Sunday, December 31, 2006

Quick Movie Review

just in case you were thinking you'd go see Eragon today.

Don't.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Well, here we are. Just me and the boy.

Best laid plans were thwarted but it's nice to have him here with me. I guess. He's kind of loud and requires food.

The kids' room are clean. So's the playroom and bathroom. The kitchen and living room are about at the halfway point.

My room, meh. We'll see how much time I've got left.

After all.

We must:

  • Go to hockey practice.
  • Get Dinner. Because I don't cook anything major, like dinner, when the husband leaves for just one night. If he's gone for a weekend, that's different, but overnight...nah.
  • See Eragon. The boy is on page 385 out of 497. As long as he makes it to page 400 (or close) we're going.
  • Watch Brokeback Mountain or Deadwood. Or both.
  • Get a mouse for the laptop.
Priorities. Each and every one of them.

Friday, December 29, 2006

This Just In

We were tentatively planning a trip to Maine, just an overnight to the parent's cabin.

My husband said that if I'd rather stay home to take down the decorations and such, that would be fine by him.

Oh my.

Decisions, decisions....
So I've not taken down any holiday decorations, except the village. Am I the only one? I'm officially blaming it on the illness I've caught but truth be told, I kind of don't mind what's left. Including the dead tree.

It's not brown, people, just dead.

I totally entered a time warp yesterday.

We went roller skating. Brown boot, four orange wheels, carpeted surfaces everywhere rollerskating. The rink, for not having had any significant updates in probably 25 years, had fresh coats of paint on the walls and was well kept. But still. There were disco balls and Kool and the Gang or something equally seventyish was blaring from the loudspeakers. I laughed out loud when I walked in. Until I saw the very updated price of admission.

The girlie had fun and the boy, showing off his (in girlie parlance) mad skating skillz pestered me to leave the entire time we were there (this is bore-ring, it's just skating in circles, how much longer, etc) and then told my husband he had a great time. yeah, okay then.

I spent the ENTIRE night, a few nights, ago, trying to set up a router and wireless card for the 'ole notebook computer. Dear god, I wish I knew what I was doing. Five and a half hours of my life that I'll never get back and still not successful. The router is in and I, quite obviously, have internet access and phone (I have vonage so NO internet access isn't an option for us). The wireless card is installed and seems to be working on the notebook - it gives me a signal strength and everything...it just won't let me connect.

Grrr.

But on the bright side, the girlie is at her friend's house and the boy is using up everybit of his Runecape Membership. It is blissfully quiet. And I've got me some Arrested Development to watch. Buh-bye!

Thursday, December 28, 2006

So the root canals were kind of a bust.

Liquid valium given the night before and the morning of had basically NO effect. Both the doctor and one of the assistants asked me what dosage I had given, if any, because most people are thrown for a loop with that stuff.

But, nonworking narcotics aside, he was brave and resolute. He got two thousand five or six shots of novacaine...two or three in his gums and two or three in the roof of his mouth. The roof of his mouth that does NOT get any pain relief from the topical analgesic.

And then they did the cold test, with my boy in tears, and he still had plenty of feeling in there. The assistant calmed him while the endodontist came out and chatted with me about other options. Sedation! Restraints?!?! And went back in, to renovacaine. The boy cried and refused and that, my friends, was that.

He said the shots in the gums were painful but okay but he just couldn't take any more to the roof of his mouth. Poor kid. Part of me wanted to just beg him to suck it up for a minute or two more the other part, the part that won, hugged him tight and took him home.

We were given some very general referrals..."Call Tufts or Boston University, they both have pedodontic departments, sorry we don't have the phone numbers"... I spent the better part of the morning on the phone trying to find a endo guy who works on kids and doesn't rely exclusively on novacaine. HAH! The joke was on me. Apparently they don't exist. The 72nd office I called referred me to Children's Hospital in Boston. Yeah, sure...I figured it'd be another dead end. It's not. They totally have a dental department and once they get the referrals they'll be calling me to make an appointment. Phew.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

10 Holiday Mysteries

1. Why did our tree, which we cut down ourselves, die a sudden and horrible death weeks ago? Shouldn't it live longer than the ones trucked down from Canada? It was watered regularly and the super drying woodstove wasn't on much and still pfft...dead. We're supposed to bring it to a New Year's Eve party where they burn the trees in a huge bonfire...it won't have even one needle left. However, a corner of my living room rug will be turning up pine needles until June.

2. Why did my husband ask my son to fill the birdfeeders on Christmas Eve? Kismet, I guess because the cabinet where the birdfood is kept is the EXACT SAME PLACE I stashed the Santa Claus wrapping paper after I had finished wrapping all the stocking stuffers earlier that afternoon. He totally saw the paper and at that point the boy had no idea what it was (or why there was a random roll of wrapping paper thrown in a cabinet in the cellar) and he laid it on my husband's workbench. After all the Eve festivities I was in the cellar warming up by the woodstove and I spied the wrapping paper. Thank god my husband told me that the boy moved it otherwise A.) The whole santa thing would've been outed and B.) I wouldn't have gotten to spend another hour first deciding the best course of action (1a. lazy = leave gifts wrapped and hope for the best. OR 1b. less lazy= rewrap with paper I had in my 4runner that he may have seen making the rewrap possibly pointless.) and then rewrapping all the stocking gifts at 11:45 that night.

3.) Why don't I remember to hide the gingerbread house? When I saw one of the gingerbread christmas trees and a speamint leaf missing I thought it was the girlie...I should've known. Four days later I left to go grocery shopping, when I returned there was only a sad plastic tray left. A sad plastic tray and a very sick dog. I guess I should be thankful the girlie got the croup that night so I was only kept awake for one entire night instead of two seperate ones.

4.) Why does my brother in law think I like him?

5.) Why does the convenient USB port on the front of the computer recognize my video iPod and camera but not my son's new shuffle? It only took me three hours of intermittent installing, restarting and clicking to find that other USB port on in the back.

6.) When was the last time I vacuumed behind the computer? ew.

7.) Why can't I spell vaccuumed? vacuumed? vacuummed?

8.) Why does Tom Brady not have a proper wide receiver? And more importantly do you think he broke up with his girlfriend because she proved to be a distraction this year as he's struggling more than usual as he DOES NOT HAVE A CONSISTENT WIDE RECEIVER? This has been an issue all season it will be and even bigger issue post-season. Hey, they played on Christmas Eve and a tight-end was his go to guy...it qualifies as a holiday mystery. To me, anyway.

9.) Is it unchristmasy to pack away decorations before Christmas? I had the entire village packed up and stored by noon on Christmas eve. And I was glad to see it go.

10.) Is it wrong to want us all to sleep in one bed so that I don't have to make three beds every day? The kids will do it if I ask them but they don't make them how I like them, which means I have to redo the bedmaking. I am by no means a clean freak nutso but I can't stand a messy bed.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Jenny's Christmas Countdown

250 - pages left for the boy to read of Eragon. Pages I'd like read before we see the movie.

30- Degrees the temperature needs to drop. Enough of this warm.

11- Days 'till the root canals.

8 - tires needed for both vehicles.

7 - presents to wrap for christmas at my mom's later today.

6 - The amount of Christmas cards I'm short. Note to self: count the list BEFORE you order.

5 -The number of appliances in this house that are on the fritz or just one good cycle past the fritz. Dryer, Microwave, Oven, Dishwasher, Toaster Oven. Plus smoke was coming out of the switch on my blowdryer. That's never good.

4 - days left of sanity school.

1 - The number of times I refrained from calling my husband to question him, in a not so nice manner, on why he left the new guinea pig cage box in the middle of the bathroom floor, where the boy and girl could find it. Find it and read the label.

2- Number of Gift Certificates "misplaced".

2 - times the girl has been sent to her room this morning.

0 - The number of days on my calander that are blank between now and December 28th.


There is an overwhelming temptation to invite all or part of the hockey team over after practice next Saturday.

Help me to resist.

I've been struggling with the whole lack of spirit thing. I thought that maybe it was the weather (meh, 60 degrees in december still kind of sucks) turns out it wasn't.

Anyway, I got this christmas card yesterday, from a friend in blog land, it was just a wee little card but somehow, driving home last night looking at lights and reflecting on the fact that this world is a whole lot smaller than I'd ever thought *insert blog sappiness here* - it hit me...

It's Christmas.

And your stories of choosing trees, feeling scroogish, mailing cards, advent sundays, buying gifts, making dinners and planning parties - they make it more so.

Have a great weekend.

Friday, December 15, 2006

I am ruined

Do not even try to eat Ghiradelli's dark chocolate one day and think, a day or two later, that you will get your chocolate fix by grabbing a hershey's kiss.

The girlie's sidewalk chalk has a smidge less flavor but much the same texture.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

The Meme that's been in my drafts folder for weeks just waiting for the most opportune posting moment

Hot chocolate or eggnog?
Hot chocolate - usually. But my father in law makes homemade eggnog, which, if you've never had homemade eggnog, I can't blame you for hating it - the storebought stuff is awful.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa doesn't give out a whole ton over here. He wraps the small, individual kid stocking trinkets but the toys that go into the large family stocking are unwrapped.

Colored lights on your tree/house or white?
This year the kids finally broke my spirit and got us to put colored lights on the tree. I tested them all and we hung them...only to find that barely half of them worked once they were actually ON the tree. We took them down, thought about testing each light and totally threw them away. We're back to white. The way it was intended.

Do you hang mistletoe?
Not usually. I'm afraid it will fall and the dog will eat it.

When do you put up decorations?
Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving.

What does your favorite christmas meal include?
Generally we have a roast pork dinner which is good, especially because I don't have to cook it but my favorite meal is breakfast with french toast, orange juice, thick cut bacon and real maple syrup.

Favorite christmas memory from childhood?
I remember shopping with my dad. We didn't have much money but he put alot of thought into what he bought my mom, he really loved her.

How and when did you learn the truth about Santa?
I cannot remember, so I'm thinking it wasn't too traumatic.

Do you open a gift on christmas eve?
The kids do. They open their new pajamas. Which match. hehehe.

How do you decorate your christmas tree?
I don't do too much anymore. Just the heavy ornaments that need a strong branch near the top plus a few of the ornaments I made as a kid. The chillens do the rest, results be damned.

Snow! Love it or leave it?
Love, love, love.

Can you ice skate?
Not well but I go out anyway.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
Silly, but a pair of mittens my husband gave me.

What's the most important thing about christmas for you?
Getting good gifts. Ahahahaha! Okay, not really, but a thoughtful gift really does mean something... Really, it's lazing around with the family. First at our house then at the in-laws. Lots of lazing and chatting, by the afternoon there's usually a christmas movie playing in the background. It's just nice and comfortable.

What is your favorite christmas tradition?
The matching pajamas and the J family stocking.

What tops your tree?
A golden star with (what else?) white lights.

What is your favorite christmas song?
O holy night and Oh Come all ye faithful.
This, from a girl who doubts the very existence.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

1. Two root canals. Scheduled for December 27th.

2. Officially exceeded the dental insurance maximum payout. By a thousand dollars.

3. But. The insurance re-ups in January.

4. The new teeth, scheduled to be constructed on January 3rd, will be covered.

5. Thanking god this happened in December and not June.

The boy handled the endodontist testing very, VERY well. For a boy who gets all freaky when I try to pull a bandaid off...it's a majorly good thing. He'll be getting some valium the night before and the morning of the root canal "therapy". I will be sipping his last, leftover dose. I'm kidding. I will swig it down, not sip. Sipping is for babies.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Interview with a Vampire

Recently heard in the J household:

"I wish it was all a dream."

"I was "this" close to calling K. And then D called and I wanted to play. If only I called K five minutes earlier. Or even two minutes earlier."

"I can only drink room temperature water?"

"I'm thinking I can maybe get some more computer time out of this..."

"Go ahead...say it. You won't get in trouble, I swear..." "Thit"



And so. His front teeth are broken. Pretty badly. He was playing street hockey with over a friend's house last night and the other boy's stick got stuck in a storm drain grate. The kid gave it a good strong yank and SLAM. The blade hit my boy square in the mouth. His teeth parts fell straight into the storm drain and that, my friends, was that.

My husband was already on his way to pick the boy up, I was out Christmas shopping. (P.S. Retail therapy + Best Friend = Total Able to Cope Mom) My husband calls me and says the boy "had an accident" at D's house. I, for a brief minute, thought he had peed his pants. Which would've been bad enough. Anyway... he tells me his teeth got smashed out, mostly. I, in my head, think there is something more. Something called A PUNCH LINE. Alas, no punch line.

I called the dentist - no emergency hours. I called the pediatrician - an almost immediate and awesomely good natured callback. Sorry, though, nothing they can do. My husband says the boy is in fine spirits, no pain (except for a sore lip) and is doing well. I stay on course with the shopping, buying the boy many shirts at Old Navy while plagued by 'survivor's guilt'.

We got in to see his dentist today. The news isn't all that great. First, it's off to the Endodontist for some testing on the teeth and nerves. One of the nerves is exposed and one is just below the surface and that, apparently, spells trouble. Especially if trouble is spelled R-O-O-T-C-A-N-A-L. The endo guy will either say they're okay or the boy will need root canal "therapy". Which, holy fucking moly...that's supposed to hurt and that's pretty much the way the dentist was leaning. Once the endo guy gives the regular dentist the okay...then we'll start with the reconstructive work. Some sort of temporary measure is all they'll do until he's about twenty. Sort of breakaway teeth, in case he gets hit again. Even the permanent measures, according to the dentist, will be a lifelong bout of dentistry fun for the boy. Damn, damn, damn.
I told him I could return his gifts because I heard

All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth...

He wasn't that amused.


Saturday, December 02, 2006

Making me Happy:

  • Finding my Wicked Good Slippers. Got them for christmas last year and totally forgot I had them.
wicked good indeed.

  • Squidward: "Have any of you ever played a musical instrument before?"
Patrick: "Is mayonnaise a musical instrument?"

  • Squirt Hockey: 10-1-0
  • Possible snow in the forecast
  • Eight Christmas presents left to buy. And I know EXACTLY what they are.


Making me question my sanity:

  • The son's attitude (and then punishment for said fit) when he got an answer he really didn't want to hear.

  • Husband's pending layoff. Although there are two furniture projects in his plans...so aside from the complete lack of money and possibly loss of health insurance, i will try (i only said TRY) to not let it drive me too batty.

  • The guinea pig hair loss issue. Still going on. All advice says "see a vet". And so we will, Monday at 2:45. It could be mites, lack of vitamin C (although with a daily dose of kale, carrots and enriched food - I'm doubting this), dehydration (he drinks, but how do I know if it's 'enough'??) or stress. I'm actually HOPING for mites. Sick, I know but I can kill them, clean the cage and be done with it. I can't control my own stress, never mind a guinea pig's.