You know I'm Trippin'!

Sorry once again for straying from my land for far too long. It's been a fast paced whacked out summerpalooza of sorts around here. With one in summer school(and having a terrible go of it) and the other on a dead run toward friends and activities at all times, a special sister/friend in town from oversees visiting and tons of little trips in between. I've gone and gotten my hair all mussed and myself internally flustered in the process! How's this low energy gal to handle all this?! My nerves have literally been shocking themselves and my heart and head have taken to pulsing spells.

Yes, it IS quite pitiful. I'll give you that. I actually thought I was having a nervous breakdown one weekend! Then having the genius idea my thyroid meds were messing with me, I popped in to the doctor to check it. Turns out it was the first thing. I needed nerve pills for Pete's sake! What would I actually do if real problems came along? pfffft. Apparently, I don't begat from a long line of hearty stock when it comes to the old mental stamina. I'm a delicate. I've always told my oldest that I'm breakable so that he won't practice his Tae Kwon Do moves on me, and my youngest so he just won't whack me in general, but I guess I failed to realize how my psyche was right there in the squishy department as well! Oh bother.

But, neither of us need to dwell on my rattling marbles, so I'll show you a collection of pictures from our recent trip up to Illinois. The first week in July, all Jamey's family took the trip from Arkansas with tents ready for some grand camping and fishing on Granny's farm. There were 16-20 of us there in all with 8 kids age 11 down to 3. There were no cries of boredom from anyone. In fact, we thought the children had turned a little wild after the first few days. They stayed in a pack and grunted around a lot in the tall grasses.

J's brother and sis-n-law

J's dad and nephew

Brother in law and youngest boy

Jamey's sis and Mom(and camp cook extraordinaire)

Miley the only giant dog I love

Our lil' gipper

Proud fishermen J and the Ratchet

Rainy day kids gathered around a six inch t.v.

He's a loner, a rebel.

My tent looked much like this and was in a neighboring town. Did I mention I have anxiety issues? ;) Well, I slept the sleep of the heavily drugged when I made it here each night. Sweet sweet camping times for me. I DID get some unexpected company from my boys in the middle of one rainy night. Their tent leaked and they headed for the inn at 2:45 in the morning. They are probably lucky I wasn't packin' heat startling me at that hour!

And here's a little video that shows a rounder of where we were. It's not really entertaining but it gives the lay of the land to help make up for my short supply of pictures. Yay for peaceful and relaxing(finally- thanks Dr.)times with family.

P.S. Though there are 0 pictures of yours truly, I could almost swear I was there for some of it...oh wait, that is me making the boring video comments. Yep.

Hopefully, I'll get some more reports on my summer visitations going soon now that I've broken the freeze on the manage blog post page again. I hope you haven't all stopped visiting me all together! Until next time friends and fam! :D

A horse is a horse...

Of course.  Of course.  

But when you use Mane 'n Tail, 

You might become one as well!

Hope your day is as voluminously full as mine! :D (Whinny)

He's Gradumacated!!

Boy oh Boy it's been quite a year!!  Today we celebrated the Dandy One at his kindergarten graduation in the park.  Not only did I enjoy my third free hot dog lunch of the week (quite an accidental accomplishment in itself), but I also got to see my babe receive his tiny little signed diploma saying that yes, in fact, he WAS at school all this time and hopefully learning things as well!  Huzzah Huzzah!!

Now,  even though I think it is silly to call the transition between kindergarten and first grade a "graduation" requiring Pomp and Circumstance or any other official procedure, I am so relieved that we've come this far with our sweet 'n' sour sauced little Dandy this year.  He's a corker, that boy!  A sauce dipped corker!

We'd known he would have challenges with school from his rough start in the world but we started him in a special therapeutic school midway through the year that helps him deal with his various issues and monitors his progress along the way for maximum success. 

 

Here's a video he's working on for his final thesis this year starring lovable furry old me.  I went all squishy last night when we watched it together because he kept pausing it to tell me he loved me.  Little Punky.  I heart my graduate!!!! XOXO :D

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CHILDREN OF ALL AGES:

Friday night we took the boys to the circus!!  Oh yes, and it was quite a sight to see.  Unfortunately, we were right by the speakers so it was even more a sound to hear!

 

Dandy, our sensory overload kid,  began to panic when the Ringmaster started in with his first of many "chance of a lifetime" deafening announcements, and immediately smacked his hands over his ears preparing to block out all surroundings.  I knew when I glanced back at him crumpled over his daddy and descending into the blank stare of self preservation, that I'd better get him engaged in the action of what was in front of him or he'd forever be terrified of striped vests and cotton candy. 

So I snagged my little 40 pounder and put him on my lap, clasping my hands into suction cups on both sides of his ears and that seemed to help his comfort level enough to take in the visuals.

And now on with the show!  They started right in with the big cats and up until I began squeezing Dandy's head in a vice grip, I had been happily filming tiny snippets of what I was seeing while they readied the animals.  Here's a peek at how close we were to the action.  

Oopsie.  I quietly turned off the camera and lowered it down whistling guiltily at this point. Jamey said later that he thought the announcer man was looking right at me while he mentioned that no digital cameras were allowed at all (Yes, excited lady stuck on the gum covered  bleacher end, that means you!!).  Who had anything else?  I wondered, looking around. Were we supposed to bring sketch pads and rapidly draw all of these "chance of  a lifetime" experiences they kept reminding us of. What year is this again? I did actually see the lion tamer using a Polaroid at one point and it made me wish I still had my early 80's version with the handle crank that brought forth the white magical square of captured time.  

Ahh, but I understood.  I just didn't think I was in a fancy enough experience to leave to the professionals to film.  But, for sure they don't want PETA in there with digital videos of those poor tired animals getting poked and prodded three hours a night.  No way, no how.

I did think about how they were treating their animals and I was keeping a close eye on the way the workers interacted with them and cracked the whips toward them.  I never care for that part of wild animal training.  I don't like how the giant cats look mad and ashamed when a lion tamer is making them maneuver over metal frames and each other for tiny chunks of meat.  Something about that seems so wrong.  At the same time though it is fascinating to watch and I had happily paid to see it all myself.  

I was worried for a particular doggie entertainer though.  He was wearing a plush elephant suit and walking around like a wind up toy.  It was one of the cutest things I've seen in a while, naturally, but the little poochkie had to have been burning up in that extra fur suit!  It didn't help that he was acting like he was collapsing over and over for the clown who had repeatedly wound him up with a huge foil looking cardboard key. It just went on way too long for my comfort levels knowing I myself (who since jr.high has had very little body hair) was practically sweating pools from the heat in that place while this elephant dog was blindly running around and then collapsing over and over  for crowds of shouting people's amusement.  

But then the clown "revived" him finally and in one swift move had the costume off  the scotty type dog, who then proceeded to  bolt around the ring with the hi-pro glow of a champion- totally proud of his toylike performance!  

I don't know what to think about any of that.  I was mostly just so relieved that I myself wouldn't have to grow old wearing a sequined leotard and slogging through elephant dung most nights of the week.  I mean there is just no way I am cut out for  that stuff! We could see three generations of circus entertainers out there doing what they've always done with their lives and it really seemed so so... tiring and unglamorous. 

Yet, it was good old fashioned entertainment in every sense of the word.  The boys had a great time and even Jamey thanked me for making him go (hee hee).  It was indeed a marvel of stunts and folly that only the Greatest Show On Earth is capable of. One might even go so far as to call it a chance of a lifetime.  

Because I've been MIA from my blog...

I'll post a photo of  young Ratchet who played the part of a hippie in his fifth grade program last Thursday.  That will at least change the scene until I manage to get back to business in my land.   "To everything... turn turn turn.  There is a season...turn turn turn." I should have had him turn turn turn his hand around so that he's not flipping people off British-style.  Sorry about that Lynn and Dive.  I promise you he comes in peace.

Happy Birthday Arly!!

We have seen some pretty rockin' times together my friend and that was only in the first forty years of life! Thanks for being the Romy to my Michele all these years. We'll keep our heads held high together no matter what (hair or clothing)challenges await us in the future!  Love you much! :D

Bear Grylls vs. blue suede hiking shoes

Ratchet should be shaking a leg at school today in hopes of landing the part of Elvis in their fifth grade musical review scheduled for next month.  He's half hearted about the whole thing because there are no big speaking roles-just music, music and more music.  Apparently he prefers acting to singing though he did do both in last years production of  'Santa's Ho Ho Ho Down' (or something to that effect), where he enjoyed a little taste of fame after playing the Bearded One himself with a full bellied chortle and ad-libbed dance jig that surprised and thrilled the audience toward the end of the show.  

This year, the only part that interests him is the Elvis number.  So, as any scary stage mom would, this morning I made him show me what he was going to do at the audition.  Nonplussed by the idea of becoming Elvis in his own kitchen at breakfast time, he stood there and dutifully sang 'Teddy Bear'.  Well, this wouldn't do as you can imagine, so I  was forced to get up and show him the wide legged bent kneed stance he was going to need to pull off a believable impression.  After seeing his mother gyrating around in the kitchen with arms quaking out to the sides, his skepticism about my Elvis knowledge increased.  What else were we to do than consult the all knowing Youtube for a proper instructional on The King.  I think Ratchet was surprised to find Elvis doing many of my same actions only in such a way that they didn't really look so redonkulous coming from him.  I can't imagine.  I guess we'll see soon enough how it all turns out.  I told him that in a class of 300 or so kids, there were bound to be a few good Elvis impersonators, so he'd better bring his "A" game for the ladies in the room.  I told you I was scary. 

Speaking of characters we pretend to play. Yesterday we took a picnic dinner and went on a short woodsy hike outside of town to get a feel for the new "Outdoorburg" persona we are working on this year.(It doesn't come entirely naturally for some of us.) While waiting on our wandering leader who was going ahead for a quick check, I made Ratchet do his Man vs. Wild-Bear Grylls impression for me.  Because he was in serious hiker mode, he didn't really get into it as he sometimes does. But you'll get the idea.  Be careful with the volume though as Dandy does some impromptu yelling at the beginning and I'm not exactly quiet in stage mom mode myself..  

Life is a stage you know.  A tick infested stage.