This post is probably more of a Public Service Announcement more than anything. I hope it doesn't end up being more boring than my review of my netbook. Too late, it already is.
On June 1, 2009 (approximately 90 days from now) the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is supposed to go into effect. If it actually does happen, people over the age of 16 will need a passport or passport card to return to the US. (You can also obtain an enhanced driver's license if you live in a state that offers them). That means, if you come visit us in Buffalo, and want to go to Niagara Falls, Canada, you will need to have more than your birth certificate.
More info here:
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
We just applied for passport cards and it was fairly easy.
1. Have passport photos taken at Rite Aid. They were on sale! I guess you can go to Walgreens, CVS, The Post Office or somewhere else. . .
2. Fill out form DS-11 that you can find online here. We made sure not to sign it as the directions instruct you to.
3. Bring certified copies of birth certificates and drivers licenses to a Post Office or other acceptance facility. You can search for one here and find out hours to apply.
4. Pay $45 for a passport card. A real passport book is about $90. Info here about a passport card and how it is different from a real passport.
5. They KEEP your birth certificate until they send you your passport/passport card. They said it should take about 3-4 weeks. This sucks because now that we don't have our birth certificates, we really want to go to Niagara Falls this weekend.
With my luck, now will come the announcement that the government will (again) postpone these rules and we will have to listen to the advertisements/news stories for even longer. Gotta love 3 more months of those annoying DTV commercials and warnings.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Dedicated
Tom Brady is dedicated to her sport.
Let me set the scene:
About 7:15am in February. Outside temperature is 19 degrees without considering wind chill. The sun is shining and that gets Tom Brady all excited. Tom Brady is ready for school early for once and she is pestering me over and over and over to go outside and play football. I give in and let her go outside until the school bus comes.
She starts her morning workout with laps around the yard. I find this to be cute and start to record. Tom Brady becomes angry and demands that the paparazzi turn off the camera. For fear of a Christian Bale-type outburst, I turn off the camera and delete the video as instructed.
Next, I go upstairs and begin to record in stealth mode. Unfortunately, the glare and screen make my video difficult to see, but I think it could be worse. You don't need to turn up the sound on this video because there is no narration.
What you see at the beginning is Tom Brady entering the video from the right side of the screen just as she gets a touchdown. If you look closely, she is dancing in the endzone until about 13 seconds into the video where she gets distracted by footprints in the snow. The rest of the video is just her running around the yard demonstrating the insane amount of energy this child has in the morning. Enjoy.
Let me set the scene:
About 7:15am in February. Outside temperature is 19 degrees without considering wind chill. The sun is shining and that gets Tom Brady all excited. Tom Brady is ready for school early for once and she is pestering me over and over and over to go outside and play football. I give in and let her go outside until the school bus comes.
She starts her morning workout with laps around the yard. I find this to be cute and start to record. Tom Brady becomes angry and demands that the paparazzi turn off the camera. For fear of a Christian Bale-type outburst, I turn off the camera and delete the video as instructed.
Next, I go upstairs and begin to record in stealth mode. Unfortunately, the glare and screen make my video difficult to see, but I think it could be worse. You don't need to turn up the sound on this video because there is no narration.
What you see at the beginning is Tom Brady entering the video from the right side of the screen just as she gets a touchdown. If you look closely, she is dancing in the endzone until about 13 seconds into the video where she gets distracted by footprints in the snow. The rest of the video is just her running around the yard demonstrating the insane amount of energy this child has in the morning. Enjoy.
Product Review: iPhone and Itty Bitty Computer
This post has turned out to be longer than I ever imagined. It also turned out quite boring but I have requests for a review of my new device. If you have an idea for a post, please share!
Nick is so in love with his iPhone I believe he is about to cheat on Zelda the GPS. He has managed to find apps (I believe that is short for applications) that will connect with our home computer and play any music he wants. The iPhone is actually an iPod but is unable to hold the gigantic music library that we has in the home computer. Using these apps, Nick doesn't need to update his music list and has more room on his phone for pictures and more apps. Since his Goodyear-issued vehicle is fancy and new, it has a place to plug in the iPhone (or iPod) so whatever is playing on the phone is then played through the speakers of the car.
Nick still dreams that one day he will be capable of browsing someone else's music collection through an app called Simplify. Specifically, Nick wants to spy on Justin's music because Justin is musically, one step ahead of Nick. I don't think Nick has figured that one out yet. Justin is "offline" at the moment, whatever that means.
Nick can also browse the internet whenever he wants on his phone. He is now checking his gmail account regularly again. This is a good thing! Go ahead Grandma Larisa, email him, he might just reply. By the way, this device also functions as a telephone and a nice camera.
Here is a photo of the iPhone, my itty bitty laptop and a regular laptop for scale.
So, I am slightly jealous of Nick's iPhone but I can't stomach the idea of another $30 added to our phone bill each month. Instead, I bought an itty bitty laptop computer. These types of computers are also called netbooks. They are basically intended for browsing the internet but can be used for other purposes.
Mine is an Acer Aspire One that I bought at Wal-Mart (don't be a hater) for $298 plus tax. I don't have insane amounts of music to upload, so this little cutie works for me. You can find cheaper netbooks, but this one works more like a real computer. It runs on Windows XP and has 120GB of storage that seems big right? It has a built-in webcam and microphone (which I haven't tested yet) but I can schedule a video chat with Granny Bird soon. There are 3 USB ports to plug in flash drives or a mini mouse. I am getting better with a touchpad and you can perform the "pinch and expand" gesture on this touchpad that I love despite the dirty-sounding name. It also has SD card slot and a multi card slot for removable storage. Lets not forget a built in wireless card so I can surf the net at my home which already is a wi fi hot spot. By the way, I love overused "tech" words.
So far I have installed all of my usual programs like Firefox internet browser, Windows Live One Care to keep my netbook healthy, and also Microsoft Offce because I have lots of Powerpoint Presentations to show to my cats. My itty bitty laptop appears to be functioning normally and I have no trouble viewing the 8.9" screen but people over 60 might not enjoy it's "cuteness" as much as I do.
Are there cons to this magical machine? Sure! First and foremost is that there is no drive for a CD/DVD. Some people call it an "optical drive" but I am not technologically gifted and cannot use fancy words like that. I have the use of our desktop computer and can burn CDs on that. I downloaded all of the software I needed from the internet and don't miss a CD drive if I am just looking for a machine that I can blog from the comfort of my kitchen counter. You can buy an external CD drive to supplement your itty bitty machine.
I have one other complaint. I found it difficult to hear episodes of The Office in my bedroom because the speaker is on the bottom of the machine which gets quite muffled when it was sitting on my bed. I guess you have to squeeze a speaker in an inconvenient spot if you are making a laptop that weights a mere 2.19lbs.
From reading other reviews, I found that many people weren't impressed with the 3 cell battery that comes with this netbook. It only lasts for about 2.25 hours. I like it's itty bitty size and don't mind it's itty bitty capacity. Buuuuut people all over the world wide web seem to think that they want to sit at Starbucks for more than 2 hours on their netbooks. Me? I haven't found a reason to be on this device for that long. If I am stranded somewhere with no power outlets for more than 2.25 hours, I would just bring a book. Mine is plugged in at home most of the time.
Here is a picture of Nick's laptop eating my netbook for breakfast.
Thanks Justin for your help in shopping for this netbook.
Nick is so in love with his iPhone I believe he is about to cheat on Zelda the GPS. He has managed to find apps (I believe that is short for applications) that will connect with our home computer and play any music he wants. The iPhone is actually an iPod but is unable to hold the gigantic music library that we has in the home computer. Using these apps, Nick doesn't need to update his music list and has more room on his phone for pictures and more apps. Since his Goodyear-issued vehicle is fancy and new, it has a place to plug in the iPhone (or iPod) so whatever is playing on the phone is then played through the speakers of the car.
Nick still dreams that one day he will be capable of browsing someone else's music collection through an app called Simplify. Specifically, Nick wants to spy on Justin's music because Justin is musically, one step ahead of Nick. I don't think Nick has figured that one out yet. Justin is "offline" at the moment, whatever that means.
Nick can also browse the internet whenever he wants on his phone. He is now checking his gmail account regularly again. This is a good thing! Go ahead Grandma Larisa, email him, he might just reply. By the way, this device also functions as a telephone and a nice camera.
Here is a photo of the iPhone, my itty bitty laptop and a regular laptop for scale.
So, I am slightly jealous of Nick's iPhone but I can't stomach the idea of another $30 added to our phone bill each month. Instead, I bought an itty bitty laptop computer. These types of computers are also called netbooks. They are basically intended for browsing the internet but can be used for other purposes.
Mine is an Acer Aspire One that I bought at Wal-Mart (don't be a hater) for $298 plus tax. I don't have insane amounts of music to upload, so this little cutie works for me. You can find cheaper netbooks, but this one works more like a real computer. It runs on Windows XP and has 120GB of storage that seems big right? It has a built-in webcam and microphone (which I haven't tested yet) but I can schedule a video chat with Granny Bird soon. There are 3 USB ports to plug in flash drives or a mini mouse. I am getting better with a touchpad and you can perform the "pinch and expand" gesture on this touchpad that I love despite the dirty-sounding name. It also has SD card slot and a multi card slot for removable storage. Lets not forget a built in wireless card so I can surf the net at my home which already is a wi fi hot spot. By the way, I love overused "tech" words.
So far I have installed all of my usual programs like Firefox internet browser, Windows Live One Care to keep my netbook healthy, and also Microsoft Offce because I have lots of Powerpoint Presentations to show to my cats. My itty bitty laptop appears to be functioning normally and I have no trouble viewing the 8.9" screen but people over 60 might not enjoy it's "cuteness" as much as I do.
Are there cons to this magical machine? Sure! First and foremost is that there is no drive for a CD/DVD. Some people call it an "optical drive" but I am not technologically gifted and cannot use fancy words like that. I have the use of our desktop computer and can burn CDs on that. I downloaded all of the software I needed from the internet and don't miss a CD drive if I am just looking for a machine that I can blog from the comfort of my kitchen counter. You can buy an external CD drive to supplement your itty bitty machine.
I have one other complaint. I found it difficult to hear episodes of The Office in my bedroom because the speaker is on the bottom of the machine which gets quite muffled when it was sitting on my bed. I guess you have to squeeze a speaker in an inconvenient spot if you are making a laptop that weights a mere 2.19lbs.
From reading other reviews, I found that many people weren't impressed with the 3 cell battery that comes with this netbook. It only lasts for about 2.25 hours. I like it's itty bitty size and don't mind it's itty bitty capacity. Buuuuut people all over the world wide web seem to think that they want to sit at Starbucks for more than 2 hours on their netbooks. Me? I haven't found a reason to be on this device for that long. If I am stranded somewhere with no power outlets for more than 2.25 hours, I would just bring a book. Mine is plugged in at home most of the time.
Here is a picture of Nick's laptop eating my netbook for breakfast.
Thanks Justin for your help in shopping for this netbook.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tom Brady's Question of the Day
I highly doubt this will be a regular feature, but Tom Brady really loved Jenny's idea to survey people via this blog. Jenny got the pleasure to experience one of Tom Brady's bedtime chat-fests. When Tom gets insanely tired, she fights her sleepiness with talking. On Sunday, Tom Brady was getting drowsy and she surveyed (interrogated) everyone about the movie The Neverending Story.
Today Tom Brady wants to know:
Should we change Cheeseburger's name to Sylvester? She thinks she was too young when she named Cheeseburger and he needs a more "grown up" name.
Today Tom Brady wants to know:
Should we change Cheeseburger's name to Sylvester? She thinks she was too young when she named Cheeseburger and he needs a more "grown up" name.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I don't get it
I was invited to so many Oscar parties, I couldn't decide and just stayed home to clean the litter boxes. No, not really. I have never been invited to an Oscar party. As I write this, I am trying to stay focused on the awards show and all I can focus on is how Sarah Jessica Parker's boobies appear to defy gravity.
I have not the slightest clue who Hugh Jackman is. I also do not share in the opinion that he is a sexy man. I don't get it.
Here is the list of 2008 movies I saw at the theater or on DVD. I have also added some of my comments . Yes, this list is embarrassing for me to post. What may be more embarrassing is that the last 3 movies on the list were the only ones I actually saw at the theater.
27 Dresses : dumb
Mad Money :must have been dumb because I don't remember it at all
Semi Pro: pretty cool
21: pretty cool
Forgetting Sarah Marshall: dumb and too much weiner
Baby Mama: pretty cool
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: could have been better but ok
What Happens in Vegas: don't remember it. it must have been dumb
Sex and the City: 100% crap
You Don't Mess with the Zohan: offensive but quite entertaining
The Love Guru: thought it would be dumb, but was cool
The Dark Knight: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Step Brothers: one of my favorties
Pineapple Express: another one of my favorites
Tropic Thunder: ?? i didn't get it
The House Bunny: pretty cool
Burn After Reading: super cool
Beverly Hills Chihuahua: dumb
High School Musical 3: Senior Year: Fun but too long
Twilight: acceptable only because I read the book
Four Christmases: funny but had an awful ending
The above list may be every single movie that was not nominated for an Oscar (Dark Knight is the exception, but I can't say I actually watched it)
I guess I'm just not that into movies.
I asked Tom Brady to watch all of the movie trailers for the Best Picture nominees and make a prediction. She chose The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She wouldn't even sit through The Reader trailer.
I have not the slightest clue who Hugh Jackman is. I also do not share in the opinion that he is a sexy man. I don't get it.
Here is the list of 2008 movies I saw at the theater or on DVD. I have also added some of my comments . Yes, this list is embarrassing for me to post. What may be more embarrassing is that the last 3 movies on the list were the only ones I actually saw at the theater.
27 Dresses : dumb
Mad Money :must have been dumb because I don't remember it at all
Semi Pro: pretty cool
21: pretty cool
Forgetting Sarah Marshall: dumb and too much weiner
Baby Mama: pretty cool
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: could have been better but ok
What Happens in Vegas: don't remember it. it must have been dumb
Sex and the City: 100% crap
You Don't Mess with the Zohan: offensive but quite entertaining
The Love Guru: thought it would be dumb, but was cool
The Dark Knight: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Step Brothers: one of my favorties
Pineapple Express: another one of my favorites
Tropic Thunder: ?? i didn't get it
The House Bunny: pretty cool
Burn After Reading: super cool
Beverly Hills Chihuahua: dumb
High School Musical 3: Senior Year: Fun but too long
Twilight: acceptable only because I read the book
Four Christmases: funny but had an awful ending
The above list may be every single movie that was not nominated for an Oscar (Dark Knight is the exception, but I can't say I actually watched it)
I guess I'm just not that into movies.
I asked Tom Brady to watch all of the movie trailers for the Best Picture nominees and make a prediction. She chose The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She wouldn't even sit through The Reader trailer.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thank You Tom Brady
I would like to thank Tom Brady for contributing to this blog. You are an asset to the family and will forever bore everyone you meet with chatter about college football teams, logos, mascots and fight songs. This blog wouldn't exist without you.
College football Logos
I am tom Brady I LOVE NCAA Football Hear is The #1 To #10 My Favorite NCAA Teams.
#1 Ball state Cardinals
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes
#3 The citadel Bulldogs
#4 Houston Cougars
#5 Notre dame Fighting Irish
#6 Georgia Bulldogs
#7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#8 Michigan Wolverines Boooooooo
#9 Toledo Rockets Boooooooo
#10 Buffalo Bulls Boooooooo
#1 Ball state Cardinals
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes
#3 The citadel Bulldogs
#4 Houston Cougars
#5 Notre dame Fighting Irish
#6 Georgia Bulldogs
#7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#8 Michigan Wolverines Boooooooo
#9 Toledo Rockets Boooooooo
#10 Buffalo Bulls Boooooooo
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Charleston Trip
Now is my chance to bore you with details of our trip to Charleston. Prepare to be bored. Actually, the beginning is a ton of details and the rest is a short synopis of our trip. Next, there is a picture to click on to take you to more pictures of our trip.
We wake up Friday morning about 4:45 and find some curious text messages on my phone about flight delays and one that asked if we are alive. We check flight delays/cancellations and proceed to the airport because we only gave ourselves 15 minutes to get ready in the morning. We didn't read any news headlines We hear awful news on the radio but turn it off right away for Tom Brady's sake. We board our plane only to see the wings caked in ice. They de-ice the plane (thankfully) for a looooonnnnnngggggg time. This means we arrive in Philadelphia late and we had to run and run and run and run to our next flight. We made it with seconds to spare. Once we arrived in Charleston, we waited for people to get off work and we went out to dinner where Tom Brady fell asleep in the booth at the pizza place. She doesn't normally do that but it was a long day. You can see a picture in our photo album.
Over the weekend, we went to the Children's museum of the Lowcountry. It was really small but neat. We really enjoyed the Castle, the Shrimp Boat and the Grocery Store.
We went to a fun place called Taco Boy for lunch one day. Afterward, we walked to the ocean and ran around on the pier. That was a lot of fun and we got to see some dolphins.
On Sunday, we headed to Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor. The weather seemed fine, but was butt cold once you got out near the water. Brrrrr. After Fort Sumter, we visited the Citadel staduim for Tom Brady. She thought it was nifty. Sunday night we met some friends of our friends and one of them made us dinner. Tom Brady met Laura who had fun talking about football and Labryinth.
Monday we went to Magnolia Gardens and Plantation. We almost had to give them Tom Brady for admission but we severed our arms and legs instead. It was really expensive but fun. This is where we went on a swamp tour and saw alligators. Monday night we went to dinner with Jenny, Justin and Paul. Tom Brady took a lot of pictures which you will see.
We had a really good time.
Now you can click on the picture of Tom Brady to view a lot of pictures of our trip.
We wake up Friday morning about 4:45 and find some curious text messages on my phone about flight delays and one that asked if we are alive. We check flight delays/cancellations and proceed to the airport because we only gave ourselves 15 minutes to get ready in the morning. We didn't read any news headlines We hear awful news on the radio but turn it off right away for Tom Brady's sake. We board our plane only to see the wings caked in ice. They de-ice the plane (thankfully) for a looooonnnnnngggggg time. This means we arrive in Philadelphia late and we had to run and run and run and run to our next flight. We made it with seconds to spare. Once we arrived in Charleston, we waited for people to get off work and we went out to dinner where Tom Brady fell asleep in the booth at the pizza place. She doesn't normally do that but it was a long day. You can see a picture in our photo album.
Over the weekend, we went to the Children's museum of the Lowcountry. It was really small but neat. We really enjoyed the Castle, the Shrimp Boat and the Grocery Store.
We went to a fun place called Taco Boy for lunch one day. Afterward, we walked to the ocean and ran around on the pier. That was a lot of fun and we got to see some dolphins.
On Sunday, we headed to Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor. The weather seemed fine, but was butt cold once you got out near the water. Brrrrr. After Fort Sumter, we visited the Citadel staduim for Tom Brady. She thought it was nifty. Sunday night we met some friends of our friends and one of them made us dinner. Tom Brady met Laura who had fun talking about football and Labryinth.
Monday we went to Magnolia Gardens and Plantation. We almost had to give them Tom Brady for admission but we severed our arms and legs instead. It was really expensive but fun. This is where we went on a swamp tour and saw alligators. Monday night we went to dinner with Jenny, Justin and Paul. Tom Brady took a lot of pictures which you will see.
We had a really good time.
Now you can click on the picture of Tom Brady to view a lot of pictures of our trip.
 |
| South Carolina |
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Did you miss me?
We are back from South Carolina. It was a great trip if you leave out the part about that terrible plane crash in Buffalo. It was fun keeping that tasty little tidbit of information from Tom Brady. She must be able to smell fear like dogs and bees because my nerves rubbed off on her. It was an interesting Friday the 13th.
I will bore you later with more details.
I will bore you later with more details.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Packing for the Weekend
I am in the beginning stages of packing for our trip to SC. We have made a decision to pack light and just carry-on all of our stuff. Our airline wants to charge $15 for each checked bag and they can shove it! I have done this before and it can be done again. I tend to over pack. No, I tend to grossly over pack. I am hoping to get by with the essentials. You know. . .
1. Phones and Phone Chargers
2. Nintendo DS and Charger
3. GPS and Charger
4. iPod and charger
5. Books (6 for Tom Brady and two for me)
6. Camera and Charger
7. Tom Brady's Playstation 2 Games
8. Contacts/Glasses/Small Bottle of Contact Solution
9. Teensy bottles of shampoo/toothpaste
10. I would assume Nick would bring his laptop to work a bit.
11. Two outfits each with plans to do laundry once
And the genius idea to make it possible to carry-on all of our crap? Elaina suggested that we wear all 3 of our outfits and carry small items like toothbrushes in our pockets. Sweet!
1. Phones and Phone Chargers
2. Nintendo DS and Charger
3. GPS and Charger
4. iPod and charger
5. Books (6 for Tom Brady and two for me)
6. Camera and Charger
7. Tom Brady's Playstation 2 Games
8. Contacts/Glasses/Small Bottle of Contact Solution
9. Teensy bottles of shampoo/toothpaste
10. I would assume Nick would bring his laptop to work a bit.
11. Two outfits each with plans to do laundry once
And the genius idea to make it possible to carry-on all of our crap? Elaina suggested that we wear all 3 of our outfits and carry small items like toothbrushes in our pockets. Sweet!
New Baby!
Ha ha. I got you all excited didn't I?
Just wanted to share the good news. Our family is getting bigger by the day.
Here is our list:
1. Nick-He makes the money
2. Sarah-I spend the money
3. Tom Brady-Red Headed She Beast Spawn
4. Leroy-Dumb, but super soft cat
5. Cheeseburger-cat that likes to pee on stuff
6. Sarina-Granny Dog
7. Zelda-Our GPS. I hear her talking to Nick most times I call him when he is working.
And our new addition to our family: Nick's iPhone!!
Funny, he threw a mini hissy when I was begging to replace both our TVs and he won. But, when I spend an undisclosed amount of money on an iPhone (and monthly service), he has no comment. I made a joke about having a coupon for an iPhone and he either believed me, or didn't care how much it cost. As long as Nick is insanely happy with his new toy, I guess I'm happy.
I will also be happy with the new pair of shoes I am going to buy today.
Just wanted to share the good news. Our family is getting bigger by the day.
Here is our list:
1. Nick-He makes the money
2. Sarah-I spend the money
3. Tom Brady-Red Headed She Beast Spawn
4. Leroy-Dumb, but super soft cat
5. Cheeseburger-cat that likes to pee on stuff
6. Sarina-Granny Dog
7. Zelda-Our GPS. I hear her talking to Nick most times I call him when he is working.
And our new addition to our family: Nick's iPhone!!
Funny, he threw a mini hissy when I was begging to replace both our TVs and he won. But, when I spend an undisclosed amount of money on an iPhone (and monthly service), he has no comment. I made a joke about having a coupon for an iPhone and he either believed me, or didn't care how much it cost. As long as Nick is insanely happy with his new toy, I guess I'm happy.
I will also be happy with the new pair of shoes I am going to buy today.
Monday, February 9, 2009
History Lesson
We are leaving for South Carolina on Friday. We are hoping to get a chance to tour Fort Sumter while we are there. Last time we were in Charleston, we took a boat ride out to the Fort but didn't get to stop.
In preparation of our trip, I have gotten a book out of the library about Fort Sumter. I got the most juvenile book I could find so none of us would get overwhelmed with boring information. Tom Brady and I have been reading it all week and I think Tom Brady is getting mildly interested. She is interested enough, she has set up a re-creation in her room. Her doll house is Charleston, SC (specifically Fort Moultrie I think). The Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Center is Fort Sumter. The boy dolls are the Confederacy and the girl dolls are from the Union.
The Civil War starts tomorrow in Tom Brady's room.
In preparation of our trip, I have gotten a book out of the library about Fort Sumter. I got the most juvenile book I could find so none of us would get overwhelmed with boring information. Tom Brady and I have been reading it all week and I think Tom Brady is getting mildly interested. She is interested enough, she has set up a re-creation in her room. Her doll house is Charleston, SC (specifically Fort Moultrie I think). The Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Center is Fort Sumter. The boy dolls are the Confederacy and the girl dolls are from the Union.
The Civil War starts tomorrow in Tom Brady's room.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
10 year plan
I know everyone is wondering if I heard from Tom Brady's teacher. Yes, she did email me back and told me that Tom Brady did deserve a different grade and she apologized. I'm sure she had a million other choice things to say, but didn't. She is a nice teacher.
We received our tax refund and now are proud to say that we have paid off both automobiles. By the end of the month, we should have zero credit card debt. Good for us! Our next goal is to build a savings account. We have decided to set a goal of 6 months of living expenses. We have the ability to reach our goal in 12 months. With our will-power this should take approximately 50 years.
This wacky goal of having a savings account means that we have to save save save for another year. Yes, this sucks but we have a 10-year plan! Noooooo our plan does not involve a house of our own or more kids. My plan is to take a vacation and leave Tom Brady at home to pet-sit. Tom Brady did the math all by herself and discovered that she will be 16 in 10 years. We told her she can even have her boyfriend over while we are away. She said it was an okay arrangement realizing that we don't need to find a babysitter OR a pet sitter and she can hang out by herself. Unfortunately, she has expressed her dissatisfaction about picking up poop.
Tom Brady, thinking logically as usual has decided that she can take on the job of pet-sitting for us in 10 years because she can have her boyfriend pick up the poop for her.
We received our tax refund and now are proud to say that we have paid off both automobiles. By the end of the month, we should have zero credit card debt. Good for us! Our next goal is to build a savings account. We have decided to set a goal of 6 months of living expenses. We have the ability to reach our goal in 12 months. With our will-power this should take approximately 50 years.
This wacky goal of having a savings account means that we have to save save save for another year. Yes, this sucks but we have a 10-year plan! Noooooo our plan does not involve a house of our own or more kids. My plan is to take a vacation and leave Tom Brady at home to pet-sit. Tom Brady did the math all by herself and discovered that she will be 16 in 10 years. We told her she can even have her boyfriend over while we are away. She said it was an okay arrangement realizing that we don't need to find a babysitter OR a pet sitter and she can hang out by herself. Unfortunately, she has expressed her dissatisfaction about picking up poop.
Tom Brady, thinking logically as usual has decided that she can take on the job of pet-sitting for us in 10 years because she can have her boyfriend pick up the poop for her.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Child Genius
I still haven't heard from Tom Brady's teacher I hope she wasn't too offended. I'm sure the teacher is just waiting for a response from MENSA for the paperwork she submitted on my daughter's behalf. What does a mom have to do to get a solid gold (notarized) certification that her daughter is the most brilliant 6 year old on earth?
Here is a picture of her presenting her lecture on Millard Fillmore.
Here is a picture of her presenting her lecture on Millard Fillmore.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Ewwwwww
I did it. I am a Grade Grubbing Stay at Home mom with too much free time. I emailed Tom Brady's teacher about some glaring inconsistencies between Tom Brady's abilities (clearly documented by the teacher) and her Report Card.
I have sunk to a new all-time low.
I have sunk to a new all-time low.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Super Bowl=Super Fun
We did purchase a mini television yesterday to replace our broken one. Tom Brady and I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl together. We decorated the living room and had a grand time. Nick was in Washington DC at a party with his work comrades.
Tom Brady started to show signs of fatigue about 8:30. She starts laying all over my lap chatting incessantly. She also fights sleep by moving constantly. I think I may have a few bruises from her evil little elbows. I told her to take a very short nap over a commercial break. She fell asleep and was out for the rest of the game. At the end, I sat her up and told her the game was over and she actually opened her eyes but was clearly still asleep.
Now is the nearly impossible feat of carrying the child up to bed. I am barely over 5 feet tall and she is 4 feet tall. She also weighs 50lbs. Just the sight of me carrying her up the stairs is hilarious, but to make it even more entertaining is that we were both wearing our Snuggie Rip-Off blankets which are about 6 feet long and drag on the floor. No one was harmed in the journey up the stairs.
Tom Brady has no recollection of being told who won the game so she woke up at 5:30am and bothered me for an hour asking a million questions about what she missed.
Despite the early morning, I had a pretty good day that ended with Tom Brady telling me she loves me more than the smell of grapes. I hope that she means that.
Tom Brady started to show signs of fatigue about 8:30. She starts laying all over my lap chatting incessantly. She also fights sleep by moving constantly. I think I may have a few bruises from her evil little elbows. I told her to take a very short nap over a commercial break. She fell asleep and was out for the rest of the game. At the end, I sat her up and told her the game was over and she actually opened her eyes but was clearly still asleep.
Now is the nearly impossible feat of carrying the child up to bed. I am barely over 5 feet tall and she is 4 feet tall. She also weighs 50lbs. Just the sight of me carrying her up the stairs is hilarious, but to make it even more entertaining is that we were both wearing our Snuggie Rip-Off blankets which are about 6 feet long and drag on the floor. No one was harmed in the journey up the stairs.
Tom Brady has no recollection of being told who won the game so she woke up at 5:30am and bothered me for an hour asking a million questions about what she missed.
Despite the early morning, I had a pretty good day that ended with Tom Brady telling me she loves me more than the smell of grapes. I hope that she means that.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Electronics Graveyard
Last winter we had a windstorm and it killed our VCR. I had been saving the broken VCR so I could take it to one of those electronics recycling days so it wouldn't go to the landfill. In the last 2 weeks we have added to the broken electronics pile quite a bit. Our DVD player and bathroom scale have both bit the dust.
Last night our cats were chasing each other and knocked our TV off the stand. This is the TV that we bought less than a year ago. I am so so angry.
Here is the beautiful picture that our TV produces. Tom Brady is very concerned because it is Super Bowl Sunday.
Last night our cats were chasing each other and knocked our TV off the stand. This is the TV that we bought less than a year ago. I am so so angry.
Here is the beautiful picture that our TV produces. Tom Brady is very concerned because it is Super Bowl Sunday.
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