Good for you for holding firm, though. The young are so thoughtless!

We had a wonderful supper over at Mom's tonight. Hot dogs (veggie of course), potato salad and baked beans, salad, chips and dip, and giantly piled strawberry shortcake with ice cream.

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I won't be hungry for a while. (That sounds nicer than that Mom ruined my appetite.)

We brought some home for AJ, who had been planning to come until he got home, sat down, and couldn't find the motiviation to get up again.

Eventually he must have gotten up, because as we were walking up to the house, the Princess said, "I know where Daddy is."

She pointed, and through the 2 blinds he had slanted in the bathroom window, I could see his head lolling at one end of the tub.

The Princess, ever one to mix a metaphor, chirped, "See? Daddy is taking a dump in the tub." <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> Well, I hope not.

Tomorrow I am singing at the Ceres church, so I'm going to have to get some beauty rest. Since it's a pretty big church, I broke with tradition and started practicing Thursday night, instead of waiting until Friday night. It'll go good, as long as I remember my glasses.

Love you guys, and Happy Sabbath!

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Night Neak

Like the Princesses comment roflmao <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hope you have fun singing tomorrow and that your glasses are securely on your head or in your pocket <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Rella that ol money tree out back ... you forgot to go pick some off didn't you? <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
I always seemed to forget to do that as well ... <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />
Of course I blame Aussie for that ...... if his Princess wanted it then she got it. He was going to buy her a car even though 90% of the time she can use ours. The other 10% its public transport because of little or no parking or a taxi ..... lol

[Actually I don't mind paying for a taxi, gives me peace of mind. But DD has grown up so much in the last 18months. She understands these days nothing is free, not even love. Sadly I feel she understands way too much.]

Anyway I said what about a graduation or wedding present for that car? He was still having in digestion about the wedding thing so we never did finish talking about that <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Daddy's in 'de-nile' hehehe <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Well, I took her to work this morning. Time to take the car back to the shop. Something went wrong with the fuel gauge when they installed the battery. This has happened before. And the car died twice on me within a few hundred meters/yards.

Let's hope the tips are good this morning. She needs $60 or so for the horn. Tips are from $10-20 most days.

They say they will have to take the dash apart - 3 hrs labor to fix it. I don't intend to pay for it. It happened when they changed the battery. This may be ugly.

I grew up drinking whole milk. I had, for the longest time, assumed that Dad bought it at the grocery store, like all normal families. But when I was ten I learned otherwise.

“Dad, we’re out of milk!” I had called upstairs to him one morning as I scavenged the fridge for something else to go with my breakfast.

“Uh-oh,” Dad answered, trundling down the stairs. “I guess I’ll have to go milk the yak this afternoon.”

“The what?” What was a yak? And why didn’t Dad just go to the store for milk?

“You haven’t been told about the yak yet?” my Uncle Harvey questioned me. He was seated in our kitchen, his feet propped up on the table and a bowl of cereal with the last of the milk in his hands. He gave me a discerning look that asked, 'How could you not know about the yak?' and crunched a mouthful of cereal, a dribble of milk slowly rolling down his chin stubble.

“No,” I answered. “What’s a yak?” I asked this cautiously. I couldn’t trust my uncle not to make up stories, especially about milk. After all, last time he drank the last of the milk he told me that I could put water on my cereal and it would taste just the same. It didn’t, so don’t you go and find out the hard way.

“Oh we’ve had that yak for ages,” my Dad began. “We had her when Harvey and I were kids. Of course, the neighborhood wasn’t as developed back then. We had about a half mile between houses and several acres to the backyard, so we used to let the yak roam free within our tree line. It was pretty dangerous for us kids back then, but then again, kids were more careful in those days.”

Uncle Harvey interrupted his munching to give me a pointed look and shake his spoon at me. Milk droplets splattered on the table.

“Why?” I asked. “Why is the yak so dangerous?”

A wise smirk grew on Dad’s face… was he pulling my leg? Uncle Harvey beat him to the answer.

“Well yaks are kind of like… carnivorous cows. They’re a bit bigger than your average cow, with long, shaggy orange hair. They’ve got big horns, big teeth, and big hooves. They prefer to eat small children, but we keep ours going on sirloin steak. They’re pretty slow creatures though, so as long as you’re quick on your feet and have a lot of steak on hand, you’ll be alright.”

My eyes were wide, but my brain was still having a hard time grasping this.

“Is he lying, Dad?” I asked. Uncle Harvey chuckled.

“It’s not funny, Harvey,” Dad admonished. Then he turned to me. “Of course we’re not lying to you! How do you think Gramps’ memory got so bad? He was gored in the head by the yak, Jesus, the poor old man! This was years before you were born…” Dad’s voice trailed off and his eyes became unfocused.

Gramps is my Dad’s dad. He lives in a nursing home now. Dad and Uncle Harvey took him there two years ago after months of sitting around the dining room table talking about his memory loss and some disease he’d developed… oldtimer’s? Allsimmers? I couldn’t remember the odd name. It’s probably what you get when you’ve been gored in the head by a yak.

I suddenly realized that I was alone in the kitchen. I had been standing in front of the kitchen window, staring dazedly out towards what I now knew to be the white-picket yak fence in the back yard. Dad had left to walk Uncle Harvey out to his truck. The refrigerator door was still open to my left, waiting for me to grab the orange-juice or some yogurt. A sudden urgent thought popped into my head and I whipped open the freezer door, my eyes searching frantically.

“Dad!” I called. “Dad, we don’t have any more sirloin steak!”

“Don’t worry!” he shouted back, “I’ve got some more in the deep freezer in the basement!”

Yaks. *snort* Even the word by itself is funny. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Mother's Day was interesting, anyway.

The kids cooked us breakfast. The formal menu included such things as "biscuts" and "brekfust buretos".

Mr. C gloated to his father, "Daddy, I made the potatoes extra oily, just like you like them."

"MMMMmmmmMMMMMmmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmmm," smiled a glassy-eyed daddy.

By the time I finished my brekfust bureto, the oil had oozed all over my hand and was dripping down my arm. MMMMmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm.

And for an even better treat, I got to clean the kitchen myself after they got done slinging eggs all over. Lucky me!

Then they fought, called me and each other stupid, apologized, fought some more, then we went out to dinner.

Dinner was luscious! I am still trying to figure out where I am going to put Neaksis' youngest's birthday cake. I'll manage somehow.

I'll let Neaksis tell you about her fortune cookies, but the Dervish's said, "*shudder shudder**, "You will soon find a kindred spirit that will lead to a lasting friendship."

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

Please tell me there are not two of him.

Well, the cake just arrived, so I need to go do my auntley duty. Happy Mother's Day all of you, and thank you again for the dinner, Mom.

Y'all are making me hungry. Neak, all this talk of food, you're just as bad as a Dicken's novel.

I baked honey-mustard chicken and pasta en-oglio-something-Italian-I-can't-pronounce-nor-spell. Mmm. It's official; Eldest Boy is now nearly enough to a teenager that I have to surrender the second breast to him and take a thigh instead. Eh, I've got a bit extra around the middle anyhow.

For mother's day I got the loveliest homemade cards, a box of chocolates and an enormous bouquet of orchid buds in various stages of budding. I'll have a vase of orchids in bloom for at least a few days, I think. They smell gorgeous. Oh, and the boys painted my front room. Little Man (he's two) has a fascination with color crayons and for the love of me, I can't root out his hidden stash of them. Mr Clean Magic Erasers are the best invention ever. DH says he couldn't bear to see me scrubbing crayon off the walls for one more minute, so painting it was.

LJ, welcome to MB (I see you are new), and also welcome to The Aisle.

I, too, am a huge fan of Mr. Clean. I saw the scrubbers on TV, didn't believe they could possibly work like that, but had so much crayon I had to try it. The Dervish is 6 now, and you will be glad to know he hardly ever draws on the walls anymore.

Speaking of yummy food, I think it's time to break out the strawberry shortcake before the strawberries spoil. We wouldn't want that to happen! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

How do you like that. 8 kids, and I didn't get one thing for mothers day. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Oh wait, I'm their dad. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I know I did.

SS

I was sleeping the drugged cold & flu tablet sleep when 'tiger' woke up and started wanting mum. Ever tried getting back to sleep with a head 'old? what fun. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Hope you all had a great Mothers Day ,,,,,,,, even if you aren't mums <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Sunday I have to say was rather busy for one reason or another <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> but we did manage to all go to Miss Mauds for buffet lunch.. first time EVER we have gone out on MD. Mum loved it. Gave her some lottery tickets cause shes hooked on them lol ... its these little cards you scratch off numbers etc to see what you win. Kinda like them myself <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I got chocolates, 2 big boxes like I NEED those <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> and then at Miss Mauds I won a chocolate cream liquor cake ........ its somebodies evil plan I tell you. oh and some lotto scratchies too <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Spoiled rotten. My older son paid for it despite whatever I could say so I just shut up and thanked him in the end. However I was glad it was buffet as he ate about 60 various shell fish, enough roast meats to feed the rest of us for a week, veges a whole plate of those, then cakes, cheese and coffee and a bottle of beer. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
On the way home he picked up a box of KFC ... for a snack
<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

and you know the worst? NO EXTRA WEIGHT on him !!! I think I gained a few lbs just watching him!! OMG he's a giant, that Army mob has made him into a HUGE eating machine thats all I can say.

However all in all a nice distraction for 3 hours <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

All my kids home ........ pretty neat. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Oh and almost missed it .. welcome LJ <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

My children said and did nothing that I know about for me for mother's day.

In fact, I catered to them most of the day - and they are 14 and 16.

Tonight, I expected them to deal w/ dinner while I cut grass in the front yard - wouldn't want zoning to come after me.......

So, when I get through cutting the grass, I came in. The chicken was seasoned and waiting for cooking. That was all they had done. I was peeved.

I cut the grass because I wanted to do a job that would stay done more than 10 minutes.

My .02: next time, be peeved still, cook only enough chicken for you, and put the rest in the fridge. They know where to find it, and what to do with it.

Time to start enforcing consequences. You are not their maid. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I would have a really hard time with that -

Aren't they supposed to be our slaves?
(And BTW, I am kidding - I hope no one gets upset when they read this.) Well - sort of kidding.

SS

Yeah, well I must not be a very demanding mother. Maybe I am too soft on them.

Anyone want to guess who my annoyance caller is? Someone keeps calling for one or the other of my children. Obviously disquising their voice. Always giving a different phone number.

Tonight, I told them they were lying about the phone number then I put the phone down beside one of the stereo speakers and blasted them w/ really really loud music. Believe it or not, they didn't hang up. Strange.

Dear Rella Mother Day ???????

don't be surprised if they simply did not know and that it never came up on their radar. Kids and men , ok SOME men, seem to have genetic dispositions to forget things like Wedding Anniversaries, Birthdays, Mothers Day, etc etc.

I make no comment on the reason for that. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Telephone I would question the two suspects, if your number isn't public then SOMEONE gave it to some person didn't they .... if its someone who's giving them a hard time then you need to know, if its someone who may be trouble you need to know, if its one of their 'friends' they need to be TOLD.

Well AW has had some exciting few days ..... The cold she had got isn't .. apparently its bacterial pneumonia.... but it still feels like a cold even if its a bad one so she tells EVERYONE. Sort of. Though her lips and nails turned a pretty shade of blue. First she was freezing & then sweating like a man. ... ladies perspire you know. And God forbid she wasn't mentally confused, she was sleepy. But try to tell her sister & Liz that according to her. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

I expect she considers me dobbing her in to her sister who arrived bright and early at 6.30am Tuesday morning and did 'doctor things' to her like putting in her words "that freezing cold stethoscope all over my front & back & told me to 'shut up you silly cow' ... well it was bleedin cold. " Yes dear. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Amanda gave her 99 questions and then checked out Mikey & Liz. AW wants to know why they got to take this milk white sweet antibiotic and she had to go to hospital and (her words again) "get a freakin horse sized needle & xrays." Then they had her - warning way too much info coming .... cough up this green/yellow mucus to see if it was tinged red or brown from blood .... and (her words again) "oh happy me mum it was". Though she did have to admit by then she wasn't feeling the best but she was to quote "pretty freaking out thinking Mikey & Liz were sick too and I did it" ... nothing like parental guilt. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

So not to stop there they stuck this even bigger needle into her, ok she says it FELT like that, and then told her she was getting intravenous antibiotics as well ... are they supposed to hurt or was that a bonus ? .... Sorry not very motherly of me was it <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Then they gave her pain killers because they said it was really really going to hurt when she continued to cough ... and it does apparently though I think you may need to force that admission out of her. After that blood tests and other things which again I quote "I'm sure my sister got done just because she could." Oh lets not forget the oxygen that was fun ... TL talk about difficult patients!!!!!!!!!!!
<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />
She was coughing this stuff up and I have to quote this one " had enough of a problem thankyou very much and they were holding this mask thingy over my face doing nurse things ( don't you love that one ' nurse things' <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> )like saying 'there there dear its ok' .. yes it would be if you got that stinkin thing away from me" Of course I forbore to mention to her it was to HELP her breathing. Did I mention she was near naked by this time with - TL you will love this one "one of stupid blue hospital gowns on that show everything and I felt like [censored]". Poor dear. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Meanwhile my other daughter and doctors and some nice distinguished looking man in a suit - sorry Neak I know he may be old to you but to me he was very nice looking - who was obviously a doctor of some sort but was being called Mr, don't ask me I have no idea why, thought she was an interesting case and were discussing if it was mycoplas (or something that sounded like that) or pneumococcal?????? pneumonia - did I spell that right????? <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Apparently, according to the nice doctor, (I can look I'm not dead you know) the mental confusion, oh sorry I mean the thing she wasn't suffering from because she was only sleepy, caused the behaviour, I felt far too embarrassed to correct him, after all he MAY be right? <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Then about 11 am this morning she got sent home. Along with these - I love quoting - "really ucky things to swallow two at a time and they stick to the top of your mouth." The ucky things are Amoxycillin 500 caps. One very tired but non blue tinged daughter is now sleeping in her own bed. Correction she just got up. AGAIN. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

While a part of me wants to give her a boot in the butt for not going to the doctors right away like she is supposed to ( she works with clients that the Health Department calls immunocompromised, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic illnesses) as her Occ Health keeps telling all employees - that reminds me, I wonder if she ever got the Hep prevention shots she was supposed to? - however with what went on with Aussie I can understand why she pushed it all away this last weekend.

So thats why AW has been silent until today ( well silent with all of you) <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> .... I caught her on the PC today as well and sent her to bed. She is expected to be 100% on Friday and back at work. Probably.

Liz & Michael are OK by the way, its a precaution. And I'm staying here for a day or two. Yes that a precaution too. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

AWs mum <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Yes I WAS annoyed with her when I wrote this. If you are wondering. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Well, she's been busier than usual. That whole going to the hospital thing doesn't sound like fun. Have only been for injuries and surgery. Don't want to go again. But, just think how much worse it would be if you couldn't get medical care.

AW - been there, done that. I remember the sweating and the yukky coughing. The antibiotics got things cleared up pretty quickly but the doses were so high that it knocked my immune system for six. Take care and accept any help that comes your way. Lucky you have your family close by to nag you to rest. Listen to them! I got put in isolation at the time because they thought I might have bird flu.

Sending you a big get well hug. (((((AW))))
TT

AW, remember, resting really does promote healing when you are sick.