Oh the weather outside is frightful... that's why I stay inside.
The kids go out and make little friends.
Everyone is happy.
Come explore the mind of a walking contradiction. I'll do my best to explain why I think what I think, just don't expect to fully understand.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Enchanted or Addicted.
I blame my brother. Its all his fault that I have this little issue with my brain. He's the one that is always getting all the new cool toys and knows how to use them, what to do to get them at a good discount, how to keep them updated and all that stuff. I just stumble along about three years behind the rest of the world and oogle over technology. I love it. I'm completely enchanted and addicted, and even though I know I don't NEED it, damned if I don't WANT it: every little bit. My laptop is old in the sense that I've had it for almost four years. The previously mentioned Geek-a-roo brother who I love more than anything, not only because he can fix up my laptop, but because he is an amazing person, father, husband, and friend, has already wiped it clean and reinstalled everything at least twice, if not three times for me. He also offered to sell me this perfectly amazing HP laptop for next to nothing which I drooled over, added a virus or two and returned. *sighs*
So, here I am. Your friendly neighborhood Avon lady with a discount on Dell Computers and Sprint phones which totally rocks my socks, because I love my Dell and I love using Sprint. I shop, and shop, and shop. I fill my cart with fun technology, and then never check out because I can't bring myself to suck it up and pay for stuff. I have a phone with the bare minimum of minutes and an add on text rate. No data. No picture mail, which doesn't really matter because the camera on the phone has been broken for six months. I need a new phone, and I want the Evo. Yes, the uber-expensive new Droid. Iwant NEED it!! No, I don't need it. I need to go to Los Angeles. I need a new laptop. I need to pay for life insurance, and groceries, and gas, and food and all that stuff, but I NEED A PHONE!
So, I can get this one for $150. *choke* ... or....
I can get the Samsung Intercept for $49.99. Much better, but it is good? Do you know?
Here is the kicker. There aren't really any great phones you can get out there with a plan that doesn't include data. Perhaps this a sign from God that I'm supposed to just suck it up and do the data plan. After all, with my Avon discount, I can get it for only $5 more than what I'm paying now. Its only $5 a month... what could I give up? Coffee? No, that would mean headaches and death. I would be happy to give up television, but the hubs and kids would sure die then. That's no good. Its only $5!!
Help me decide. Which phone? No phone? Be frugal Megan! Save your pennies? Get off your ass and get a job?
So, here I am. Your friendly neighborhood Avon lady with a discount on Dell Computers and Sprint phones which totally rocks my socks, because I love my Dell and I love using Sprint. I shop, and shop, and shop. I fill my cart with fun technology, and then never check out because I can't bring myself to suck it up and pay for stuff. I have a phone with the bare minimum of minutes and an add on text rate. No data. No picture mail, which doesn't really matter because the camera on the phone has been broken for six months. I need a new phone, and I want the Evo. Yes, the uber-expensive new Droid. I
So, I can get this one for $150. *choke* ... or....
I can get the Samsung Intercept for $49.99. Much better, but it is good? Do you know?
Here is the kicker. There aren't really any great phones you can get out there with a plan that doesn't include data. Perhaps this a sign from God that I'm supposed to just suck it up and do the data plan. After all, with my Avon discount, I can get it for only $5 more than what I'm paying now. Its only $5 a month... what could I give up? Coffee? No, that would mean headaches and death. I would be happy to give up television, but the hubs and kids would sure die then. That's no good. Its only $5!!
Help me decide. Which phone? No phone? Be frugal Megan! Save your pennies? Get off your ass and get a job?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Survey says...
I have a very deep love for two hour delay days. Perhaps it goes back to childhood and that feeling of knowing you got to sleep just a little bit longer, or that you didn't have quite as long to sit in school. Maybe its that I still get to sleep longer, or maybe its just because the schedule makes sense. My kids are of the lucky bunch. They get on the bus at the late time of 7:21. They are the last ones on the bus and the first ones off the bus, so they walk back in my door just as Miss 2 and Mr. 4 go down for their naps at around 2:38. This is insane. You're about to find out why.
First off, IF my kids were of the unlucky bunch that got on the bus at 6:35... and yes, there are some, I would be irate! In order for those poor things to get up, dressed, eat breakfast and out the door with some resemblance of normalcy, they have to roll out of bed at 5:50ish or 6:00 at the latest. That alone is hideous to me. Five and six year old kids rolling out the door at 6:35 is wrong. They need time to not just get up, but WAKE up. They need to have time to get the grumpiness out, reset, eat, and relax before they leave the house for seven hours to be influenced by their peers. Thank goodness that we're just talking about the kindergartners for now because what about those pubescent kids we kick out the door before dawn?
You know, what about that kid who doesn't want breakfast, was up texting until God only knows when, and had a fight with his parents about taking the cell phone away shortly after? What about the PMSing 13 year old girl who, God love her, really needs that extra half hour of sleep? Should we start them at 8:00 on the nose and have them home by 3:00 so they can go out with their friends until mom and dad get home from work? I think not. Everyone knows that babies need a lot of sleep, but hardly anyone recognizes that adolescents who are growing quickly, playing sports, sometimes making very adult decisions, and studying also require nine hours of sleep, not seven. Think about what two extra hours of sleep can do for judgement and memory alone!
Every study you come across will tell you that starting school a little later is actually BENEFICIAL to not only kids behavior, but to their grades as well. Take for example this article.
Huh. I'm not patting myself on the back, because I didn't come up with this idea. It has been discussed by parents galore in my school district as of late. All you need to do is hop onto Facebook in the mornings to see the oodles of moms and dads who are happy to have a morning that isn't flushed with chaos. The kids leave school happy and ready to learn. Now consider this... What if they didn't get home until 4:00 or 4:30 instead of 2:30?
If kids started getting off the school bus at 4:15 (just for the sake of a nice average) and their parent's were off work at 4:30 or 5:00, that gives them only 15-45 minutes to get the sneaky out, as opposed to the 2 or more hours when they get out at 2:30. Statistics on delinquency agree with later start and release times as a way to curb adolescent shenanigans. All you have to do is a simple Google search to find hundreds of articles on these statistics, but I'm sure that if you think about having teenagers home alone, or out running around without any supervision, you won't even need to think twice.
First off, IF my kids were of the unlucky bunch that got on the bus at 6:35... and yes, there are some, I would be irate! In order for those poor things to get up, dressed, eat breakfast and out the door with some resemblance of normalcy, they have to roll out of bed at 5:50ish or 6:00 at the latest. That alone is hideous to me. Five and six year old kids rolling out the door at 6:35 is wrong. They need time to not just get up, but WAKE up. They need to have time to get the grumpiness out, reset, eat, and relax before they leave the house for seven hours to be influenced by their peers. Thank goodness that we're just talking about the kindergartners for now because what about those pubescent kids we kick out the door before dawn?
You know, what about that kid who doesn't want breakfast, was up texting until God only knows when, and had a fight with his parents about taking the cell phone away shortly after? What about the PMSing 13 year old girl who, God love her, really needs that extra half hour of sleep? Should we start them at 8:00 on the nose and have them home by 3:00 so they can go out with their friends until mom and dad get home from work? I think not. Everyone knows that babies need a lot of sleep, but hardly anyone recognizes that adolescents who are growing quickly, playing sports, sometimes making very adult decisions, and studying also require nine hours of sleep, not seven. Think about what two extra hours of sleep can do for judgement and memory alone!
Every study you come across will tell you that starting school a little later is actually BENEFICIAL to not only kids behavior, but to their grades as well. Take for example this article.
According to the study, after the delayed start time, "students reported significantly more satisfaction with sleep and experienced improved motivation. Daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depressed mood were all reduced. Most health-related variables, including Health Center visits for fatigue-related complaints, and class attendance also improved." The later start was also associated with a significant increase in sleep duration on school nights of 45 minutes as well as a reduction in weekend oversleep (the difference between school day and non-school day wake times).
Huh. I'm not patting myself on the back, because I didn't come up with this idea. It has been discussed by parents galore in my school district as of late. All you need to do is hop onto Facebook in the mornings to see the oodles of moms and dads who are happy to have a morning that isn't flushed with chaos. The kids leave school happy and ready to learn. Now consider this... What if they didn't get home until 4:00 or 4:30 instead of 2:30?
If kids started getting off the school bus at 4:15 (just for the sake of a nice average) and their parent's were off work at 4:30 or 5:00, that gives them only 15-45 minutes to get the sneaky out, as opposed to the 2 or more hours when they get out at 2:30. Statistics on delinquency agree with later start and release times as a way to curb adolescent shenanigans. All you have to do is a simple Google search to find hundreds of articles on these statistics, but I'm sure that if you think about having teenagers home alone, or out running around without any supervision, you won't even need to think twice.
Now, consider this. If starting two hours later puts us onto a better schedule for our kids academically, behaviorally, and socially, AND keeps us from having to rearrange our schedules from the load of two hour delays we currently have, is there a reason NOT to change the schedule? And don't tell me for sports because that isn't going to fly with anyone. Starting two hours later allows practices to happen before school for athletes that choose to play, as well as after school, so that doesn't hold a lot of water with me. Also, if it is because of parents who work, its six of one, half a dozen of the other on childcare. I just don't understand. Perhaps someone can explain to me why we follow the schedule we follow? Yes? No?
Comment away. Send it to the school board. Check out these links if you need more proof.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I Just Don't Know
I am 30something years old with a BA in Elementary Education. I've taken a few post college classes, have oodles of common sense, and apparently little focus or motivation. This isn't a self depreciating post, but a post that is written out of sheer frustration and confusion. Its been coming on for ... oh say... twelve years, and just recently re-emerged its ugly face when one of my darling girlies decided to take the plunge and start her Masters program. (You go Nikki!!) She off handedly asked me one night to do it too. I'll be honest, I would LOVE the classes she is taking (Criminal Psych.), but I my hermitness is in full gear right now. I have four kids. I don't have any motivation *or money* to take classes, and then, I don't have the energy or motivation to actually use this fancy degree. It all comes down to this. I have NO idea what I want to be when I grow up. The problem is.... I grew up.
Here is the next problem. The things I would like to do aren't practical and/or aren't anything I could either A. Make any money doing, or B. Actually pull off. So, I'm stuck with a head full of wacky ideas and no focus. A different friend of mine asked for some help and direction this morning in finding her focus. I'm asking for the same.
Here's my list:
1. Flower shop and/or delivery: Think about it. Even if you go to the funeral home, someone is happier because of you.
2. Indulgence: This restaurant just came into being today and will serve desserts - mostly cupcakes, wine, coffee, and dessert drinks. That's all.
3. Criminal Profiler. Yes, I would LOVE this job. If I had the degree and did not have 4 kids. Its still on my list.
4. Best selling Novelist. You see my quandary? This is like saying I want to be a professional basketball player. Plus, it requires focus which I do not have. I do, however, have a head full of partially plagiarized characters.
5. Avon lady extraordinaire: Alright, this one has potential if I can keep my focus.
HELP!
· · · — — — · · ·
Morse code for SOS which made this come into my head.
Perhaps I should check out these books. ::headdesk::
I Just Don't Know
I am 30something years old with a BA in Elementary Education. I've taken a few post college classes, have oodles of common sense, and apparently little focus or motivation. This isn't a self depreciating post, but a post that is written out of sheer frustration and confusion. Its been coming on for ... oh say... twelve years, and just recently re-emerged its ugly face when one of my darling girlies decided to take the plunge and start her Masters program. (You go Nikki!!) She off handedly asked me one night to do it too. I'll be honest, I would LOVE the classes she is taking (Criminal Psych.), but I my hermitness is in full gear right now. I have four kids. I don't have any motivation *or money* to take classes, and then, I don't have the energy or motivation to actually use this fancy degree. It all comes down to this. I have NO idea what I want to be when I grow up. The problem is.... I grew up.
Here is the next problem. The things I would like to do aren't practical and/or aren't anything I could either A. Make any money doing, or B. Actually pull off. So, I'm stuck with a head full of wacky ideas and no focus. A different friend of mine asked for some help and direction this morning in finding her focus. I'm asking for the same.
Here's my list:
1. Flower shop and/or deliver: Think about it. Even if you go to the funeral home, someone is happier because of you.
2. Indulgence: This restaurant just came into being today and will serve desserts - mostly cupcakes, wine, coffee, and dessert drinks. That's all.
3. Criminal Profiler. Yes, I would LOVE this job. If I had the degree and did not have 4 kids. Its still on my list.
4. Best selling Novelist. You see my quandary? This is like saying I want to be a professional basketball player. Plus, it requires focus which I do not have. I do, however, have a head full of partially plagiarized characters.
5. Avon lady extraordinaire: Alright, this one has potential if I can keep my focus.
HELP!
· · · — — — · · ·
Morse code for SOS which made this come into my head.
Perhaps I should check out these books. ::headdesk::
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I'm not shocked. Are you?
Taco Jane: "Hey there, this is Jane. How are you today?"
Me: "I'm great. How about yourself?"
Taco Jane: "Excellent. Thanks for asking. What can I get for you today?"
Me.: "I'll have the Fresco Chicken Burrito and an unsweet tea."
Taco Jane: "Do you want hot or fire sauce with that Fresco Burrito?"
Me: "Nope. No sauce. That's it."
Taco Jane: "Alright, that's one Fresco Chicken Burrito and one unsweet tea. Please pull forward for your total."
Taco Bell drive thru people are my favorite because they don't push stuff down my throat. They don't need to because I do that all on my own. See, I love Taco Bell's soft tacos. I really do. That mixture of "beef" and cheese and lettuce all smashed up into a little dough ball has some kind of magical taste that makes my mouth water. But, in all honesty, I've always wondered how they get their meat to be like that. Its so tiny and ... different.
*NEWS FLASH*
Taco Bell's 'Meat Mixture' isn't all meat. Now, don't go getting all crazy on me here folks. Somewhere inside you must have questioned the taste, texture, and appearance of that brown 'Meat' in your Gordita. It seems that we've all been duped. We only thought we were eating actual meat when in fact, we've been downing the highest quality fillers, maltodextrin powders, anti-dusting agent, wheat, oats and whatever. On the up side, it is 35% meat. I bet that's more beef than.... a chicken McNugget!
All that stuff in there makes me wonder what is in some other yummy things that I dump down my gullet on a weekly basis. I also reminds me why I should NOT be eating that crap, but it tastes so good! Why does it have to be so yummy. I mean seriously, what's in anti-caking agent? Crack? No probably not. Its probably Ecstasy. That would make a ton more sense. Oh a side note, You'll soon be able to say, Yo quiero Bud in a Bottle. Maybe with your Gordita, because it seems that while its illegal to smoke weed, you can soon drink it in Colorado which just leads me to believe that we are hopscotching around the whole legalization issue now.
Anyway, the news made me gag and then giggle a little today, and I figured that since Marijuana and Taco Bell go hand in hand in my mind, they deserved to share a blog. What about you?
Me: "I'm great. How about yourself?"
Taco Jane: "Excellent. Thanks for asking. What can I get for you today?"
Me.: "I'll have the Fresco Chicken Burrito and an unsweet tea."
Taco Jane: "Do you want hot or fire sauce with that Fresco Burrito?"
Me: "Nope. No sauce. That's it."
Taco Jane: "Alright, that's one Fresco Chicken Burrito and one unsweet tea. Please pull forward for your total."
Taco Bell drive thru people are my favorite because they don't push stuff down my throat. They don't need to because I do that all on my own. See, I love Taco Bell's soft tacos. I really do. That mixture of "beef" and cheese and lettuce all smashed up into a little dough ball has some kind of magical taste that makes my mouth water. But, in all honesty, I've always wondered how they get their meat to be like that. Its so tiny and ... different.
*NEWS FLASH*
Taco Bell's 'Meat Mixture' isn't all meat. Now, don't go getting all crazy on me here folks. Somewhere inside you must have questioned the taste, texture, and appearance of that brown 'Meat' in your Gordita. It seems that we've all been duped. We only thought we were eating actual meat when in fact, we've been downing the highest quality fillers, maltodextrin powders, anti-dusting agent, wheat, oats and whatever. On the up side, it is 35% meat. I bet that's more beef than.... a chicken McNugget!
All that stuff in there makes me wonder what is in some other yummy things that I dump down my gullet on a weekly basis. I also reminds me why I should NOT be eating that crap, but it tastes so good! Why does it have to be so yummy. I mean seriously, what's in anti-caking agent? Crack? No probably not. Its probably Ecstasy. That would make a ton more sense. Oh a side note, You'll soon be able to say, Yo quiero Bud in a Bottle. Maybe with your Gordita, because it seems that while its illegal to smoke weed, you can soon drink it in Colorado which just leads me to believe that we are hopscotching around the whole legalization issue now.
Anyway, the news made me gag and then giggle a little today, and I figured that since Marijuana and Taco Bell go hand in hand in my mind, they deserved to share a blog. What about you?
Monday, January 24, 2011
Music Monday
This is NOT my vacation, but someone did a nice job and this.... oh... I love this song.
By: Jimmy Buffett 1974
Whoa, lookin' back at my background
Tryin' to figure out how I ever got here
Some things are still a mystery to me
While others are much too clear
I'm just livin' in the sunshine
Stay contented most of the time
Yeah listenin' to Murphy, Walker, and Willie
Sing me their Texas rhymes
Most of the people who retire in Florida
Are wrinkled and they lean on a crutch
And mobile homes are smotherin' my Keys
I hate those bastards so much
I wish a summer squall would blow them all
The way up to fantasy land
Yeah they're ugly and square, they don't belong here
They looked a lot better as beer cans
Chorus:
Yeah, and that's why it's still a mystery to me
Why some people live like they do
So many nice things happenin' out there
They never even seen the clues
Whoa but we're doin' fine, we can travel and rhyme
I know we been doin' our part
Got a Caribbean soul I can barely control
And some Texas hidden here in my heart
Well now I might have joined the Merchant Marine
If I hadn't learned how to sing
And on top of all that I got married too early
'Cost me much more than a ring
But now those crazy days are over
Just gotta learn from the wrong things you done
I came off the rebound, started lookin' around
Figured out it's time to have a little fun
Chorus:
Yeah, and that's why it's still a mystery to me
Why some people live like they do
So many nice things happenin' out there
They never even seen the clues
Whoa but we're doin' fine, we can travel and rhyme
I know we been doin' our part
Got a Caribbean soul I can barely control
And some Texas hidden here in my heart
Well now if I ever live to be an old man
I'm gonna sail down to Martinique
I'm gonna buy me a sweat-stained Bogart suit
And an African parakeet
And then I'll sit him on my shoulder
And open up my trusty old mind
I gonna teach him how to cuss, teach him how to fuss
And pull the cork out of a bottle of wine
Chorus:
Yeah, and that's why it's still a mystery to me
Why some people live like they do
So many nice things happenin' out there
They never even seen the clues
Yeah but we're doin' fine, we can travel and rhyme
I know we been doin' our part
Got a Caribbean soul I can barely control
And some Texas hidden here in my heart
**Thanks to sing365.com for the lyrics copy.**
Sunday, January 23, 2011
I Don't Usually Do This, but...
I'm not usually a double poster, but when I checked my comments this evening, I noticed that Chief aka Day from Unsound Reasoning had bestowed an award on my blog and I just HAD to say THANK YOU. I am flattered and since it has been a day of sitting on my ever-growing ass, I am perfectly content to continue my endeavors into the evening, and type up this little diddy.
The conditions for accepting this award are that I tell you 7 little things about myself that you don't already know and that I find seven other bloggers that make me LOL. Plus, I need to let them know to stop by my ocean of insanity to collect their trophy badge. I hope that once they do, they will decide to hang out with the rest of us for awhile. I love you guys for reading my gibberish every day.
So, 7 Things... ♫ ♪ And the 7th thing I hate the most that you do.... ♪ ♫
1. I was born at 11:59 p.m. which means that if the hospital clock was wrong, my birthday is actually November 9th and NOT November 8th.
2. My dad was supposed to go try out for the Pittsburgh Steelers after college but never went because he either got drafted into the Army or went to college. I can't ever remember the timeline. Either way, it makes me like the Steelers a little bit.
3. I used to have a cat when I was little named Pigtail Sunshine Happy face Valentine Girl. Yes, I was that kind of kid.
4. I hate sweet drinks. I can only tolerate them in small amounts. This includes putting sugar into my coffee and hot chocolate.
5. I always have my toenails painted. Always.
6. I have a serious internet addiction that I thoroughly enjoy. Shut up. I'm not quitting.
7. I see dead people. ... OK, not really, but I was once visited by a ghost. Swear.
And now, drum roll please. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
The seven make you giggle and chuckle or possibly pee yourself blogs that I'm passing the coveted LOL award on to are:
1. Bugginword - Funny shit and a ukulele to boot.
2. The exception to all rules and creator or better ones. Aunt Becky at Mommy Wants Vodka
3. McGriddle Pants at Serenity Now!! Insanity Later. And no, its not only because she makes me want McDonalds with her name.
4. Mrs. Hyde. Oh Mrs. Hyde, I love you. Go visit her at A Bitch Called Mom.
5. If you haven't read Red Means Go by the darling Annah. You are seriously missing out on wet pants.
6. The Peachy One at The Pits of Being Peachy. Yes, go. And yes, you will want pie when you leave.
and last but certainly not least...
7. The Badass Geek He sees things and gets stuff. You'll love it!
And now I need to go settle into some Vampire Diaries time. Sleep tight my little morons. ♥
Thankful POS
I slept in. Actually, I slept for almost 10 hours last night, which means that today, not matter what I do, I'm going to feel like a POS. Its true. I could wax my kitchen floors on my hands and knees, chop wood until my arms fell off, and shovel the driveway, and I would still feel like the day was shot. *Please note that I said COULD do all those things. I will not.* Sleeping for excessive amounts of time on a Sunday morning should be restful and happy but what did I wake up to? The hubs had made french toast and cleaned the damn kitchen! Seriously! The kids were fed and he was washing dishes. Miss 2 had on her big girl panties, and the kids laundry had been gathered. *Cue the odd mixture of Twilight Zone and porn music.*
I stumbled to the coffee pot, asked what the hell was wrong with me and his only response was, "I don't know. Would you like me to make another pot of coffee?" ::headdesk:: Uhhh... sure? I take the coffee over to check my email and pay a few bills, and the next thing I know, he's sorting the laundry! What... the.... eff.!!
I took a shower, went to the grocery and came home to lunch served and cleaned up, the laundry nearly half done and put away, and I have a clean basement. My goal for the rest of the day is to print out some AVON labels and to color my hair. *check, and check*. I'm pretty sure his is to slay a dragon and end world hunger.
I think I fail for the day.
I stumbled to the coffee pot, asked what the hell was wrong with me and his only response was, "I don't know. Would you like me to make another pot of coffee?" ::headdesk:: Uhhh... sure? I take the coffee over to check my email and pay a few bills, and the next thing I know, he's sorting the laundry! What... the.... eff.!!
I took a shower, went to the grocery and came home to lunch served and cleaned up, the laundry nearly half done and put away, and I have a clean basement. My goal for the rest of the day is to print out some AVON labels and to color my hair. *check, and check*. I'm pretty sure his is to slay a dragon and end world hunger.
I think I fail for the day.
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