It's almost midnight and I don't hear any noise coming from Marna's room. Of course, I am downstairs and she and Kaitlyn are upstairs, but it does sound quiet. Could they be asleep??

Marna is so thrilled Kaitlyn is staying overnight. It was Marna's wish for a 'birthday party". They have done some summer clothes modeling for us and have done a dance to an N'Sync song. The low point of the evening was being forced to sit there and watch a Mary Kate and Ashley video....GAG!

Oooops! Spoke too soon....I just heard Marna's belly laugh! LOL

I am apologizing for the diarrhea blog....LOL Who the hell wants to read about diarrhea???? But I have been so concerned about Brody that I have thought of little else for the last couple of days.

I didn't blog yesterday either.....this will have to be yesterdays entry! LOL

Brody was up overnight (Wed.) throwing up and had about 5 episodes of diarrhea. I got super concerned and decided this morning to take him to OUR doctor even though he had just seen another in the practice the day before. They had to squeeze us in, as it is bedlam there because one of the other doctor's in the practice is in the hospital....suffering the same bug that Brody has. The doctor has been in practice for 32 years and has never missed a day for sickness until this bug hit. The doctor had blood in his stool.....sorry I know that's TMI.....but just illustrating what we are dealing with. Thankfully Brody hasn't had that problem.

I told our doctor everything, including that I would feel better if he saw Brody. He has been Brody's doctor from the moment he was born. He doesn't have the greatest bedside manner, but he is great at diagnosis and treatment and that's why we go to the doctor. When I showed him the anti-diarrheal he said he doesn't prescribe those. He says he finds if one is treated with an anti-diarrheal it tends to keep the virus running longer because it slows down the bowels. Made perfect sense to me....so no more pills. He also said that he is a personal expert on gastro-intestinal bugs. LOL He went to medical school in Mexico.....he said he has had more than his share of awful diarrhea bugs from living and traveling through Mexico. He also said the World Health Organization, which deals mostly with diarrhea in 3rd world countries, also recommends to use no anti-diarrheal. I was convinced. So I am hoping this will finally get this nasty bug out of Brody and he can resume his normal life!!!

I spent the rest of the day trying to get the house cleaned for Marna's birthday and for Easter. I didn't succeed.....still have a lot to do tomorrow. (Friday.....remember this is Thursday's blog! LOL). I went to the Maundy Thursday Communion service alone at 7:30. After being with kids all week, it was particularly nice to sit alone in the pew and enjoy the service.
Much bigger turnout than I expected, I was surprised.

This was to be Wednesday's blog, but Blogger wouldn't cooperate.
Another boring day in the life of a boring homemaker. Brody had a relapse and I took him to the doctor. The doctor says everything feels, looks, and sounds normal....keep the meds up as needed and if it hasn't cleared up by Monday, we will have to delve deeper. I have every confidence it will be but a memory by Monday and that will be that.

Brody was home from school again today and Marna had only a half-day. I love having my kids home from school, but boy does it make me lazy!! I was gladly suckered into several board games, a few rounds of back tickling, had two books read to me, and was even persuaded to go to 7-11 for Slurpees. We discovered that 7-11 has a new cup with three different sections for 3 different flavors of Slurpee.....this is the second time this week they have had Slurpees.....we now have a Slurpee moratorium in place. You CAN have too much of a good thing! The cleaning didn't get done, but we had fun and tomorrow is another day........

Marna had to get two more teeth extracted today. Her eye teeth.....man, no wonder they call them canines....you should see the size of these babies!! Big, long honking teeth. The dentist said she is tough....didn't even flinch with the novacaine needles. Perhaps that's because she has become an old pro at this!! Her mouth looks really strange now.....she has one upper tooth where there should be 6 teeth! I know it's temporary, but still very funky looking.

Brody is bummed. He has been growing his hair out for a while....in fact it's totally in his eyes. He wanted to grow it to part it in the middle. He wore it to school today, parted in the middle, and told me kids said he looked like a girl! He now wants a hair cut. Middle school kids are ruthless!

Brody is feeling much better today. Not 100%, but much better. Thanks for all the well wishes on the boards.

He is feeling so good he is 'feuding' with Dee Dee and Julie on the boards about basketball!!

I posted this on the two sites I frequent, but figured I would blog about it just in case someone missed my posts.

I don't normally ask for this type of thing....but I would appreciate some good thoughts being sent Brody's way.

He has had diarrhea all day.....over 20 times! And has vomited around 5 times.

I gave him 2 Immodium tablets around 2 and an additional one around 5. Around 7, when that wasn't cutting it and he was still going, I called the doctor.

Of course we didn't get our doctor, but another in the practice that we have seen before. He said a gastro-intestinal thing is going around and he called up a stronger anti-diarrheal to the pharmacy.

I gave him the two and he promptly threw up. I didn't see it, but feel sure they came up and gave him two more. I hope I did the right thing...we have to get this to stop!!!

He doesn't seem to feel bad other than the stomach....but right before he went to bed he was fading, I imagine he is feeling very weak.

So, I would greatly appreciate some good thoughts and tummy healing vibes sent his way! THANKS!

Proud mommy moments this morning. Brody's Sunday School group painted flower pots and potted hyacinths in them. They were each given the names and addresses of two elderly shut-ins from our church. Brody delivered them and the ladies were just thrilled with him and the flower!! Afterwards, he said, "Man, that felt good to do that!"

On the first Sunday of Lent, the kids in our church are given cardboard collection boxes for "One Great Hour of Sharing", to collect for the needy. Marna asked Mike for her allowance this morning before church and said she would like it in change, if we had it. When I asked why, she said she wanted to put all of her allowance in her collection box.

All church stories today.....well, it is Sunday! LOL I am on the board of Deacons at our church and every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter we collect food and give it to needy families in the area. Mike and I volunteered to deliver collected food and an Easter ham to a family this morning. I knew it was going to be bad, but I had no idea......I was in shock at this run-down home. I felt good to be helping them with food, but I wish it were more.

It made me keenly aware of all I take for granted. Luckily, I have always lived a very comfortable life and have no first-hand knowledge of what true poverty is. This home was a reality smack in the face for me!! I vowed the moment we walked in the door, to make a conscious effort to NEVER take for granted what we have.....to be thankful for not being dealt a different hand of fate. I will be praying that life will suddenly be kinder to this particular family and that their wallets will soon be as full as their hearts.

Brody finally got to go a Sixers game last night. Mike took Brody and his friend, Kevin. And much to Brody's dismay, his hero.....Allen Iverson.....was injured and didn't play. He was disappointed, to say the least, but he did get to see him sitting on the bench and he was glad he could get to see him IRL. He came home with a Viewmaster... Sixers edition, that they gave to the first 500 people in line, a poster, a towel they give everyone to wave around, and a book. He has two towels (Mike's is the other one) and since he made a pillow in home ec. a couple of weeks ago, he wants to make a pillow out of the two Sixers' logo towels. My son is more domesticated than I!! Trouble with him making a pillow is we don't have a sewing machine!

Kevin stayed overnight since they didn't get home till around 11. Kevin is such a nice kid!! Brody has good taste in best friends. I would take 20 Kevins staying overnight to one of Marna's friends. When Marna and her friends get together they rifle through her entire room and the basement, scream the entire time and play N'Sync to top volume. Must be a girl thing.

While the boys were in Philly, Marna and I attended the local high school production of "Hello Dolly'. Her Brownie troop was having a family night out at the show, since some of the girls' had brothers and sisters in the production. We always go to the HS productions....they are very impressive for such young kids.....but "Hello Dolly" was not one of their best. Marna and I had a good time....she especially enjoyed going to Burger King first....no one else likes Burger King (me included), but I knew it would mean a lot to her for just the two of us to go.

An uneventful Saturday is in store for us today. No family excursions. Marna is attending a birthday party and I am going shopping for her birthday presents. Her birthday is next Friday!! Difficult to believe she will be 9 years old already!

Anyone who knows me from the boards, knows I am a sap. I cry at the drop of pin.....I have been known to go on a crying jag just watching a cat food commercial. It must come from my maternal grandmother. My mother told me that during the Depression, there was no heat in movie theaters. Patrons had to wear their coats to stay warm. My grandmother had a coat with a huge fur collar and would come out of the theater with the fur all wet on both sides from her wiping her tears!

I received an email from my brother and it would seem he inherited the same sap gene!!

A bit of background, so the email makes sense. He was perusing eBay for old Dick and Jane type reading books. He needs illustrations from that era as inspiration for some new job of his. He is a free-lance artist. In the email he mentions "Would You Rather be a Colonel with an Eagle on Your Shoulder or a Private with a Chicken on Your Knee." That is an old record we have that is played on a Victrola (belonged to my sappy grandmother mentioned above). This record is SOOOO scratchy that the song is almost inaudible......but it's from WWI so I guess we can't complain. I hope I haven't confused anyone too much....here is Jared's email:

Speaking of e-bay . . .
One of my fondest things that remind me
of dad is that old Jackie Gleason 4 song
instrumental record of his.
I love that music. Trouble is it is in the worst
condition of any record I've ever heard.
"Would you rather be a Colonel with an Eagle
on your Shoulder or a Private with a Chicken
on your Knee" sounds like a remastered new
release compared to this gray disc of gouges
that I put on my ancient turntable.
So I says to myself, E-Bay?
Lo & behold, I found a copy in better condition.
$5. Cool. Then for the hell of it, I says to myself,
Maybe can I find one in better condition?
Wow, I found a freakin' CD! Amazing.
I cried like a baby.

Now that I have typed this out and copied and pasted, I don't know why I felt as though I had to blog about this! I guess it just surprises me that Jared still misses our dad as much as I do......even after 28 years.

Can't think tonight.....my allergies are suddenly kicking butt. Brody and I just got back from the grocery store and he counted me sneezing 27 times on the way home.....a 10 minute ride!

Brody's thing for the past couple of months is to go to the grocery store with me. He is such a good helper. He arranges the items in the cart....just so, to maximize space. He helps put stuff on the belt, helps to bag and helps to put the bags in the car. So, the least I can do for him every week is buy him his big honking Mr. Goodbar! LOL

And so it starts again......just when I thought it was a dead issue. I am tired of feeling the pull between sites and don't feel comfortable at either site at this point. It is incredible to me that this continues.

I don't like the innuendo being thrown about on either side....... saying half a dozen people forwarded this post to me throws a cloud of suspicion over innocent people.....only because they have friends on both sites.

Likewise, hinting that one person is not responsible for this....that others were involved, implicates people who may very well be innocent. Could not just one person have acted on their own? Why is it assumed that someone else must be involved?? Because one has a certain friend does not make them guilty of anything.

It saddens me that I no longer feel comfortable on sites that have posters I have known for over 4 years. I am guilty of nothing in this mess other than having friends who don't get along. But because of that fact I no longer feel as though I belong on either site. I refuse to choose between friends and it feels to me that if I don't choose, I will never be trusted at either site.

Big doings in the life of a boring homemaker. Marna made 'punch' ......juice from a juice box and ginger ale, in a freaking bowl and put in the fridge. Not knowing it was there in the back, I bumped it and of course it spilled all over. Now I have to clean out the fridge. I hate cleaning out the fridge.

My life is so boring, thus the name of this blog. I have no stories to relate, no insightful philosophies to write. I am not complaining mind you.....for me, boring is good. It means we are lucky enough to have no major upheaval happening in ours lives and that IS a good thing.

Grrrrr, I tried to edit my blog.....instead it came up TWICE.....hopefully putting this in will remove the duplicate. Will I ever get the hang of this?????

I don't know WTH is up with this font stuff.....every time I try it and hit post and publish it comes up differently. So be it....I ain't gonna' worry about it.

I see many people commenting on other's blogs....that is so nice!!! But I am not sure this peri-menopausal brain can remember all of the comments I would like to make about everyone's blogs. I am not into taking notes as this is a pleasure activity and taking notes would involve WORK! LOL Please know that I am reading and loving all blogs even though I don't comment about them here..

We just got home from church and I am ticked off. Every week all during the service, Brody and Marna are constantly bugging me about not wanting to go to Sunday School. We go downstairs after the service and as I hand Brody his envelope, he smacks it out of my hand and sends it flying. That was the last straw for me. I said, "Fine, you don't have to go to Sunday School because we are going home. You are both going to spend Sunday School time in your room with no music, no phone calls. I hope you have some good books to read!" So they are both up in their rooms.....I will probably parole them after lunch.

45 lousy minutes from their week to attend Sunday School, 45 minutes in which I would hope they would learn something and it has become such a hassle. I have a feeling I won't be hearing their complaints next week! LOL

Marna had a terrific time at Night Flight, as expected. The kids bounced out of the van when I went to pick her up, and the adults barely crawled out!! I was told by the leader that there was no sleeping until 2:30 AM!!

Marna was talking so fast when she was telling me all they had done. She was most excited to see a bald eagle and a joey in mama kangaroo's pouch. They toured the zoo in the dark and again this morning. She was most disappointed that all the primates were asleep both times!

They attended two programs....one with animals from the children's zoo that they were all able to pet. I am told the rabbit was softer than our kittens. They had a snack around 10 o'clock and breakfast was 'icky Cheerios, not like ours". Last stop of the day was the souvenir shop.....Marna brought home another stuffed animal, a Diana monkey. I thought I was fairly well informed about monkeys, but I have never heard of a Diana monkey......I will have to look that one up.

After lunch we decided to go shopping. It was to be a family trip, but Marna told me she wanted it to be a girls' only trip, so we left the boys at home. We live in the middle of New Jersey farm country and we have to drive 45 minutes to get to anywhere. I thought for sure Marna would fall asleep on the ride there or back....she did neither!! She talked my ear off instead and informed me on the way home that she was glad she had a mother who liked to talk and listen. She said she is glad I am not a mother who tells her kids to shut up like some mothers she has seen in stores.

Luckily, we found a pair of sneakers we both agreed upon in the first store we hit. We went to a few other stores and came home.

Marna is now in bed, snoring away.....she has to make up for the loss of sleep last night and the loss of the hour we will lose tonight with Daylights Savings Time. I hope we can wake her up for church tomorrow morning!!

I am a happy mommy right now. Marna is SO excited and that makes me happy. She and her Brownie troop (14 other girls) are going to a special program at the Philadelphia Zoo tonight. They leave at 6:00 PM. It is called Night Flight. They will be attending seminars, seeing shows, touring the Zoo in the dark and of course they will be visiting the required souvenir shops! At midnight they will retire to the Treehouse in the Children's Zoo section. There they will be bedding down with other groups....150 kids in all....and attempt sleep....(yeah, right!!). Marna is just on cloud nine and I know she will have such a great time!! She will be one tired little Brownie when we pick her up at her leader's house tomorrow morning at 11!!!!

Cool, it worked.

Testing font change.