Osten Ard

Visitation
I left work early, so DM and I could change. I don't know what she made of it. She wasn't sure she liked seeing Mr. Bob in the coffin, so we didn't really go up front. I'm fine with that. She's four and knows her comfort zone. I told her he was in heaven and she asked why he died. Then later she wanted to know if she screamed and made noise, would Mr Bob wake up.

It meant alot that we came. We got introduced to his two out of town sisters. DM's art work was on display and pictures of the two of them and her were in the powerpoint that was on show. I knew she meant a lot to him, but it really drove it home. But then he meant a lot to us. Life will be more lonely without him. His daughter is holding up, but DM and I will need to find ways to get her out with us.

sad day
I just found out that Mr. Bob died. I met him at church and we became friends. Then DM came home and she wrapped him around her finger. They were best buddies. He has been sick for sometime, but such a loss. His daughter has been taking such good care of him. I'm worried that she will be lost. sigh.

Disgusting
Last night I went to pick up the rug rat from preschool. She and several kids were in the classroom and not lining up in the hall. She and the others were supposed to getting papers from their cubbies to take downstairs to wait for parents. But no, they had all gone into the class bathroom to see their glow sticks from the birthday party really light up.

At some point in this glow stick experiment, DM dropped hers into the toilet. So they were all standing around looking at this glowing toilet. Of course they didn't want to go out in line and let the minder know they had dropped it in.

So I went into the classroom, saw the bathroom door cracked and learned the ugly truth. And since it was my child's glow stick, I got to volunteer to fish it out. Ack!!!

Miss D, the daycare minder, told DM that I get the biggest mother's day present around next year. LOL

So disgusting isn't over. I come to work and turn on the computers before we open only to find a spit cup that someone has so kindly left for me to clean up. I want a big sign at the front of the library that says "WE ARE NOT YOUR MAIDS!!!"

I'm your man
Listened to Leonard Cohen sing "I'm your man" yesterday and sent M a mildly lusty email. That song just does something for me. There is a dead silence on the other end of the internet, so I've probably embarrassed him. Don't understand guys sometimes.

It's gonna take an ocean of calamine lotion!
Well I went to the doctors yesterday. It's been a week and I wasn't getting any better. He put me on big doses of prednosone (sp?) It has helped my eye. It wasn't all swollen this morning when I woke up. The rest is still itchy and disgusting. So more drugs for a week.

Looks like it is going to be a rainy fourth. Wasn't sure I would do anything anyway. DM wants to see fireworks, but I don't think she realizes just how noisy they are. She isn't big on noise. The fire trucks in the parades get to her. So think we'll stick close to home.

More locks
Wondering if I need more locks on the doors. DM's babysitter's grandparent's garage was broken into and all her grandpa's tools stolen. About 3 grands worth. They just live about 3 blocks from me and on a nicer street. The police said it was the third burlary this week. I have deadbolts on the front and back, but not on the garage door. I don't have tools in the garage, but don't want my stuff trashed while they hunt.

We had a sick racoon wandering in the neighborhood yesterday. I don't know yet if it got captured. DM isn't going outside in the yard until I find out. It climbed on a neighbor's porch and was so sick it just fell off the side. The three wild children were of course following it after I told them they should go in the house because it might bite. What if it had rabies or something? Those shots are supposed to be horrible. However what do I know, so they just kept following it around.

Days of the week panties update
Well thank goodness we have no termites in the panties either. LOL

We heard back from Hanes. The answer.... they always do six. Must say I'd shell out the extra for Saturday and Sunday. However I am not often organized enough to have the right day of the week on DM anyway.

DM's reaction is that it it still not "nice." She is however pretty stoked about the free panties they are going to send her.

termites and day of the week panties
Well we don't have termites, but he did find that our line into the hot water tank is leaking. So a new repair.

I have sent off an email to Hanes. DM wants to know why you only get 6 pairs of panties in a days of the week pack. One is marked weekend and as she points out it is not nice to wear panties twice. Now we'll see if they answer. :)

cars
I am not a car person. I don't come from a car family. This means we don't buy expensive cars and we drive them until they die. So here are some car thoughts anyway

1. Why would you buy a four door Jag? It is a Jag. The point of buying a Jag is to look great behind the wheel of sports car. A Jag is not a family sedan.
2. Volvos should look like a box. If I pay for a Volvo, I want every to know it is a Volvo right away.
3. Cadillacs are supposed to be boats. No it is not a gas effient shape, but my grandfather is rolling in his grave over Taurus looking Caddies.
4. I am way too addicted to the nutcases on Top Gear from the BBC. My favourite is the building of the homemade amphibious vehicle and having to get it to Dover and from Dover to France. It is a classic. Don't have BBC America. It is on You Tube
Top Gear Amphibious Cars Channel Crossing! Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyIw1kGJxak
5. It bugs me more than it should, if I can't figure out what a vanity plate means.
6. It doesn't cost extra to use your turn signal.
7. You car rant...

vacation
We are back from the land of sunshine and oranges. We had a good visit. It was just too short. DM's trip highlights

1. M. got her Dora the explorer sheets for her bed
2. M. stepped in the stinky mud
3. We went to the big playground.

Her perspective is interesting and makes me glad we didn't waste money on Disney LOL

Snaps are up
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sithiworld/?saved=1

tired and stressed
I am very tired and feeling stressed. Vacation is starting, but getting ready for it is just wearing me out more. DM was a doing her crying thing tonight. She started it about a week ago. If she gets in trouble, she starts crying and sobbing I want you mommy. It doesn't get her what she wants or make me approve of her behaviour. It only makes me annoyed. I hope this phase stops soon. What was it about tonight, she couldn't get the parmasan cheese container open, so I opened it for her. She gets snorky and starts yelling at me. I say fine the cheese can go back in the fridge. Major waterworks over cheese. Argh

celebrity rant
I will say up front that the young Cyrus girl is about a zillion times better than most teens as a role model. So far no sex tape. Seems to like to make giggly stupid videos with her best friend. However she has entered the my rant ranks of "You need to have had a life to write a biography."

It is nothing against her personally, but I think there should be a law against writing an autobiography before you are at least over 30. Even if your young life has been action packed, you have no perspective to write about it.

::steps off soapbox::

The trophy wall
Normally I don't have to pull DM's bed from the wall to change the sheets, but realized that a couple missing stuff animals must be between the bed and the wall. That's when I found it... the trophy wall. There on the wall down where you couldn't easily see them was a line of dried boogers. Before cleaning them off, I called my four year old in to ask about these. She looked at me and said "those are the really big ones." At that point I didn't really want to know about what happened to the others.

Somewhere my brothers are laughing.

Headline news
Stop the presses, Super DM and mommy rescue worm from robin. We were on our way into daycare and a robin dropped the worm on the sidewalk. DM decided we needed to use our superhero powers to save it. Although when we got up close and personal with the worm, mommy had to pick it up and put it in the grass. Oddly Super DM gets total credit for the save. :)

The big sort
This morning I swapped DM and my clothes winter for spring. A guarantee that the weather will get cold. Now I have to bag up the stuff that is too small for DM now. Some she never really even wore. She is a fashionista. Not necessarily a good fashionista, but she will decide that a perfectly cute outfit is not acceptable and poof it will not every be worn. I think some of those things are going to consignment. I have a friend who wants some for her little girl to grow into too. So now I'm off to sort and bag.

Nothing to say
Last night I went out to hear a folk music concert. It was great. I got a babysitter for DM and everything. It was my first night out without DM in about 2 years. During intermission my friend made some comment about my talking too much about DM. I said well that's all I do. I go to work and I take care of DM. Maybe I do talk about her too much, but hey that's what I have to talk about. I'm not driving to see avant garde glass exhibits. I'm not joining book groups that meet in the evening. I'm making mac and cheese and picking up toys. Sorry just a little vent.

Pete Seeger
PBS has a Pete Seeger special on. Seeger is in many ways the soundtrack of my political soul. He was the first concert I ever went. I was a small child and went to one of his children's concerts. I can sing the Weaver arrangments of folk songs and most of his. Only most of his because he sings so many.
My parents were musical magpies and listened to so many styles of music from classical to jazz to rock to folk. However with Seeger, they showed me that what he was saying was so important.

We shall not be moved....

the shallow end
Right up front, I am not claiming to be Albert Einstein's successor. However I was over at the mall today along with a zillion people here for the state girl's basketball tournaments. Watching some of the groups wandering around makes you wonder, if the gene pool in parts of the state is just a little to shallow to be swimming in.

One more thing
Okay first the flu. Second a cold. Now she's got pink eye. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Update
Just found this trick for getting the eye drops in at a Pennsylvania pediatrician's page

"If it is difficult to separate your child's eyelids, lay your child on his/her back. Place a drop in the inside corner of the eye. As your child opens the eye and blinks, the eye drops will flow in. If the eyelashes appear wet after applying the drops, this usually indicates that enough medicine got into the eye."

I can do it ... splat
Well last night DM said she knew what she wanted for dinner. She opened the fridge and said she could find it herself. That was when she dumped a tupperware bowl full of a couple quarts of potato soup all over the floor and under the fridge. It was all I could do not to swat her on the butt. So I said I know it is an accident, but I think you should go in the living room before I start yelling. I thought I was never going to get it all out from under the fridge.

Today we went out to the garage and cleaned up the cradle that I had as a child. The mattress went in the trash, but we lined it with some pillows. Her baby thinks it is wonderful.