Do You Hear What I Hear?

Cause I hear a lot of crap that passes for Christmas music these days. The thing is, I love Christmas music. But there are some simple rules to follow when enjoying the sounds of the season.

1. Songs can be either religious or happy (or both) but sad songs at Christmas suck. Like that one about the boy who's mom is dying and he wants to buy her shoes. Boo! I don't want to hear about your dying mother, sing me a song about Santa!
   
2. Love songs don't count as Christmas songs either. Sorry Andrea, I know how you love that Wham! song, but singing about your lover dumping you on Christmas does not bring the Christmas spirit. Especially when your band name has an exclamation point in it. I'm thinking of adding one to my name. From now on you shall all call me Rachel!
   
3. If you have ever appeared in a music video in a bikini or any of your songs have included "licious" on the end of a word, you shouldn't be allowed to make a Christmas album (Jessica Simpson, Mariah Carey, etc. , etc.)
4. Every Christmas song is better when Kermit the Frog is singing it.
   

Now if we can all just follow these simple rules...

The Computer Age

Maura asks a lot of questions. I hear this is common among 5 year olds, but I still feel like she asks more questions than any other child on earth. I have had to somehow limit her question asking for my own sanity so we had this rule that she could ask as many questions as she wants when we are in the car. This sounds mean, but it works. And trust me, she doesn't run out of questions. But with me in bed lately, she doesn't have car question time so I let her loose yesterday. Normally I can answer 50% of her questions and the other half I have to call somebody or look it up on the Internet. Here are some examples of questions lately
"How many moons does Jupiter have?"
"Do stars move in the sky?"
"Do all birds migrate and which ones don't"
"What is Barbie's mom's name?"
"I know how the baby comes out....but how did it get in?" (completely avoided that one)
"I don't want to have a baby, can I just buy one? (Ya, didn't grandma and grandpa buy Emily?That worked out well for the most part :))
"Why don't any of your shirts fit over your belly?"
Tonight one of her questions I didn't know and couldn't find out.
"Mom, can we eat food in heaven and if we can, can we eat tater tots?" I told her I didn't know and she said, "Then look it up on the computer."

Why can't I look up what we eat in heaven? Maybe I would work harder if I knew there would be Chicken Tikamasala from Bombay House. There has to be a way to find this out.

Outnumbered

So...it's a boy! It isn't the most pleasant thing to find out the gender of your baby when you are freaked out in an emergency room, but I am still thrilled to find out. I'm trying to focus on my little boy and not on all the things going wrong, and knowing that what is causing all this trouble is a real life baby boy is helping. (In case you are wondering I have some rare thing that is called a placental abruption. The nurse kept saying "This is so rare!" Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better). I thought Maura would be sad that she didn't get her sister (and won't be getting one, by the way), but the morning after we told her she had an epiphany while eating her Fruity Pebbles. She said to Rand, "Daddy, I get to have two brothers and Collin only gets to have one." At least she inherited Rand's way of looking on the bright side. I am very, very excited and I'm hopeful everything will turn out fine. We don't have a name yet but every time Maura asks I tell her we are naming him Maynard, just because it is the ugliest name I can think of.

Thankful Thanksgiving

I just wanted to post on this Thanksgiving for all of the things I am thankful for. I am obviously thankful for the big things, my husband, kids, extended family, friends, etc. I would elaborate on how much I love these people, but that just isn't really my style. It isn't that I'm not extremely grateful for all that I have...it is just that my emotions make me uncomfortable so I have to use humor to mask how unpleasant it is for me to talk about how I feel. So I thought I would list the little things in life that I am very grateful for.


Extra Strength Mylanta
Netflix
Chocolate Licorice
Target
Taco Amigo's bean burritos
Concealer (and makeup in general)
Jeans with elastic waistbands
A 5-year who knows how to change her brother's diapers
The Disney Channel

Let us all reflect upon the small things in life that we take for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's So Hard To Say Good-Bye

It looks like it is time for us to say goodbye to our first (and probably last) pet here at the Bruno house. Sophie the bunny is officially on the market. It seems Maura has developed a severe allergy to her beloved Sophie. Just from touching her fur she gets hives all over her face and neck. I am a little sad, but I have developed a severe reaction to Sophie's litterbox, so maybe it is for the best. I am sad because Maura is going to cry really hard when we give her away. So if you know anybody who would like a bunny please have them email me. Here are her stats:

Name: Sophie (she also responds to "damn bunny" and "stinky")

Age: One year

Breed: Fluffy white type of bunny (she is actually a dwarf jersey woolly)

Size: small-ish. She weighs about 2 1/2 pounds

Comes with: Cage, food, hay and litter for one month. There is also a leash we use to take her outside cause she is real fast. Don't laugh. It's embarrassing when a miniature bunny can run faster than you.

Care: she is pretty low-maintenance. You have to empty her litterbox every day and give her food and hay. She has to get out of the cage and run around for a few minutes every day or gets mad and chews her cage. She also needs to be brushed about once a week. She is litter-box trained and only goes in her box. She won't go on your carpet or your lap when you let her out. Unless you scare her.

She is pretty darn sweet and we like her and want to find a good home for her. I would rather the person who takes her does not turn her into rabbit stew. Or a coat.

I Hate Today

And I hate all other days that say that they are friends with today. Or even if they say they just "occassionally hang out" with today but "it isn't very serious." I hate yesterday and tomorrow because they are too close to today and it's badness has rubbed off on them. I hate this post because it has the word "today" in it.

I Have an Idea...

Maybe the news stations could stop broadcasting how horrible the conditions are in our country. I have a feeling that people are stressed out enough without hearing words like "disaster" or "catastrophe" or "cataclysm" every time they turn on the TV. Can't I just watch reruns of Hangin With Mr. Cooper without being told that the world is coming to an end??

Sally Free and it Feels so Good

I am finally getting around to posting pictures from Halloween. Maura was a cute little genie and Collin was Buzz Lightyear. When we went trick or treating he saw another boy dressed up as Woody and he was so excited he almost hyperventilated. He mostly just loved saying "Trick or Treat" and didn't care if he got candy or not. I wanted to include a picture from last year, because we were at the height of the Sally craziness at the time and Maura kept telling me how Sally was there the whole time. I didn't think much of it until I saw the picture and notice the little orbs around Maura's head. Freaky right? I'm happy to report that the pictures were orb-free this year. What a relief.