Proud'n' On Pokemon Boy

I am so stinkin' proud of Pokemon Boy. Right now, he's on the phone with the little girl that was, for most of last school year, his "nemesis".

Pokemon Boy and MissM were best pals in 2nd grade. They ended up in the same class for 3rd grade and we were stoked. The two of them ended up being the two smartest kids in their 3rd grade class last year. Unfortunately, a bit of competition paired with entering the age of opposite sex having cooties...well, for Pokemon Boy, it turned bad. I think she always approached it as a healthy rivalry. But Pokemon Boy's anxiety issues and missing the social cues turned it into an all out raging rivalry for him. It got bad enough for some phone calls at times. He also had to write a letter of apology to her once that I made him hand deliver. [Fortunately for him, he had an awesome teacher. MrsP was extremely patient and really worked hard to help him last year.]

Anyway, toward the end of the year, he had really tried hard to control it and leave her alone. Over the summer, I've also reminded him that they will probably both be in the same class as they're both in the talented & gifted program. So he'd better deal with her being in his academic and social spheres.

About two weeks ago, out of the blue, he told me, "I think this year I'm going to try to make friends with [MissM]." I was shocked, but very psyched.

Last night, the school had a pre-back-to-school picnic. MissM's family lives near the school so I had hoped they'd be there. Pokemon Boy spent the first 30 minutes looking for her. I was so impressed with his resolve. So I called her mom's phone and left a message that we were there and Pokemon Boy had been looking for MissM. I also told her how he had decided to make friends with her.

So today, I got a call and it was MissM asking for Pokemon Boy! How stinkin' cute! I told her he'd call her when he got home. And of course got distracted and just now remembered. I just told him she had called so he called her back. They had a nice conversation (by the sound of it).

I'm just so proud of him that he made this decision. She really is such an awesome kid. The kind of kid you want your kid to be friends with. So this just makes me happy. Plus, I'm friends with her mom.

So stinkin' proud that my boy was able to overcome the whole "Boys Rule, Girls Drool" thing.

You Know What's Fun?

What's fun is buying something off of Craigslist. And then working out on the phone where to meet. Because I watch enough CSI shows to know how it will end if I go to their house.

SellerDude: "Yah, I live right at the intersection of [iffy] and [questionable]."
Me: "Hmm...I'm not really familiar with that area. Is there somewhere nearby we could meet that might be closer to the highway?" [Unspoken: ...and closer to a populated area where screaming would actually draw attention?]
SellerDude: "Um...do you know where [big natural food store] is?"
Me [sighing with relief]: "Oh yah! I know that place!" [Unspoken: It's packed with affluent people that are willing to go into debt in order to eat organic! So they will undoubtedly protect me if you try to kill/rob me there! Yes yes! Let's meet THERE!]

I drove up, met him outside and purchased my item. And no one was killed.

[Confession: He was actually very sweet and helpful. I just like being a drama queen.]

Yes, it's FUN to buy things from Craigslist.

Friday @ The ER

For my friends on Facebook, they already saw the whole thing. But for my bloggy friends, here's how I spent my Friday.

On Friday, we watched my friend McV's five year old son, Lil'McV. He used to be Lil'Bro's classmate in preschool. They're still buds so it's always fun to have him for the day.

On the previous day, we had taken my boys, Lil'McV and a friend of Pokemon Boy to a really cool local indoor play scape - slash - coffee bar. It's awesome. It has tables, couches, TVs, a 3 level play scape, coffee, snacks, you name it. We only stayed there 3 hrs on Thursday but could have stayed the day.
This is the play scape part - a shot I took on Thursday.
And there's the part mom likes!

So on Friday, Lil'Bro woke up asking if we could go back to the play scape. So I grabbed my boys, Lil'McV and Pokemon Boy's neighbor pal, MissO. MissO's mom was going to meet us there later, after her grocery shopping. So with four kids in tow, off we went. We got there, I found a table with a good view of the play scape and the kids were off playing.

Pretty soon, one of MissO's church friends, Mrs.P came over, sat with me and chatted for a while. At one point, Lil'Bro came out to me with a bumped head. I kissed it and sent him on his way. About 5 minutes later, I hear Pokemon Boy sounding pretty upset saying, "Come this way [Lil'Bro]! Mom [Lil'Bro] is hurt!" I figured he bumped his head again and needed another kiss.

Another mom closer to where they were turned to me and said flatly, "There's blood!" Oh boy was there blood! Here comes Pokemon Boy leading his injured little brother. Lil'Bro had his hand to his forehead and was crying bloody murder. Blood was just streaming down from his forehead, over his eye, down his nose, down his chin. I walked over and just scooped him up.

I was able to pull his hand aside to see a nice 1 inch long gash just in his hairline, above his left eye. So I knew it was a clean gash, not all the way to the bone, not life threatening. Scalps bleed like crazy. So it looked WAY more dramatic than it really was. Since I knew he'd be ok and was just hurt and scared, I just went into mommy coping mode.

[A side note: if I thought I could have done it without being lynched by the other moms as cold and heartless, I totally would have taken a picture of his blood soaked face. Because - to be honest - it was SO cool! Go ahead. Judge me.]

Napkins. I need napkins or paper towels to press against this. The first napkin dispenser I hit is empty. The ladies room is right there so in I go. It only has a blowing hand drier. Muttering under my breath, I head back out. I meet a mom who very calmly asks, "Do you need help?" Yes. Find me something to stop this bleeding. She goes into mommy assisting a mommy coping mode. Which rocks. Because you're completely detached.

She told someone to get paper towels. She told someone else to get a first aid kit. She asked if I needed a phone. She was on the ball.

We got Lil'Bro sitting on a table. He's still crying - understandably. I get paper towels pressed to his forehead. I send Lil'McV to get my phone. I assure Pokemon Boy that Lil'Bro will live and send him off to play (ie - out of the way). Assistant Mommy is using paper towels and baby wipes to clean off Lil'Bro. [And mind you, everything we needed kept magically appearing because that is what happens when you have an injury in a room full of 20 or so moms.] Mrs.P stays close by to see if she's needed. I get my phone and call MissO's mom and ask her to abort her grocery shopping and come immediately.

An employee asks if I want to call 911. No. That'll freak Lil'Bro too much. I can drive him. He's just scared. MissO's mom says she'll be there right away. I call McV and leave a message that I'm leaving Pokemon Boy and MissO with Mrs.P until MissO's mom can get there. I will take Lil'McV with me to the ER. Lil'Bro will want the friend and Lil'McV didn't know any of these people.

So Assistant Mommy has Lil'Bro all cleaned up and is putting butterfly bandages on the wound (which are really just sticking to his hair but hey, it was a good idea). Then she turns to me as I'm on my multiple phone calls and hands me a wipe. I hang up and say, "Oh no, I'm good." She and another lady say, "Um...not really." As I look down, I realize I have blood all over my chest, neck and left upper arm. I really would have liked to have left it so I could walk into the ER and say, "You should see the OTHER mom!" But Family Fight Club jokes probably don't go over well in the ER. So I cleaned up.

This is what it looked like after that awesome Assistant Mom did her cleanup job.

I grabbed Lil'Bro and Lil'McV and head to the car. Pokemon Boy and MissO were left with Mrs.P. I didn't even have time to get Assistant Mom's name. She totally ROCKED and I would love to make her dinner. Ah well.

And because God was orchestrating the whole rescue, it "just so happened" that Lil'Bro's favorite comfort toy, Buddy, was in the car. Lil'McV handed it to him and Lil'Bro calmed down. So the crying turned to the occasional sniffle.

We went to the ER near my house. They rock there. Love them. Have seen them too frequently between my dad's health and Lil'Bro's nursemaid's elbow back in January.

They check him immediately and allow both me and Lil'McV to accompany him to his ER triage room. Lil'Bro was feeling better. I could tell because I kept having to tell Lil'McV and Lil'Bro to settle down so A) they wouldn't get hurt in the ER and B) so Lil'Bro wouldn't start bleeding again.
Lil'McV and Lil'Bro in the ER triage room, waiting to be seen.

After some numbing medicine and cleaning up, the doctor applied some derma-bond (basically Crazy Glue) to the injury and we were good to go.

A bandage with numbing gel:
Nurse G cleaned it up:
All clean and ready for some glue:
Buddy on board for moral support:
Get'n' glued:
All glued and good to go:
The buds still goofy and ready to get outta there!

He hasn't had head pain. He hasn't had bruising. He's been pretty much 100% since it happened. Today, he even had his swimming lesson. His hair in the front is a bit whacked because the glue has made some of it stick up. But all in all, it just looks like he has a cut in his hair line. The only thing that would tell of how bad it was are our bloody clothes that have been soaking in a vat of OxyClean for about a day.

So Lil'Bro has a good story to tell. Pokemon Boy totally did the awesome big brother helping little brother thing. Our friends and some total strangers rallied to our side. God made sure everything was in the right place to rock the rescuing!!!

WOO HOO!!!

Good Question

I'm watching my friend's five year old today. He stood watching the desktop pictures on my iMac which change every 5 minutes. After watching about 6 different pictures of my boys go by, he asked, "Aren't there any pictures of ME on here?"

This Is What Life Is All About

Man, I just had the most awesome Sunday. So simple that it reminds me this is what Sundays are about. Keeping the sabbath is setting aside the day for God. Enjoy everything he has provided for me. Appreciate it. Honor him by soaking up his goodness. And today just fit the bill.

I woke up totally late because I stayed up totally late. Oh, and I had set the alarm for 7:30am (which would have put me completely on time) but then forgot to turn the alarm ON. DOH. So yah, I woke up pissy. And as my children dawdled, thinking they had plenty of time like usual, I got pissier. Oh yes, you say. We can see how this is totally keeping the sabbath.

I pack the car with the awesome food for church, cram the kids in the car and take off for church. I'm late so I don't do anything frivolous like, oh, say...feed my kids. This will come to play later.

I arrive at church in one of Those Moods. The kind that my friend C.Beth recognizes immediately by the set of my spine. The kind that I think I'm so good at hiding. As I unload the food, I'm completely in "Martha Mode" (if you don't know, read Luke 10:38-42). The afore mentioned awesome C.Beth comes to the rescue because - you see - I have hidden my Mood oh so well. She offers to set up the food service and I relent, thankfully. She mentions that she may have seen some sliver of a hint of my Mood. But her gentle understanding smile and complete lack of judgment completely disarms me. I love that woman.

Having that taken care of, I walk up onto the riser to take my place for worship practice. I'm putting in my ear monitors when Lil'Bro comes and asks if I brought any food. Yes, quite a bit, actually. But you can't touch it until 10:15. But he means food, as in, hey, you forgot to FEED us, woman. So I ask him to wait. Drooping face. Departs in full Bobby-Brady-slump mode. Then Pokemon Boy comes up 3 seconds later asking, "Um...did you take us to Burger King today?" [because usually when pressed for time, I whip through the BK drive thru for a healthy Croissan'wich® or the like]. "No, hon. We didn't have time. You'll have plenty of food here soon enough." More Bobby-Brady-slumping.

I take my place with the worship team, ready to sing. As I wait for last minute adjustments, I actually prayed this prayer, "God, please help me to stop having such a big hair across my ass." Now, questionable prayer language aside, God rocked the answer. He removed said hair from across said dark place. I had fun practicing for worship. I didn't keep my eyes on the food service setup because I knew it was being taken care of. I was able to totally relax and focus on the music. And the words.

The rest of church rocked, too. Our head pastors were away on vacation (the nerve of them!). So our youth group and youth leaders got up to talk about their recent trip to Doin' The Stuff. They showed slides and everyone that went (and was present) talked about how it affected them. One of our lay pastors then spoke about what it personally meant to him. It was a really cool, inspiring presentation. And Pokemon Boy told me he wants to go to Doin' The Stuff when he's old enough. Sweet!

After church, we hung out, socialized, cleaned up food service, washed bowls and platters. I love that part. Well, not the dish washing part, necessarily. But hanging with my church friends. I love watching the kids running around wreaking havoc together. I love seeing people stand around, talking, laughing. It rocks.

We headed home. We picked up the house a bit and made sandwiches for lunch. Then we hooked up with Lil'Bro's "best buddy" S.McV and his dad R.McV. We all went to the community pool and went swimming. We were met there by another friend of Lil'Bro and S.McV, A.A and his parents. So it was a big swimming play date with four rowdy boys. Tons of fun!

After two hours of swimming, we dried off and drove a few hundred feet to my parents' house. My BigSis was there with her awesome dog, Sid. My parents just returned the night before from a family funeral in New Mexico. Very sudden. Very tragic. Very sad. BigSis brought a bunch of pizzas and we all chowed down and heard all about the memorial and family gathering. We hung for a couple of hours and then headed home for some TV and then bed.

I mean, awesome church day (where God totally rocks the attitude adjustment up front), swimming with really awesome friends and then dinner with really awesome family? That pretty much sums up my life's blessings in a nut shell. Right there. Simple, no?

Thank you, God. Thanks for the awesome church, the awesome friends and the awesome family. And thanks for the extras like a gorgeous pool, a safe community and plethora of food.

God rocks, my friends. Totally rocks.

Tics and Such

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog about Pokemon Boy and his Tourette's. Which is awesome, actually. Because that means there is nothing really to report. As I've stated before, he thinks of himself as Tourette's-free. I like it that way. No fear or self-fulfilling prophecy to live into. When I talk about it, I try to do so when he can't hear me.

The Ex was just here for a visit with the boys. He was here for about 10 days. They spent almost every night with him in his hotel room so it was a much closer visit than previous ones. They spent most days with him, as well.

Over the last few days, I noticed a few little facial tics. Just the exaggerated blinking, bulging of the eyes quickly or rolling them up and to the side real quick. The Ex and I were talking about it but I can't peg if this started during his visit or not. I tend to not notice these tics unless they're really bad or just more frequent. So I'm not chalking it up to anything other than he's off his schedule or over tired or who knows what.

At times I think I should keep a journal like I did in the very beginning. But I feel like, when I do that, I'm putting too much energy in something that isn't really a problem. If his tics ever escalate, maybe I'll return to the journal. But for now, he's not worried about it so neither am I. We still pray about it when it rears its head. And God has kept his so incredibly mild. I'll keep my trust in God.

Oh, and as Lil'Bro has passed the 5 yr mark (when we first started seeing things from Pokemon Boy), we haven't seen anything Tourette's-like from him. I'm not really thinking we will. But you never know. Genetics are a strong player in this world. I won't worry. But I will keep an eye and ear out as he gets older.

Anyway, just thought I'd update you all since this is, after all, a blog called Tourette's Mom!

PokemonBoy

Lil'Bro

Heard Today At The Boys' Swim Lesson (#3):

The boys had their 3rd swim lesson today. The instructor asked us to get them goggles and nose plugs. So over the last week, they have discovered the joys of going underwater. It's all they do. Sometimes Lil'Bro would wiggle enough to turn himself in the water - a kind of pseudo-swimming.

At today's lesson, they were eager to show their teacher how much progress they had made. The teacher was totally psyched as was their dad (who is visiting) and I. PokemonBoy swam under water, actually moving forward and changing direction. Lil'Bro did, too, but he looked a bit more like he was drowning. But it was huge and awesome progress. We're thinking they'll be fully swimming by the time school starts. VERY cool!!!

Here are some silly snippets from today's lessons:

Lil'Bro: Hey [PokemonBoy], watch me talk under water! [goes under water and we just see bubbles!]

Lil'Bro [as the dog walks near the pool]: I smell dog...footprints.

PokemonBoy [after being under water near the fountain]: It sounds like people are clapping down there!

PokemonBoy [after finally swimming on his own a little]: Ok, I'm DONE with these lessons! Goodbye!

Lil'Bro: It's a bad idea - breathing under water!

PokemonBoy [after looking underwater at pool floor design]: The mermaid is ULTRA ugly!

SwimTeacher: Hey [PokemonBoy], if you blow bubbles under water, you won't get water in your nose.
PokemonBoy: Thanks for the tip. I won't use it.

Heard Today In The Car

As we headed off to the pool early this morning to beat the triple digit heat, this conversation cracked me up:


Lil'Bro: Mommy, what do you think that stop sign's name is?
Me: Hmm. I'm not sure. What do you think?
Lil'Bro: His name is Stoppy.
Me: Cool. [continues to drive]
Lil'Bro: And that fire hydrant's name is...
Pokemon Boy: Hydranty?
Lil'Bro: No. Fiery. And that light pole's name is...Lighty. And that fire hydrant is...Bob.


Alrighty then.

Really? [#3 in a series]

Oh Facebook right-hand advertising engine, you truly amuse me!

Heard Today At The Boys' Swim Lesson (#2):

Pokemon Boy: "I may be filled with hot air but I don't think I can float."

Lil'Bro: "It just doesn't make sense..."
Me: "What doesn't make sense?"
Lil'Bro: "She [16 yr old instructor] is taller than Miss Suzanne [the instructor's mom]. But she [the mom] is so much older!"

Pokemon Boy: [after viewing my highschool senior portrait] "You looked way better then."

Nine Years Ago Today

Nine years ago, today, a bunch of people in scrubs claiming to be doctors and nurses tossed me on a table, opened the Ziploc pouch in my abdomen and helped little Pokemon Boy enter the world.

He is the one that made me a mom. He is the one that made me realize most of my other important interests in life were mere folly. He has brought me unimaginable joy. He has amazed me with his brilliance, creativity and capacity to love. He has been the best older brother Lil'Bro could have. He is one of the reasons being a single mom has been doable.

Happy 9th Birthday, Pokemon Boy!

Really? [#2 in a series]

Ok, I totally get the right-hand advertisements that appear on most websites. They pick up keywords you use in your emails or social networking sites and plug accordingly. And usually I get why I'm seeing certain ones. Yes, I'm over 40 and single but don't want to use your dating site. Yes I'm a single mom but don't want to make easy money for Google at home.

So anyone who knows anything about me will understand that this is yet another one that oh so misses the marketing bulls eye:

Facebook, you might want to tweak your automated advertising parameters!

Really? I Mean REALLY?!

This was a right-hand advertisement on my Facebook page today.

Really?

God Rockin' The Free Dishwasher Repair & Replacement

Ok. I'm ready for all the funny comments. Hit me, people. I can take it. But I'm still gonna crow about all the good things God keeps doing for me.

SO last summer, you may recall that God totally rocked the free fridge repair when it croaked in August. August in Texas with no fridge? Only thing worse is August in Texas with no AC. But the repair was done one month short of the 3 yr warranty expiring.

Recently, my faithful (albeit LOUD) dishwasher has been pooling water at the bottom every time I run it. I tried the old "if I ignore it, it will go away" thing. As usual, this did not work. Dang. So since God also just rocked me that wonderful financial wind fall and I was able to pad my liquid emergency fund, I tried the "call the GE repair people" thing. As usual, this worked much better.

The same awesome repair dude that fixed my fridge showed up today. He pulled out the washer, took it apart and generally made me groan with thoughts of how much this would take from my newly padded liquid emergency fund.

As it turns out, the leak was from a cracked tub: that inner lining of the whole apparatus. I groaned again. "So, I imagine this isn't under warranty any more, right?" ask I. "Well, here's the deal. The dishwasher isn't under warranty. However, the tub has a 10 year warranty. And since I can't fix the tub or replace just the tub...YOU do the math!"

So check it: I get a free dishwasher replacement. And since they don't make my model any more (the cheapest one GE makes), I get a free upgrade. It's still the cheaper model but it's better than the one I had! AND - as if that wasn't cool enough - the repairman's time was free since he couldn't fix it. So I pay nothing.

The dishwasher is still workable while I wait the 5-7 days for the replacement. It will just leak. Which I can handle.

Dude. I'm just sayin'... God totally ROCKS.

Commence your little jokes about it. But God still rocks.

GET ON YOUR FEET PEOPLE!!!

Ok, here is a reason for all of you to go out and celebrate:

I just paid off my last credit card today. Which means I am now only in debt for my mortgage. No car loan. No credit cards. No 401K loans. No lawyer payments.

Now go out and celebrate appropriately. But DON'T use credit cards!!!

An Open Letter To My Scary Neighbors

Dear Scary Neighbors,

Your dog is lonely. Apparently, he is also without food or water quite frequently. Whose idea was the ginormous metal bowl? Is there a way that you can either keep said bowl filled with, oh...say...food or water or bolt it down to your back porch? Because when he seems annoyed by the lack of food or water, that little toss game he plays with that METAL bowl...on your CEMENT porch...yah, that's good times. It's fun to listen to at, say, 1:18am. So maybe, could you play with him? Or take him inside when it gets hella hot? Because, I'm not sure if you've noticed but this is Central Texas. And it gets hot outside. And your back porch takes the brunt of the afternoon sun and hottest time of day. Your dog doesn't have air conditioning. Or water. I checked.

Oh and also, could you mow your lawn? And perhaps pick up the garbage around your property? And possibly not smoke pot so obviously on your back porch where my boys can see? And can you ask that one guy - you know the one - to please wear a shirt when he's mucking about in the back yard?

Thanks.

Signed your neighbor that was just once again jolted awake by a loud metal-on-cement sound.

Heard In My House Today

Me: [yelling very loudly] "My boys are so stinkin' adorable!!!!"
Lil'Bro: [continuing] "...she can hardly STAND it!"

Hallelujah

I know I'm way behind the times but loving this song so recently. But if you know me, you know my whole life has been a study in loving things way after it's hip. I'm ok with that. And to show you just how under a musical rock I have been, I will share this.

One night, back in 2008, I was flipping around the channels as I am want to do. I stopped to watch this performance. It was by a guy I've never heard of (again because I'm tragically out of touch). It was a song I had never heard (see previous parenthetic comment). I remember being struck by the emotion of the performance. I had assumed it was honoring someone who had died because everyone seemed very moved by the song. And the song itself made me want to cry. The performer sounded as if he was trying not to cry. I now believe it might have been a case of nerves. But who knows.

Either way, the song haunted the recesses of my mind periodically but I knew nothing of it and wouldn't have known how to hunt it down.

Enter my old roommate Darcy. We talked the other night and she told me she's ready to design my album cover. But I had to promise to include a cover of this certain song. It's called Hallelujah. It's by Leonard Cohen. I asked what the song was and she described it. I grabbed my iPod Touch, pulled up YouTube and found the Jeff Buckley version of the song. WOW! It was that song I had seen so briefly back in 2008! And it was still amazing.

So now I knew the song name and author. And if you go to YouTube, you can see like 8 million cover versions of the song. Some good, some they need to just quit it. But the Jeff Buckley version (see embedded video below) or the Damien Rice version (see other embedded video below) seem to really capture the soul of the song - for me anyway. Leonard Cohen's live version is killer. And I love the man. But I'm a sucker for gorgeous vocals. And Leonard is a genius. But he will be the first to admit he is NOT a gorgeous vocalificationer.

Anyway, I thought I'd post the song for you to check out. More than likely you are all way more hip than I and have already heard about 16 versions of it either in Shrek or The OC or some other TV show or movie. But it's a new find for me and I love it.

And if I ever really do get off my duff and record that album Darcy wants me to record, I will probably mangle yet another unnecessary cover of this song. So I ask for your forgiveness in advance.

Here is a link to the Jeff Buckley version. The embed code was disabled by request. Sorry.

Here is the Damien Rice live version from the 2008 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame show I saw.

Tourette's News and Other Stuff

Tourette's News:
I heard this on KLOVE, of all places. Found it out on Reuters. Nothing earth shattering here but an interesting read. Another version of the report points to the fact that TS is found predominately in white kids (compared to black or Hispanic). Also, more prevalent in boys than girls. Just an interesting read.

Other Stuff:
I was just having a quick IM session with one of my favorite friends and authors, Trish. Talking or typing with her always makes me happy. I love knowing her. I often refer to her as one of the pillars of my spiritual support. She is one person I turn to when I want to be happy or freak out in crisis. I love having people like that. She laughed with me when I called her cell to inform her that I just purchased a very respectable "girly" top from Anne Klein. She dropped everything when I called her from a hotel room in pieces because my marriage had just imploded. Friends like that are gifts from God.

But what we were laughing about in our IM session revolved around a recurring amusement in our relationship. How I saw her speak at church one Sunday in February 2005. And I immediately dismissed her as some pampered "Christian wife" that had it all together and wouldn't have anything in common with me. I didn't like her. I wrote her off as just completely out of touch with any reality I might know. A few weeks later, when I took a class on seeking faith, who do you think one of the leaders of that class was? Yup. Trish. I remember seeing her and thinking, well, this class is a bust. Thankfully, God loves to show me how wrong I am but in a fun and humorous way. The long story short (that I think I've blogged about before) is that she is one of my most trusted and loved friends. A true friend sent from God.

I have so many friends in my life that have similar starts. My wonderful friend Kristen and our other friend Alicia - I did a similar thing. My first encounter with them was...I think at a friend's party. They were fans of this band - I was friends with most of them and was very protective about the guys and who tried to gain access to them. I was pretty smug and not very welcoming to girls who tried to enter our tight little circle. I sized these two up as groupies and didn't really pay them any mind. Fortunately, they were NOT groupies. Well, they LOVED the band. But they weren't just vapid chicks trying to hook up with a popular band. They actually ended up marrying two other friends of mine that I knew through that band. And they have been two of the most supportive loving friends I've ever had. They were pretty much the only two people we let babysit Pokemon Boy when he was a baby. They have driven me to doctor appointments, one of them drove us home from the hospital when Lil'Bro was born. And to think I thought they were just annoying groupies!

Yes, I realize all of these stories are a huge revelation that I am one big huge judgemental snot bag. But the beauty of it is, in stead of God stomping on my head with his ginormous steel-toed boots, he just shakes his head and makes these people I have misjudged my new best friends.

I was sitting here going through a list of friends that fit this pattern. It's pretty funny. Well, it's pretty pathetic, from one view. But over all, it's more funny. To me, anyway. Thank you, God, for not stomping on my head.

In another "Woo-hoo, God rocks" report:

God has once again rocked the money thing for me. I'm not sitting here saying that I expect God to constantly drop found money in my lap. But it seems to show up when I least expect it. And I am always seeming to have enough money to provide for my needs.

I remember back in that faith seeking class I mentioned above in my Trish story, they talked about tithing. When that subject came up, I remember thinking, "There it is...the price tag every evangelist eventually tosses at you!" But it wasn't like that. There is so much more to it and I'd need a whole blog to get into where it came from and why we still continue it today. But the part that stuck out in my head has always been the fact that it's the only thing God says "Go ahead, test me in this! See what happens." [ref. Malachi 3:8-12] Most everywhere else God kind of warns us not to put him to the test. But this, he says, go ahead - tithe and see how I bless you. I've seen so many people tentatively try it out. And I know so many people who have amazing stories that surprised them. I tell you, since I became the single person responsible for my household finances, I have finally really given like I wanted to. It started out rather sparingly. I was scared to give too much away at first. But man, every time I have hit the straights, God provides what I need out of the most unexpected ways. I'm not talking excess or lottery winnings. But I'm just blown away how it always seems to appear right at the right time.

So right now, I'm doing ok. I'm still living off of my severance package. And I will confess I have been treating the boys and myself to a few too many frivolities. I've been starting to wonder if it will stretch. Will I be able to keep the house? Will I be able to get out of the non-house debt I've dug myself into before it all runs out? But through it all, I just keep saying, Ok God, I'm trusting in you here. Whatever happens - house/no house, debt/no debt - I know you'll work it out. I'm not waiting for my big American bling bling lifestyle. I don't want that. I just want enough to raise my kids, meet my obligations and still be able to give some away. And I've been able to.

Today, I met with my financial advisors. And without going into boring details, I have basically just had a huge (in my book) amount of found money come into play. And it has no tax implications because it's from after-tax money (I've already paid taxes on it a long time ago). And it's just enough to be able to pay off the remaining amount of non-house debt I have. Still giving me a good chunk to either put into a retirement fund or into a rainy-day liquid fund.

This blows my mind. Because I dug myself into quite a hefty bit of non-house debt since the beginning of 2007. Between the actual legal costs of divorce, what I paid out in settlement and then the whole guilt spending resulting from said divorce, I had quickly racked up an amount that made one of my church friends gasp (but to be fair, she's a completely debt-free person). That was the amount I started chipping away at in January. Right now - 6 months later, I have it decreased by more than half! And I'm about 2 weeks away from being able to wipe it all out and just have a mortgage to chip away at. That is mind blowing to me. And that is all God. Every tiny bit of unexpected found money that has come my way in these 6 months went to pound away at that debt. And now this!

I know this is not very profound because I'm not putting numbers out there. I'm not really thrilled to say, "Hey, I'm stupid enough to have racked up $xx,xxx.00 in debt in a mere two years!" But you can fill in those Xs with any numbers and you can see it's substantial. Especially for a single mom who got laid off this past January.

God just keeps rockin' the rescue. He keeps providing. Even when I mess up my own finances. He's not a head stomper. He's a loving father that is amazingly patient with us. He has always had his hand out to me - my whole life. I'm just so glad I finally realized it back in 2005 and turned and REALLY took it.

God, thank you for the awesome friends you put in my life. Thanks for the new ones you're introducing me to right now. And thank you for always providing what my boys and I need. Whether it's money or love from my parents. You're so awesome. I love you.

Braggin' On Me Boy-O.

Pokemon Boy had the last award ceremony of the year this past Monday. They give out cool dog tags for different things. At the end of the year, they try to make sure everyone has at least one dog tag. But Pokemon Boy got a few I'm pretty durn proud of. There's actually 2 missing from this shot. He got 4 "All-A's Honor Roll" dog tags - one for each quarter. Then he got the gold one because he got "All-A's Honor Roll" ALL YEAR LONG. [How this kid got this smart is beyond me.] He's the lazy mom's dream kid. I'm so wikkid proud. In the immortal words of Stella - "My heart is FULL!"

Check it, yo! My 3rd grader got these:


I should mention here that his teacher (and all school staff) is phenomenal. She worked so patiently with him since she took over his class just after the holidays. She seemed to find such a balance between allowing for his anxiety issues and holding him accountable for his actions. We love her and are lucky to count her as a friend.

A Love Letter

Dear [every restaurant that facilitates online delivery],

I love you.

I love you with every lazy fiber in my soft doughy body. My sand-blasted sinuses thank you. My gray, pasty, mouth-breathing face thanks you. My vice-gripped forehead thanks you. But most of all, my hungry boys thank you.

Yours forever,

The Chick That Just Ordered Two Pizzas

Confounded Comments

Ok somebody help an old lady out here. For some reason, it seems Blogger is setting up people's blog comment entry form differently now. And also for some reason, it seems to be a format that is specifically designed to keep me from commenting on all my friends' blogs!!! Go ahead and call me a paranoid conspiracy theorist if you want. I don't care. JUST TELL ME HOW TO USE THIS NEWFANGLED THING!

Oh sure it looks all intuitive and simple and friendly. Sitting there looking all simplistic and not evil. But I assure you. It is an implement of torture, my friends.

This is what it looks like.

I select the profile (in the "Comment as:" drop down). I've tried the Google Account (because I have one), the name + URL, and a couple other. I fill in my comments, I select the profile and I hit Post Comment. I've even tried Preview. And all my comments just disappear.

Anyone know the trick? I know some of you have posted to these kinds of comments before. I'm wondering if it's a limitation of FireFox. Maybe I have to try it in Safari (I'm a Mac now so I don't do IE).

Whoever solves this issue for me will win my undying gratitude and a bit huge sappy blog post about how awesome you are.

You're all beautiful. Don't change.

How To Feel Old In One Easy Step

This past Friday evening, I was able to hang out with 4 really cool friends. Three of which are friends from my Boston music scene days.

Kay & USAMike were in town with their band Letters To Cleo. A million years ago, my band had opened for Letters To Cleo up in Boston. Kay & USAMike are now married and living in LA. They write, produce, manage, perform - they do it all. They're both extraordinarily talented. Kay is behind the My Friends Tigger and Pooh show on the Disney Channel. She wrote and sang the theme song and incidental music for that show. She also pitched that show to Disney and they ran with it. Kay has also written lots of songs for Hannah Montana and various movies (everything from Josie & The Pussycats to Care Bears). She voiced the singing voice for Josie in the live action movie. I have the soundtrack and it actually rocks. She and USAMike collaborate with a lot of other musicians. I'm just very happy for them that they are making a good living from music. It is an ugly business and can eat you alive. Fortunately, these two have figured out how to do it without being eaten.

Jess & Jeff are two friends now living in my area of Texas. Jess and I were in a Boston Rock Opera production of the Rocky Horror Show together. Seems like that was a million years ago. She's a total sweet heart and we've kept in touch - strangely - through our myriad of mutual friends. I would always see her commenting on a friend's page on MySpace or Facebook. Recently, we realized we both lived in the same area and started talking. This past Friday was our first successful attempt at actually getting together.

I was nervous about meeting Jess's hubby. Their Facebook pictures look very hip and cool. I am anything but hip and cool. They are in a band together - still doing the music thing. I've met enough rock-star-wannabes to be wary of people who are still in the music scene. There are enough of them out there who care too much about the cool/hip factor and it can make a normal person like me feel very out of place. So I was worried about meeting her cool hubby.

As it turns out, both Jess & Jeff are just completely normal goofballs like me. As we all kept saying, we are all quite dorkitudinous. [Spell check loved that word!] I immediately felt at ease with both of them. I mean, keep in mind, I haven't see Jess since before Pokemon Boy was born. Probably 1999. We met for dinner at a little pub down town. We hung and talked. We regaled her hubby with stories of the old Boston music scene. He's from Chicago so doesn't know much about the Boston bands.

Eventually, we texted Kay to get her where abouts. She was headed to the club so we all went over. It was SOOO awesome to see Kay again. I hadn't seen her since Jan 2008. So the last time she had seen me, I was mid divorce. I was also wrestling with depression, anxiety and had just started having migraines. I was also a lot thinner - ah the lovely Divorce Diet!

The last time I had seen her wonderful hubby USAMike...I don't even know. It was when Pokemon Boy was maybe...a year old? We had all gone to their house near Boston. So that would have been 2001 or 2002? Not sure. But way too long.

I hugged them both until their heads popped off. Well, not really. But you get the idea. We did all the intros and hung a bit backstage.

They toured the Texas leg with a band called Cruiserweight. They were awesome. Then Letters To Cleo went on. Now, I have to tell you, when I was doing music and photography in Boston, I rarely ran into these guys. I knew who they were but wasn't a big fan. At that time, there was an explosion of female fronted bands where the ladies were playing up the cutesy pie factor. As a chick who built her entire music persona on "tough chick", I couldn't stand the baby doll girls. I thought Kay was one such vapid chick. Over the years, God did his thing where he put us in close proximity and I realized she was an awesome person, ate some crow and got a great new friend or two out of it. But anyway, as a band, Letters To Cleo has really grown. I personally think they are so much better now than they were back then. Kay is a great front person. USAMike is a great guitarist. They're both awesome song writers. I'm very impressed and glad to know them both. The rest of their band are awesome guys, too.

During their set, Jess, Jeff and I amused ourselves by taking pictures with our various cameras. After the set, we went backstage to say our goodbyes. I'm telling you, at 12:30 midnight, I'm usually either in bed with my iPod Touch playing Sudoku or asleep. So when Kay texted me after the show saying, "Hang around," I wasn't sure I'd make it. Doesn't she realize I'm OLD?!

The band had a meet & greet to sign autographs. I knew I wouldn't make it that long. So we hugged the sweaty rock stars and headed out.

Once at our cars, we realized it had been about 5 hours since we had eaten. So Jess, Jeff & I headed out to an awesome all-night diner thang. I remember thinking, "I am too OLD for these late hours," but I wanted migas!

We hung at the diner for a long time just yapping and eating. I just had so much fun hanging out with these two. Eventually, we parted company and I drove home. I was so tired but made it home fine. I went to bed around 3:15am. This used to be normal for me - back in my 20s. Which was 20 years ago!!!!!

As we all know from multiple previous posts, my mom ROCKS (can I get an amen?). She knew I'd be out later than normal (I doubt she'd thought 3am, though). So she took my boys for a sleepover and planned a morning of fun for them so I could sleep in.

I had a blast. But didn't recover from the late night as quickly as I did 20 years ago. And I have to tell you, my self esteem was struggling. Nothing like hanging out in a club full of very fit and hip people younger than you to really feel good about yourself. HA!

I had a blast. But it reminds me that I have chosen the path in life that suits me. I love being a mom in the suburbs. I'm not a rocker chick any more. Singing backups in my church worship band suits me perfectly. I have never been more fulfilled musically. And I have the freedom to see my friends perform now and then.

God sure has put some cool people in my life.

A Conversation With Lil'Bro

A conversation with Lil'Bro today. I was putting lotion on my arms and he was on my bed playing his Nintendo DS.

Lil'Bro: What's that smell?
Me: Maybe it's my lotion. [extends arm for sniffing]
Lil'Bro: [sniffs] Oh.
Me: Do you like it?
Lil'Bro: [without looking up] It smells really bad.

Excellent. I'll inform Lubriderm immediately.

Updates and Unimportancia

I love making up my own words. It's fun. Unimportancia should be a word. Blogger spell check hates my made up words. I am glad it doesn't force me to correct them.

An update on my Blackberry adventures:
I went to the Blackberry website before accosting that poor boy at the Sprint store. He sells all sorts of phones. If I want Blackberry expertise, I should start with Blackberry. After searching through their website, I found a Q&A forum where someone had my exact problem. The resulting instructions were NOT intuitive and were nowhere in the manual that came with the phone NOR were they in the dowloadable PDF manual on the phone. So...apparently, in order to use your Blackberry, you either need to buy it from one of those stores that will do all the unintuitive setup FOR you, or you have to go searching on their website to get instructions. And a further mini-rant is that the instructions were in about 4 different responses in a conversational thread between an annoyed consumer like myself and some smug techie that answered as if his instructions should have just occurred to the consumer. Smug techies. [shudder]

So the things I want to work on my phone are working. I can get email from my two main accounts all in one email interface. Nice. I can Facebook. And if you know me, that's akin to saying "Oh good, there's oxygen here!" I can take a picture and have it uploaded on Facebook within 30 seconds. Which I like. So now all my friends know exactly what that Frisco Melt looked like that I had for dinner last night. They are also seeing many more casual shots of my kids. And let's face it, the world needs more pictures of my kids.

The one caveat that I'm still holding out on is the bill. The plan I got boasts unlimited email, texting, internet and "data". In my mind, this means I should just pay my monthly rate and then extra charges for roaming and going over my daytime minutes. A friend in Boston just dumped all her internet capabilities because the same plan ended up charging her for all sorts of "data" even though she was on the "unlimited data" plan. When she called to complain, they explained some vague lawyer-like stuff about how data going OUT was covered but data coming IN wasn't. Or something like that. She wasn't very clear. But she warned me to watch my bill for that kind of hook. Today, I will call Sprint and say, "Hey, can you define exactly what 'data' is in your contract here?" Because I use a LOT. The emails I get and the Facebooking alone could put me well up into the million dollar mark very quickly. So we'll see.

But for now, I love my Blackberry. So JenKneeBee, you were right. Big learning curve but well worth the effort. So far...

Things that I have thunk last night or this morning:
Should one really need needle-nose pliers in order to get the foil cover off of a local generic half & half creamer bottle? I believe the answer is NO. And yet, my needle-nose pliers remain in my kitchen drawer.

Stop stressing over Adam vs. Kris. It's just a TV show!!! They'll both do awesome and make way more money than you or I will. So just let it go, people.

Hmmm...Isaiah 54:5 doesn't really say what a lot of people think it's saying.

Why does Blogger spell check want to capitalize the word "internet"? Is it a person? Does it command respect? I'm not quite clear on this.

I'm still having problems with people posting pictures with titles like "Bob and I". I want to send them all links to a previous rant of mine on that very subject. But I don't want to be a smug techie.

He's just not that into you. And by "you", I mean ME.

Those car oil commercials with the sadistic Scottish/Irish dude running around yelling, "Think with your dipstick, Jimmy!" really annoy the snot out of me. Aside from the sophomoric penile innuendo that should insult most American males (because you see, this company thinks you'll buy their stuff if they make a penis joke. You get it?), it's just stupid and low-brow. And to prove what a lousy ad campaign it is, I don't even know the name of the oil. No matter how clever or annoying you think an ad is, if it isn't leaving your brand or product name on the lips of everyone who sees it, it ain't workin'.

An annoying commercial that does work? Head-On. Stupidest commercials in the world. But I don't know a person who can't tell you what the name of the product is! And even better, most people could tell you what the product is supposed to do.

Things I'm excited about:
Tonight, I will have to eat crow. I eat a lot of crow these days. Here's a little tip - a warning, if you will. If you sneer at something, make fun of something, think you're better than something/someone, you can pretty much bet money on the fact that you will end up having to deal with that something or someone later in your oh-so-smug life. You will eat crow.

I have always laughed at people that made a huge deal out of preschool graduations. Seriously, a cap & gown for 4 & 5 year olds? Do I look like I'm made out of money for frivolity? Wait. Don't answer that if you've seen all the frivolous stuff in my house. But my point here, folks, is - I thought preschool graduation was totally dumb. And anyone who buys into is an idiot.

Hello. I'm an idiot.

Tonight, Lil'Bro will graduate from his preschool. Fortunately, they didn't make us buy caps and gowns. I think they know all the parents are scraping just to pay for the school. But Pokemon Boy, my parents and I will head to Lil'Bro's preschool tonight to watch a little ceremony. And I'm thrilled pickles about it! I'm pure hook, line & sinker about this. So make fun all you want. I don't care. I own my hypocrisy. I own my former snobbery. I eat the crow with relish!! My boy is gradumificating from preschool!!!

I can't wait to see my friends' band this Friday night!!! Weeeeeeee!!! My mom rocks for taking my kids for a sleepover. I haven't seen Kay since January 2008 when she was doing backup vocals for a little show that popped through here. I haven't seen her husband USAMike since...wow...I'm not sure how many years. We chat here and there through Facebook but that's not really hanging out. So this will be REALLY cool. And I also get to see another former Boston rocker pal, Jess, who now lives in Austin, too! We haven't been able to get together so it will be a bonus to see her there, too.

Ok. That's it for today, folks. Randomosity and unimportancia for everyone!!! Peace out, yo.

[I'm so street.]

The Jury Is Out

Every two years, I am allowed to keep up with the exponential progression of technology by upgrading my cell phone. Which is nice, seeing as how the most cutting edge of cell phones goes completely archaic 5 minutes after you get it home.

Today, I went to my local cell phone provider store because A) they have a new location next to the Starbucks by my house and B) I qualify for an upgrade. Yippee! I get to get a new phone!

What I really want is an iPhone. I love them. Like 5 to 8 year old boys love a Nintendo DS, so do I love the iPhone. I am an Apple marketer's dream. But alas, that phone is sold exclusively by AT&T. And when I priced the cost of switching over to said provider and phone and the plans you'd need in order to have it do all the cool and nifty things you want it to do? Twarn't worth it. I will stick with my iPod Touch.

I pondered the Samsung version of a touch phone. It was nifty. But had the same problem. To have it do all the nifty things you want a web enabled phone to do, you have to pay too much. And it just felt like a cheap immitation of the iPhone. If I get a touch phone, it will be an iPhone. Some day, my sweet iPhone. Some day.

I pondered all the other phones. I made the poor guy pull about 6 different phones out of boxes so I could actually heft them, feel the weight, check the size compared to my pockets, etc. If anyone is looking for some good "open box" deals in my area, let me know and I'll give you the address of the store.

I went with the Blackberry Curve (a red one - this photo is all I could find that matched my newer model). It's a cute phone. It's very functional. It has a full QWERTY keypad (ie - you don't have to press one button three times just to get to the 3rd letter on that key). It can handle web and email if you want but you don't HAVE to buy the plan for those features like the other touch phones. It comes in red. Very important. I'm pretty sure all phone designers have understood that you MUST offer phones in a minimum spectrum of black, red and pink. I am girly enough to wear pink Converse but NOT to have a pink cell phone.

I bought the upgrade, got the info on the $100 mail-in rebate, switched to a new number (goodbye old 617 Boston area code), transferred over my whole contact list and headed home. I called a few people so they'd have my new number. I emailed everyone on my email list to give them my new number. I put the kids to bed and then sat down with my new phone and the instruction manual.

Now, maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking that if an instruction manual says, "From the home menu, select option A", there should probably be an option A on the home menu. Now granted, I did not graduate from college. And I've only been writing instructional and technical documentation for a good 13 years. But I feel pretty confident that the instruction manual that comes with a phone should actually represent what a consumer might actually FIND in the phone.

So while I've been able to change the display font to all sorts of silly and unreadable fonts and have called a bazillion people in my contact list, I still cannot get the web browser to work, nor have I been able to set up the email capabilities. I also have not found about 6 of the menu items the instruction manual insists I should find in the home menu.

I have 30 days in which to try out my new phone that is - I was told - the top selling phone in America. Even topping the iPhone. I am convinced I will love it. Because my church bass player likes his. And I trust him because he's a total technerdian like myself. But better. And more smarter.

Tomorrow, I plan to make the guy at the wireless store earn his day's wages. I will go back in with my lovely 30 day trial period phone. I will bring the oh so informational instruction manual. And I will ask him to show me where these elusive menu options are. And to show me how to set up the features I paid extra for. And when he shows me all sorts of steps that aren't in the manual, I will then ask him to please inform the Blackberry technical writing staff (which is, no doubt, NOT housed anywhere in America these days) that they kinda missed some vital info and to please stop half-assing it and write a manual that represents what their product actually DOES. OR...when he shows me that I totally didn't read something that is really obvious, I will come back and post a big ol' "DOH!" post telling you all how stupid I am. But I'm kinda thinking it will be the former.

Year Three: Hardly Any Tics!

Man, does God rock or WHAT!



Three years ago this month, Pokemon Boy was diagnosed with Tourette's. As with any diagnosis, your mind immediately jumps to the worse case scenario and your heart breaks.

We have attacked this diagnosis with prayer first and close monitoring by his doctors, therapist and teachers second. As I've stated in many previous posts, Pokemon Boy hardly has any physical tics. Most of his issues revolve around his anxiety issues and difficulty controlling his frustration and anger. And that last bit is pretty much something I still wrestle with so I'm not willing to lay it at the feet of Tourette's.

Today, we had a parent/teacher conference with Pokemon Boy's 3rd grade teacher. She came in around the holidays after his initial 3rd grade teacher "retired" with no notice. This replacement teacher has been an answer to prayer. She is awesome. She is very present and cares greatly about each of the students. The initial teacher seemed to be going through the motions and appeared very overwhelmed. So yay God!

In the conference, Ms. Rockin' Teacher told us (Pokemon Boy was there, too) that she hasn't seen any tics except maybe the one where he shows his top front teeth every now and then. I have to agree. That's about the only one I see. And it's quick and not very noticeable.

Also, his anger issues and meltdowns at school have been getting better. He doesn't seem to have a "nemesis" at school or at church any more (usually a girl with whom he feels competitive). Ms. Rockin' Teacher suggested that Pokemon Boy work on creating a tool box of tricks over the summer. Little tricks he can employ when he's feeling the frustration or anger get the better of him. One that he already uses in gym class is, if he starts getting angry or frustrated, he goes to get a drink of water. His gym coach suggested this one. So Ms. Rockin' Teacher suggested he use that in her class as well. So over the summer, we'll be working on things like that.

She really encouraged him. She told him that she feels he has the skills and tools to enter 4th grade and be very successful.

But the fact that physical tics are what clued us in to the possibility of Tourette's and now there hardly ARE any? That's purely God right there, man. Three years into it, he's at the age where symptoms can really start escalating. But he's not stressed about it. And neither am I. We both figure God's got it. No matter how it goes from here - God's got it.

Prayer Request for Donnie

For those of you connected to me on Facebook, you've already seen this. For the rest of you, I have a prayer request for all my warriors.

Don Perreault is a high school friend of my former boss, Michelle. Michelle has been a huge support to me in my recent life. She has done everything from babysit my boys to cover my butt at work during my divorce. She was the Mama Bear that protected her "kids" on our team with a ferocity usually only appreciated by us. She is a fiercely loyal friend and I'm so lucky that she will remain my friend even though both of us were laid off from the Big Ol' Financial Company.

That said: Michelle is a Facebook addict like me. She has been working tirelessly to reunite many of her high school friends. She recently looked up Don's name in Facebook, not expecting to find him. You see, Donnie had cystic fibrosis as a kid. Most CF patients don't live past their teens or twenties. Donnie has been beating the odds for 49 years now. He even ran - and completed! - the New York City marathon back in 1994!!! This guy is amazing.

Here is Donnie crossing the finish line of the NYC Marathon back in 1994:


Donnie's lungs are not doing well. He has described it to Michelle as having a totally clogged nose and having to breathe through a straw. Can you imagine?

Anyway, yesterday, Michelle told me that they were all excited and terrified because Donnie had received the call - a lung donor had been found! So off he went to the hospital. For some very serious business. A post from one of his friends on his Facebook support group page sums the terror and suspense up quite succinctly: "He called me en route to tell me. He was very nervous, couldnt talk. He texted and I called back. He said he would be in surgery for ten to twelve hours, and in a drug induced coma for at least a week. He then said he'd be in the hospital for six weeks on a ventilator."

So yesterday, I told Michelle that I was all over it. I started praying as we were IMing about it. I told my Facebook friends and I know lots of them started praying, too.

This morning, I logged on first thing and asked Michelle for a status. There is good news and bad news. The bad news is, the transplant didn't happen. Donnie was prepped and drugged and ready to go. When the lung doctor got a look at the donor lungs, he decided they weren't in good enough condition. So now he waits again. The good news is, the doctors recognized bad donor lungs in time.

As you can imagine, this is incredibly stressful and frustrating for Donnie, his family and all of his friends. If you feel led, please pray for them. Pray for good donor lungs to become available. I know that's a weird thing to pray for because someone has to die in order for Donnie to live. But it is a part of the great circle of life. I just ask that, if someone has to die, please let them be a donor and please let their lungs be viable for transplant. But also pray that Donnie's lungs can sustain him until the transplant. Pray for peace for him and his loved ones. Pray for God to be seen in this whole ordeal. Pray however you're led.

Thanks all. You guys are awesome.

If you'd like to join his Facebook support group, you can find it through my Profile/Info page. It's in my Groups listing. It's called Catch Your Breath for Donny.

A Day Off With Lil'Bro

Most days, Lil'Bro asks if he can please PLEASE stay home with me. Seeing how my days should be filled with job-seeking tasks, I insist he go to school to play with his friends. Especially since his school is awesome, safe and costs me MONEY.

Yesterday, he asked again, knowing how I'd say no, you have to go play with your friends and have creative fun all day long. So when I surprised him by saying, "OK," I'm pretty sure he wasn't sure if his ears were working.

So yesterday, I kept Lil'Bro home with me. On the drive home from dropping off the elementary school boys, Lil'Bro informed me that, first, he would play his Nintendo DS. But once he was done with that, he would play with me. An itinerary at the age of 5. Nice.

We started by getting Burger King breakfast sandwiches and taking them home. This time, when the girl said, "Would you like to try some Cini-minis for a dollar today?" I actually said yes. I usually hate their marketing ploys. But today was a special day and we were going to have some Cini-minis!!

Lil'Bro was true to his word. We ate our breakfast and then he played some Nintendo DS. I started some laundry. After a short time, he informed me he was ready to play with me now. So we played Kerplunk! I never had that game as a kid. So was more than happy to buy it for my boys a couple of years ago. I love this game. Love it. It's genius is in its pure simplicity. After Kerplunk! (Lil'Bro totally won), he watched some TV while I cranked out 4 loads of laundry.


Lil'Bro was getting annoyed with his hair constantly tickling his eyes. So he suggested a hair cut (trim). Nice because he needed one. So he sat still for a haircut.


For lunch, I gave him the choice. Bad idea. Back to Burger King for some chicken tenders, apple fries and Star Trek toys. After lunch, we stopped by CVS, filled the car with gas and went to visit grandma and grandpa.

After picking up the school boys, they all stayed at my house. Homework was completed in record time. Then we had freezer pops and freeze tag in the back yard. There was only a few times I needed to intervene. Pretty much, they were all awesome and entertained themselves. I made lemonade, peeled a few oranges, handed out an apple or two. It was very nice and very low maintenance.


PokemonBoy:


Lil'Bro:


Neighbor E.G.:


Neighbor A.R.:


Freeze Tag:


This time off to pretend at being a stay at home mom is probably some of the best time I've had in my life. I wish Monster.com had listings for stay at home moms. Darn.

Which Level Did Dante Have Spammers In?

Dear comment spammer "Sexy",

Thank you ever so much for spamming my comments with your strange Asian characters that were live links to who knows what kind of sites. Thank you so much for putting your useless and annoying spam comments on 10 of my posts, in no particular order, spanning 3 years of my entries. That was fun, going to each one and deleting your comments. Good times, that.

And thank you for forcing me to have to use Comment Mediation. Because, you know, I love having an extra layer of work to go read and approve comments on my blog. I'd like to thank you for making it difficult for my actual friends and family to see real-time comments in my posts. I'd like to thank you for making the choice to join the scum of the earth career path of spamming. You're only one rung higher than hackers, in my book.

So thank you for making me break from my usual attempts at supporting families of Tourette's children or spreading light and laughter. Because these kinds of asides are just uplifting to everyone. So, well done "Sexy".

Oh, and on the subject of your obvious misnomer, your spamming efforts are anything but sexy. Please feel free to do some emotional house cleaning and let me know if you join the human race.

Sincerely,
Tourette's Mom - a new addition to the comment moderating bloggers