Dinosaur troubles

I left the room for just a few minutes today... I swear it was less than 2... and when I came back poor little Pteradactyl boy had about 10 dinosaur prints on his face thanks to the Banimal. The Banimal got a dinosaur stamping kit with an ink pad and he decided that his brother needed a little decoration.

I think that kid is going to be the death of me. I believe that he is what they call "active". He is into more than I can keep up with. And now that he has a little brother that adds a another layer to the whole situation. Poor, poor Pteradactyl boy.

Banimal turns 3

Well, I have had a ton of stuff going on here lately. I haven't posted at all. I have read some of my fave blogs, but not that often. I have really missed the blogging world.

My oldest son turned 3 this past week. My boys birthdays are always traumatic for me. I don't know why. It is so bittersweet to watch them grow. Part of me, a big part, just wants for them to stay babies forever. But it is so much fun to watch their personalities develop. The Banimal can talk really well now and its fun to hear his opinions and thoughts on life. (which he has a ton of.)

His strongest opinions have to do with my hair. He told me the other day that he liked my hair brown and that he did not like it blonde and that he prefered long hair to short. He also informed me that he liked it when I wore red. I am wondering what his career path might be. Who knows, he may grow up to be the fashion police.

He also told me that he married his dad when I was in his tummy. I just said that he speaks well, I never mentioned anything about his comprehension. We had been talking about when Mr Clean and I got married and how he came along about 9 mos later. He is very interested in marriage. He chases his 9 month old brother around with a white sheet trying to stick it over his head telling him that he is going to marry him. Needless to say, we are going to have to have a few more conversations about marriage and the rules that go with it. Like you can't marry your own brother. You gotta love a 3 year old.

The bachelor in Paris... gimme a break

I was surprised to see another season of The Bachelor. I keep thinking...how long can this go on. But I guess I should be glad. It gives Mr. Clean and myself something to make fun of.

I think the whole Paris thing is so overrated. Paris... the most romantic city in the world. Who says? Don't even get me started on the french. But anywho... They kept showing all these clips of catty women in histerics and then they flash back to a picture of the Eiffel Tower. My bet is that one of the final 4 climbs to the top and threatens to throw herself to her death if Dr. Travis doesn't pick her.

I love the way that they try to pump you up about how romantic the show is. I just don't see anything romantic about 24 (some intellegent and some not so) women chasing one guy around begging him to pick them. And just think if you make it to the end what you have. A guy that has been kissing and making out with multiple other girls just as hot and heavy as he has been with you. Maybe I am old fashioned but being in a contest with other women for a guy is just not that appealing. They should change the name from Bachelor to The Gigalo.

Just think if you marry and have kids what kind of story that will make for your kids. "Yeah, your mom and 24 other gals were lined up like cattle and I picked her. She had good teeth and breeding hips. Lucky her. It could just as easily been Muffy the blonde accountant from Little Rock. But your mom put on her game face and pulled it off in the end."

And there was the most pitiful gal ever on there last night. She was a doctor and she went up and told the dude first thing that 'she was in the reproductive stage of her life. Her eggs were rotting.' Somebody please tell the girl... you never, ever, ever, ever, ever, under any circumstances tell a man you have just met that you want to have babies, that is unless you aren't interested in dating him and you just want to scare him off. The chic needed some serious therapy.

I guess I'll be tuning in from time to time to check out the cat fights. I am sure from the previews there are going to be plenty. I think the fact that they are all fighting for a potential husband that is a doctor makes it that much more intense.

M y Dad

My dad is such an interesting person. He has done so many things and lived a life that is hard for me to imagine. He has lived thru hard times and a childhood that don't even seem like they could be so. Sometimes when he tells us stories I wonder if he is using a little creative licensing, but later own I'll run into someone who was there or had first hand knowledge of it and they will verify everything he has said.

We were talking last night about how many times he has been across America. He hitchhiked across twice in the 60's and rode a train across (also in the 60's) and then a few years ago he was able to take a couple of weeks off from work and he, my mother, and another couple that they are friends with went. The times that he hitchhiked are of interest to me.

I grew up in a time where hitchhiking was not safe and for the most part you don't really see that many hitchhikers out there. But I guess things were different back then. The first time he hitchhiked it took him nearly two weeks. He said that he felt like he must have walked a good portion of the trip. He went with two guys that he grew up with. They were looking for work in the saw mills and lumber yards.

While they were going thru Kansas they got 13 different rides in 18 miles. Dad said it was like a revolving door. They'd get in and then it was time to get out. Some of the places he went thru had strict laws about hitchhiking and he said they would throw you in jail if they caught you thumbing a ride. He walked from one city limit to the other of Salt Lake City, because of that.

On the other side of Salt Lake City a man that was going back to a military base after being on leave picked them up in a volkswagon. It had been days since they had slept. And the guy offered to take them almost to Longview, Washington (which was where they were headed.) It was out of his way, but he was a day early so he had some time to spare. My dad said that he rode in the back seat with one of his buddies and a dufflebag. He was packed like a sardine, but at the time he was so tired that he didn't care. He just leaned his head back and slept for hours. When he woke up he felt like his neck was broke.

I asked him about the time he rode the train. I was interested in the route he took, but all he could remember was that his brother dropped him off at a train depot in Hendersonville, NC and that about halfway thru the trip they were pushing thru about 4 feet of snow.

I thought it was interesting that he only went in the winter, but he told me that the saw mills and woodyards wouldn't hire any outsiders until all locals had jobs. So in the summer there wasn't any work, because the high school kids would go to work to make some money.

My dad is one of the best people you will ever meet. When I meet people and I tell them who my dad is they always have good things to say. He is unlike anyone else I know. He believes that the moon landing was faked by the government and that a Bigfoot almost got his dad one night while he was using the bathroom in the woods. But on the opposite end of the craziness is a person who always has the answer for any problem. Someone who doesn't hold onto the sorrows of the past and always tries to find a way to put a funny spin on the worst situations. I have seen him meet a stranger and get into a conversation with them and learn that they had no money and give them his last 20 dollars. And he isn't gullable either. He reads people better than anyone I know.

I remember a time that we were eating at a local burger joint and my dad started talking to this young guy at the next table. He found out the guy had just moved to our area and things weren't working out for him. He was living in his car and didn't have and job and was down to his last couple of dollars. My dad took out all the money he had in his wallet (which was about $50) and gave it to the guy and then told him some places to look for work. About 2 yrs later we ran into that same guy in a grocery store and he remembered my dad and came up to him and reintroduced himself and tried to repay my dad, but, of course, he would not take it.

I think being the oldest sibling and growing up incredibly poor and with an alcoholic father taught him how to be resourceful and compassionate. He empathizes with the struggles that people go thru.

Okay okay... enough bragging. He will never read this since he is definately not computer literate (one time he was in a government building and he thought that an electric pencil sharpener was a spy camara ), but I tell him how proud I am of him as often as I can. I try to get him to tell me and my kids stories from his life and I try to remember as much of them as I can. I really think that his story would make an excellent book. But who knows if that will ever happen.

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The miner's

I have been watching the news over the last few days trying to keep up with the story about the miner's. I was so hoping for a great outcome. It is all just so sad.
I was watching a morning show and one of the hosts asked how does a mine stay in business with 45 safety violations...well I can probably tell you how. I used to work at a quarry. I was right out of college and it was a real eye opener for a fresh kid.
After working there for a while the boss who I shall call Buttwipe (I'll use a variation of the Pirate's boss man) decided that he would send me to safety school to learn everything I could and when I got back I could be in charge of the "safety program." Well it all sounded wonderful. But the reality of the situation was that he was looking for someone who was niave like myself to send to school and then bring back and put my name down as being in charge of safety and then continue doing business as usual with a convenient little scape goat.
Conditions were not good. When I went to school it was a complete eye opener. I couldn't believe that there were so many potential dangers lurking around. Long story short... they had no intentions of changing things and I had no intentions of standing idly by while all these things were happening. So after much stress and arguing I told them to stick it all where the sun don't shine.
But along the way I realized how the big world works. You buddy up to the inspectors and by them lunch and when you have safety conferences you take them out drinking and to dinner and when they come and inspect your quarry then they turn their heads the other way. Never mind that the safety of human lives is what all of this is about.
It made me sick. I had options in life but alot of men (I was the only woman there) didn't. They had little to no education and for alot of them it was a given to work at a quarry. The men in their families had for generations. Most of them were the sole bread winners in their families so if something happened to them the family was without income (not to mention a father and husband).
But Buttwipe didn't care all he was worried about was the almighty dollar and he was willing to roll the dice and bet that he would get away with it. And he did. Thankfully no one got bad hurt. Recently, Buttwipe sold out to a bigger quarry so I don't know how things are now. I am not usually a vindictive person. But I would love to see him and his cronies penniless and on the street corner.
But back to the miners I bet dollars to donuts that the mine owner's was rolling the dice the same as Buttwipe, only things didn't turn out so well. My heart goes out to the families of the miner's. And if there is any justice in this world I hope that if the mine owner's and safety inspectors weren't doing like they were supposed to that they are punished to the fullest extent of the law.

what a great day

I don't know where to put my order in, but I want to order up another day like today. There isn't a cloud in the sky. The sun is so bright and warm. I took the kids to the park this morning and we just wore long sleeves and fleece vests. I think it is at least 50 degrees. This is wonderful. Usually the highs this time of the year are around 35-40 degrees. So this is awesome.

THE NEW YEAR.... a few days after the fact

I hope the fact the I am post New Year's resolutions three days after the fact is no indication of how my year is going to be. I was hoping to be a little more on the ball this year. Of course, I have hoped that for over a decade and nothing has really changed. I guess I might actually have to put some serious effort forth to do that. Oh well.

I have been thinking about what resolutions I am going to make. I guess I could really say anything because I am not good at keeping them. So I could just make up crazy stuff. But I will try to be practical and write down a few that I might actually keep.

1. To make both boys lay down by themselves and take a nap and actually do something I enjoy while they are sleeping. No housework.

2. To get in better shape and whittle off those pesky 10 lbs of baby weight. I hope to be at pre-baby weight by Pteradactyl boys first birthday in April.

3. To spend at least 3o mins three times a week at the piano. I should probably do more. But that is more realistic.

4. To write at least 2 posts a week on the blog.

5. To throw away all things that we do not use and declutter my house.

There I am done.

I have to say I am excited to see what 2006 has in store for me. 2005 was pretty good. We added sweet little Pteradactyl boy to the family and the Banimal potty trained. I actually got the Banimal to sit thru story time without having to physically restrain him. (I have been working on that one since he was 18 mos old.)We have had alot of get togethers with our friends this year. Other than the lack of sleep brought about by having a newborn in the house the year has been great.