twfkam

Fishdog refers to me as twfkam in his blog.

Several of you flit over to the flophaus and take a gander every now and then and then come back and ask me what the hell twfkam means.

The Woman Formerly Known As Momma.

See, I have this thing about my husband calling me momma. I hate it. Absolutely, fucking, hate it. With one exception…when he’s talking to me for the kids. “Momma, can you help Rader with his homework while I do something manly like light the grill?” That’s fine. I have no issue with that.

But, when we’re out together, just the two of us, or we’re at home, just the two of us, or the kids are in the room but Fishdog is speaking to me about something that has nothing to do with them, or if he is blogging about me– he is no longer allowed to call me momma.

It’s been a hard adjustment for him, but he finally did manage to stop referring to me as momma in his blog. Sometime this past spring he finally got a clue. It’s only taken me twelve years to get it into his head…but hey, at least he can be taught, right?

have you met woody?

Last night’s walk was sponsored by thunder, lightning, stuffed shorts, and a wooden spoon.

Fishdog took Ian to buy new running shoes. He’s going to start cross-country training this week, after we get his physical. That’ll be a great experience for him, I’m sure.

Rader tried to pull the old “I don’t have any homework” trick. I knew something was up when he took his backpack to his room. He NEVER takes his backpack to his room. Every day, I pick it up from the middle of the kitchen floor and yell, “Not where it belongs!” So, when Rader picked up his backpack voluntarily, took it to his room and put it in his closet, I knew something was up.

I marched back there and looked through it. He had 3 sheets of homework. The boy learned nothing last week.

I called him into the room, asked him about the homework calmly…no yelling at all…honestly, you should be proud. After he answered me, I said, “I’ll be right back.”

Walked into the kitchen, picked up Woody, (a wooden spoon) and went back to Rader’s room. He was waiting, wide-eyed and worried.

“Bend over the bed, please.”

He does without any argument. I’m thinking, this is good. He’s not fighting it. I’m handling this the right way. I am getting through! I am mother of the year!

Apparently, he anticipated that I might be getting Woody (which is funny, because he’s only been spanked by Woody one other time. I’m not a big spanker) Anyway, he had shoved several pairs of shorts into his shorts, hoping I wouldn’t notice the extra padding.

I noticed. I removed said padding and he got 4 licks. One for each page of homework he didn’t do and one for lying.

BTW, he did his homework in about fifteen minutes and it was all correct. Why do they insist on being so stupid sometimes? Not only did he get reaquainted with Woody last night, but now he’s grounded again from electronics except for the radio. Seriously, I heart boys, but sometimes I wonder how they manage to make it to 30 years old.

So, after the beating, I decided to walk for a while. It was nice outside. Not too hot and the wind was blowing. It was thundering in the distance. I decided to stay in the neighborhood because I didn’t want to get too far away and be struck by lightning.

I made 2 laps around our half-mile circle before the lightning had made it to our area. I had planned to walk for 3 laps. Since I didn’t get to do that, I came in and had a whisky instead.

who’s that boy?

Fishdog and I go to the gym at least 4 days a week over lunch. Since Si is staying with us this week, I picked him up and brought him along today.

Fishdog isn’t with us because he is out of town.

I go to the locker room and change. Immediately, one of the regulars comes in after me. “Is that your son?”

Me: “Sorta.” (I explain the situation)

I leave the locker room, get on to the elliptical and one of the trainers stops by. “Is that your son? He’s fine!”

Me: “Not my son. Yeah, he’s pretty cute.”

I do my 2 miles, then hit the weights. While I’m doing shoulders, a group finishes spin class and comes out. They see Si say something to me and one of the ladies asks, “Where’s Mark? Did you trade him in for a younger model?”

Finally. At least someone acknowledges the possibility that I’m not old. LOL

So, of course, I answer, “Yes. Yes I did, but the poor boy just can’t keep up.”

Hurry home, Fishdog.

it’s that time again…

Wow, where did the weekend go? (for some great pics of my youngest son and his watermelon festival experience, go here.

Yesterday, despite the fact that I blog-hopped, I wrote 15 pages and edited 10. Quite an accomplishment for someone who wastes good writing time on the internet.

Last night, Fishdog and I were invited down the street to hang out in the pool/hot tub, drink margaritas, and cook out. We went and had a fabulous time. This would be the same couple where “The Great Hot Tub and Wine Incident of 2006” took place at the beginning of the summer. I know I haven’t shared that story with you because it’s just too stupid and I should’ve known better. Just know that though I did consume a couple of adult beverages, this time I stopped before I entered the hot tub and when I got out of the hot tub, I drank WATER only.

And this morning, I feel fine.

See, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

My real boys start school this week. Ian is officially in Junior High. I am the mother of a 7th grader. God help us all.

And I can’t even think about what 3rd grade is gonna be like with Rader…I’m sure I’ll have plenty of blogable stories…and some that aren’t so blogable, but I’ll post them anyway.


I spoke to Simon via messenger yesterday for close to an hour, and that was fab. He was headed to Cincinatti today with Gary for one more camp next week. And then, if the planets align and the timing is right, he might stay with us some the next week before he heads back to Birmingham. I know his family will be happy to see him. I’m still gonna miss him.

Grant called last night when they arrived in KC. They were getting ready to go check out the town. KC is a great place and I would’ve hooked him up with one of my closest friends while there, but Nick was in Colorado. They head to Lincoln, NE today. I think I told you he’d be there for 3 months. I’ve heard Lincoln is pretty conservative and these guys are not, so I’m anxious to see how they manage. They seemed to deal with the Bible Belt pretty well. It’ll help that they’ll have their own apartment instead of staying with a family for three months.

Anyway, today is the beginning of a new week. I’m going to write this morning, read this afternoon, walk tonight. I miss the lads, but they are both happy and healthy and I couldn’t ask for more. I’m both happy and sad that school starts Tuesday. And I’m more than relieved that I didn’t repeat “The Great Hot Tub and Wine Incident of 2006” last night. Life just doesn’t get any better than this.

and a social life found them again; and it was good.

We moved to Oxford from Little Rock, 6 years ago. We were just entering our 30s and we had a pretty happening social life, even with two kids under 6–mainly because we lived around family and frankly, you couldn’t keep them away from the first grandbabies.

So, every Friday night, my Mom would pick up the boys and I would meet the girls for our weekly Girl’s Night Out. My girls were a group of teachers. (Hi ladies!) It was a nice mix–a couple of singles, the rest married–only a couple of Moms. We were a great group and no topic was off limits. (By the way, teachers KNOW how to party. They have all that pent up frustration with unruly kids and unreasonable parents…it’s a blast to be around. I miss them terribly.)

The guys would meet us out after 9 and we’d couple up and sometimes we’d stay in the group and sometimes we’d go off on our own.

We did this pretty much every week. We didn’t pull all nighters very often, but on occasion, we’d end the night at a local gay bar dancing our feet off.

We moved to Oxford and that just STOPPED. On a dime. Without warning.

I went through withdrawals. I am a social butterfly–always have been. And though I love my time alone on occasion, I thrive in a crowd of friends.

This town has been hard for us to find a fit because we didn’t go to school here and we’re not Rebel fans. (Go Hogs! Woo Pig Sooie!) We’re not real churchy–hey, that’s the benefit of being catholic, right? LOL and we’re not rolling in the dough. We’re at an odd age…not old, but not young enough to really fit in. Not that we care about fitting in, we care about finding a group of friends to hang with that we enjoy. And sometimes age makes a difference.

Recently, we’ve started finding ourselves among the social again. It’s been a breath of fresh air. I truly have missed the crowds and the camaraderie. It lifts me up…makes me feel better–if not a little tired. LOL

So, this week, I have plans Tuesday-Thursday with tentative plans on Friday. This is after my all night party in Memphis this past Saturday. I almost don’t know what to do with myself. LOL

It’s such a nice feeling to finally have a group that I’m comfortable enough with to go out and enjoy myself. It only took me six years of living here to find it. I just hope I’m not too old to truly enjoy it now! LOL

i really don’t understand…

seriously.

I’ve had 1.5 hours of sleep. I’m dog tired. But, at the same time, I’m completely wound up. Still. It’s 8:40 pm, and I’ve not had a lick of sleep.

Of course, Fishdog managed to sleep just fine today. Why can men do that? Just pass out when they decide to?

I bet they lads had no trouble sleeping, either. Hmph.

I laid down for about 30 mins. this afternoon. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

That’s okay. I’ll take a couple of benadryl and force myself into a coma as soon as Fishdog gets home from softball.

Speaking of the lads, I heard from Grant. They drove through some ugly storms but made it to Daphne safe and sound. I’m sure that right now, he’s having a beer and settling in for a good night’s sleep. Here’s hoping the sandman doesn’t waste all his dust on the men tonight.

Proud momma (and wife)

This sexy beast is my husband.
Rader

Ian

Grant (and fishdog in the background)

Simon (in the yellow) and Neal G. and Kent J.

All the coaches from the soccer camp. Left to right: Steve, Karl, Ian, Grant, Simon

fishdog’s flophaus: what a trip

fishdog’s flophaus: what a trip

Or, as I like to call it– A day of firsts.

#1 boy’s 1st real concert, 1st sex talk, 1st time getting patted down, 1st hubcap burger–all in one day.

And there are some pictures, too.

It’s a little long but very enjoyable–as only my husband could make it.

My perfect partner and other stuff

Before I start writing this morning, I need a little inspiration. And since I’ve seen this meme all over Blogdom, I thought, this would be perfect as my inspiration.

I have a perfect partner. In REAL life. Not everything I do is made up or imaginary, thankyouverymuch.

Aren’t we the cutest couple ever? You can read a little bit about him over at Fishdog’s Flophaus. Or you can just take my word for it, he’s perfect for me.
Now onto other stuff:

My friend Marley Gibson (who is also a TKA client) signed a four book deal with Puffin! You can read all about it here. (Marley is also the creator of Vanessa Virtue. If you haven’t checked out that blog, I suggest you do so!)

What else is going on? I did a little blog hopping yesterday and for the longest time, I was forbidden to see Jill Monroe’s blog. How does that happen? Why was I getting the FORBIDDEN 403 message? Was Jill Monroe doing something super secret that Mel Francis wasn’t allowed to see? Was it a Secret Society of Bloggers that I wasn’t invited to join? Of course, being forbidden made me even more determined to see what Jill Monroe was up to. My perserverance paid off and I finally remembered the secret handshake. Apparently, Jill was blogging about the NCAA Tournament and how Oklahoma let her down. Yeah, they let me down too. And so did my little Piggies. But that’s okay, because I’m still in the top 5 of the office pool. I still have a shot.

Hmmm. What else? Kristen Painter refused to blog the other day. I even tempted her with WARM triple chocolate cake that I made for my son’s birthday…but she didn’t bite. She did, however, tell me I’m evil. Acutally, she said I was “poorly behaved”. She has NOOOO idea how true that is.

Gena Showalter
did her good news Friday yesterday. And a couple of days ago she posted a picture asking folks if she was on drugs because she liked it. I went with the drugs, but apparently I’m in the minority.

I tried to see what Jaci Burton was up to, but all I got was a blank page. Of course, now I’m wondering if she’s in on the Secret Society. What is her secret handshake? I wonder if I can bribe her with chocolate. Who am I kidding, of course I can.

Lucy got to see Matthew McC. yesterday. She’s so lucky. Maria hasn’t blogged in so long I’m worried her fingers have fallen off. It’s a good thing we talk on the phone almost everyday. I’ve heard a rumor that she’s going to blog about “Sexy-Ugly”. And do you know who she thinks is “sexy-ugly”? Heath Ledger. Is she crazy? Is there anything ugly about this man?

Well, anyway. Maria will just have to post something and prove to me I’m wrong. (which I’m not). Good luck, sista-girl.

Savannah Jordan
did the wrasslin’ thing last night. I don’t get wrasslin’ myself, but lots of folks do. Maybe if the big hunky guys weren’t wearing panties and tights it would help.

and

Bonnie
posted a great Irish Blessing in honor of St. Patty’s Day.

Okay, I’m done with Stuff. I visited other blogs yesterday but I am now out of my allotted blogging time. I’m off to finish my synopsis and post it to my crit group for appropriate slaughtering.

Check y’all later!