Thursday, October 30, 2008

Amazing Poop

My kids are of a generation where almost nothing thrills them. Man on the moon? That’s old stuff. Computer games so real you feel like you’re really living on Mars? Yawn. Grabbing your cell and calling an uncle in Paris while cruising down the highway? Boring. So when we recently decided to visit the zoo, I was sure this would be a yawn fest for the kids. Luckily, I’m wrong once in a while.

The minute we entered the gates, the kids realized it was feeding time at the sea lion exhibit. They watched in amazement as the sea lions did what sea lions have been doing for centuries. Eating fish with one huge gulp. This natural act engaged their attention more intensely than the Star Wars game for the Playstation.

Then it was off to see the elephants. My nine year old who yawns in boredom at manufacturing robots and spaceships, was in awe of these creatures.

“Mom, look at that! That poop is huge.” Both boys leaned over the fence in excitement at the mega piles of excrement directly in front of us.

Then we went to visit the monkey house. Again, the mammals were doing what monkeys have been doing for centuries - throwing poop at the glass walls. The kids were absolutely fascinated by this game. Almost as thrilling as all the poop were the vines and ropes for the monkeys to swing from. At that moment, I think all three of my kids would have gladly given up all modern technology for a chance to live with the monkeys and swing from the vines.

The entire day at the zoo, the kids ran from exhibit to exhibit much more excited to see the animals than I thought was possible. The whole adventure taught me a valuable lesson in time for Christmas. Just when you think you have to spend tons of money on fancy toys, your kids remind you that the box is still more fun than the contents.

Especially if that box happens to be located in close proximity to the world’s largest pile of poop.

Posted by Leanna Kay at 11:38:42 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Something to Share

It’s been a busy week with barely time to breathe, let alone blog.  So I’m sharing a funny forward I got in my email this week.  Enjoy!

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it’s your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.


You get in to find the door won’t latch. It doesn’t matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern ’seat covers’ (invented by someone’s Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn’t-so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the
FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume ‘ The Stance.’


In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You’d love to sit down, but you certainly hadn’t taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold ‘The Stance.’


To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be
the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother’s voice saying, ‘Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!’ Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that’s still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It’s still smaller than your thumbnail
.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn’t work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. ‘Occupied!’ you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the
TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it’s too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you’re certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, ‘You just don’t KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.’

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in
, too.

At this point, you give up. You’re soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You’re exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.


You can’t figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you
NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman’s hand and tell her warmly, ‘Here, you just might need this.’

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men’s restroom. Annoyed, he asks, ‘What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?’

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you’ve GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It’s so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

Posted by Leanna Kay at 17:54:24 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Thursday, October 16, 2008

One Year Closer to Death

I recently celebrated a birthday. Since I live in a house with a seven-year-old girl, this was a big day. Lauren thinks that a birthday should be celebrated with a ticker tape parade, a semi-truck filled with presents and cake. Lots of cake. She doesn’t realize that the desire to have all the fanfare diminishes when you get to be my age. Which by the way, is 29ish. (If you add the “ish” it isn’t a lie. And besides, I won’t tell on you if you don’t tell on me.)

Lauren is a long way from adding “ish” to any of her numbers, At the ripe age of seven, every birthday for her is filled with a wonderful new milestone. Old enough to go to school. Big enough to upgrade the car seat. Old enough to get her own library card. These are all things to be celebrated.

She doesn’t realize that at some point in life, the milestones are no longer cake worthy. Old enough to get your first mammogram. Old enough to need support hose. (I’m talking about you of course. Not me). Old enough to be considered at risk for stroke or heart attacks.

And even old enough that the cashier at Kroger doesn’t card you even though they’re supposed to look at identification on anyone they think is younger than 30. Which makes me wonder just how old that fifteen-year-old cashier really thinks I am. But that’s a subject for another rant, er…blog.

Old enough to easily wander off topic. Uh, what was I talking about? Um….. Oh yeah, my birthday. Lauren made sure all my presents were wrapped extra nicely. Then she was appalled to learn no one was planning on baking any cakes. So she convinced Grandma that Mommy needed a chocolate cake. She even set the table for dinner. Any time I turned around, there she was making sure I didn’t have to do anything because “it’s your birthday, Mommy.”

I wasn’t expecting the queen treatment. I’d actually hoped the day would slide by without anyone reminding me that I was one year closer to learning what gout is. But I do have to admit Lauren’s efforts to make my day special were really nice. It almost made me forget about the pitfalls of aging. Until one of the boys weighed in.

“Hey Mom. You’re now one year closer to death.”

Thanks for the reality check.

Posted by Leanna Kay at 12:53:54 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Friday, October 10, 2008

Pass the Tacos

I got my flu shot last week and within six hours I was sick as a dog. Coincidence, you say? I know the nurses always tell you that you can’t get the flu from the shot, but they’re saying this as they’re injecting germs into your body with hopes that your immune system will crank into overdrive and develop immunity against the evil invaders.

Six hours. You tell me.

At any rate, in the past when I’ve been sick, the children have never modified their behavior. As little as six months ago, they’d stomp up to where I was laying on the couch with my head hung over a puke bowl (just in case) and ask, “Whatcha making for dinner mom? Tacos sound good.”

My complaints of “I’m sick” were met with looks of cluelessness.

“We know, Mom. But what’s for supper?”

Imagine my surprise this time when I was able to lay on the couch without anyone bothering me. All I heard was, “Shh, Mom’s sick. Let her alone.” Then I heard nothing. Nothing for hours. I got to the point where I worried that the kids had been abducted by aliens. But they were fine. Fine if you consider six straight hours of computer games to be okay.

Maybe they took advantage of my weakness. But I didn’t care. At least they weren’t pestering me for food. Apparently they’ve now matured enough to understand that no normal human with their head hung over a puke bowl should have to hear the word “tacos.”

I know it’s not much, but I’d like to think it’s a glimpse into the future. My attempts to mold the next generation into responsible beings just might be working. Feel the motherly pride.

Posted by Leanna Kay at 12:58:58 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

401-KEGS

I’m ordering a truckload of sand so I’ll have somewhere to bury my head for the next two months. Normal life is getting to be too much for this middle-aged Midwest mom. Last week I spent every day listening to news reports of impending financial ruin. To think I put money in the stock market, investing my future on the sanctity of the Big Mac when I really should have invested in a shovel to bury my earnings in the back yard.

Actually according to an email buddy, I should have invested in beer. This email pointed out that had I purchased $1000 shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, I would have $49 today. If I’d spent the same money on AIG, I’d have $33. That’s bad, but it would have been worse had I invested in Lehman Brothers as the money would all be gone.

But had I spent the money on beer, drank the beer and recycled the cans, I’d have $214 from the aluminum. The email encouraged me to drink heavily and reap the rewards of my new 401-KEG plan.

I’m probably not going to be a 401-Kegger though. Mainly because beer tastes like pee. Or at least what I imagine pee would taste like if people actually bottled it and sold it at liquor stores. I think I’ll just order the truckload of sand instead and bury my head. If you’re not too drunk from your 401-KEG plan, come get me when the financial crisis is over.

Posted by Leanna Kay at 16:07:13 | Permalink | Comments (1) »