Saltines without the salt are just tines(read as "teens" or my joke's no good). And we all know how yucky those can be, blech!

People are good

There is truly good out there-EVERYWHERE. I believe that with all my heart. It is so very easy for us to find things to be mad-hurt-disgusted-sad about...why is that? Why does it seem to take such effort to make ourselves see all the good? It is everywhere. I have been moved to such deep emotion by unconditional acts of generosity over the past couple years that I find myself having no choice but to make sure to remember to find the good in everything. The air we breathe is good! Is it polluted? Probably. Are we breathing still? YES.

Huddle Up for Autism with the Eagles was not the most pleasant experience, for all of us. Chaos and rude, impatient, even intolerant people can create a difficult atmosphere to say the least. Yet from that day some amazing things have shown themselves for which I am and will be forever grateful. More details on those things as they begin to unfold, but these are things that have come from generosity of heart and spirit. I am humbled and know that all I can do is be thankful and find a way every day to pay it forward.

Remember to find the good in today. Remember it doesn't have to be huge. If you notice the color of a leaf-that is good. If you take a sip of a Pepsi and think "that tastes so good!" then guess what, there's your good! Make a habit of seeing all the good around and it will become easier to find; and know that the simple act of bringing a smile to your own face can, and probably will, bring smiles to others.

Family Fun

While my head is still spinning with the madness that is taking your kids out for ice cream, I thought I should write quickly about it. Except that my head is still spinning from taking my kids out for ice cream. Was it the kids fighting for their bite of one of my onion rings that A took the first bite of and couldn't bite through but kept trying and ended up drooling all over the table? Was it A and M simeltaneously bugging D for a taste of his GINORMANTIC brownie lava chocolate death trap thingy the second it got put down? Was it Z making sound effects as he constructed his "build your own lava" sundae? Or could it have been M cracking up over something and dribbling blue spittle out of a very blue mouth from all the M & M's (that absolutely do melt in your mouth)? Hmmmm, maybe the dripping-with-happiness waitress that got irritated when we asked for our water did it? Perhaps the kids ALL practically lunging for the onion basket when I said I was done--after they all had eaten their ice creams? Maybe Zachary dancing a happy hop-skip out of the bathroom with his shirt tucked into his boxers that were sticking out (and not caring one bit) sent me into the spins.....

By now you should have a mental image of me doing the brbrbrbr thing with my finger on my mouth, that's about where I landed; but crazy is perfect, and my kids couldn't possibly get any perfecter. As much as I shushed them and "stopit"ed them, I loved and enjoyed every second of our rare couple of hours all together. We are loud and fun, with a generous share of nuts on top. I am crazy and lovin' it.  ;-)

"Text U L8R" warning! Danger Will Robinson, DANGER!

I downloaded the Chrysler "Text U L8R". Well LET ME TELL YOU sumpin, it is dangerOUS! I thought it was a great idea, thinking it was something that would not alert the person receiving the text and would simply send an automatic text to the sender that the receiver is driving.

I hadn't tried it yet, so on the way home from a grueling shopping trip to Wegman's (a trip just for milk that resulted in pop-tarts, ice cream sandwiches, new-fangled orange juice, tater tots, and whipped cream--how's that for better eating habits, huh?) I asked Dylan to send me a text message so I could see how this thing worked.

Oh boy. It worked. Except it became a serious problem. We're talking SERIOUS. Cause when the receiver who happens to be the driver who happens to be me hears "yo mom what's cracking my homie gangsta" in an unexpected computerized female voice, Fast, it was HILARIOUS. We're talking uncontrollable laughter hilarious. We're talking I was sobbing laughing. We're talking I had to pull the van over cause I couldn't see through my tears hilarious! We're talking I-laughed-and-sobbed-and-cried-and-laughed-so-hard-and-so-long-I-needed-my-inhaler hilarious. We're talking....
yea okay, so you had to be there I suppose, but just consider this my Itoldyouso.

My kids are NOT nice and I am pathetic

Zachary is drawing a wonderful picture of our dentist. In one hand is the mirror, the other is the "hooky thing he checks your teeth with."  My jaw clenched. Mallory, my sweet, innocent little pink bunny, keeps thinking she should remind me I should start getting ready for my dentist appointment. Shoulders up to my ears, jaw still clenched. Then comes Dylan. "Oh yea, you have a dentist appointment today!" 50 times. Still going. If I clench my jaw or tense any other part of me any harder I'm going to compress into a flat slab of human being. Wait, if I'm still a human being then I still have to go to the appointment!! Zachary just drew the nice appointment chair. He's putting lots of detail into it, and OH there's the shelves "where he keeps the flavors of that goo stuff!" Ouch. No nothing happened, I'm just anticipating. Dear Lord, let Dylan have driving privileges just for today so I can take a Valium. Would it fly if I cancelled due to anaphylactic shock cause I'm allergic to the smell of the office?? Just had to smile and tell Zach I love his picture. I think I'll be okay....I think. At least I think I think I'll be okay. Nah, nope-I don't believe that at all no matter how many times I say it, but I'll go anyway.True courage, right????


Bet you want to know what I'm having done, don't ya. Nothing. Literally, nothing. This is me worked up over getting my teeth just looked at to decide what work should be done. Don't think I can't hear the laughter....hmmmm, maybe this is why people don't take my dental recommendations seriously? This is why I'm not mentioning his name in my post, cause that would be almost as not nice as my children are being today.