A new resolution

I know it's not January 1. But I've making my own blogging resolution.

Nope, not to blog more often. I can't without leaving me any time to actually live my life. (No life...no life to blog.)
But I'm going to vow that I will start leaving comments on all the wonderful blogs that I visit and that provide me with such entertainment and encouragement.

Not that I'm fishing for comments, not that at all.
But if you'd like me to visit and (therefor say howdy do) just leave me your blog address (No comment needed) and I'll add you to my daily routine.

BTW, I'm cross posting this on my knitting blog so I can find some new knitting blogs too.
See it's a win/win situation for me.

Hey, a regular kid

Have you ever watched Blue's Clues or Dora? Have you played those PC games or watched the shows for little kids that ask the kids to yell out the answers or jump up and dance?

I've never had one of those kids. My kids never jumped up and yelled out "A clue" or counted along with Grover or danced along with Dora.

They watched and internalized. They thought those characters on TV and PC were crazy and stupid.

Well, all but Sam.

Sam plays along. Currently, Sam is upstairs playing Reader Rabbit Pre-K on the upstairs computer. (This is a Lazarus computer. ZD, the computer Messiah, brought it back after 6 months of being dead. But not until he ordered a new computer which just arrived this morning.)

Anyway, Sam is having a grand time. He and that little bunny are counting together and yelling out their letters. He's winning tickets for the fair rides and just having a good old time.

I know because I can hear him from his brothers' room, down the stairs, down the hall and into the kitchen.

I believe he's doing the marching band patterns at this point. I hear those little horn wielding ants speaking and Sam occasionally saying "Aw man! Blue! Yeah! I'm fantastic! love that song!"

There he is....the common kid.

What a hoot.

Just because

These always make me laugh. I mean seriously cackle. ZD just shakes his head at me when I scroll through these.
I'm dying laughing here just typing and looking down at those little ground owls.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
(still giggling)

Did you have to do a double take?

Me too.
I decided to drop my Army colors and I'm unsure what "message" I want to convey these days.
It matches my general mood. (bland and unsure. LOL)

I can share the "secret" news soon. Most people IRL know already. Some know and do not realise the impact of what we're doing. Some know and aren't happy about it. And some know and are just as thrilled as we are. But all the pertinent people know, I just have to get the idea squared away in my own head. Maybe later today.

As part of my own internalization, I found a piece of house decoration that I thought I was long done with. In fact, when it was packed up, it was done with great bitterness. I was so bitter when I put it away. I'm kind of ashamed of that now.

oh well, at least I'm growing.

Hey, go look at my knitting. I've been busy.

Not in the Neiman-Marcus catalog

"Do you want anything from the store?" I yelled up to ZooDad.
"Nope," he replied curtly. I could tell he was still stinging from my little meltdown over the condition of the family room/study/site of storage for mass amounts of Army gear. I can't even begin to explain the mess but it rivaled the rooms on that show "Clean Sweep."

"Too bad I can't buy you a non-nagging wife."

"Oh please," he begged, coming to the stairwell with a smile on his face. "Please buy one of those. I would really like one."

"No," I replied. "They don't sell those at the store. You can only get them free with really expensive jewelry or new cars. You can't purchase them separately."

I heard laughter from upstairs, "But I've bought you expensive jewelry and new cars."
"Well, you just got screwed over didn't you," as I walked out the door.

Poor guy, all that money invested and he didn't get the free non-nagging wife.
When I got back home, considerable progress had been made on the family room/study/Army depot

News from the zoo

Yep, that's my Andrew finally learning to ride a bike on his own. His occupational therapist will be so proud. This was another one of those things that he wasn't supposed to do until much later on. (He wasn't supposed to toilet train until he was 5. Bike riding was expected around 8.)
He ran into the house and demanded that ZooDad take off the training wheels. 10 minutes later....this is the picture I took. 10 minutes after that, he was pedaling down the road with ZooDad running to keep up.
He hasn't mastered the trivial details like steering and stopping...but that's what grass is for.

Of course, now we have to get a new bike for Christmas and keep Sam back just long enough for Andrew to back in his own success.

Here's the new mom of the house.

Don't let that sweet face fool you. She'll chew your fingers off to protect her wee little bundles.
Here's their first picture taken at 4 days old. There are four of them. They are currently 11 days old. They are fully furred, their eyes are open, and they are just started to walk around the cage. In another week, they'll be fully weaned and can be separated from Mom.

Hmm...while I would feel a little sad about raising my kids in 18 days. I would love a 18-20 gestation period. I think the hamsters totally lucked out.

Conversation in the driveway

Me to ZooDad: "You know, it's going to take me the better part of two days to get these two bookshelves painted. You'll be responsible for the boys while I'm painting."

Matthew: "Mom, which part of the day is the better part?"

We've still laughing over that one. Is it cruel to be that entrained by the things they say?

Infested

Hi y'all!

I'm back. I'm back and I have news but I can't go sharing the news just as yet. So, technically...I'm back and I have a secret. But it's not really a "Secret" secret. It's really just news that we can't tell everyone yet. But some people already know and just have to act surprised when we start telling everybody. (So y'all keep your lips tight.)
Whew!
And no....it's not that I'm pregnant. Though someone in the house was.

We are currently infested...with hamsters.

Andrew wanted a hamster. And after the death of our two giant Oscars (yes, the giant scary fish died.), we...strike that...I decided to get him one.

I got him a cute little Robo Dwarf hamster and a Jetson style hamster pod house. her name is Speedy because she is a wickedly fast little rodent. Mango the cat was pleased by this event. She takes great joy in watching the little rat though she is frustrated that she cannot actually obtain her.

This hamster purchase led to a series of events as follows:

Matthew, envious of the hamster that Andrew owned, asked for his own hamster.
He wanted a panda bear hamster. (Very cut teddy bear hamster with panda-like markings.) The boy loves pandas.

Of course, there were no panda bear hamsters in town anymore. Not at any of the three stores that we visited. Though one store promised that would have them next week.

We went back next week and they didn't have them. By this time, Matthew had spent about 10 days planning for his new hamster. The boy was not leaving without a fuzzy rodent of his own. He had already cleaned and set up his old cage, all ready for it's new inhabitant. He had food, bedding, and little chew snacks all set to go. Just no hamster.

Now, if you've ever met an Apserger child or any child on the Autism spectrum, you'll know that they do not respond the change very well. Especially, for something they've been looking forward to.

But crisis was averted when we found a lovely long haired hamster that was dark brown and white. She kind of looked panda-like. All was good.

Matthew waited to name her until he "found one that suits her." You don't want to rush into something as important as a name. He took wonderful care of his little friend and played with her every day. He never woke her from her naps and fed her fresh veggies. Changed her water everyday.

He did comment that she slept....a lot.

Then one day, he casually mentioned that she had been sleeping for a whole day........................................................................................................................

yes.

Just what you think.
Dead hamster.

Oh, the tears. He wanted to see her. He wanted to help bury her. he even placed his stepping stone over her burial spot. He cried that he had not taken good care of her and that he didn't ever want another pet.

So that day, I took him to buy a new hamster just to help shake his self-doubt. And as luck would have it, the store (different store...I learned my lesson) had a mother and child pair up for free adoption.

Well, free hamster at least. Then I went on and bought a second hamster pod house and more tubes, and more little treats. Not-so-free hamsters.
Matthew loved them though. He set to taking dilligent care of his new little family. He even filled their water bottle with filtered water.

Matthew named the mom, "Gold." He waited until we could tell the sex of the baby since he didn't want to give a boy hamster a girl name. You don't want to offend a hamster, after all.

A few days later, I noted that "Gold" was kind of chubby. (You know what that means.) In fact Gold was chubby and the "chubby" was kind of hard. I noted this to ZooDad to warn him but he poo-poo-ed the idea.

Yesterday, the boys and ZooDad went down to the farm to visit MIL and I was left in the quiet house to enjoy the peace.

I heard a faint "squee, squee" that wasn't coming from our "baby" hamster. Upon further investigation, rather slender "Gold" came out of the little hidey hole.

Oh no...she didn't.

She did!

I shifted her bedding slightly and I caught a glimpse of at least 5 little pink bodies before mom returned to slap at me.

Holey Moley.
Want a hamster?