Life With Frenchie

I’m beginning my attempt to catch up my dear readers on my happenings as of late.

I think I will start with the most recent events and work my way backwards, so I don’t fall even further behind!

The most important of the news is shameless pride in MM.

Here in The Sunshine State, children in grades 3-8 usually have to read some, or all, of the Sunshine State Young Readers list. Some schools use the list and participate in Battle of the Books while other schools hold their own, internal, competitions to help encourage reading all of the books on the list.

This year, at MM’s school, kids were awarded prizes after reading books and successfully passing tests about the content. The “grand prize” for having read all 15 books and passed all 15 tests, is a sleepover at Busch Gardens. I’m guessing, dear readers, that you have all figured it by now, but I still have to say it - MM was one of the winners! In the midst of the God awful FCATs (I can go on forever about the evils of them, but I’ll spare you!), she managed to finish her final book (she’d read it once before and failed the test, so she decided to reread it after she finished the other books and take the test again) and take and pass the test! I’m so proud of her…and jealous that I don’t get to go with her! LOL

I don’t want to overwhelm you boys and girls, so I’ll come back later with a little more…

Report cards came home today! MM brought home straight A’s! :clap:

She had 1 A and the rest were B’s. We were just as proud of her then, but for her to bring her grades up like that shows a lot of hard work and effort.

Maybe she’ll get smrt enough so she can take my actuarial exams for me!

Well, not me, but this kid sure won’t be getting much!

Dad sells son’s 90-dollar video game online for more than 9000

Sun Dec 16, 1:37 AM ET

After catching his 15-year-old smoking pot, a father sold the hard-to-get “Guitar Hero III” video game he bought his son for 90 dollars for Christmas at an online auction, fetching 9,000 dollars.

The sale took place after the father spent two weeks searching for the video game for the Nintendo Wii gameboard.

“So I was so relieved in that I had finally got the Holy Grail of Christmas presents pretty much just in the nick of time. I couldn’t wait to spread the jubilance to my son,” the father wrote on the eBay website.

“Then, yesterday, I came home from work early and what do I find? My innocent little boy smoking pot in the back yard with two of his delinquent friends.”

The man, a school teacher, who kept his identity private, said he sold the coveted video game to punish his son and discourage him from smoking dope.

The sale was a boon for the family’s bank account, since the game the father purchased for 90 dollars (US) was finally sold to an Australian who plunked down 9,100 dollars for it.

The naughty son, however, will not go without a present on Christmas.

“I am still considering getting him a game for his Nintendo. Maybe something like Barbie as the Island Princess or Dancing with the Stars … I know he will just love them,” the father said, tongue-in-cheek.

That’s just classic! Good for you, dad! Now I know what to do next time MM gets a bit too big for her breeches!

Yes boys & girls…today is that most glorious of days that I have referenced recently. Thirty-three years ago today, at precisely 12:13 PM Eastern, on the hallowed ground of Ft. Benning, inside the sacred halls of Martin Army Hospital, this grand planet was blessed with a presence never before known - ME!

I am a total kid when it comes to my birthday. Even though I am beyond the years of having presents waiting for me when I wake up, I still am just all giddy on my birthday. I enjoy receiving cards, e-cards, e-mails, calls, telegrams, smoke signals…everything. It’s even more special these days because MM loves my birthday, too!

This morning, I went in to kiss her goodbye before leaving for work and she had my presents waiting. There was an artificial carnation (I think from her briding to Juniors in Girl Scouts), a partially used bottle of hand lotion (you’ll smell me coming a mile away!), a little ceramic teddy bear holding a heart (origins unknown…did MM turn to a life of crime to keep her mommy happy???), a picture keychain (I paid for it when I ordered school pictures), a dime (????), a squishy toy that my co-worker and I enjoy playing with (it’s looking kind of old and crusty these days…eewwww!), a keychain that she won at Girl Scout Bingo Night (I keep trying to give it back to her!!) and her favorite little monkey that she sleeps with (all together now - “AWWWWWWWW!!!!”).

Okay, so now where are all the cards with money???? Feel free to leave unsolicited praise and birthday wishes as you drop by!