Monday, February 28, 2011

The One Where I DON'T Slap My Kid

My daughter tilts her head.  She just does, ok?  She tilts it slightly to the right and we don't know why.  The pediatrician had me make an appointment with a pediatric opthamologist, which is where we spent the morning today.  As soon as the doctor walked in she said, "oh, does she always hold her head like that?"

So they held up a piece of paper with some stick figures on it and she correctly named all of them except the phone (in her defense it was a rotary dial and hello!  She wasn't born in 1920! Where is their picture of the Blackberry?  That she would know.)  Then, they dilated her pupils with eye drops (they had me cradle her!  So I actually loved that part a little bit since I never get to cradle her anymore.)  She was a champ.

The verdict was that her eyesight is great!  So I just have a slightly lopsided baby.  I explained to my girlfriend she'll probably outgrow it.  Like when she goes to school and kids call her "Tilt" or "Heavy Head" or ??? (my name calling skills leave a lot to be desired, I know).

My other option is to slap* the tilt right out of her.


*Horrified readers:  I would never ever slap Adrienne.  I simply could NOT think of a segue to that commercial though!  You understand... right?

Saturday, February 26, 2011

You Say It's Your Birthday?

Monday is my very amazing husband's birthday.  Today being part of his birthday weekend, I let him make me pancakes and then I let him take the girls to his dad's house for a couple hours.  Come to think of it?  This feels a lot like my birthday.  But that's just how my husband rolls.  Awesomely.

Jim was born on the 28th to be clear.  A lot of people ask him if he's a leap year baby and just celebrates his birthday on the 28th.  That is not this case for him, but my friend Suzie is actually a leap year baby.  I feel a little famous for knowing her.  When I learned that tidbit, I wondered aloud if that was her personal fun fact when she had to share something interesting about herself on like the first day of school or whatever. But she is super cool and very interesting and had other (better!) facts to share.  I always longed for such a cool factoid though.  I dreaded that stupid ice-breaker (i.e. degrading power tactic teachers used to break us down) because a) There is nothing particularly interesting or unique about me and b) I was always in a class with people who were triplets, national equestrian champions, kids who could lick their own elbows, or yes, people born on February 29.  I never stood a chance anyway.

Now these guys are golden when it's their turn to share an interesting fact on the first day of school:


As is this dude:

Friday, February 25, 2011

The Grizzly Details

Good news!  YouTube is back in action!  Here's proof:


As far as talking animal commercials go it could be better, but I'll take it.  Not to mention, it comes with a slew of puns that I can't bear to let slide.  Let's paws to list a few:
~ Don't feed the bears.  It's the cLaw.
~ That little bear bear is smart. Fur real.
~ The bears sure did get those people to scatter.
~ Thank you McDonalds, for the Fryday fun.

Now I'm hungry for a bear claw.  Or a shamrock shake.  Or!  A bear claw shake!  Have a wonderful weekend Friends!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

WWW Wednesday

Whine: YouTube is down!  Or something!  Apparently "Internet Explorer cannot display the web page" (has there every been a more annoying error message by the way?  No.  There has not.)  What if I wanted to watch some kittens roughhousing?  Or a skateboarder do an Ollie right onto his rump?  Or embed a McDonald's talking bear commercial?!?!?!  What then, YouTube?  What do you suggest I do?!

Wish:  I wish my county hadn't run out of salt money.  Or plow money.  Actually, I"m just speculating but I'm a really good speculator and I can't think of any other reason my very busy road is still not plowed after Sunday's blizzard.  Ee.  This sounds like another whine doesn't it?  Yes, I guess it sort of is.  Ok, I also wish to always wake up when Molly yells for help in the middle of the night.  Last night I didn't. (I was TIRED ok?)  Luckily Jim was home and came to her rescue, but it has me wondering how many other times she has yelled for me and I haven't heard her.

Woo-hoo!  For the SECOND day in a row Jim has taken Molly out for the afternoon to run errands!  This time I thought they were just running to the corner store but that was two hours ago and they are still gone!  A better wife and mommy (one who wakes when her daughter cries, "help!") would be worried, but I'm just pumped to have some quiet time! (A is napping).  Glorious quiet time.  Except for the dishes, laundry, and dust bunnies calling my name.  But I can drown them out just as I do M in the middle of the night.

Note: Sorry, no commercial today thanks to YouTube. :(
Another note: Do you want to know why M was yelling for me?  She got her hair tangled up in her bedpost.  Yes.  Her hair.  In the bedpost.  Bizarre, I know.  But this is the same girl who trapped herself between her mattress and mattress cover when she was a baby.  And the same girl who screamed for me during nap time when her thumb got stuck in a buttonhole and turned blue.  And the same girl who cried out from her crib a couple years ago because she took her barrette out of her hair and pinched it on the inside of her cheek.  So.  Really this was just another day in the life of M.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

He Shoots! He Scores $0!

Let's talk about things that are six inches long.  A pencil.  A paring knife.  A DVD slot.  A can of Diet Coke.  All roughly six inches, right?  Know what else is six inches?  The hole this guy is shooting a puck into (what?  where did you think I was going with all this 6" talk?):


Our house is a perpetual mess because we loooove aiming at things around here.  I actually moved the diaper bin in the garage back a bit so I could give every diaper a good toss.  It's a pain when I miss, but sweet desperate housewivish victory when I score.  We love to ball up socks and throw them from our living room, upstairs, and into the laundry room (this is a huge challenge, but we feel very blessed the layout of our house allows for such frivolities).  And if somebody drops say... a grape, on the kitchen floor, you better duck because you know it's getting tossed across the room, toward the sink.  In all these things, we miss.  A lot.

My point is, this guy's shot is amazing.  The deal was for him to receive $50,000 from a third-party insurance company (who!?  I don't know!) to donate to charity.  Now the company is saying, they'll just give it to a charity since that's what he was going to do anyway.  But not the St. Vincent Heart Center, which was his charity of choice.  What a gyp!  I feel like I deserve $50,000 when I bank an empty can off my car headlight into a giant recycling bin three feet away so I'm furious for this gentleman.  Furious.  I mean, what the devil?

Monday, February 21, 2011

Happy Trailers

As you know I was the lone American geek watching the Super Bowl with a notepad, but can I just say?  I'm SO glad I geeked it up that day!  I'm still looking back to my notes for A.B. material.  Here is one nonsensical blurb in my nonsensical Super Bowl Sunday handwriting:

Know how many movies I want to see? 
None!  Maybe Trasf. 3.
Pirates of Carribean 4
Whole movie of talking animals!- Rango

On the previous page I noted: Cowboys & Aliens movie trailer w/Harrison Ford.
Michael Douglas- cry

Now of course, I barely remember these trailers although I know me, and I know I want to see Pirates because of Johnny "I love you to the Deppths of the world and back" Depp (obviously) and Rango because of Johnny "You can conduct my Depposition anytime" Depp (not so obvious, since it's just his voice in that one). 

Know who my hero was before Johnny "I Depplore myself for these puns, FYI" Depp stepped onto my scene?  Harrison Ford.  Who is now starring in Cowboys and Aliens.  Now, I can appreciate a good cowboy movie and I can appreciate a good alien movie, but I cannot get behind a cowboy AND alien movie.  I just can't.  What do you think?


But I guess when you're Han flippin' Solo you can afFord to make these kinds of gutsy movies decisions.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

A Walk On The Wild Side

In lieu of a commercial this Saturday I am posting this compilation of hilarious talking animals.  I tried to pick a favorite, but it's a bajillion-way tie.  Ok, it's mostly a tie between the ape dentist, dating giraffes, and the beatboxing chipmunk.

I hope you love it as much as I do, but don't fall off your chair and stub your toe like I did.

Friday, February 18, 2011

A Stubborn Skirt

I was trying to get Adrienne dressed today- I put her onesie on uneventfully, I put her cute little tights with the bear on the bottom on uneventfully, then it was time to put her skirt on.  It didn't want to go over the bulky tights, so I stood her up and wiggled the skirt.  It didn't budge.  I wiggled harder.  No go.  I yanked upward and she fell downward.  As in face first onto the hard wood floor.

I quickly picked her up and looked at her stunned little face.  "Boom?" I asked hopefully.  She screamed.  She wailed.  I apologized and apologized.  I admitted I was a terrible Mommy and she sniffled in recognition.  My mom (we were at my parents' house, so they actually OWN the horrible hard floors and I think should shoulder some of the blame) ran in to see what was the matter and Adrienne reached for her.  Then I was mad and guilty. 

When all the hullabaloo settled I saw... the blessed skirt was still. not. on. 

This was one accident I wish would have announced itself.  Here are some more:

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

WWW Wednesday

Whine: This happens to me every year.  The snow melts and I'm happy.  Until I see the winter's worth of dog poop layered up on my front lawn.  I blame the dog for obvious reasons, but I have to kick myself too because every year I swear I'm going to follow the dog out there and pick up after her to avoid this springtime fecal sludge.  But ya know?  It's COLD in the winter.  So I picked up the first uh... load(?) and then not at all.  Now I'm paying for it.  So gross.  Sorry to have such a gross whine today, but it is what it is.

Wish: I wish I would know better by now to check for ingredients before starting a recipe.  I was concocting lime chicken tacos (in the crock pot) earlier when I realized I don't actually have any lime juice.  Or limes.  So I substituted lemon juice, which actually sounds a bit gross.  So my wish is that these things are edible and my kids don't fling their tacos across my kitchen.

Woo-hoo!  It's sunny and warm and cheery out!  I'm being productive (for me anyway)!  I bought a new comforter for my bed!  Consequently, I'm sleeping better!  I am a new member of D.A.R!  I'm going to visit my mommy and daddy tomorrow!  The next couple of weeks are packed with fun things and catch-up dates with wonderful friends! Wooooo-hoooooo!

Just when I think talking animal commercials can't get any better, Radio Shack throws in an English accent!  Cheers!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

It's A What!?

The other day I logged into Facebook to see this video posted on my wall (thank you Jamer-Looney!):


So let's be clear on this.  You can play with the Swing Wing at the zoo, perfecting your parallel bar routine, eating a banana (second 34), rowing a boat, or when you're stuck in quicksand (second 42).  Is that right?  I don't understand why we don't see more of these.  They are quite the all-purpose toy, no?

Here's what Wikipedia had to say about it: "The Swing Wing is a toy, similar to the Hula Hoop, worn on the head and twirled by moving the neck and/or body in a back and forth motion. It was developed by Transogram Games and introduced in 1965... It has been speculated that the toy was recalled due to injury suffered in the necks of children caused by the continual jerking motions required to use the toy." 

If you or someone you know has a Swing Wing, I will pay you 8 bajillion Ad Bits dollars for a video of it.  I wouldn't lie.

Is the Swing Wing song caught in your head now?  It is?  I'm sorry.  Here, cleanse your ear pallet with a little Willow Smith, who no doubt, would have owned a Swing Wing if she was around in the '60s.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Shackin' Up

Happy Valentine's Day!  Are your kids all atwitter with Vday excitement?  Shoot, are YOU all atwitter?  Jim and I never do much- we're minimalists to the max when it comes to this particular day.  Some wives might get upset, but I try not to take it to heart.  Really the only "tines" Jim is interested in are the ones on deer.  Which is fine with me, especially now that I have Cukids (that was terrible.  It was supposed to be a play on Cupid?  I apologize) to celebrate with.

Speaking of my little cherubs, here they are celebrating in tutus my girlfriend made them:

Mols practices her semi-nude pirouette.

The girlies.  For Vday I told them they could wear headbands instead of having their hair done.  I'm generous, I know.

When you were in elementary school was there ever a time when the big news was that you could mouth the words, "Olive you" to somebody and it would look just like, "I love you"??  Shocking news to a sixth grader.  This way you could confess your love to your crush, but later when he or she asked about it you could deny deny deny!  "I would never say such a thing!  You completely misunderstood!  I was mouthing 'olive you'.  As if!  I mean, don't flatter yourself!"  And then you and your girlfriends could sprint to the bathroom to reapply your Bonnie Bell lip smacker and shriek in delighted angst.

Anyway, have a Happy Valentine's Day dear friends.  Olive you forever. 


Also, for the fun of it, one of my all-time favorite love songs.  It just speaks to me.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Garlick Your Phone

The other day (Wednesday?) somebody Tweeted, "can we stop talking about the Super Bowl ads already?!"  Of course, I was saddened since, you know... my whole bloglihood is dependent on commercials.  I hope everyone isn't sick of Super Bowl ads yet, because I'm about to hit you with another one of my favorites:

It reminds me of the time I threw my phone away in the Burger King garbage and it smelled like ketchup until I dropped it in the dog's water dish.

I hope you guys are having a tasty weekend and are not sick of Super Bowl commercials or any others.  Advertisements On!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Dirty Bits

Prologue:  Molly normally loves taking baths, but last night she had a little cut on one of her toes and refused to get in the tub.  She insisted it would hurt, while I assured her it would not (the cut was seriously microscopic).  Here is how things transpired:

Molly: I don't want to take a bath!
Me: Come on.  You have to.
Molly: Why?
Me:  Otherwise you'll keep getting dirtier and dirtier and you'll start to smell and people will make fun of you. (is this a good lesson I wonder?  I feel like it's not....)
Molly stares at me for more information.
Me:  And bugs will start to live on you and we'd have to take you to the doctor.
Molly: No, Daddy could just kill the bugs. (she know who the bug killer is around here!)
Me:  He could try, but there would be too many of them (?!!?) and they would bite you all over.  And we'd have to take you to the doctor. (nothing like harvesting a healthy fear of the doctor, right?!)
Molly: So, the doctor would get rid of the bugs.
Me:  Yes, but then she would see that I don't give you baths and would have to call Child Protective Services and they would take you away from me.  And you'd have to live with another family.  And I would cry every day.
Molly: (tears off her clothes and runs upstairs to the bathroom) I don't want to live with another family! 
Me to an incredulous Jim:  Awwww!  She likes it here!
End scene.

And that's how we do it in this household!  Of course now I'll no doubt have an even bigger battle to fight the next time she has a doctor's appointment.  Whatevs.  I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Here's another close call that was stealthily covered up:

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

WWW Wednesday

Whine: I don't know that this is a whine per say, but I am enjoying quite the druggy cocktail.  Remember my dentist appointment last week?  Well things got infected up in my grill, so I'm on an antibiotic for that as well as some Hercules-strong painkillers.  Throw in some cold medicine, and I'm like Paula Abdul over here.  But without all the money or misfortune of knowing Simon Cowell.  I feel great though. I may have lost an extremity cutting apples for lunch, but I'll deal with that later.  I guess I don't really have a whine today!  Life is loopalicious!

Wish:  My spin instructor would not have abandoned me.  She changed her class to a time in which I can't make it (on purpose? could my heavy breathing and excessive sweating have put her off?).  The chick who is teaching her old slot I don't care for.  She has us do weird push-up things on the bike (what?! If I wanted to do push-ups I'd join the Army, thanks) and at the end of each class has us get mats out and do our abs.  Look lady, let's just stick to the class description and spin, ok?  How flippin' in shape are you trying to get me anyway?

Woo-hoo!  We're going to our friends' house tonight to meet their new baby.  New baaaaay-beeeee!  I am going to hold it and love it and cuddle the crud out of it.  Picture puffs of pink (it's a girl) baby powder floating in heart shape clouds around her head with every hug.  That's how I picture it at least.  Of course I could be hallucinating.  Huh.  I hope she's not one of those cry-y babies.

I love the new Florida orange juice campaign because the people featured are truly embracing their whines.


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Regarding: The Halftime Show

Here it is: I liked the halftime show. I liked it! I liked everybody performing, the music they played, the moves they busted… I liked it. Here are what some of my Facebook friends had to say about it:

~"I would have signed up for a couple of colonscopys if I knew the halftime show was going to be that painful."
~"Best half time show ever, Slash did it for me. Love Black Eyed Peas but come on, Fergie, Slash, and Guns n Roses! Yeah baby!"
~"usshhheerrrr is soooo damn sexy! Best part of the superbowl by far!"
~"Is the halfime show over yet? Oh yeah Fergie SUCKS!!!!"
~"last night's half-time show by Black Eyed Peas was a good reminder that sometimes lip-syncing is the best option."

Whatevs. I like glo-in-the-dark stuff so I was totally content. I also love dancers wearing boxes on their heads so there was that too.

A lot of people are complaining Slash is too old to be rocking at the Super Bowl; others complain the BEP’s megatron-y schtick has completely worn out its welcome. Maybe. Here are some other things well past their prime (the fat jiggler only arguably so!):



Are you dying to know what I was snacking on during the Super Bowl. Just a PACK of chips. They’re STEEL a classic snack! Just kidding. Here’s a picture I took just for Ad Bits:
That is: a Coca-Cola Light (from Jamaica!), a spinach artichoke bread bowl mini (you might call it a Super Bowl!), a cream cheese wonton, and a green bean fry.  Thank you Schwan's Man.

Parent of the Week!

I'm Parent of the Week!  And not in a sarcastic, "I just let my kid polish off a bag of barbeque chips for breakfast" kind of way.  A real Parent of the Week!  And I have a badge to prove it:
You can check out my post at http://www.avantgardeparenting.com/2011/02/parent-of-week-julie.html If you aren't already following Avant Garde Parenting you should- they have super helpful tips on things like transitioning your kids out of your bed and into theirs and how to take care of yourself as a parent (important!). 

Monday, February 7, 2011

Super Monday!

Did Ad Bits take eight months to download today?  It's because we have a BOWLFULL of ads on here today!

This is much earlier than I usually blog.  But this.  Is a special occasion.  This is Super Monday.  Plus, I wanted to hurry up and blog before I heard the public opinion about all the ads.  It will be embarrassing if all the "experts" think the Hungry Howie phone lick commercial was the worst one, when it was totally one of my favorites.  It may sway my bloggy honesty. 

Let's hop to it!  There was so much material I decided to break things up  into categories to make my life more manageable (for a change).  If you don't see your favorite ad, know I have a Nerdy Notebook, full of fresh bloggy juice; I'll be blogging about S.B. ads all week so definitely stay tuned.  Cool?  Cool!  Now.  Here are the 2011 Ad Bits Super Bowl awards! (they need a name, no?  The Bizties?  The Adzies?  Let's come up with something before S.B. 46, ok?)

Best Commercial Featuring A Celeb:

A little icky, but most certainly had the surprise factor going on.  I mean there are so many people that want to Riv 'er a new one.

Best Ad By A Company I've Never Heard Of:

I don't normally laugh at hurt babies.  Unless it's reaaallly funny.  And I'm sure they're going to be ok.

Best Commercial Featuring Old TV Shows:

If you're going to put Henry Winkler and a 90210 clip in an ad together?  You are a shoo-in for a Bitzie.

Best Fire Up Commercial:

Michigan representin'!  Holllllla!

Best Commercial Featuring a Canadian Teen Pop Star and Drugged Up Bat-Biter:

There were so many great nominees in this category, but it had to be O.O. and the Biebster.

Best Commercial Featuring A Redhead:

In fact, the only commercial I saw with a redhead.  We are so underrepresented.

Best Commercial in the First Half:

So disgusting.  So hilarious I almost missed the rest of the game for all my laughing.  Touchdown Doritos.  Touch.  Down.

Best Second Half Commercial (also the winner for best animal commercial):

I love this ad.  But how funny would it be to do a play on "beaver" and "Bieber"?  And have the beaver reading Tiger Beat and dressed up like the Bieb?  Just an idea for next year y'all.

Tune in tomorrow for exciting (not really) Super Bowl pictures and my thoughts (and some of my anonymous Facebook friends' thoughts) on the halftime show.

So let's have it!  You had a favorite and you can tell me now that mine are out there!  I'm dying to know.  What made you land face first in the queso dip laughing and what made you toss your queso dip up on the scotchguarded couch?

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Pre-Bowl Fun!

It's Superbowl Eve!!!!  Last year we had a Not-A-Superbowl party two weeks before to watch the finals (or whatever they call it- the games to decide who goes to the SB) because we were in Mexico for the actual Superbowl. :(  This year I couldn't get my act together quick enough for a party. Double :(  In retrospect it's probably better this way because I will need to concentrate on the commercials, right?  I mean this is a big day for my little blog!

Yesterday I saw a sneak peek of one of the commercials and I'm just sayin': driving chimps are a hit every time.  If you're going to drop $3 mill for a 30 second spot, animals will give you the biggest bang for your buck.  Here is another sneak peek at a SB commercial:


Know what I don't want to see during the Superbowl?  Floating body parts.  (Or any other body parts, Janet Jackson.)  They gross me out and are on par with the horror show that was the Xbox campaign:


Barfo.

Here is a game I make everybody play every Superbowl.  If you had to come up with a mascot for a new football franchise, what would you pick?  Last year Jim picked the "Dawgs".  I went with the much more violent "Bullets".  What is your faux team's mascot?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Pumped to Jump

Adrienne jumped out of her crib yesterday.  It was very calculated; she tossed her stuffed animals and blankets onto the floor in a heap and jumped for it.  I was shocked.  This is the girl who would be perfectly happy sitting on my lap all day long, who is nervous moving from one room to another because the floor may be a different texture.  But as we moms know, kids in cribs will do desperate things to avoid naps.  Or maybe this guy was in there giving her a pep talk:


Of course, I'd rather think she just braved it on her own and there was not actually a strange sweat-suited man in her room.

Speaking of jumping, the girls and I went to Jumpin' Jax today- have you guys been to a place like this?

It's bouncy house galore!
It's bounceariffic, especially after two days with as many snowed-in, pent-up, high energy munchkins.  Molly jumped to her heart's content, while Adrienne ran from bouncy house to bouncy house looking in nervously.  I tried to coax her into jumping by going in with her, but in true A fashion she clung to me like a little koala bear and I feigned frustration when really I love that she prefers me to a giant blow up toy.  In life, that is not always the case, right?  Harhar.
A considered entering, but quickly decided against it.


Have a wonderful weekend Friends!  Fire up for Superbowl Sunday- it's like Ad Bits Olympics!  I can't wait!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

WWW Wednesday- Snow Day Edition

Whine: Remember yesterday when I was so proud of myself for stocking up on food and stuff before our big snowstorm?  I grabbed chocolate chips thinking, "what could be more cozy and snow day-y than making chocolate chip cookies with my girls?"  Today I realized I don't have butter.  Butter!  I always have butter!  I have three (open) packages of cream cheese, 2 jars of salsa, more pasta than you can shake a noodle at, but no butter.  So it's handfuls of chocolate chips for dessert tonight!  Oh well, it's probably butter this way.

Wish: I wish we could come up with a really good name for this blizzard.  Snowmaggedon is pretty weak, Snowpocolypse is a bit better.  My favorite so far is the Snowtorious B.I.G.  But I still feel like we can do better.  I've been brain storming all day with snow good ideas.  I can't concentrate, my mind keeps going adrift.  I'm feeling a bit (snow)flakey.  You might say I have brain freeze.  And you can take that to the (snow)bank.

Woo-hoo!  Happy Groundhog's Day!  Apparently little dude says Spring is coming early, although I think he's a big fat liar.  If he were my kid I'd ground him.  But I appreciate his piggy little effort.  Happily, nobody in my house has gone stir crazy yet (I wish I was stirring my cookie batter like crazy, but what can ya do?)  Although, just as I typed that last sentence Molly came in from the blustering blizzard and went straight upstairs and put her swimsuit on. ?!?!?!  So maybe she's losing it.  Or maybe she's just creating her own little Snowtopia.

My brother and his new wife are escaping this entire snowcapade as they are on their honeymoon in Jamaica.  So la-tee-da for them.  Because I wish I were in Jamaica and because these commercials are hilarious- here are some Red Stripe beer commercials for your snowtertainment.



Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Callin' All the Plows- Do Ya Hear Me?

I have to let you in on a secret.  Part of me gets a little excited about snowstorms.  As you probably heard, the Midwest has a doozie headed our way and I'm a little pumped!  It's kind of fun getting all geared up to hunker down.  I filled my gas tank (though I've never ever heard of stations running out of fuel during snowstorms- it still makes me feel better).  Then, I went to the store and bought a bunch of stuff I don't normally get like Neosporin and vodka.  Just kidding.  Those are things I always pick up.  But I did get a giant can of pears (nothing says hunker down like canned pears!) and pudding and toilet paper (obviously that is something I buy year round, but normally I wait until the very last square has been flushed from our home before I buy more).

The girls have new library books and Christmas toys still in the packaging that I can bring out on a snowflake's notice. I have my own books and a list of household chores I've been waiting all winter to do. I also had the foresight to create a super annoying version of "Bottoms Up" to sing to Jim all day ("Shovels Up! Shovels Up!"). Yes, I think we're ready. Of course, if things turn icy and our power goes out all bets are off- then hunkering down is horrible and cold and we will flee to my Mommy and Daddy's house as any respectable grown girl would do. Luckily I have a tank of gas to get us there.