The Imperfect Community

Scout · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 10:14 am Post subject: Where is everyone??

What's up my imperfect peeps? Where has everyone gone??

Not much going on with us. Calvin turned 10, winter is sucking ass, everyone has been sick off and on (so pretty much at least one of us, continuously) all winter. I hate winter. Is it over yet?

Genevieve is 20 months now and just achingly adorable. She's talking more every day. I have no pictures to post because she did something with the cable we need to upload pics from our piece of shit camera.

Jessica · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 10:45 am Post subject:

I have been around, just busy as all get-out.

It's Grammy's birthday today! He's 5. He's having a Hannah Montana birthday party tomorrow and is so excited!!!

I have a new job, a sort of promotion at my company.

Yep, winter sucks. We have a fresh 12 inches on the ground.

All my free time is spent running errands, doing laundry, watching a little bit of the news and American Idol.

mammaX3 · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 1:45 pm Post subject:

Washington is getting slammed with snow this year. All of the mountain passes are closed, so there's no way to the other side of the state for now (unless you go all the way down to Oregon and then back up!!!!), so we can't even visit my parents or my in-laws.
There was even an avalanche on the pass closest to my town, where 2 cars were buried on the freeway. How scary is that!? Shocked

So, other than that, just staying home, signing kids up for T-ball and next-year's preschool.
Can't wait til May when the Gov sends out those tax-rebate checks, huh? Mr. Green

Anthromomma · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:39 pm Post subject:

Happy Birthday Graham!

MX3-- yikes about the avalanches. Are you on the eastern side of Washington? I can't remember. It snowed nine inches here last night, but it's only the second time it's snowed this winter and it will probably be gone by Monday.

Well, it's kind of a suckfest around here right now. Ainsley broke her leg last week and was in a full leg splint until yesterday, which meant she couldn't walk, or even fit into a stroller (her legs are too long). She has a regular cast now, so I'm hoping for some improvement in attitude and less carrying her to the bathroom.

I have the flu and am completely miserable. Dh took the kids to his mom's tonight so I could get some work done, but I'm too sick to focus. Hmm. I'm teaching a class this semester (mostly on my own, which is scary), and I'm writing my thesis-- oh, it's my last semester(!), I'm graduating in May at long last. I also have an interview in a couple of weeks for a doctoral program that I really, really want to be accepted to. I don't even really want to talk about that, though, because I want it so badly and it seems like it might actually happen.

Harper has started talking quite a bit lately, too. She's... 16 months now, I think? For some reason, she's started saying "Alright" like Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused and it's totally hilarious.

Something finally clicked in Seamus's brain, and he's gone from refusing to try to sound out words to reading chapter books on his own in the span of a couple of months. It's so cool to see. Does anyone have any book recommendations for this reading level? He's read all of the Frog and Toad books, and he's plowing through the Magic Tree House books right now. I don't remember what I liked when I was his age. We're having a hard time at the library because he's beyond beginning reader-type stuff and I don't know where to look in juvenile fiction.

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:56 am Post subject:

DietCokeHead · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 29 Apr 2002 Posts: 3805

Hi all! I've been superbusy since DH fell off the freaking roof on Jan 6th (taking down Xmas lights)and broke both wrists, one shoulder and got a nice concussion. I realize he could have easily died so am grateful that didn't happen, but O M G I need another adult with working arms around here!!

Here's some pics from that fateful day....

DH hopped up on pain meds. He's not dripping blood, that's one nasty headwound. I called him Massive Headwound Harry for about a week. Remember that from SNL?

There's other stuff that's new here, I am sure but I am too tired to care about it, LOL!

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 7:55 pm Post subject:

OMG, that is so scary! I'm glad he's all right (you know, everything WILL be functional once he heals up). Wow, that's like everyone's worst nightmare! I bet there won't be anymore Christmas lights at your house!

Jessica · Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:12 am Post subject:

OMG DCH!

You take the cake for the craziest-ass stories. I'm glad your hubby is okay.

"Massive Headwound Harry", OMG! That is HILARIOUS!!! You are too funny.

So, how long is he going to be out of commission?

julymom · Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:39 pm Post subject:

Holy cow! There's been a lot of injuries! Not much going on here injury wise, except that my beloved Volvo is out of commission. Her alternator went bad 2 weeks ago and she had to be towed in. The alternator was sending the wrong voltage through the engine, and it threw out the throttle and the throttle mechanism. All had to be replaced and after a week I got her back and all was well until this past Thursday, when I was 100 miles from home and in the middle of the big snowstorm and I got a message that read (in red) "transmission service urgent." I limped into my clients driveway (I was one mile from their house) and called Volvo. Unfortunatley because of the big storm they couldn't tow me and my poor Elsa is STILL sitting in my clients driveway (fortunatley they have a huge drive) waiting to be towed. They will get her tomorrow and then dh and I have decided that she needs to be replaced. I'm so sad. I love Elsa and the thought of trading her breaks my heart. I have a weird and unusal attachment to my cars.
Oh, and we rented out our house. We had put it on the market for sale, but everyone who called wanted to rent! Dh and I decided that it was better to rent it (for more than our mortgage) than let it sit empty and pay the mortgage ourselves. We had 4 sets of people apply and I picked a family and signed the lease. It's a huge relief to know that we don't have to worry about the mortgage! They actually may want to buy the house in 6 months, so that makes us very happy. Even if they don't though, we've still got the mortgage (and a bit more) covered for at least a year. Yea!
And, that's about it. I hope everyone takes good care of themselves! Poor Massive Headwound Harry (that is hilarious) and little Ainsley!
And happy belated 5th to Graham! I can't believe he's that old already!

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 8:30 am Post subject:

mammaX3 · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:32 am Post subject:

Massive Headwound Harry! That made me laugh out loud. (not about Dh's accident, though.)

Anthro, PP's suggestion is great. I loved the Indian in the Cupboard when I was a kid! It would be a great book for a boy!

And the whole avalanche thing? Here's a funny part two.
They finally opened up the pass, and a friend had invited us to go over to his cabin to go snowmobiling. So we went from the west side, up to the top of the pass to take pictures of the massive snow up there, then hopped on a less-used on-ramp and continued on our way east. Now this is the MAJOR interstate highway to get east and west here. And all of a sudden Dh and I realized that we were the only car on either direction. It was really creepy. No one ahead of us, no one behind, and no one going westbound.
So we turn on the AM radio pass info at 11:10, and a message recorded 10 minutes ago said that the pass is closed for "avalanch control blasting" starting at 11:15!!!! Shocked

Mind you, last week 2 cars were buriedd on the pass highway by an avalanche!
WTF? There was no signs or cops or anything saying we couldn't get on the highway.
So we turn around at a recreational exit, and headed back west and we end up coming to a snow plow blocking westbound lanes. He said "Whoa. Where did you come from?" Shocked

So we told him what happened and he said "well you better head back east", and showed us a police turnaround between two walls of snow, "you're between two blast zones. The one east of here is starting in an hour, if you sit here, worst-case-scenario is it won't open until tomorrow morning".
So we get back on eastbound and now we start to see police and plows blocking every on-ramp for the rest of the way. So we ended up snowmobiling at our friend's place and watched the super bowl there, too. The pass never opened until 6:30 that night. Could you imagine being parked in a car with 3 kids for 7 hours???????

Anthromomma · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:41 am Post subject:

Holy shit, DCH!! I suddenly feel so much less sorry for myself. Wink

I hope MHH (heh) is healing quickly.

Thanks PP (and MX3) for the book suggestion. I was thinking when I was typing this the other day that we should probably ask a children's librarian for help. I don't know why that hadn't occured to me before.

Ugh. I'm so far in the weeds now it's not funny. I stayed home today in hopes of getting caught up some, and instead I have newly sick kids to contend with. It's too early in the semester to be this far behind. bandhead

Scout · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:42 am Post subject:

DCH, oh no! How scary! I'm so glad it wasn't worse!

And poor Ainsley! How is she doing now?
How old is Seamus? Calvin loves the Magic Treehouse books still even though he was much younger when he started reading them. It seemed like he liked the Jigsaw Jones books then, too. Our library has all the paperback kids' series arranged together so it's pretty easy to feel what kind of stuff is out there. Maybe you could look if yours is like that. I can't really think of any others at the moment.

MainstreamMom · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:29 pm Post subject:

I'm still in mourning Sad

Annie I still LMAO about Headwound Harry. ROAR!!!!!!!!!!

mammaX3 · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject: