MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #22

1.If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs – such as food and water – were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?
Well, I'm assuming my hubby and kids are there with me, since they have become part of my needs, soooo.... my laptop and a solar charger, so I can still do Milspouse Friday Fill-ins.  :)


2.If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you have?
Hm, my dressing would be italian, because that's what I am.  Boring, si, but I don't have any other bright ideas.

3.If you had to live on a ranch, what kind of animals would you raise/own?
Cows.  You can milk them, and then when they get too old, have a big steak dinner.  Plus, no crowing at dawn.  My college had a cow farm right next to my apartment building.  It was a little stinky, but the most pleasant farm animals to live next to.

4.If your life was was portrayed as a movie, who would you choose to play you and your significant other?
Based on looks, people always tell me that I look like a young SJP or Debra Messing.  People say Hubby looks like Henry Rollins, so maybe them?  I don't know who I'd pick if the decision was left solely up to me- possibly Anne Hathaway?...  Probably myself as me and Daniel Craig Jason Statham (how could I leave him off the list????) or Brad Pitt as my hubby, so I can smooch one of them.  :)

5.What was the last thing you put a stamp on (envelope, duh, but what was in the envelope)?
Our Christmas cards.  I know it's early, but next month is going to be ridiculous, so I feel much better getting them done now.
Stop by Wife of a Sailor to have some fun with this week's questions!

Dear dentist, thanks for the exorcism

So, I've figured out how to get the crazy toddler temper tantrums to stop: take the kids to the dentist.

I had an appointment today for a cleaning, which I totally forgot about.  I didn't feel like calling a sitter at the last minute, so I pack up a humongous diaper bag, plopped the kids in the car, and drove to the dentist, praying and pleading for the best.

LB was pissed because I took off his football pajamas, then wouldn't let him wear his robot pajamas.  He wanted fishies, then juice, then an apple, then a book, then a flashlight, etc.  JC was pleasant, but the poor kid is a sniffling mess right now.  Both of them let me know exactly how unhappy they were.

I showed up and apologized for the company.  I said we can reschedule, but I was told that it was actually good to bring the kids, so they get to experience the dentist a little.  We waited.  LB touched everything in the waiting room about a million times.  The boys both then demanded apples, which I thankfully had.  LB asked a bunch of questions and pestered had conversations with the girls at the desk, while JC flirted with just about every person in the waiting room.  But once we got into the exam room, magical things started happening.

Silence overcame both boys.

I think there was a lot to look at, and it really helped that they had a little flat screen TV tuned to the Disney Channel.  The boys sat there (almost) the whole time, watching Special Agent Oso, and just took it all in.  It was the most quiet part to my day, including nap time.  I can't believe I actually enjoyed going to the dentist.

PS- No cavities and everything is just dandy.  Woo hoo!

Anyway, the boys both got new toothbrushes and LB was given a little hand-held game, which is currently in his death grip- it's his new favorite toy.  He even got a "ride" in the exam chair, which he thought was really cool.  They were both fantastically well-behaved, although a lot of my thanks goes to the staff, who kept peeking in and oohing and aahing over them and playing little games with them.

I'm seriously looking forward to my cleaning in May.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Holy crap, the entire morning has been spent dealing with DMVs that aren't even in my time zone.  I received a lovely bill from the state of VA, saying that I haven't been paying them taxes on my car since 2007 and that I owe them $1200... that's because I moved in 2007.  I notified the DMV, sent my forwarding address, and registered the car in HI, but that didn't help because apparently they still think we live there.  I called to fix this and they said I needed proof from HI that I registered the car... um, I don't even own the car any more.  Luckily, I still had the VIN.  The HI DMV told me to request in writing, which is going to take a metric butt-ton of time...  at least I didn't run into "hawaiians not helping people".

Yeah, "hawaiians not helping people" was a phrase that caught on while we were stationed there.  Some of our good friends and we noticed that natives were not exactly up-to-par on the customer service end, hence the phrase.  We would say it whenever we experienced some kind of horrific service on the island, like how the Wendy's on Pualoa never got our order right.

Oh, but I ran into "hawaiians not helping people" here in CA!  The drugstore where I refill my meds has an older asian lady working there, who looks and sounds a lot like most of the people in HI.  She told me that I had to go to a different pharmacy because that's where the Rx was filled last.  A nicer woman stepped in and said, "just call them and have it transferred over the phone".  The first woman did not look thrilled at having to put in the extra effort, but I can't expect much from "hawaiians not helping people". 

Gahd, I'm in such a bitchy mood right now.  Sorry, ladies and gentlemen.  :)

My Christmas cards are addressed, stamped, and ready to be tossed in the mail.  Go me.

My entire body is telling me to go to McDonald's and get a cheeseburger happy meal, then pick up some chocolate on the way home.  My brain is telling it that I just worked out this morning and to STFU.  Hm, who do I listen to??

When my kids get sick, they don't really get sick.  They're a little miserable and have stuffy, runny noses, but thankfully it's not the sick-in-bed, dragon-breath kind of sick.  They're such troopers.

Prince William is engaged.  Dammit.  I guess my teenage plan to marry him and become a princess has failed.

Our basil plant is slowly coming back to life after Hubby nearly fertilized it to death.  Methinks a big batch of pesto is coming up.

This DMV thing is really bothering me.  Why can't the military get, like, a national license and registration so we don't have to go through all this shit every time we move?  They could make it only valid with a military ID card, just like our health care cards.  It's just annoying to have a NH license, CA plates, and deal with a VA and HI DMV.  *sigh*

I kinda hope that jawbone in Aruba is Natalee Holloway's.  That poor family has to go through so much with all those unanswered questions about her whereabouts.  At least it will bring some kind of closure.  And wtf is up with that Joran asshole??  How is it possible that he can confess, then say "oops, I take it back"?  How is he still alive?  Damn, I don't think I could stop myself from hunting him down if he did that to my kids.

On a lighter note, I think I'm going to bake cookies.

Head on over to The Unmom to link up.

Uh oh...

MUST.  RESIST.  PEPPERMINT.  BARK.

My weekend to-do list

Things To Do:

Clean and mop stairwell, living room

Take out trash and recycling

Clean microwave

Run oven self-clean

Address Christmas cards

Change boys' bed sheets

Things That I Need to Redo Today:

Clean and mop stairwell, living room, and kitchen

Take out trash and recycling

Clean microwave after baked bean explosion

Clean oven after last night's messy dinner

Change boys' bed sheets again after forgetting to change them into overnight diapers last night

Things To Do In Addition to the Weekend Chores:

Wash kitchen linens

Drop off packages at UPS

Buy stamps and mail car payment

Stamp Christmas cards to be sent

Do more laundry

Buy milk, bread, and other items we ran out of

Drag a very cranky LB and sick JC with me all over to get it all done

*SIGH* A mother's work is never done, I guess...........

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #21

1.Were you named after anyone?
My middle name is after my Grandma.

2.What color, if any, are your toenails usually painted?
Strawberry Margarita in the summer, I'm Not Really A Waitress in the winter.

3.How do you flush a public toilet? Hands? Feet? Something else?
I kick the lever with my shoe.  Probably not the best way to go about it, but I don't want to put my hands on something so grimy.

4.When you were a little kid, which TV character did you have a crush on?
I didn't watch a lot of TV, but I guess I liked Zach on Saved By The Bell (didn't everyone?).

5.Let’s say you had to lose one of your five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell). Which one would you choose? Why?
I made my decision by the process of elimination.  I rely way too much on sight and hearing (which ironically are my most abused senses), so I would keep those.  I also really love tasting good foods.  I think life would be awkward without the sense of touch, so smell it is.  After all, I could go the rest of my life without smelling dumpsites and farts.  :) 
I would really miss the baby smell of the boys, but I'd rather be able to see them, hear their voices, and feel their hugs.  And I wouldn't mind missing the smell of their poopy diapers.

Go check out Wife of a Sailor to link up!

Pedia-Not-So-Sure

I forgot why I stopped giving LB Pediasure.  He seemed to like it and it was touted as being nutritious.  Then I took a look at their nutrition label and remembered.

Eighteen grams of sugar in one bottle!!

Holy crap, that seemed like an awful lot.  So I Googled candy bars and this is what I found out:

There is just as much sugar in one Pediasure as 1 package of M&Ms Almonds or 1 Take 5 bar.

There is more sugar in one Pediasure than 1 roll of Smarties, 5 pouches of SweetTarts, 1 packet of Fun Dip, 12 Runts, 9 Gobstoppers, 10 Bottlecaps, 1 tbsp of Nerds, or 7 straws of Pixie Stix.

Yes, 7 straws of Pixie Stix.  Straight-up sugar.

Ugh, I urge anyone with kids that is using or thinking of using Pediasure to stop.  All that sugar has no place in the daily kid's diet!