Blog Tag

OneCoolMama tagged me for this one, so I hold her responsible for the atrocities you are about to behold. Hehe!

I rarely, rarely carry a purse. When shopping (be it for survival, sport, or leisure,) I carry my ID and debit card in my pocket. I've been that way my whole life. However, certain outings with my children necessitate a bag. Hallelujah that we are beyond the diaper bag days. Never fear! I did my time, we're just beyond that now! YAY!
Here you have:
A pink leather checkbook
Box of matches (no, I do not smoke)
GasX (yes, I do have gas/bloating)
Various writing utensils (pencils, crayons, pens)
M&M's (plain-half eaten bag)
Pink leather Bible
Spongebob Yoyo
Curious George
Bracelet
Pink, sparkly lip gloss
Cinnamon Altoids
Littlest Pet Shop digital game
$2.46 in change
Pocket knife in decorated case
A very smushed package of Kleenex
Hot Wheels Corvette (yellow)

I do not know how to do that cute little linky thing, but I tag Sarah, Elaina and EJo!

Climbing the walls.

She climbed out of her walker when she was 7 months old, out of her play pen when she was 8 months old, and out of her crib when she was almost 10 months old. When she was just over a year old, she climbed to the top bunk of her brother's bunk beds...without the ladder. Needless to say, in the photo, she was being "a spider named Charlotte." And you thought she was being another poisonous tree frog....

Dear Folks at the International School of London

Ahem.
I do apologize profusely for the traumatic experience I must have inadvertently caused you regarding the Daily family's recent tree frog attack. I was under the impression that about 3 (possibly 4) humans visited this blog. I'm unsure of your numbers, but however many of you there are, I do sincerely regret having potentially scarred you. I can only hope that you will recover from the pain you must have to overcome from visualizing a poor, pitiful 6th grade teacher/mommy of three dance around nakey while warding off a tree frog.
So. Have a great week. Again, my condolences. Uhm, thank you for stopping by. I hope to put forth a better representation of myself in the near future (but don't count on it, okay?) Teehee.
((I'm secretly having a crush on all of you because you talk so darned cool!! I LOVE YOU ALL even though I don't know you from Adam.))
By y'all and yeehaw!
GardenPinkie in Texas

Nudity + Tree Frog = Unhappy Mommy

Here is where I breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that a whole 3 people read my blog (please Dear Lord, let there be only 3...) Apologies to the three of you. I think you'll find it interesting, if nothing else.

Picture, if you will, a naked woman (while you're at it, visualize a nice body..k?) It's 6:00 AM. Her eyes are still fused shut, and she is running her bath water in hopes that the steam will unfuse them.

As she prepares to take the her seat on 'the throne,' her red headed child (who is also naked..it's how we roll in the morning) screams, "MOM! NO!" She tells him, "Hey. Listen, kid. You've been in here long enough. You've had your chance to pee. You'll just have to stand still and get back in line."
Red head, even more frantic than before, screams, "WAIT! MOM! DON'T SIT DOWN!" He lunges. Clasps his pudgy little fingers around something rather wriggly. His mother, becoming slightly uneasy, backs up. Red head giggles while something green FLIES about 3 feet across the room and sticks to the wall.

His mother screams for a weapon. Something. Anything to squash this CREATURE that is flinging himself from one side of the bathroom to another. Red head is giggling with sweet abandon. The father of the home rushes to the aid of his young bride, sees her standing in her birthday armor, dodges the latest spirited leap of Mr. Frog, and begins hooting.
Did he help her?
No.
He's laughing like a wild hyena on crack.

Mr. Frog knows who his intended victim is because she's screaming like a KMART shopper on the day after Christmas. What does Mr. Frog do? Lunges. Lunges at his poor victim. He aims. Misses. Repeatedly, he launches himself like a ballistic missile, while red head happily tries to capture him. In the meantime, his mother flails, flaps, screams, darts, dodges, slaps, hops, jumps (nice visuals, huh?), crows, stands on the toilet, and threatens said creature with every torture known to man. Red head finds this all thoroughly entertaining. Mr. Frog continues to bounce from wall-to-floor-to-wall, and in what seemed like an eternity but only turned out to be about 65 seconds, the entire family bonded.
You'd not be surprised to guess that everyone left the situation with a different feeling. Father and son high-fived and snorted in a fit of laughter as they retreated down the hall with Mr. Frog in tow. Mr. Frog, by this time, was feeling rather like a failure since he didn't get to mortally wound his screaming victim. Sweet daughter shows up to stroke her mother's hand and coo at her (with a very noticeable smile in her eye), "Don't worry, Mom. Daddy took him away."

Fantasy Island

Sometimes I wonder just how much creativity and pretending is normal for a child. I mean, Sophy is ALWAYS being some kind of animal, fairy, etc. I'll say, "Sophy! Time for supper!" To which Sophy will respond, "I'm not Sophy! Call me Snowball! Meow. Meow." This usually extends to her calling me a character as well. Last night, she was Elina (Fairytopia) and I was Lumina. ALL evening. Do you suppose this is normal? I should tell you that when she is a kitten, she WILL lick you. Maybe I should start saving my money for therapy? Oh. In the picture above, she was being a "very poisonous tree frog."
((BTW. Fantasy Island. My favorite show of all time...second only (E. JO!) to Three's Company.)

The Garden of Pinkie

((What am I doing blathering on and on when there is American Idol Tivo'ing? Typing fast....))
It's a bit early yet, but maybe you get the idea. Any significant patch of dirt that you see is loaded with zinnia seeds. I also have some Honey Bear sunflowers planted around my fence edges in certain places. They need to hurry up and grow, so I can see them and kiss their faces. Sigh...I have kicked around making this garden a tad larger, but our North yard is next on the outdoor project list (I may get the gazebo I've always wanted!) Alas, the larger garden may have to wait a season. Or three.

Mr. Pinkie calls it annoying, but I name all of my plants. Well, the ones that choose to live. The giant Knockout rose that you see there is Rosie NotDonell. She blooms all year long, and she responds very well to a severe pruning whenever I dish one out. I love her for that. The dirt around it is covered in zinnia seeds right now. Last year, my zinnias were about 4 feet tall and gorgeous. Thank you Miracle Grow! (The kind in the bottle that looks like 7UP that you attach to your water hose, in case you wanted to know.)

This is the back side of the garden. There are cannas coming up in the center there with some Creeping Something or Other underneath it that has the most beautiful, tiny blue flowers in early February. I also have more zinnias and cosmos planted in the spare dirt in this area. Along the back fence, I have my Honey Bears planted. Kiss, kiss.

Look at this face. This Rosita Fresita. Which is, I believe, Spanish for Strawberry Shortcake. Sophy named her, and I'm not kidding about that.

Can you believe these Purple Wave petunias lived through the winter and came back this thick? I'm just saying...buy some Miracle Grow.

All of the monkey grass you see here came from this yard. I just keep dividing and dividing and dividing and dividing....Anyone need some monkey grass? Look way in the back and you can see the Mexican Feather grass that is growing everywhere. I guess it must seed profusely...

This has nothing to do with the garden, but I thought it was a pretty pic of the front porch area.

Sam would like to know....

The following is a mere sample of the 101 questions that Sam is likely to ask you on any given day. I try to not grow weary during the inquisitions, but it's so hard. So very, very hard. "Not another question. Do you hear me?" Yes, I've said that to him before.
1. Do bees have boogers?
2. Why do we have hair on our arms?
3. What is that cable called that is up on the electricity pole?
4. Why do we have names?
5. How come they're called 'flowers'?
6. Why did God make the Earth?
7. Can we drink blood like mosquitoes? (This was followed by, "See Jack? I told you!)
8. What happens when you drink milk?
9. Why does poopoo stink?
10. Where does electricity come from?
11. What do they do with all of that trash?
12. Why does water and dirt make mud?
13. Why do we have to sleep?
14. Does Santa Claus feed his reindeer all year long?
15. What makes your breath hot?
16. When are you going to have money?
17. Why do girls look like that?
18. Does the North Pole ever melt?
19. Why can't we make our car run on water?
20. Why is blood red?
See? It goes on and on. Every day. Every. Waking minute. Of his. Day. Natural wonder is a good thing, but SHEESH already!

At the ballet

We saw Cinderella today performed by the Shreveport Metro Ballet downtown on the riverfront. It was a nice little diddy. We went with Grandma Pinkie (mother to Mr. Pinkie), sister of Mr. Pinkie and her daughter who is 9 months younger than Sophy. The girls had a ball (no pun intended.) I have some of the cutest pics known to man that I may or may not have Shutterflied to you if you are reading this, but since Cousin Pinkie is in them I'll not post them here. I try to not post pics of other people's kids unless I can help it. I'm considerate like that.
Here we are posing with Cinderella and looking mighty happy!

Skipping to the theatre...

Showing Cinderella some moves....

Checking out the fountains as we stroll...

Randomness

Is randomness a word? I'm not sure about that. I'm not sure about a lot of things. For instance, why my husband is reading over my shoulder. HELLO! Glad I'm not carrying on a steamy conversation with my boyfriend, Bear Grylles. I'd hate for him know about that. Ahem.
Know what else I don't get? Dave Matthews. What is up with that cat? I just can't like him.
Wanna know who I can like?? Bear Grylles. Wait. Have I said that?

This picture from last summer makes me drool at the thought of a swimming pool and, I don't know, WARM WEATHER! Ug. By the way, that's Sophy Claire surfacing after a stellar dive. In case you've never witnessed it, she's been quite the swimmer since sometime around her birth. Just kidding. It was more like when she was 2. Her nickname is Aqualung. She can swim underwater like a Navy seal (I exaggerate.)


While I'm nostalgating (is that a word?) Here is a pic of Jack learning the butterfly last summer. Isn't that water gorgeous? Sigh......


Since I can't leave out the Red Monster, here is Sam from last summer...sans water. We're pretty excited about the fact that Sam was swimming pretty nicely by summer's end. He's very cautious (go figure) in the water, so his progress has been more tentative than the other two.


Where was I? Oh yes, randomness. I want to get that software (?) that shows you who reads your blog and where they're located, so I can see all 2 of you. AHHAHAA. Seriously, I have this blocked for the most part (I think), so just a random person can't find me without having the link. When I had my journal on another site, I made so many friends all over the US, one in the Netherlands, one in Australia, and a couple in the UK. Now I feel so restricted that I think I have about 2 people who read this. Which is fine. Really. Sniff. PFfft. I try to print out most of my entries pertaining to the kids, but the rest of these wonderful, educational entries are just brain fodder. Bantha poodu. Is that how you spell poodu? I'll have to ask Jabba the next time I see him.

I think I should go read and go to bed. It's ok to be random, but it's time to stop when you start referencing Jabba.

I want to write a romance novel...

but I want to write it under a fakie name. I keep trying to hatch up a name that just smacks of good, old fashioned romance. I dunno...like Kelly Valentine. HAHA. Or...hhm.....Christine Lovejoy. HAHHAHA. Ok. Maybe I won't.

Bbbrrrr....I mean, Happy Easter.

Happy Easter from the North Pole.
See how Sam is shivering?
It's because it's cold.
WHY IS IT SO COLD?
Global warming, obviously.
HARHAR.
I hope it's warm and bright where you are and that your children are still under the sugar limits for their ages and weight.
I'm afraid it's too late for us.
We're not off from school tomorrow. DRAT!
My fingernails are taking their yearly beating that comes with planting and gardening. I am in dire need of a visit to Mr. Nyguen. I don't wear falsies, but maybe I should consider it.
We had some really good ham today.
Spring pig is yummy.
My nephew started calling me Frank today.
Repeatedly.
He's 2, so it's ok....for now.
It's freezing outside, and Daddy Pinkie and boy Pinkies are outside launching rockets.
They're guys, so it's ok....for now.
They're screaming.
I'm worried.
I think I'll go make hot chocolate.

((E., we had 6 girls and 7 big girls at the tea party.))

2nd Annual Tea Party!

It's not the type of weather we had hoped for, but the girls had their annual tea party today. Originally, the tea party was an excuse to buy fluffy dresses and a chance to teach 6 little girls about proper manners and etiquette. Though we're still a little shaky in the manner's department (c'mon they're 3-6 year olds), we had the fluffy dress thing taken care of! They were like little cupcakes in their pastels and poof. It looked like an old lady convention with all the hats, gloves and fake jewelry. The food was wonderful! The big girls devoured, er....ate chicken crepes, Queen's soup, tiny yeast rolls, some type of strawberry salad, and tomato pie. The little girls ate fresh fruit, pbj finger sandwiches and petit fours. We were very well behaved...for the most part. (We won't detail the burps, sugar bowl episode, and stuffing whole strawberries in the mouth....) Each girl brings a tea cup to exchange, so they will each have a collection of tea cups by the time they're older/betrothed/engaged/adults. They also went home with goodie bags filled with bubble bath, nail polish, lip gloss and flower/hair barrettes. This is something of a tradition that we are hoping to continue as the girls grow. As they get older, we expect them to be a little more civilized and learn the right manners, etc. Today our little host gave them a quick lesson on how to properly decline certain foods on your plate that may not be to your liking. We're not sure if his instruction took root, but at least we're exposing them. Pfftt.
I'm not carried away with this picture of myself, but I love how Sophy is looking at me. Hehe.

Cat on a hot tin....

Sophy was playing so quietly, minding her own business. When out of no where, ATTACK of the killer kitty!

Why is it so sweet to see a little girl playing with a doll house? Sighhh.....

Things you should know!

1. TGTHEB '07 is finished (minus the roof and backdoor.) I plan on updating with a Shutterfly slideshow soon.
2. What exactly is the creeping crud? All I know is I have it, and Thank the Good Lord for potent antibiotics. After some frightening (and I do not exaggerate) moments last night where I seriously wondered if I was dying, I am happy to report I am consuming large quantities of Flutuss (sounds nasty, huh?) and an antibiotic that could kill a horse. Nnnnaaayy.
3. We get out of school for Good Friday, and I plan on staying home to wean myself off of the cough syrup that I am sure to be addicted to by then.
4. Terri, I have tried to sign your guestbook and can not make it work! I wanted to let you know that Mattie and Sophy have the strangest similarites. We also puke on curves and hills. Wow. I thought it was uncanny when they both wore only underwear and called themselves Tarzan.
5. Ang, if you're reading this, tell Mrs. Ernestine to be careful on her big trip. And you be careful too. But I'm not worried about you. It's her I'm worried about. I wish I could see her taking in the sites (heck, I wish I could see me taking in the sites...hahaha.)
6. Sophy has learned how to do a full-fledged cartwheel.
7. Speaking of Soph, kindergarten roundup is at the end of the month. EEK!
8. I think my account is overdrawn. Figures.
9. I am trying to make it #10.
10. I'm there.

Where I compare fried bologna and American Idol.

Mr. Pinkie is back at work today after 2 days off. The kids are actually playing happily together (yes, it is alarming), and I just finished cleaning up the breakfast mess. Speaking of a mess, our local station that carries American Idol has dropped it's service, conveniently, during the Tuesday performances and then also the results show last night. WHAT THE HECK and OMG all at the same time.
When it happened Tuesday, I was livid. Last night, after I washed the kids and finished our goodnight kiss/kiss/sing/sing, we were so excited to hit the TIVO and be able to see the results after having missed Tuesday night's show. Well, imagine my FURY when the screen read:
NO NEED TO CALL US. WE ARE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
As if that is ANY kind of excuse. ARRGGHH!!!

Sam asked me for hot bologna this morning. I promise that I'm not married to my uncle and there is no vehicle propped up on cinder blocks in our front yard. I didn't even know the kid knew what hot bologna was. He knew what he was talking about. He ate it like it was his last meal along with 3 cinnamon rolls and a gigantic glass of chocolate milk. Could you ask for anything more nutritious? Speaking of bologna, I hope Sanjyah was voted off.

Yesterday the weather was great, and we were able to eat all 3 meals outside on our new patio furniture in between garden work, tree fort construction, and yard cleaning. Supper was amazing. What is it about working outside all day that makes your appetite something akin to a wild animal? Daddy Pinkie grilled THE best burgers, chicken wings, and sausages. We also had potato salad, beans, and macaroni salad with black olives, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. Made me want to slap somebody's mama...but not mine. She fights back. HA.

We're pretty much just hanging out here until Daddy Pinkie gets home from work. He has senior portraits this afternoon, and then we plan on going to Discovery Zone, the park, or some such place. Jack is hoping for Discovery Zone. Bless his poor, nerdy heart. He wants to go back to the paper airplane exhibit and launch more planes. My dad took off of work to spend some time with the kids, which is ironic seeing as how we have to twist most people's arms to spend time with us, and Jack wants to eat Mexican food with him.

Sam just asked Jack for help building a marble run. Jack told him, "Do it yourself. Use your imagination." To which Sam replied, "I don't have any imagination." HAHAHA!

OHHH! Our driveway people just rolled in with some giant machinery! We're getting a driveway extension/circle, and Sam is about to explode! Better go check in..

10 Interesting Things I've Heard This Week:

1. Smell my armpit.
2. Get out of my submarine!
3. Do ants have blood?
4. Why do dogs have fur?
5. Get that rope off of your sister.
6. When I'm 8, can I do armpit tricks like Jack?
7. Can we change Sam's name to "skunk?"
8. Go find Daddy's stapler. QUICK! And bring the tape too!
9. If we drink chocolate milk, will our bones turn brown?
10. Uhm, Mom. Do you know where the extra bricks are?

10 Things About LOST! ((but only 10 because I have 1,000's of ?))

1. How creepy was this story line? I loved it! BURIED ALIVE. SPIDERS. It was filled to the brim with every phobia known to man.
2. I wonder if Eko was really dead, or was he bitten by a spider?
3. After the magic box, I was sort of thinking Lost had gone beyond anything I ever would care about again. It does explain, maybe how Jack's dad was there and such. Or maybe not.
4. I really liked that there were other people of the Beachaways that had found the same things that the cool kids had also found. The smaller hatch, the plane where Boone died, etc. Even though some of their backtracking was a tad sketchy and patchy, I liked where they were going with it all.
5. Is it possible to love Sawyer any more? I don't think so.
6. Desmond is my boyfriend.
7. So, now that the submarine has been blown to shreds, what does that mean?
8. Do you think Michael and Walt are really back in civilation? They didn't go on the sub. According to Ben that is the only way back to the "real" world. Michael and Walt left the island on a boat with a specific coordinate. Maybe it was to the sub docks? Hhhm.....
9. I think if Locke were to be killed the island would implode. Really.
10. I predict there will only be one more season of Lost.

My little bookworm.

This is where Sophy usually is...lying on her bed reading a book. Her new fav is the Ready Freddy series and the Frog and Toad series. However she learned to read, I wish she would teach Sam. He is so uninterested in learning how to read. He usually calls Sophy into the room whenever he wants to know what something says. He is good with numbers and shapes. Spatial things.
After our mud bath, we took a bath in earnest in the house. With soap. And shampoo. Now my drains are probably stopped up with mud. Oh well, it was fun. You'd never guess by looking outside at the sunshine that our town's tornadoe sirens were howling for most of the morning. Luckily we dodged the twister. It went north of our side of town, obviously. We're still here.
Mr. Pinkie is STILL on top of the tree house. God bless his little, pea pickin' heart. The boys have gym class this evening, and I've got red beans and sausage cooking. Oh, and I made guacamole. Ohhhhh, I think I'll make tortiallas. Sluurrrp.

Blame it on the rain (with regrets to Milli Vanilli...)

Spring Break-Tuesday

Sam spent most of the morning outside setting up a trap to catch bad guys. He was just talking to himself and making hand gestures and arguing with someone. It was hilarious. I just stood at the window watching him. Several of our senior citizen neighbors passed by in the cars more than once and just waved and smiled at him. He's a mess.
As I type, Daddy Pinkie is on top of TGTHEB '07 with the boys putting up the rail and finishing the wall supports. It's dark and looks like rain, so the construction efforts today may be short lived. Sophy is in her room "crab sitting." It's a wonder she hasn't tried to dress the crabs up and brush their teeth. She's really into taking care of them and letting them "exercise" on the floor. I have a feeling I may find a shriveled up crab somewhere in the future, but I hope not. She's taking very good care of them, so maybe they'll make it for a while before they turn their toes up.
I had hoped to take the kids to the library today, but I wish you could've seen Sam's face when I said, "Hey. Why don't we go to the library today?" After all, it is supposed to storm today. But no, Sam looked at me as if I had suggested he go in for a tonsillectomy or some such procedure. He was aghast. I guess we won't go to the library today...or this week for that matter.