Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Quick Takes With a Dash of Parentheses

Seeing as how Good Friday is this week, there won't be any post, let alone a quick take or a Finish the Sentence Friday.  We'll do a little wrap-up today instead.

On Monday, my baby Turken turned 5.  I didn't talk it up much because I am still trying to deny it with every fiber of my being.  I just can't stand the thought of my two little boys growing up.  It's so much harder this time around.  With the older ones, I just knew there was going to be an "oops" baby at some point, so their growing didn't get to me too badly. 

There won't be another "oops". 

When these little boys grow, I am done with that age and stage of motherhood.  It makes me so very sad to think of a house without toddlers and preschoolers.

So, I deny.

Poor Turken doesn't get a post devoted to him. 

Thankfully, he can't read and will never know of my lack of gushing.


Despite my protests, Turken did get a cake. 

For the Extended Family March Birthday Madness, he was very unhappy with his cake.  He had said he wanted a soccer cake, so I made a soccer ball.  The moment he saw it, his face fell.  "I wanted a soccer field."

So, a soccer field he got for his actual birthday the very next day.

He chose the players on the field...

penguins and army men. 

Not my best work, but I only had 20 minutes.  He was happy, and that's all that matters.


Hubby and I are rotten tooth fairies.  (Not fairies of rotten teeth.  We encourage our children to brush.  We are rotten fairies of teeth.  (Is that any better?)) We were great at it when the kids were little and losing those first itty bitty teeth, but as they grew, moved into losing molars, and figured things out, fairying just became a chore.

I have been known to find a tooth under a pillow when I changing sheets, then wracking my brain to figure out how long ago the child had actually lost the tooth.

We have had children approach us and say, "So, when do you think that tooth fairy is going to actually show up?"  (Thanks to my overuse of the word "actually" the kids have actually added it to their vocabulary.)

Giant lost a tooth yesterday, and miracle of miracles, he got his dollar the same night.

"How did that happen?" you ask.

Giant was proactive.

We found them all over the house.


It is going to be an emotional couple of months.

You know how I just said I am distraught at the thought of Turken turning 5?  Well, I think it's made even worse by the fact that Phoenix only has 44 more days of school left.  And by "school" I mean a few tests surrounded by lots of activities created to make me cry.

On Friday, the 8th graders will perform a Living Stations of the Cross.  It's an emotional experience any year, but this year my boy and a whole bunch of other boys that I adore will be in it.  As one of the guards, Phoenix will be holding "Jesus'" head as he is being carried out on the cross.

Buttercup will be horrified by my loud sobbing, but I can't care about that.  Her only hope is Cuckoo.  There is a good chance that right smack in the middle of the 5th station, Cuckoo will holler, "I have to go potty!"  Since I didn't make a rainbow cake for Turken's birthday, I doubt there will be much to cry about in the stall.


Update on the foot: 

Getting much better.

Today was the first day that I could ditch the boot.  My foot and ankle have been so swollen I couldn't fit any of my sensible winter footwear over them.  I managed to tie a tennis shoe on this morning, so I went with it.  Perfectly fine alternated with terrible pain.  All-in-all, a not too awful experience.

Now, if I could just get my toes to turn back to their normal color...


Our satellite TV went out yesterday.

Hubby is about to lose his mind.  He actually went to bed at approximately 9:20, claiming complete boredom.  (I'm trying real hard to not be offended.)

After being on the phone with the satellite guy, who told me to turn of the receiver, move the cord, and turn the channel at least 5 times, I was transferred to the "professional" computer expert.  You know, the guy who is supposed to help you without following the script because he knows what he is doing?

Well, my pro must have just gotten his Tech Support award, seeing as how he made me do the exact same turn off the receiver, move the cord, turn the channel song and dance the previous guy did.  Only difference is, he was able to tell me that he thinks the receiver or cord is faulty.  He will mail us a new one for free, as long as we send the old one back and they don't find any evidence of abuse.  (I'm pretty almost sure Cuckoo didn't shove anything in it or whack it with a stick.)

The receiver won't be here for 3-5 days.


Do you know what will be happening in less than 3-5 days?


The day that Giant will once again be able to watch his beloved basketball tournament after 40 looooong days of zero screen time.  Throughout the games last week, he lived vicariously through his brothers, hunkered down in the next room, our brackets clutched to his chest, listening intently for the somewhat sketchy play-by-play given by his brothers. 

If that receiver doesn't get here, or it turns out that the receiver is not the problem, I do believe Giant will cry.  And then demand I take him to a bar to watch the games.

Don't suppose anyone has a fake ID with a photo resembling my 10 year old?

************ Just a test. ***************

Just a little blog housekeeping.  It seems that in order to "claim my blog" on BlogLovin' (Is it just me, or does that sound like a spin-off SNL style?) I have to put some code into a new post.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Looky there.  A link. 

******** Well wishes *************

Have a happy, happy, happy Easter!


  1. The tooth fairy doesn't get to every house nightly. She is so tiny, she can't carry enough quarters to make it around the entire world at once so she visits different areas each night. So it could easily be weeks before she gets to your house if your tooth fell out right after she was in your area. Little known fact.

    Already followed you on Bloglovin'. Must say I'm lovin' me some Bloglovin'. Makes keeping track of everyone's new posts much easier! Now I will picture a SNL spoof everytime I say it though!

    Glad the foot is better! Just get a pedicure to match your toes...

    1. That was our excuse when the kids were little. I'm to the point where I'd rather just make the exchange in broad daylight. If it weren't for the little ones, we would do away with the fairy business for good.
      Thank you!
      A black and blue pedicure? Hmmm...

  2. Coming from someone who bakes their cakes the old fashioned way by picking up the phone and dialing the bakery, I'm most impressed with your 20 minute soccer cake!!!!!

    1. Why thank you! I haven't made the jump to purchased cakes just yet. I've been tempted many a time, but then I don't. It would annoy me to pay $20+ for a cake I could easily make myself. I used to decorate cakes at Kroger, don't ya know.

  3. If you can keep up the denial until you have grandkids, you'll be OK.

    1. Ha! I must admit that I was counting to see how many years I would have to be without a little person running around. It better be more than a year or two!!!!

  4. Happy Birthday to Turken! What a cutie!!!

    Love the tooth fairy notes. :D Sure hope you get the TV fixed in time. That would be cause for a revolt in our house.

    1. Thanks!

      That Giant, he's a smart one!

      If the TV isn't fixed, I am in some serious trouble. Mostly with Giant, but all of the menfolk will be most displeased.

  5. Oh my your week is so full and only half way in. I think if my hubs iPad broke down the world would end. I am no pro but have you tried wiggling the cord a bit? Just kidding... Happy Easter!
    Ps: love the penguin army men cake!!

    1. Hahaha! I never thought to jiggle the cord! :)

      A Happy Easter back at you!

  6. The kids here swear that there are in fact only 3 gold dollars and I {uhhhmm the tooth fairy} swipes the gold dollar out of their bank and uses it on the next child. This may or may not be true. I need to break into their banks and count the gold dollars then go to the bank and fill in the blanks. I did last month remember to get 10 of them from the bank to cover this set of wiggly teeth.
    oh all things good, if we lost satellite during march madness I am sure a few of the family would go hunker down in Keith's conference room at school. He actually moves his office into there during this time each year so he can watch and work.

    1. Gold dollars? Great idea, except it would never last at my house. I would never remember to go to the bank.
      I so enjoy Keith. They must love him at school.

    2. Yes, they do.
      He even uses the directv link in the cafeteria and he plays the games during lunch time. At Christmas he plays charlie brown christmas...
      he is lots of fun!
      and those gold dollars are a blessing, the kids are excited and have no idea how cheap we really are!

  7. So who won the game between penguins and army men? I've always wondered how that battle would shake out.

    And a whole dollar for a tooth? We got a quarter. I wonder if this is yet another sign of inflation.

    1. Ha! The penguins. With the cold weather we are having, the field was frozen over, so the penguins had a definite advantage.

      I think a dollar is the going rate, although I do know of kids getting $5. We'd be broke if we paid that much.

  8. Happy BIrthday!
    I like the kid's choice of cake decorations!
    We do a dollar coin for each tooth--and they get double that if the dentist had to pull it.
    Something about a Sacajawea, you know:)

    1. I have thought about doing the dollar coins. While I know the kids would like them, it would mean one more chore for me. So plain dollar bills it is.
      I'll pass on the birthday wishes.

