Pencil Sharpeners & Fingers Don't Mix

I'm not quite sure what Cheeks was thinking.
I'm not quite sure Cheeks was thinking.

Apparently, the other day he thought it would be a good idea to stick his left index finger (his dominant hand) into the pencil sharpener at school & turn the handle.

Sigh.

He showed it to me.
It was scabbing over.

Today I got a call from Nurse Owen.
Cheeks was complaining of a hurting finger.

It seems it puffed up & got all pussie.
Nice.
Not to mention a small red line was slowly going up his finger to his hand.
Ah, even better.

I called his dad.
He picked him up & off we went to the doctor.

This is what the patient's finger looked like when I saw him:

We were called back & this is where everything went down hill.

As soon as Cheeks realized the Dr. was going to use a needle to break it open, he started screaming "ow! ow!"
Um, she hadn't even gotten near him.

It was a 1 second procedure.
She nicked the blister on accident & it opened.
She squeezed.
Puss.

Viola...over.

Although he is now scarred traumatically...or so he says.

He is sporting a few bandaids & is on antiobiotics twice a day til they are done.

Will he stick his finger in another pencil sharpener?
Probably not but I am sure my future will include him sticking other parts of himself in other openings.

Wait,that sounded really bad.

Well you know what I meant!

Everybody loves a parade...

Now that the holiday season is officially upon us, the festivities have kicked off.

The next town over from us had their official Christmas Parade today.
So we got on our winter coats, stopped at Mickey D's for some breakfast & off we went.

We parked in the speedline's parking lot (Speedline = elevated train that runs from NJ into Philly for commuters & shoppers) & walked about two blocks up.  We then hit the avenue & walked about three blocks down.

We had about 5 mins to spare.
Which was great because it was COLD!
Like 27 degrees with 90 mph winds...ok, fine, maybe not 90 mph but it felt like it.

Cheeks was ready for the parade but not the cold.

As every parade starts, here is the obligatory Veterans opening the parade.

Of course, there was many a marching band from all over the South Jersey area.

The motorcycle patrol always shows up & does a little routine.

No parade is complete with a few Mummers in the parade (if you do not know what a Mummer is, please leave me a comment & I shall explain)

I had more photos but sadly I am not too bright when it comes to my new smartphone & I deleted them before the email to my account went through so they never transferred.

Believe you me, there were floats & holiday characters.

Unfortunately, Cheeks hands were frozen & the wind was whipping so hard he asked to leave.

We did not get to see the finale, the big bang, the man in the red suit, Santa.

That's ok because he got to come home & play Wii.  Mom of the year, I am.

Tell me what kicks off the festivities in your neck of the woods?

Tony Award Winning War Horse is Here!

Academy of Music

Tuesday, November 20 - Sunday, December 2
A remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship. England, 1914. As World War One begins, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped from England to France. He's soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man's land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-sized puppets created by South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to life on the stage.

 

I can't wait to see it...how about you all?

Winners Run in the Family

Take a gander at this:

That's my 14yo on the right end & my 16 yo nephew next too him in the black shirt.

They won the latest tournament the PJBT sponsered.
They played doubles & won!
The whole thing!

Trophies & scholarships for all.

You can read all about it here: My kids win!

Small Business Makes BIG Donation to Hurricane Sandy Children

I am from Jersey.
South Jersey to be specific.
I live approximately 15 minutes from downtown Philadelphia & 60 minutes from Atlantic City.

The destructin of Hurricane Sandy hit extremely close to home for me.
While I was blessed to have just my lights flicker, those an hour away from me, suffered tremendously. 

Growing up in Jersey, "going down the shore", no matter which one it was, was a right of passage.

Thankfully out pouring of generousity has been happening.

I want to share this one woman's way of helping the victims of Sandy.

Judith Raye Paintings, LLC (http://www.judithraye.com) is partnering with Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. (K.I.D.S.)( http://www.kidsdonations.org) to donate $600 worth of new toddler tee-shirts from their Inspired by Caden collection to children affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The shipment is currently in transit to the east coast and will be distributed by K.I.D.S. to children in New Jersey in the coming days. Specifically, the shipment is headed to Newark Now (www.newarknow.org), an organization that provides Newark residents with skills, tools, and support to transform their neighborhood. It should arrive by Monday.

“I am so thankful that I am in a position to help these children who are suffering and who have lost everything,” said Judith Raye Smith, owner and co-creator of the small business.

“It is so exciting to be able to get the community and interested citizens involved as well,” she added. The public can assist in this effort by purchasing a tee shirt or onesie. For every shirt or onesie purchased from Judith Raye Paintings a similar item will be donated to K.I.D.S. “We plan to keep this in place at least through the end of December, or as long as the items are needed,” she said.

According to Smith, she is honored to be working with a charity that already does so much for needy children. K.I.D.S. helps children that are victims in a variety of situations. In the days following Hurricane Sandy, they mobilized their resources and immediately established a Hurricane Relief Fund to respond to the need for new products for children and families affected by the super storm.

According to the K.I.D.S. VP, Christ Blake, the agencies in the affected communities are in dire need of new apparel, blankets, shoes, toys, baby products and books. K.I.D.S. has set up major distribution sites in Queens, New Jersey and other locations. For more information about K.I.D.S. and how you can help, visit their website at http://www.kidsdonations.org.

Judith Raye Smith is a grandmother who started painting to decorate her granddaughter’s walls. Her adventure has turned into much more and her one-of-a-kind artwork is now sold on clothing, note cards and other products. You can learn more about her products, and more specifically her efforts to help in the Hurricane Sandy relief, at her website http://www.judithraye.com/online-store/#!/~/category/id=4015029&offset=0&sort=normal.

Smith is the owner and co-creator, with her husband Rawlen, of Judith Raye Paintings, LLC. She can be reached for comment at judithraye@frontier.com or by phone at 503.784.9638.

Judith Raye Paintings, LLC online: http://www.judithraye.com

Judith Raye Paintings, LLC on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Judith-Raye-Paintings/228659330488584

Judith Raye on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JudithRayeArt

You're How Old??

I am not sure when but this kid:

Decided to turn 14 today.

14???!!!???

How did that happen?

He came into my life at 6...the same age as his little brother.

I don't get it.
Surely, he won't get any older...right?

Happy Birthday Christopher...we love you!

It all Depends

(Disclaimer: so not me!)

While that is not how I am built...it is how I feel.

Since I turned 40, it's been downhill.

My most recent ailment...if I sneeze, laugh or cough..I pee a little.

Tis true.

I don't get it.

Sure I had an 11 pound baby but that was 6 years ago.  Would the bladder just now feel the effects?

It's a little annoying.
No wait...it's a lot annoying.

Why is it that you only hear about women experiencing this little inconvenience?
So not fair!
Of course, I don't have to get a prostrate exam so I guess it's even, right?

Tell me, are you experiencing things you didn't experience when you were younger.

Hey you...The Heart of Christmas is this way

Want the Heart of Christmas?
I thought so.

For a chance to win a free dvd of this great movie check out my review blog:

Meghan's Mindless Mutterings: Reviews & Giveaways

Competitive? Meh

Are you competitive?
Me?

Not so much.

I think it drives my family of men cray cray (impressed with my street lingo? I know, I know!)

I don't ever remember a time in my life when I would get the rush of trying to win.
Winning?
Yes, that's a rush.

But if I don't win, then I just shrugg my shoulders & call it a day.

Even betting.
I like to bet.
Gamblers anonymous here I come.

Not money bets as much as chore bets between me & Bobster.
If I lose, I pay up.
If Bobster loses...well he bet me a foot rub a few years back.  I think Cheeks was 3.  Cheeks is 6 now & I am waiting for my tootsies to be pampered.

Will I play a game to win & gloat?
Not really.

I just am happy to play.

How about you?

Heed My Warning: Have a Spare

I have done some really "bright" things in my day.
I won't go into detail but just know that I was a strawberry blonde as a child.

So this morning, I caught a ride with a coworker. 
We have one mini van so Bobster & I must share.
Yea, good times.

Today was his day.

He was going in later than me so I kissed him goodbye & off I went.

About 10:30 my phone at work rang.
Oh! Look...it's my honey.

Well he really wasn't that sweet.

The conversation went something like this:

Me:  Hi Lovedoodle, the light of my life, the cream in my twinkie, my dream man

Bobster:  Where are the car keys?

Me:  I don't know you had them last.  Remember you drove home while Cheeks & I walked home from Trick or Treating yesterday (we are in NJ so Trick or Treating was rescheduled due to Sandy)

Bobster : No, Meg, remember you took them when you went to the van to get your purse.

Me:  Wait. A. Minute!

I spun my chair around, grabbed my purse & lo & behold...our car keys were in there.
Our only set of car keys.

We do not have spare set.

So I immediately started to apologize.
I was hung up on.
The nerve.

Seems someone had to call out of work because he had no way of getting there & no one could run him 30 mins up to my job to get the keys.

Folks, heed my warning...always have a spare or two.
I will...after this weekend when I get a spare made.

Sigh.