Friday Favorites #2

Well, it's my second week of Friday favorites with Janana Bee. We are to post things that got us through the week. Friday is the day of the week to take pause and say, "hey, these are the things that got me through the week this far and thank goodness the weekend is right around the corner."

Monday

I am grateful to the hubby for waking up at 5:45 AM to take care of the little ones for school. He dressed them, fed them, and packed their lunch, and then walked them to the bus stop to catch the 7 AM bus to school.

It would have been a very difficult task for me, as I was sleeping off the monthly cramps. How cruel Mother Nature can be!

Tuesday

Thank you Amazon.com for sending me ‘New Moon’ by Stephenie Meyer. The 48-hour wait was long enough. I now have to take my finals by the end of the week before I can delve into you and figure out the continuing plot to the Twilight trilogy.

Wednesday

Took the risky trip to Richmond with the hubby driving and trying to keep him awake. You know the story. I’ve had a bad dream since that we had crashed with hubby behind the wheel. That’s for another post.

Thursday

Grateful that my child (Tamara) is getting the hang of school. With only seven weeks left to school, it’s a relief to see that my threats and warnings of “no Wii time” have paid off.

Grateful also to the many people who have read and responded to my posts this week. You all are too kind!

Friday

Took my final and aced it. Got a 96%! That was for one class, the other is due by Sunday. Uh yeah, it’s an internet class. Can you see me going to campus now with so much to do?!?

Glad to know that my muscles can still hold the big girl frame up when challenged by Jillian on the Wii. Ha! And she thinks that she is so tough.

*groan whine* I ache all over!

I hope that you all enjoyed your week as well. Have a great weekend!

100 Item Bucket List

I recently saw this post on Christine's blog. I'm sure you all have heard of the bucket list. Instead of doing things before I die, here is a list of things I have already done.

Wanna play? All you have to do is copy the list and highlight (or make it bold) of all the things that you have done. The comments in the parentheses were made by me. I always have to comment on something. It's like a sickness or something. :-D

I have...

1. Started my own blog (on August 28, 2008)
2. Slept under the stars (one of the many camping trips I took as a child)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii — Hattie, you should substitute ‘Newark, N.J.’, for ‘Hawaii’
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (on one of my many other camping trips)
9. Held a praying mantis (I was a daring and stupid child)
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (I was a stupid adult as well. Who watches storms near water?)
14. Taught myself an art from scratch (I've started to paint with oils and have a long way to go before I am considered an artist)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (got sick as a dog as a result)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables (I live in the country. Enough said.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight (on one of the best sleepovers ever as a child)
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (*slapping the hand* bad Bibi bad!)
24. Built a snow fort (In NYC there was always a snowfight to be had)
25. Held a lamb (They are so soft and cute )
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (Long time ago in the seventies. At least that's what my momma said)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (We used to live near the beach in Rockaway NYC)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (As a child, don't remember much, except I dropped my stuffed animal friend in the water)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language (Spanish, not fluent yet!)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (Once upon a time, before I married)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (the requirement for being at camp)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I don't like seeing hungry people on the street)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (one of my many trips to the hospital giving birth to one child or another)
47. Had my portrait painted (my Grandfather did it. *SIGH* I miss him)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (the hubby and I were like teenagers when we first got married)
53. Played in the mud (still do when I plant seeds in my garden)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (It is now closed. Darn recession has hit everyone)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (I sell items on eBay. It's lucrative and keeps me busy)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (my girls did Girl Scouts long, long time ago)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (the hubby is wonderful)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (Yep, I love a good cause)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check (my bad!, won't happen again)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (still have a little doll who is a male with a prominent male appendage)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (my family once lived in DC for a time)
71. Eaten caviar (it was tasty)
72. Pieced a quilt (for the babies)
73. Stood in Times Square (life in NYC was pretty exciting, sometimes)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (my little bro and I were daredevils)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (still have it)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper (it was for a good cause)
85. Read the entire Bible (a very good read too!)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox (when I was eleven. Not a good thing)
89. Saved someone’s life (I do know CPR, and saved my child's life. She was choking on a piece of candy)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club (many to be exact)
93. Lost a loved one (my beloved Grandfather)
94. Had a baby (seven to be exact)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone (still do!)
99. Been stung by a bee (five times! UGH!!)
100. Ridden an elephant

Well now, I don't think I've led the ultimate exciting life, but it's all well worth it.

Have fun with your bucket list!

A Mother's Pride and Joy

My daughter and son. He of course does not want to take the picture.


I have a fifteen yer old son. Actually I have three teenagers. But that is for another post. Like I said before there is never a dull moment in the BIBI household.


Especially with my oldest son. Two years ago he began to experience the "puberty" thing at thirteen. Last summer he began to "smell" himself and began to be get very cocky. It's all good. I got him straight, and brought him back to earth with one of my 'if the momma ain't happy, nobody is' discussions. He got the message.


Or so I thought he did.


My talk was essentially about taking care not to smell when you become of a certain age. and as you become older you have to take essential care not to offend anyone.


He wanted to argue. I told him that if he didn't clean his 'pits' that we were going to have a problem. He sulkily went to take a shower. I was happy that I won the battle with the 'child' until I went into his room and discovered a letter that he wrote to himself.


FYI: I snoop on my children in my house all the time. It's my full-time occupation. Antyway...


The letter read:

Reasons Not To Wash

1. I was forced to as a child.
2. People who make soap are only after your money.
3. I wash on special occasions like Christmas and Easter.
4. People who wash are hypocrites--they think they are cleaner than everyone else.
5. There are so many different kinds of soap, I can't decide which one is best.
6. I used to wash, but it got boring so I stopped.
7. None of my friends wash.
8. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer.
9. I'll start washing when I get older and dirtier.
10. I can't spare the time.

I don't know where he got his writing skills from, but I'm betting the comics that he reads has a lot to do with it.


I let that infraction go. He was soon not to disappoint me again.


Now don't get me wrong, my son is good in school and he loves his teachers. But someone said something to him (an adult of course) and asked him why was he passing notes in class?


It wasn't nothing that serious, just a harmless drawing, but the teacher felt the need to address my son, in front of the whole class!


He (the assistant teacher) then preceded to tell him "That if you do this again I will send you back where you came from, as you will be banished from my class."


My eloquent son told the assistant teacher:


"No you can't, my momma ain't here!"


Why oh why did I ever encourage him as baby to talk?!?

The Key to Longevity

Have we really found the fountain of youth? The secret to living longer? It’s no myth according to some analysts, and it’s called “The Blue Zone”. These are the areas in which scientist say the people who live here, live longer.

The segment featured Costa Rica, but also mentioned Okinawa Japan, a small unrecognizable town in California, and two other cities which I missed the name to. I watched the segment this morning on the Today show.

Studies done have indicated that those in “The Blue Zone” have lived longer due to:

a) Genetics. (Mine are not too bad. We could eliminate some of the ‘fat’ genes though.)

b) No smoking. (Okay I sneak a little ciggy here and there now and again.)

c) Diet. (Working on it!)

d) Zest for life. (My motto is: smile while you’re making it, laugh while you’re taking it, even though you’re faking it, nobody’s gonna know!)

e) Religion. (Since I think about religion as much as getting a tooth pulled I rarely go into long discussions about it. But I believe that having faith in something bigger than you (e.g. a higher power) can have some health benefits. It’s called faith. Some do prayer. I just thank God that when he sees me on the caller ID he doesn’t hang up because he does answer some of my prayers.)

Okay genetics is a biggie. We totally don’t know what is in store for us if you have no idea about your families’ history. Family-wise my gene pool has high-blood pressure, bad breath (not that I have any), diabetes, sarcasm, cussing, cancer, yakking too much about nothing syndrome, incontinence, heart disease, ADHD, and too much girth in the middle that just stays with you. Hmmm… according to this I should be keeling over at any minute, or at least in the hospital with a diaper on and a constant supply of breath mints.

Smoking. To smoke or not to smoke? It is ever debatable in my family since 1 out of every 3^rd person in my family does smoke. I only smoke occasionally (two ciggy’s a week) but according to this research you shouldn’t have none. Okay, *inhaling ciggy* let me know when you are finished *exhaling* reading this *blowing smoke circles* story.

Diet. Okay they emphasize that fresh is best. Fresh veggies, and fresh fruit. Living virtually as vegetarians/vegans. Shucks. That counts me out. I love a turkey ham sandwich with some mayo, mustard, on double fiber bread. Health nut? Not really. But I try to watch what I eat. (Trying is only half the battle)

Zest for life. Okay, some say that laughter is the best medicine. One thing remarkable about the people interviewed in Costa Rica, was the fact that they have never been to a hospital, never been sick and that they had genuine laughter behind that twinkle in their eye. That twinkle in their eye was put there with some help. They are not THAT happy with life. Perhaps they like what is happening between those sheets at night with their significant other. According to Akilah they are still enjoying the humping, even though it is somewhat dry now, well past the age when many think it is inconceivable to do such. Woohoo grandma, get your groove on!

Religion. Okay this is a tough one, but virtually whoever you are praying to is obviously looking out for you because you are doing alright so far. I hope.

This research is purely based on the fact that they kept records of these individuals and realized that a fifty year old man has a greater chance of making 90 than a man residing in the U.S.

So if you and the significant other want to keep the longevity in your life, you might want to consider moving to one of these ‘Blue Zones’ and keep the zesty, happy, free of bad genetics, fresh diet, with lots of prayer life that you are used to. If you don’t keel over when having sex at 120 and your partner is two months shy of 125.

We Are All Creatures of Habit

I habitually watch television, blog, daydream about being a famous writer, drink a gallon of water a day, and dream about being 60 pounds thinner. I am also a creature of stranger habits, but this blog page is way too short to list all of the *ahem* details.


However, I do know I have a habit of doing other things as well. I:


-Tell the hubby that we have less in our joint account after I deposit HIS checks so that I can buy something that I really want, but not necessarily need.


-Tell the children that if they don't eat all of their okra at dinner, that they'll have nightmares.


-Always tell my loving but habitually curious Grandmother that everything is okay, when it's sometimes not. (It's for her own good, she doesn't need to worry!)


-Convince myself that writing in my journal every night can be cathartic (Oprah's definition) and can possibly be a good story when that journal is finished. (I have yet to fill up one journal since 2003.)


-Tell myself that one day the hubby will figure out that the laundry hampers are colored coded for a reason and that he will stop sticking to be bleached clothes and not-to-be-bleached clothes in the same basket. He is definitely a work in progress.


-Tell the children that if they don't do their chores that they will lose their TV privileges. (LOL, that one even sounds funny to my ears!)


-Tell myself that one day I'll just answer the 'unknown' numbers that keep showing up on my caller ID with: "Hello, welcome to Wendy's."


-Constantly tell myself that reading a book into the wee hours of the morning and then getting up at 6 AM to get the kids ready for school is really something not good for the irrational and impatient. (Until then I'll cuss and mumble into I get my 'fix' of my daily must read blogs.)


-Tell myself that not everyone is perfect and that I need to stop being so hard on myself.


Some say that honesty is the best policy ya know!


But until then, honesty can stay the hell under the bed until I am ready to face her!