Thou Shalt Consume Ovaltine is in the Appendix of the Ten Commandments

Last week when Carson was sick, the only thing I could get him to drink was milk with chocolate malt Ovaltine. It's yummy deliciousness kept my boy nourished with it's vitamins! and minerals!

Now that he is well, he spends hours each day demanding "more Ovaltine, please" which sadly is spoken at ear piercing volumes and without the "please" part. To do list for tomorrow: Begin weaning process from Ovaltine.

With all this Ovaltine consumption happening in our home, Tate and I got to talking about drinking it as a kid. Actually, I drank it as a kid, but Tate swears that he did not ever have Ovaltine until just last week when I bought it for Carson. Let me repeat, he did not ever have Ovaltine until JUST LAST WEEK. Just. Last. Week.

I informed Tate that this was just not possible. Not having Ovaltine as a child is downright blasphemous and dare I say it, un-American. I did have the utmost respect for my Mother-in-law prior to learning this information, but now I am starting to wonder just what kind of a Mother deprives their child of the rich chocolately goodness that is Ovaltine. Yes it has lots of sugar, I know, but it also has vitamins! and minerals! And it's delicious.

Help Tate and I settle our dispute. EVERYONE has had Ovaltine, am I right? Please tell me that you've had it and that you've given it to your children. Also, send any Ovaltine weaning tips my way.

You Can't Say I Don't Know How to Party

I bet you're dying to know the fun that ensued here at the house of Playgroupie this past holiday weekend. Sure, it's usually a weekend of honoring veterans, fun and sun, and bar-b-ques. We decided to be unique and have our own fun.

No, we are not mature. We looked up "dirty" words at thefreedictionary.com. What fun it is to hear the computer pronounce words like ass, slut, butt, whore, and poop. Fifth graders around the nation would have loved this!

Yes, we're giant nerds. We also spent lots of time at Terra Server, looking up every single address where we've ever lived. Hours and hours of fun. Dungeon masters around the nation would have loved this!

We have deep thoughts. While eating at Sonic, we noticed their slogan...America's favorite drive-in. This led us to wonder, are their any Sonic's in Canada, the U.K., or Australia? Internets...help us with this very important question!

When there's nothing on TV, leave it to the Style Network to have and Extreme Makeover marathon! Neon white teeth, new boobs, laser zit removal and amazing transformations! Woo hoo!

While listening to our CD's on "random", we came to the realization that our music is completely inappropriate for a home with small children. "God Damn" by Alice in Chains or anything by Rage Against the Machine is not the best choice of music for a mimic-happy 19 month old. But, listening to the Sesame Street CD is completely inappropriate for weary parents of a 19 month old tantrum happy boy and a COLICKY baby.

That's right, you didn't misread. Colic. Mother f*cker. More on that tomorrow...I'm currently trying to decrease the number of "f" words in the post to make it somewhat more reader friendly.

And last, but not least...Have any of you seen the show, Scarred on MTV? If not, don't start. If you have, what on Earth are those people thinking? It was such a sick show, I wanted to look away, I really did...but I COULDN'T. I still have the heebie jeebies.

Hope you all had a more exciting weekend than us.

Swallowing a Huge Bite of Humble Pie

Remember this post where I worried about how I would let go of my need for things being done my way?

Yeah, I guess you could say that being knocked on your ass has a way of making you appreciate every bit of help people offer.

My in-laws drove all night to be here to care for Peanut so that I wouldn't have to worry about him being cared for. They are staying until after the baby is born. They could be here for over 3 weeks. I couldn't have made it these past few days without them.

My kitchen linen drawer is not organized, nor are any of my cabinets. The dishwasher is being loaded "incorrectly". Peanut is a little off of his schedule.

Guess what? I don't care. It doesn't matter to me.

My MIL, who is just spectacular, has cooked, cleaned, tended to my family, and changed some king-size crap diapers. And she hasn't complained or criticized one time.

I am so lucky to have this great support at a time that I so very much need it. This experience has made me swallow these petty control issues. Suddenly nested tupperware bowls seem insignificant.

Peanut is being well cared for. That is all that really matters.

I'm off now to eat a slice of my freshly baked humble pie.

Wedding gifts

My cousin Ann is getting married in a few weeks. I've been perusing her numerous gift registries and have found the same gifts on each one. When asked why she has so many repeats, she replied that she did this so that her guests would have ample places to shop and she didn't want random gifts. Oh Ann, darling, there's really nothing you can do to stop the horror of random gifts. It reminds me of a wedding just five years ago....

My coworkers hosted a shower for myself and a second grade teacher, Miss R,that was also to be married that summer. Seeing as I'm "just" the speech teacher, I wasn't on the same friendship level as Miss R was with the other teachers. It was obvious that the gifts that were purchased for me were because they felt obligated. It was totally embarrassing to open my gifts next to Miss R's gifts. Here's a sample a the "gifts" I received.

1. XL negligee. I was heavier then, but by no stretch of the imagination have I ever been XL. Mystery was solved when I returned the XL negligee. I was given $1 in exchange.

2. Set of dishes. Fine enough gift, except that I'd registered for 2 OTHER sets of dishes. Four coworkers went in together to get this for me. Gee, when returned, I got $10 in exchange ($2.50/person), how thoughtful!

3. Dollywood teacup, complete with candle. Hmmm, at the time of the shower (April), Dollywood had been closed all winter and didn't open until May.

Before I get booed and hissed at for seeming snobby, let me say that I do realize it's the thought that counts. With that said, obviously they didn't think very much of me. How embarrassing!

On a sidenote, my most favorite wedding gift I received was not on my registry. It was a set of three Sorrento bowls that I absolutely LOVE. So Ann, not all random gifts turn out badly! Of course, it'll be hard to get gifts worse than mine!