Random Thoughts and Opinionated Venting

Mark wrote a great post about our awesome puppy.
Scout is soooooo cute. It is a must read.

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I must have a lot to say in this post,
 because I'm already up to 29 random thoughts
(and opinionated venting).

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Principled people are awesome.
I think it's lame when I see people pay lip service
to something they say is important,
but then not follow it up with actions.
And people who live what they say?
Mad respect.

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Also, flaky people suck.

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The song "Call Me Maybe"
 makes me think of the girl in Arrested Development.

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The kids are in several D&D groups.
They are learning a ton about working as a team
 and with different personalities.


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My husband does a mean Cee-lo impersonation.
It's hysterical.
"And I appreciate that."

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The VERY easily offended types?
I hate being around people like that.
Get OVER yourself, you know?
I am SO tired of people being easily hurt and offended at every little thing.
Being around touchy people like that feels like walking on eggshells.
They get angry. They take everything personally.
If someone doesn't like something you like, it's not an extension of YOU.
It's not an insult to YOU.
If someone thinks your choice of books/movies/clothes is stupid,
it doesn't mean YOU are stupid.
Adults modeling this crap for their kids?
Even more maddening.
 It's like they're raising a generation of rampant insecurity.
Way to go.

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So I was listening to the song "Hot and Cold"
 by Katy Perry the other day
right when two women next to me
were talking about hot flashes and cold sweats.
Now the song makes me think of menopause.
I might be weird.

(Uh-oh, now I've offended menopausal women. And Katy Perry fans).

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I spewed hot cocoa (three times)
 while watching an episode of 30 Rock on Netflix.
I blame Tracy Morgan.

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We love NBC's new Matthew Perry show "Go On."
Great cast.

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Why do we get in our own way?
I tend to put off doing stuff I like to do (like blogging)
 in the name of things that must get done.
It's some kind of sick self-castigation, I guess.
But why?
(Oh boy. Now I've offended all the masochists).

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The other day,
 Thing 2 said,
"I wouldn't want to live in a mansion,
 because if I lost something it'd be hard to find."
These are the inner workings of my son's mind.

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(Oh! Oh! Now I've offended crafty ladies).

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I saw a map of the U.S. colored red and blue by majority county votes.
There is A LOT of red in the middle
and that seemed to confuse the person who posted it.
It's a population density issue.
Newsflash. No one lives in those red areas in the middle!
Would YOU live in North Dakota?
I didn't think so.
(North Dakotans? My apologies).

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Also, some people are supremely ungrateful.
They're not particularly happy people. Go figure.
Yowza.

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I had a dream that we joined my BIL and SIL
 on their weekend getaway.
Not cool.
 I think it means that Mark and I
 would really like a little getaway of our own.
Someday.

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An old truck went past the back of our house today
 while we were eating lunch.
It was an old kind that reminded me of my Dad's old truck.
Which in turn reminded me of my Dad.
For a brief second, I thought of how cool it would be
if he were alive and coming to visit.
It's funny how the littlest things can remind you.
And make you sad.

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It seems I can have a clean house and a lousy homeschooling day
or a great homeschooling day and a messy house.
Not quite sure how to manage both.

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We tried to get some Drake's Coffee Cakes
 and Devil Dogs and Funny Bones.
You know, to say goodbye.
Stores are cleared OUT.
Also? Our kids haven't ever tried Twinkies.
No great loss, really, but it would've been nice
to experience that pop culture food.

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Mark is picking up a lot of extra shifts at the hospital.
He's working 10 days in a row right now.
We are grateful for work.
We are very grateful for our business,
his moonlighting gig, and flexibility, too.
We're especially grateful that even with lots of work,
we spend lots of time together.
We feel very, very fortunate.

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I am getting tired of self-proclaimed
 "I-stay-out-of-my-kids'-stuff" parents
constantly getting into their kids' stuff.
Quit acting like it's some kind of badge
 to be "the cool mom" and own your crap!
Grrrrr.  Like it's a "bad" thing
 to get involved. Gah!
Just own it.
(Helicopter Parents? I know. I've offended you.
And probably your kids, of course).

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 We are boycotting Thanksgiving.
Not the giving thanks part. Just the turkey part.
We came to the realization that it's a ton of work
to make a meal we only like so-so
and to have a lot of leftovers that we don't like that much
(if it were, say, enchiladas, it'd be another story).
Heheheheh.
Since we're not going anywhere
and no one is coming here, we've made other plans.
We're watching the parade, going out for sushi, and
hitting the movies to watch "Wreck-It Ralph."
Then we're playing games and doing puzzles
 and writing all afternoon.
We're so excited!
(And now I've offended the Pilgrims).

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There is a difference between respecting someone's beliefs
and respecting their rights to have their own beliefs.
The beliefs can be crazy as all get out -
 you don't have to respect them.
But it is their right to have them that we respect.
Learning that difference has made a lot of sense.

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Wanna hear something cool?
Mark had the kids make a Father's Day card ABOUT my dad.
It was very sweet.

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This past summer/earlier this fall,
 Thing 1 made this profound statement:
"Scout's so lucky. All she knows is chewy toys and snuggles.
Then again, all she knows is chewy toys and snuggles."
Heheheheheh.

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Losing an aunt is more like losing a grandmother to me.
I didn't know one grandmother at all (my dad's mom died when he was 15)
and I hardly knew the other (she died when I was 6).
Not to be morbid, but I'm worried that
by the time I'm 50 (which is not that far away really)
and because of the huge age difference
between me and my extended family,
most of my extended family will be gone.

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 Our kids have been posting gratitude posts
 all month on their blogs.
Be sure to check them out!
Also, be sure to check out their review blog, too.
They've got some new stuff on there as well.
And more to come this week!

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Thing 1 is going through yarn like crazy!

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I saw someone online say
 that the good thing about Romney not being elected
"is that Mormons won't be blamed
when the country goes downhill in the next 4 years."
 LOL. That's a ringing endorsement of your candidate there.
Isn't that like saying,
"Well, I didn't really think Mitt was going to do a good job anyway."
(Oh Lord, now I've offended the Mormons).

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Seriously. That post about Scout?
Please go read it.
I think it got buried under a bunch of posts
and people missed it.
But it's full of cute pictures and videos.
Please, please read it.