Cat

Gary said that I am not allowed to dress up in a T-shirt from Target and a witches hat again. Well, at least not for Halloween, so I decided I would be a black cat with Kaidence and Kenedee. As I looked at costumes on the Internet, I realized that there are not many costumes for adults that do not have sexy or naughty in the title. What happened to good old fashioned, modest costumes? Halloween is for kids right? Looks like I will be wearing ears, whiskers and a tail with jeans and a T-shirt.

Ronin is 4!

Ronin Lucas is 4 today. He is growing up so fast and becoming such a amazing little man. Evey day I am thankful that he is a part of our family. He brightens each of my days. I love you Ronin. Happy Birthday!

By the way I have included a picture of his birthday cake. Yeah that's right. I misspelled in frosting. Don't judge me. When you multi-task something is bound to slip through the cracks.

Gliterous

The other night, I was reading to the kids before bed and Ronin was trying to wrestle with his sister as usual. I am not sure exactly what happened but Raven ended up howling in pain. The conversation that followed went something like this.

Raven: Dang it Ronin, you kicked my Penis.
Mom: Ronin, please say you are sorry and sit down.
Ronin: Sorry (he was not sincere)
Mom: Raven, please do not say that word. We do not talk about private parts and you do not have a penis. You are a girl.
Raven: Girls do have a penis inside their baginis. I saw mine. It is just little.

Let me just stop here and say that I followed the advice of parenting books with Raven and taught her all of the proper names for body parts. The books said that it would make serious talks down the road less uncomfortable and if it was no big deal to us, it would be no big deal to the children. There is just one problem, normal parenting styles do not apply to our family. Instead of making it easier, it has snowballed into an awful ordeal. Not only is she too comfortable talking about private parts, she made up her own nick name out of the words penis and vagina for her private parts. BAGINIS. It is horrible when she says it in public; people must think she is a hermapherdite and I did not do a good job of explaining the situation. I wish I would have gone with jayjay and weewee. You would think I would remember this when these conversations come up but I never do. Anyways back to the story.

Raven: I saw mine. It is just little.
Mom: Honey that is not a penis. Girls have a clitoris.
Raven: A Gliterous! Ha! That is a pretty name but it is not pretty at all.
I then rolled my eyes and went back to reading. When I told Gary later, he said that I was alone in answering all the calls I would be getting from Raven's classmate's parents. Sigh.

Bringin Bloggin Back

So I have been a MIA blogger. I blame it on the fact that I got chocolate in my camera back in June- I do not like to blog with out photos- but let's just be honest, I've been lazy. It makes me sad because we have had some really funny things happen and now they are lost forever. Since journaling is even more difficult for me ,I know that I need to blog to preserve memories for my children.

So I did it... I bit the bullet and got a new camera. Her name is Eleanore. She is beautiful. I wanted to show you all a picture but then I realized that taking a picture of my camera would prove very difficult. I considered traveling back in time to the moment I bought her. It is defiantly a moment that should be documented, like the birth of a child, but that got me to wondering... If past Eleanore and present Eleanore were in the same room, would Eleanore cease to exist? I am not sure about all the rules of time travel but I do think I remember something about that in Back To The Future. I began researching the Space Time Continuum but realized that is much more difficult than just getting a picture of the camera off of the Sony website. So alas, this is not my Eleanore but a camera that is in every way identical.

So I know if I am going to return to the blogging world, I better "bring it" with my first post. My Brother-in-law is extremely criticizing and I feel that I must put my best out there to appease him. He threatens to with hold Kenedee if I do not do what he says. With that said I have come up with a little song to mark the occasion. It is to the tune of Justin Timberlake's Bringing Sexy Back. For those of you that are not familiar with the tune, please select the song in my playlist so you get the full gist.


Bringin Bloggin Back

I'm bringing bloggin back
Yeah
Myspace and Facebook are really whack
Yeah
My family's crazy, got to lead the pack
Yeah
Was MIA now I'll never slack
Yeah
Take em to the bridge
Naked kid
Piles of laundry and dishes sway
Evil dog that always misbehaves
And a first grader looking for some praise
Take em to the chorus
Evil dog
come read about it
boy on farm
come read about it
empty womb
come read about it
Jo Bros "Swoon"
come read about it
girl sings off tune
come read about it
My huge hips
come read about it
children's smiles
come read about it
poop and bile
come read about it
And get your Blog on
Get your blog on (Repeat)


After browsing some of the blogs I used to stalk, I see that many of you out there need to take a look at your own blogs and ask yourself "Am I giving the people what they want?" Honestly, people, I need to know that I am not the only one out there with a whacked out life.



I AM RECOMMITTING TO THE BLOGGING WORLD and if you have been a little lax with your blog, I challenge you to recommit too. Maybe Andy can make us T-shirts.

Sad but Ecstatic

So, if you know me, you know that I am a little nuts. I am capable of feeling many emotions at once. For example, part of me is very sad because the release of the 6th Harry Potter Movie has been delayed until next summer. I really like Harry Potter and it is about time they got another movie out.

A much bigger part of me ( and no I am not talking about my caboose) is totally exstatic because the release of Twilight has been moved up. Thats right... I only have to wait until November 21st!

Are you a Mega Spender?

I have always said that if a person has any sale skills what so ever, I will buy. I have bought a sets of videos that we will never watch( only 8 more payments of $40 to go), pants that I " hope" to fit in some day and countless hobby supplies (this would not be so bad if I did not have to buy storage furniture for the rarely used supplies.) Gary and I are really trying to get our family in a better financial position but I find it difficult to change my ways. I know that I do not need material things to be happy but shopping is like a high.

I was reading MSN and came across these descriptions of Mega Spenders. While some of these made me laugh, it made me realize what a problem I have.

Hello, I am Shannon and I am a Mega Spender. Are you?

You have a yard sale every 3 months just to make room for more stuff.
You cannot fit anything else in your garage…and you don’t even have your car in there.
You have a separate filing system for each of your vehicles, including the boats and the RV’s.
You genuinely have no idea how much money you have, or where you have it, or where it goes.
You trade in your new car for a newer car every 12 months, or less if the mood strikes you.
You think a Vacation of the Month club sounds like something you’d be willing to join.
You think “Budget” is the name of a rental car company.
You engage in an expensive hobby without seeking ways to reduce its costs ($200 golf weekends, spending $2,000 for a hunting club, etc)
You claim to have “nothing to wear,” yet your closet is full to overflowing.
You camp out at a store to be the first to get the latest tech gadget.
You go to those “free vacation” time share weekends and fall for the spiel.
You’ve memorized the menu from more than one restaurant.
You’ve already spent your economic stimulus check, even though you haven’t received it.
You get jealous when the neighbors get a delivery from the furniture store.
You have HSN and QVC on speed dial.
You plan your vacations based on the shopping that’s available.
You know your credit card customer service reps by name and extension.
Your motto is, I came, I saw, I wanted, I bought.
You evaluate every purchase in light of its monthly payment, or what your limit is on Visa, or which credit card you’re NOT late on.
You don’t care that you have no money for savings, vacations, or entertainment, you spend it anyway.
You think wants are needs. Actually, you have no wants. They’re ALL needs. You may be broke but it’s not your fault.
You have a personal parking space reserved at the mall.
You don’t care whether you rent, buy, or lease, just give it to me.

Obsession and Sabotage

When Christine introduced me to the Twilight series last fall, I do not think she knew it would change my life. No really, my life will never be the same. I am not afraid to admit that I am obsessed. I read all 3 books in 3 days-a big shout out goes to Gary for picking up the household slack- and I have re-read them countless times since. I love the characters and the way you "become Bella" as you read. I never had a love that was that intense when I was in high school and I can only imagine how this story changes the way that young girls look at love.

I was so excited when I finished the series, I decided that I should give each of my nieces one of the books for Christmas - you know so they could all trade and get the full experience- but Gary said I did not want to be 'that Aunt'. I gave them all cash instead and little did I know the books were all on their Christmas lists but because their mothers had not read them, they did not get them.

I secretly think Gary is sabotaging my efforts to become the cool ,fun aunt because he realized he is 'that uncle'. That's right I am going to call him out on this. Gary, the younger generations do not know who The Smashing Pumpkins are. They think U2 may be the band that Liv Tyler's dad sings in and they do not understand how Nirvana changed the world of music as we know it. They do not know life without rap and they never had to flip a cassette tape. Remember when your dad used to make you listen to the oldies station? That is what it is like for them when you make them listen to your 90's play list. Please stop trying to educate them.

Uh-hm - Just to set the record straight, one of our nieces borrowed one of MY CD's!

Sorry about that tangent. Sometimes I think of something else and get distracted from my point. Anyone who has spent the day shopping with me knows how easily distracted I am.

The whole reason behind this blog was to share a photo that was released of the actors that are shooting Twilight right now. I was not happy with the choice of Robert Pattinson as Edward. Cedric Diggory is no Edward but these photos have swayed me. I am so excited for the movie to come out and even more excited for the release of Breaking Dawn. Do you know what you will be doing August 2nd? I do!

So there you have it Andy. Let the teasing begin.

Ewww; It's All Icky and Stuff

Apparently the children in our neighborhood have developed the funk. There is some sort of rash they are all contracting. School was released early and the Pinal County Depart of Health has been called in.

We will not be using the public parks until this is all cleared up. Not that I was actually going to take the kids to the park but now I have a really good excuse.

***disclaimer*** All information I have on this is hearsay. I am not a reporter. I do not verify facts before reporting the news.

Raven's 2nd Post

To day the henderson family sawld a cat i almost climbed the fence

Our favorite author...right now

The Henderson household is big fan of Shel Silverstein. We read Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Light in the Attic and The Giving Tree often. I have been working on the letter "A" and the color "Red" with Ronin and the boys I watch so it was a natural for The Giving Tree to be one of the stories we read this week. (Seriously, can you come up with something that starts with "A" AND is "Red'? I came up with ants and apples and then I drew a blank.)

Raven was sitting at the table coloring today and she looked at the back of the book which has this picture on it. She then says "Ugh, this guy he looks like he should be in jail. Just look at his face. I bet he is a robert. (She calls robbers roberts.) I giggled and thought that we should all be glad Raven is not a profiler. If a world renowned children's author should be in jail, what chance do the rest of have?

She just walked up and asked what I was blogging about. I told her and her only comment was" I hope the police do not blog. He will have to go to jail then."

Shannon's Brain - closed from 5pm-6:30am

Every evening Gary calls me to tell me he is on his way home. It is nice because I get to hear a summary of his day and relief in his voice because he gets to come home to us. It also lets me know when I should start dinner and let's face it, a little warning so I can make sure the messes of the day are cleaned up. This evening's call was a little scary and then very funny. I do not remember it word for word but here is the gist.


Ring...Ring...Ring


Shannon: Hello?

Gary: Hey, I'll see you tomorrow.


Now as soon I heard this I thought to myself "What? He is not coming home? And no explanation? He CANNOT leave me here alone with the kids. What can he possibly have to do?" I gathered my panicked thoughts enough to question what I heard.


Shannon: What?

Gary: What?

Shannon: Did you just tell me you will see me tomorrow?

Gary: Um, no. I was saying goodbye to Mark.

Shannon: Oh I thought were saying that you were not coming home tonight. I was getting ready to freak out.

Gary: (laughing) Yeah that would not be so good would it?


I read through this and the retelling is not that funny. I just thought it was interesting that I was really more concerned that he would not be here to help me wrestle the kids into bed than I was that he had somewhere else he would rather be. Sometimes by the end of the day I am so tired that the last tasks of the evening (baths, pjs, teeth, bedtime story, bedtime song etc.) seems too much. My brain could not even fully process the thought that my husband might not want to come home to me. I cannot process life changing news between the hours of 5pm and 6:30am. I am sorry my brain has left the building.

Happy Birthday to ME!

So it is official. I am no longer in my mid-twenties. I am in my late twenties and I have to say that I have never had a better birthday. Not only did I have a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends, but I finally feel like I am starting to understand myself and maybe even like myself more. I feel more comfortable with who I am today than any other time in my life. But enough about that.

Friday, after we picked Raven up from school, we picked up the Alvarado Family and met Nana and Uncle Jesse for a little retail therapy. It was one of those great shopping trips where everything you really want is on sale. Seriously, I found 4 pairs of shoes for under $35. You can't beat it with a stick. We also got Becky some really cute maternity clothes. We then met Gary and my Dad for dinner at Red Lobster. Even after waiting for over an hour they could not seat us all at the same table so my parents sat with the kids. I was bummed that I did not get to spend time with my parents but then again I got to sit at a table of grown-ups so I can't complain. After dinner my family gave me this awesome jewelry box that matches my bedroom furniture. It is huge. I cannot wait to fill it up!

Saturday was a day out with the girls. My mom, Becky, Michelle S., Susan, Michelle M., Aunt Sanza and Lindsay all got to come out for the day. We met for lunch at Island Burgers -yummy- and had so much fun chatting we were almost late for the movie. AHHH the movie. P.S. I love you. Let me just say that this is one of the best chick flicks of all time. I cried the entire time. Really not 5 minutes in to it and I was bawling. The plot was great but the best part was the settings and the men.
Settings -New York and Ireland. Two places on my list to visit before I die. Beautiful.
Men - Harry Connick Jr.- He sings he acts and he is beautiful
Gerard Butler- Was the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera but I had NO idea if you know what I mean
Jeffery Dean- Denny from Grey's Anatomy and the dad from Supernatural (why did he get killed off in both shows?)
So all I am going to say is Irish accents, an exposed backside and tattoos.

After Frozen custard I met Gary and we went out for sushi and to see National Treasure. The movie and food was good but the night out with my husband was great!!! I felt like I was playing hooky from my life all day!

Be on the lookout girls. I am going to make sure that we have girls’ only days more often!

Raven's Post

to day i went to my friend maddison s house. to day she hide me from a boy. they have the same scooters as us. we played cops ans roberts. she has washable crayons. her room does not have enough toys but they have toys in there play room and i haved fun.

Happy New Year

I know, I suck at blogging. Christine kind of scolded me this morning so I got busy! I know everything is kind of old but this is the stuff I meant to post but never got around to.

So as everyone knows, we found out on New Year's Eve that Baby Alvarado will be making an appearance soon. I was totally jazzed but also bummed since Andy kinda went into shock and they could not go out with us. -It's okay Andy, crying and vomiting are natural reactions to finding out that you are going to be a father.- Gary and I went out with his sister Josie, and her husband Jason. I love hanging out with them. They are so easy going and up for almost anything.

We went to dinner at Cooper's Town and then to a pub to hang out. Now I will admit that I may be a little to "Fountain Hills/Scottsdaleish" (Andy teases Becky and I about our sheltered upbringing and what we consider slummin' it constantly) but seriously, this place smelled like an outhouse. On the up side, we were the best looking group in the place- I am not being conceded, one of the guys there looked like the love child of Elvis and Sloth from the Goonies. They also had 1664. 1664 is the best beer in the world. It is hard to find here but it is all I drank in London.

* note to self - take a vacation, you need something else to talk about.*

Our friend Selina showed up and we got to meet her guy, Doug. He was super nice and she seems really happy. He has one of those familiar faces, like you know him from somewhere.

KIKI LEE I LOVE YOU!

So the other day Kaidence was over at our house and we noticed she was missing part of her eyebrow. When asked about it, her mother confessed that she may have left her razor with in reach. I was SHOCKED - Becky shaved her legs? Guess that explaines the bun in her oven.

Tooth Fairy

On December 27th Raven lost a tooth. Her first. It was a big deal. I knew the days was coming but I could not get up the nerve to do it myself. Raven can be pretty dramatic and I did not want to have to live with her if I caused her physical pain. Lucky for us Nana came to the rescue!

Ode to Hint of Lime Tostitos

Oh, Hint of Lime Tostitos
Every time I see you, I stop dead in my tracks
For the evil voice in my head yells ‘you must not eat those’

But oh, how I love your light crispiness
Your salty, tangy goodness
My need is quickly turning into obsesivness

The slight tingle you leave on my lips
The crunch in my ear and explosion if taste
I am embarrassed to say I even lick my finger tips

My addiction is becoming so severe
I used to be able to hide it but I can no more
The 2 bags a week have settled on my rear