RANT!!!!!

How come you go to a cosmetologist/hair stylist/beautician (whatever the pc term is nowadays!)
and you ask for a trim, just cut the dead ends, add in some layers and please do not take any length off the overall hair except was is absolutely neccessary to get rid of those before mentioned dead ends, and you come home with your bangs cut up to the back of your head. A woman should NOT be reduced to doing a "combover" to have hair in the front! Instead of the Hair Cuttery they should call it the Hair Butchery. Now I am exagerating some for those of you who don't know about my penchant for over dramatization with regards to a haircut but seriously, when you tell the stylist (and I use that term LIGHTLY) to just trim your bangs because they draw up a lot and you want them below your eyebrows, it should be a no brainer! Even I can trim my bangs (with more skill and talent, if I do say so myself). Now, I know you are going to say, that's what I get for going to somewhere as low brow as the Hair Cuttery but I just wanted a slight trim not a Oprah Winfrey total makeover. I know it will grow out but for pete's sake people!
End of Rant, we now return to our normally scheduled program.......

When it rains it pours.....

This has been a period of major purchases and spending for us. Last month we had to purchase a new washer and dryer and now the transmission in my DH's car needs to be replaced to the tune of $2300. I am so glad that my cruise is already paid for or else I would feel guilty about spending the money on myself when we as a family have not been able to really afford our normal vacation(s). Yes, we did get away for a weekend to go camping but that is not my idea of our normal vacation. Like I told my husband this past weekend when he was talking about how when you are backpacking, you don't carry anything more than you have too and that all the "stuff" we had to go camping was not really necessary. Now girls, let me explain backpacking in case you don't know. When you go backpacking, you take the lightest sleeping bag you can, you may take a small tent and as few other things as possible (even toilet paper is a luxury that few carry) and you hike into the woods with this on your back and sleep out in the wild. You do not shower and some people hike and stay for days at a time. This girl does NOT go backpacking!!!
So I told him that Backpacking is sleeping in the woods and going stinky, Camping is sleeping on the ground in a tent at a campground and using a public toilet and shower (the one at our campground was nice by the way), When you stay in a hotel, that's a vacation and when you go away with some of your best girls on a 4 day cruise, that's a Great Vacation!
Now going somewhere like Disney with your family is a great vacation too but since I can't do both, this year the cruise is what I am really looking forward to. Hopefully when all these extra expenses are over and paid for this year, my DH and the kids will still have their vacation too (they are hoping to go to Florida too while I am on my cruise).
I am so thankful to God though that giving up vacation is the biggest financial worry we have with all the people out there having to decide between putting gas in their cars or paying their mortgages or feeding their families. I complain about sleeping in a tent for 2 days and people are living in their cars wondering where their next meal will come from....Ok, complaint withdrawn, I am blessed......

Back from the great outdoors.....

(This is the memorial to the victims of the school shootings from last year. It was sad to see that each of the stones represented the lost of life.)

Well, I guess you were wondering if we survived our camping trip? We had a blast with in the mountains of VA. We visited my dh's alma mater and he showed us around. We went on a very tiring hike to a beautiful waterfall. My boy's little legs gave out and so did my knee so we didn't quite make it to the top but we still had fun playing in the mini-waterfall about 2/3 of the way to the top. The water was unbelievably icy even there and they say that it was even colder at the base of the fall. DH took the pictures of the actual waterfall and I took many others along the way.
We also went to the "beach" to swim and play in the lake. The campground had created a swimmer's beach at one area of the lake so the kids built sand castles and swam on Sunday before we drove home. My muscles have been aching every since but it was fun. We all can't wait to do it again.

Brownie's going for his first sleepover with the cousins

I have just been hit like a ton of bricks with all that I need to accomplish before the wilderness train rolls out on Friday morning. I have truly tried to totally avoid facing this upcoming weekend in my mind and have not prepared at all. My dh kind of organized it and he being of the male persuasion has left some real big gaps in the "Planning" process. I have to clean up Brownie's cage and get him ready for his first sleepover with the cousins and then deliver him to their house. The "Mean One" has promised to come to the door with a frying pan in hand.....EWWWWWWW!!! After I calm down my daughter and convincing her that Uncle K is NOT going to eat him, Brownie will be staying for the weekend. I have to pack for us including towels and bedding and all that good stuff and make sure we forget nothing that we can't live with out in the woods. (Like Clorox wipes and toilet paper....) I have to make sure that we have matches, charcoal and aluminum foil to cover the "grill" since I have a hard time putting food on a grill in the woods....EWWWWW!!! Can you tell that I am not the outdoorsy ruffin' it girl? I have located and purchased a battery operated FAN so that I can at least cool off when I am sleeping. I have no idea what we will be eating while we are there but can put that off until we hit the Walmart about 15 mins. from the campsite. I am feeling the pressure right about now....What if it rains all weekend? What if a snake comes into the tent? Anyone got a chill pill I can take? .......

Anyone got a RV I can borrow........

My wild, outdoorsman, Grizzly Adams (blast from the past!) type husband has decided that his kids need to ROUGH it out in the great outdoors. He wanted to take them into the mountains andpitch a tent and get in touch with his inner unbathed, squat in the woods and use a leaf to "clean up" if you get my drift...Well, this girl COULD not, WOULD not do that. I agreed to let them go and go with them if he went to an actual campground with showers and bathrooms. So compromise made and I am already wimping out. My MIL and SIL have already let us have it for taking these babies out and letting them sleep on the ground in a tent where anyone could come in or a bear could claw apart and eat us all. They are amazed that I would even consider going since I am definitely not a nature girl. Am I excited about the trip? Yes, because we will be spending the time with 3 wonderful families and I am sure we will have a great time with them. Am I excited about sleeping out in the woods in a tent on the hard ground and using a public bathroom and shower for the weekend? NOT ON YOUR LIFE!!!

Anyway that is coming up for this weekend but on today's agenda was a doctor's appointment for me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. I have been having a hard time hearing for a couple of years now and my DH was tired of it. (me too to be honest). I really have a hard time hearing men's voices if they talk at a normal level (Brian M. is the exception but let's face it, he never talks at a normal level). I also have a hard time hearing anyone if there is a lot of background noise. I can't destinguish the voice from the other sounds. Anyway, the doctor said that it may be less a matter of hearing loss and more a matter of allergies that causing my ears to be full of fluid all the time. So, today he schedule me for 5 appointments over the next month. One of them next week for a CT scan of my sinuses and 4 of them back to back in September. 3 days in a row I will go in for allergy testing and then on the last day I will actually have a hearing test.
This seems like a lot of effort to me but I guess it would be nice to know.

The dog days of summer.....

Seems that summer is nearing its end and we have really been busy. We skipped out on school yesterday and headed off to the local water park with one of our bestest peeps and peepette for a few hours. I had a lazy day just lounging around talking for a change. My ds actually went off to play with the girls and didn't drag his momma with him. He actually told me to let go several times when I was trying to hold onto his life jacket in Hubba Hubba highway. This is a big step since last year he clung to me like glue on this ride that has a strong current to float you around. He also really enjoyed the wave pool with his sister and friend DNK. I think he may be ready for swim lessons. My peep and I discussed all of our feminine woes from PMS to Hot flashes and she got the full rundown of my not for blog issues and she listened even though I am sure it was not that entertaining.
We barely made it into our van and got on the road home before a severe thunderstorm hit the area and were blessed enough to make the trip home in steady moving traffic in about 45 mins.
It was a nice day.
Tomorrow evening is my DH's company picnic at a minor league baseball game. We have invited our entire family so there will be 17 of us there. This is the kid's first time at a baseball game. One of my peeps has been trying to get us to go to one for months (another team) because she has become such a fan. Jewel Dawg, you may have some converts for next season.
I personally am not much of a sports fan but the kids and the guys might be.
Oh, and I forgot the big news! My big boy has decided to try out this potty training thing. He has been going potty all over town this week. We had to go to the Dr. on Thursday and he went there, then we went to Wal-mart and he went there and yesterday at the water park he went to the actual potty and not in the water (like I am sure he has always done in the past). It figures though that just as I buy a big box of diapers, he would stop using them. I guess once he is done, I will officially be done with babies and the mother of kids.

Feeling the need for change.......

Its getting to be that time again. I am feeling the need to change my banner. I'm tired of seeing the same old one.....so don't be surprised if a new banner appears soon.....

Laminin --This is a long video but well worth the time

Kids are living in Thrillville.....

Can a person get motion sickness in their recliner in their own family room? The answer is YES!
My son picked out a Wii game for his birthday a couple of months ago but has just recently decided its THE game to play. Its called Thrillville. In this amusement park simulation and management game you are the manager and head ride designer of a chain of amusement parks. You build and ride the roller coasters and other nauseating carnival rides and play all sorts of carnival games. You also amusingly enough hire mechanics, entertainers and cleaning people to work in the park. One of the mini games includes training the cleaning people to vacuum trash and GET THIS!, spray down and clean up VOMIT! This game is quite amusing even to me who sometimes gets drafted in accomplishing the missions it sets to go further in the game. However, my kids love just to go and ride the rides. On our large screen tv, a simulated roller coaster is quite intense. So, Yes you can get nauseated in your own family room.
We have also discovered that our son likes scantily clad girls with blonde pigtails....you wonder what this means? Well when you play the game you get to pick the character, chose their hair color and looks and then their clothing. He ALWAYS wants the character to be a blonde girl with pig tails in a very small cropped shirt, a very short Catholic school girl skirt and knee socks.
We tried to get him to change to a boy but he says no, she's a beautiful priss priss (his word for princess). His daddy tells him to at least put some clothes on her and he changes it only to come back in a few minutes to see that ds has changed it back........Can puberty start at 3?

Hi....remember me?

Well, its been a busy few weeks. We have be running nonstop. Let me give you a fast update on the washer situation....Wednesday came...No new washer. I called and was told that there was no request for a new washer....WHAT!!! She said that she saw where I had a repair order in but no request for a new washer. Fortunately I had the girls name that I had spoken to, dear ole' Euniece.
The other young lady said she didn't understand why Euniece had not put in the request because they would have rushed me a new washer the next day since they were in stock! She did just that and it came on Thursday. We went back to the store and got them to take another $150.00 off the cost of the washer with the understanding that if this one leaked we wanted the money back on the washer and dryer. The new washer works beautifully. So hopefully that situation is resolved.
My son and I caught a nasty stomach virus so after that and weren't feeling well and now my girl has a nasty cold. Meanwhile we had another big kid's day at church and plenty of drama with a busted tooth. My girl got busted in the mouth with my boy's head while playing at Chic-Fil-A and her front tooth was knocked pretty badly. Since it is a baby tooth we thought it was probably okay but then it started to look funny so we took her to dentist but he xrayed it and said it was fine and to let her get it out on her own.
We picked up wedding attire and got fitted for tuxes for the men and boys over the last week or so and the list goes on. I am really looking forward to the month of Oct. when we will be going on vacation. Me on my cruise and the hubby and kids are going to the Happiest place on Earth.
Meanwhile, we are starting school back early so that we can take Fridays off in the fall for fun stuff and take off for vacation....Did I say busy.......