My Little Casanova

If ever a little boy was in the Freudian stage, it is Kaleb right now. He loooooves me...I mean, he is really in love with me.

And I love it. Yep, it makes my heart melt.

These are a few "Kalebisms" that have come out of his mouth in the past week:

"Mommy, you're soooo pretty." (btw, he said this to me about half an hour after I rolled out of bed...bonus points!)

"mmmm, Mommy you smell so good"

"Mommy, when I get bigger you can be my girl, ok? I don't want to get married and have kids; you can just be my girl." (sounds good to me!)

Kaleb, I'm not sure where you learned these lines, but keep 'em coming!

Is Ignorance Really Bliss?

So...is ignorance really bliss? Do you really want to be kept in the dark?



A few weeks ago at church we saw a lady who had on a beautiful jersey-knit dress. She really looked lovely. Except for the panty lines that I could not stop staring at.



As we watched her walk across the parking lot, I said to Keith, "why in the heck doesn't her husband tell her what the rest of us see? Why would he let her walk around like that?!"



I'm sure you've seen women fall into the same trap...they have no idea they are pulling a major fashion Don't as they strut around. And I always wonder why somebody doesn't tell them?!



So...the one thing about Keith is that he is always reliable as far as giving me honest opinions of how I look in what I am wearing.



Unfortunately, I don't always like the opinions!



This weekend he pointed out something that wasn't exactly flattering on me. As soon as he said it, he said, "great, I never should have said anything. Now I'm going to end up on your blog."



Well...sorry, babe you are right...but I promise I will not repeat what you told me.

Anyway, I was so bummed at what he pointed out to me even though I knew he was right. And I also knew he wasn't being mean; he just wanted to let me know what I obviously didn't want to see.

So, ladies...here's my question for you: Do you want to know or do you want to be blissfully ignorant? Would you rather have your husband (or boyfriend, or girlfriend) point out something that isn't flattering, or would you rather that strangers walk past you and giggle?

I am thankful for the honest feedback, even if it does hurt just a bit.

Operation Get Out of Our Bed!

This picture was taken at least 2 years ago. Sweet precious Kaleb snuggling with me in bed! It could have been taken last week.

****if you are the judgemental type who loves to tell everybody how to raise their kids, then please stop reading now! Thank you.

Here's the background: Kaleb has NEVER, EVER been a good sleeper. As an infant, he had horrible colic. He would literally scream if he wasn't being constantly held. I would spend hours rocking him to sleep. The minute I put him in the crib and removed my hands, he would wake up screaming. If you thnk I'm exaggerating, ask the amazing ladies at the nursery in our church. They remember!

I tried everything! Every cotton-picking piece of advice from friends, family, and even complete strangers! I remember the pain of utter exhaustion that I felt on a daily basis. I was desperate for a solution to get him to sleep so that I, in turn, could sleep and not go completely insane.

>>>> On a side note, I should mention that I LOVE sleep. I can fall asleep anywhere, any time. If I could, I would sleep 12 hours a night and take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon!

One time I called the "Babyline" that our hospital had available for new mothers. I called, crying, begging, pleading for help. This is what the well-meaning old lady said to me: "A well-rested mother is a happy mother." Ummmm...yeah, no shit Sherlock! Do I sound like either of those to you?????

Anyway, one night we put Kaleb down in our bed....and guess what? He fell sound asleep. Like a beautiful cherub. I swear, the skies parted and the angels sang!

And so, here we are, four years later and he is still in our bed. His bed sits, lonely, in his room. Those awesome Spiderman sheets waiting for him to lay on them. Every night, he falls asleep in our bed. Sometimes we move him to his bed and sometimes we don't, depending on how tired we are. I should also tell you that not only does he fall asleep in our bed, but he also has to be physically touching me to fall asleep...head on my belly, forehead-to-forehead, etc. (I know, I know...we have really failed, we are well aware! Like I said, stop reading!)

We have tried many times to get him out of our bed, and we always give up because he outlasts us every time! It's phenomenal the stamina he has!

We are trying again. We really want our bed back. We took a great class at church on Song of Solomon and it would be nice to put it into practice (wink wink, nudge nudge).

Here is how it's going so far:

Night 1 (Thursday): We prepped Kaleb ahead of time that he would be sleeping in his own bed and that if he did I would rent a movie for him. After dinner, he played and watched some TV, then after bath and jammies we all played a board game in his room. Daddy kissed him goodnight, then I read him a couple of books. I kissed him goodnight and went to our room. About 5 minutes or so later, he came in and asked me to come snuggle with him. I did, and as he started to drift to sleep I got up and went back to bed. He slept all the way until 4:30 and then came to our room.

We were ecstatic! It was so easy! We were all rested and happy!

Well, we should have known. It was too easy. A fluke.

Night 2 (Friday): All hell broke loose! Earlier in the day I bought a reward chart so we could track his progress. We decided on some nice rewards for him, and he seemed both proud and happy. As it got closer to bedtime, he was really cranky. Probably over-tired...not a good sign. Again, I read to him and then tried to say goodnight. It fell apart from there. For the next hour he screamed and cried, clutching to my leg as I tried to leave the room, chasing me down the hall.

These are some of the things he said to me: "please Mommy, please! I'll be a good boy I promise. Please, Mommy (kiss kiss) I love you don't you want to snuggle with me. Pleeeeeease Mommy I need you!"

It broke my heart. It was all I could do not to cry with him and bring him to our bed. But I didn't. I just held him and told him I loved him, and that this is best for him and he would be OK, blah blah etc.

Keith took over and basically held him until he fell asleep in his arms out of shear exhaustion.

So...any advice is much needed and appreciated, but also support and encouragement. This is probably harder for me than Kaleb and I don't want to fail again.

I'll keep you posted on our progress!

Dagger through my heart!

Next week Kaleb's preschool is doing school bus rides for the kids. The bus will take them for a ride around the block.

It seems a little weird that he will probably never actually take a bus to school as long as we continue to live in HB. Kids either walk, ride bikes/skateboards, or they get a ride with their folks. (weird, huh? I took a bus every day until my older brother started driving)

So Kaleb's teacher said she needed a couple of parents to come along as helpers. Of course, I volunteered...any chance I get to help out, I do. Plus, I am really hoping to be working next year so I want to take advantage while I can.

So on the way home I told Kaleb that I am coming on the bus rides. His response? "Oh, mommy I'm so happy! It's going to be so much fun!"

uh-uh. nope. not even close.

It was more like this: (twisted up nose and mouth) "Whyyyyyyyyyyy? Mommy, I love you, but it's OK, you don't need to come with me. I'm a big boy. I wanna be with my friends. I'm gonna sit with Jack (his buddy). I don't want you to come."

Hole-eeeee crap! Isn't he too young for that?

I still can't get the dagger out of my heart :(

For Husbands, Take 6

Dear Loving Husbands,

It is never...I repeat, NEVER, a good idea to start a sentence with, "so I was looking at your muffin top..."

Puh-leeze

Characters from the Fair

Last weekend I went to a teacher job fair for the Diocese of Orange. I am starting to amp up my search for a job next year, and I really want to get back to the classroom. I miss it so much. And, since I worked for the Diocese before, I figure this might be my best bet in getting a teaching job in this state (in case you haven't heard, California schools are in crisis and there are no job openings).

It was kind of fun getting prepped for the fair. I woke up early, actually showered and put on makeup before 8 am (!) and dressed in grown-up clothes. Then I put on my best smiley face and went to the fair (mmmm, I can smell the corn dogs already....oh wait, that's a different fair).

It wasn't nearly as crazy as I thought it would be. I stood in several lines, met several principals and discussed why I would just love to teach at their school. ****for the record, I hate these shmoozy-woozy type events, but I did my best to seem really excited***


Now, I'm no expert, but I am pretty sure a few of the characters I saw probably don't need to wait by their phones for a job offer. Here are my favorites:



1. The guy with the super-long moustache that curled around at the ends:

This guy made me laugh...genuinely...he meant no harm but shot himself in the foot. I'm standing with my former principal. We're catching up on things and discussing next year and possibilities and this guy totally interrupts us. He's got doughnut crumbs in his moustache, and he's holding a mug of coffee. I can smell his coffee breath, and I'm pretty sure so could the person across the room!

A couple of pointers for this guy: Never interrupt people who are obviously having a conversation! It just makes you look rude. Stand in line like the rest of us. Also, just because they put out coffee and doughnuts doesn't mean you have to take them; wait until you are leaving and take one for the road. Finally - breath mints!

2. The girl in the over-the-knee stiletto boots:




Girl, those boots were rockin', but you weren't at Tao Las Vegas, you were at a Catholic Schools job fair! Know your audience! Many of the principals you were talking to were nuns who have spent their whole adult lives dressing in shapeless gray suits and orthopedic shoes. Seriously!



Those were my favorites! I wish them luck in their future endeavors!

Judgement

Have you ever passed judgement on someone based on limited information? I have. I do. Probably more than I realize.

One instance that I remember is this: We were out to breakfast with my father-in-law and his wife. Kaleb was an infant. There was a family in the booth behind us. One of the kids was being a little bit whiny. She was obviously needing her mom's attention. Suddenly I heard mom snap at the girl. I don't remember the exact words but I do remember that they were harsh and I was shocked.

Again...I remind you that Kaleb was an infant so I had not yet experienced the wonderment of a whiny toddler!

I made some comment about "wow nice mom" or something like that. My father-in-law's wife gently made the comment "well, we don't know what kind of morning they have had."

Now that Kaleb is almost four, I totally understand what she meant! I am sure there have been plenty of times that I have been less than loving towards him with my words and other people have been shocked.

Today I spent some time in the ER. It's kind of a long story, but basically I get something called "icepick headaches." It literally feels like someone is stabbing me in the head with an icepick. It comes out of nowhere and leaves just as quickly. It stops me in my tracks when it happens. I have been having increasing numbers of them lately, which leaves my head feeling totally sore. This morning I had a couple of them, followed by severe light-headedness. I had to sit down because I felt myself passing out. This happened twice.

Now...Mondays are absolutely the worst possible day for Keith at work. Remember, he IS the company, so if he takes a day off no business gets done. Hence...he works all the time. The last thing I want to do is take him away from work on a Monday.

So...I finished getting Kaleb ready and, even though Keith offered to drive him, off we went to school. I felt fine and was already thinking about everything I needed to get done. After I dropped him off, I got in the car and as I started to drive away I felt totally numb and lightheaded. I felt like I couldn't even grip the steering wheel. I pulled over, called Keith and told him I needed him to come get me, and then I called my doctor.

Now, I'm parked in the church parking lot and the doctor keeps calling me back to see if Keith has reached me yet (he was still a ways a way). He tells me I need go into the building and stay with people...I am not to be alone. That was fine with me since the church is like home and the people are like family. But then he called back and decided it was taking too long and I have to call the paramedics.

***I just have to interrupt and tell you how much I hate to be in situations where people are going to be staring at me, so this was not making me happy. It was faaar to much drama for a Monday morning!

They came, and told me I was having a panic attack...ummmm...noooooo. That seems to be what medical people tell women when they don't know what's wrong. I'm pretty sure they never dismiss men like that. I was on my way to meet a friend for yoga...you tell me where the panic would be??

They clear Keith to drive me to ER. We get bed right away. I tell the same story to a nurse. She then stands just outside my doorway and gives my history to the doc and another nurse. This other nurse then says, "oh, that's great she passes out and then drives her son to school? What a great mom!" And they all give each other that look (the one with eyes wide open and eyebrows raised).

I cried. I was really hurt. I pride myself on being a good mom and to have that questioned was probably the worst thing you could say to me.

But here's the thing...she was going off limited information. She didn't know all the details, or how I would have loathed to ask Keith to take him even though I felt fine when we left. She made a snap to judgement that I have probably made dozens of times. It just hurt because I was on the receiving end. And she ended up being quite pleasant to me and I decided to forgive her.

And I'm feeling much better, albeit tired, tonight.

Statute of Limitations on Anger?

Almost exactly two years ago, we were at a first birthday party for the son of our good friends.


One of the guests is a female friend of theirs, who is used to generating a lot of (male) attention. She is approximately 6 feet tall, (usually) slender, and blond. She always has on the "right" outfit, and her hair and makeup are always perfect. 'Nuf said, right? I'll call her Glamazon.

I, personally, refer to chicks like Glamazon as high-maintenance, but who am I?

So...the party was equally as fun for the adults as for the kids. And it was especially fun for the men...a bit too fun, some would say. As in, taking shots of some weird German liquor fun.


So Keith, God love him, was probably two sheets to the wind when he was introduced to Glamazon.

****now here's where it gets interesting****

Glamazon was wearing a loose-fitting top. What Keith didn't know is that she had just had a baby about 6 months prior to this party. And, like most women, it was going to take more than 6 months to get her body back. (heck, it's been almost 4 years for me and I am still trying)...(I just lied, I'm not trying that hard...I've given in to my new post-Kaleb bod)


OK, back to the story.


Keith says, "Wow congratulations! When are you due?"


HA! sorry, despite being a woman, I still kind of chuckle when I think of this. And, yes, it happened to me 2 months after I gave birth. I was upset at the time, but I also knew that the person who said it meant me no malice.

I think it's safe to say that Glamazon was a little upset. A lot upset. She was pissed!

Keith apologized profusely, and he sincerely felt bad. But the damage was done.

***fast forward 2 years...birthday party for same boy...

We walk into the party and Glamazon is there. Let me say, she looked fantastic. There would have been no mistaking her for a pregnant woman today. So kudos to her.

She sees us, turns around, grabs her husband, whispers something frantically, then turns back around to stare at us.

I think it's safe to say she's still upset.

Awkward!

Last week I dropped Kaleb off at school and made my way to the nail place for a mani/pedi. I was so excited! It had been at least a month since my last manicure. I was really looking forward to enjoying a little "me" time.

Everything was perfect until the sweet little lady rolled up my pants legs and poured a heaping glob of lotion in her hands, prepping to rub my legs. I looked down, and in my semi-asleep state almost didn't catch the horrified look on her face as she caught a glimpse of these:

Yep, it's February...time to break out the razor!

They say....

"Save the drama fo yo mama."

But waddya do when yo mama IS the drama?

hmmmm

A Beautiful Mind

We were up in the mountains over New Year's with friends.

Kaleb was sitting on the couch with his friend, Evie, looking at a book of optical illusions.

I heard him say, "that's a hexagon" as he pointed to a picture.

And it was a hexagon.

And I never taught him that.

And I'm still a little bit freaked out by it.

Badonkadonk

It's Christmas. Presents are open. I am happy...mainly because it's just me and my boyz. No big family get-together (until later). Just us, in our jammies, playing with toys and laughing and loving. Being a family.

It's a Hallmark moment.

I take a shower.

After, as I am drying off Kaleb comes in and shrieks "aaahhh, look at Mommy's butt!"

Precious angel.

Daddy says, "hey watch this", and proceeds to first spank my butt and then say "Boing! Boing! Watch it jiggle! It's just like jello!"

Precious. Something.

It's moments like this I cherish.

Stay Married

Please...stay married.

I am saying this as an adult child of divorce...it sounds like some self-help group.

All I know is I am almost 40 and it seems like the (multiple) divorces in my family affect me now more than ever.

And I'm sick of it.

And I'm pissed.

And so, if you are married, I am begging you to do what you can to keep it that way.

The thing is, the 2 people who get divorced aren't really the ones who have to deal with the fallout. Sure, when it initially happens, there are questions of custody (maybe), alimony, splitting up property. But once that's worked out, they are free to live their lives.

The children, however, spend the rest of their lives dealing with the fallout.

For me it happens every holiday season. Who to be with, where to go, who gets breakfast, who gets dinner...it becomes one giant juggling act. There are suggestions, guilt trips, pity parties and resentments.. It really puts a damper on things. I would love to just take a vacation from life beginning on the day before Thanksgiving and ending on the day after Christmas.

In fact, it seems to be a bigger deal now that I am an adult with my own family than when I was a kid.

So...here is a great movie to get you started on the path to staying together. And then there is a book. I have seen it/read it. It is guaranteed to help.

Please. Thanks.

Christmas Letter

When I was growing up my mom always wrote a letter to be included with the Christmas cards she sent out. You know...the letter that gives everyone the update on what each member of the family is doing?

Well, the problem was (as I saw it then and still today) that the letter was complete and total baloney. I used to read it aloud and then just laugh my ars off at all of the lies and misrepresentations. You would have thought we were the happy, loving, totally functional family that we were NOT!

Honestly, I think most letters tend to paint the family in question as perfect, but I also "get" the fact that it would be a little inappropriate to air your dirty laundry in a form letter that you are sending to every Tom, Dick and Harry on your Christmas list. I mean, do you really want your childhood best friend with whom you rarely speak to know that your life is totally f-ed up?

Anyway, there was one year that I really gave my mom heck for sending out a letter at all. I wanted to rewrite it with the truth and slip it in the cards while she wasn't looking.

Her version basically went on and on about her job and how important it was, and then talked about my step dad and all the vitally important work he was doing and how they were enjoying sailing in their free time, yada yada. Then it raved about my older brother, Karl, and the fact that he was doing sooooo well at the Ivy League college he attended. It mentioned that I was a senior in high school and still undecided about which college I would be attending. Then it said that my younger brother, Kurt, was a sophomore in high school and that he really enjoyed going to concerts.

Well....my version would have been something like this:

Dear Friends and Family,

Wow! What a totally f-ed up year 1989 has turned out to be for us! It's hard to believe there could be a more dysfunctional a family out there!

We are on the brink of divorce...it's completely inevitable, but neither one of us has the hootspa to pull the trigger and get it over with. Instead we just scream at each other every night until we are so exhausted we just go to sleep and agree to pick up where we left off in the morning.

Karl is doing exceedingly well at his prestigious Ivy League college. We especially like being able to brag about him to our friends whose children go to State. It makes us feel really really important. We are hoping that some day he will make a ton of money and support us.

Kerry...well, what to say about her?! Right now, her hair is purple and shaved on one side. She wears combat boots every day and a leather jacket with spikes on it. She smokes enormous amounts of pot and likes to stay out all night. Her walls are covered with posters of some group called The Cure. Even though she is smart enough to do just about anything, she refuses to talk about college and has not filled out one application. This embarrasses us to no end. What will we tell our neighbors?

Kurt finally had enough of our drama, dropped out of high school and left home. He is currently on tour with the Grateful Dead. He is in contact with no one except Kerry. Last she heard from him, he was selling grilled cheese sandwiches outside the Dead shows and dropping acid daily. So we're assuming this means he won't be going to college, either.

Have a Merry Christmas!

OK, I need to pause for a minute to stop laughing! I wish I would have done it...can you imagine?!

Needless to say, I did end up going to college. My hair is no longer shaved or purple. I pay taxes and don't break the law (often). I haven't smoked pot in about 16 years (makes me too sleepy), and I rarely stay up past 10. However, I still love The Cure and most of my clothes are black or dark gray.

Kurt finally went back to high school after Jerry Garcia died (which was the most traumatizing event!). He stopped doing acid shortly thereafter (I think). He never did go to college, but he works an honest job and is a married, law-abiding citizen. He still listens to the Dead and can tell you every song they played at every show he went to.

Karl went on to make oodles of money. However, he is also very cheap and doesn't share it with anybody!

Anyway...I almost wrote a letter with this year's card. It would have gone a little something like this:

Dear Friends and Family,

It's hard to believe 2009 is coming to an end! Where did it go?

I am still busy being a mom. I don't have nearly enough energy to keep up with Kaleb, and I usually feel totally inadequate and ill-prepared! I still volunteer with both elementary and junior-high students at our church. I get way more out of it than the kids do, and I always chuckle a little when I realize that heading out to church is one of my favorite things in the world...I never would have guessed that 20 years ago!

Keith works ridiculously hard to support us. Business has been very slow and the stress of being self-employed sometimes gets the better of him, but he is really good about planning fun things for us to do as a family.

We had a marriage-changing experience when we did the 40-day Love Dare...it really opened our eyes to the gift that God has given us in each other. It reminded us just how important our marriage is and that we have to keep feeding it to keep it alive. I am so thankful to our church for introducing us to the book. It came at the perfect time, as we had really gotten in a rut. I feel blessed to have been married (mostly happily) for the past 7 1/2 years.

Kyle continues to just be awesome. He finished the first half of his sophomore year at Cal State Chico. His grades were decent, too. I'm pretty sure he did his share of beer-pong, and I hope he had fun doing it. He has made the decision to leave college and enlist in the United States Army. He wants to be an Airborne medic (just like Keith was). We are so very proud of him. We have always been very supportive of our troops, and so now more than ever we will continue to be! However, we are also nervous because of the very real possibility that he will end up in Afghanistan. I get upset every time I think about it. However, he is an adult, and so we will have to let him go and trust in the Lord to protect him.

Kaleb is 3 1/2 and growing bigger every day. He goes to preschool 3 days a week and loves it! He has made lots of friends. I love when I drop him off and the other kids say "Kaleb is here! Kaleb is here!" He is a bundle of energy and brings me to the point of exhaustion every day! But don't get me wrong - I love it! Life is so fun when he's around! He is funny and smart and full of love and I learn so much from him. He still sleeps in our bed most nights, but someday he won't and I know I will miss it.

I hope this letter finds you and yours happy and healthy. I pray blessings for your family.

Love,

Kerry

The best part about this letter is that it's all true and not exaggerated (of course I left out a few gory details, but dang...that's none of your business)! I am so happy with my boring, imperfect life!

Tower of Terror

Ever since Kaleb reached 40 inches tall, going to Disneyland has been so much fun. Now he can go on Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Soarin', and...as we discovered last week Tower of Terror.

I had never been on the ride, but silly me I just assumed if he was tall enough he must be old enough as well. The thing is...Kaleb is only 3 1/2 but he's as tall as a lot of 4 and 5 year-olds.

So we're standing in line and I notice several people looking at Kaleb and smiling, then whispering. Of course I just assumed they were talking about how handsome he is.

We get on the ride, strap ourselves in, and then...it happened...I realized that this ride was going to scare the living daylights out of him and maybe even scar him for life!

The lights go out, they play a little blurb about the haunted hotel we're in, and then we dropped! It was too dark for me to see Kaleb at first, but when I finally did his face said it all:

It said, "Mommy, you are a dumb-ass! What the heck are you trying to do to me? You know I'm gonna be waking up with nightmares for the next month, right? If I knew how to use the phone, I'd report you to Social Services. Why, Mommy? Why? I'll be a good boy! I promise!"

We went directly from Tower of Terror to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. And from there to other happy rides.

...but you know what? He didn't shed a single tear. He even laughed about it later. That's my boy!

Maybe a Job?

I am blessed that I have been able to stay home with Kaleb since he was born. It has definitely been a sacrifice, but one that is well worth it. I love him to pieces, so being with him brings me joy.

Actually I do work, I just don't get paid. I do all of the bookkeeping for Keith's company, as well as my mother-in-law's. It saves the company money, and once in a while they send me to the spa. Plus, it helps to keep my brain sharp and makes me feel useful!

Anyway, for about the past year I have been really missing working...outside the home. I miss getting dressed in more than jeans or sweats. I miss grown-up interaction. I miss the feeling of being something other than "Kaleb's mom." I miss having a paycheck with my name on! And I really miss the extra things that really aren't very important, but make life a little nicer...things we have had to cut from our budget as business has slowed, like mani/pedi's, Starbucks, shopping, etc.

Now that Kaleb is in preschool I have the time to work. He is really happy at school, so there is zero guilt about leaving him there. He is definitely in good company. I have been keeping my eye out for opportunities that could fit my qualifications. Even though I am a teacher, I have not been looking much in that field because of the current state of education in California. I have focused more on my business background.

I did, however, apply for a job last month through the Department of Education as a Title I tutor for disadvantaged children in foster and group homes. I didn't expect to hear anything and actually had almost forgotten about.

And then today Kaleb's school passed out information regarding new extended hours...I was excited because it gives me a bit more flexibility when applying for jobs. Even more exciting...I just got an email that they would like me to call and schedule an interview for the tutor job!

I love the timing of things....God has funny ways of showing me that he actually is listening!

...fingers crossed :)

PLEASE HELP OUR TROOPS!

OPERATION SANDTRAP

Our close friend, SSG Pete Neally deployed to Iraq 2 weeks ago on his third tour of duty with the United States Army. He will be away from his family for a year in service to our great country.

Pete and Keith went to high school together. They both joined the army after high school. Pete was the Best Man in our wedding. Pete reenlisted in the army about 4 years ago. His wife, Kerri, is awesome! They have 5 children ranging from age 6 to 20. Imagine your husband being away for a year...

Before Pete deployed he asked Keith to round up some golf clubs and balls to send overseas for the troops to use on their downtime. Well....I took the mission from Keith and ran with it. I am amazed at the generosity of people. I have collected almost 200 golf clubs and thousands of balls.

This is where you can help: Shipping all of these items will be very expensive. I completely understand that times are tough...trust me, we are pinching every penny in this house. Would you please consider donating even $5 for shipping costs? Any amount is very much appreciated!

Please share this information with as many people as possible! Thank you in advance on behalf of Pete and his family!

To Donate: please email me at: opsandtrap@gmail.com

My Good Samaritan

This weekend Keith and I rented a Harley and headed out to Palm Springs for a Social Distortion concert. It was so nice to have a whole night to ourselves.

We went out to a nice dinner, the concert was awesome, and the ride was exhilarating!

Sunday, after we returned the bike we picked up Kaleb from Grandma's house and made our way home. We were tired and really grungy from the ride.

We stopped at the gas station near our house to fill up. There, a man asked Keith if we had a jack. His car had a flat.

Now, we did have a jack, but to get to it meant unloading the back of the car and lifting up the carpet to get into the compartment where all the tools were. It was kind of a pain.

Honestly, if it were me I'm not sure what I would have done. I'd like to think I would help but I can't say so 100%.

I could see those same thoughts going through Keith's mind, and then I watched as he dug through everything and started to help.

It turned out to be about a 1/2 hour job....just as he was finishing helping, he noticed the man's wife and new baby in the car. He didn't know they were there when he agreed to help.

Anyway...I know I write a lot of posts where I make fun of Keith and the things he does or says, but I also want to give him credit for being a good Samaritan and taking time to help someone in need. It is one of his best qualities. I could rattle of dozens of stories in which he has helped people without getting anything in return.

I love you, babe! May we all follow your example!

Kalebisms

I have been meaning to keep a list of the funny things that come out of Kaleb's mouth. I have no idea where he learns these expressions, but lately he is full of them. We call them "Kalebisms." Here are just a few:

*I was telling Kaleb about my day and he said, "hmm, that's interesting."

*I told Kaleb he couldn't actually climb walls like Spiderman and he said, "oooh, can't I?"

*Kaleb and Kyle were floating on a raft in the pool. He put both arms under his head and said, "this is the life."

*I asked Kaleb what he wanted for breakfast. He rolled his eyes, sighed, and said, "I ALREADY told you! Aren't you listening?"

I'm just sayin.....

If your shorts are so short that you need a bikini wax before you can safely wear them, they might just be too short.


I'm just sayin...


***the preceding post was inspired by the girl in front of me in class at the gym today. Yikes!