Text Savvy

Better Half installed a "text free" app on our youngest daughter's iPod touch before he left for the Golden State.

I assumed this was so that he and she could communicate via text, since her mean ogre-of-a-mother thinks that age 11 is too young for a cell phone.

This weekend, she found another *stellar* use for it.

Poor kid did wind up catching some nasty bug.  Fever, chills, headache, cough--the works.

So I did what I always do--set her up in my room with plenty of fluids, medicine, and hours of mindless TV.

Now, my room is toward the back of the house, so usually if my kiddos need me when I'm not routinely peeking in, they have to call for me.  The sound of them mustering the energy to make their voices heard always pulls at my heartstrings and goes along way toward them getting whatever they ask for.

My youngest child decided to be just a little bit more innovative this time and "conserve" her strength:

Yep.  This is what my phone looked like.  All. Day. Long.  Saturday and Sunday.

It took me three hours to clean the kitchen between all of this.

I've discovered that "Mommy, I need you" texts don't tug at my heartstrings.

They grate on my every. last. nerve.

And in the entire two days, I don't believe she sent one text to her dad in California.

Seriously??

Last week it was the oldest.
A throat infection that resulted in a peritonssilar abscess.  One trip to the MD, two trips to the ER and four prescriptions later, and she's back among the living.

Monday it was the second oldest.
Sore throat, cough, and a crushing pain in the chest and lungs when he tried to breathe.  One trip to the MD, OTC drugs and some R&R later and he's back among the living.

Today, it's number three.
Only it's dry-heaves and stuff I won't mention.  The kind of stuff that we don't take to the MD, because if you even look at someone with what this looks like it might gear up to be, you catch it.  And we don't want to be the people that pass that around the waiting room and infect the whole town.

As I write this, the youngest just came up to me with tears in her eyes, complaining because she aches all over.

Seriously??

I have no words.

The Natural Progression of Things

If your birthday falls on a school day when you are in fifth grade, you have to bring treats to school.

If your birthday falls on "National Cookie Day," the treat has to be cookies.

Since it's December, the cookies have to sport a winter theme. Snowmen are always a good winter theme that's not too Christmas-y.

And since the temperatures lately have been in the low 70s...

Happy birthday, Kiddo!

Thank You, Auto Correct...

For actually helping me out for once and changing "thong," which one should NEVER text...to "thing," which is what I intended.

Since the text was regarding my 10 year-old daughter, I am doubly grateful.

I will try not to call you "stupid" again for at least a week.

Dear Santa,

Our local paper has a feature during the holiday season called Santa's Mailbox where kids' letters to Santa are published.

This past Friday, the letter of my youngest daughter's best friend and oldest friend was included:

Brings tears to my eyes  Every.  Time.  I see it.

What ARE we going to do in SoCal without friends like this?

Shooting Hoops

First game of the year!

The Joys of Home Ownership

This is what I used to have.

Okay.  Fine.  Not this exactly, but I didn't get to the basement fast enough to capture the one I did on film.  The guys from Jim's Plumbing work FAST.  But this is a pretty close approximation.

Our house was built in the late 50s.  The furnace was put in...wait for it...in the late 50s.  Now, I like vintage.  I like original.  I really do.  Until I hear things like:

You've NEVER had this thing serviced in the 11 years you've lived here?
This thing is never gonna pass any home inspection.
There's a hole.  It probably won't leak gas because, well, heat rises, but...
I can TRY to make something to cover it...but...
If you wait to replace it until a bank makes you for a loan (and they will), your cost is going to be twice what it will cost now because the efficiency codes are increasing to 90% in just a couple of months.
Really unsafe.
Every day you get with this is a gift.
Carbon Monoxide.

Now as of yesterday, I have this.

It's new.  It's shiny.  It's safe.  It's expensive.  I hope EVERYONE who comes to look at my house to buy it notices the new, shiny, safe, expensive furnace.  My utility bills better look nicer.  There better be less dust in my house.

Because now I don't have this.

My love affair with home ownership is So. Over.