Weekend Update

I didn't get to haiku this weekend, the first time I decide to and I don't. What a loser. Anyway, it was pretty busy. We had a wedding on Saturday which was lovely, weddings sure are gorgeous these days. Open bar, that's the key.

Sunday I took the girls to the Zoo to run in the Make Tracks for the Zoo Race. It was only one mile, but
I was proud of the girls, we all ran it in 9:15 minutes. (Rug pretending she's too cool to be photographed).

We stayed at the zoo for awhile. St. Louis may be #1 in crime but we also have one of the BEST (if not THE BEST) zoos in the country. Seriously. Come visit. Plus, it's FREE. Can't beat free.


They even have dinosaurs!

Last night we went to Mo's SECOND Cardinal game in her life. I was worried, now she is mobile I'm afraid she'd lose attention fast but Doggone it she loves that organ playing. Yelling "CHARGE" all night never lost its appeal. How the Cards gave up a 4-0 lead is beyond me, but oh well, we had fun.

SPF-- Tribute

So this week's SPF is a tribute, and I'm sure Kristine means with a song. Well, a few minutes ago I learned Harvey Korman passed away. When I was little, the Carol Burnett Show was just about the greatest thing on earth, and I truly had a crush on Mr. Korman. So today my tribute is to him. He was one of the greats, and he will truly be missed.

Mo closest picture to 18 months I have

Mo update and other random items

Mo turned 18 months last week and I didn't even get a picture of her. I swore with my 3rd I wouldn't be this way, but looks like I am. Chalk up another point for 'them' because 'they' are always right.

We bought a new treadmill and put it together last night. I have yet to run on it but plan on running today, bad back be damned. God wouldn't have my back still hurting if he didn't want me to run through the pain, right?

LP is out right now buying a new water heater. I had mentioned before it was on the fritz, yesterday it officially stopped working and began to leak all over the basement. Now isn't that exciting? That is my life.

On the other hand, my mom has better stories in her neck of the woods. Last summer, her 10-year-old next door neighbor (next door!) set fire to a house down the street and because he was only 10 and they lacked evidence, he didn't go to any juvenile detention or serve any type of community service. We see him all the time when we go over there, and my mother tells me it's like that kid from the Twilight Zone movie, you know, nobody wants to piss him off so everyone is super nice to him.

So yesterday, her neighbor down the street was jumped and beaten severely by 3 men and is in the hospital recovering for 4-6 weeks. Turns out he is a gay man, and that is all my mother had to hear. She has never met a gay person in her life, (that she knows of...anyway) and for some reason she is so curious about anything GAY. When she told me this story, the subject of the email was "THE GAYS". Cracks me up. She is so sheltered.

And all I have is a broken water heater. Maybe I should go beat it up or something. Or set it on fire.

**************************

I did want to write a list of the things Mo can say now. I know, that is a clear and total lack of segue there, but that's how I roll. I don't have time for things to relate to one another. I'm a busy person, see?

Mo definitely does not talk as much as Al did, but probably more than Rug did. That's not to say she doesn't talk, she is constantly saying SOMETHING but it is Portugese or some language I do not understand. She has clearly been reincarnated and was once a fisherman somewhere and is just not ready to let go of that dialect.

First off, the brainwashing she gets from TV:
Bob Bob: Spongebob
Doo do Doo: Dora
Oooh! FFFFF! (Clifford, not from TV more books)
Melmo: Elmo
Win Pooh
Ohhhhhhhh: (intro to Spongebob song)

Next, People I Live with:
Dada
RahRah
Lala
Mom, Mommy, AHHHHHH!!!
Hi Kitty
Meow

Things I like to do:
Dan: Dance
Soc Ball
Drink
More (eating, and more eating)
Gippppsssss (grapes)
Yes!!!! (baseball watching)
Knuckles (hitting knuckles, someone taught her this)
Five (hi-five)
Ta-Da!
Spider (itsy bitsy spider, on heavy rotation)
Awwwww (petting animals)
Night Night
Thank you!
No! No!(vacuum, in response to me saying these words when she tried to unplug it)

Animals I think are pretty cool:
Goggie (doggie)
Kitty
(raz noise) Horse
(sniffing) Bunny
(pop noise) Fish
Oooooh! Bird

Explicit instructions:
Bye! ("I'm ready to go. RIGHT now.")
Shoe? ("I'm ready to go. RIGHT now. Put on my shoes.")
MMMMWAH! ("I'm ready to go. I'm blowing kisses to get the heck outta here.")
More!!! ("I need more of these. NOW.")
Booop! ("Honk my nose.")
AHHHHHH!!! (everything else you are not doing for me right this second)

Songs I like to sing:
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Any song from the Sesame Street Rock and Roll Show DVD
Elmo's World
ABCs
Winnie the Pooh
Twinkle Twinkle
Old Lady who swallowed a Fly
Low by Flo Rida (thanks, Rug)

When Stupid People Strike

Seriously? Sharon Stone, are you a COMPLETE idiot? When you make such ridiculous end of the world comments such as THIS, what do you expect? People will bow down to your greatness? No, they will realize what a total schmuck you are. Those who want to free Tibet are not backing you on that one, sweets. Go back to opening your legs for the movies honey. We don't want to hear you speak.

That is all.

What I'd Like to say to Some People but Can't

Blogs are great ways to vent. So here goes. Namelessly I will say what I really want to say to people. Here goes!


1. It's not that moving the car seat into your car is a big deal, it's that I don't trust my kids with your driving.

2. Seriously? You have to stop complaining.

3. You haven't seen us in so long because I can't stand the way you talk to my mother. Have respect please.

4. Move out already. You're almost 40.

5. Remember how you said there was a girl in your school growing up who was mean and no one would stand up to her? Yeah, that's YOUR daughter.

6. Your husband is really not a nice person, and has destroyed our friendship and you don't seem to care. I miss you.

7. Losing your temper is not 'just the way I am'. You can control it better than you do.

8. I don't trust you anymore. Don't pretend we are still friends, you told me yourself you needed new ones. (because I don't drink as much as you do? Nice.)

9. For Pete's sake, order something other than a cheeseburger for a change.

10. Stop telling people stories about my childhood. It drives me nuts. (ok, this one is obviously towards my mother. But really, it's driving me crazy) Or at least tell the good ones, not the embarrassing ones.

Hiking with the Say Qua's *

Don't look now but the Illinois, Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are converging!





*totally stealing from kalki

Saturday Haiku

I've decided each Saturday I will devote my blogging to haiku. Because I can.

Overnight at lodge
Two rivers converge nearby
Good breakfast buffet!

Hiking in the woods
Just me and my family
I'll look back and smile

One year olds are tough
They want to explore the world
Scream when you stop them!

SPF-- You in the Music

Hey folks, my back completely went out picking up the little muggle so I'm barely getting by today, but I will at least take a crack at SPF from old pictures I have. Most of my pics from last week were of people dancing though, so I may have screwed up here.



The girls 2006 at the Kelly Clarkson concert. I was 6 months preggo and not really into the music so much!



Here I am in 1992 with two of my guy buddies listening to a really loud band my friends were in. This was taken at the local 'teen center' which lasted only a few months in each different location they tried moving it to. Darn meddlin' kids, always getting into trouble! The question is, why did I think a gray vest was ever a cute thing to wear?

Did you Play?

Because God Knows Too

I may be replaced soon

Have I got your attention?

Let me introduce you to my friend, Mr. Daniel Craig. He's hard to look at, no? Here is the sad part...I was introduced to him by my husband, LP.

A few weeks ago, I went out somewhere and once the kids were in bed, LP found a video on demand to watch. He selected "Casino Royale" starring Mr. Craig.

Since then, this movie is almost constantly on my television. Or should I say the tellie, since Mr. Craig is indeed British.

Every time I walked in the room, it seemed as though some part of this movie was playing, especially him playing poker. it is after all, about gambling, or so I surmised from the title.

I'm not a fan of Bond movies. Not that they aren't good, I just don't have the patience for them. Roger Moore was the only Bond I could honestly tolerate anyway.

Until now, that is.

Finally after days of complaining that there is something ELSE on the television, LP made me sit down and watch the movie.

I loved it. And I now officially love Daniel. What IS it with those British boys that just make me swoon? (BTW, Rick Springfield lived in England too, you know...and David, of course)

So due to my husband's man crush on this gorgeous hunk of a man, I now have someone else to put into my fantasy repertoire. Which in case you are curious, involves them coming over and mopping my kitchen floors and then asking me what I want to talk about. And then actually listening.

I guess it should concern me my husband has a man crush, but it's OK. It could be worse.

He could have a man crush on someone else. Then we'd have problems.

It's Monday, let's play a game

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name: Jana

Famous Artist/Band/Musician: Jimi Hendrix

4 letter word: Jack! (wtf!)

Vehicle: Jaguar baby

TV Show: Judge Judy

City: Jackson, Mississippi (i've stayed there, in a Red Roof Inn...don't ask)

Boy Name: Joseph

Girl Name: Jill

Alcoholic drink: Jack and Coke

Occupation: Janitor

Flower: Juniper

Something you wear: Jodhpurs!

Celebrity: Jennifer Aniston

Food: Jelly

Something found in a kitchen: Junk

Reason for Being Late: Just got up

Cartoon Character: Jana of the Jungle!

Something You Shout: Jeebus!

Haiku for Today

The sun has arrived!
My face must feel the sunlight
No time for laundry

New convertible
It's a perfect day to go
Out for a long drive

My toes are tingling
I can wear my flip flops now
Show my piggies off!!

SPF: Lyrics

Hey Y'all...I do love love this theme this month so I must participate in some way today. I got home late last night from training at work out of town, and today is chock full of end of the school year activities, so it's going to have to be a creative endeavor from some of my older pictures. Let's all see what I can come up with on the fly, shall we?




I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance



(You've got to)
Dance little sister
Don't give up today
Hang on till tomorrow
I don't wanna hear you're late
Dance little sister
Don't give up today
Hang on till tomorrow
Don't give up your stay
and last of all, because I am really at a loss today, here is my favorite Scrubs episode:



I looked out this morning and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away

But these lyrics mean to much to me...music is such a part of my life. Getting lost in a song is about the best feeling you could ever have. I had someone tell me once they could never live with me because I always had music on. Thank God I found someone like LP who listens to it as much if not more than I do....(although I must object to the constant Triumph and Ted Nugent he insists is good music...)

Did You Play???

Being An OverProtective Parent, Part II

Man ticketed for buckling beer, not son.

But it was a 30-can pack. I'd understand if it was say, just a 12-pack or maybe wine coolers or something, right?

Mum's the Word

Best Mother's Day Card I've ever received, written by my 8-year-old:

To: Jana (Mom)
From: Rug (your daughter)

We have been tohger* for 8 years and I Have loved you for 8 years. 8 years is alot. Mother's Day is better then my birthday. I like my birthday because the older I get the more time I've been with you!
* together, I'm assuming.

Is that not the best? Nothing like trying to make it about me but really it's pretty much about her. I love it.

Happy Mother's Day to all the muthas out there, and if your mom is anything like mine, Happy Guilt Trip Day as well!!!!!!!

SPF: How you Listen to Your Music

Kristine has asked us this week to display the way you listen to your music. I have to tell you, my life changed when I got that first MP3 player. To be able to have that much variety and versatility in one little machine blew me away. Certainly a far cry from me trying to find the right groove to put the needle on to play my Thriller album.

When iPods first came out, LP and I blew our wad on the mega super expensive one. It died within a year. After that I suffered through a year without one, having being spoiled by the first. I went and bought myself a Nano, and loved it and never had any trouble with it EVER. (it's pictured on top and has since been inherited by my daughter)

Then of course several weeks ago I went and got an iPhone. I'm not one to go out and get the 'cool' product first thing, but I saw this and we are now in love. I am completely lost without it. I would marry it, yes, I would. I'd use it on a plane, on a train, in a house, with a mouse...okay you get the point. So, DID YOU PLAY?



Top 3 Songs on my iPhone:
1. "Everlong" Acoustic
2. "Since You've Been Gone"
3. "Lose Yourself"

Runnig Down A Dream*

This week someone is making everything go my way, it's so wonderful. Last weekend we spent in Champaign, Illinois, also known as the Home of the University of Illinois, also known as Where LP Went To School and We Heard All About It. "That's where I worked! That's where I lived! That's where I once had to tie my shoes!" I can appreciate it though, your college days are some of the best times you'll ever have, and it was probably really nice for him to get to go back and reminisce. Champaign is a very pretty town, and Sunday was gorgeous weather so we were able to spend some time on campus. One of the geology buildings had a small museum and the girls got to see some dinosaur bones up close. Thus solidifying their dorkiness, I made them pose in front of them. Al ran away, but Rug captured the moment superbly.



(Picture title: "Mom I'm going to act like a dork if you force me to take pictures with dinosaur bones")

Rug won 2nd place in her soccer tournament and scored the ONLY goal for her team in the championship game. I was so proud of her, because she is playing girls two years older than her and still did completely awesome.

On the way home, we did stop by MY Alma Mater, Eastern Illinois University. It took much less time to visit than the U of I campus. I did manage to take a pic of the dorm I lived in the four years I was there, aptly named "LSD":


On Monday I chaperoned Al on her field trip to Camp Ondessonk, a summer camp in southern Illinois. Most people may not be aware, but southern Illinois is quite beautiful and there are tons of rock formations and caves and what not. It was so pretty. The entire 5th grade went, and there were Silly String raids, and crying kids, and canoe tipping and scary stories and unfortunately for one girl, a trip to the hospital when she split her leg open on a rock. I got little to no sleep, all due to a full bladder and trying to decide if it was worth leaving the warmth of my sleeping bag and walking the distance to the outhouse (improperly coined the "Wide Open" as it was nothing but) just to go to the bathroom. Around 4 a.m. i decided yes, yes it was. Then of course we were all up by 7 a.m. for breakfast.
Here was the view from our cabin, I didn't have my camera but I took this with my iPhone:


So here I am, and it's raining and I couldn't be happier because it did not rain at all while we were down there, and since today I've got a ton of work to do inside, what better day for rain than this?

I will be back tomorrow for SPF, in the meantime I will leave you with a few tidbits overheard at camp:

"I can't feel my special place anymore" ---boy in cave pool

"Boys don't have any common sense at all" ---5th grade girl scaling huge rock

"My grandma has a ghost named George. He's always stealing her rings and leaving the toilet seat up" ---5th grader campfire story, more than likely in reality a cross-dressing sloppy grandpa

"When I went to camp last year, I didn't brush my teeth the whole time!" --5th grade girl, not quashing my apprehension of sending Al to camp

"I'm alright". ---Chaperoning Dad, immediately upon falling about 15 feet onto a rock, clearly not alright but maintaining his masculinity.

"God we didn't need to see THAT" ---5th grade boy upon seeing one of the girls emerge from the pool in a white t-shirt sans undergarments

Stuff Portrait Friday ---MUSIC MONTH

So Kristine has reached perfection with this month's themes for Stuff Portrait Fridays. I'm elated, but I cannot guarantee my pictures will be all that great or really even remotely creative. But I will be playing every Friday!

The month's theme is MUSIC and as anyone who visits here knows, I'm a big fan. My tastes also run the gamut, but I'm most fond of 80s music. I'm sure that decade will more likely than not dominate my picture ideas. Oh, and I also am a fanatical Disney fan, so more than likely that will be a recurring theme as well!

Today's theme is: Song Titles. It's been a long tiresome day (steam cleaning carpets and other household duties) so I'll be using pictures already on my computer...

1. "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees



2. "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell



(oh, have I mentioned I have a one-year-old who stays at home with me so I take lots of pictures of?)

and your Disney money shot:

3. "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" (how old do you have to be to get that reference?)



Ok I admit, pretty lame, but DID YOU PLAY???

Summer, Donna

I won't give you ALL of the details of our conversation last night, but my dear LP compared me to Donna Summer for some reason last night. Upon this revelation I started to sing, "She Works Hard for the Money" and he said, "Donna Summer didn't sing that."

Now LP is otherwise a walking encyclopedia of music knowledge, and it thrilled me to no end that I was on the winning side of a bet.

"Wanna bet?"

Oh yeah, he ran to the internets to get him some answers.

I'm getting me a nice back massage tonight. Which, in case you were wondering, is the ongoing prize for any and all bets that take place in the Say Qua Household.

All this talk reminded me of one of my favorite SNL skits with Cheri Oteri and Toby McGuire:

What to say when a customer in front of you is causing problems at the burger joint

For some reason my kids just don't get it when I yell "Simma Donna!" to them when they're out of control. It does make them stop however.

Big Burrito

Good morning. This is my dear husband eating a La Bamba burrito. Their slogan is "Burritos as Big as your Head". It should be more like "Evacuate the Area after Your Husband Eats one of These."

We spent the weekend in Peoria, Illinois for a soccer tournament. We *almost* spent the weekend explaining to the Peoria police department why a parent from the other team had a soccer ball wedged into his underwear. In all my soccer mom years, I'd never seen a guy with the cajones this guy was toting. Not only did he come over to OUR side of the field where our parents were standing and taunted us ("if you didn't want to play a contact sport, go play tennis!") he also interrupted our coach's pep talk after the game (we LOST) and started making rude comments to him, in FRONT of his team. I was completely aghast, but didn't have enough time because all of a sudden my sweet, quiet husband got into his face and told him he needed to leave the premises stat. He was such a creep. I don't mean like, jerk parent going over the line creep, I mean he was driving a dirty old van and probably had frozen heads in his freezer kind of creep.

Then we had to play them the next day for the championship!

But soccer Karma was in our favor and after two overtimes and penalty kicks (one which my daughter scored!) we won the championship.

Then the little toad has the audacity to call us white trash, once again, in front of our kids, after not saying one thing to him! And THEN, and then...once we'd all left, one of the parents was getting into their car (from our team) and the weasel came over and APOLOGIZED for his behavior and told them to tell our team what a great job we'd done. WTF???!?!?!?!

All I can say is, I certainly hope that guy has signed up for some tennis lessons.

**************************************************************
This week is a pretty slow week for us. Next week I am going with Al on her school overnight field trip to a southern Il camp. It should be fun, I love the outdoors and am not afraid of bugs, so that puts me in favor of having a good time. Hoss I will try to take some pictures of birds if I find some worth picturin'.

I may need to someone to make sure LP doesn't eat any more of those burritos though!

On Overprotective Parenting

There have been numerous posts lately about overprotective parents (here and here for examples) Both authors are fantastic parents, either to wonderful children or pampered felines. At any rate, I have always had a strong opinion about overprotection, due to the fact my parents were the definition of it. Catholic guilt runs deep in my veins, and since I was a girl, my brother got away with a helluva lot more than I ever did. My parents would have probably hired a taste tester if they could have afforded it, in the rare case someone wanted to poison us.

In defense of my parents however, they were nowhere near my aunt, who forced her children to wear life jackets while traveling on the bridges over the Mississippi. You cannot get to St. Louis from my town without going over such a bridge, and when my cousin went with us one time to St. Louis and did NOT HAVE HER LIFE JACKET chaos ensued and I thought she might just jump out of our car. Never mind that the river is hundreds of feet and she would surely die of impact, with or without said jacket.

Annnnnnyway.

I try to be a fair moderation of both protective and lax. I chop up the grapes before I serve them, I never let my kids out of my sight at certain venues, and we are always with protective helmets and what not. But I also let them get dirty and run in the rain, and ride roller coasters and go in the deep end at the pool.

Now then.

Here's the thing, and my point about overprotective parents. The one thing they forget, the one thing they never worried or dreamt could ever happen, will. For example, my brother-in-law. Here's a kid, you know, has to call home when he goes out the door, knows how to swim, wears his seat belt, etc. He got hit by a VAN crossing the street. Now, that never would have crossed anyone's mind as something to even have to worry about right?

Yesterday, I was giving Mo a bath. Our water heater is completely on the fritz, and sometimes the hot water does not work. I turned the faucet on to rinse her hair, and the first bucket I poured was cool water. Thinking it was still cold, I poured ANOTHER bucket full onto her head.

It wasn't cold. It was SCALDING. I scalded my own little girl.

Before I could stop, I had dumped the whole bucket onto her head. She screamed a scream I would never forget. I immediately went to the sink and put her head under cold water for a bit. Frantic, i drove to the doctor's office and they saw her immediately. Mo got first degree burns, but fortunately there was no scarring or blistering. I was sobbing in the doctor's office, and she kept reassuring me that it was an accident, but I felt awful. How could I hurt my own baby like that!

Needless to say, Mo got several pieces of chocolate yesterday and rarely did her feet touch the ground, instead, being on my lap or in my arms the whole day.

So from now on I will most definitely have a keener sense for the water temperature, but I can assure you she will still not have to wear a life jacket in the bathtub, or across any bridges.

Still shaking

Again I woke up getting shook, and there apparently have been numerous aftershocks in the area. It's pretty crazy, but interesting.

My parents took my minivan today to pick up a bookshelf they purchased, so I will be the cool soccer mom driving around in a green Oldsmobile.

Yesterday Mo figured out how to unlock the screen door and ran outside to freedom. She was already frolicking on the swing set by the time I realized it was just a little bit too quiet.

Finally, there are a few songs on my playlist I thought I would share. If you do not know of these songs, please go hunt them down on iTunes or elsewhere and listen. They are truly great songs.

1. "Everlong" acoustic version, Skin and Bones by the Foo Fighters
2. "Love's Divine" Seal
3. "I want Love" Elton John
4. "Mad man Across the Water" Elton John
5. "Melissa" Allman Brothers

Whole Lot of Shaking Going on!

When I was in Girl Scouts around 11 years old, I went on an overnight with my troop. During the middle of the night, the entire lodge we were staying in began to shake! Several of us woke up, and one of the girls (and I will clearly insert here NOT ME) yelled, "It's an Earthquake!"

The Girl Scout Troop leader, who thought of me as the Evil Little Girl, yelled, "Jana! Stop scaring all the other girls and go back to bed."

Seriously. I was the bad apple. All was blamed on me. I spent the rest of the weekend making lanyards in the dirty bathroom separated from the other girls. And I didn't even do it! (Read this in the mind set of an 11-year-old, and you will be like, "Nuh-uh! That is like, SO unfair, ohmygosh.")

The next morning, the radio was buzzing about the small 'earthquake' we had the night before. Girl Scout Lady said nothing, and I had to make breakfast for the whole troop. WTF?

In 1990, there was some guy claiming conditions would be right for an earthquake in this area precisely on December 3rd of that year. I was in high school, and they actually considered cancelling school for the day. My mother was so freaked out, she insisted we take a drive to Canada that week to avoid all possible earthquake activity. Nothing happened. I may have gotten a B on a math test that day, but in the grand scheme of things, that wasn't that far from normal.

Last night, I was sleeping on the couch, NOT due to domestic discord but my insomnia was once again rearing its very ugly head and I went to the couch for some much needed relief from my husband's snoring. Snoring + insomnia = insanity. Around 4:30 a.m., the entire room starts shaking!! At first i thought it was a VERY large truck, but then I soon realized it was an earthquake. LP came running in, "Jana! It's an earthquake!" Mr. Obvious we call him. Mo woke up crying, and I woke up Rug and we all went to the kitchen, not really knowing what to do. Yes, the kitchen, with all the knives and what not. We're smart ones here in the Midwest. Notice now that we completely forgot about the oldest child, I guess we thought she could fend for herself. They have earthquake preparedness class in school, right?

Well we all went back to sleep and this morning it was all the buzz. 5.4 earthquake, and i am alive to tell about it. My knick-knacks the only true victims of the house.

TMI (too much information!)

Thought I'd play since I've been a bad blogger lately. This comes from Shelli.

1. Did you have to pay or did you get money back?
3 kids = we go paid. Going straight into the savings, sorry Uncle Sam. We want a new house. I still have to share a bathroom with my kids, and that is just wrong.

2. What was your biggest financial mistake?

The Dodge Durango!!! Oh my god. What a mistake. LP HAD to have it. And at the time was (gulp) $1.80 a gallon and I thought, my god, that is SOOOOO expensive!! And the Durango got 15 miles to the gallon. So we traded in for a Honda CR-V which I hated for 3 years, and got my beloved Dodge Minivan. Oh-- and having a kid at 23 years of age. That really does not help you financially get ahead. Trust me.

3. Are you a screamer?

On a roller coaster I am. :)

4.(part 1) What part of your body, other than your genitals, do you love to have touched?

My hair

(part 2) What part of a partner's body, other than their genitals, do you love to touch?

Hmm. I don't know. I like holding hands or their back. Certainly not FEET.

5. What commercial catch phrase best describes your life?

Calgon, take me away.....

Takes a licking but keeps on ticking.



Bonus (as in optional): What was the last thing you took without permission? What was the last thing taken from you without your permission?

I took one my daughters' Cadbury eggs from her Easter basket.

WIthout my permission? I'd say I've been quite screwed in the grocery aisle lately. How can a gallon of milk cost almost $5??

My sanity has certainly been taken from me when it comes to where this country is, and that was definitely without my permission. I hope we all can make an educated decision in November.

Nothing to Say.

1. Mo has a new word "Da!" which of course means, "Dance"! and she says it every time iTunes pops up on the computer screen.

2. Stomach flu has invaded our house hold the second time in a month. WTF? I've had enough puke in my life in the last few years. Make it stop.

3. The weather has finally gotten into the 70s. I can crawl out of my shell now.

4. I figured out how to use the Macro on my camera. I know! I'm an idiot! But it is SO cool.

5. We are officially credit-card debt free. Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Now we just have to pay off my van and we can buy that dream home on the hill with the picket fence.

6. The 'talent' show is tomorrow and when I say 'talent' I mean my kids have made up some goofy dances and are getting up in front of the school to do them. Hey, what can I say, they learned it from me. I did "PYT" in 5th grade, so more power to them.

7. I'm officially now back into my size (<) jeans! Woot! And am now at a 11:20 mile. My daughter just did a 7:40 minute mile yesterday. Makes me humble I guess.

8. My parents got back from Arkansas and brought me back a sweatshirt from Sam Walton's (founder of the illustrious Wal-Mart) hometown. I'm so proud.

9. I had this dream that I was this totally hot chick in a bikini last night. Dare to dream.

10. Last weekend I went out with a bunch of girls I did not know, the only one I knew being the 'birthday' girl. She got a limo and all the cute young girls were out the windows screaming at cute boys outside, "Woo hoo!" "Hey you're hot!" "What's your name?" I got to the window and shouted, "Do you have a 401K? What's your pension look like? Is your mother in the same state?"

11. Al had her first 'dance' last week and she said it was the most boring thing ever. Sure it was. I spent the entire time of her first non-chaperoned no adults I know there event chewing my nails and waiting for her to return. We cuddled on the bed and watched Return of the Jedi when she got home. That's my girl!!!

12. I meant to only go to five.

Lost in Space

Last week was spent with the computer down and out in Beverly Hills. Therefore I could not blog, and all of you were miserable with out me, I just know it.

I have still not missed a workout since my bout with the stomach flu, but have still not lost one pound (except for the weight I lost when I HAD the stomach flu, go figure). I worry my bet with LP may not be fulfilled, I will keep trucking though. I know muscle weighs more than fat, and this is what keeps me going on the treadmill.

I'm so excited...and it is not because the weather has been especially awful lately. Within one hour last week I cemented my summer concert plans and spent mega bucks...on FOO FIGHTERS tickets AND Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker tickets w/ Steve Winwood!!! So LP and I have guaranteed us at the least two date nights for this summer. I love Steve Winwood. Tom Petty, he's OK, but it is at the outdoor venue in St. Louis and just about any concert there is fun. Plus I'll be with LP and his new car, if he lets me ride in it still after scratching it.

Next we have my big purchase. Yes, I've been saving my pennies, nickels and dimes to get it. I did an 'outside' job to make the money to afford myself an iPhone. It is so much fun, I love it and the main reason I got it was the iTunes capability. It is very fun to work out with. It was between that and the Tilt, which is the much less advertised equivilant to the iPhone. I got the latter because the Tilt is for nerdy techno geeks like my husband, and I'm just a soccer mom tryin' to get through the week without forgetting to make it to a practice.

No, this blog has not become a cell phone review site, but I have to tell you that everyone in America should have access to YouTube the way I do. Okay, maybe not. For posterity, the first video I watched was, naturally, the Foo Fighters "Pretender" video, and then, Men At Work's "Down Under". Because I am an incredibly diverse individual. And my instant access to You Tube has taught me watching walruses dance to Michael Jackson may just be more important than any presidential race going on.

OK, so last but certainly not least it was Rug's First Communion this weekend, and we had the family over. This is what I wanted to post last week, about how my in-laws are just the most fun-loving gang of people you'd ever want to be around. I kid, of course. They're direct from Satan's Helpers, and could use a little Tequila dancing to cheer them up (and if you know that vague Pee Wee Herman reference, you are forever endeared to me).

Anyway, my mother-in-law from Hell...(which could be shortened to MILFH but that looks far too close to MILF which, in case you didn't know, is an acronym for something far nicer than she ever will be) has in the last 12 years of my wedded bliss to LP, destroyed my esteem and beaten my self-assuredness to a pulp. I have chosen not to speak of these people often on this blog, with exception for the one sentence mention of their insanity, because I do not like to give them air time. Plus I never wanted to be the person who smack talks behind their backs.

Okay, I'm just rambling. The point is, my MILFH has made it quite clear that she believes I am a blundering idiot. Which I am not. (Contrary to what I may have told you) She has taken it upon herself to declare HER daughter (my sister-in-law, my husband's step-sister) the Official Cake Maker of Any and All Family Get Togethers. So when I told her I would be making the cake for Rug's Communion, she scoffed and said, "Well, I think SIL should do it. You need to ask her first before you do it." Uh, no, I don't. It's MY kid's Communion, I should be able to make the cake, right?

So, for 2 weeks I spent researching cake decorating, and planning and buying and more or less making the kitchen a den for cursing and pan throwing. LP steered clear. Finally, I achieved a final product, and while everyone raved about how good the cake was, all my MILFH said was, "I couldn't help but notice you don't have any ROSES on your cake."
Ogre.

Okay, getting that off of my chest, there were many, many other things said and done yesterday that makes me come to the conclusion I can no longer allow such negative behavior be viewed by my children. I'm terrible at confrontations, but something must be done. Any in law advice would be of great help. I really prefer positive attitudes and general respect of others to what I've been dished out here.
But, once again being a Tigger and not an Eeyore, the day was beautiful, Rug was gorgeous, and I am so blessed with an amazing family.

And Mo has finally learned how to say "Mommy"!!! She still says "Spongebob" a lot more, but I'll take anything I can get at this point!! So she confuses me with a square sponge, so what?

Here is a picture of MY cake, and of course it is not from Ace of Cakes but it was made with a helluva lot of love:

take the 80s quiz

I was Righteous!
I scored 90% on the

Take the 80s quizby SheGoddess: Quick Weight Loss

I believe the night LP fell in love with me was at a party and I was the only one who knew who sang "Love My Way". My 80s music knowledge seriously cuts into my brain's ability to remember where I left my purse.

It's back Baby...Stuff Portrait Friday!

So funny, but I was just thinking the other day how Stuff Portrait Fridays always made me motivated to post. It has returned, and Kristine has given us an easy (but is it?) assignment this week:

Your favorite Picture

So I am going to cheat, as I usually do, and give you my favorite pictures of each of my family members instead.



I've shown this one before, it's me in New York on my 30th birthday. That was such an awesome trip.



Mmmm. LP. 2005.



Al winning 1st place in a soccer tournament. That smile is genuine! I wish I could sell that!



I know, this also has Al in it, but if this picture does not represent all that is my Rug, I don't know what is. Her shirt says it all. She is a funny, funny girl.


here is a better one. Striking a pose, as usual.

of course, my little Mo.

So, did you play???

5 Things Making Me Laugh

1. My daughter telling me, "When my teacher was handing out the math tests, my stomach took a lurch!"

Uh...what?

2. My dad telling me that when they met with the lawyer for my aunt's estate, my mother left the room and the lawyer said to my dad, "Sir, do you drink?" My dad said, "No, why?" The lawyer gestured towards my mom and replied, "You probably should."

3. Mo has some new dance moves, including the "Right Leg Stomp", and the "Shoulder Shrug". I need to find how to get video on this blog, you would laugh too! **As a bonus, LP laughs when you ask her, "Where's Mommy?" And she she says, "Da-da?"

4. Lewis Black. Granted, he always makes me laugh, but recently on Comedy Central, he voted Oprah the Root of All Evil. I couldn't agree more. If my mother read that last sentence, HER stomach would take a lurch.

5. The weather. Rain all week, rain this weekend...but today, today the sun is shining. What more could anyone ask?

Last Day of Disney

I have to finish this before I go back to Disney next time. This is the last day, so we didn't do too much so it won't be a long post. Hopefully.

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On our last day we got up pretty early and checked out of our hotel. I was finally able to return a sweatshirt that I had purchased where the guy at the store had accidentally left the big ink thingee on it, and the women at the gift store were insisting I find the receipt first before they took it off. Luckily I found it, on the last day, as we were packing up to leave!

We took a vote and our last day was to be spent at MGM/Hollywood Studios. That Tower of Terror is just our very favorite ride. It was looking to be an incredibly nice day. We were all wearing shorts.

We got there at the rope drop, and headed straight for Tower of terror. I kept Mo and we went shopping for some souvenirs. I was hoping to find some stuff with Malevicent on it, she is my favorite villain. No such luck. It is amazing what you can buy at Disney...from $1.00 to $25,000.00 (which is how much this crystal castle will set you back)



Al had saved up all of her souvenir money to buy one thing...a Precious Moment. (Gag) She loves the things, and at one of the Art of Disney stores they had a Precious Moment made exclusively for the Parks. She got one of Cinderella's castle, and as Precious Moments go, it's a pretty neat one. She was thrilled.

While we were there, we waited around to see the Incredibles. My favorite picture from our Disney trip in 2005 of us with them, and we just love that movie. While I was asking the cast member how long it would be, this Brazilian woman bursts in, speaking frantically, "Where are the Incrrrrrediblllles? I must see them!" She was supposed to be meeting her kids in 15 minutes but the only characters she wanted to see in all of Disney World were the Incredibles.

She stood in front of me in line, and behind me was a newlywed couple from Iowa. This Brazilian women proceeded to talk about her trip and how different Americans are from Brazilians. She was telling us how she tried to give Ariel (the Little Mermaid) a hug and everyone freaked out. "No touching!" she said, "In my country, we are ahhh..." and she gave me a great big hug. I told her not all Americans are like that, but yeah, most of us like our personal space personal! She was so exuberant and bright and friendly, I just adored her. Finally Mr and Mrs. Incredible came out, and this woman went CRAZY. "Mrs. Incredible! I love you! I love you! I love you because you have CURVES! ooooh, you are so CURVY!!" I took her camera and got her picture and she was just in heaven. We stepped up to get our picture with them, and she was still telling Mrs. Incredible how much she loved her. I'm sure the person in the costume was ecstatic...I do not think Mrs. Incredible usually gets that much attention! I'm obviously still cracking up at that lady when they took this shot:


Next we rode "Star Tours" several times...and although my favorite movie is Star Wars, this ride is super cheezeball. I do love the At-At in the front though. We went to see "Muppets in 3-D" which was entertaining and I think the only 3-D Mo actually enjoyed. She didn't put the glasses on, but she liked getting squirted with water, etc.

Al and Rug were FINALLY getting into pin trading, of course, it was the last day. They saw Kim Possible (from Disney channel) and I made them get a picture.



LP took the girls to ride Rock N roller Coaster one more time, and I stood out by the guitar with Mo. Now, Mo, she likes to dance. And I mean SHAKE it kind of dancing.(learned from her father no doubt) There was Aerosmith music blasting out everywhere, she could not be contained. A very young PhotoPass photographer spotted her and just kept taking several pictures of her. I think it was love at first sight!





I think it made his day, honestly. Her dancing can cheer just about anyone up.

The last thing we did was took Mo to play at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. She loved it.


I made reservations for the 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch. The premise is, well, your grandmother's/mother's kitchen in the 50s. It was dead on. And let me tell you, the entertainment value of a 'mom' yelling at your husband for not having a napkin on his lap is PRICELESS to children. My kids still talk about it. I was behaved, because it was so eerily similar to my grandma's kitchen, (plus I had their meatloaf...) I thought for sure she was going to come around the corner and make sure I'd eaten everything on my plate.



As we left, the High School Musical parade was just finishing up, and as we headed towards the exit, Mo reallllllllly wanted to walk. On her own. No grown-up hands to hold. LP was not having it, and Mo was NOT very pleased. And I snapped the best shot of the trip:



Fabulous, no? We call this "Meltdown with Mickey". Pure bliss that is.

We stopped off at the greatest outlet mall EVER (Adidas! I can't get enough of ye!) and as we left Orlando, it began to rain. Hard. I was already planning our next trip.

I know February was harder because I had Disney Depression, which is a clinically recognized malady. I'm hoping I can get back there soon.

You know what is even more depressing? We are thinking about taking the girls somewhere in a few weeks on their spring break, and do you know where the closest place is from us? That's right....Branson, Missouri. Well it ain't Disney but I know I'll be able to get some real nice corn cob pipes to bring home as souvenirs.

I'm all over the place.

This weekend consisted of Mo throwing up, Al hurling and me being near comatose from it all. I haven't been able to eat since Thursday, and from what I remember, I don't think it was all that great of a meal. If I'm going to be sick for 4 days I'd like to at least have a fond memory of food. Not so much. Even a Cadbury egg right now would make me run to the bathroom.

But hey, I've lost 6 pounds! Look, I've been trying to lose FIVE pounds for a month, and in one weekend I've already lost more than that. I can guarantee that this is NOT the way anyone should ever lose weight. Bulimics, I shall NEVER understand.

My mother just called to tell me that when my dad went to donate all of my aunt's clothes to Goodwill, he 'accidentally' donated some of MY MOM'S clothes too!!! I fell off my chair laughing. That is so something they would do. Cracking me up.

I wish I could wax poetic about my weekend. I don't even have the energy to write a haiku about the new mattress we bought. Maybe someone else can inspire me.

"Try it out" he says
Salesman at the mattress store
LP winks at me!

Okay, that wasn't so good. I'll just go back to drinking my ginger ale and popping my Peptos.

Do I always have to have a title?

Got back Monday night from Dixon. Now there is a rocking town. Hardly. I was very happy to see it in my rearview mirror as we left. I did get a picture of Ronald reagan's boyhood home, which was apparently a block away from my aunt's apartment. Uh, that's not too hard as this was a pretty small town.

Everyone in the town showed up at her funeral. I was not surprised at all, my aunt was larger than life. She was a Ya-Ya for sure, driving all her friends around town. She didn't even own a toaster, because why bother when she had people to see at all the local restaurants!

We spent much of Sunday night going through old pictures she had in boxes, and I found this one of my mom with her family circa 1955. They were living in Hawaii at the time. I love my grandpa's pink bow! I'm sure my grandmother picked it out, pink was her favorite color. I never met my uncle, he died before I was born. It's just so funny to think of my mother as a teenager. She was a good one I'm sure, to this day angst is one of her best traits.

We got dumped with about 7 inches of snow yesterday and the girls had a blast playing in it. Atlanta is looking better and better all the time.....

Parenting Chapter 4

I believe someone took the chapter "How to Teach your Child About the Unfairness of Life" out of my handbook and burned it.

I'm at a loss. My daughter's heart broke yesterday and I can't fix it. I can only dilude her with bad aphorisms and terrible cliches. My biggest hope is she can pick herself up by those gorgeous ears and move forward. Oh, this parenting this is such a roller coaster.

I will be headed to Dixon, Illinois today for my great aunt's funeral. Dixon is the Birthplace or Home place or whatever of Ronald Reagan. My grandmother grew up there and was once rescued by Ronnie himself as she was a bad swimmer and he was a lifeguard.

And for the record, yes, it was me who put the first scratch on LP's new car. I'm like the anti-King Midas. I touch something and it turns to mold!

Crazy few days

What a rollercoaster of a few days! My great aunt died last night, and I'd love to do a post on her but I realized I have no pictures of her, and believe me, you'd have to see her. She was a pretty cool lady.

Also my Rug has been diagnosed with GERD, or gastroesphageal reflux disease. She constantly is having bouts of throwing up, out of nowhere, and then she'd be fine. So yesterday we were driving to school and she had me stop the car so she could puke. I took her to the doctor, and now she is on Zantac twice a day. Oh the fun.

Mo is testing the limits. We are in that zone of the child rearing process. Yesterday she got stuck in the cat's little tunnel/sleeping area. She loves to scream and pull hair when she does not get her way. It's a great time.

My other two were already talking a lot by this time, she is just lazy I guess. She signs easily and understands what we're saying, but the only things she will say are "Meow" (it's been 6 months now, she says it consistently to any and every animal we come across.), "Da-Da" (any human being) and "SpongeBob" (Bob-Bob) which, is in reality, the only thing she knows for sure and will point him out everywhere. Thank goodness for merchandising. It's helping my daughter's vocabulary.

I've not missed a workout in three weeks and I'm very proud of this fact. LP and I have made a HUGE bet, and if I can win, I will be the happiest girl on Earth at the Happiest PLACE on earth. Can you believe that? I made a bet that involves Disney. That is just ridiculous. Anyway, once I've lost a certain # of poundages, I will let you in on the bet. It's fantastic. To me, anyway.

Did anyone catch Rick Springfield on Oprah the other day? I do not watch Oprah, and i only heard about it right before it started (one of my friends called) but I was already knee deep in my workout and didn't want to stop. I know! You'd think Rick had more control over me than that. Don't worry, his songs are on my iPod so it's not like I have completely lost my mind, right? He's still my #1.

February, or as I like to call it, Depressyouary

Every February is the same, I get the serious blues. Nothing in particular, but just about anything can set me off in a downward spiral of mopiness. I've been on a regular workout schedule now though since New Year's and it is definitely helping, well, at least helping me not to stick my head in the microwave, but I am still contemplating say, the toaster.

LP is really pushing the Atlanta move. He is ready to get outta the Midwest. I can't say I disagree, I mean, we've both lived here all our lives and we neither one say to people, 'oh, it's great you should move here'. Because you shouldn't. It's dirty, boring, and I drive 3 hours in any direction and I'm on a farm. Plus the weather is atrocious and I am 100% sure attributes every year to my February blahs. It was 14 frickin' degrees out there this weekend people. That is not cheery weather. And did I mention we're near the once notorious "Murder capital of the U.S." East St. Louis? And St. Louis was recently rated #3 on the "Most Stressed City in the U.S." list!

But.

My mom and dad are here. And I adore my parents. They have made me into the neurotic mess that I am today, and there is something to be said to put that much into a crazy. It takes a lot of effort to make one as dysfunctional as myself. And I can't just up and leave them. Because they will not follow. No sir, those roots are stuck, planted and not coming up. So there lies the dilemma.

*Sigh*

So, I need to finish up this Disney trip. After that, I might close up shop. I don't know. If we move I might start an Atlanta blog. My creative juices right now are at an all time low. I do write this for posterity and to remember my kids being young, but it is getting harder and harder to do. I'll keep you 'posted', ha ha.

Oh and one more thing. Remember the picture of LP in the convertible? Yeah, he bought it. So now he has a brand new Saab convertible. He is going out of town soon so guess who will be driving the kids around in something OTHER than a minivan? That ought to shake my blues away!!!

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Okay well I will finish up Disney later. Mo is wanting to play computer.

Speaking of...

Since I truly am not able to do anything (example: I just made mac and cheese and put WAY too much milk in it.) I want SO badly to change my blog look, the background, fonts, ANYTHING, but when I start reading the tutorials I start getting rashes and hives and completely black out. Is anyone willing to help me or is capable of doing so? I'd really like a change.

Oh, and there is one thing I can do right. Produce BEAUTIFUL babies. :)

Jana Say Disney: Day 7...Magic Kingdom

Good heavens it's almost March and I'm still not done with this thing. LP suggested I write a book. Yeah I'm sure that would be a best seller.

Can I just tell you that I'm not good at ANYTHING? No, it's actually true. One day, Rug was telling her Daddy how great he was at math, and at fixing things, and yada yada yada, and I said, "Well, what am I good at?"

Her response?

"Oh mommy you are a good tracer."

A TRACER. That is how I will go down in my life. LP has promised me he will put that on my grave stone. "JanaSayQua, Loving Wife, Beloved Mom, Good Tracer."

Ah-yi-yi.

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Day 7, Wednesday at Magic Kingdom

Today I had two character meals reserved. Breakfast with Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter. For dinner it was the Winnie-The-Pooh gang. We did decide today that since we'd already spent so much time at MK on Monday, that since AK was having extra magic hours, that we would leave MK early to go there and ride Expedition Everest again.

Our reservations for breakfast were for 8:20 a.m. and LP drove to the Grand Floridian and dropped us off to park. He took a VERY long time to get back. Rug had the vibrating thingee, and I was trying to keep up with Mo who was running all over the place. The Grand Floridian is THE nicest hotel on Disney property, it costs about $500 a night to stay there. And Mo proceeded to crouch down in the middle of the lobby and poop.

That's when I realized the diaper bag was in the car.

I knew that if it was taking this long to park, LP must've had to park in Disney LAND so I knew there wasn't going to be another trip back to the car. I saw a woman who had a baby about Mo's age and asked to borrow a diaper. She was more than helpful, and said that it had happened to her before as well. Lovely. So I changed Mo in the super deluxe fancy schmancy bathroom and luckily our buzzer soon went off.

I immediately went up to the buffet to get some food for Mo so she would be occupied. Apparently Mary Poppins stopped by while I was gone. They'd already seen her at Epcot, but still got a picture.



Tigger was 'bouncing from table to table and Mo was giggling so much. I think she was finally used to the big characters and was having a ball watching him. She even hugged him when he came to our table.


After breakfast we drove over to the MK parking lot and took the monorail to MK. No drama today! The only thing LP wanted was to make sure Mo got to ride It's A Small World. I'm not sure why, but he just really wanted her to. First we went through Tomorrowland and stopped off at the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, which was hysterical. It was hosted by Mike Wazowski and was a stand-up comedy act full of monsters. The jokes were really great. We were all cracking up.

We rode Peter Pan's Ride first and then went to It's a Small World, and there was no line at all.


LP was so excited, and thought Mo would think this ride was the neatest thing ever.

Yep, you guessed it. She immediately fell asleep!!

So we went to Mickey's Philharmagic while she was sleeping, and also took the opportunity to ride Haunted Mansion. She slept through it all.


Haunted horse carriage, in front of the Haunted Mansion.

We sat near the Country Bear Jamboree and ate some treats, i had the best snickerdoodle cookie I've ever had, and the girls ate some fudge. My goal on this trip was to find a "Dole Whip" which I've read is the best snack IN DisneyWorld, but we still never got around to it. The girls came very close to winning a pin from one of the CM, but ended up trading for some neat pins instead.

Next we headed to ToonTown where we wanted Mo to play, but it was getting very hot and we were all pretty tired. Although I did not forget anything on this trip, I did fail miserably in choosing clothing. it was almost 80 degrees that day, and Mo was in a long-sleeved dress. I bought her a Tinkerbell onesie and we took the train back to Main Street.

The one thing I wanted to do while we were there is get Mo's first haircut. She has a LOT of hair, so it wasn't going to be difficult to do! She was so good and she got a pair of Mickey ears that say "My First Haircut" after she was done.




As she was getting her haircut, LP saw two characters signing autographs, and didn't know who they were. I recognized them from old Disney cartoons. Fortunately, in the hotel there was a 'classic' disney cartoon channel, and the girls were able to see them in a cartoon later that evening. Horace and Clarabelle. I think Clarabelle was actually Goofy's girlfriend at one time.


We went back to the hotel and LP and I did some packing, the girls went down to the pool to swim (we'd heard that all week--can we swim? can we swim? I didn't realize the need to swim was so embedded in a child's brain) and Mo took a bath. We got to AK around 4:30 and got our bracelets for the extra magic hours. We rode Expedition Everest again (still awesome) and went to eat dinner at a place called Yak and Yeti LP was convinced we could eat there but I thought we needed reservations. That wasn't the case though and it was the best food we had. We all LOVE Chinese food, and this was delicious.

The whole time we were there it looked like it was about to pour, the sky was black. LP's knees were not working at all. It never rained though! The only time it ever rained was the Saturday we had soccer games, and we were already sleeping!

Next we did Child Swap and rode Dinosaur. I rode with the girls first, and I mean to tell you this was the scariest ride I've ever been on! And I do not scare easily. Big ol' dinos jumping out from everywhere. I can't imagine a young kid riding this, it would scar them forever. While LP rode with the girls, I walked down a pathway to a gift shop to pick up a water, and talk about Disney detail...while walking through this small path of foliage, it sounded like dinosaurs were sifting their way through the leaves. ANd since it was completely dark, wow, it was really cool. Mo thought it was neat too, saying 'oooooooh' back at the elusive dinos.

There wasn't much more to do, so we headed for It's Tough to Be a Bug, which gave us a chance to get closer to the Tree of Life. It is so amazing. Mo did NOT like this show at all. It was one of those 'it's almost over, it's almost over' kinds of shows. Stink bugs, spiders, mean grasshoppers, can't say I blame her.

We were all tired so we went back to the hotel and crashed. And watched cartoons. Here is the last picture I got, not a good one, but at least Mo enjoyed one ride at Animal Kingdom:



Next up: Last day at Disney and it finally rains! :(