Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Soppy animal post with insect murder!

OK, this is totally not farm stuff, but it's animal stuff, so I'm posting it, by golly!

Did you read this?

(Yes, by the way, I AM having a super news posting thingy here of late. I think it's due to my new blog which I *whispers* haven't 'unveiled' yet, so don't tell anybody. Shhhh.)

ANYway, they got the dog back! I was terrified that those effing drug bastards who nicked him would do something horrible to him, but he must have been too valuable. I'm seriously glad that this dog I don't even know is OK. How lame is that?

Oh, and I just gotta say this somewhere (gee, Blue you have, like, TEN FREAKIN BLOGS NOW! nowhere to say it? Are you joking?!) so I'll say it here, since it's animal related (kinda) and reading Dawn's blog entry today made me think of it again ...

My oldest baby is now in kindergarten and when I go to pick him up the wee ones are all sitting quietly under the covered walkway, waiting to be picked up. So, I jump out to load up my Boy and as I take his hand, an ant cow* scuttles by between us on the sidewalk. Now, these things are big and they do sting, but my nature and my faith suggest that we not destroy a living thing just because we can, especially if it's off minding it's own business, and not out to harm us in any way.

Well, I intended to herd the ant cow safely off the walk after I helped Boy up into the van but one of the teachers, with a dramatic exclamation, rushed over and stomped on the thing. Right there in front of the line of kindergartners. Way to go, teach. Good lesson. It's non aggressive, non-poisonous, and a good 3 feet away, heading in the opposite direction, and you run it down and stamp it into goo in front of the kids.

I hope she wasn't one of the science teachers.

( This is what *I* was taught to call them and is probably a typical result of my mother's 'evolving' speech. She will hear a word or phrase, mis-repeat it, and forever pronounce/say it that way even if corrected. In fact, correcting her only makes her angry and more stubborn. Her brain manufactures Mondegreens from everyday speech and i aquired quite a few that caused me embarrasment as an adult. Her 'ant cows' are actually Velvet Ants or Cow Killer Ants [dasymutilla occidentalis] and aren't ants at all but wasps.)

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 11:38 am   0 comments

Monday, August 27, 2007

Just a funny vid

If you are a mom or are thinking you might ever be a mom click below ( Here is the link if the embed doesn't work):




I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face.

When she was done, I stood up in front of my computer and applauded. (Scared the cats, as well. w00t! Twofer!)



I've had this shirt for ages:




Do you think I should do a whole series with all the popular 'Momisms' on? ROTFL!

EDITED to add: this chick's name is Anita Renfroe and she is, apparently, (waaaait for it ...) a christian singer. I'm going to look into getting her DVDs anyway!

(That was sarcasm for you folks who may not know me. The 'anyway' part, not the 'getting' part. I'm definately getting them!)

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 12:49 pm   1 comments

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Going backwards

Did you see this?

The death from childbirth rate is still only 13 in 100,000, but, as the article says: "the fact that maternal deaths are rising at all these days is shocking."

Indeed. That's still over 500 deaths a year from childbirth. That's over 500 mothers.

I'm fascinated by these findings also because *I* possess all of the three suggested qualities that might be causing this increase in maternal mortality: older mom, overweight, and had c-sections. (They also mention larger babies and complications and my smallest baby was 9lbs even, my largest 10lbs 8oz, so I 'qualify' there, too.)

Thoughts? Opinions?

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 9:54 am   2 comments

Thursday, August 23, 2007

First day of school, ever.


I'll be right over here worrying, if you need me.

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 9:22 am   6 comments

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Brief but funny

Best. eBay. Auction. EVAR.

I SO want to send this chick a large family t-shirt from my store.

If you know her (is she on Babycenter's Large Family board?), let me know!

And she totally needs to write a book, IMHO.

EDITED to add: This hilarious and talented lady is named Dawn (otherwise known as the funny pokemon card ebay auction mom, lol) and her blog is here.

I sent her an email and offered her a free t-shirt, but haven't heard back. Can you imagine the number of emails she's received?

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 9:12 pm   2 comments

Monday, August 20, 2007

A day at the beach

Thought you might like to see a few (belated) pics from our foray to the beach.


Boy's fabulous sand castle:

If you look closely, you can see the sea oat stalk bridges and flagpoles. Behind him is my 'encampment' - The cool wee tent is from Dr. Sister in Law who got it last year for Cousin Aye. I'm so glad she brought it, because we would have been lost without it. Fiver is asleep inside:




A sandy, hot, slightly disenchanted Bulk. He's still not 100% with this whole beach thing.


Bitty spent most of her time with the beach toys.


THCTD spent most of her time in the water with EGH.


"See this? Sand! Gritty, hot, sand ... and it's everywhere!"



New farm blog up, nothing much, just a few more pics. For an updated shot of the family (no, I'm not in it), check out our newly re-done family site. I'm still working on it, so there are broken links and a few bits of weirdness. Bear with me.

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 2:33 pm   1 comments

Dry as a chip

Just a quick update from Cool Shade!


We got back from the beach safely, it still hasen't rained here. No one has hay. The large round bales are non-existant so I'm reduced to scavenging square bales:



Unfortunately, this is 1) more expensive, 2) more labour intensive, and 3) I'm allergic to hay. If I handle it much, I break out in hives wherever it's touched me, and I get horribly congested, my eyes swell, and it triggers my asthma.


Ugh!


Worst news is that Evil Genius Husband stepped on an enormous nail and has just now been able to resume helping with the chores. Poor lamb hobbled about in pain for days and I had to open the wound up every day and drain the yuck out of it. (Ewww!)

So that means that I was solely responsible for all chores (and getting hay!)


Did I say, UGH?


Our new pup is doing great though:


He's getting huge and is quite naughty. He fits in perfectly around here.
Yes, that's my ugly foot he's licking.

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 12:56 pm   0 comments

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Stressed!

Just had to update you. I know, I know, I've been teh suxxorz with blogging, but I swear I've been soooooooo busy ...

1) Evil Genius Husband stepped on a huge nail in the barnyard and has been out of commission for ages. It's been so bad that I've been having to open it up every day and drain the CRAP out of the wound. Ya know ... eeeeewww.
I would have taken pics for you, but, yark city. Really.

The good news is that he's on the mend ("I got better!") and just in time to return to work yesterday. Not that he was excited about that. Run over to his blog and encourage him to share.


I've also been having to do ALL of the chores, all of the off-farm running about, plus the babies, and the household, wifey, laundry-cooking-cleaning stuff (plus working on my stores, natch, and my new Squidoo lens).


2) Fiver is teething, transitioning into his crib (in the room with Boy and Bulk) for naps, and getting weaned off of his one night-time bottle. Fun stuff!


3) The new pup, Roy, is doing well, getting huge (his front paws are a big as my wooden cooking spoons!), getting crate trained, and generally being a red, fluffy terror. Pics soon!


4) Boy is starting school for the first time next Thursday. He is v. excited and i am a wreck. We had our first experience with the school yesterday. I'm sure to fire up this blog with ongoing comments. Last night was a nightmare of inefficiency.

5) I survived a mini family reunion in which The Brood went into an in-ground pool for the first time ever.

It's a wee bit maddening how some folks don't comprehend the logistics of having 5 children under the age of 6 and often view your nervousness as a laughable overreaction.

They have one child or two children who are often spaced apart by 2 or more years or are older and they simply cannot understand why I'm so paranoid about common things like: paddling in the surf, crossing a busy road, or going into a pool.

Well, picture it. We're at the seaside. Only counting mine, there are 4 children, none of whom can swim, all capable of walking right out into the ocean. Or wandering up the beach. Or back over the dunes out into the road.

Next time you go to a petting zoo or a farm, pick out four chickens and see how long you can keep an eye on all four as they wander in every direction, LOL!


The swimming thing is particularly stressful for me. You cannot just explain to a four-year-old that the pool has a sharp drop-off and she will go in over her head and be unable to breathe. If she's never been in water deeper than a bathtub before she will not comprehend.

Add to the mix a three-year-old and a two-year-old, both eager to be in the water (and my five month old inside the house where there were people I didn't know) and my stress levels were stratospheric.*

All in all it was a wonderful time, though, really. The babes had a ball and now that they've been in the pool and 'get' what's going on, I feel much more comfortable about doing it again. Incidentally, of the women there with kids, no one attempted to parent my children (though one got in a few grandmotherly zings in my direction, lol).

I question whether this was incidental, a matter of personalities, or whether they really DID do things but I was either too distracted or more forgiving because most of these people were related to my children (of the 3 other moms, two are blood relatives of my kids and one is the mother of a blood relative. In the other situation, only two of the four were any relation.)

Speaking of something that might possibly be my perception, let me ask you this: the only two kids close in age to mine were a boy and a girl, both a few years older than Boy. Both seemed to be very physical in playing with my kids. The girl, quite literally, carried THCTD around and sat her almost the entire time on her lap like a great doll. THCTD was perfectly happy (though, clearly somewhat confused) because she's a touchy-feely-lovey sort.

Boy, however, was nonplussed and at one point really upset by how rough the other boy was. The child kept grabbing Boy and shoving him, running up to him, running into him, etc. He knocked him down (accidentally) at least twice that I saw.

The child wasn't being ugly at all, he was just really exuberant. My kids are pretty physical - the boys and the girls -, tearing about the house, wrestling and playing, (but grabbing and shoving are absolutely verboten), so I chalked it up to this kid being so much bigger than Boy. All of mine are close to the same size and so, better matched.

Opinions?

*I am not, by the way, overly worried that one of my children will drown. Despite not being seen in swimwear in over 10 years, I am a superb swimmer and have no compunction whatsoever about going into water fully clothed, with all the grace of a breaching humpback cow, if one of my calves goes under.

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 9:38 pm   3 comments

Sunday, August 05, 2007

I'll meet you at high noon in the main aisle of ToysRUs

(A two-pronged rant)

I've noticed that some mothers, as they get farther and farther away from their own experience in a particular phase of parenting, feel more and more strongly that they are experts on that segment of parenting and so are more willing to interfere with a mommy who's experiencing that phase right now.

I call this "Blue's Rule of Parental Experience Proximity". Let me explain:

I have plenty of time on various mommy/baby/infertility/TTC boards. I have had light convos, intense discussions, and outright arguments with ladies all over the world on the subject of parenting. In addition, I know moms from other boards, plus the few I know IRL.

Among them, I find the type of mom I'm talking about. Usually a mother who has kids the same age as mine is NOT liable to offer up unsolicited advice. If I'm talking about, say, potty training, most moms of toddlers/pre-schoolers give only sympathy unless I actually ASK for advice. The random one who just thrusts her opinion on people comes across as a right bitch.

Hold that thought.

I've noticed that the farther away from the trials of potty training (to use our example) some mothers are, the more willing they are to tell us current potty trainers how to do it.

The phenomenon culminates in the Grandmother. Not all Grandmothers are like this, but a tidy few are. How many Grans do you know - either your own mother/MIL or total strangers - who have absolutely no problem elbowing mom out of the way to take over or making snarky comments on how mom isn't doing something right?

Grandparents are also quick to trot out the excuses: "I have more experience than you." (so, rather than letting you find your own way and make your own mistakes, I'll just parent for you!) and "But we just love our grandkids so much." (that we are willing to ignore your wishes and take over!)

Hold onto that thought as well.

My theory is further supported by those without kids. Have you ever noticed that it's your friend or co-worker who has never had kids who thinks she's a parenting expert? How many first-time-pregnant moms-to-be have you heard spout off loads of smug wisdom on how mommying should be done? (I did it horribly before I had kids, did you? Makes me cringe to think of it.)

What's up with this?

Example #1: I just spent time with four moms. Two with kids the same age as mine, one with teenagers, and one with grown kids and grandkids. The two younger moms never once did anything to or with my kids without asking. The middle mom helped out, but caught herself before doing or allowing big things. The last mom simply did as she wished, making me have to, literally, watch her like a hawk as she parented my children as she saw fit. When I came behind her and corrected things, she rolled her eyes, sighed dramatically, and, at one point actually threw up her hands and snapped: "Fine!"

Example #2: On the way back from our recent beach trip, we stopped at a restaurant (a rare treat) and were all sat down eating. Fiver was in his carseat with his bottle (Yes, his bottle was propped. I confess it: I'm a Bottle Propper. Ring DSS. None of my breastfed children has EVER taken a bottle from me - they will from other people - and he's right on the cusp of being able to hold it himself).

Anyway, he was just playing with it as there was so much interesting Whisky Tango action (a blog for another day - hey it was Orangeburg, SC), and we were all eating happily. Suddenly a little old woman materialised at my shoulder, reached into the carseat, into my child's face, snatched the bottle, and cried, loudly: "Is the baby supposed to be getting milk?! Is he getting any?! The bottle's slipped!"

Now, my 5-month-old Fiver weighs 22lbs. He's in the 95th percentile for height and weight. All of my children are rosy-cheeked, robust, and smiling (or were at that second ... until she showed up. Then they were transfixed, forks halfway to their mouths, staring in wonder, as was the entire restaurant). He does not look as if he misses any meals.

When I put my hand on her arm and murmured that he was fine, really, she laughed and said those magic words: "You know how us Grandmas are!"

Erm, maddening? Meddling?

Example #3 (and it's a biggie): There's this lady on one of my boards to whom I do not speak. We had a falling out one day (BTW, she is probably unaware of my ire, so smug is she in her opinion) over parenting. We were discussing public school's policies regarding children with food allergies.

My opinion is that schools should go to reasonable lengths to insure the safety of kids with food allergies: separate eating area, no home-made treats brought to class, etc. I do NOT think , for example, that schools should disallow anyone bringing homemade lunches for their own consumption. This is a violation of the rights of the hundreds of other kids who attend that school. What's next? Banning any and all eating of peanut containing products at the homes of teachers, staff, and other students? (Because, after all, someone could have peanut butter on his fingers when he arrives at class.) Do we need to forbid all other allergens as well? Wheat? Eggs? Where does it end?
These children have to survive in the real world. Forcing their school environment to conform so severely to their needs that it ignores everyone else's rights is not helping them. The real world will not do this for them.

The mom on the board with whom I butted heads has a grandchild with peanut allergies and was outraged at my opinion. She implied that she loved her grandchild more than I loved my children because she was more than willing to stomp on the rights of others on her grandchild's behalf and I was not.

Uhm, no, honey. Mommy Rule #1: do not ever, ever, ever suggest that you are a better parent or love your kids more because you parent them reasonably differently. I breastfeed, you don't: I'm a better mom? NO. You co-sleep, I don't: you love your kids more? NO. My oldest is 5 and yours is 35 so you're a better mother by default? Not necessarily.

Is it just that this woman is obnoxious, or is it Blue's Rule of Parenting Experience Proximity? Or is it just me?

What's your opinion on others parenting your kids without asking (or offering unsolicited opinions thereon)? Is it ASSvice/interference if it comes from a stranger/childless friend/co-worker but fine from aunts/moms/grands? Should someone with a vested interest in the child (like grandma) be allowed to parent a child with disregard to the mother's wishes and/or without her request (for instance, discipline, or allow mom-forbidden things) if she, in her superior experience thinks it's best?

Sound off moms and grandmoms!

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posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 9:05 am   5 comments