Trying something new. Tell me what you think.

The results are in.

Chatty Chicka, blog diva from So Many Blogs, So Little Time has posted her review of Ruth Speaks up here.

Why is validation from a complete stranger so satisfying? Of course now, the obsessive part of me wants to shoot for 10 out of 10.

I agree with her comments on the template. I chose the plain black at a time when it seemed appropriate, but perhaps it's time for a change. If only I were a little more computer savy, I might have an easier time with the free blog template sites. We'll work on that.

And I promise not to blog in different colors again.

He is his mother's son...

We have discovered that chocolate might, in fact, be the key to getting the precious, darling boy to use the potty...

Potty training is not going well...

Some good music for kicking ass on the elliptical... these folks rock

Rocco DeLuca & the Burden
Swing Low



Amy Winehouse
Rehab



P!nk
Don't Let Me Get Me

I love my husband . . .

I love my husband . . .

I love my huband . . .

My inability to access blogger yesterday was the result of an 'update' he made to our computer...

... which has now been reversed...

Yowza!

My blog is set to be reviewed by diva Chatty Chicka at So Many Blogs, So Little Time on June 27...

I'm on pins and needles!

I MUST get to work on this place!!!

The boy is enrolled to start preschool in the fall. This is, as expected, breaking my heart. BUT… he very much needs to start being around other kids on a regular basis. We've been lucky, lucky, lucky not to have had to put him in daycare thus far, but it's time for him to start developing his social skills. He's ready for it, as is obvious when he encounters other kids at the park, or at church, or even in the toy aisle at Wal-mart.

So potty training has begun (again) in ernest. If we can get through this, I think it will be a miracle. We're bribing. We're sitting him on the apparatus and letting him cry. It has to be done, and it has to be done now. It should've been done quite a while ago, but I won't even get started on that. I hate the feeling that we're forcing him. So much that you read (which I'm sure I do too much of) says that you shouldn't force, but then other things you read say strip them down, show them where the toilet is, and tell them they have no choice. Why can you show the cat the litter box once or twice and they're good to go, but with children you have to struggle so much?

With this has come, for him, a new fascination with flushing the toilet. In case you were curious, the following items can be flushed, individually, without clogging the pipes:

a Reach© flosser handle

a handful of cotton balls

a tube of Arbonne eye cream (so much for the dark circles under my eyes)

a sample pack of Pantene texturizing shampoo and conditioner

a travel-size jar of Vaseline petroleum jelly

a tube of children's non-flouride toothpaste

I'm sure this list will continue to grow. Maybe I'll add it to the sidebar so I can keep it updated...

"All my life, whenever it comes time to make a decision, I make it and forget about it"

I am a sucker for the claw machines that are packed tightly with cheaped stuffed animals. I have been known to waste a doller or two... or more... if I see something on the top layer that strikes my fancy. I've had pretty good luck with them over the years - a monkey here, an alligator there - but today as I was leaving the grocery store, I couldn't believe what I saw in the machine just outside the exit. What a find! I put in a dollar, which bought me two chances. I got it on the first try, though...

Yes, my friends, that is in fact Harry S Truman, the 33rd president of the United States of America. His tag says that he is one in a collection of twelve of our presidents that have been immortalized as part of the Sugar Loaf line of plush toys from Coinstar Entertainment Services, Inc. The collection includes Richard Nixon - what a coup that would be!! You can bet that I'll be keeping an eye out for him!

Harry will be seeing the sights with me this summer, so be sure to check back often for updates on THE ADVENTURES OF HARRY!

Shout out to Teresa Paulina

If you haven't seen it already, go check out this story about the upcoming WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER.

Should we start planning a road trip for 2009????

I'M NOT TOO PROUD TO ASK FOR A FREE TEMPLATE!!!

I am ... rooted in yesterday,
When I should be... embracing the here and now.

I am ... holding onto hurt, anger and disappointment,
When I should be... practicing forgiveness and offering love.

I am ... yearning for what I don't have,
When I should be... rejoicing in the treasure that surrounds me.

I am... searching for faults, both his and my own,
When I should be... admiring strengths, encouraging accomplishments, and
praising achievements.

I am... clinging to regret and mourning unrealized dreams,
When I should be... looking towards the future with hope and excitement.

I am... indulging in self-pity,
When I should be... LIVING!



Ruth Speaks Up (C) 2007

Memorial Day in Ohio... a photo essay

Where are we headed to again?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day... the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Bagel is like crack to me...

We live just a few miles from the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The boy LOVES this place, and bonus - admission is free. Unfortunately, there aren't really any pictures of the boy from today, because he won't stand still long enough right now for you to actually take his picture. It really is an extensive and impressive museum. If you're ever in Ohio and close to Dayton, you should take the time to see it.

Don't ask me what the names of any of these planes are. With a 3-year old in tow, there's no time to stop and write down the information.

The museum also includes part of a traveling exhibit on the Holocaust...

And, of course, you can't take a trip to the Air Force Museum without seeing the rockets...

On the opposite end of town is a working historical farm from the 1800's. Some of the buildings are from the original farm, and some are reconstructed.

Now we're home. I'm about to hop on the elliptical (joy, joy), then we're having pizza. Ahh... the excitement of it all...

And now for some inspirational music...

I am sabotaging my marriage.

I've come to this conclusion on my own. . . well, with the help of the counseling, of course, but don't think that either the husband or the counselor has laid this at my feet. In thinking about all this stuff that we have to think about after each counseling session, and all the things we have to write down, and doing all of that openly and willingly and being very honest about it, I've come to this conclusion on my own.

I'm so disappointed with the way things have turned out with my life, that I'm sabotaging my marriage. I'm bitter and spiteful about so many things, and I lay the blame for all of this squarely on the shoulders of my husband.

How awful is that?

I hate my job. I would love to go back to school, but that's out of the question right now because he's out of work and in school, and there's no money, and there's health insurance to consider (which I now carry, because he has no job), and it's doubtful that I'll even be able to go back to school when he's finished, because I'm sure he won't find a job making nearly what I am (not that I make a lot, but it's decent). So the more-likely scenario is that we'll hope for him to find a part-time job in his new career field, which will (hopefully) make getting the precious boy to and from school (he's enrolled in PRESCHOOL for the fall - OH MY GOD!!!! But that's another post.) and all that...

... which leads us directly into the fact that HE'S getting to stay home with the boy for these two years, while he's in school, and all I've had, really, is the measly, completely inadequate six-weeks of maternity leave 3 1/2 years ago. He ends up watching television most of the day, while Daddy tries to study. I'm paranoid that his brain is already mush and that he'll end up with Autism. We're NOWHERE CLOSE on the potty training, which is DRIVING ME APE-SHIT. Daddy has made ONE half-hearted 4-hour attempt, and given up. The boy, delightful and precious though he may be, knows he can play Daddy like a cheap fiddle and get whatever he wants (not materialistically speaking, though, because we're BROKE). I know that being home ALL DAY LONG with a child would be tough... stressful... I don't know... I just know that there are things I might do differently if I were here, but if I try (and yes, I've been nice about it) to suggest these things, offer support or encouragement, whatever, it's seen as a direct insult to his parenting skills.

And the house is a MESS... and I'm EXHAUSTED by the time I get home from work... and there's NO TIME to exercise...

I'm so tired of feeling bitter, and frustrated, and agitated, and irritated by ALL of this, but I don't know what the solution is.

Birthday words for Teresa Paulina

My dear friend Teresa Paulina turns... ummm.... 29 today...

Ti Re Mi, you must remember...

Growing OLD is mandatory...

Growing UP is OPTIONAL!

Happy Birthday, dear friend!!!

Follow the link for some nifty Mother's Day give-a-ways...

If I win the hot-pink iPod Nano, I'm giving it to Twyla...

Oh, to be able to relax so totally and completely...

I really should apologize.

 

I posted that teaser about the counseling, then haven't had a chance since then to follow-up.  It really wasn't my intention to string you along all this time.  Why is it that the things you have to do always get in the way of things you want to do?  I hate that.  I'm sure you all understand…

 

And who posted a comment, then deleted it?  That's driving me ape-shit.

 

But I digress.

 

The counseling is going well, I think.  I realized early on that the husband views all of this as 'airing our dirty laundry' in public, but I think he's eased away from that somewhat.  We both like and feel very comfortable with the counselor, so that makes a big difference.

 

When time permits, I promise I will post more.

You're just itching to know how the counseling's going, aren't you?