Chocolate Phoenix

For some reason, I feel it necessary to talk about my TV schedule. I don’t know why. I wish I was more like Karen when she said she doesn’t watch TV. You’re so cool. I’m so addicted, it’s not even funny. Ches and I haven’t really been adding in new shows (we are just too busy), and have actually been cutting out some shows, so that’s good. Anyrate, here it goes:

Sunday: America’s Funniest Videos — or as Aiden calls it “Funny videos”. I mostly like to watch it because I like to see Ches laugh that hard. Good times.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition — These guys have the coolest job in the world. To seriously make people happy by giving them something that just couldn’t have on their own. I cry in every stinkin’ episode.
Desperate Housewives — Initially, I thought this would be stupid and make us SAHMs look bad, but I watched the first episode, and I’m hooked. It’s pretty hilarious.

Monday: 7th Heaven — I didn’t used to watch this, but I needed something last year when Ches was in class until forever late and I was pregnant (read: laying on the couch trying not to throw up) and waiting for Everybody Loves Raymond. It’s a soap opera for Christian families.:)
CSI: Miami — Okay, this is actually a show that we’re dropping. Still love it, but I’m too tired at 10 pm to watch an hour program. So we’re not cathcing it this year.

Tuesday: Amazing Race — I think you all know how much I love this show, so I won’t say more (except seriously, if you don’t watch it, you should. LOVE it!)
NCIS — It’s just CSI in the Navy. And the characters crack me up.

Wednesday: The Apprentice: Martha Stewert — Hey, didn’t I tell you I was addicted to reality shows? So far, her tasks appeal to me a lot more than the Donald’s does.
Lost — Okay, greatest drama ever! Well, maybe not ever, but still. We started watching this one because of Dominick Monahan (yes, I’m sure I spelled that completely wrong. I just don’t feel like looking it up right now). We loved him in The Lord of the Rings. Then wefell in love with this show. I kept saying that once season one came out on DVD we were going to have a “Lost Party” where we watch it all at once. Maybe catch some stuff we had missed, that sort of thing. I hate waiting in between each episode because I have so many questions. I haven’t had the party yet, and so far this season is just giving me even more questions than before. I’m hooked.

Thursday: Survivor — Another show that we’ve watched from the first season. Well, we quit watching part way through Africa because that was a horrible season, but otherwise we’ve seen them all. My favorite season is still Australia. The game is really the same, and you can expect pretty much the same stuff happening, so I’m not so addicted like I used to be, but I don’t want to miss an episode.
CSI — Thanks to Kenyon and Emily, we started watching this show when we lived in Arizona. I agree with Jen… Tarantino directed the most awesome episode last season with Nick being buried alive. I was on pins and needles the whole time. My other favorite CSI moment is the episode that starts off like any other, Grissom says his little punny line, the music starts, THEN his cell phone rings, the music screeches to a halt, Grissom looks confused and answers his phone, and they are called to another crime scene where they do it all over again. We could not stop laughing!

Friday: Battlestar Galactica — This is really Ches’ show, and we didn’t realize the second season had begun, and now it’s already over. So we caught maybe 2 episodes. Oh well. Reruns.

Saturday: Uuuuuummmmmm, I don’t think we have a show! Wow! We are usually doing something, or we watch a movie.

So, there you have it. We are huge TV watchers. They need a 12 step program for people like me. I haven’t even begun to tell you about all the shows I watch when I’m just flipping through the channels and catch them at wierd times of the day: Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Laguna Beach, My Super Sweet 16, Real World, Punk’d, Surreal Life, Filthy Rich Cattle Drive, America’s Next Top Model, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Everybody Loves Raymond, Yes Dear, Friends, Dharma and Greg, Mythbusters, Most Haunted Places, Days of our Lives, the real estate show (that shows houses in our area for sale), I Love the 90’s (or 80’s, o 70’s…), Double Agents, Iron Chef, Made in America…

Now I’m totally embarrassing myself, and I’m going to stop. i can’t believe I’m actually going to publish this!

Happy 3rd birthday, Aiden!

Three years ago, I was laying in a hospital bed, numb from the waist down, recovering from surgery. I had the cutest little red-headed baby boy! We didn’t know what we were having, so it was a good surprise. We also didn’t have a name. The day before, I said that we should pick the name Aiden because I looked it up and it means “fiery”. I had this hyperactive child inside of me, and I knew that was so descriptive of the baby. When he came out with red hair, that just clinched it for me. Ches and I talked it over, and he agreed with me. Aiden it is.

From the first moment, Aiden would bring his head up and look around at the world. I really don’t know how much he could see, but his head was definitely up. He was curious from the start.

Here we are, three years later. Aiden is hanging off my arm at this moment saying, “Aiden! That’s my name! You typing about my birthday? I’m three! You want to type Spiderman?” He has a one track mind.

And now, we are off to buy party hats and a Spiderman cake for tonight. I love birthdays, and having a three year old birthday is really fun (so far!).

So, who watched the Amazing Race last night? What did you think?

I have heard that it wasn’t going to be as exciting, that it would be a total bomb, etc. I don’t think that’s the case. Well, it wasn’t as exciting as the normal Race, but it was still good. I thought it pretty cool that they didn’t rush them off to an airport in the first 30 seconds. Instead they got to do cool stuff here in the States. That’s rare. And there is a lot of cool stuff to do in this country, too. I’m excited to see what some of these people do in other countries, however.

Was anyone else disappointed that only ONE contestant recognized Kevin and Drew (from season one) at the hot dog stand??? As soon as they showed these guys, I got a little giddy. They are so hilarious! I’m seriously thinking of buying the DVDs to season one just so I can watch them again. Any rate, I don’t think these people desearve to be on the show if they didn’t recognize Kevin and Drew! They are so classic! Moving on…

I was quite disappointed with the Black family being the first eliminated. They are such a cute family! So very loving, they really knew how to work as a team. It was the most heartbreaking thing to watch them get eliminated. Those two little boys were being so tough, but you could see they were so disappointed and just wanted to cry. It’s going to be hard to watch the teams with kids get eliminated.

I don’t like the Weaver family. I think it was them. The ones with the little girl and the little boy, and they all run marathons and 5Ks, or whatever. Those kids are so cocky and obnoxious. It’s good to have confidence in yourself, but you don’t have to be snooty about it. I think the parents are teaching the kids some wrong attitudes. Of course, they were awefully nice to help out the other teams with their tents. (Not that these were hard tents to put up, mind you. They were even color coded! Whatever! Yes, we are campers.) Besides, I decided that I don’t want this team to win because they are already wealthy (did you catch them talking about how much traveling they have done not only across the US, but all over the world? Jeez, most people can’t afford to do that all the time with their kids.), and the million dollars isn’t going to enrich their lives in any way. Yes, that is the poor girl in me being bitter.

Okay, so give me your thoughts. I love this show, and have been watching it since the very first episode! It’s fun to talk about, too. At least for me.

… The Amazing Race: Family Edition starts tonight. Wo-hoo! Of all the reality shows that I watch (and yes, I watch a lot. I get sucked in. It’s a disease, I’m sure), The Amazing Race is my favorite. Someday, Ches and I will be on this show. Just wait and see. And we will win. And we’ll make great TV. We’ll be known as the Mormons/Young Marrieds/Parents/Band Teachers. I don’t handle stress all that well, and Ches has an amazing sense of direction, so we’ll be interesting to watch. Okay, I just wanted to say Amazing Race is on tonight. So watch it!

When I was doing my student teaching, my cooperating teacher asked me what kinds of things I liked to do (besides music, as this is what I was teaching). He said that you have to have other hobbies and activities to have a break from your job. “So, what do you like to do, Sariah?”

“Ummmm, I like to sleep.”

He laughed and laughed at me, then told all the other teachers at school and the principal that my favorite hobby was sleeping.

Well, it kind of is! I love to sleep! Except for those times that I’m fighting insomnia, I would spend all my time asleep in my bed. I love my bed. It’s wonderful!

When Ches and I got married, we had nothing. I mean, nothing. We moved into our apartment and spread a sleeping bag on the floor, sat on it and leaned up against some boxes. “This is our couch!” we proudly annouced to each other. So we slowly but surely gathered belongings from places like the Salvation Army. We borrowed a bed from our brother-in-law, Calvin. It was a full-size, not very firm bed. That bed was okay, but we wanted our own.

After a year of marriage, we were still in school and got our student loan checks. We went to a furniture store and spent hours looking at and laying down on mattresses. I really wanted a California King (but would be happy with a King) pillowtop mattress. Ches said it was too big and that we didn’t have the money for a pillowtop. So we got a Queen size, Serta mattress. It’s so pretty. A creamy color. Firm enough for Ches, yet soft enough for me. And Ches got me a body pillow since I didn’t get the pillowtop like I wanted. That sure came in handy years later when I was pregnant!

I am totally in love with my bed. I love clean sheet day. I would lay in bed and read and sleep all day on clean sheet day, if I could.

Ches got me a little surprise when I had Dallin a few months ago. He bought a Memory Foam mattress pad. Combined with the regular cotton mattress pad under the sheets, we now have the most heavenly bed possible. Ches sleeps soundly, I’m very comfortable, and even Aiden seems to really like it (since he is coming into our room every night, trying to sleep with us.). I have fallen in love with my bed all over again. I still wish we had a King size (because of Aiden, really), but my bed is so perfect now.

And now I’m going to lay down and take a short nap before I have to go to marching band.

Aiden is such a good big brother! One day, about a month ago, Aiden came running into the bathroom as I was taking a shower to announce in a very worried voice, “Mom! Dallin’s awake! Dallin’s crying!”

“I’ll be out in a minute,” I replied. I ended up taking , my time, however (I cherish long, hot showers.).

I came out of the bedroom, but could hear no crying. I entered the boys’ bedroom where, to my great surprise, Dallin was fast asleep. Aiden was sitting on the couch, watching TV in the front room.

“Aiden,” I asked,”what happened to Dallin?”

“He woke up, Mom. Then Dallin fall asleep.” Aiden had gone in the room, climbed in the crib, and comforted Dallin back to sleep.

Today. I was in the shower (yes, again. I do that). Both boys were in the front room watching “Magic Schoolbus”. Again, Aiden runs into the bathroom. “Mom! Dallin just spit up!”

“Okay, clean it up. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Sure enough, when I came out a few minutes later, there was no evidence of spit up anywhere (except for the used blanket next to Dallin), and Aiden was singing and dancing to make his little brother laugh.

Who needs a sitter when I have my three year old???

I’ve decided (just now) that New Year’s is not the time for making new resolutions (goals, really). You get stuck in the Winter Blah’s and never complete a thing. Since this is My Universe and all, my new rule is to make all resolutions (goals) whenever I darn well please, and to put an expiration date on it (that’s when I have to get it done by). Here goes:

1. Lose 15 pounds. Is Christmas too soon to have that done by?
2. Do Pilates every day of the week (except Sundays, days where I’m at a marching band competition all stinkin’ day long, or days where I’m majorly PMSing. Of course, on those days I don’t have to do anything but eat chocolate and lay in bed. Ha.) No expiration date.
3. Get Aiden potty-trained. Thanksgiving.
4. Start Dallin’s baby book. November 1st.
5. Try one new recipe a week. No expiration date.
6. Make really yummy smoothies. Next week.
7. Read the book I just bought for Ches about getting out of debt, then (start to) put into practice everything I have learned. Next week.
8. Throw a really awesome birthday party for Aiden. Next week.
9. Learn some cake decorating skills. Christmas.
10. Finish the datebase I started a couple of years ago of all our CDs by title, artist, and genre. Do the same for our DVDs. Thanksgiving.

That’s a good start.

I am a jealous wife. I’m really just figuring this out. However, it’s not other women that I am jealous of. It is all the cool things that my husband gets to do.

He gets to go to school and get a master’s degree.

He gets to go to marching band rehearsals on his own without worrying about the kids.

He gets to go out after football games with his collegues/friends until 2:30 in the morning.

He never has to find a babysitter.

He gets to play in Wind Ensemble and take private lessons.

He got to buy a new trumpet last year.

He got a new laptop and an iPod to go with.

It’s not that I’m upset with the life I have. I’m grateful for the undergraduate degree, and honestly, what would I do with my graduate degree (if I got one)? I want one in music history, just because I love the subject. Not because I want to teach it or anything. We don’t have the money for me to go to school for no reason right now. I have a decent flute. I don’t really play anymore, so why do I feel the need to get my dream flute? I want to play, but I’m so out of practice that I didn’t even feel up to auditioning when the philharmonic had a flute opening last year. There really isn’t anything else around here worth playing in. I’m so grateful to have my two boys. It took me so long to have them. I am so happy that my husband has a social life that doesn’t involve just me inviting over my friends and hopiong he likes them, too.

Sometimes I just miss being the 19 year old carefree student. I think that’s it. Depression seems to be setting in for an unknown reason. I really feel in some wierd funk.

Here they are. My two sons. They are really the best of friends right now. They like to entertain each other and make each other laugh. It’s funny to be driving down the street and hear them laughing at each other in the back seat. For no reason at all. They are so funny together. I sure hope this lasts a while!

One day, shortly after Dallin was born, I was holding him and Aiden wanted to sit on my lap, too. I let him climb up, and as I held them both, I said “I have both of my boys!” Now, every time Aiden wants me to hold him when I already have Dallin in my arms he says “I want both of my boys. Mom, you want both of my boys.” It’s like it’s the title of a game.

When I was 12 years old, my family was living in this old house in Goshen, Indiana. My room at that time was actually an enclosed back porch, so there was really no insulation to keep the room warm. It was wintertime, and if you have ever been in northern Indiana in the winter, then you know it is quite cold. To make it bearable, I had an electrical blanket on my bed. This blanket was about 20 years old and had belonged to my stepfather.

One night I woke up quite cold and realized I had kicked all of my blankets off. To warm up, I turned up the dial on the electrical blanket, intending to turn it back down a couple of notches once I was warmer. However, I fell asleep.

I woke up probably half an hour later, really hot. I could smell something burning, and then I saw smoke. It was kind of like a cartoon where the guy smells the smoke, and as he’s sniffing around to find out where it’s coming from, then he sees his tail on fire or something. For me, it was my right arm. I saw the smoke, then realized “I’m totally burned! The smoke is coming from me!”

I jumped out of bed and saw that my pajamas were burned, there was a black hole in my sheet and mattress, and the room was filled with smoke. I started to run into the house, then decided I needed to turn the blanket off first, so nothing else would get burned.

I crept upstairs to my parents’ bedroom, trying to be so very quiet because Erica was just a baby and I didn’t want to wake her up. I opened the door and whispered “Mom, I’m burned.” The reaction was pretty funny. Both Mom and Dad sat straight up in bed. Mom’s first thought was that my whole body was burned up. Dad’s first thought was the entire house was on fire.

Once they realized it was nothing that serious, the lights were turned on, and we went downstairs. The whole first floor of the house was now filled with smoke, and my brother, Vinnie, woke up quite angry from the smoke filling his room. Dad opened doors and windows, and Mom made me put my arm under cold water in the bath tub while she gathered some stuff to take me to the hospital.

It turned out that the blanket pretty much broke in one spot, where my arm was. I had first and second degree burns, and if you look closely today, you can still see a couple of scars. Mom and Dad still make fun of me for trying not to wake up Erica. And that is why to this day, I will not sleep with an electrical blanket, no matter how new it is or how cold I am!