Twas the week before Christmas....

and all through the house, there was still plenty to be done and the cat brought home a mouse! Well, really, it was a mole, but that would not have rhymed and I can't tell them apart anyway! All this to say that we are fairly new cat owners. We got two kittens at the first of June and I have enjoyed them way more than I thought I would! We already had two dogs and at the time, two hermit crabs (one has since passed on). So, when I say my house is a zoo - believe me people - it is NOT an exaggeration!!! We are like Noah's Ark, the animals come by twos!

The dogs, Bella and Lilly, so badly wanted these new tenants to like them. It was very interesting, to say the least. Once they all realized that no one was leaving, this happened:

GEEZ! What a life!

I also like the fact that cats can entertain themselves with the simplest stuff:

This is Boots. Having a blast in a bag from our Disney trip!

Wish our kids were that easy to please!!! However, our cat Oreo, has more expensive taste:

Not exactly the kind of mouse I thought they liked!

But again, I am loving these cats! They are so easy to take care of! After a few months of being totally inside cats, we started letting them outside during the day. They began to use the litterbox less and less and eventually we were able to get rid of it and now they go outside to do their business (and apparently hunt, too). I can tell the dogs are jealous, too. I remember seeing the movie Homeward Bound where the cat, Sassy, says "Cats rule and dogs drool!". I think she may have a point!!

I am an animal person. I do love them! I just never saw myself as a cat owner! Which brings us to the saying - "Never say never!". And don't tell my husband I told you this, but he loves them, too. He may not admit it, but I see him stopping to give those cats some attention and he talks to them, too!

I really can't see our house without pets. They are part of our family. I can't see my children growing up without knowing the companionship of pets and to be honest, I am a little leery of people who say they don't like animals. Makes me wonder what is wrong with THEM!!!

So, what about you? Have pets? What kind? Are they like family? Let me hear from you! Until next time....

My name is Stacey and I am a shopper...

I almost hate to admit this, but I do have a lot of shopping experience! I have shopped just about every where there is to shop from discount stores to outlet malls and from Department stores to Dolce and Gabbana. However, no matter where I am shopping, one thing seems the same. Some parents INSIST on taking their screaming children, tied down in a stroller, with them!

Why, oh why, if you do this, do you do it??? Please don't say that you do it because you don't have a choice. Because you do! Listen, I am a mother. I have taken mine shopping. I KNOW when enough is enough! Trust me! Please don't try to bribe them by taking them to the toy store! It will work for maybe 30 minutes and then you are back to square one. It isn't their fault. It is YOURS! Children need more rest than adults (well, most of them do). They don't have the stamina nor the patience that adults are SUPPOSED to have either! Oh, and yelling at them? Hmm. Doesn't work either!

Fast approaching are the holidays. Crowds, lines, shoving, pushing - all done by adults. Please don't put your child into that! That is like sticking them out in rush hour traffic and telling them to cross the road without getting hit! Not gonna happen, people!

If you MUST take your small child out, please respect your child's time limit. When your child starts crying uncontrollably, call it a day. Go home, get some rest and try again another time. Or better yet, get a sitter. Take turns with a friend keeping each others children for a couple of hours so you can get the shopping done. Believe it or not, you will be in a better mood and so will your child!

AND SO WILL I!!

Until next time.....

And we wonder what is wrong with children today...

but I am wondering what is wrong with the parents! Does today's society not believe in disciplining children? I am not saying that you have to BEAT your child, but appropriate punishment will go a long way towards molding them into the future leaders of our world.

Why am I talking about this? Well, I will tell you. If you read my blog regularly, or know me in person, then you know that I have recently taken a trip to Disney World. You know - The Happiest Place on Earth! While there, I did a lot of people watching, which is just a bonus to the thrill of Disney. While in line at one of the counter service dining eateries, there was a man with his young son (maybe 8 or 9) in front of me. The son was jumping onto the service counter, swinging his legs over and around the railings, and for lack of a better description, acted like he had ants in his pants. Well, he kicked me twice (glared at me both times like it was my fault and never apologized) and hit the lady beside him, too. His father NEVER said one word to him about his behavior. As a matter of fact, for a while I even thought they may not be together. But they were because we met again at the condiment bar. OH JOY! He has no idea what "wait your turn" means! Let my kids behave like that! No, who am I kidding! My kids already know better!!!

More recently, I took one of my children to the doctor (yep, the flu). Anyway, as you can imagine, there is no shortage of sick children, but there is a shortage on well-behaved children. While in the waiting room a mother comes in with her daughter (about 7) and she has another child of the same age with her (maybe a friend). Anyway, in a waiting room full of sick, miserable children, these two girls proceeded to THROW a 2-inch rubber high bouncing ball around. AND NEITHER ONE OF THEM CAN CATCH!! So, as I am holding my sick child in my lap and dodging this rubber ball, the mother sits calmly by and never looks up or says one word. Not even when the girls take their shoes off and are crawling around under the seats because the ball has gotten "lost". The mother is checking her cell phone, rummaging through her purse and for all I know, could be deaf, but I doubt it. All of the other parents in the waiting room just looked at each other with astonishment wondering how sick could this child be??? FINALLY, the mother tells the two girls to come sit beside her (one on either side). The girls proceed to both lay their heads on the mother's lap and the mother braids their hair TO EACH OTHERS!!! So, now they are giggling and screaming about how they are stuck together. Meanwhile, I just want to gouge my eyes out!!! UGH!!!

I could go on, but I won't. Again, I am not saying beat your child (however, mine have been spanked before). Our children need to be taught how to respect others and they need good manners. We wonder what is wrong with our society today, but what about the future when these children, who know no boundaries, are who our country depend on to run it?? Then what?

The Bible says - "Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them." (Proverbs 13:24)

ALL children are going to act up and disobey at some time in their lives. But, please, show them how much you love them by appropriately disciplining them for their actions. They will lead more rewarding lives for it!

Until next time....

Rules are meant to be broken - or are they?

I like people who follow the rules. Does that mean I like the RULES? Not necessarily. For instance, sometimes the speed limit irritates me. But, if I choose to break the rule, and IF I get caught, then the punishment is mine. I own it! My fault!

My children are rule followers. Well, they follow everyone's rules but mine! Ha! No, really, they are rule followers. They truly get bent out of shape if someone at school is talking to them when there is supposed to be "no talking". My daughter will panic if she thinks that person is going to get her in trouble! And I know that sometimes people get called "guilty by association" when in fact, they have done nothing wrong. That stinks! It happens, but it stinks! My son, who is VERY competitive, will have a melt down if he thinks someone is "cheating" to win! He will call them out, too!

I am afraid they inherited this trait from me. Not that being a rule follower isn't good. But if you don't know how to let it go when you need to, it will take you down! Sometimes, I let those rule breakers get under my skin and it festers into a boil! I wish I could follow the advice that I give my children. As long as I am doing the right thing, don't worry about who is doing it wrong! You know, Do as I say, not as I do! Easier said than done, right???

However, that day will come when we are all affected by that one bad apple in the bunch! You know, it spoils it for the rest! I can't stand that either! Who said that is fair? Ah!!! But life isn't fair, is it?

So, are you a rule follower? Or a rule breaker? Chances are we all THINK we are followers. Some may see me as a rule breaker, which is different than how I see myself. Sometimes we just think the rules apply to everyone but ourselves, don't we?

Weigh in with your opinion! Love to hear it! Until next time......(when I talk about parents who avoid disciplining their kids!)

I didn't know THAT!

I have been in Disney for the last 4 days and learned a few things I did not know. I thought I would share them with you! (lucky, you are!)

• I didn't know you could wear SKIN TIGHT, white, see through pants with a blue thong. But, you can!
• I didn't know you could wear RED AND WHITE CHECKERED pants with bright ORANGE, patent leather flip-flops. But, you can!
• I didn't know that you could put your two children, under the age of 10, who speak no English, in line for a ride that they are not tall enough to be on alone. But, you can! So, when the ride attendant tries to tell them they can't ride, they stare at her like she is from Mars.
• I learned that even at the Happiest Place On Earth, you are not always Happy!
• I learned that compared to SOME children, my children really ARE angels!
• I learned that there are a lot more people who should NOT have children than there are people who SHOULD!
• I didn't know that if you don't speak English (or at least pretend you don't), you can skip all 100 people waiting in line and go straight to the front! But, you can!
• I didn't know that if ONE person in your family needs scooter or wheelchair assistance, ALL 50 of you get to the front of the line! But, you do!
• I learned that hearing your child squeal with laughter makes your whole body SMILE!
• I learned that jogging in Downtown Disney at Midnight beats jogging at home any day!
• I learned that a SCOOP of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream at Disney is equal to a PINT at home, but the calories don't count!!! (I promise!)
• I learned that when I grow up, I want to live at Disney!
• I learned that if you get a make-over at the Bibbity Bobbity Bootique, your hairstyle will last FOUR days! Well worth the $60!
• I learned that if you get a make-over at the Bibbity Bobbity Bootique, the GLITTER in your new, $60 hairstyle will last FOUR months!!
• I learned that when your husband kisses one of the Hoop-dee-doo cast members (because it was part of the show), your kids think he is "cheating" on you!
• And finally, I learned that no matter how many vacations I take at Disney, I will always want to go back! It truly is the Happiest Place On Earth!! And I can't wait to go again!

So, have you been to Disney? Let me hear what YOU learned! Maybe you learned some of the same things I did. Or maybe you learned something different! Drop me a note! Until next time...

Inquiring minds want to know!!

Okay, so this is just one of those random posts about things bobbing around in my head. If it happens to be you that I end up making fun of, start your own blog and make fun of me! Some of these things I just can't keep inside any longer!!!

• Why is it that we can put a man on the moon, but no one has invented a drop for dilating your eyes that lasts only 15 minutes instead of all day!!! See I had my eyes examined this morning at 8:30 and until 3:30, I still couldn't see!!


• WHO decided that this should be in style???? I don't even know what to say about these. But you can bet that if I have seen you wearing them, I made some smart allecky comment!



• Or this? I know that when I am expecting it to be a cold and blistery day, I pair up my favorite T-shirt with a nice scarf to keep me warm from the 90 degree weather!!!! Really, people?? Please!


• I have 600 songs on my iPhone. However, while listening to it in shuffle mode, it never plays any that I actually like!


• Until recently, I had never heard of anyone having an aversion to white foods (mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch dressing, etc.) Could this stem from a fear of ghost? They are white, too! Really, someone tell me, why do people have an aversion just because it is "white"?


• Why do doctors address me by my first name, yet I call them Dr. _________ (fill in the name)? Not that I want to be called Mrs. Randall, but does that mean he respects me less or I respect him/her more??


• On another fashion note - just because you can get it on your body DOES NOT MEAN IT FITS!!!


• Some of the teachers at our school have been known not to send home math homework because we parents "don't go through the right process". We arrive at the same answer, our technique is wrong!! Okay, then. I have no idea how I have made it this far in life!


• I have 9 tattoos. Still, the most asked question - "Do they hurt?". Hmmm. Well, I don't know about you, but tiny needles pulsing 100 mph into your skin, you figure it out. The question should really be "Are you a wimp?".


• Why is it that I have to drag my children out of bed on school days, yet on Saturday and Sunday (or any other non-school day) they are awake before the rooster??
• I have learned from my 8-year-old son that you can insult anyone you want as long as you say this phrase afterwards - "No offense!". Example: "Mom, that shirt sure is ugly! No offense!". Really, son? You just can't say "No offense" and all is good again!
• My two children once had a conversation about why some children are heavier than others even though they are the same age as my children. My daughter explained it away by saying that she thinks heavy mothers have heavy babies. My son said that couldn't possibly be true because "we are skinny and look at Mom!" hmmmm (Note: I have lost 40 lbs. since February!)

Okay, I guess I am done rambling. This post isn't worth much. Just some things dribbling in my head! Feel free to laugh out loud and/or post a comment! Until next time....

I am weird! Are you?

Well, really, what is normal anyway? I find myself saying "she/he isn't normal!". But neither am I, really.

I always thought I grew up in a "normal" family! HA! Rude awakening! Of course, normal to me might be crazy to you and vice verse. I grew up with two parents and two siblings. I am a middle child (that in itself makes me "weird" but it isn't my fault where my birth order is! Thanks, Mom!). If you know me, and you are just now finding out that I am a middle child, I am sure you just had an "ah ha" moment. I think having odd numbers of children should be against the law! It just should! Of course, my husband grew up in a home with two parents and just one sibling and they probably thought they were "normal" too! But, sister, they ain't! (And I AM an expert on what "normal" is!) My sister-in-law (husband's sister) is my best friend, so I am thankful that she exists, but how she made it in her house, I will never know! And rest assured, my husband and his family know that I think they are weird! (Have you gotten the impression that I don't hold back much?)

Anyway.....I said I was weird. And I will tell you why. I won't wear dirty tennis shoes. I just won't. I don't know why, but if they get to the point where you can tell they have been worn, they have to go! Good thing I don't wear them that often! Another thing, I won't mix athletic brands. Example....I will not wear Nike socks with New Balance tennis shoes. I won't wear Under Armour clothes with Nike shoes, etc. Like today, I could have been a walking advertisement for Under Armour. EVERYTHING I had on today clothing-wise was Under Armour. When I say EVERYTHING - I mean EVERYTHING! It has gotten worse lately because I have taken up exercising almost every day, so I had to purchase more "athletic" clothes. It is a sickness, I tell you!

I could go on with more, but really, it is just all downhill from here! I guess, if we admit it, we are all weird in our own way. Who is to say what normal is anyway?

As always, I'd love to hear from you! Until next time......