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.