Favorites (Foto Friday)

Hey, I still have a few minutes left on Friday to get this thing posted!

Today's feature are the kids' current favorite things. Let's start with the eldest, shall we?

At Boo's school, they were asked to dress up as their favorite character from a book. I had her look through her books and we'd discuss which one she thought was her favorite. She picked a cat and then expected me to just whip out a full cat costume in a couple days. I may be good, but I'm definitely not that good. This was her second choice:


Can you guess who she is here? Here's the answer:


The Boy - as I've mentioned before - likes trains. It goes beyond a favorite, though. I think "obsession" is more like it.


Recently, the Man took the Boy to a miniature train show held locally. We kept it a surprise, just telling him that he got to go somewhere special. When he saw all the trains, his head nearly exploded. They spent almost two hours at the show - a lifetime for the attention span of a three-year-old - looking and looking again at all the displays. That was a few weeks ago and he still talks about it daily.

Then there's Baby. She has very simple needs. But here is her very favorite position:


Tightly wrapped in her blanket (so her arms can't move), binky firmly in place. And no siblings in her face. I think we can safely say that the question about her eye color has been resolved.


P.S.
In regards to my last couple of posts...if the Man had been out of town for an extended period, then it would be really, really wonderful that he came home today!

Top Ten Reasons Why It Rocks When Your Husband Is Away

(Sorry about the confusion over which posts got published when...I was writing both of the Top Ten lists at the same time and basically had a total airhead meltdown when it came to publishing them. Smooches!)

Have to end this on a positive note, right?

1. Makeup, fixing my hair and clothes other than pajamas are optional. Bras, too.
   
2. The Man is not here to demand home cooking or dinners with nutritional value. Chocolate pudding is perfectly acceptable for lunch.
   
3. I don't have to watch any of "his" shows. The remote is all mine. Goodbye college sports; hello Doctor Who!
   
4. I don't have to share the blankets. And his pillow becomes community property.
   
5. Dishes only have to be done when we're using forks to eat our ice cream.
6. Costa Vida takes over my evening meals for me. I never get tired of their salads!
7. I can adjust the thermostat to whatever I want. He likes it at 68. I like higher. I win.
   
8. Casual get-togethers with friends go from "just for fun" status, to "absolutely necessary for my sanity" and therefore, make getting a babysitter a priority.
9. I don't feel guilty about updating my status on Facebook every couple of minutes after the kids go to bed because there isn't anyone waiting for me on the couch.
10. There's no one that can prove that I've eaten the rest of the brownies. The only other people in the house either can't count that high or aren't tall enough to see that there's a pan on the counter.
    

Top Ten Reasons Why It Sucks When Your Husband Is Out Of Town

I'm not saying the Man really is out of town (because I'm paranoid enough, people) but if he were...these are the reasons why it would potentially suck. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

1. My feet are perpetually cold. There's no one to warm them up at night. No way am I wearing socks. Maybe we should rent a dog for when the Man isn't here to fulfill his duties.
2. I have to change all stinky diapers. Sure, Boo takes care of the wet one but the messy diapers are still a little too gross for her delicate constitution.
3. All trespassing spiders receive a stay of execution. So the spider in the bathroom gets to live trapped underneath that cup for a little while longer.
   
4. I have to get up when the kids do and get them breakfast. Usually, the Man feeds them and then heads off to work so I get to snooze a little while longer to catch up on the sleep I missed while spending "quality time" with Baby in the wee hours of the morning.
5. Bored, bored, bored. It's a good thing I joined Facebook or I'd have no idea what to do with all this empty time.
6. My panic attacks are going into overdrive, especially at night when I'm trying to fall asleep. Was that the heater turning on? Or was it a band of vicious burglars breaking down the garage door? Was that one of the kids' coughing in their sleep? Or are they silently choking to death while I just lay here? Such happy thoughts...
7. There's no tag-team. And my split personality doesn't count.
8. I have to do all the Man Jobs. I got married so I wouldn't have to take out the trash anymore. Too bad the kids are still too young to haul the big trash can down to the curb...
   
9. There's no escaping them! I am the only adult present and am therefore the only one who can supervise baths, break up fights, refill drink cups, deliver punishments, distribute bribes, and run away from tickle attacks.
10. No one to cuddle with on the couch while watching tv. No big hugs when he gets home from work. No kisses to reassure me that he is still head-over-heels in love with me.

*sigh*

If the Man really were gone, then I would really be missing him right now...

What do you to when your Significant Other is away?

Worst Movie Ever

No, I'm not talking about "Twilight."

Every now and then, I let the kids have a "movie night," where I microwave them a Kids Cuisine and let them eat in front of the tv while watching a movie of their choosing. Lately, we've been on a "Madagascar 2" kick but that's over, apparently. Tonight, they chose "Thomas and the Magic Railroad."

I got this movie a while ago, when the Boy was first getting interested in Thomas the Tank Engine. It was only $5 at Target and had big names like Alec Baldwin, Henry Fonda and that cute little girl from "Mrs. Doubtfire" (who, unfortunately, has reached her awkward tween years).

The acting is horrendous and the lines...oh, some of the lines are agony!

Here are what I consider the best of the worst:

• "I'm at the windmill. Now that's what I call a perfect landing."
• "Oh, Lily, I'm so glad to see you." (said absolutely devoid of emotion...)
  
• "I don't know what eventually means but it sounds very, very long."
• "Planes. Trains. Mountain. Fountain. I might be on to something there. I think I'll try the celery."
• "That's my shell phone." (and yes, it was a shell.)
  

My personal favorite:

• "Well, my Lady, the lights are green for you, now. Green for glory."

And if you ask a dog which train you are supposed to take, don't look so confused when you end up on the wrong one.

Oh, the things we suffer through for the sake of the children...

Poke, Poke, You Owe Me A Coke

I caved. I succumbed. I buckled. I turned to the Dark Side. I gave in to the peer pressure. I...really need to give the thesaurus a rest.

I joined Facebook. It was inevitable, really. About once a week I'd get an invite from a friend to join, but I deleted them. I just didn't need one more thing to do on the computer. It was already sucking the soul out of my free time. Resistance was futile, apparently, because I signed up a week ago and have rarely left my chair since.

In the course of a week, I've reconnected with friends from elementary school, seen pictures of kiddos, cried over deaths, dodged ex-boyfriends and laughed at what has happened to the "popular" girls from high school. It's definitely been more than I expected. And I've discovered I am just as clueless on Facebook as I am in real life.

Most people have a rule about who they will ignore and who they will accept when it comes to the ex relationships. And I kid you not - the day after I joined, I had a friend request from an ex. Crud. Should I accept? Should I ignore? Should I delete my account and pretend like it never happened? I was completely unprepared. The turmoil!

And it's not just the ex-boyfriends that keep appearing. Apparently, there are these applications on Facebook where you can send virtual stuff to your friends to annoy them show them you care. There's all sorts of items from expensive things they'll never really own to virtual affection. I even got chocolate. But I tell ya, Facebook chocolate isn't nearly as satisfying as the real thing.

But what, dear friends, is with the poking? I've been poked repeatedly and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to poke back or contact my local authorities. What is a poke? Are they trying to wake me up ('cuz I got a baby that's pretty good at doing that)? Is this like what you do to a weird-looking bug to see if it'll move? Maybe I should change my profile picture...

Do you have rules about friend requests from your exes?