Life With Frenchie

Whatever will he do to supplement the lost income???

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I have decided I really want to go to

Australia. I went on Google Maps to plan out my trip and thought I’d share with you my itinerary. You all should be able to keep track of me fairly easily; however, please note that when I am at step 12 of my trip, I may not get all that great cell phone reception, so you may not hear from me for a while. Take a look at the map to follow my journey.

P.S. Just in case you haven’t learned already, please don’t take me too seriously.

For Christmas, MM got a Nintendo DS and a couple of games. Our concern, when deciding which games to buy her, is the appropriateness of the games for her age. It turns out that she ends up getting the games that involve taking care of a pet of some kind. What I’ve come to realize is that those games are pretty much all the same, except for the animal. There really isn’t much challenge to them and MM doesn’t really seem to stay too interested in them for long.

When I heard about GoPets: Vacation Island, I really liked the concept. There seemed to be a lot more to it than the other pet games. As soon as we got it, MM opened up and stuck it in her DS. We were headed to Girl Scouts and she did not divert her attention away from the game for one second of the ride. It’s almost like the Webkinz because she gets to earn “money” for doing things and, in exchange, she can purchase stuff for her pet. She really likes that she’s able to communicate and find friends for her pet, and it’s all safe because they can only communicate using symbols.

So far, MM has given this game a solid “two thumbs up” and said she enjoys it much better than her other pet games! Keep the good stuff coming Nintendo!

Today was the last day of school for MM and she had many things to show me when I got home today. Based on information that had been given to us previously, we weren’t expecting to get report cards until the middle of the month and we weren’t expecting the rest of her FCAT results until next week.

Before I get to those, I first saw the 3 awards she received this year: Perfect Attendance, Outstanding Achievement in Writing, and Exemplary Service to her school (I’m really not all too sure what that one is about…maybe she saved a teacher’s life? LOL) She also had received her final book report back. It was due last Friday and she reached for the stars on this one. She had started reading Little Women about a month ago and we decided she’d be finished in time to do her book report on it. She really enjoyed the book and got through all ~400 pages in time to report on it. She got it back and had received an A+ with a note about “Great Detail” from her teacher.

Okay, now to the really good stuff. She got straight As in all her subjects as well as Es for behavior and above grade level for her academics in Math and Reading. And for her FCAT, she only missed 3 questions in both her Reading and Math so she’s in the 97th percentile. Best of all, her teachers decided they didn’t want to see her again next year, so she got promoted to the next grade! (Grand Daddy didn’t appreciate that attempt at humor too much!) MM rocked this year! I’m so proud of her!

*sniffle*

*cough*

*sneeze*

 Don’t mind me, that’s just the sounds of our whole house dealing with allergies this year! Poor MM has it the absolute worst!! She’s suffered from seasonal allergies since she was an infant and has been taking prescription allergy medicine (thank you for Zyrtec going OTC!!) just as long. Some years are worse than others. I remember one morning, when she was a toddler, and she woke up looking like she’d gone a few rounds with Muhammed Ali! Talk about freaking out!!! I rushed her to an urgent care facility and was so relieved to find out it was just allergies.

Lately, the allergies seem to be extending through the family, and I’m sure having 2 cats and a dog who have a strong dislike for keeping their fur to themselves doesn’t help any. When the time of year comes around when most people are starting to open up windows and air out their houses from the stuffy winter, we have to firmly shut our windows to keep out all of the allergens. But, that only does so much since we’re locked in with the pets.

Weekly, and many times daily, vacuuming shows just how much stuff we’re breathing in that’s probably not helping at all. During one of my daily kavetches about all this, someone told me about the AccuClean Whole Home Air Filtration System. This looks like something that we could definitely benefit from! This isn’t just some special air filter you pick up at the store and have to replace all the time. Instead, this is a whole system that filters the air in your home, removing all those pesky allergens like pet dander, pollen, and mold! EP and I have checked it out and it’s definitely something we want to look into further. With MM being borderline asthmatic and haivng a perpetually stuffy nose about 6 months out of the year, I’m willing to give anything a try. If all else fails, we can always resort to a plastic bubble!

We picked up MM from our friends’ house this evening and, after showering, she got her turn at the Wii Fit. We went through getting her set up and it finally came to her Wii Fit Age (or whatever it’s called). Based on her balance test and all the information it registered, MM has a Wii Fit Age of…40!!!!! EP and I could not help but laugh! I always knew my little baby was an old soul, but I didn’t know she had the body to match! We’re going to have to do some serious work on her balance!!

We had a few friends get the Wii Fit last week and talk about how great it was. One friend was shocked (and more than a little pissed) that she was considered “Obese”, based on her BMI.

This morning, we decided we’d try our luck at finding one. We called the local Best Buy as soon as they opened and they had “a couple” left. We drove up there, but by the time we got there, they were gone.

We went across the street where there was a Toys R Us, GameStop, Circuit City, and Target (in that order). We started with Toys R Us and worked our way around. We made it to the Target and they had 3 or 4 in stock!

So, we’ve gotten home and set it up. I’m happy to say I am not obese. I was really expecting it to say I was obese!! I am, however, overweight and “need” to lose 22 pounds to get to a suggested BMI of 22.

EP, on the other hand, was surprised to find he was not considered overweight.  His BMI was just under 25, so he was in the normal range. He is also going lose about 11 pounds or so to get to a 22 BMI.

We’ve now run through all of the available exercises today and I’m pooped! This thing is no joke, as long as you don’t try to cheat the system (because that would be a waste of $90!!). We did learn that I have much better balance than EP, but he’s working on it.

So, now I have a fun, entertaining way to fit my exercise in. MM is off at a friend’s house, but when she gets home she’s going to be psyched to try this out, too!

Apparently, MM is very observant. She’s pointed out my one (and only!) flaw It’s really caused me to pay attention and realize that I do have this bad habit - I chew on my shirt when I’m reading or thinking. She’s taken to admonishing me whenever she catches me! I’ve got to try and stop that…

Remembering this Memorial Day…

A Soldier Reports to God

The soldier stood and faced his God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as brightly as his brass.

Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?

The soldier squared his shoulders
And said No Lord, I guess I aint’
Because those of us who carry guns
Can’t always be a saint.

I’ve had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I’ve been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But I never took a penny
That wasn’t mine to keep…
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills just got too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I’ve wept unmanly tears.

I know I don’t deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.

If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,
It needn’t be so grand,
I’ve never had that much in life,
So if you don’t I’ll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

Step forward now you soldier
You’ve borne your burdens well,
Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,
You’ve done your time in Hell

I only watched the last few minutes of American Idol last night just to see who won (woo hoo!! Go David Cook!!), so I missed the most priceless moment of the show - Gladys Knight and her “Pips” performing Midnight Train to Georgia. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure, sit back and enjoy. But, please, no drinking while you watch…I don’t want to be blamed for you spitting your drink all over your computer!

P.S. I am considering calling off the nuptials to go be with my true love - Robert Downey, Jr.