The blog in which he really is King of Kings.

The reason for the season.  

The blog in which I get this pull to go to a store.

I was hoping to have a cleaning job pop up, but alas, after my play date cancelled on me, and no job happened, I had to go shopping to get me out of the house and away from the refrigerator.  I did have some cleaning supplies to hunt for, so I left.  I hit Target and then Walmart, and fought with myself over if I should try Kroger or the Family Dollar for an inexpensive spray bottle, since Walmart and Target were both over priced.  My stomach was growling, and I thought it would win the battle to just go home for lunch, but as I was passing the Family Dollar, I got this strong impulse to pull in, and I think I did some illegal swerve/u-turn thing to get into the parking lot as I was nearly passed the entrance.

I saw Maria, the most amazing and loving store manager that is more like family than a local store employee.  Occasionally, my migits ask to stop in just to say "hi," even when we are not in need of anything.  It's been a while since we have seen each other, so I was in the middle of catching her up on life, and started talking about my newest venture, seeing as I could not find a spray bottle and I was asking her to help me.  When I was in the cleaning aisle, I kept tango'ing with another lady. We literally were just staring at the products at that aisle, and neither of us seemed to know what we were doing.  As I am chatting with Maria about my cleaning, this woman joins us, and says that she couldn't help but to overhear the conversation, and was thinking of starting her own cleaning business, and that was why she was here.  She said she never came into this store, and was just getting an idea for stuff.  Honestly, the next twenty minutes were such a G-d thing for both of us.  I wished her well on her endeavor after getting her email address and silently praying that G-d blesses me so abundantly with work that I might be able to pass some opportunities her direction.

I did make a homemade air freshener today.  I would hardly call in Febreeze, although, the idea online says it's a home made Febreeze.  I think Febreeze may contain chemicals that neutralize stank.  Those chemicals have been studied and found to cause neurological side effects.  What I made will add a scent to a home, but merely alongside whatever stank may already be there.  Not sure though.  I used Downy Crystals, boiled water to melt the crystals, and baking soda.  Geoff, Charlie and I like it.  Shay says she does not.  After we tribal counseled it, we voted her of the island.

The blog in which she can follow her dreams. Honestly.

She says, "Mom?  I am going to be on t.v. one day."

Ok.  I'll bite.  "What will you be on doing on t.v.?"

She then tells me all about how she will be an Olympic skater, but we won't have to worry, since Charlie will be in the Summer Olympics for gymnastics, so we can watch both of them at different times.  How very convenient.  Seeing as she can just barely stand up on her roller blades, and has never  even been on ice skates, let alone seen the inside of a ice skating rink!

Then, it came.  The question.  I knew it was coming, and the entire time she was talking, I was wondering if I was to be honest or if I should be that supportive mom?  I had to take a stand.  I was honestly supportive.  I said, "You can be or do whatever you set your heart on.  Daddy and I will support your decisions, so long as we believe that you are making a good decision and that you are doing something you enjoy.  However, you have never been on skates, and most people who compete at the Olympic level are doing their sport of choice from the time they are younger than you and your brother are.  Also, people who are Olympic-bound, usually have to sacrifice their entire lives and lose their childhood.  So, while you may attempt to reach for t.v., I think you will do it easier by acting."

Pregnant pause after I dealt that blow to a six year old.  And then...

"That's fine.  I can act.  I will be an acting skater.  I bet their aren't many of those."  

I didn't see it coming.  I suppose she will be high in demand.  Instead of being a "triple threat," she will be a "dynamic duo."

I don't think we should over "pat" our children on the head, but I think that we should show them that we believe in them.  If we believe in them, they might believe in themselves one day- when we are not there to "pat"them.

I believe that Shay will be an accomplished writer and she will most likely be involved in the theater department in school before she pens her incredibly successful novel about an aspiring ice skater who was raised with the craziest loving family you could imagine.  That is how I see it, but she will have to "write" her own future.

(Shay- One day, you will know how much I believe in you.  I believe that you will most likely change your career choice, change your interests, and hopefully, change your underwear.  The one thing that won't change?  You passion.  You will be incredibly successful because you are honest, kind, loving, considerate, smart, beautiful, and deeply connected to our Heavenly Father.  You, little one, will be a success, so long as you stay true to who you are.  I love you- more than I ever thought I could.  You are a six year old now, but one day, you will be an adult, and if I don't do too much to get in your way, you will flourish into all that G-d has planned for you.

The blog in which Shay tells it like it is.

Charlie lost his tooth yesterday.  Our tooth fairy came.  She always brings a tiny note, which is almost more exciting to the migits than the actually reward.  However, when Chaz asked how much this coin was worth, I told him it was a half dollar.  (He got dollar coins last two teeth.  They were his first.)  Shay jumps in with, "Well, it's better than nothing!"  Thanks for that.

The blog in which share/advertise our next Friday Family Fun Night.

Look what I found for our next Friday Family Fun Night!  I was actually waiting for our seats and friends  to arrive for dinner at the pizza place last Friday night when I came across this in the window.  How lucky was that?  So, this Friday, we are headed back to our roots- musical theater.  The local theater student productions are really impressive.  We not only support them by going, but I pick up local high school productions here and there and highlight/advertise them at no charge for our local online paper.  So, here's hoping that you guys take advantage of this opportunity if you are a local of Cherokee, Cobb or Fulton counties.  $5 adults and $3 student ticket pricing is actually very reasonable.  I hope that our children can appreciate it.  I have never seen or researched it, however, we are a tad more liberal on the arts than we would be on normal daily allowances.  So, here's hoping!  At $16 for a family of four to get out on a Friday night- it's a steal!  Hint- there's a Bruster's Ice Cream nearby the school, so you might want to stop off afterwards.  Take your kids on a special date.  I promise you won't regret it!  

The blog in which it's St. Patrick's Day!

My children NEVER get sugar cereal at home.  This is the first time I am allowing a marshmallow to be called a breakfast item.  It might be the last.  

Either a unicorn had to poo, or this is what happens when Leprechauns have extra food color in hand. 

Looks like my oatmeal will have a green tint.  Lovely.  I know my husband has been green lately.  He just might get "lucky" himself, since it was after eleven and I decided I had to run to Kroger for the cereal as a surprise, and he refused to let me go out.  That was hot.  

We go to the Saturday Vigil Mass each week.  Here's how we went today.  He loves his ties.  I love that.  That is a hand me down from my Uncle Bill's niece.  It is a Jessica McClintock dress!  I had one of those for my eighth grade formal.  She looked amazing tonight.

We have never had a leprechaun come to visit us, but this year, a leprechaun found our house.  His name is "Lucky."  He brought some cereal, and made our toilet water and milk a green color.  Take a look.....  And... HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!  (Any excuse for a party is my motto.. and excuse to party that includes the Catholic Faith- EVEN better!)  Don't forget to share the story of the real St. Patrick and the reason we celebrate.  Our children love to hear about real life hero's.  

The blog in which we do family competition for this Friday Family Fun Night.

BEST.NIGHT.EVER!  Well, not the best ever, but one of the most enjoyable Friday Family Fun Night's in recent history.  We have had a number of Friday Family Fun Nights with other families, but this one really added this extra element of fun because we got to get out of the house and get moving.  I devised this scavenger hunt around 1:PM, and before the migits got off the bus, the directions and the list was written and printed.  I posted on Facebook, and a friend jumped on board, and then who knows what bribe she might have had to use, but got her hubby to agree to doing one of our cheesy nights with us.  (My husband only gets one bribe per calendar year, and he gets a "happy ending" if he manages to shove the fake Christmas tree back into the box, year after year.  And let me tell you- that tree makes it back in, without fail, in record time.)

Geoff got home, and within minutes, the friends arrived.  They have a daughter that is two years older than Chaz, and she is a sweetheart.  We decided that instead of boys/girls, we would venture off as a a family unit, and we would use cars, since we only had a little more than an hour and then we had to meet for dinner and to go over the list.  Whoever had the most- wins!  We did a photo journal of all the finds, and it was so cool to see how creative we both got on some of them.  They won, by one item!  I loved it!  They worked hard since I know how much we busted it to get the 44 items we got.  Here is a sampling of our items.

Did you know that they made hammers this small?  That was the entire size of it.    It's like a hammer for a migit.  For real.  

Lucky... we had the coin.  

We were desperate for a bird toy.  Did you know that this existed?  

Raw meat.  Which prompted a really interesting discussion on where meat comes from.  Shay was wrong, and saddened to learn that bacon and ham do not come from a fox.  And now, she will never see a pig the same way.  

Free cookies from Publix bakery!

Tea

Light and dark brown sugar.  One wants variety, right?   

We remembered the one caveat on this one after we got to the restaurant to tally-- this couldn't be a contrived hand holding shot.  The hug could be, and we found a mom and son duo that did that for us.  Our friends that we competed against actually got a couple holding hands, and as the snapped the shot, they let go of their hands within seconds.  

I insisted on the old school, Flinstones, for the multivitamin shot.  They were not impressed.    They have no idea what a hot commodity the Dino vitamin was, back in the day.  

AS we were pulling out of Kroger, I said, aloud, "I wish we could get a cop car."  Viola, look what was coming straight at me!  It was the best moment ever!  I wish I had turned around and gotten him to let me take a picture of his handcuffs and tried to talk him into letting a child photograph in his hat.  

Christmas themed item found in one of the two Redbox locations we had to photograph.  

That was for the magnet.  And our friends did had the same concept for their magnet find.  

Got to the restaurant at 8:PM, and we were exhausted.  It was such a fun event, and dinner and friends made it even better.  

The best part of all this?  How the kids learned that Daddy loves cheesecake, how we all worked together to get something done, and how much fun we still have, as a family.  Also, we learned that even though the Frito Lay person was handing out free bags of chips, chicken and waffle flavor chips are NASTY!

The blog in which we get our Friday Family Fun Night inspiration.

Today is Friday, and I slept until almost noon today, therefore, I will be up late tonight.  Seeing as I will have lots of energy, we need to do up Friday Family Fun Night big with my excitement.  Plus, we need to spend some quality time together, and competition feeds my needs and alone time with a parent/child helps us connect after a busy week.  Each child senses the tension in the house, and they need to know that we love them and each other, but we are going through a tough time.  So, here's the solution- Team Scavenger Hunt!  I have tailored the page to ours for tonight, but their are lots of ways to do this with your own family.  I want to do this with cameras this time.  Last time we did a family scavenger hunt in the house, we did it in teams, and made it WAY complex.  Each team of two had to hold hands the entire time.  Each time an object was found, it had to be taken and placed on the king bed before the next item could be retrieved.  That was a highly aerobic activity.  Each list had 16 items!  Also, points were then awarded again for the first team to replace each item, in the same manner it was retrieved.  Whew!  We were exhausted due to the fact that we have steep stairs in a two story house and often had to go up and down multiple times per round.  So, here is an idea, and I hope that it motivates you to get active, and to spend some quality time with your family.  We also bought a Rainbow Loom, and plan on working on that for our Super Saturday.  Sunday Fun Day will be mellow this weekend.  I will work on that day's activities later.  For now, I need to get dressed.  Migits almost home!  Sleeping the morning away really changes the day.

Scavenger Hunt

The object of this game is to be the team to obtain all, or the most, of the items on the list. The game may be played until either 1. all the items have been found/documented, or, 2. the designated time has been reached.

Game play-

Teams may be formed or the entire group may go as a whole. If the latter, then, the teams must be divided, or individual challenges are to being done in alternating style, each one on the list. If item not documented, photographed, or taken into posession, than, it is the next team/players turn. Game play may be walking or driving.

Items to be in play may be the list in the entirety, or, decided upon prior to the start of game play. If not doing list in entirety, underline or highlight the items to be played. (This does sound so professional, doesn't it?)

Items List

button                                 soda machine

pen                                  pharmacy

pencil                                                   silly bumper sticker

eraser                                                  a mullet

pinecone                                red hair

5 strands of pinestraw                                   someone in pajamas

dog toy                                                         someone from school

cat toy                                       a teacher

dog food                               pickles

cat food                                           something Christmas themed

bird toy                              a bracelet made from a Rainbow Loom (to keep the adults in the loop)

a ream of yellow copy paper                     high heels

picture with a manager of a restaurant                         a dept. manager

raw steak                                                                    a porch

multivitamins

the letters S,C,G, and E in a sign (May be found amongst multiple signs.) These are our first initials ;o)

hammer

nail

Phillips head screw driver (this is important to teach the difference to young children- trust me. We aren't handy, so any way to teach early is imperative to self help skills later in life.)

squirrel

picture of people holding hands (this is a stealth picture opportunity, not contrived)

picture of two people hugging (would be preferable if they know each other)

a picture of two Redbox locations that are at least not at the same store

brown sugar

tea bag a neighbor holding a carrot or wearing a hat

glue bottle                                                   a birthday cake

glitter box of raisins

computer                                                 feta cheese (b/c I recently had it for the first time and loved it.)

water bottle cricket/lady bug/firefly (live, dead, cartoon, coloring book, whatever)

remote control                                                 police/fire/EMT vehicle

any coin                                                   Photo of child wearing a policemans hat (five bonus pts)

magnet                                                        photo of handcuffs ('cause I think it's funny- adult humor)

free cookie from Publix                                      cheesecake ('cause it's one of Daddy's fav's.)

Final requests for us tonight- We WALK/run/jog the route! May go NO further than Kroger. Adults to carry camera. Child to take the pictures. Each child is to have a walkie-talkie on them, and each adult is to have a cell phone. Adult child teams will be picked by envelope AFTER dinner is completed. Each child will pick from one of two envelopes that will have a parent name inside. A time limit and specific items will be decided upon by the adults, and upon returning home, if the movie, “Rise of the Guardians” is obtained at one of the two Redbox locations, the movie will be viewed in the king bed. If not, a firepit fire and trampoline with marshmallow roasting will commence. Friday Family Fun Night!  

The blog in which I share my brain.

Do you have a connection to someone that is so deep, that you know what each other is thinking?  Do you ever call them and they were thinking of you, or about to call you?  I have that.  My mom and I share a brain.  Often, we will be together, and she will look at me and know what I am thinking.  She will most often, disapprovingly look at me, since she knows where I am going with something in my head, and therefore, occasionally, smile knowing what is happening up there.  I don't have to say anything.  I am so grateful for the honest relationship I share with my mom.  EVERYONE loves her.  She is a great mom, friend, and ally.  She loves so unconditionally, and is slow to anger.

I was paid the highest compliment from the worst manager in my working career after I emailed her something.  I don't remember what the email was about, but she said that she literally heard my voice as she read it, since I speak as I write.  I will never forget that.  For the record, she was a sucky manager.  She once called me in the office and wrote me up on charges that I had been playing "Hide 'n Seek" with fellow employees.  That is a weird, and almost picture worthy write up.  I thought that might be unprofessional, therefore, I did not take the picture.  Obviously, playing "Hide 'n Seek" seemed appropriate enough in an urgent care setting.

Let me clarify...  I have mentioned it often enough to you guys about how I do this little thing with my family.  It's called "Booing."  I hide, and when they enter the room, I jump out and scare them by yelling, "Boo!"  (My children will be scarred for life.)  Interestingly, I have not ever been able to scare the Mr.  He is my polar opposite, and is not uptight at all.  In fact, he once was in an airplane that was in distress, and while the stewardesses were all having panic attacks and crying, he and his brother decided to sing the second act of the musical, "Jesus Christ Superstar."  Incidentally, that is the same thing he did during a long MRI that seemed to cause him anxiety a few years back.  Yes, my man is a musical theater fanatic.  There must be a 12 step program for that.  He, on the other hand, scares me without even trying!  I thought I was alone yesterday morning, and as I am walking out of the bathroom, he appears in my face at the doorway.  I jumped, screamed something inaudible, and then I even think I pulled something in my lower back.  He didn't even try!

All the patients were gone for the night, and I had just brought one of the two pieces of paperwork to the desk we had to in order to leave for the night, and I knew my friend was coming with the second page.  I waited, and when she turned the corner, I "booed" her.  No big deal.  We laughed, and then all of us clocked out.  I would hardly call that a game of "Hide 'n Seek."  And still, some unhappy hermit who was back in that area, told the manager, and I was written up, along with my friend that I actually "booed."  Yeah, that's what I called called in for.  Another time, the manager called me in and said, "You know why I called you in, don't you?  That is not okay, and I never want it to happen again."  I just shook my head "yes" since truth is, she was being so weird about it, and I had no idea what she was talking about, but didn't want to deal with it, so just agreed.  I didn't get written up.  That was the end of it.  I honestly don't think I did anything wrong.  I think she was mental.  Correction, I know she was.  And so, the only appreciation I have for her is the one comment she said regarding a simple email.

Back to the brain sharing....  I had posted something on my Facebook page this morning the same moment I got a text about the same thing.  While the person who texted only knows me through my writing, I thought, "Oh no!  If I can give shares of my brain out that easily, what must you guys think of me????!!!????"  With the birth of randomobscurities.com,  you have surely been allowed a more accurate glance into my thoughts,  and I hope, you don't judge me based on it.  In "real" life, I don't curse (often) unless I get hurt- and let me tell you- that would  make "Dice" blush.  It's more a verbal diarrhea, but after it "shoots" out of my mouth, it's done.  Besides the curse words there, the subject matter is completely what is happening in my head.  I'm not that complex.  #sadrealization

I have two braincells left, and they are fighting.  So if you want a "share" of my brain, good luck!  You'd do better if you jumped on board with a boxer or a serious brain injury patient.

Random Obscurities Post #2

Sorry, but I have a sixty day wait period for the transition of the domain main to the new host, and this is the best I can do.  If you see, "Random Obscurities" in the title, it may be offensive.  At least, more offensive than an "Adventure with Ahrens" post.  I will post both here for now, and once the R.O. is up and running, I will transfer that stuff over, and continue on both blogs.  Thanks for you patience.  the following post will give you a small sample of the type of hell I am living with.  Enjoy!  Or, be offended.  Whatever.

Title- Random obscurities I am encountering as I have to pick a password.

I know that you guys are sick of hearing about the drama that has ensued while I have been trying to get this site up and running.  Going into this, I was fully aware of my lack of computer knowledge.  Now, days deep, I am floored how much I was so out of the loop.  Talking to the different host servers, and switching the new domain to yet another new server all in a matter of days has only added to the cluster-F I am creating for myself.  In the mean time, I am pretty sure the neighbors have heard me yelling at my husband, the computer, and the dog.  The dog, because he wants me to throw something for him to retrieve.  I am about to through the computer, and he can decide if it's worth the fun of schlepping that back down the hall to me.  Part of my frustration has been new passwords.

You know, each day, some hermit must sit at his computer all day and decide, "How else can we make Erin's computer frustration raise to a level that would frighten the most hardened of criminals?"  And then, a stroke of genius- password strength.  We will confuse the hell out of her, and then, deny her anything that might be something she might remember at a later date.  Let me share my experience of setting up a new password the other day.

I came to the section where I had to determine a password.  I chose one.  The computer denied it.  I chose another.  And another.  And finally, it told me that my choice was "weak."  That was like a challenge because if someone says anything negative about me, or says I won't or can't do something, I will make it my life's mission to prove them wrong- including, a computer server.  So, I came up with another, very "strong" password that I assumed that would please the server.  I was wrong.  The server did not approve of "thedoghashairyballsandthatsokay."  Apparently, that had "too many characters" to be approved.  Or, it disagreed with the statement.  Either way, I amended it.  I shortened it to "oktohavehairyballs."  Again, denied.  What the heck do you want from me?  Too long, too short, too hairy... 

At this point, the server got a tad bitchy with me.  In bold, red letters, it said, "Password must contain an upper AND lowercase letter, a number, a symbol, the blood of your first hamster you named after the New Kids on the Block, the last two digits to your gym combination lock, your first born childs' birth year, the age you lost your virginity, the number of acid hits you had in the tenth grade, your paternal grandmother's cup size,  the quantity of tampons you have "borrowed" from girlfriends and wonder if by the word "borrowed" means you are to give it back to the when finished, 18 Hebrew letters, and the quantity of live chickens your bus driver's aunt had when someone came and took all the eggs from the chicken coupe and decided to prank egg her own house with in 1986."  Once the server clarified, I struck my own head against the keyboard and mumbled aloud to no one in particular, "Fuck.Me."  

And that is when it happened.  The password came to me, and the moment it accepted it, I felt like I had just run a marathon, and needed a team of people to give me a freakin' medal and a standing ovation.  All I got was this neat-o password that I will never forget.  

1Vaginafart@home

And then, within hours, I had to get rid of it.  Why?  Because I left that host.  I was all, "I'm not playing with you anymore, server.  I'm taking my domain and playing with it somewhere else!"  And then, the next site wouldn't take that password.  Why?  Because they don't accept symbols.  True story.  

The blog in which I might need to sign autographs soon.

Each Monday, I spend the day at the school.  I spend a couple of hours in the library shelving books, as well as checking in and out books.  I leave there to eat lunch with both of my migits, and then to computer lab to help my daughters' class.  I am around school enough, that many of the nearly 1,000 of them, recognize me.  It is really sweet to have random children wave, run over to hug, or high five me.  But today, I became a rock star.  

I was in the media center shelving books, and two boys were pointing at me.  Then, a girl came over and said, "You look familiar.  Are you Jordan's mom? "  I told her I was not, but that I have had the library shift for two years running, and that maybe she knew me from the library.  She said no.  I then said, "Well, I also sell the ducks on Friday's."  Her face lit up, and she asked for a song!  And the two boys that had been pointing?  One said to the other, "SEE?  I told you that was her!"  For those who missed it, my "Duck for a Buck" PTA boss came up with a new sales idea.  We sing to our customers if they buy ducks.  We use the child's name in the song,  or the song to help name the newly purchased piece of plastic. I mean, duck.  

Another child saw me in the hall and asked, "What are the new ducks we are getting this week?"  I told him it was top secret.  (Truth is, not even sure if they will be in since order turn around time is not an exact science for us.)  And that is why I have named myself... "Duck Master."  

I denied the song request.  I have some scruples.  I need to be paid for my services.  I think it's in my contract.  

The blog in which I share an actual convo with you.

Lou B. and me....  we be buds now.  I am sooo out of my league, and you really learn who your friends are when you go looking for help.  (Clearly, I am friendless.)  I have made an executive decision to not work with Geoff on this process, because I don't want to go to jail for something because I am about to lose my ever loving mind with him.  And so, it's me and Lou B.  I think I will send him a birthday card.  *As for the "rock, paper, scissors" joke--- Ask Brett.  We would "rock, paper, scissors" some patients at the urgent care-- four years of that nonsense with him, and I never learned- Brett could freakin' read my mind and won- every.freakin.time.   Melanie was way smarter than to get caught up in that mess.  She would grab the next chart and wait for Brett and I to duke it out.  I miss those crazies.  Lou B. is probably practicing his gaming on that as I type.  Smart man.  

Chat ID: 438537. Question: Provider: Just Host - My Domain is: "Not specified." I was wondering, is it free to get an existing blogspot.com to transfer into a new domain purchase with you guys?

(8:43:09pm)Lou B.:Thank you for contacting Justhost sales. I'm sorry, I am not understanding what you are asking. Are you wanting to point part of your blogspot site to us or have us host the entire site? 

(8:43:25pm)Erin:yes 

(8:43:43pm)Erin:and I have no idea really what I am doing, so I am not sure how to ask this question I guess 

(8:44:02pm)Lou B.:Which one? Do you want to point part of your site or do you want to host the entire site with us? 

(8:44:19pm)Erin:I want a dot com and I want to use the blogspot as my place to continue blogging from 

(8:44:36pm)Erin:so i guess I don't need a host if I want to continue using the blogspot, right? 

(8:44:39pm)Lou B.:You can host your site with us and point a C Name to blogspot. 

(8:44:57pm)Erin:I what is that cost and what is a c name? 

(8:45:22pm)Lou B.:Our hosting prices are as follows :

12 months - $4.95 per month $59.40 total
24 months - $3.95 per month $94.80 total
36 months - $3.25 per month $117.00 total
48 months - $3.25 per month $156.00 total 

(8:45:27pm)Lou B.:A C Name is a DNS record. 

(8:45:34pm)Erin:what is that? 

(8:45:36pm)Lou B.:Usually used to point to a subdomain on another server. 

(8:45:51pm)Erin:oh my gosh. I think my brain just exploded 

(8:46:07pm)Erin:okay.. can you tell me what I need based on my thoughts here? 

(8:46:08pm)Lou B.:https://my.bluehost.com/cgi/help/cname 

(8:46:14pm)Lou B.:That will explain it a little better. 

(8:46:38pm)Erin:I want to continue to blog, add some pictures, and possibly video, and add advertisers. What do I need? what will it cost? 

(8:47:46pm)Lou B.:Hosting prices :

12 months - $4.95 per month $59.40 total
24 months - $3.95 per month $94.80 total
36 months - $3.25 per month $117.00 total
48 months - $3.25 per month $156.00 total 

(8:47:59pm)Lou B.:You can stream video and audio from our servers. 

(8:48:33pm)Erin:that will give me a dot com, and I will just link my existing blogspot at no charge, right? easy to do? 

(8:48:46pm)Erin:do you give directions for that after I set up and pay? 

(8:49:00pm)Lou B.:That is correct. Our tech support is available 24/7 via phone, chat, and email. 

(8:49:06pm)Lou B.:They will walk you through the process. 

(8:49:41pm)Erin:fantastical! Thank you for your help! You guys will get to know me on a first name basis and then rock, paper, scissors to not have to deal with me. 

(8:49:51pm)Lou B.:hahaha. 

(8:49:55pm)Lou B.:For tracking purposes, may I please get the domain name you would be signing up with? If you sign up, that is. 

(8:49:59pm)Erin:Thanks for your time Lou! 

(8:50:15pm)Lou B.:You're very welcome. Have a great rest of your weekend, Erin. 

(8:50:16pm)Erin:I need to go research a bit more. But thank you for your time! 

(8:50:24pm)Erin:You too! 

The blog in which I re-post some older work I referenced recently.

Sep 7, 2012

The blog in which I share how I volunteer in the school on Friday's..

Today was Duck for a what???  Well, I am notorious for texting auto corrects that clearly show you how my phone acts like a dirty old man.  So, I was texting with a neighbor and she said something about seeing me at the bus stop in the morning.  I quickly reminded her that I have "Duck for a F@ck" as well as Accelerated Reader testing that I will be doing every Friday morning from now on.  Of course, the typo not caught until AFTER I sent it.  Lovely.   My apologies to the PTA and the ducks on that one.  Duck for a BUCK is a little fundraiser they have set up this year that sells little themed rubber duckies for a dollar, right as the children enter the school on Friday mornings, and closes when school starts.  It was my first attempt at it, and let me tell you, I hope I wasn't fired.  I had a blast!

First, there are no less than about 10 different little containers with individually themed ducks.  There were the mundane to the limited edition.  However, we neglected the politically correct version.  More on that later.  Let me share with you some of the ducks.

I didn't see these flying out the door.  They are little duckies  wearing rain coats and carrying umbrellas.  Ducks like water.  These seemed a little kooky to me.  I see why there isn't a run on them. 

Shay got that one a few weeks ago.  She's a cute little princess duckie.  

These are new.  They are cheerleader ducks.  We sold about 6 of these to staff members even before the buses started arriving!  

Now these were a big deal.  They are glow in the dark duckies, and they are Halloween themed, dressed as pumpkins, mummies, vampires, etc.  They are about half the size of a regular ducky, and some savvy shoppers noticed the difference, and asked if they were half off.  "No, but they glow!  Ohhh, Ahh..."  Fifth grader dropped it back into the container in disgust.  Come on dude.  That's better than the freakin' "Rainy Day Duck!"  And then there was the kid who cried "foul" because it didn't glow.  We had to tell him that they need to be in the light to charge.  Like a an iPod, but not.  

These were the mermaid duckies!  They were a hit too.  They looked like transvestites,  but I didn't want to point that out when they were so popular.  I had other ducks with issues to contend with.

Afro duck, I mean, Crazy Hair Duckie, seems to have a slight lazy eye.  It appears that whole container could use an eye intervention.  And some conditioner. 

Sumo Rubber Duckie.  No joke. They didn't seem to be a big hit either with the kids, but I wanted to offer to let them waddle to the nurse's office to have their outfit checked for regulation-length attire that is in effect.  I don't know that the thong would pass inspection.  I suppose the PTA Facebook page will be lit up like wildfire once the hens get a hold of this one.    

Well, those were some of the duckies.  And while on their own, they could have created a sweet little blog on what our school PTA is doing to raise a little extra money, and let the kids have a great time doing it. But that's not where the "buck" stops.  Oh no.  The children.  We are talking about elementary school aged children.  We are talking about children who live in an affluent area.  We are talking funny people.  

While my children worked their tail feathers off to earn their four quarters this week in order to buy one duck a piece, there were lots of children who came in with a couple of dollars a piece to purchase the duck.  There was also that little girl who had thirty-two cents, and she worked those four coins until finally, 15 minutes later, she had a "share" of a duck.  No joke.  

She proudly told us that her and her friend are going to buy the duck together, and share it.  Sadly, that little girl didn't have the money either, but after some serious digging and counting and recounting, we finally found $1.06!  So, the girl with the thirty-two cents was thrilled knowing that her friend would share the duck with her, one day.  It was really pitiful.  The person overseeing this program was feeling so bad for her that she wanted to help her out.  I am glad we let them work it out.  It's never too early to learn a hard lesson.  Wink.  

Then, there was sombrero duck.  Those were not moving at all.  I think we should discount those come Cinco de Mayo.  

Then, there was the girl who specifically asked if we had any African-American or "Island" ducks.  I swore nobody would believe me on some of this stuff, so I made her repeat it to the girl in charge.  I was having a ball with these kids, and didn't want to be the only one laughing.  Plus, I needed a witness to the funny.  Sadly, we were not politically prepared, until the little girl left her little friend.  Meet,  LGBT BEAR!  (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgendered Bear)  

"LGBT Bear"

I wanted to hunt down the "Island" seeking girl, just to let her know that while I thought we had the whole political correct/Village People represented, I stood corrected, but wouldn't this bear make a lovely parting gift?  Don't be offended.  My best friend is a bear.  ;o)

PS  The bear's little girl came and tearfully found her, safe in our loving and accepting Duck for a Buck store.   Or, as my auto correct might say, "Bear for a bang."  

PPS  I hope they let me back next week.  I loved it!  

The blog in which I am feeling it again.

Today was one of those sorta' screwy days that has me up thinking of all the things I did wrong.  First, I  woke up to my Friday "job."  You guys remember, right?  Duck Master!  I sell Duck for a Buck at the kids' school to raise money for the PTA.  (See all the prior posts on Duck for a Buck.  We will wait right here.  Back?  Good.)  I am not the head of the duck sales, however, I might as well get some life insurance since doing that practically requires I carry a policy while "working" under the direction of the "head" Duck Master, Katie.  While Katie is a fair boss, she insists that people who "work" for her, "perform" at a moments notice.  Say, a month ago, when she offered a child a song if they bought a duck.  While I have been known to improvise the occasional song, Katie began asking children their name, so that I might add that into the repertoire.  That one song turned into me having to do freakin' toe touches and other heinous tumbling moves mere days after that fateful pilates class that I thought might require surgical repair of integral muscles in the breathing process.  Ever one to please the popular girls (Katie), I managed to to not only sing  (off key) and pull some impressive jumps that I haven't done in years, but I think I should have earned some sales award for selling "Crazy Hair" ducks that were bald, or ducks that were scantily clad in sumo attire and somehow, I brought the sexy back into sumo- if that ever was possible.  And then, I thought, there was a day when the most challenging part of my day was when I had gone to hang some D5, and the patient asked for a narcotic for hangnail, or the day the dying man of CHF told me he has sweaty balls.  I mean, is this, singing for a dollar, how I am going to pimp myself out?  However, we sold out of ducks, and I got to help order the next batch.  Guess what we found????  FIREMEN DUCKS!  Holla!  I am now lovin' me some Katie again!

Then, I go to the YMCA, and don't you know, I am in luck!  The weight machines are totally empty, and it appears I won't have to wait my turn for anything in my circuit.  Fantastical!  (Yes, my new favorite word.)  I do them all with sets, in record time, and after getting my info in the computer, I head to the elliptical.  I think, "I'll take it easy, and only do 30 minutes."  I had arranged a meeting for afterwards, and didn't want to be a hot, sweaty mess for the meeting.  (Long story short, I was, since I am more competitive than I really should be, and went over an hour on cardio, which technically equates to enough sweat in my bra to ring out liquid and then I get cold if in it too long.  And we all know how that goes... It's screwy, that's all I can say.)   So, the machines were packed, and I found a machine far from the lifters that I like to oogle, and darn it if the only one available had something that was sticking to my shoes, and every time I stepped with my right foot, it made this sticky sound, and felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown from the sensory of it all by the end of the first half of my workout.  I am a basket case.  A basket case that is desperate to take care of my body.  But at what cost, I wonder????!!!????

Next, I make it home, shower, and my dog goes ape at something while I am in the shower.  And without fail, my brain starts to process the situation.  And without any real reason, my initial thought was that I must get the conditioner out of my hair, or else, I might be like a greased pig sliding around the bathroom floor with an intruder.  Then, I wanted to keep my eyes open while I washed it out, but that was taking longer, and I was not sure if being swift was more imperative than keeping watch for the potential danger that I was in.  I heroically make it through the shower, and when I go outside to check things out, I find that the Jehovah's witnesses are walking up the street, but they left little fliers about an upcoming event, and don't ya' know?  The invited me!  I wonder, do they do the whole Baptist style casserole pot luck yummy smorgasbord thing?  I love me some casserole!  And to get out of cooking and cleaning for a night?  I'm soooo in.  I know my father disowned me for converting to be Catholic and all, but I wonder if my mom might consider dropping me like a bad habit if she knew I was considering going-- merely for the fact that I need a night out.  And, I don't want to do dishes this weekend. And I wonder at what point the Catholic church will realize I am really not right, and that they might consider pausing the whole conclave bit to work on the "Erin Infiltrate" bit?  I hope not.  the church is in shambles right now, and I don't think it's because of me, but you just never know, seeing as not ONLY did the witness people come a knockin', but some window cleaners threw a plastic bag with rocks in my drive way advertising their services and it made me so mad I wanted to drink.  See, the plastic bags had rocks in them so that they would not fly around the 'hood.  However, I must say, it just junked up the hood more, and I am pissy about my living arrangements, namely, the fact that I live here.  And I don't have a basement.  And that my house the perfect size for our family, however, the builders insisted on placing a bathroom inside my kitchen, and my smoke detectors go off everytime I cook, daily.  So what if we do go to this witness meeting, and there is no casserole?  Then I am so screwed.  Because then, I will be forced to shamefully exit with my family, and the neighbor, since he is hungry and got the same invite I did, and will have to come home to set my alarm off, I mean, cook dinner or use the toilet, whatever seems most appropriate at that moment that I am standing in the kitchen.

For the record, a fireman actually came to my house to turn the alarm off last weekend.  No joke.  That's how screwed up this house is.  I think the builder was high when he made my house.  And I must have been on something to have bought it.  I wish I knew what it was seeing as I clearly am in need of some medical assistance lately ;o)  

The blog in which it's about my "special" child.

Last weekend, the migits and I were shopping and an employee was marking down some packages of meat, and placing "special" stickers on the mark downs.  The employee caught sight of my two, and made a bee line to give each of them a "special" sticker.  I had to stifle my laugh-  that was the same day my boy migit looked like a really "special" person since his jacket was tucked into his sweatpants and he was quite proud of the way he looked. 

While I joke about my migits, I do so only out of the fact that while one of them is truly "special," but not so much so that he is obvious.  Chaz was diagnosed right after he turned two.  At the time, the diagnosis was just a formality.  I had read and researched enough by that time to know that he was, and needed a professional diagnosis to begin recovering him.  I assumed wrongly, as most of the recovery was done by me, at home, with biomedical treatments and the help of one semi- DAN! doctor that I found about an hour away from our home.  (Yes, I had to drive out of my "comfort zone," but luckily, didn't need to go into an elevator to reach his office.  Freakish anxiety disorder.  Perhaps I need one of those "Special" stickers????  Don't answer that.)  

Anyway, the last few months, Charlie has commiserated about his speech.  He wants to talk like "Shayna."  (And while he wants to talk like her, he has been in this fantastical phase of idolizing her lately.  Everyone we go, he shows her off and says, "This is my sister."  He even gestures at her in the Vanna White style, as if to sell her off to a crowd.)  The sad part of this is, he recognizes that his speech impairments are severe, and the frustration for him is worsening.  It is for all of us.  

Out of no where, enters David.  David is a family friend who has gotten to know all of us through radKids.  He volunteers countless hours between coaching youth soccer teams, radKids, all the while, running an insurance business.  Oh, and he has a family as well.  (Plug for David- let him give you a free quote!  I left his office with more money in my pocket than before!  AND am getting even BETTER coverage on my home and auto policies!)  He is a local and will treat you right.  

So, David talked a little bit with Chaz about how one day things will be easier for him.  Then, David mentioned it to me, and I wonder how I came off, as David brought it up again, today.  He seemed concerned that he might have over stepped or made it uncomfortable for Chaz.  I actually thought it was great that he said something to Chaz.  Truth is, while I KNEW without a shadow of a doubt that I could recover Chaz from spinning in his own little world for hours on end at two yeas old, I have never thought about long term speech progress.  

Have I ever told Charlie that all this therapy and frustration will one day be a memory?  Have I ever believed enough to tell him that one day he WILL talk like his beloved, Shay?  No.  I have not.  Mostly because, I have not thought about that.  In reality, I know that everything I foresee for my daughter, a neurotypical six year old, is pretty much textbook.  Chaz?  This new breed of spectrum children that are writing their own books?  NOT.A.F'ing.Clue.  But the one thing I have learned?  That I have to set my mind to it, AND believe it.  If he sees me believing it, he will too.  I am my sons' biggest fan.  Biggest advocate.  Biggest supporter.  And at times, I might be his biggest disappointment, if I don't stop and do what David did for him.  David showed him that one day, he will be okay.  And if Chaz is anything like me, he probably never saw the forest through the trees of this mess we are trying to struggle though in the here and now.  Guess we all need a little reminder, huh?  Thank you, David.  For reminding this parent of a special needs child that sometimes, we need to look past today, and reach for a better tomorrow.  

PS  If you want David's information, please ask.  Quote is free and easy to get over the phone.  I would love to send some of you his direction.  You won't be sorry!  

The blog in which my fur becomes erect.

The title is not really what the blog is about, but it seemed fitting.  I play around with my titles in order to see what draws my readers in most.  Apparently, anything with a potential pornographic/sexual tone  or anything laughing at my inappropriate body hair really brings the masses.  Based on that knowledge, the title should really cause a total shut down of my servers. (PS I don't really have any "servers.")

As I was leaving the YMCA, I see a SUV pull into the gas station across the street, and a police car comes out of nowhere and puts the lights on as it whizzes up behind the vehicle.  Then, the policeman jumps out of the car, and the driver of the vehicle quickly opens the door to get out.  You know how you get a bad feeling about something, and the hair on the back of your neck literally raises?  Well, for me, I turn into Teen Wolf, and I feel like a threatened porcupine.  So, I am sitting at the red light, and while watching this unfold, I see the police grab at his radio on his chest/shoulder area, and obviously makes a call for back up.  The police walks over to the car door, now slightly open, and his body seems to relax, ever so slightly.  My light turned green, and I was heading up the hill, and two police cars whiz past me, in the direction of the stop.

I have many friends who serve our community, or have served, and it wasn't until that moment, that I feared for their personal safety.  I flashed to his possible family.  Children, spouses, parents, siblings.  I could not stop thinking of how scary it must be for these families.  I prayed for his safety.  It was all I could do.

However, I have a friend who is making a difference, and actively involved in setting up a business that will serve our public service employees that watch over and protect us while they risk their own lives for us.  I am sooooo excited about this opportunity.  I can't wait to bring you more on that later!  In the mean time, say a prayer for those that serve us, their families, and remember that their sacrifice is for our families' safety.