Reality shows amuse me. I don’t like Survivor or the Amazing Race or Dancing with the Stars. No, those shows supposedly take some type of talent or skill. I like shows with names like America’s Next Top Model or Beauty and the Geek or True Beauty.

I watch True Beauty tonight and let me tell you, I’ve never seen such a group of annoying, conceded, obnoxious 20-somethings. But I couldn’t shut it off. It was like watching a train wreck. You know you should look away but you just can’t help it.

The contestants are trying to win a spot on People Magazine’s cover and a pile of cash. They have to prove they are the most beautiful person but, wait for it, there’s a twist! The show’s not just about outer beauty, it’s about inner beauty but the contestants don’t know that. So they are being video taped being huge jerks and then at elimination the videos are played back and the judges tell them they are jerks.

What amazes me is I don’t think any of the people on the show even care that they are jerks. As long as they feel they are the most beautiful person in the world it doesn’t matter how obnoxious they are.

Is anyone surprised to discover that most of them are still single? No? Me, either.

We received a growth update on our little man and he’s growing.

They measure him the first of every month and sends us a report.

In case you forgot here’s where he was: (weight/length/head circumference/age)

Nov - 5.5 lbs/19.1 in/14.2/1 mo.
Dec - 6.6 lbs/19.7 in/14.6/1 1/2 mo.
Jan - 7 lbs/20.1 in/14.8 in/2 1/2 mo.

He’s little but he’s growing.

Lexi got a hair cut yesterday. There was much crying and protesting but after about 5 minutes we discovered the fit wasn’t about her hair being cut it was about the movie that was being shown during the hair cut.

I’m really liking this style. Since she won’t let us do braids or ponytails or even put barrettes in it, this is working out perfectly.

Before:

And After (they took off about 9 inches):

Oh, we also got the game Blokus for Christmas. Lexi put all the pieces in tetris style. She was pretty proud that she did this completely on her own.

It’s really not a “to do” list. It’s more of a “to make” list. I’ve got several projects that need to be finished or to be started and then finished.

Here’s my list:

• Ari’s birthday present. I have one more little gift that I need to finish and send to my nephew.
• Lexi’s birthday present. Limor’s friend Jessica made Charlotte this fun cloth diaper set. I’m 100% stealing her idea and making one for Lexi.
• A case for my new TomTom (yes, I’m that directionally challenged that I need a computer to tell me where to turn.)
• Christmas ornaments for Lexi and our Little Guy
• A sling for my mom’s friend. I found the coolest material and I’m trying a combo of several patterns I like - very curious to see how this one turns out.
• Christmas stockings. I’m knitting stockings for Lexi and the Little Guy.
• Cute little kimono-style sweater for the Little Guy. I found a free knitting pattern and I’m going to try it. It says “easy” and for “beginners”. We’ll see how easy it is.
• One of those things to hang on the back of a car seat to store kids’ toys, sippy cups, books, etc.
• A diaper bag for my cousin-in-law.

Hopefully that will keep me busy until March when we can go pick up our Little Guy. I also have a “to do” list of stuff I want to get done around the house but that’s not nearly as interesting. Kevin will be tackling part of it tomorrow when he puts shelves in the closet. Then I can start organizing kids’ clothes.

This was on Jody Landers‘ blog. She’s the one behind the Water for Christmas.

It’s a good read.

As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God.

P.S. Jody’s blog is also a good read.

I stopped making New Year’s Resolutions a long time ago. But several years ago I did make a list of 50 things I wanted to do before I was 50. Since it’s the first of the year, I thought I’d see how far I’ve gotten on the list. Anything in bold is something that I’ve completed.
—————————————–
50 things I want to do before I’m 50
In no particular order
1. Travel to at least 2 foreign countries I’ve been to Mexico, England, El Salvador and I will be going to Ethiopia.
2. Become fluent in ASL
3. Finish grad school I didn’t actually finish but I finished all the parts I wanted to get done, so we’ll call it good.
4. Get a second dog
5. Read all the books I own
6. Hang curtains in my house I’ve got curtains in both the kids’ rooms. Our room is next on the list.
7. Get my dog his CD or CDX title (HAHAHAHA. Speak has joined the Dog Union and has decided that all union breaks will be taken during either training sessions or competitions.)
8. Earn my play therapy certificate
9. Take a pottery class
10. Participate in the 3 day walk for breast cancer
11. Take a photography class
12. Learn to knit I’m working on my second hat right now. I also have plans to make the kids Christmas stockings.
13. Eat fruit 4 times a week
14. Go to Hawaii - I don’t know if I really want to do this anymore…maybe I should change to “dream vacation”
15. Build a bookshelf
16. Learn to play guitar or piano
17. Relearn how to play viola
18. Go camping in Colorado (again)
19. Go horseback riding on the beach
20.Take a cooking class
21. Learn self-defense
22. Make a new quilt for our bedroom - I haven’t done our room yet but I’m counting Lexi’s quilt and the quilt for the baby.
23. Help build a Habitat for Humanity house
24. Visit the 5 continents I don’t live on. (I’m not counting Antarctica. I don’t really want to go there.)
25. Train a dog to be used for pet therapy (See Dog Union) Although, later on, I may get a dog that would be better at this. There’s also the possibility of puppy raising.
26. Teach my children sign language
27. Stop worrying about money
28. Write letters to friends (instead of e-mailing) on a regular basis - I was so much better at this a couple years ago.
29. Join a book club
30. Go to Disney World
31. Plant and maintain a garden (Maybe I should start small. Something like keeping 1 houseplant alive)
32. Be able to say I never owned a cell phone (I’ve owned 2 since I wrote this list. The responsible parent in me won out.)
33. Finish building my Macquarium (I sold this at a rummage sale)
34. Work as a dog trainer I’ve taught Level 1 & 2, Canine Good Citizen, & Junior Trainers
35. See Kevin’s book for sale at Barnes N Noble
36. Go to Alaska
37. Stop procrastinating I’m getting much better at this.
38. Keep up with my blog
39. Get 8 hours of sleep a night
40.See U2 in concert (again)
41. Go to the Olympics (If Chicago gets the bid….)
42. See a show on Broadway
43. Volunteer at the Humane Society
44.Start a Kindergarten program at my daycare I don’t work there anymore. I’m counting this as done because I teach kindergarten.
45.Figure out a way to get that damn Arby’s ovenmit off television I didn’t do it but he’s been gone for a while now.
46. Adopt Our baby boy will be coming home early 2009!
47.Watch less T.V.
48. Continue to own only 1 car We had 2 for about a year, maybe less, but we are back to just 1.
49. See a Red Wings game in Detroit
50.Own a house with a fireplace. Our house has 2.

A list of things Lexi says or strange names she has come up with for everyday things:

1. Chicken Chips - Pringles
2. And I quote, “It’s a predicament. A predicament is a problem.” (Way to go Sesame Street)
3. Gorilla Bar - Granola Bar
4. Lay over - Roll over
5. “It’s the over part.” - End credits to a T.V. show or movie
6. A cup of drink - A drink of water
7. “My arm is broken” - Her arm fell asleep
8. “Whatever.” - She channels an exasperated, middle-school girl for this statement. It usually comes complete with sighs and eye-rolls.

Kevin and I left Lexi with her grandparents and went shopping in Hutch today.

Okay, first of all, Kevin’s parents live in Great Bend, KS which is not big. There is some shopping but it’s mostly Wal-Mart and K-Mart.

So we drove 45 minutes to Hutch to shop. Between Great Bend and Hutch there is an amazing fabric store in Aldin. It’s huge. And it’s got an amazing selection of fabrics. I would have bought a bunch for a quilt I’m working on but I didn’t know how much I needed so I was nervous about buying fabric out of town. Once we got to Hutch we went to Ten Thousand Villages which was located inside a thrift store. Ten Thousand Villages had most of the same things our store sells but the thrift store part was a gold mine. First of all, things were actually priced at thrift store prices. $1 for a kid’s sweater, $3 for jeans, etc. Kevin got lost in the book section (which was like walking into a 1970’s Christian book store) and I wandered up stairs and they had a fabric/craft section. A whole section of fabric remnants, buttons, knitting needles, zippers, lace, yarn, patterns, beads and thread. I came home with a bag full of about 6 yards of fabric, 3 rolls of crochet yarn (the really thin stuff), 3 packages of covered buttons, a couple bags of beads, 3 patterns, 2 sets of knitting needles, and a few other quilting supplies. And it only cost me $13.

Best deal ever.

Merry Christmas everybody.

We are hanging out in Kansas with Kevin’s family for Christmas. (For those of you keeping track, yes, that’s a 12 hour drive from our house - with a 3 year-old.)

We brought the dogs who are loving the fact that they can be outside and run and bark and nobody cares.

We opened presents this morning, we’re so proud, Lexi got her first Red Wings Jersey. There was also a jersey for her baby brother as well. And yes, there will be a photo shoot with all four of us in our matching jerseys. (Well, five if Lexi is allowed to bring Pinky who also got a Red Wings jersey.)

Tonight is Christmas with the extended family and tomorrow and Saturday involve much sitting.

Gotta love Christmas break.

It’s rest time right now and for once they are actually resting. Really I think they are just crashing from the sugar high they had at lunch today. Either way they are still and quiet.

Since I’ve got a few minutes and I’m done with my prep work, here’s the answers to a worksheet from one of my better readers/writers. How many can you translate?

1. apple (yeah, the first few easy ones)*

2. bat

3. cat*

4. dog

5. elefet*

6. flar*

7. got

8. haas*

9. isic*

10. jop*

11. kakro

12. lag*

13. matet*

14. nat*

15. otpog*

16. parat*

17. quwen*

18. rayan

19. snack* (and no, she wasn’t writing “snack”)

20. tawr*

21. ubreyela*

22. vocur

23. wrm

24. xaray

25. yo-yo

26. zap (nope, not writing “zap”)

My favorite part is at the end of the worksheet she wrote “Thist is the end.”

For comparison here’s another student that wrote some of the same answers:

1. ablle

2. cat

3. dnsard

4. elfnt

5. flwr

6. hrs

7. insat

8. jps

9. lag

10. mtns

11. nat

12. oktps

13. prat

14. qwt

15. snak

16. twr

17. uprls

(The matching answers in the first student’s list have an (*).)

Good luck.  I’ll post the actual answers in a couple days.