Year of the Rat

I am married to a man that doesn't particularly enjoy eating out Chinese like I do. I don't get to eat it very often but, I do still love it! Especially at my fav ~ Golden China in Bedford where they actually use meat that you can tell what it is. Go for the Sesame Chicken and Sizzling Rice Soup, I promise you won't be disappointed. I even have a 1/2 price coupon I can offer you. Anyway, you know those placements - the ones with the Chinese zodiac that you can't help but decipher while you're waiting for your crispy noodles & sweet n' sour dipping sauce. Well, I'm a rat. I have always hated that I was a rat as it just didn't sound very dignified - low on the food chain, everyone including elephants scared of you, rummaging through garbage, a cat's next meal - a RAT. A dragon, now that sounds magisterial. Or how about the Tiger...grrrr.....

I have finally come to terms with being a rat.

Rat people are born under the sign of charm and aggressiveness. They are expressive and can be talkative sometimes. They like to go to parties and spend quiet times chatting with their friends. Although the Rat can be quiet sometimes, it is rare to catch a Rat sitting quietly.
Rat people usually have more acquaintances than real friends and they revere and cherish those close to them. Once you become their real friends, they will treat you as their family. Rats are self-contained and keep problems to themselves. And even though they can be talkative sometimes, they never confide in anyone. The Rat is quick-witted. Most rats get more accomplished in 24 hours than the rest of us do in as many days. They are confident and usually have good instinct. Stubborn as they are, they prefer to live by their own rules rather others. It won't be an easy task to work with Rat people, why? Simple, because they are also 100% perfectionists. They are very organized and talented, perhaps that is why the Rat makes a good businessman or politician. Unfortunately, as soon as the Rat earns money, it is spent. Maybe that explains why the Rat is so careful when he lends money to others. If you ever borrow money from the Rat, don't be surprised by the high-interests. The Rat is not romantic, but is sensual and loving. Rat people could be hard to see through at first glance, because they are also very protective, but even though they are not easy they are worth it - ask anyone who has a Rat for a lover, parent, child or friend. They are very loyal and devoting to their families.

The Chinese astrological cycle begins with the year of the Rat; consequently those born within this category like to be first, pioneers, at the forefront of the action. Restless and inquisitive, those born under the influence of the Rat are active, both physically and mentally, and tend to lead busy lives. Challenge is essential to them for they love the thrill of living. With clairvoyance, intuition, perspicacity and an eye for detail, Rats are formidable problem solvers, finding workable solutions to the knottiest problems. The Rat possesses attributes ranging from charming and humorous to honest and meticulous. The Chinese say those born in these years make good and wise advisers. Rats are best known for their charm. Blessed with a sharp wit, they possess a marvelous sense of humor, which makes them stimulating and amusing company to have around.

Now, I don't know about ALL that but, I do think the above describes ME quite well! I highlighted the section about friendship because it resonated so deeply. I don't have a lot of friends. I do however, have some of the best friends imaginable. Ones that I need to stay in closer contact with. This is a call to action for me.

The only way to have a friend is to be one.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wanna Be My Friend?

(I'm always looking for new ones.)

Just for fun....more info on the Chinese Zodiac:

Before Buddha left earth, he called for all the animals to see him for the last time. Only 12 came to him and it is these who are honoured by having its own year to govern over. Each animal has its own characteristics and being born under a particular zodiac sign will impact on your personality, relationships, life in general. Each of the 12 animals rules a particular year in rotation. In addition to lending its characteristics to people born during that year, it also influences the quality of a particular year. So according to Chinese Astrology knowing which animal rules a future year can help you plan in advance for the trials and triumphs that year might bring.

Rat 1996-1984-1972-1960-1948-1936-1924
Ox 1997-1985-1973-1961-1949-1937-1925
Tiger 1998-1986-1974-1962-1950-1938-1926
Rabbit 1999-1987-1975-1963-1951-1939-1927
Dragon 2000-1988-1976-1964-1952-1940-1928
Snake 2001-1989-1977-1965-1953-1941-1929
Horse 2002-1990-1978-1966-1954-1942-1930
Goat 2003-1991-1979-1967-1955-1943-1931
Monkey 2004-1992-1980-1968-1956-1944-1932
Rooster 1993-1981-1969-1957-1945-1933-1921
Dog 1994-1982-1970-1958-1946-1934-1922
Pig 1995-1983-1971-1959-1947-1935-1923

6 months

I'm grieving as this little gal gets bigger and bigger - she is so spectacular, heartbreakingly cute and needy in a good, special way. She's a wonderful swirl of everything sweet...like cotton candy. When I look at her, I can see the newborn she was with little wisps of dark brown hair and a squished up face. She is ever changing. The brown hair has since fallen out and new sprouts of shiny blond have taken their place. I love to wrap her up and snuggle her as she peers deep into me with her big blue eyes. I want remember the way that feels and treasure those moments forever.

She has started to crawl. (Not yet hands & knees, it's more military style.) She curiously made her way all the way from the family room to the master bathroom last night following her families' voices. I turned around and boom she was there! The progression is amazing. My how they grow rapidly.

She also has teeth. Many of them. Her 2 lower front and 4 across the top have been making their way through for at least a couple months now. She is picking up her own puffy snacks and holding her own bottle. She loves to eat and it's quite evident in her pudgy little legs. I don't remember my other babies being little chunks like her.

She is a like a sentinel watching and giggling at her sister ~ Raistlyn is the BEST at making her laugh and playing with her. Rowan likes Caide too....from a distance. He's mostly a little bugger that likes to ride on her back and try to pick her up by her head. She doesn't like that so much. If you hear her whining it's most likely because her brother is in the process of some toddler torture he's inflicting upon her. He LOVES her and it's fun to hear "hi Wowan" over and over and over.

Any ideas for keeping your toddler from torturing your baby?

The Battle

We are trying to rid our home of a highly addictive substance.

While stopping short of calling it a drug - it is exhaltingly delicious and has a complex effect on the human psyche AND body. It is the F*O*U*R letter word of all beverages. According to numerous household cleaning Websites, it can clean your toilet, eliminate rust from a car bumper and remove grease from clothing. No wonder it can corrode and stain your teeth AND.....it officially contains one of the most horrific ingredients in the food supply - High Fructose Corn Syrup, and loads of the highly addictive substance caffiene.

* SODA * POP * COKE *

whatever name by which you choose to call it

Why do we love this stuff so much when it is so dang bad for us? I actually CRAVE a daily dose of some sweet, black liquid - preferrably Coke, Dr. P or Pepsi - I'll even opt for Mountain Dew at times. My absolute fav is a trip to Sonic for a Large Vanilla Coke ~ wow...true bliss....especially with those special little ice pellets! Don't even bother with the diet varieties either....just read the reports that tell you what all that fake sugar can do to you!

So, we're weaning ourselves off of it - or shall I say we are trying to wean ourselves off of it. I'm writing with a blazing withdrawal headache right now -gonna have to have some or I think I'll just die! I'm starting with buying the soda that is somewhat "better" for you...made without the HFCS - using real cane sugar instead. Of course, it's much more expensive but whatcha gonna do? We are also making homemade italian sodas - which contain much less sugar overall. The kids don't know the difference and have actually enjoyed getting to mix up their own flavors and such. The kids don't drink much soda anyway - it's the parents that have the addiction problem.

I caught this little thief enjoying my Jones Cream Soda the other day ~ what a cute little Junkie!

What things are you doing to try to make your family healthier?

Any ideas for alternative drinks for kids?

Tuesday Tell All

"Never Say Never", at least that's how the saying goes.
For this week's Tuesday Tell All I thought it would be interesting to possibly tempt fate and record the answer to the following:
I've never...........

• worn red lipstick
• eaten real sushi
• snow ski'd
• traveled across an ocean in an airplane
• broken a bone or had stitches
• had my eyebrows waxed
• been to the opera
• been farther northeast in the US than Ohio
• visited a Disney theme park
• worn a bikini
• kept my New Year's resolutions
• mastered playing an instument
• won an argument with my husband
• bought anything at 5-7-9
• had a root canal
• watched an episode of Sex in the City or the Sopranos
• worn fancy lingerie
• lived in a 2 story house
• been to the JFK memorial in Dallas, lived here all my life though
• ran for an elected position
• liked to eat cooked carrots, fennel or capers
• had a tan - I just burn baby burn
• failed a pregnancy test
• recieved enough comments on my blog * hint hint*

Wow...this was harder than I thought it would be......give it a try!

A SUPER Party

It's a bird, it's a plane....no it's the CAIDENATOR!

For Caide's 2nd birthday party we had a SUPERHERO themed party. Batman, Superman, Spiderman...they were all there.

The invitations - front:

the inside:

My mother and I made capes for all the little superkids - they got to pick their color - Red, Black or Blue. Then we had Spiderman give a guest appearance via DVD - he taught the kids his Spidey skills - they LOVED it and looked so cute doing the moves.

The weather was beautiful so they got to use their new found Spidey skills to blast webs all over the back yard...and each other!

The web string:

We played a game of pass the Kryptonite (like hot potato) (I found this glowing green nitelight thing on Ebay that I wrapped up in cellophane to look like a big Kryptonite rock - it glowed from within via a battery - super cool!)

Food was the usual - Caide's favorites - chicken strips and 'Spiderman shaped' Mac & Cheese, we also salad for the adults in attendance.

I made the birthday cake - chocolate with buttercream icing. The superman and batman insignias were made with fondant...that stuff is awesome to work with!

The treat bags were filled with candy and tied up with cupcake rings - I found them on Ebay too - aren't they adorable?

Decorations were huge mylar balloons and sticky cling ons for the walls that just peel and stick - they don't leave any residue on the walls at all and they can be re-used.

Caiden got his first set of wheels for his gift from mom, dad & sisters~ and tons of other great stuff - He LOVED EVERYTHING!

The thank you notes that I made turned out so awesome - thanks Adam for making my little Caidenator.

It was a SUPER party!

Happy Heart Day Crafty Things

In leiu of Christmas cards our family traditionally sends out Valentine's Day Cards - Here is our 2008 version.
This card was SO time consuming because of all the ribbon that I had to limit how many I made but they turned out so incredibly beautiful. The family pic was just quickly taken at Portrait Innovations - they do a good job and are incredibly affordable for a large quantity of prints!

These are the Valentine's that I made for Raistlyn's first grade classmates. The heart was cut out of stiff felt and glued on so it puffed up really cute. The card was just attached with really sticky glue dots to the packaging. Kids love these glow bracelets...good alternative to candy for sure! You can't see in the pictures but I tied a cute ribbon to the end of each package.

Then I made up a few of these cute tin mailboxes. I gave one to Mrs. Whitehead - Raistlyn's wonderful teacher, sent one to Adam's sister Kathleen (since her Christmas box got lost in the mail), gave one to my sweet friend Irma (as a thank you for all her carpool help), and of course I had to keep one for myself.
Hope they enjoyed the sweet treats too!

You might be a mean mom if.....

I came acress this "mean mom" post and thought I'd share.
I've thought about making up my own ~Mean Moms Club~
for a while now to share parenting advice.
Let me know if you are interested!

Julie Clark gets credit for the following:
A group for mom's who aspire to be "mean,"
"Say what you mean and mean what you say"!
Are you a mean mom? You might be a mean mom if...
You offer choices at mealtime...take it or leave it.
You say 'no' even if your kids "hate" you for it.
You believe that good manners are always in style
You tell your kids to "find something to do or I'll find something for you to do."
You don't believe in boredom.
You tell the kids "Go ahead. Make me parent."
You tell your kids to clean their room, or you'll clean it. And they won't have to clean it for a while if you do it, 'cause whatever is left out goes to charity or the trash!
You believe that "no" is explanation enough.
Copyright 2008, Julie Clark
Find more at: AskMeanMom.com