This is Why I Love Sports

I don't even care about soccer, but that makes me want to shed a few. GO USA!!!

Happy First!

Today is Little Miss's first birthday. She is a sweet, happy, feisty little thing and we love her to pieces. What a joy she has been! People always ask me if it is different having a girl. The only thing I have noticed (besides the way cuter clothes) is that she is drama central. She will fling herself on the floor and wail and flop and cry huge alligator tears in a matter of moments if her feelings are hurt in any way. We just kind of look at her like, "Really?" That is a lot different from the boys. But other than that, at least so far, she is into everything just as much as they were and is just as active as any of her brothers were at this age. (Just a few minutes ago she finished crushing Cheez-Its into the floor with her bare feet.) We are going to have a little celebration today and next week will have a "Garden Party". Love my Tunia!

Too Cute Tunia

Little Miss has a nickname. Ever since she was gestating in my belly, JC would tease the boys that we were going to name her "Petunia" and they would groan and say how that was the "worse Spanish name ever" (sure, blame it on the Mexican) and argue that her name was going to be Little Miss. But even after she was born, JC would still refer to her as Petunia. So then Little Man started referring to her as "Tunia". So now all the boys call her "Tunia" about 90% of the time. And she responds to it.

Today Little J was drawing a picture in comic-book fashion. When I asked him what he was drawing he told me he was drawing a superhero called "Too Cute Tunia" who could melt bad guys when they looked at her. Either they melted or they could explode because she was too cute. And so I asked what happened to people if they weren't bad and he explained that they just thought she was cutest baby in the world. I must have already fallen under her super powers.

The Widow's Mite

Recently the older boys each bought themselves a Nintendo DSi. We didn't really want them to have a portable gaming system because I think they already have enough screen time on the non-portable ones, so we told them that if they saved their money they could buy themselves one. So both of them got to work and saved for months. I think it was close to a year. With extra help from birthday money and Christmas money, they were able to finally have enough to each purchase their own from half.com. Both of them also came with a game. This was about a month ago.

Then yesterday they came to me with their combined money and said they wanted to go in together to get a game. We also purchased it on half. com so they were able to get it for about $15 less than if they bought it in the store, including shipping. The total was $23, $15 of which was contributed by Big J and $8 by Little J.

Later I heard them discussing who would get to play the game first. Big J argued that since he had put more in then he should get to play first. Little J kept insisting he had given more. I finally said, "Little J, you gave $8 and Big J gave $15, so how do you think you gave more?" And his reply was, "Even Jesus agrees that I gave more because I gave everything I had!"

Hard to argue with that logic. ;-)

Why I Need Therapy

Big J is preparing to go to Cub Scout camp in a few weeks. Last night over dinner, the topic of sit-upons came up. If you don't know what a sit-upon is, it is basically a mobile seat pad you take with you camping, or to football games, etc. so you don't have to sit on the hard ground or bench. For Scout camp, they were turning the top of their big 5 gallon buckets into a sit-upon. This conversation spurred a memory in me and as I started to tell Big J about MY sit-upon experience I started laughing so hard I was crying. So I will share it with you:

I was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout for a year or two. We went camping on several occasions, which is where I was introduced to the sit-upon. Most of the girls had these cute (as cute as they can be, I guess) sit-upons that were handmade, stuffed with whatever that stuff is you stuff pillows with, and also had ties (like apron strings) that you could tie the sit-upon around your waist with. The idea being that you could carry your sit-upon wherever and then when it was time to sit down, you basically had a big pillow on your butt to sit on. But not me.

I had a square, foam pad that was covered in red vinyl with a little handle on the top. Not too bad, you say? Wait until you hear what was on that foam pad. In the upper left-hand corner was the picture of an ugly guy with a big goofy grin with gross teeth and a cap on his head. He was sitting in the cab of an 18-wheeler. On the rest of the pad was "Trucker Lingo". Oh, yes. Trucker lingo - a list of all the trucker codes and what they mean, like "10-4" means ""Ok/copy." I can remember reading over all the trucker lingo and trying to memorize it. I guess I thought it might come in handy someday. So here I am this cute little Brownie with a big red pad of trucker lingo on my butt, and to tie it on I used a piece of rope. Now you can't tell me that isn't funny! That's a redneck sit-upon if I ever heard of one! The sad thing is, I think I used that sit-upon on more than one occasion and it never even phased me.

Why in the world we owned a big ugly vinyl red foam pad with trucker lingo on it is beyond me, but hey, it was the 70s (or maybe early 80s) so it was probably cool back then. I will just put that whole experience into the same category as having to use a pretend plastic glove my whole first season of T-ball (J/K Mom and Dad! I promise I'm not warped...that much ;-)

The Post Where I Get All Kinds of Opinionated

So, there are a lot of things going on that are alarming to me. I try to not get all freaked out and up in arms about each little event, each vote, each quote, etc. that happens every day. But sometimes you just have to say something, ya know? And if you are the type that gets offended easily because someone has an opinion that is possibly not the same as your own, then quit reading. Or keep reading. I don't care.

I will start small. I don't watch a lot of TV because most of it is complete crap. Even shows I used to love, which admittedly were pretty much crap, are so bad I don't watch them anymore. But it is so amazing to me how blatant and amoral the shows are, especially new shows. Take "Glee" for example. My littlest sister is in high school and is the one who clued me into this show. Then my husband started watching some back episodes, so I started to watch. I love the music. Love how all the songs they sing most of the kids who are watching now have probably never even heard of. But the show itself is terrible, even more so for who the target audience is and what messages it is sending it. And not just morally, but the story lines suck, too.
Plus, I hate shows that are so "PC" about everything and shove it down your throat.

I recently heard about another show that is in the works for Comedy Central called "JC". No, it is not about my husband. It is about Jesus Christ trying to blend into New York City to hide from his "powerful but apathetic" father. I can only imagine the irreverence and blasphemy it will contain. Funny how it is ok to make a show like that, but if someone even says the word "Mohamed" in the wrong tone or context all kinds of indignant fury rains down.

Speaking of that, I am so sick of how wussified and ridiculous this country is becoming when it comes to mentioning God and when it comes to having American pride! Teachers are getting in trouble for having quotes from the Declaration of Independence up on their wall. Veterans are being asked to take their flags down from their flagpole by their HOA. Kids are getting suspended for wearing T-shirts with the U.S.A. flag on it because it was on the same day as Cinco de Mayo (a fake holiday that no one in Mexico even cares about - no, it is not their independence day). People are being fined, punished, or ridiculed because they believe in God or believe in and are proud of the United States of America. Since when has that been a bad thing?

People are mad because Arizona wants to actually enforce a law. Oh my gosh, someone might get asked to show the proper papers to make sure they are here legally in our country. How prejudice! If you are here legally, you are supposed to carry that proof with you anyway. (I'm married to a real live Mexican, remember.) You know, I got asked to show my license and registration about a month ago when I got pulled over for a speeding ticket. Oh the crime! How dare they ask me to prove that I am legally allowed to operate that vehicle. It is BS and so messed up.

And speaking of being pansies, does no one take responsibility anymore? Every day there is someone new placing blame on someone else for the mess they are in. I was reading the other day how some group was lobbying to have the icon Ronald McDonald removed from McDonald's marketing because our kids are too fat. Hmmm. I knew that pesky clown was giving carpool rides down to the local McDonald's for Big Macs and fries. Paaaleeeez! If you are overweight, in debt, uneducated, or unhappy - it is your fault. Not the government's. Not Ronald McDonald's. Not your mom's. YOUR fault. Suck it up and take some responsibility. The second everyone else stops being blamed for what is going on in your life, the second you will be able to take ownership and have control to do something about it. It takes some cahones to do that, but in the name of all that is holy stop being a whiner and take responsibility for yourself!

Our government has even fallen into this trap - the policy is if there is someone or something that will make this administration look bad, then blame them. BP is the current enemy, not Iran. Banks are the enemy, not Fannie May, Freddie Mac or those who habitually consume beyond their means. Insurance companies and doctors are the enemy, not lawyers who force the practice of unnecessary defensive medicine.

President Obama is a cheerleader that everyone wanted to get behind and believe that he would be able to do all the things he promised. I can understand that. "Hope" is a powerful thing. But believing that somehow by him being in the White House the complexities of all the burdens Americans carry throughout their everyday lives would somehow be magically removed was a fallacy and a dangerous mindset. And the fact that that mindset is now being catered to by putting the responsibility and blame on someone else is completely irresponsible, thoughtless and immature governing.

And was anyone else completely disgusted that our President, our Commander in Chief, didn't even pay respects at Arlington Cemetery on our national Memorial Day? Um. OK. I don't care who you are, what your background politically or otherwise is. That is completely disrespectful and, in my opinion, arrogant. I know he is not the first President to miss the ceremony at Arlington. However, the couple of others have been out of the country at the time or something just as pressing, not just feeling like taking a jaunt back to their old stomping grounds. And we are at a time of war. I just think it is such a slap in the face.

I hope, wish for, and pray for the best for our country. Admittedly, I am worried. I just think we (collectively - not just the government) are going in the wrong direction in many areas. I feel like it is our responsibility more than ever to protect the morals, rights, and freedoms that has been promised to this great nation.

Flies on the Wall

You know how kids will sometimes say things and you know they totally got it from their parents? We have had that happen on many occasions - sometimes the things said touches you that they picked up on them and sometimes not so much. Lately, I have heard several things the boys have said that I know they got from either me or JC.

Big J to Little J: "You just need to learn to suck it up!"

Big J to his brothers: "I just mopped the floor. Try to keep it clean for at least two minutes!"

And my favorite:

Little Man to his brothers: "Come on, ladies, it's time to go!"