Emile Is A Meany

Good Morning. I want to tell you all a little bit about my oldest daughter. She's mean. S
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Emile did this stuff and I'm going to let it there just 02to prove how mean she is.+63. She's doing it with her feet.. She even says I'm a meany weany. Can you imagine? Here's the situation. Last night some of her classmates wanted to beat her up. Not that they could do that, considering how tough Emile is, right
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Emile was here.... again.
For the record, she's also PMSing..8564.16+5410\

To continue... there were at least 10 boys and girls in front of our house last night. I stepped out on the porch and told them there was going to be no fight. One of the boys said they didn't want to fight... I said great and told them to leave immediately or I'd be calling the police. I gave them 5 seconds.. started counting down from 5. Before I was to 1...... kids were literally running (or as Em would say.. Jetting) away. It was very entertaining. Emile comes up and hugs me from behind... where she had been sitting. She told me she loved me... and "you rock!" It was quite a compliment.

Fast forward 11 hours. Now I'm stupid again. I don't know how to navigate32 1th3
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the computer. I'm mean, I don't work hard for the money I earn. She wants me to buy her some spring clothes, I told her to use the money she earned from babysitting. She doesn't want to spend that. She's saving that for something else she wants. I got a tiny bit upset when she said I don't work hard for my money. I asked how many fingers I've put up people's butts, how much vomit I've emptied, how much gut juice I've cleaned from around PEG tube sites, etc. I work just as hard as the next guy. Makes me not want to do anything for the ungreatful little turdball at times. I know, sh021'w61453.
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she's just a "typical" teenager, but sometimes she makes me sad.

School Daze

Welcome to Emile's school.... or perhaps the "Prison" as she may feel it is at times. This is where Emile has spent the last 2 3/4 years learning. She has had some terrific teachers, and a few who were less than impressive. I just get irritated when I have higher expectations than that of her teachers. It amazes me how little some of them seem to care.

In her nearly 3 years in middle school, she has made new friends, gotten better at playing the clarinet for band, marched in several parades, acted in school plays, tried out for volleyball, spent some time in detention, and even one ISS. Of course I wasn't at all happy with the ISS, however, she did seem to learn a valuable lesson (and had the fear of her demise put into her by me) from the experience. All in all, she's done very well and I'm truly pleased with how far she's come.

Next year she's off to the high school. Can you believe it? I'll have a freshman in the house. Wasn't it just last year that I was a freshman? It sure seems like it to me. I can't believe how fast the time has gone... and it's downhill from here they say. Before I know it she'll be heading off to college.

She has some goals in mind and it appears she may be heading for a career in Law Enforcement. I would support that. We have a friend who is a Baltimore County Officer. She told Emile that beginning when she's 14 she will be able to do ride alongs. At 18 Em can go into the cadet program so by the time she turns 21 she'll be ready to go into the academy. I think it's a great plan. It gives her something to work toward. Whatever she decides to do, as long as it's a foward move, I will support her to the best of my ability.

Here It Is

I was watching TODAY this morning and I couldn't believe my luck. They showed the book cover for the seventh and last installment of Harry Potter. The cover was great, and it's even a longer wrap around than the other covers have been so there's more art! I'm so turning into Jamie... which isn't such a bad thing. I think I will start over with book one and read them all before the July 21st release so I have everything fresh in my mind.

How Do You Spell Relief?

Man oh man. I'll just begin by stating that Brie is feeling much better. She has a bit of a cough still, but overall she's fine. She was even able to go with her school class to Harrisburg to see the Capitol Building and the State Museum of Pennsylvania. She seemed to have a good time. I'm really glad because I sure haven't had a good time today... or yesterday for that matter.

Now I know this may be a bit personal, but what the heck. We're all humans here, right? It's like this.... (I've included this handy illustration to help explain my "delicate situation")....Monday night after dinner, my body was highly effective at circulating something throughout my body.... resulting in bubbles building up in my "tissues." The result... well, you know, I got gas. Really bad gas. I mean knock you over gas!I felt like I was going to explode. I've never had gas that bad that I can think of. As the night wore on my gas production increased as well. Too bad I couldn't figure out a way to hook up a line from my backside to my natural gas line (from Columbia Gas), it may have helped with my bill. By the middle of the night I realized this wasn't any normal kind of gas. I began having terrible cramps in my gut. I was up for hours trying to get rid of the pain. It lasted all day yesterday, and off and on today. I guess it turned out to be more of an intestinal type virus. I won't get into the rest of what happened; you can let your imaginations work on that. Fortunately I am starting to get some relief this evening. I know I got off easy compared to Brie, BUTT (pun intended) I don't want to go through this pleasant experience anytime soon.

Sick, Sick, Sick..... & TIRED

What a week we've just gone through. I have a new appreciation for parents of chronically ill children. I don't know how they do it. On Monday Brie woke up feeling sick on her stomach. She didn't have a fever and since the school was in the middle of PSSA testing, I went ahead and sent her to school. I had a feeling she might not make it all day, but to my surprise, she did. By the time she got home she was running a fever and fading fast. That was her last "good" day. She has been in bed all week, except when I took her to the doctor and an emergency trip to BWI. I made her a bed in the car and she slept most of the time... fortunately the boy we were picking up was waiting at the drop off zone so we didn't even have to park. Her temp bounced between 101.4 and 102.8.... peaking over 103 the first night going into Tuesday, and again Wednesday going into Thursday, when she also had chills. It was NOT a good night! Her fever is finally down, but now she can't seem to shake the upset stomach. I've been giving her Emetrol but that isn't doing much either. She's not eating because every time she tries she thinks she's going to vomit, even though she hasn't once through all of this. I'm at my wits end. And yes, she did get a blessing. Without that I know it would have been much worse on her.

Now the second part of the stress induced week. As I mentioned, Brie was in the middle of PSSA testing. As part of the "No Child Left Behind" law, all students must be tested at certain times throughout their education. These past two weeks just happened to be our schools turn. Brie had completed half of hers when she got sick. I received a call from the school on Wednesday afternoon giving me three options on how to get her caught up. I could do these things on Thursday or Friday so the test would be finished by Friday.
1. Bring her to the school during school hours but staff would isolate her from the general population (kinda like prison) so she could test.
2. Bring her in after school so she could test.
3. Have the principal come to our home to administer the test.
Remember, this is a child who still has a high fever and is in bed. I have a note allowing her to return to school on Monday. Obviously none of these options were going to work. I was told she would get a "below basic" on her test besause the state considers incomplete answers as incorrect. I told them I didn't care because we all know she scores "advanced" and "proficient" on all her tests in school. The PSSA in no way has an impact on her day to day scores. It's only a measure of how she (and this school district) stacks up against the national average. SHE IS SICK!!!!! Even if she did test, there was a strong chance she'd score below basic because she's ill and hasn't eaten for three days. Imagine that.

I'm sorry to say, I finally caved. I gave in when the principal called me on Thursday. She was actually very nice and agreed that Brie was in no shape to test Thu. or Fri. She asked if I would feel comfortable allowing her to come to our home Sunday afternoon to test Brie then. I said yes. I know, can you believe it? Part of the reason is because Brie really did want to test. She has this weird thing about doing well... funny isn't it? She takes great pride in doing well and being at the top of her game. She has asked me about being tested for the gifted program. I have hesitated. I want her to enjoy school without undue pressure. Maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, Brie is cool with testing tomorrow. I just can't believe how much this district puts pressure on us to do this. It seems terribly twisted that when a child is truly ill there is no consideration given. Makes you want to scream some days.

Welcome To Our Family

Emile, Brie and I, are pleased to share some very exciting news with everyone. We have some new additions to our family. Please enjoy getting to know a little about our new arrivals. Introducing......... GUIDO M. SARDUCCI

Guido joined our family two weeks ago today. His "birth name" was Hunter but after careful consideration we decided he looked more like a Guido. Yes, he is named after Father Guido from SNL.
Who better to be named after, right??? We don't have any idea how old he is but he's been a lot of fun so far.

Our next addition arrived two weeks ago tomorrow. Some may say I had a lapse of sanity. Perhaps this is true. I'm beginning to wonder myself. Regardless, here she is......SAMANTHA Samantha is a German Shepherd/something mix. She's between 6-12 months old. Yes, as a puppy she still enjoys chewing everything she comes in contact with. She also has a strong attraction to garbage cans. We truly enjoy this aspect of having a new dog. All in all she's a good dog.... yeah right. We're still working on basic commands and hoping she catches on. I think she will. She does seem pretty smart....even my Uncle Don thinks so.
Well, there you have it. I'll keep you posted on how everyone does. If I get more grey hair we'll know why, right. P.S. The cats are doing really well. I was worried about this especially with Samantha. Seems Kitty does the best at keeping her in her place. You go girl!!










I guess you can see by this picture that Kitty has a bit of an attitude. She's the psycho one in the family for sure. Angel is much friendlier. She's the one on the the right... thus she's also "right" in the head. We're a happy family!!!

Say What??

You Are Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You are kind, popular, and generous. You tend to be successful at anything you try. A social butterfly, you are great at entertaining a crowd. You are most compatible with strawberry ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Wow, I didn't know I was such a neat person. I'm glad I found this out.

Mother Nature Is Bipolar

Can you believe it? Earlier this week we had temps from the high 60's at the beginning of the week to the 80's on Wednesday. Now we're in the throws of a full blown Nor-Easter. It's 26 degrees and we've already got at least 8 inches of snow on the ground. Coming home from work I almost slid off the road. That was a little scary. I looked out a few minutes ago and the snow was blowing sideways. So my question is this. Do you agree that Mother Nature is bipolar and needs to be medicated? Since there's so many of us with mental illness out there (of course not me... at least the last time I asked myself), why shouldn't Mother Nature join us?? (Did you just hear that???) I think someone is watching me!I guess it's a good thing I hadn't gotten around to putting the snow shovels in the basement. By the time I got home from work the girls had cleaned the walk and driveway out back (for the first time today). I took care of most of the front since I didn't want Emile to be overwhelmed like she had the last time... you remember, the "Sweetheart Storm" a few posts back. We'll be heading back out in a little while so we can try to stay ahead of this. Still I wish to make my position crystal clear. I think it's just plain wrong that we were given that MAJOR tease only to have this today. How rude!!!

Give Me A Break!!!

Ok, so Emile comes home last week and asks me how you pronounce Uranus. I said, "your-anus," Uranus. She asked if that was really the correct way to say it. I told her it was the way I had been taught. She then told me she got in hot water in her science class for pronouncing it that way. Her teacher told her that in his class they didn't speak that way and the correct way to pronounce it is "urine-es." (Sorry about the spelling, not sure how else to get the point across.) :)~ I couldn't believe it. What a joke!

We looked up the word in the dictionary to find the precise pronunciation. Turns out we're both correct. I suspect that in todays "politically correct" atmosphere, we can not longer say certain words certain ways, even if it's technically correct to say it either way. Again, what a joke. So here it is, the planet URANUS. Isn't it a beautiful planet? In our family we will continue pronouncing it the way I've always pronounced it, "your-anus." I told Emile she had my permission to say it that way in school and if the teacher has a problem with it to contact me. I'd be more than happy to discuss it with him. Heck, if that's the worse word she ever hears in school, I'll be thrilled. That truly would be a miracle on the planet Earth.......... oh wait, am I allowed to pronounce it that way??

Boyds Bear

Who are these cuties?? It's my darling girls, as you already figured out. We took a trip over to Boyds 2 weeks ago today. It wasn't a planned trip, rather a surprise. It worked. The girls weren't expecting it at all and really had fun. Emile took most of the pictures. One interesting fact about the trip over, there was only one other customer and her child in the entire store. We had the entire place to ourselves. It was a blast being able to go anywhere without fighting through tons of other people. Usually the place is really busy. That day was slow because we had snow in the morning and it was a Monday, which is generally slower anyway.
In the center of the store was a replica of the Eiffel Tower. It was really pretty. There were even bears climbing throughout the tower. The theme at this time is everything having to do with Paris in the spring. There were darling displays all through the store. It was truly lovely. Of course there's the tried and true stuff too, like the newborn bear nursery, bear construction zone (where you build your own bear), and all the different theme areas. If you've never gone you should really give it a shot. There's so much to see, plus there's all kinds of different activities on the weekends for everyone and anyone... young and old alike.

To Steal An Idea... Part 2

Here are the second 50 things I've come up with about myself. I took this idea from Jamie. My first 50 things are in Part 1 which I posted a few posts back. Enjoy.

51. I am a Republican and I tend to be conservative, however, I also have some liberal views on a few things.
52. I believe in the Right to Bear Arms. I am anti gun control.
53. I am Right to Life all the way.
54. I am PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!
55. I would like to take my family to see the Statue of Liberty.














56. My first sewing project was a yellow duffle bag in 8th grade. Emile's was a Steelers oversized pillow... also in 8th grade. Where did the time go??
57. I can't believe I have a child about to enter High School. Where did the time go??
58. At times I feel old, frumpy and ugly.
59. My favorite movie is "The Wizard of Oz" followed closely by "The Sound of Music."





60. I used to find doing laundry relaxing. I outgrew that silly phase of my life and now I hate it.
61. I don't iron.
62. I love John Tesh music. Listening to him is far more relaxing than doing laundry.














63. My favorite food is steak with sauteed onions and mushrooms. YUMMY
64. I never liked mushrooms until I was pregnant with Emile... Thanks Em! :)
65. My favorite season is Autumn.
66. My favorite holiday is Christmas.
67. I love the mountains, especially the Wasatch Range.











68. I play the piano... a little.
69. I hate managing money. It's such a source of stress for me.
70. I've floated in the Great Salt Lake.. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.











71. I've flown over Mount Rushmore. I would recommend this to everyone. It was beautiful.










72. I love cottage flower gardens and am working very hard to have one of my own.
73. While I love flower gardening, I HATE poison ivy, which I seem to get too easily.
74. I would like to learn to paint.. like artist paintings.











75. My first car was a 1970 Cadillac Eldorado. It was red and a complete gas hog.
76. My current car is a 2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx. It's olive green and I love it. It was the first "cross-over SUV" made.





77. Our family survived a serious side impact car crash 4 years ago. The car was destroyed. Thus the reason why I drive the Maxx.
78. My favorite drink is Coke. I LOVE IT!!











79. I bought my very own house in January 2005. Once I was told by someone I'd never have it so good. With the help of my nephew, Andy, who works for a mortgage company, I now have a home for my family. Never ever give up on your dreams.
80. I have had some pretty darned bad "hair days" when my perms have been bad. Kind of like this. Whew we, that's BAD!!














81. I tried coloring my hair to cover the grey. I hated it. With the exception of when Karen (my only trusted stylist) colored it one time, it never looked right. I gave up, I'm getting more and more grey, deal with it.
82. I learned to gold pan when I was a teenager living in Arizona. Lots of work for a very little amount of gold.











83. I taught emergency child birth/infant&pediatric CPR to firefighters in Riverton, Utah. It was great fun working with all those hunky guys. They can rescue me any day.













84. My worst birthday gift ever, was a STUPID Pogo Stick. It was a piece of crap! I couldn't get it going to save my life. Yuck, YUCK, YUCK!!










85. I like to fly kites.
86. I would like to perform at Dreamwrights Youth and Family Theatre.
87. I went to Niagra Falls as a child. I'd like to take my girls to see it.










88. The first time I went to a movie it was a drive-in double feature on Redwood Road in Salt Lake City. I was 9. We saw.... are you ready for this?? "The Towering Inferno" and "Hijacked." I was terrified. What were my parents thinking? Oh that's right, they weren't thinking.














89. I love taking the girls to the movies.
90. I won a pie making contest in Utah once. I made Shoo Fly Pie and won for most unusual. Funny considering how popular it is back here.
91. A favorite place I enjoy is Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.














92. I cried when I went to Washington, D.C. and saw the Vietnam Nurses Memorial on the Mall. It was such a heartwrenching display of the anguish they went through.














93. I want to go back to D.C. to spend more time learning about the history of our country as well as take the girls to the Mall again. We enjoyed it so much the last time.
94. I would also like to go to the Murrah Federal Building Memorial site.
95. I have a deep love and respect for Mother Eve. I think she's been given a bum rap by a lot of people both in and out of the gospel. Without her and her courageous choice, none of us would be here. I hope to meet her someday.














96. I love the book "Eve and the Choice Made in Eden."
97. Even though I'm pro home birth, I gave birth to my children at LDS Hospital. I would have loved a home birth, however, given all the complications I had, my midwife felt I wasn't a good candidate. She was correct.














98. I enjoy going to Boyds Bear in Gettysburg. The last time we went (a week and a half ago), Emile got me a tapestry of The Wizard of Oz (in bear of course). I was thrilled. She really surprised me with it.











99. My children say I have a tender spot in my heart for animals. They may be right.
100. All in all, I think my life is pretty good and I look forward to many more years of new experiences.

Welcome to America... Now Speak English!

I know this post is going to piss off some people, especially my own daughter. Emile thinks I'm racist because of my view on this... as well as illegal immigration. She has A LOT to learn. I know she is a little touchy about the subject because she is hispanic/white, which if you think about it would tell you how much of a racist I really am....yeah right!

Last night we were at Wal-Mart. As we walked around there were some very LOUD spanish speaking customers talking. I made the comment "welcome to America...now speak English." Emile got irritated with me and as usual we had a bit of an argument. I just think that when you come to this country you should become an AMERICAN. This is the United States of America, PERIOD. NOT the United States of Mexico, Japan, Russia, Germany, China, Tonga, Africa, Iran, or anywhere else for that matter. When you come here you should learn the official language we speak in America...... ENGLISH. PERIOD.

When people from other countries wanted freedom, they gave up everything they had (or perhaps they didn't have much to begin with) and got on a ship to come to America. They came through Ellis Island where the next step to their citizenship would take place. These people did everything they could to become an American... everything! They worked hard, they built homes, had families, and learned to speak English. Wow, what a concept. English speaking immigrants.

I am proud to be an American. I want people to come to America who want the same opportunities and freedoms I have. This is the greatest country to live in. I LOVE THE UNITED STATES. This is my home. Please just understand that when someone comes here to make it their home I want them to speak my language. I wouldn't disrespect them by going to their country and becoming a citizen only to continue speaking my native tongue. How rude. Come to America. Come here LEGALLY! Don't come across our borders in the dark of night. Don't drain our resources without giving back (taxes), and please... learn our language. Enough said.

Sunshine and Rain

It has been a very interesting 24 hours. As we all know, much of the United States has had to deal with some intense storms. Lots of rain as well as devastating tornadoes. We were not spared the rain in our area. We had plenty last night, in fact, a water rescue took place just 2 miles from here. There are so many low roadways.

As I was driving to a client's home this afternoon, I couldn't help but notice how perfectly blue the sky was. After the completely destructive storms, beautiful breathtaking sunshine beamed down upon the earth. Amazing! It makes me stop and remember how thankful I am for what I have. Last night during the rain, my family was safe and dry in our home. Today I was driving a car that runs well to a job that helps support my family. It puts things into perspective when I think about the families in the south who lost so much to the storms that went through their area. I am truly thankful we were protected.

Another thing I thought of today was how fragile life is. Last evening Emile and I were coming out of a store when we saw an old neighbor. We were talking about friends we know who have been sick with cancer. She told us that a very special friend, Charlie, had died this past Sunday. I was shocked. I knew he had lung cancer, and that he wasn't doing well, but I didn't realize how short his time was. As we talked, I remembered Emile was standing beside me. She loved Charlie. When I looked, she had tears running down her cheeks. I put my arms around her and just held her as she sobbed. I felt terrible. There's nothing worse than watching your child grieve. She cried for the next several hours, and again this afternoon. We talked about Charlie and I reminded her of how much he loved her and he knew she loved him as well.

And so, there you have it. Sunshine and rain, happiness and sadness, joy and sorrow. It's so hard to explain to your 13 year old why someone "nice" dies while "creeps" live on. I took the time with Emile to let her talk it out and she did share her feelings with me. She has a very tender heart at times. We've lost 3 special people since last July and I think she's becoming a bit overwhelmed with death right now. I will have to make sure she knows how much she is loved and that the sun will always shine after the storm.... even when the storms seem terribly hard to get through. Life will and does go on. We grieve and grow. She will always remember this special friend she learned to know. He will always have a special place in her heart. It's as it should be.