Random Dozen and Easter Egg Chickens

So, this week's Random has a couple of chicken-dedicated questions. Other than that ... complete randomness. Because that's the name of the game.



1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps?
I feel like they need to be in my stomach. They taste the best when they're stale and hard on the outside. I don't care about the color, or even if they're Peeps or Bunnies, they're my favorite Easter candy
 
2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down?
It usually happens at work, doing something new, or rare. I take a breath, and try not to think of my shaking hands, and tell myself, just this once, just this once.


3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains?
Yes, I do. I like the warm rains, the cold rains, the thunder storm rains, I just like rain in general.

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why?
Brendon's--my baby will always be my baby




5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring?
I can cover a tattoo, but a nose ring in out there for every one to see. Plus, i don't think I could stand someone poking something into my nose!





6. Do you have any special plans for Easter?
I'm working, but I have great hopes that it will be a slow yummy day


7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs?
Really? Is that even a choice? Reese's Eggs all the way, all the time, all the..always!

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of?
Probably BAM, we were at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Museum


9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one?
 I'm getting ready to start Monday's Child by LL Chaikin, the last book I read was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I'm stuck in the middle of a few, so they don't count, cause I haven't picked them up in months

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning?
What's spring cleaning?

11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
Considering that they're still all upstairs in a box, give me a minute to think. Two leather pairs, one adidas, one orange pair, one black and bamboo, and one...other, I think. So that's...six? I think six


12. Which color makes you happiest?
To me, green brings relaxation, blue calming, yellow cheery...I'd say the color of food or nap time, do they come in colored?

Bonus Joke (not part of the Random): Why did the Easter egg hide?
He was a little chicken! Love it!

Tag!

Rules:
1. open your first photo folder
2. scroll to the 10th picture
3. post the photo and the story behind it
4. tag friends

 (Left to right: Josh, SnowWoman, me, Mrs. Forester, Blondie (I think).

SCENE: I was in twelfth grade, home on furlough from Trinidad. I think it was February of 2002. We had a huge snow fall right before spring showed up, as you can see by the size of the snowman, excuse me, snowwoman. Her husband wasn't in the picture yet, literally and figuratively. HA! Anyways, we were on school property, using the snow that was just sitting there melting. On her head was red yarn, around her neck, a string of beads, her eyes, mouth and buttons were gravel (what else!?), sticks for hands, a carrot as a nose, and her loincloth-looking thingy was a kitchen towel. Her husband had a mixing bowl for a hat, a scarf for a scarf, but the rest was the same. My dad took a ladder from the school's shed, and helped us stack the pieces up. It was fun.

I tag the first five people who read this. Be honest, and leave a link in the comments!

Is it Spring yet?

 I had my camera in the diaper bag, but guess where I left the diaper bag. No, silly, I did remember to bring it, but I just left it in the car. My rationale: there's nothing I need while we're playing anyways! Yeah, right. I made TWO (2) trips BACK. TO. THE. VAN. and did I happen to remember to get the camera. What do you think I am? Supermom?! Pshsh. So, enjoy the okish pictures taken with my iPhone.

First, we swung. I'm sure this was made for a bigger kid (the falling of straps gave it away, no?), but I wasn't so sure about the other ones. Anyways, BAM didn't know the difference and he liked it. 

There was so much room for Brendon to move in, that I think it kinda made him a little hesitant to start out. 

But once he realized he could go places!, he would not be stopped. Unless it was to look at a spot, or a leaf, or a twig, or a leaf, or a twig...he's very distractable :)

Not only could he crawl every where he wanted to, but he could stand up holding on to anything, everything! "Ha, mom, I'll stand up on this if I please!"

"Na-na-na-boo-boo!" If you zoom in...my son has a clover tongue. I saw him do this right as I pushed tapped (who pushes buttons these days?) the button, otherwise, I would have gotten a nice picture of his face without the green bar split. Eh, I'll laugh at this instead. Ha!

For me? Brendon, you shouldn't have. No, really, you shouldn't have. *brushes off his fingers and my pants* He really enjoyed picking the needles and the mulch up. He'd pick it up, and rotate his wrist around as if he was studying it, let it fall, and slap his hand down on it. He didn't try to eat it as much as I was thinking he would. I only had to fish things out of his mouth about 3 times. I think the stuff tickled him more that he liked!

Oh, the stairs! They're a big bigger than ours, so he only made it up one before holding his hands out to be rescued. I succumbed, and hoisted him up to play with the green bars again.

He found a great, familiar friend to play with. He'd talk to himself and bang his hand, and even try to eat himself...see the picture below. Gross, yes. but oh, so hilarious!

Full mouth on mouth. It started out as a lick. After that, I figured he already cleaned the nasties off, might as well let him have some fun, right? We stopped after a while, cause I could just imagine all the looks we were getting from the other playground users. I think I might have a hole in the back of my shirt, or my hair...

Anyways, I think he had a lot of fun, and it really tired him out. But, he wasn't cranky one bit, well, until we were about to leave anyways. we would have stayed longer, but it was surprisingly warm, and I haven't had ANY sun exposure since...that long ago...and I didn't want us to wake up tomorrow with sum burn, or have to stay there over night, cause they close the gates at sundown. I wonder how many people they trap inside each day...? Do they let them out the next morning with a warning? Or, do they give them tickets? Maybe, their punishment is that they have to stay and clean up the places that 8 month old babies spit up? What? Mine? Oh, no. I'm just assuming here. I mean, uh, I would NEVER leave spit up on the playground equipment just because I didn't think I needed the diaper bag. I would NEVER pick him up to move, saying, :lets try the swing," while thinking, "I hope no one notices what we left." I would NEVER do that. I'm sure some people would. But, what's with his random spitting these days? I'd realize he hasn't spit up for a few days (at least on my days off, whether he does at Christina's is another matter), then, he'll dress me with his lunch AND snack AND dinner, all in the same day!

We have a date scheduled. We're going to a fight hockey game, without the bambino. I figure, if I scatter a few puffs in his crib, prop up some bottles, and put two diapers on, he can take care of himself for a few hours, right?

JUST KIDDING, internet police, just kidding. I'd also give him a toy to occupy himself, AND turn the TV on. :)

He's spending the evening with Merlene and her boys. They enjoy having him around, and he'll like being able to move and crawl and such, rather than sitting on a lap. Plus, he can go to bed at a reasonable hour.

So long!

Random Dozen, St Patrick Style

1. On a scale of 1-10, how superstitious are you, honestly?
So, is 1 none, or would 0 be none? Cause usually 0 is none. I'd say none (either 1 or 0), but I do have a few quirks (mark, shut up!). Like, things have to be equal or even. Like, if one of my knuckles itches, I have to scratch them all...why? I dunno. If I rub one ear, I have to rub the other one. Just, what if I didn't and something happened and it never got rubbed again??

2. Julius Caesar is quoted as saying, "I came, I saw, I conquered." Which circumstance or experience of yours does this saying best describe?

...........does it have to describe me? I really don't know how this fits into my life one bit...sorry....next?

3. If I peeked in on your day like a mischievous little leprechaun, at what time would I most likely find you blogging?
When BAM is asleep. Like now, he just fell asleep for a nap (thank you, universe!) or the other night when after I put him down for the night...and checked on him....and rechecked on him....and laid him back down....and laid him back down...and he finally fell asleep. Then I blogged.

4. Re springing forward for Daylight Saving Time, is there anything you've ever been really early or really late for?
No, but once, I tried to get all ready for it, I changed my clocks, my watch, but not my cell phone cause I thought it'd automatically change (what with them being powerful and intelligent and all). My alarm clock went off, and I checked my phone, and I could not figure out which one was right. I think I spent five minutes looking at both of them, trying to reason with myself about which one was right. I finally got out of bed (I was still in college) and looked at the clock in the hall, which only confused me more, cause it either was like 30 mins off or something weird. I got smart and opened up my computer to see what time the internet said it was. By that time, my roommate's alarm had gone off, and I knew what time she got up, so I knew what time it was supposed to be. whew.

5. What are you most looking forward to concerning Spring?
The birds (my husbands most hated thing), the flowers and the warm nights
 
6. Shamrocks are the national flower of Ireland and are picked on St. Patrick's Day and worn on the lapel or shoulder. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day?
Yes, because it's the one day of the year that EVERYONE (most everyone- I'm looking at YOU who always refuses to conform even for fun!) wears my favorite color!!





7. One of Caesar's assassins, Casca, said, "But, for my own part, it was Greek to me," which of course means he didn't understand something. Probably his own lines in the play. Anyway, what is something that is "Greek to you," something incomprehensible or indecipherable?
Science. I stunk at it. That, and how fast dirty laundry and dishes multiply

8. Is March behaving more like a lion or a lamb where you live?
I think it started out like a lion with the cold and rain and the SNOW! and every once in a while, it'll tame up, like last week Wednesday, when it was in the 70's!, but then it goes "Ha! Fooled you!" and bites your toes.

9. "An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later." -Winston Churchill. If you had one extra hour per day every day, what would you do with it?
Unfortunately, I'd probably waste it. Unless it was at night. Then I'd LOVE the extra hour to sleep!!

10. Legend says that every Leprechaun has a pot of gold hidden deep in the Irish countryside. Aside from real gold or money, what material item would be in your dream pot of gold?
All these cute baby things that grab my legs as I roam the stores. Or, free groceries. That'd be good too.


11. "The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you." Robert Louis Stevenson. Look around you right now and tell us about something essential or beautiful very near you that you take for granted every day.
My baby napping. Today showed me just how easy he usually goes to sleep. But then, on days like this, we get extra snuggling and holding and walks in, that normally wouldn't happen

12. Just for a bit o' fun, click here (www.blogthings.com/irishnamegenerator/) and then report your Irish name. Mine is "Zoe O'Sullivan." I love it!
Well, I cracked the "randomness" of the site. But truly it said Jacinta Murray. You can pick your own first name, and then 75 different Irish last names ranging from Smith to Browne to Ahearne. I'm a party pooper, aren't I? Every party needs a pooper, that's why you invited me!

You say potato, I say tooth

The long wait has ended! I felt like it would never happen. I could see him going off to high school and still needing pureed food in his lunch box. Do they make dentures for kids? Is the poly-grip fruity flavored? Could I just photo shop some nice teeth in to his school pictures? Ah, the worries of moms. I knew it would happen eventually. I was kinda looking forward to proudly saying, at his first birthday, "nope, not a single tooth!" Kinda. Deep down, though, I'd be muttering to myself, "what's it matter? huh? huh? Nothing!" Then bawling my eyes out when we got home. I can see Mark now, "Well, it'll be ok. I'll mash his food up." and Brendon would look at me, grin, and say "ba-ba-ba" and gum his toys.

But that scenario doesn't have to happen any more! Brendon has a tooth! It's tiny, and very new. And he's also very protective of it. Isn't that funny, the parents want to show the world, but the kid becomes skilled at dodging and bobbing.
I had a split second thought about getting a picture of it (ok, i actually attempted) on some freak of nature that 1) he'd hold still for more than .32 of a second, 2) the flash would blind the picture or me or him, and 3), its actally big enough to show up in a picture. But I knew it'd be a fail.

Ok, I'm done with my exclamation, and off to bed before heading to work. Think of me, as you sit at your computers, laptops, iPhones, Blackberries, raspberries and read this. All, what 1 of you. And that's only because you Googled some absurd phrase like "poop on carpet" or "husband plays xbox" or "1 year old with no teeth."

not sure what to put here, but here's something anyways

Can I vent? I mean, will you listen to me vent? I don't need your permission, because this is my little area of internet word. I just don't want to scare you off.

Why is modern viewed as bad? Think about it (in the mommy's world area).

• Cloth diapers. Are they really "better for the environment" than disposables? Do you really want to spend more money on each diaper (about $15-20 EACH), soap and electricity to wash them. That's my standpoint anyways, why I'm not getting in to them. Oh, that and the fact that you have to shell out over $500 AT ONE TIME. Unless you have some mad saving skills (or start saving as soon as you find out you're PG), who has that much extra cash floating around? If you do, tell me your tips, 'cause I'd jump on that wagon quick! (the get the extra $500 bucks part, not the cloth diapers part; I hate washing clothes). I know that disposables go to a landfill and blah blah blah, but unless you are super careful about your other trash, you're still contributing to waste. If you do cloth diaper, don't start posting about the glories of it (yeah, right, as if anyone reads this). I'm not harping on YOU, just the big push to do it. If I would get in to cloth diapers, and have another child, then yes, it would be nice because I wouldn't have to buy them again, but still with the more laundry (which I hate) and stuff.
• Vaccines. Where would we be with out the "dreaded vaccines" these days? The ones like polio, or meningitis, or measles, or....even the flu vaccine? Polio is a horrible disease, and only through VACCINES! was our nation able to safely give you the option of living without the vaccine and not have to fear if you might be struck down with out the use of your legs. You can go on about how vaccines are made with all sorts of poisons and they're and awful thing to do to your sweet little angel, but think about it. If, some impossibly horrible way, that polio made it's way over from a third world country (think about how the bird flu or malaria hit the USA), my baby will be safe. I won't have to keep him home from school or outings. I don't have to fear each cold and sneeze. Yes, I pass up some "convenient" vaccines, such as the chicken pox vaccine. It's my understanding that you have to keep getting boosters for the chicken pox vaccine, while a physical exposure yields immunization for life. Besides, if BAM catches it as an adult, it's much worse than if he gets it (which I'm going to try my best!) while he's in his childhood. Yes, it will be a time of agony and gnashing of teeth, but trials yet triumph. I do pass on the flu shot, because 1)I get it to keep me from bringing it home from Hospital Land and 2) Brendon isn't in a daycare setting to be exposed to all those icky bacteria and virus.
• (I'm such a dork, I forgot my other points) 
• Oh, not related to my "why is old and out dated better than advanced?" rant. What is with all these birthing shows with moms that think "I can't bre@st feed." I've heard it all. "He would just latch on and fall asleep" Duh, he really just wants the comfort of your b00b, when he's hungry, he'll latch on and eat. "My milk took a few days to come in." Everyone's does! Your body took a while to get the message north that the little bugger is out and needs food. A full term newborn has about 2-3 days worth of fat storage (called brown fat), that was designed especially for this. Isn't God resourceful!? "She couldn't latch on/didn't know how to bre@st feed." *hits head on rock* Why didn't you try to work with her AND TEACH HER. Yes, babies are born knowing how to suck, and with a need to suck. But this is the first time they've had to WORK for their food. Go slow, be patient, and you both will learn. I can understand reasonable reasons, or even a desire to NOT want to, that's fine. But you can't give up just because you had to struggle a bit. I'm not going on a bre@st feeding only rant, each one has to choose which is best for each one's lifestyle, but if you're going to try, give it a good effort.

I think I'm done. I'm gonna go find another pair of socks and get my smoothie out of the freezer, then have a cuppa tea.