Tag Archives: the kids

a mish mash of mel

Posted on by
Reply

Trivia Night at Touchdown Sally’s:

Team BITE ME! was again victorious! Together, this motley crew could rule the world of useless knowledge.

The kids:

Ian was wounded in battle yesterday during PE. His ankle was as big as his head for a little while…but according to fishdog, he seemed better this morning. He’s hobbling still but he’ll survive.

Rader has a chess tournament this weekend. I love my kid and would do anything for him, but spending all day watching these kids play chess is about as much fun as watching paint dry.

Books:

Pepper Jack is available at Amazon in hardcover, paperback and Kindle and it was written by friend of mine and fellow Arkansan, Jon Pendergrass. I’m downloading it to Rader’s Kindle today…shhhhh don’t tell him the reason he got a Kindle was so that I could use it!!

Jackson Pritchard is a wanted man. Wanted by his clients, by an ex-lover, by a new love interest…and now by the police for questioning. His clients have begun to turn up dead.
Jessica Young wants to live her own life for a change. Now that her second life is ready to begin, her path crosses Jackson’s. Follow them across the country and further as their adventures culminate in an explosive and surprise ending. Pepper Jack is a thriller much in the style of James Patterson. Set predominantly in Memphis, it is filled with rich Southern character and characters.

Weird stuff:
I’ve had 2 nose bleeds in 2 days. I hope this isn’t a direct result of the shelf incident. Phil the Lump is now Phil the Light Bruise. I’m thinking the nose bleeding thing is just my sinuses. Still, it sucks.

The skeeviest thing on earth happened to me yesterday. I’m not going to talk about details but I will say that an offer was made that I couldn’t decline quickly enough. And then I wanted to take a shower–in bleach.

Miscellaneous (did I spell that correctly? I always mess that up…)

I’m thinking of making my own laundry detergent. Anyone out there ever done it before? What did you think? At $.02 a load, I’m thinking it’s worth a try….

• 4 cups of water.
• 1/3 bar of cheap soap, grated.
• 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda).
• 1/2 cup of Borax (20 Mule Team).
• 5-gallon bucket for mixing.
• 3 gallons of water.

First, mix the grated soap in a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and heat on low until the soap is completely dissolved. Add hot water/soap mixture to 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon bucket, stir in the washing soda and Borax, and continue stirring until thickened. Let the mix sit for 24 hours, and voila! Homemade laundry detergent.

it’s all a blur

Posted on by
Reply
Before I tell you about my weekend, let me do this:

Dear Cold Front,

Go away. Now.

Not-so-much-love,
Melf

Where do I start? How about with Friday…

Friday morning I spoke to a group of students in a Workplace Readiness class at Benton High School. They were a great (but very quiet…save 1 student named Pierce who was my total favorite because he asked questions like “Do you like potato salad?”) My friend Brenda is the teacher and when I left I was pretty certain I had bored them all to tears. Brenda assured me later that day that the students loved me and voted me best speaker of the year. I guess rambling on about how I don’t like potato salad because potatoes weren’t meant to be served cold worked!

Friday night we had Relay for Life in Bryant. HUGE success and loads of fun. Pictures…let me show you them:

(these are from my phone. I haven’t downloaded my camera pics yet.)

We went with an 80s theme…and boy was it weird seeing myself and my son rocking out the bad fashion:

Meet RUN DM JFerg:

and Ian DMC:

Then there was a DUDE Looks like a Lady contest where our very own Madea Ralph Nelson took top prize:

and Kristal’s boy Hunter is now known as Huntress:

SATURDAY:
5 hours of sleep.

Soccer.

also found my 29th 4-leaf clover

SUNDAY:

Okay, so let me tell you a little story…it goes something like this:

Sunday morning I wake up, have my coffee on my back porch and just relax as I think about all the things I’m going to accomplish for the day. I call JChris and we chit-chat for a while…okay, about an hour. And then something she says triggers something in my head and I yelled: “Oh Shit, Jenn! What day is it? Is today Sunday?”

Jenn: Yeah. It’s Sunday.
Mel: Shit! I have to be in Hot Springs to speak in 2 hours! I gotta go!

Yes, after the busy weekend and the lack of sleep, I completely forgot about my scheduled speaking engagement and booksigning at the AAIM conference!!!

Luckily, I’m quick with a shower and make up brush. I arrived 45 minutes early and had a great time. (BTW, if you’re a writer, make friends with your librarian. They will get your book out there.)

My signing was successful and I made several contacts for school visits. (which I love!)

On the agenda this week? Sleep. Lots and lots of sleep.

How was your weekend?

in which she asks for your help…

Posted on by
Reply

Before I ask for help, lemme tell you a story:

So last night was trivia night at Touchdown Sally’s and I had to leave early because my kid had a raging headache thanks to his allergies. (and the music was awfully loud. I’m not an old fogey but there was a table in the back room that wouldn’t come up front with the rest of us to play so Brent had to have the volume turned up to Death Star so they could hear.) So we left after the first half because Ian was in pain.

And we came in 4th place. Coincidence? I think not.

Now for some serious bidness:

Friday I’m walking to fight cancer in the Relay for Life in Bryant. This is a very important event for many reasons, but the main one being, my friend ALL-CAPS KRISTAL. Here’s her story:

My Reason to Relay

My Reason to join Relay for Life is my daughter, and your daughter or son. I had never given much thought to CANCER. My daughter had been a healthy beautiful little girl, she was never even sick. I worried about the normal things, are they eating right, are they progressing, is it time for shots, don’t talk to strangers. I never worried about Cancer; my family did not have a history of it. I thought she had a stomach ache, and it turned out to be a tumor. That is the day my life changed. Your first reaction is WE WILL FIGHT this. We fought hard we went for two years every treatment to fight this we did. The problem is we ran out of treatments. It takes research to find new cures for Cancer, and Resarch takes money. My daughter’s Cancer was Neuroblastoma Stage 4 she was given a 20% survival chance. I want to help raise awareness and money for research, My wish is that another parent never has to be sitting where I was that fateful day, and if they are there I want the Doctors to be able to say, THEY HAVE A CHANCE. And RESEARCH is the WAY.

Kristal lost Katie to this horrible disease. NOBODY should have to experience what my dear friend did. I wasn’t around when Katie was sick, but I’m doing everything I can now to support my friend and help raise money to find a cure. So please… donate if you can. Even $5 will help.

Our team theme is 80s and we’ll be dressed accordingly and walking all night long. I’ll take loads of pics and report back on Monday.

Please help if you can. It could make the difference in another child’s life.

PS: I found 3 more 4-leaf clovers yesterday…the total is now at 14.

worth the wait

Posted on by
Reply

The snow finally came Friday. But not until it was dark. We had at least 4 hours of nonstop sleet prior to the fluffy stuff, so when the snow finally did start falling, it had at least an inch of solid ice to stick to.


We had to get creative with our sledding because we don’t get much snow here, so we don’t have sleds.

so we used boxes

I was a snow bunny for a day

and my oldest was too cool for pics…as usual. He tried to hide, but I caught him a time or two.


so we’ve had our winter storm and now I’m ready for spring.

Oh and can you believe it’s February 1st? Where the heck did January go!!!!

a picture’s worth 1000 words…

Posted on by
Reply

Yes, it’s a bit blurry, but this sums up my boys like no other picture can. Can you believe they are separated by 4 years? Me either.

The favorite gift I gave (My mom will kill me for this. If you don’t hear from me for a couple of days, call the police and have them search her property near the pond. Or in the pond…)I had this blown up to an 8×10, framed it and gave it to my daddy. Best. Present. Ever. (Please forgive me, Momma.)

Even Ruby got a gift:I don’t think she liked her Snuggie very much. Hmmmm. She sure was cute in it for 10 whole minutes though!

Mel-ancholy

Posted on by
Reply

I’m ready for 2010. This has been a tough year for me, the holidays were even tougher, and it’s time for me to bring in a new year with a new attitude. I don’t know how I’m going to do that yet, but give me time and I’ll figure it out.

I do know one thing for sure: Next year, I’m going tropical for Christmas.

How was your holiday? Was Santa good to you?

Santa was very good to my kiddos and they’re happily staying up late, sleeping late and enjoying their time off of school.

(Even though my #2 child has 3 projects he has to have finished by Monday…and he better get with it)

I’m looking forward to Saturday…I’m going to the Liberty Bowl to see the Razorbacks play! YAY! Memphis, you better watch out!!

what makes a great weekend…

Posted on by
Reply

Me and the #1 child (in birth order not preference) hanging all weekend, watching movies, football, and then going to see a friend play an acoustic show at a local dive where we also ate the best burger known to man. It’s true. Best. Burger. Ever.

Movies we watched:
The Day the Earth Stood Still: I’m a Keanu fan but I didn’t really think I would like this movie. I was pleasantly surprised.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: It is so good to know that my 15 year old son truly appreciates the Griswalds as much as his momma does. We laughed so hard and spent the day quoting the movie.

Sixteen Candles: We love us some Farmer Ted. And Long Duck Dong. AUTOMOBIIIIIILE?

Obsessed: I love me some crazy bitches.

The Ugly Truth: There was a lot of funny to this movie and we laughed out loud quite often…BUT…can I just say the ending scene was the biggest, most ridiculous joke on the face of this earth? Seriously. Not even necessary. It irritated me so much that it almost ruined the rest of the movie for me. Good thing I have a very active imagination and had no problem rewriting the ending in my head…which was much more satisfying. And funny.

#1 child (in birth order not preference) and I also decorated. He put the tree together and helped me string lights outside. He also cleaned his bathroom for me like a good boy. And he did his homework. Maybe this week he can be my #1 child in preference, too.

I also baked some peppermint mocha brownies, hoping they would light up some holiday spirit in my cold, black heart. They were so tasty and smelled so good, I did feel a momentary flicker…

Oh, and the Florida Gators lost. Which means Karma has a sense of humor.

Did you have fun this weekend? Do tell…

conversations with an 11 year old in love

Posted on by
Reply

Me: How’s your girlfriend.

Himself: Sexy as ever.

Me: You did NOT just say that.

Himself: No matter what she wears, she makes it work.

Me: *speechless*

Y’all have a safe and happy Halloween! And if you’re in Arkansas, feel free to jump in your boat and paddle on over to my place. I live on a hill so I’m pretty dry.

Rick-rolled in real life

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve ruined my child. I know this isn’t a surprise to most of you out there, but I still feel the need to say the words out loud.

It’s official. I really have ruined him.

We know he’s special for an 11 year old. I mean, what other pre-teen’s favorite word is facetious? Who else is planning his high school selection based on whether or not he’ll want to cut his hair? My child…that’s who. (Did I tell y’all that story? He announced the other day that he will not be cutting his hair for 3 years until he goes to Catholic High (where they require short hair). I explained that if he grows his hair for 3 years that he might not want to go from super long to super short. He told me that’s why he had a back up plan: “See, I know I’m going to get into Catholic b/c I’m smart and I’m a legacy, so I’ve decided that if I really like my awesome hair, I’ll go to Central instead.”) Oy.

Two days ago, this very unique-minded child announced he had a new favorite song.

NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP by Rick Astley

No. I’m not kidding. He’s been Rick-rolling himself ever since by watching the video over and over and singing it at the top of his lungs. Please use the headphones, Mr. Francis. I promise, if I have to hear that song one more time, I absolutely will give you up.

I have ruined my child and now I’m having to live with the end result. Karma really is a bitch sometimes.

Or as my momma always said: You pay for your raisin’… (Which I always heard as You pay for your raisin…and I always thought “Well duh, cuz otherwise you’d be stealing. And who would steal a raisin?”