Here are your pictures.

I realize that some of you (namely, the menfolk who visit this blog) are going to be sorely disappointed, as we've decided not to include the pictures that feature our faces--which, of course, is most of them. (Hey, it's a cruel, cruel Internet out there; we don't want any crazies coming after us.) *

Instead, you can create fantasies about us based on our sexy hands. (OOH!! You can guess whose hands belong to whom. Anyone who gets all four right will receive...something. Remember, your choices are Anna, Renee, Kishelle and Jen.)

This was taken BEFORE our alcohol run.

In a pinch, sippy cups make highly effective shot glasses.

* My objection to posting pictures of myself focuses not so much on the security involved but rather the ass-like quality of the actual pictures (i.e., I look like ass).

The List (edited for brevity, hence the misnumbering).

...I saw this list on LoB's blog and I liked it so much, I brought it over here, as well. I ended up keeping just the ones that are true and deleting the false/inaccurate/not true statements (I also deleted some true ones that were just kind of boring.) For the original list, see LoB's blog.

01. I miss somebody right now
02. I don't watch much TV these days
04. I love sleeping
05. I own lots of books
06. I wear glasses or contacts
07. I like to play video games (just 80s games like Pac Man and Super Mario)
08. I've tried marijuana
09. I've watched porn movies
11. I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship
12. I believe honesty is usually the best policy
15. I curse
16. I have changed a lot mentally over the last year
20. I'm pretty smart (book smart, love stupid)
22. I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal
23. I love the rain
24. I'm paranoid at times
25. I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar-free
26. I need money right now
32. I have at least one brother and/or one sister
34. I shave my legs (females) or face (males) on a regular basis (during the summer, anyway...)
35. I have a twin - or at least somebody I can share my life with (unfortunately for me, I think my soul mate is Renee, which will make getting married somewhat more difficult)
37. I couldn't survive without Caller I.D.
39. I have lied to a good friend in the last 6 months
42. I have a lot of mood swings
43. I think prostitution should be legalized
44. At one point I liked Britney Spears
45. I have cheated on a significant other in the past
46. I have a hidden talent (though it's revealed if you date me for any extended period of time, wink wink)
50. I have kissed someone of the same sex
52. I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants
53. I like to shop (not for clothes, though)
61. I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother
62. I have a cell phone
63. I believe in God
66. I love drama
68. I've rejected someone before
69. I currently have a crush on someone
71. I want to have children in the future (I made this one gray because for me, it's not a black-and-white issue)
72. I have changed a diaper before
77. I have a lot to learn
78. I have dated someone at least 5 years older
80. I am shy around the opposite sex sometimes (shut up, I am)
83. I have tried alcohol before
87. When I was a kid I played "the birds and the bees" with a neighbor or friend
88. I enjoy some country music
89. I would die for my best friend
96. Halloween is awesome because you get free candy
97. I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I love it
99. I have hurt my self intentionally before

Finding my cojones.

I know that some of you may find this hard to believe, but I sometimes have a hard time standing up for myself (usually in a work/professional capacity). That is why, even though my 45-hour workweek with the S's has slowly crept up to 50, I was still being paid the same amount of money (although they WERE really good about paying me for days off).

We are ending my first week as Part Time Nanny, and as I was leaving last night, I asked Mr. S how we were going to figure out my weekly pay. I assumed that we'd take my previous weekly salary and divide it by how many hours we ORIGINALLY agreed that I'd be working; based on this hourly rate, I would just keep track of my hours and be paid accordingly. Sounds like they had other plans, though. (DISCLAIMER: I honestly don't think that they were setting out to screw me. I think that were just unconsciously resorting to the method that worked out in their favor.)

Anyway, Mr. S told me that Mrs. S was just going to pay me half of my original weekly salary, as I was working half the hours. "So tomorrow, I'll have $x ready for you," he said. (I should say that, now that I'm part time, my hours--and my pay--are all under the table--no taxes being taken out, etc.)

Wait. $X? That was not half of my original weekly salary. That was half of what they were paying me AFTER taxes were taken out. Granted, in this particular case, it was only a lost of about $33--but a lost nonetheless. One that we certainly can't afford right now.

Plus--I realized once I got home and had time to think about it (because of course I didn't have the nerve to say anything to him last night), continuing to be paid just one base amount was only going to lead to trouble again. Sure, it worked out just fine if I worked 20, even 22 hours a week--but what if I ended up staying past my scheduled time a few nights (or even every night, which is what has been happening)? What if that 20-hour week became a 27 or 30 hour week--and I was still getting that same amount? PLUS, they weren't even calculating that base rate correctly, as it was NOT half of my origional weekly salary. I mean, if they weren't going to pay taxes on it, that's fine--but then that extra money should be going to ME, as the taxes were money that were coming out of MY pocket in the first place.

So anyway, I called Mrs S this afternoon (I'm off today) and basically told her that I'd feel more comfortable just using $Y as my hourly rate (I explained to her how I came up with that number) and then just paying me based on how many hours I worked each week. (Novel concept, eh?) She sounded a bit surprised and taken aback, but she said that that was fine with her. (She also alluded to the fact that, if things at the office continued as they have been, she wasn't even going to be working part time anymore--which means, of course, that they wouldn't need me at all.)

SO. This was a VERY long story to explain a pretty simple and straight-forward issue, but I'm so proud of myself that I wanted to revel in it a bit.

(PS--they still haven't paid me the $15 assessed on MY account when THEIR check bounced--but I'm going to have to let that one go. I'm choosing my battles, grasshoppas.)

"Dough!"

Well, we're back from Blog Party 2005 and it was a huge success. There was much eating, drinking and girl-bonding (but not THAT kind, so get your minds out of the gutter). Renee's house is gorgeous, I now plan to move to Granger (South Bend/ Elkhart, IN area) and everyone got along famously--although Renee and Anna had met each other before, this was the first time that Kishelle was introduced into the mix; and, not counting a very cruel false alarm (you guys are bitches), we all fell into a very easy, comfortable friendship.

Anna and I hit HORRIBLE traffic (due to the infernal Michigan construction) on the way there, so our "3 hour tour" turned into a 5-hour nightmare. However, narrowly escaping the falling concrete that cascaded down onto the highway due to an unfortunate incident involving a forklift and a cement truck certainly helped to break up the monotony of traveling **17** miles in an hour and 15 minutes.

Some other highlights:

• A heated, yet drunken, game of "blondes vs. brunettes" 90s Trivia Pursuit (it was a tie, but it resulted in some pretty entertaining answers, including the name of this post)
• Me almost knocking myself unconscious as I threw my head back to take a shot, not knowing that Renee had opened the pantry door behind me)
• Kishelle mastering the "69"
• The party in the Victoria's Secret panties section
• My new size 8 skirt (okay, so maybe these are MY highlights; they'll have to give you their own versions, I guess)

There are many more details, of course (some we'll tell, and some we won't), but this was a brief overview. (Yes, there are pictures...and we'll actually post some of them.) ;)

This is why I doubt my mothering abilities.

The kids are horrible today. HORRIBLE. Fighting, tattling, crying over nothing at all (Noah actually cried today because we were laughing in the car, and "I'm hungry so I don't want to hear any laughing"). I've lost my temper with them, on average, of once every 15 minutes. I am counting the minutes until I can go home. Did they wake up and jointly decide, "Hey, this is Supernanny's last full day, so let's make she leaves in a straight jacket?" Or, perhaps, are my nerves more frayed because I'm sad that I'll be with them a couple of hours a day, and so I'm disguising my sadness as anger and irritation? (Hmmm...)

No, but seriously, I cringe at the mere thought of motherhood on days like these. The only thing getting me through the day is the knowledge that, in 4 hours, I'll be getting the hell out of here--for the WHOLE WEEKEND, even. And I get to do leave and go back to my kid-free apartment EVERY night and EVERY weekend. If I were sitting here, knowing that I would be here (and that they would be here) EVERY DAY, EVERY MINUTE, FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES--I do believe that I'd be sitting in a corner by now, rocking and humming.

As much as I love these kids--and kids in general--I do believe that I have a finite amount of patience each day and that such a limited supply thereby eliminates the option of parenthood. And I know some of you are thinking, "Well, it'd be different if they were YOUR kids, your own flesh and blood...." Nice thought, but I dont' think so.

I'm good with kids. I know this. But I'm only good with kids for, oh, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Much more than that, and I tend to get pretty bitchy.

Good to know.

Fear the 'Fro.

And I'm not talking about the Piston's Ben Wallace. I'm talking about ME.

I have very thick, sometimes wavy (when it air dries) blondish hair. Yes, I realize that for those with very fine hair, it may sound pretty darn appealing. But it's so thick that I have to get it cut very frequently, or I start looking like Big Ben. (Once, my hairdresser's comb actually broke off in my hair.) Every time I get my hair cut, I inevitably hear some version of: "Wow, you have a lot of hair."

After I got my hair cut yesterday (and ladies, I warn you that it's shorter than it's been in a while--all one length still, but it falls between my ear and my jaw, as opposed to my chin and my shoulders), I looked at the copious amounts of hair on the floor and the chair and my hairdresser--and, well, it was EVERYWHERE--and I joked, "You know, I probably lost like 5 pounds right there."

Well, I weighed myself this morning, and I'll be damned if I'm not 3 pounds lighter.

Dang, if I can lose 3 pounds by cutting my hair, imagine how much I'll lose after my "chest" reduction. (Which I absolutely plan on during the summer after my first year of teaching, when I have insurance and time to recover....but that's a whole different post).

*Thud*

Madison and I were playing Uno when we suddenly heard a thud at the window. I knew it was a bird, so--like any brave, fearless nanny--I sent the 4-year-old to check out the situation.

"There's a bird on the step!" he reported.

Crap. That's what I was afraid of.

"Is he standing up and looking around?" I asked hopefully.

"No. He's laying there and his feet are up."

Crap.

That was half an hour ago. I keep hoping that he just knocked himself out and that soon he'll wake up, but the odds of that are dwindling by the minute.

We'll just have to use the garage door all day because I am NOT removing a dead bird.

And speaking of things that you think are dead but revive themselves at the last minute--the Pistons' run for the championship. (That was either a GREAT segue or a really, really bad one.) I totally thought that once they lost at home on Sunday and had to go back to San An for the next two games that the series was basically over. I wasn't the only one; hell, the Spurs had their victory parade planned for Thursday (their at-home record HAS been pretty hard to beat). Instead, Game 7 will be held that night in Texas. I don't know if Detroit can pull off that miracle win two games in a row--but so many people were surprised by the results of last night's game that I suppose, at this point, anything's possible.

SECURITY BREACH!

Well, my mother, who has difficulty mastering Email Basics, is apparently more computer-savvy than I gave her credit for, as she used my profile from the Soldiers' Angels blog to find her way to THIS blog. I WAS somewhat afraid of that, which is why I didn't send my grandmother the SA link ("G" is actually pretty technologically competent--probably more so than my mom). Mom knew that I HAD a blog; I've just refused to tell her where it is. It was better for both of us, really.

So Mom, I must warn you that if you continue to read through the blog entries, you do so at your own risk. You can't ever give me shit about anything you read on here (because let's face it, there may be details of my life that I discuss with my friends that you would sleep better at night not knowing). In fact, if you haven't read anything too disturbing yet, then you may want to quit while you're ahead. (And before you have a "myocardial infarction" like Renee did, the Rob who posts on here is NOT Ex-Boyfriend Rob. This Rob is like the New Kory.)

Oh, and Nikki....as it turns out, she knows how to follow the links to OTHER PEOPLE'S blogs, as well. Just a heads up. ;)

Empty Nest Syndrome.

My babies left the nest this weekend (the last one within the past few hours or so). I already miss them. Still, watching them hatch and "grow up" over the last couple of weeks has really been cool. I hope that this second roll of pictures turn out halfway decently.

Update:

So I was out walking tonight, and on the sidewalk across the parking lot, I saw three kids squatting down looking at something. I smiled at them as I walked by (as I do every time I pass them on my walk-- they're Arab American kids, so because I've always been unsure of their English-speaking abilities, I've just been relying on non-verbal communication. As it turns out, their English is somewhat broken, but we're able to communicate), and they pointed at what had caught their attention.

I'll be damned if it wasn't one of my baby birds. I KNOW that it was. And it was just sitting there with a leaf on its back. ("It's the blanket," the older boy told me matter-of-factly. "Ah," I said, nodding. "Of course."). I don't think he was HURT, I just think that his flying skills aren't very good yet.

We talked about "my" baby birds. ("What color they are?" asked one of the little girls. I explained that they looked just like our little buddy on the sidewalk there, and I pointed out some of the colors--gray, black, white, brownish-orange.) I told them that I was pretty sure that this bird came out of the nest by balcony (I pointed it out across the parking lot), and together, their eyes wide and excited, we created our plan. (These children were just absolutely beautiful--big dark eyes, beautiful skin, glossy black hair.)

See, with all the dangers lurking about this complex, I couldn't just let my baby sit there. He wouldn't have lasted very long. If a cat didn't get him, I was afraid he'd hop his little ass back into the parking lot or something. So I picked him up, cradled him against my body and carried him back across the parking lot and upstairs to my apartment, where I gently placed him back into his nest. ("What are you doing??" I could hear him thinking. "It took me TWO DAYS to get that far!") I know that you aren't supposed to touch baby animals, as the human scent can cause the mother to reject them, but Mamma Bird had already left the nest earlier in the week. (Trust me, I've been anxiously watching for her--but she's gone. At one point, I told Jeff I was going out to buy some worms, to which he muttered something about "mental hospital" and "no insurance." I assume, though, that it's nature's way of prompting the babies to leave the nest and seek their own way. So hopefully, by touching him, I didn't do any damage.)

I left to finish the rest of my walk. I just got back and checked on him; he's on a branch right outside of the nest.

I know, I'm not right.

Check your credit report!

As you probably know by now, you can get a free copy of your credit report (one from EACH of the major reporting agencies) through https://www.annualcreditreport.com/. (You East Coasters will have to wait until September, though.) Anyway, if you haven't already done so, I highly suggest that you order and review your credit report. Due to my Dire Financial History, I truly dreaded seeing in black and white what a mess I managed to make of my fiscal life--but you know what? There was an address on my report--a PO Box in Cali--with which I have never been associated. Apparently, in 2002, someone may have made an attempt to Identity Theft me. (I pity the poor bastard who tried to obtain a credit card in MY name, though.) Although all of the open accounts were, in fact, mine (unfortunately), it's still good to be aware of the activity on your credit report--especially as we're all at the age (if not the actual STAGE) of mortgages, car loans, etc.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I need a stiff drink.

Book suggestions, please.

Since I'm spending so much time at the library with my kids, I'm on a mission to read a lot of contemporary classics that I somehow never got around to reading. (By "contemporary," I mean in the last 50 years or so--but not TOO modern, or else it's not a classic. You with me?) For example, I finally read Catcher in the Rye (pretty good). I'm working on Girl with a Peal Earring right now (I know it's not really a "classic," but the librarian recommended it).

So if any of you have a book that you love and consider a must read, please let me know.

(Yes, it's Friday night and I'm asking for book suggestions. I suck.)

On the Demise of the Sitcom

I'm feeling sad again today that there are hardly any new funny sitcoms out there anymore.
While still mourning the deaths of Seinfeld and Friends and the fresh loss of Raymond, I'm wondering if there's anything funny out there worth watching anymore. Yes, there's Joey and Will & Grace but all the new shows advertising for next fall are either reality shows or dramas. Who decided I'd rather watch people in swim suits eat worms than laugh my ass off for a half hour a week? Bad choice, TV Execs!

Where have all the sitcoms gone?

Karma's a b*tch.

Now that I've finally decided to stay with the S's for the summer and things are settling down here at the homefront, I was informed this morning that Mrs. S is being relegated to part-time status at work. What does that mean for Supernanny? Well, we aren't sure yet. She says she's going to try to keep me on part time through mid-August (which is when I would be leaving anyway), but a lot of that depends on their new financial picture. Ideally, I can still do part-time with them and then find something else to supplement that income for the next 8 weeks or so. I'm meeting with Mrs. F, Mrs S's boss, this Thursday about tutoring her daughter, and Mrs. S is spreading the word at work about my tutoring availability, as well (as is Jeff; he says he may have someone for me at Lowe's, too). The good news is that once I go part time, Mrs. S says that she'll start paying me under the table, so what I make will actually be what I take home--so between that and whatever else I'm able to pick up, maybe I can still clear close to what I've been bringing home every week.

This is unfortunate, as we really needed both of us to be making full-time money for as long as possible before I begin my unpaid 12 weeks of student teaching; if this had come down sooner, maybe I could have found another full-time gig for the summer. I'll hit the nanny sites to see if anyone else has need for a part-time nanny/babysitter; I'm also thinking about posting some fliers up at local stores, etc. It kind of depends, though, on what my schedule will be with the S's (we don't know yet).

I should have stayed active with Pure Romance, but I let myself slide into inactive status and now it would cost a couple hundred to reactivate (you have to purchase a certain amount in order to be active again).

Any ideas?

Computers?

Do any of y'all out there know anything about computers? We need to get a new one and I thought you might be good folks to ask. We're thinking about a Mac but haven't had one before. What computer do you suggest I buy & why?

Kitties from heaven.

I was on my balcony tonight, enjoying the fresh air, when I heard a kitty meowing. It sounded really, really close, so I looked over the railing, expecting to see one on the ground directly below me. I didn't see it, though, so I stepped back and continued to enjoy the fresh air.

Then I screamed. The cat was RIGHT THERE. ON MY BALCONY. MY SECOND FLOOR BALCONY. Mind you, none of the other balconies are close enough for the cat to be a neighbor's visiting kitty or anything. No, this cat either a) fell from heaven or b) climbed the tree right outside our apartment (yes, the same tree that houses my bird nest--a realization which later caused my heart to sink as I thought of the destruction that could result from one kitty + 3 baby robins. Filled with trepidation, I checked the nest--and the birds were fine).

Back to my cat story. I opened my balcony door and let Boots come in (he was all black with white feet). I hurridly searched my kitchen for something he could eat--the closest I came, though, was chicken noodle soup and raw hamburger meat. Since Jeff was going to be home from work soon--the same Jeff that is so allergic to cats that I had to get rid of my beloved kitties when I moved in with him--I opened the front door of my apartment and let Boots run down the stairs and out of the building. Then I grabbed my keys and drove down to the gas station for cat food and milk (the milk was actually for us, since we were out of it anyway). Before I left, I sat down on the grass for a few minutes as Boots rubbed up against me and purred. I, of course, am already in love with this cat.

Once I got back from the gas station, Boots was nowhere to be seen. I hunted around the building with a flashlight (in hindsight, I suppose I'm lucky that no one called the police about the neighborhood prowler) to no avail. So I left the food in a bowl on our "front lawn."

I miss Boots.

I met Mitch Albom!

Mitch Albom (Detroit sports writer, also the author of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven) did a book signing today at the local Borders. I got there at 12 (it was scheduled to start at 12:30) and there were only like 8 people in line already (I had no idea how many people were going to come out for something like this, so I got there early, just in case). Mitch showed up at about 12:40, addressed everyone in line and thanked us for coming out (by now there were about 50 people in line, not a HUGE crowd but no too shabby, either) and then started signing everyone's book.

He took the time to really TALK to everyone. He looked them in the eye, asked questions, shook their hand--it wasn't an "assembly line" kind of thing at all. You could tell that he was genuinely interested in everyone who came out. When it was my turn (after only about 10 minutes or so), I went up and managed not to make an complete ass out of myself. I was actually quite smooth and calm and even told him to enjoy the rest of his day as I was leaving.

I got back to my car and called Mom, all excited about my brush with fame and to tell her that I had had him sign one for her, as well. "You know, Katey would probably like one, too," she said....so back inside I went. (The line was moving pretty quickly, even with all the time that he was taking with each person, so I only had to wait another 10 minutes or so.) When it was my turn again, he said, "Oh, you're back," and at the end he said, "If you think of anyone else who might want one, I'll be here for a couple more minutes." (I actually DID end up going back inside one more time; I caught him as he was walking out and asked if he could "PLEASE sign a couple more," and he laughed and walked back up to the front of the store with me so I could grab a couple more copies off the shelf).

All in all, it was a very pleasant way to spend a couple hours on a Sunday afternoon. I'm very glad I went, and Mitch Albom seems like a truly caring, down-to-earth guy. (And if you haven't read Five People yet, I highly recommend it. It'll really make you think.)

PS--Anna, if you're interested, he'll be at the Northville Borders next Saturday at 2. For more information, check out http://www.albom.com/

My secret indulgence.

If you know me at all, you're aware that I'm not exactly "high fashion." I buy my clothes at Target and my shoes at Payless. I get my hair cut at Supercuts/Fantastic Sam's/et. al, and "styling my hair" involves "washing and drying." I'm quite low-maintenance when it comes to my appearance in my every day life--and although I can pull myself together for, say, a job interview, a fashionista I'm not.

Having said that, there is one "beauty" area in which I go all out--perfumes (or "parfum, " as we call it in the biz). I refuse to skimp on my scents. My perfume is my signature, my "thing." It's what identifies me. It's how I leave my mark.

My latest scents have been a rotation (depending on my mood) of Romance by Ralph Lauren and True Star by Tommy (which, at $58, is actually one of my cheaper buys); however, as of this month's Glamour, I now covet Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana. Yes, THE Dolce and Gabbana. (Who the hell am I, Carson Kressley?)

So, while my closet is filled with inexpensive, designer-label-less clothes and shoes, my "scent wardrobe" is like a fashion "Who's Who."

What are YOUR fashion and beauty must-haves--price be damned?

Just another manic Thursday?

Normally I really like Thursdays- it's almost Friday, almost the weekend- Yay!
But this Thursday is NOT doin' it for me. The phone lines are down at my office and the main projects I needed to work on today require phone lines. I've done everything else I can do. I'm SO bored.
And have you noticed how on Thursdays the number of posts and comments on blogs go way down? What's up with that?

*#&$#^$%%@

Something happened in my niece's class today that has my sister, mom and me all fired up.

At Paige's school, Thursdays are Popcorn Days--students can bring a quarter and get a small bag of popcorn. All year, Paige's teacher's policy has been that if a kid forgets the money, he/she doesn't get popcorn--the teacher doesn't loan them any money. (And for the record, I understand her policy during the school year as a whole--a) you want to teach responsibility and consequences of forgetting your money and b) even if you only put in like a dollar or two every week for the kids who forget, that CAN add up from August to June. And trust me, public school teachers have to use enough of their own money for school supplies as it is.)

Since this is the last week of school, though--and the last Popcorn Day of the year--my sister wanted to make sure that all the kids in the class got popcorn. Therefore, Katey sent an extra $2.00 to school with Paige, so that any kids who didn't have their quarter could still get popcorn. Even with this extra money, however, the teacher was still 75 cents short.

So what does this teacher do? Instead of reaching into her pocket on this, the second to the last day of school, for the extra money to make sure that her whole class gets popcorn, she uses Katey's money to purchase exactly 8 extra bags of popcorn...

AND THEN MAKES PAIGE DECIDE WHICH 8 KIDS GET POPCORN AND WHICH 3 DON'T.

As an aunt, I'm irate. As a future teacher, I'm even MORE pissed off. YOU DO NOT PUT A SECOND-GRADER IN THAT POSITION. If she was dead-set on NOT chipping in the extra 3 quarters, fine. (Although again, since this was the end of the year, and because a parent made the effort to ensure that all the kids WERE included, I don't think that this one time would have killed her.) But even so, there were still other options; namely, taking the popcorn that Katey's money bought and splitting it up among all the kids who didn't have any. Instead, three kids had to sit there while EVERYONE ELSE ate their popcorn. And PAIGE had to decide who those three children were.

So...am I overreacting? Or did this teacher suffer from a severe lapse in common sense and compassion?

Up Nort’

Last week I was sent to lovely Traverse City, MI for a conference for work.
Highlights of the conference:
Sitting by the pool all afternoon on Thursday basking in the sun, drinking and getting paid for it
Watching the sunset over Lake MI from the most expensive restaurant in the area, paid for by the company
Getting all prettied up (I chose the long black dress, for those of you in on the decision) for the banquet
Getting $50 from the conference to spend on whatever I wanted in the hotel shops
And I didn't do anything stupid all conference :)

Tim met me on Thursday night and we spent the weekend on and around the Leelanau Peninsula. (northwest corner of the lower part of MI)
Highlights of our mini-vacation:
The GORGEOUS scenery up and down the coasts of the Leelanau & Old Mission Peninsulas
Tasting at winery after winery after winery (even allowed to taste an Ice Wine that sells for $80 a bottle!) It’s like a little Napa up there!
The CUTE “seaside” towns (We found 3 Degas sketches in a little art gallery in Summit Bay)
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park (500 foot high sand dunes, beautiful views)
Laying on the beaches of the Lake MI
#1 Most exciting/terrible event:
The BAT in our “cute little personal cabin in the woods” at 12:30am (Tim is so brave & wonderful for defeating it. I’m positive it was actually a vampire come to kill us! He’s my Hero!)

Star Wars as Political Commentary?

I saw the new Star Wars when I was out of town. I was raised with the ewoks as a Star Wars fan from birth so it's kind of sad to see it come to an end.
While I watched, my liberal-Democrat mind thought it detected a political commentary on the state of democracy in the US today: We've got the Senate, the figure head of the Senate has increased powers because of a war that some don't feel was justified, etc.
My husband thinks I'm crazy but what do those of you who've seen it think?

Detroit's going back to the Finals!!!!!!!!

Tonight was a damn good game, though. Sure, it's always nice to see your team win by 20. But really, how EXCITING is it? Hell, half the time, people will actually get up and leave before the game is even over. There's no suspense.

But tonight? Now THATS how a game is played, if you ask me. You weren't going tos see ANYONE filing out of that arena early tonight. The lead kept changing back and forth; hell, it was anyone's game up till the final seconds. Sure, I was swearing like a sailor and jumping up and down like a demented Rumplestiltskin--but I loved it.

Miami went down swinging--mad props for that. But when all was said and done, they still went down.

Here we go.

Announcing the arrival of the baby robins!!

I've been checking the nest every day (sometimes several times a day) for the last week or so--as I leaned in to check today, I did a double-take because there were two baby robins staring back up at me! The other two should hatch in the next couple of days (they hatch in the order they were laid, about a day apart). They're kind of freaky looking, with big eyes, long, skinny necks and wide-open beaks--but, like a true "mother," I think they're beautiful.

However, now I'm really worried because we're getting a big storm tonight, with high-ass winds, hail and rain. A minute ago, the winds were so high that I could barely open the sliding door to go check on them. I almost cried, because Momma Robin was stoicly sitting in her nest, braving the winds and the rain to protect her babies. My main worry is that the winds will knock the nest out of the tree or something. We're under a tornado watch, and you KNOW that if one hits, my ass'll be up in that tree, protecting the whole robin family.

Anyway, I have about 4 pictures left on this roll (enough to get me through the birth of the next two babies), and then I'll get them scanned (and, of course, I'll have to buy another disposable camera to continue documenting their development).

I'll update this post when the next two are born.

Give it up for bargain shopping.

First, let me say that I love Target, and not just because Renee's husband is a VIP with the company. I know that I tried to boycott it last Christmas (I was unsuccessful, by the way--I finally gave in because of their great price on the Star Wars trilogy that I was getting for Dad), but their stuff is just GOOD.

I went there yesterday to pick up a couple of pairs of shorts for summer (I waited until now to make sure that summer was, in fact, here to stay-in Michigan, you can never be too sure), and I walked out with 4 shirts and 3 pairs of shorts for like $50 (there were some AWESOME sales, including a clearance rack). CAN I GET A HELL YEAH?

Also, I got two new pairs of sandels at Payless (buy one, get one half off).

ALSO, I did another mystery shopping assignment, this time at Party America. I took Luc (the two year old) with me (we were encouraged to bring kids on this assignment, as they're supposed to offer a free latex balloon to children). Well, apparently Mrs. S tipped him off as to the reason he was going to the "balloon store" with Supernanny, because from the second we walked in the door, all he could say was:

"Supernanny, when are they giving me my balloon?"

"Where's my balloon, Supernanny?"

"Supernanny! Balloon, please!"

So much for remaining inconspicuous.

Oh, and for all you Angels out there, Party America has one whole side of an aisle FILLED with patriotic/ 4th of July stuff--GREAT for care packages. And not just the usual ribbons and bows and streamers and stuff; they have paddles (the kind with a rubber ball attached) and hackeysacks and "fliers" (airplanes) and ALL KINDS OF STUFF in red, white and blue--very reasonable prices, too--a dollar or less in many cases.

A hero's welcome.

Thank you, Brian.

The hero himself.

I'm going to be on the news tonight!

A lot of you got (or will be getting) this email, but here it is again...

It all came down really fast, but there's a wounded soldier who is coming home tomorrow at the Detroit Metro airport. Soldiers' Angels was trying to get some Detroit-area Angels out there to help greet him. Well, the local Fox news station heard about it and wanted to interview an Angel. Patti (the president, who knows me because of my work with the newsletter) emailed me; I called her, got the reporter's number and touched base with him. Half an hour later, I was being interviewed for a story to run in about 15 minutes!! Fox is airing a story TONIGHT to try to get as many people as they can to come to the airport tomorrow to help welcome home this amazing hero.

After putting in almost an 11 hour work day, I'm pretty sure that I looked less-than-fresh (not to mention my PMS breakouts--OH MY GOD, and my freakish streakiness), but I keep reminding myself that no one cares how *I* look (except for me, ha ha), and hopefully, we'll have a great turn out tomorrow afternoon for Brian. Plus, maybe we'll get some more Detroiters to sign up and help support even MORE troops!

Good stuff.

Love,

Jen

(PS, if you want to talk to me you'll have to go through "my people," as I am about to become way too famous and important for you to be able to contact me directly) ;)

You know what? SCREW THAT.

Okay, I'm done allowing someone else to make all the decisions that affect MY life (such as my job and where I live).

Noah came home from preschool today with an AWESOME report card; he has made so much improvement since the first half of the year. His mom is really happy with his progress and attributes a large part of that to me (I've been working with these kids since January).

And you know what? I love these kids. I don't want to leave yet. I mean, I'll have to at the end of the summer anyway for student teaching, but at least that's on MY terms, for MY reasons. Not someone else's.

So I'm talking to Jeff tonight. If he still insists that he wants me out for the summer, so be it. I'm looking into rooms for rent. It will set me back a bit financially, but screw it. I'll live in a motel if I have to. If someone else can't act like an adult, fine. And who knows, if I sit him down reasonably and calmly and outline the reasons I want to stay--if he understands that this is about more than just him or "us", that it's my job and these kids--maybe he'll agree. Or hell, if he'd even relent enough to let me stay there for PART of the summer, reducing the number of weeks that I'd have to rent out a rooom somewhere else, that'd be great.

But you know what? I'm not going to quit a job that I love and move back home, taking the chance that I'll get stuck with a job I hate--or, even worse, that I won't be able to FIND a job--and be miserable all summer. This is my life too, dammit. But I'm not DONE with these kids yet. I'm not ready to move on. There's still so much I can do with them, so much I can teach them this summer. Plus, I kind of need them, too. They're one of the few bright spots in my life at the moment.

So I'll talk to Mrs S. tonight and let her know to keep looking for a nanny (again, they'll need one in the fall anyway) but that there's no rush, because (unless she thinks I'm totally crazy by now) I really want to stick around. (She understands that my current living arrangement has been a bit "unstable" recently, so she knows WHY things have been so uncertain in recent weeks.)