…tried to make a home in our window well this afternoon. We scared them away… today. I hope they don’t come back. Is this strange or what?
January 17, 2011
January 6, 2011
My husband isn’t horrible
Only three months ago, I posted My Husband is Horrible, which described a terrible prank my husband played on me. Hubby didn’t like the title of my post, but he still boasts of the clever trick he played on me.
However, upon returning from Phoenix, I have discovered that my husband isn’t so horrible after all. He was amazing.
I spent 15 days in Phoenix, and my husband only spent 7, returning early to go back to work. So, hubby and I were apart for 8 days. It was only the second time in 12 years of marriage that we’ve been apart for more than 2 or 3 days. Hubby says he was lonely in the house all by himself, and he kept busy to keep from being lonely.
While we were gone, he took down all the Christmas decorations (both inside and outside the house), vacuumed the entire house, scrubbed the master bath shower (which he doesn’t even use – he prefers the kids’ bathroom), installed some drywall in the laundry room, made homemade chicken noodle soup, and purchased a cake for us, which read, “Welcome home”. It was so sweet.
I told him, “This is amazing! I need to leave you more often!”
January 3, 2011
My blog: 2010 in review
The stats monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how my blog did in 2010, and here’s a summary of my overall blog health:
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. My blog was viewed about 3,800 times in 2010. That’s about 9 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 74 new posts, growing the total archive of my blog to 168 posts. There were 246 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 283mb. That’s about 5 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was April 22nd with 40 views. The most popular post that day was When your three year old stops napping.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were bananabearandbophie.blogspot.com, mail.yahoo.com, facebook.com, blogger.com, and kiddycrafts.blogspot.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for spring books for preschoolers, 3 year old not napping, sleeping kids, sleeping on the floor, and no soul left behind.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
1
When your three year old stops napping January 2008
2 comments
2
Preschool Books for Spring! April 2008
1 comment
3
What “Select Comfort Number” is this? June 2009
4
Viewing Sesame Street: The body at COSI December 2008
1 comment
5
Motivating kids to do extra schoolwork January 2010
December 7, 2010
Looking back and laughing
Yesterday, I was cleaning out a drawer in my nightstand, and I found six medicine bottles for prescriptions I had been given when I was sick and bed-ridden almost three years ago. I found bottles of Levsin, Lomotil, Phenergan, Prometrium, Reglan, Zofran, and other pills.
Those days were miserable – I was sick with gastroparesis and severe gastritis, and unable to eat much of anything for months. I spent so much time in bed, I developed a bed sore on my right hip. I lost 25 lbs, and could eat nothing more than Ensure, white rice and Jell-o. Finally, after several weeks, I was able to tolerate some protein – fat free ham. We always bought our ham from Meijer, and the brand name they sold was John Morrell Ham. I spent a couple of months eating a lot of John Morrell Ham.
Once, during that time, my husband made a comment about John Morrell. I said, “John Morrell – that name sounds familiar. Who is John Morrell?”
He replied, “The only man who spends more time inside my wife than I do.”
November 8, 2010
Is it food?
I found this picture so revolting I just had to post it. Here are two McDonald’s hamburgers, one fresh, one 14 years old. Can you guess which is which? The one on the left is 14 years old. If it doesn’t rot, is it really food?
According to www.mercola.com, the following ingredients are in a McDonald’s hamburger bun:
• calcium sulfate (aka Plaster of Paris)
• calcium carbonate (Antacid medication)
• ammonium sulfate (According to MSDS,“harmful if swallowed”)
• ammonium chloride (Causes irritation to the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea)
• calcium propionate (Preservative)
• sodium propionate (Mold inhibitor)
October 31, 2010
My husband is horrible!
My husband is horrible! He played the worst joke on me today.
Last night, I baked hot cross buns for my students in my religious education class. This was how the kitchen counter looked when I went to bed last night.
This morning, I woke up, and this is how I found the countertop:
I admit, I screamed when I saw the plates. I thought for sure that the children had eaten half the buns while I was in the shower. Everyone else laughed and laughed!
September 24, 2010
Homeschool Humor
Q: How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?
A: First, mom checks out three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life.
Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles.
Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they’ll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill.
On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill.
Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed.
And there is light.
August 8, 2010
Hocking Hills Canoe Trip
The Naturalist at the bow
Today, the boy and I (Dad) went canoeing at Hocking Hills, which is located about one hour’s drive south of our home. Since this was our first time canoeing, we naturally decided to take the longest trip possible. The naturalist got the hang of it very quickly and neither of us fell into the river.
We also had the opportunity to dock the canoe and hike Rockbridge state park, which (as is its name implies) has some interesting rock formations and waterfalls to see. The picture below shows the Naturalist on the top of the so-called “rock bridge” which is a natural rock formation and small waterfall. You can also go under the bridge if you like, either by hiking around the side and walking down a steep slope or by simply falling over the end of the rock formation and severely injuring yourself.
Rockbridge and dangerous gorge
The only thing on the site to prevent such an injury is a warning sign (see photo below) and flimsy rope. Of all the things Obama could have spent my children’s future salaries on, a wooden railing at this site would have been a good choice. It’s definitely “shovel ready.”
Obviously, the lawyers at the Ohio DNR are looking out for us!
You will also notice that I am wearing a bright orange t-shirt. I selected this shirt so that if I encountered some mishap on the trip, the forest rangers could easily find my body and retrieve my car and house keys. (If I lose another pair, my wife will kill me.)
On the way home, we stopped in Lancaster, Ohio, the home of Gen. William T. Sherman, famous civil war general. Although the tactics of Sherman’s army were always carried out with precision, ours were not. We arrived about five minutes before his home/museum closed for the day. I knocked on the door of the museum, only to be greeted by an elderly lady who, by the looks of her, may have been Sherman’s mother. She told me that the museum was closed and that I could come back later. I told her that I still had five minutes. She replied, “That’s just enough time to see the cannon outside.” So, here’s a picture of the cannon.
Cannon outside Sherman' home (Apparently, he was not on good terms with his neighbors).
July 26, 2010
July 18, 2010
Dad’s life
My husband laughed and laughed when he saw this video about being a dad. It seems to describe his life perfectly: St. John’s Bay shirts, Docker’s pants, obsessing over the lawn, grilling, and spraying everything with Round-up. It is great!
