really loudly and the song abruptly cut out, because at that point I had to stop recording.) Boo.

Gone are the days of sitting at my desk waiting FOREVER and praying for quiet during the recording of my favorite songs. Nowadays, I just load up the ole' ipod. But I remember how it was when I was a kid. It kinda sucked.

This is why I love technology. For instance, my favorite "happy" ipod song right now is Owl City's "Fireflies." I bring my ipod in the car and hook it into the car stereo and voila--I get to hear it whenever I want! Take that, Dick Clark. ;-) I don't need you, any more!

*sigh* I love Technology!!! I can only wonder though, how my GRANDkids will be getting their music. They'll probably get it downloaded in their HEADS, and all they'll need to do is "think" of the song and immediately get it streaming into their brain, or something.

Okay, that sounds kind of scary. But I still love technology!

Are Men Disruptive??

I don't mean that in a bad way. Let me explain. As most of you know, I stay home and take care of our four children, ages 12, 10, 8 and 2. (Yeah, I still chuckle over the gap ;-) I am usually a very busy person. BUT I do have some sort of a "system/schedule" down, that works for me. I know what I have to do during the day, and for the most part, I get it knocked out.

Except when Hubby is home sick. Seriously, I don't get a THING done! Case in point, Hubby (who is back to work today but was sick since Thursday last week) stayed home yesterday. I had lots to do. Errands to the Dry Cleaners, Grocery Store, Car dealership oil change, music store to have a broken trumpet valve fixed, post office. I had to finish my thank-yous and get them in the mail, tidy the house from the weekend, and frankly, I WOULD have gotten it all done...but HUBBY was home. He wanted me to help him pick out Christmas gifts for all his work people. (yes, it's getting to be that time!) He wanted to get caught up on our DVR shows (we're about two weeks behind.) He wanted to plan our post-Thanksgiving Shopping Strategy, Etc. Etc. Etc.

What did I get done yesterday? NOTHING. Well, okay, I went and had the oil changed, but only because I forced Hubby to take a nap before lunch, because I'm 600 miles over my maintenance schedule.

THAT'S IT. I didn't even have time to get on the computer until evening. Granted, it was nice to hang out with Hubby, but I felt bad/off kilter at the same time because I'm used to doing certain things on Mondays, and I DIDN'T. That's why I think Men are disruptive. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed our time together yesterday, because it was a rare thing, but I felt anxious because I have so much to DO, and it never seems to get DONE, when Hubby is home from work. Does that make any sense?

I've noticed this same phenomenon during weekends. Does anything *I* need to do, get done? Nope.

Now that things are back to normal, and we're all healthy (thank heaven thank heaven thank heaven knockonwookknockonwoodknockonwood)--I'd better get GOING!!!

Finally...

...we're running out of family members for the H1N1 to attack! Hubby is now down for the count. The kids are all better, but he's in bed.

I, miraculously, have not gotten sick. Hey, I'll take it. I've been able to take care of everyone else.

Heh. Watch me get it.

Conflicted About New Moon.

Warning: If you don't want to be spoiled on the New Moon plot, STOP READING NOW!!

Okay. I saw New Moon tonight with Thing One. I enjoyed it WAY more than the original movie. It was still a tad melodramatic, but hey, it's the Twilight franchise, that's what you sign up for!

Here's where I'm conflicted. After reading the books, I am absolutely TEAM EDWARD. Seriously. Let's not be liars here, and say we wouldn't be swayed by a gorgeous, perfect, sweet-smelling vampire, who pledges undying love to us. *sigh*

Frankly, I detested Jacob Black in the books. He's annoying, hard-headed, weasely, immature, and stubbornly stuck on Bella to the point of OKAY ENOUGH ALREADY. Seriously, I don't like him at all.

But the MOVIE Jacob, is, for want of another word, Perfect. He's sensitive, kind, brave, loyal, funny, he and Bella had chemistry in SPADES and can I just pay homage to the abs?? (I had to keep reminding myself that I was drooling over a seventeen-year old.) I felt myself get emotionally involved at one point. I kept wanting to shout at the screen ARE YOU ON DRUGS, BELLA?? HE'S WARM AND GORGEOUS AND HE LOVES YOU, YOU DIM-WITTED #&**!#$%^&*!! Of course I know who she chooses but I found myself actually rooting for Jacob. It was heartbreaking when Bella rejected him!

See? Conflicted.

So, although I confess to being solidly "Team Edward" from the books, I have to say I am a sound Team Jacob fan from the movie. Or, maybe I'm just TEAM LAUTNER. The kid can act. The kid is adorable. I mean, who else feels the same way I do?
I can't wait until Eclipse! (Okay, someone kick me, I sound like my giddy 12-year old daughter!!!)

Star Trek and New Moon!

I've heard nothing but good things about New Moon, as in, it's LIGHT YEARS better than Twilight. Which is good, because Twilight was embarrassingly cheesy and lame.

If I wasn't taking care of a very sick, very clingy two-year old, I might have gone last night. I actually had the chance to go with some friends, but the tickets were completely gone. At least Thing One and I have tickets for tomorrow--reserved seating! Woo! I've heard the second movie is much better, bigger, and the actors seem to have "gotten it" this time around. Hooray!

I have half a Christmas tree up. Pathetic, I know. And fake pine needles everywhere. I will at least finish the tree today. And tonight should be fun. We're ordering pizza and watching Star Trek (I love love love LOVE it!). J.J. Abrams is awesome. He made a movie that I finally feel the same way I feel about movies like...Indiana Jones and Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean. Nostalgic, engaging and just all around FUN! And I have to say I LOVE Chris Pine as Kirk. I fell for him when I watched "Princess Diaries 2" with Thing One. He's a cutie. And don't even get me started on how perfect Zachary Quinto is as Spock. And Karl Urban absolutely NAILS "Bones." Okay, as do Scotty and Uhura and Sulu and CHEKOV!!! Ha! They're all perfect!!!

Can't tell I love this movie, can you? *wink* I'm not a "Trekkie," but I grew up watching the show with my parents and I LOVED the movies. So I guess I'm "Trekkie Light." As in I "got" all the little nostalgic stuff and terminology in the movie.

*SIGH*

I'll let you know what I think of New Moon on Monday. Tonight, it's all about a date with the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

I'm Being Calm.

Not sure what else I can be at this point. I'm on my fourth child with H1N1, and he's developed this barking cough that is NOT what the other kids have, so off to the doctor this morning we go.

I was up all night with him, because he would cry pitifully if I left him (he's two) and he begged me to sleep with him. Which I told him I'd do, because there's a queen bed in his room. Well, the little cherub kicked me and barked/coughed in my ear the ENTIRE night, and I had to get up every few hours to check his temp and give him medicine anyway, so NO SLEEP for me.

Thing Two, happily, is over the Swine Flu. His fever broke and he'll be back to school tomorrow. He's going to help me with the baby because I need a serious nap. He's ten, and he actually plays quite well with Thing Four, so that's good. The rate we're going, Thing Four should be better by Sunday or Monday, which means we'll be GERM FREE for Thanksgiving! We really want to invite a family over because it's just "us," but we suspect people might be afraid of germs or something. ;-)

Had a heart-attack moment yesterday, because our claim for Thing Three's 8-day icu stay came back denied. As in ZERO payment, ineligible for benefits, period. I called this morning and inquired (very politely) what happened, and apparently the biller at the hospital put my Husband down as the patient, and not Thing Three. Of course it was denied. So I called the hospital this morning and of course they apologized profusely and they're fixing it and resubmitting with the RIGHT name on the paperwork...

Yeah, we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Thank heaven we have great insurance, and thank heaven all my kids have survived this nasty H1N1.

We are in need of some serious holiday cheer--but I've been too tired to get the Christmas decorations up. Yes, there are people in my neighborhood working diligently on getting the lights up, and I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but I need some CHEER, dang it! I'm sure everyone I know thinks our house should just be raised and burned out and rebuilt or something--I mean, it would have been different if my kids all got the H1N1 at once, but nooooo...it has to be dragged out for FIVE STINKING WEEKS! (Okay, shut up Lara, you're thankful, you're grateful, shut up shut up SHUT UP!!!!) At this point I have the tree stand up, and that's it. Yep, that's really it.

Thing One and I have tickets to see New Moon this Saturday. I am excited, but I just hope I can keep my eyes open. I'll need one of those mack-truck sized cokes...

GUESS WHAT...

Thing Four suddenly has a cough and a fever. Just started an hour ago.
Can I just jump off the roof, now???

I AM OVER THE #!%*&#**!! SWINE FLU!!!!!!

GLEE!!!

And no, I'm not talking about the show, although I do love it. I am talking about the sheer glee I am feeling, over the fact that November is already half over and we haven't had any SNOW!! (Quick, where's some wood? ;-)

Hooray! Sure, it gets frosty in the mornings, but it's been in the 50's and 60's. Definitely NOT snow cold. Loving it!!

Of course now that I've blogged about it, you know what's bound to happen...

Had a good weekend. Well, as good as we can with a sick kiddo. Thing Two stayed in his room, but he's got the old NES system hooked up to a tv in his room and he's been playing Castlevania, Dracula's Curse and Simon's Quest. Not to mention the fact I have the original Super Marios Bros/Duck Hunt and SMB 2 & 3 and my personal fave: Paperboy. *sigh* I love my NES!

ANYWAY, I have two new favorite things. The first thing? My Braun Thermoscan Ear Thermometer:

I LOVE this thing! No more washing thermometers, no more sticking them in the mouth, armpit, rear end, you name it. I just turn it on, pop on a plastic ear guard, stick it gently in the ear and voila! I have a super accurate temp in SECONDS!! This pic shows celsius, but I have mine set to farenheit. It is SUPER easy and wonderful. Well worth the money.

My next favorite thing? I got an authentic Molcajete from Williams Sonoma. And I made the BEST fresh guacamole in it on Sunday: Here's a crappy picture I took with my cell phone. The lighting is terrible, but you get the general idea. I picked my molcajete up at the mall (didn't want to wait for one to ship in the mail) and it's a monster. It probably weighs about 13 pounds! But it's carved from volcanic rock, and it's authentic, so of course it's weighty. And it took FOREVER to season (grinding with rice) but was worth it. The Guac was delish. Yummmmm!!!

Today is surprisingly quiet. I have two kiddos at home, and basically I only have one dry-cleaner run and a grocery store trip. And basketball practice. Luckily my sickie is old enough to stay home by himself. :-)

I probably should get my driveway stakes up. Because it's going to snow. Because I blogged about how grateful I am it hasn't.

You know how it works.

Ah, Life's Little Ironies...

After the Hospital Experience, they highly recommended that we find some H1N1 vaccine for Thing Two and Thing Four, because they hadn't gotten sick.

Yesterday the kids weren't in school. I had a follow-up appointment for Thing Three, just to get an x-ray of his lungs and make sure he was pneumonia-free. All the kids wanted to tag along, except Thing Two, who said he had a headache. But he didn't want to be alone, either, so he came with us.

We all trooped into the doctor's office, and after a harrowing fifteen minutes where I had to chase my two-year old all over the foyer while we waited for Thing Three to get his x-ray, they had the results. Clear and healthy. Hooray! The Dr. reassured me the radiologist even got out his magnifying glass, and looked for any pneumonia, and didn't find any. :-)

Then, they happened to mention that they had TWO doses of the H1N1 nasal mist. I was surprised and relieved. "Let's give it to the kids now!" While they were having me fill out consent forms, Thing Two, who is ten, started complaining that he felt dizzy and his throat hurt.

Uh, say what?

The nurse came back in, and gave my two-year old the vaccine. Just before she was to give it to Thing Two, I asked her to take his temp.

101.5.

Needless to say, she didn't give it to him. The Dr. came back in, checked him out, and asked his symptoms. Fever, sore throat, cough. (In my defense I hadn't noticed the cough because I am so used to hearing one these days.)

Swine Flu Strikes Again. I was seriously like, ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

So, Thing Two is now quarantined to his room, and I am keeping him comfortable. THANK HEAVEN he can breathe just fine, so this looks like we're in for five days of fever, and hopefully that's it. And I can handle that. Truly, it will be nothing.

I can't help but wonder at the Irony of the whole situation, however. JUST as he was about to get the vaccine...

Good Luck Day

I don't care what anyone says, Friday the 13th has always been a lucky day for me! :-)

My kids are going to hate me. I've already forewarned them, but I suspect they may only half-believe me. I told them, since there's no school today (conferences), BEFORE they go on the computer, video games, or play outside, they get to clean their rooms and clean the basement.

No fun stuff. Work first. Thing One's room is already clean, so she didn't complain much. Thing Two, however, had an out-and-out mutiny and told me he was going to stay in his room all day and not clean it. To which I replied, "Fine, I will just set the timer for 20 minutes and if there's no progress I'm going to SWAT YOUR BEHIND. And I will continue to swat it every 20 minutes until the room is clean!"

He simply looked at me. I think he realizes I'm serious about the cleaning thing. I have to clean my own room, as well. It's amazing how clothes seem to "be fruitful and multiply" in my closet.

Thing One begged me to watch Twilight for the umpteenth time with her last night. (My third time, HER umpteenth). I have to say, it really is a BAD movie. The lighting is bad, the music is corny, the CHEESEY LINES these poor actors had to utter borderline on the ridiculous--and I still detest how Edward meets Bella and after a few tense words and a mulch-dump field trip they are proclaiming their love for each other. WAY TOO FAST!! The book at least drew it out a little.

Looking forward to New Moon. (We have tickets for the 21st!) I really liked The Golden Compass so I think this director will have made a more emotional movie. Twilight reminds me of "Star Wars" where the pretty actors had more wooden, corny lines than the droids.

I'm sure all the Twihards will be sending me hate mail, but there it is. I have a feeling there will be a marked difference between the two movies. I'm just sayin...

I got all the conferences knocked out yesterday. Kids are doing great, and I think we need to get out and enjoy the sunshine today. Oh, and my two year old has started being SUPER polite, lately. "Thank You, Mommy." "You're Welcome." "Please?" "Sorry, Mommy." And my personal favorite: "Bwess you, Mommy!"