Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Bonus's Music Review - Part One

Every since Bonus could speak, he's been very particular on what music he liked. Fortunately for me, it was never 'kiddie music'. He always despised singing about giants or trains. ThanktheLord.

We went through a Led Zeppelin trip where we had to hear Black Dog on repeat every single time we were in the car. Not to mention his famous comment at the wise old age of 3, "Momma, if it's too woud, you're too ode."

(And as soon as he heard me open that video he came out of the cheap seats yelling, "BLACK DOG! DATS BLACK DOG! TURN IT UUUUPPPP!")

(Also, I just have to say that Robert Plant made low-rise look so much better than the chicks that wear them now.)

(And...did he have to shave that, or what?! Holy hell.)

Then came the Widespread Panic period where it was "NUMBER NINE, MOMMA! PUT ON NUMBER NINE RIGHT NOW!"

I am now in the process of hiding the Cherry Poppin Daddies CD so I don't have to hear Zoot Suit Riot one more time because I WILL loose my damn mind if I have to hear it AGAIN.

(But I put it here in case you can.)

So last week when I received a package from the One2One Network ladies, I was pretty ecstatic. Obviously, we will listen to anything and probably already own the CD have a pretty eclectic taste in music.

Besides being an awesome CD from a new artist, it is actually something Bonus agrees to hearing.

In fact, he let me take out his Leftover Salmon CD to review Diane Birch! (This is a major accomplishment....)

The CD they sent was Diane Birch's new album Bible Belt. I have listened to it while I cooked dinner, cleaned the house and even drove to the airport to pick up a friend. I have to admit, it's got a good beat to it, a nice mix of tempos and her voice is amazing. It is kind of a cross between Norah Jones and an early Linda Ronstadt sprinkled with a little Joss Stone. Overall, a nice mix.

The songs have a calming affect and would probably be best listened to with a glass of cabernet and a good book. Although, I didn't mind the 5 o'clock traffic nearly as much while listening to the CD.

Just for kicks, I let Bonus review the CD with me. He did a play-by-play account for each track.

1. Fire Escape: "Kind of a girl song."

2. Valentino: "I wike it. Now can I listen to Robert Plant and Allison Krause again?"

3. Fools: "I wike number two better."

4. Nothing But A Miracle: "I wanted to hear number two."

5. Rewind: "I still want to hear number two."

6. Rise Up: "If you don't turn on either number two or Robert Plant, I'm outta here."

7. Photograph: "Bonus, what do you think of this one? Bonus? Bonus?!"

I guess if you take the opinion of someone who prefers swing, you might not like it.

But I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

*No, this is not a review blog and I did not receive any compensation for this review. However, if anyone would like to send me money to look over their stuff, like maybe some brownies, coffee or a new vacuum, we'll talk. ;)

Friday, May 29, 2009

Step-and-fetch-it.

Bonus, being the independent 5 year old he is, decided that last weekend, he would ride back to Tennessee with Granddaddy and spend the week there.

I hid my excitement warned him that he would miss us and have to stay all week until Dork Fish finished working so we could come and pick him up.

He hid his excitement insisted that he would miss me, but would be just fine.

He hasn't called once.

He hung up on me because he was, "Watching a English comedy" with my grandmother.

His brother has only asked about him twice and didn't seem too upset about the whole thing.

As I type this, no one is hanging on my shoulder, asking what each word is on the screen and insisting that I STOP TYPING RIGHT NOW AND GET HIM SOME MILK/FIX HIM ANOTHER WAFFLE/CHANGE HIS BROTHER'S DIAPER BECAUSE HE SMELLS LIKE THE DOG'S BUTT.

I guess you could say that it's been a bit peaceful.

But right now, Dora the Explorer is in stereo on both TV's while Deuce runs from room-to-room...

 

I think I'd rather be Bonus's bitch.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

And to think, I gave him two kids.

I had a dream last night that Dork Fish and I were divorced but still LIVING like we were married *ahem*. The problem was that he decided he was going to marry some cute chick and apparently, this meant we could no longer LIVE LIKE WE WERE MARRIED *ahem*.

So I woke up and punched him.

He then woke up to admit that he had a dream that some ugly girl was climbing all over him and I came in as he was trying to get her off him.

What a jerk.

I'm going to be mad at him all day now. If you see him, punch him for me too.

Asshat.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Finally, the BIG! NEWS! -but it's more like a 'Old Yeller' or 'Marley & Me' kind of ending.

To give you the back story, last October, Deuce woke up one morning and couldn't walk. He cried that his knee hurt and wouldn't put any weight on it. I took him to the doctor and they said he had inflammation in his hip which was probably caused by a virus. But not to worry, although rare, this does happen and there isn't any lasting damage.

Two months later, it happened again. This time, I freaked the hell out. We went to the Children's Hospital, did blood work, took x-rays, the works. It all came back fine and after a dose of Motrin, the kid was up running and playing.

Here's the part of the story that you need to know; in the waiting room, my husband and I were watching a mom trying her best to coral three boys while nursing a little girl. She was fighting not only the combined will power of three young boys, but also the only terrycloth-lined piece of privacy she had left.

My mind was torn between pitying her and envying her because while she was having a tough time keeping it all together, she was managing to do it and seemed to be unphased by the whole ordeal.

Dork-fish's mind was also taking it all in, but in a different manner. "So, if we have met our deductible, I really need to go get snipped before the end of the year," he says just as casually as if he was suggesting grabbing a cup of coffee.

Surprising not only him, but myself as well, I blurt out, "I'MNOTSUREI'MDONEYET!"

To this day, I don't know which of us was more shocked. It was as if someone else had said it. However, the look on his face confirmed that it had indeed come out of my mouth. (Like so many other pearls of wisdom that I never see coming.)

"Wha?! Are you serious?!" my loving husband retorts, barely able to blink and with all the disbelief of a toddler learning that mommy just used the last drop of milk for her coffee. (Heh.)

"Um, yeah, I think I just said that..." I barely squeaked out.

For the next few months, we discussed it over and over but never quite 'sealed the deal', if you get my drift. Finally, last month we decided that if we were going to do this, we needed to get on it. After all, one of us isn't getting any younger. *cough - I married an old(er) dude - cough*

We have always been SCARY fertile. Bonus was on of those little 'blessings' that come from your husband deciding he learned all about the female reproductive system in paramedic school and therefore simply had to mark a calendar and we'd be FIIIIINE.

I was pregnant three days later.

Deuce, on the other hand, was a 'we're going to Costa Rica to make a baby on our anniversary' kind of deals; and it worked.

Needless to say, when I came up late and my (never have hurt in my entire life unless I'm pregnant) boobs started aching, I knew.

Here's the other part of my blessed system. I don't have a lot of HcG hormone in my system. The good part of that is that I don't ever get nauseous, but the other side of that coin is that HcG is the hormone that all pregnancy tests use to work. Mine don't work. I was 8 weeks pregnant with Bonus before I got a positive test and even THEN the doctor didn't believe I was that far along until he did an ultrasound.

So this time around, I was late and had three negative pee tests before I finally went to the doctor.

"Okay, you're telling me that you're pregnant EVEN THOUGH all your tests and the one we just did in the office was negative?" the doctor asks accusingly.

"Um, yes. Yes, I am. I'm here because I told you that back in Tennessee, this happened and you told me to come in as soon as I thought I was pregnant. So here I am." I retort, a bit sarcastically. "And now you're making me feel like a dumbass."

"The only way you would be a dumbass is if you...well, never mind. You're not a dumbass." the doctor quips back confirming my assumption that he too was skilled in the fine art of smartassness. It's an acquired skill that must be honed by years of quick-whitted come-backs.

I haz it.

And apparently, so does he.

We did a blood test. (Incidentally, this was the same time I did the, "BIG! NEWS!" post that I have been getting so many "you're a damn tease" emails over.) But you see, until that test came back positive and I could prove him and that bitch, Google, wrong, I was not posting about it.

The test? It was negative.

Yeah, I was shocked too. I still had every single symptom of pregnancy and was now 9 DAYS LATE. (I am never, ever late.)

So we waited.

And I tortured all of you again.

And waited some more.

Finally, out of nowhere, Aunt Flow* stopped by; which not only shocked the hell out of me, but also my husband who had no idea that I knew that he secretly never believed I was pregnant and thus was on my Super Terrific Hate List which is generally only reserved for those who do really horrible things, like eat the last of my Mother's Day cookies with out bothering to think that maybe I had only had one of the damn things in the first place because he put them on the shelf where the boys could reach them kick kittens.

I have since forgiven him for his disbelief, but the cookie incident is going to take some serious groveling (and two more bags, in case your actually  reading this, Dorkfish.)

To FINALLY tie up what is quite possibly the longest post EVAH, I have now decided to not have another child after all.

I know, I know, you read the entire damn thing expecting some miraculous ending and all you got was a glimpse into my mind for the past two weeks.

(Please do not disturb the cob webs while you're there.)

I guess that as it turns out, I know that we are complete. If another one (okay, boy, another boy...who are we kidding here) came along, we'd be fine with that too. But for the mean time, I think I'm going to enjoy what it's like to be the mother of two incredible boys.

Maybe, just maybe, we'll be out of diapers before Deuce starts kindergarten...maybe.

 

*If you are trying to come up with a much more whitty term for 'that special time' please don't go to the Urban Dictionary. Just trust me on that one...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

It's kind of like own a pit bull, but without the ability to tie them in the yard.

I know, you're back for the BIG! NEWS!

Here's the thing...the BIG! NEWS! STORY! isn't just my story to tell, so until I know the ending...well, you'll just have to wait.

But don't feel bad, I'M HAVING TO WAIT TOO!!!!

*****

Bonus has always been the 'big boy' in all our circles. As a toddler, he was the one who would toddle up and knock the hell out of another kid to get the prized toy. It was completely embarrassing and I had no clue how to handle it. After all, he was my first child and my only bully.

As he's aged (to the ripe old age of five), he's gotten much better at it. Like an old wine, he's starting to mellow.

Also like an old wine he will knock you on your ass when you least expect it. So maybe we haven't turned that corner just yet.

Yesterday, we were at the park playing with some friends. It was a gorgeous day, the kids were running off an ice cream high and Jessica and I were chatting with another neighbor.

All at once, Jessica's son, PJ, comes running up to us, holding his head and screaming. Without even looking up, I knew the cause. Bonus comes casually strolling up, swinging a plastic shovel. I swear, if he could whistle, he would have been doing that as well.

PJ: "HE HIT ME IN THE HEAD WITH A SHOVEL!"

I grabbed the shovel from Bonus and threatened him bodily harm if he didn't get in his room this very instant calmly told him to go inside the house.

We still aren't sure exactly what happened. Both parties are claiming the other one is at fault. Fortunately, PJ does not have a concussion but is convinced Bonus is a bully. Bonus, on the other hand, is not speaking without his attorney present.

I am pretty much at my wits-end with this behavior and have no idea what to do or say to remedy it. He is a very sweet child, but just not with other kids; which, you know, is kind of a problem when you're five.

Monday, May 18, 2009

There is a reason that dog was only $40 and a six pack.

I know, I know...I've neglected all you faithful readers.

I suck.

There. Feel better? Yeah...me too.

So, we've got some BIG! NEWS! here at the Davis house.

But the BIG! NEWS! will have to wait because I have some super important stuff to tell you first. (The story doesn't have an ending yet and cliff-hangers aren't really my thing...sorry, you'll have to wait.)

*****

So, the other day I was out front with the two boys. A neighbor that I hadn't met yet walked by with her dog. Molly, our porch hound, started going nuts inside the house. I have noticed that she does this mostly when another dog gets near 'her boys'.

The neighbor, who was a bit startled by the bellowing from inside the house, took a couple of steps back and inquired about my ghetto alarm system. I explained that she is a 10 year old hound dog and pretty much only barks when the wind blows, or someone decides to walk past her field of vision, or when you yell "SQUIRREL!" Although lately, she seems to get much more upset now by other dogs getting too close to her children.

About that same time, I remembered an email that was sent to me recently about dog training. For some reason, diarrhea of the mouth kicked in and I decided to tell this complete stranger that in the email it said that if your dog is protective of your kids, it means that the dog thinks you are doing a bad job of protecting them. As those last few words resonated in my ears, I realized the impact of what I was saying to a. perfect. stranger.

Because I needed parenting advice from my dog...

...maybe we can help each other keep our fat mouths closed.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

But next year, I want money.

*Thank you to all who made wonderful comments, emails and phone calls regarding my previous post. Each message truly moved me.*

I woke up Sunday morning and kicked myself in the pansy ass. I have two beautiful, healthy sons that need me right now more than anything. Especially more than my dead mom...

Deuce was the first one up. Since he's still sleeping in a crib AT THREE YEARS OLD, I snuck in there to get him up. As I laid him down to CHANGE HIS DIAPER BECAUSE HE REFUSES TO POTTY TRAIN, he whispered to me, "Momma, we made a card for you and it's under Beaux's bed! Daddy told us...not...to...tell...you."

His realization of spilling the beans as the words were coming out of his mouth had me in tears.

"It's okay, baby. I won't tell daddy that you told me."

As we snuggled on the couch, Bonus came hippity-hopping into the living room, grabbed Deuce by the arm and drug him back into his room. Within minutes, they emerged with a bag from Starbucks and a gift card. The bag had a slice of blueberry cake in it (which I am still shocked they hadn't eaten). Dorkfish had already told me that if he ever caught me paying that much for a cup of coffee again, he'd break my arms...so the gift card was obviously a difficult purchase for him. Romantic, we are...

Insistent that we were going to have fun dammittohell, I forced us all in the car and we headed to the store that I can't spend less than $100 in, Target. We perused every single isle and chanted "What's the best day in the world?!" "MUDDERS DAY!" We had the other shoppers in tears. It was awesome.

Oh, and the guilt trips...they were aplenty.

Me: "Bonus, please be nice to your brother. You don't want to make mommy cry on the ONLY DAY SHE GETS TO HERSELF, do you?"

Heh.

Afterward, they took me out to lunch for burgers and fries. We all three sat on one side of the booth to end the I-WANNA-SIT-BY-MOMMA-ON-HER-SPECIAL-DAY argument. I have to admit, the sympathy I received from the wait staff was pretty amazing. Especially since my sons left their money at home and I ended up having to pay for lunch.

They will be living in my basement forever...

All-in-all, it was a pretty awesome day. They acted better than they ever have, we played more than we usually do, I bought them toys to play with and diapers to poo in...it was nice.

I might start to like this damn Hallmark Holiday after all...

Maybe.