Thursday Thirteen
Thursday Thirteen: Favorite Sounds
Feb 10th
1. “Night-Night“: One of the most calming parts of my day is when these words are finally uttered by my kids.
2. “Lets go“: I love getting out of the house.
3. Lively music: Having waitressed for 11 years, I found myself driving to work with a scowl on my face way too often. Instead I would play my favortie tunes to lift my spirits. It still works! No matter what my mood, upbeat music always makes it better.
4. “Mommy!” (when said with enthusiasm) Mostly the girls call out for Daddy, but when I hear them call out for me I LOVE it!
5. Live Piano: When Damien first brought home his childhood piano I thought it would make a nice addition to our decor, but I never knew I would love hearing him play it so much. It is very relaxing.
6. “I Love You!” Who could get tired of hearing this?
7. Laughing: One of the best sounds ever, esp. when it is kids.
8. The final “schools out” bell of the day…awww sweet harmony!
9. Silence: This is actually quite the opposite of sound, but it tops the list anyways.
10. Running water (like rivers and streams)
11. Holiday Jingles: As soon as the time of year comes when they start playing Xmas music it starts to feel so magical.
12. Rustling Leaves: No explanation, just love it!
13. Anthony Hopkins & Morgan Freeman: These guys could turn the “books on tape” market in to a multi million dollar business with their calming voices.
Thursday Thirteen
Feb 27th
Ever feel like you are the last human being around listening to some way out of date song that was rather questionable even in its prime? Needless to say I am beginning to think I am the queen of this movement. Worse yet, I don’t just enjoy one song from some of these obscure artists, I relish the entire album, and sometimes multiple albums. For this reason I am dedicating my Thursday Thirteen to some outlandish artists that most won’t admit to ever having enjoyed. Most of them were popular before my generation, however my mothers influence has left me humming them many years later. Before you read any further I should probably add the disclaimer that although I actually do listen to normal music as well, these are the ones that reveal my inner nerd.
1. Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
2. Eddie Rabbit- Greatest Hits- Damien cringes when this one makes it in the car.
3. Meatloaf- Bat Out of Hell- I groaned for weeks when my mom got this one in the mail, needless to say when his next album came out I was introducing it to her.
4. Cher- Heart of Stone- Back when cassette tapes weren’t convenient to fast forward, I learned even the “unknown” songs on this one and can still sing along without missing a lyric.
5. Michael Bolton- Greatest Hits
6. Paula Abdul- It is such a shame that Paula has turned out to be so sappy and annoying on American Idol, because I still dance and sing along to Forever your Girl.
8. Taylor Dayne- Can’t Fight Fate- My best friend & I made up a dance to this in Jr. High.
9. Hall & Oates- The Very Best of- I have even got my kids singing along to Private Eyes, poor things are going to grow up closet dweebs as well
10. Culture Club- We used to watch the video of Karma Chameleon over and over again. That song can get me off the couch when ever I am in a rut.
11. George Michael- Faith- OOh, another mover.
12. Ace of Base- I saw the sign
One thing can be said about each and every one of these artists, their songs bring back memories from my youth that brighten my day every time.
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Thursday Thirteen: Get rid of the stain
Jan 3rd
I’m not sure if bringing a third child into our home tripled the amount of stains we see, or if mom got tired of trying to prevent them when everything else got chaotic, either way stains have taken over the Riley home. As a result I am dedicating my Thursday Thirteen to a variety of methods for getting rid of different types of stains. Feel free to add to the list in your comments if you have any brilliant removal tips of your own as I can always use new ideas.
1. White Vinegar- Apparently this is the fix all cleaner. I knew that it removes laundry stains, carpet stains, and coffee stains from cups and pots. But after reading this article I’m thinking I need a few gallons of this stuff on hand.*
2. WD-40 & Dish soap for crayon marks- If you happen to be one of the many who have love magic erasers, skip this one over. For myself those crumbly sponges have really started to bug me, so for crayon marks on a painted wall simply spray them with a bit of WD-40, and wipe them away. Then of course you’ll need a hint of dish soap to clean off the WD-40, but then…Viola, your walls are clean.
3. If an obnoxious youngster paints on the wall with a rather obvious second color that won’t come off, paint over it.
4. Alka- Seltzer- Drop a couple of tabs in your toilet if you have a ring and the seltzer will magically make it disappear (or prevent the stain to begin with by using Clorox toilet bowl tablets).
5. For the kitchen and laundry I tend to count on good ol’ reliable bleach. Just make sure to wear your rags or you will inevitably lean against a counter and ruin an outfit.
6. Oxy Clean- If you get a carpet stain or stains or your clothes use a bit of this cleaner and it does a pretty good job of getting the stains out. Note: this stuff is far more effective on fresh stains, but I managed to severely fade out two rather large coffee stains left behind by dh on the carpet.
7. If the carpet stain resists peroxide, oxyclean, vinegar, and anything else you can think of, buy an area rug.
8. Soak your whites in Biz overnight. The next morning set them to wash as usual and they will look almost new without the dull look that some of your whites may have acquired over time. Now if you have a front loading machine like myself you may need to take over a bathtub, but it works just as well.
9. Peroxide- I am thinking this works on the same principles as oxyclean. Mix it up with a bit of baking soda making a paste and scrub stains away.
10. Bath Stains- Break out the soft scrub. I know you were probably hoping for something more convenient here, but I have yet to see a bathtub ring that could resist soft scrub. Also new products on the market for showers work great (that is if you remember to spray them after every single shower).
11. Windex- This is right up there with white vinegar removing ink stains, carpet stains, and of course hard water stains.
12. Oil stains? If you change your own oil or spring a leak, break out the kitty litter. Be generous when sprinkling this over your stain, let it absorb overnight and just sweep it up the next day.
13. When all else fails and you are completely inundated with stains, sale the house and buy a new wardrobe.
*For any of the above methods always try on a small inconspicuous spot first lest you goof up and destroy it all together
Thursday Thirteen: Working my way back
Dec 20th
I think it can pretty much be said without hesitation that I stink at keeping up with a blog. Further more I must apologize to the kind dedicated readers of mine who have sent messages inquiring where I have disappeared to. My only rather sad excuse is that I am currently buried under piles of homework, laundry, dishes and diapers. So, here I am posting now because I have a link to my blog in my signature and removing it to let Party of Five die completely made me sad. My Thursday Thirteen could therefore be dedicated to none other than the 13 ways I intend to redeem myself and beckon back my wonderful readers and blog buddies.
1. I promise to dedicate myself to at least two posts per week.2. Even if I am too distracted to write my own post I commit to reading and commenting on at least two other blogs.
3. Instead of attempting to make every entry perfect and pristine, I will post blurbs sometimes to let my readers know I haven’t dropped out of the blogosphere.
4. I will stop worrying so much about what others think of my thoughts in print, after all, isn’t that the point of having my own blog?
5. If my kids, school, work, or marriage are the only hot topics on hand, then so be it…they shall appear with in these pages.
6. When hubby steals the fun family events for blogging I will post them anyways for those who do not frequent his sight.
7. When my river of thoughts runs dry I shall beg others to guestblog if they feel so inclined.
8. If I get requests (other than from hubby) to update the look of my blog I will indeed look into it.
9. I will cut at least thirty minutes of literati out of my limited schedule just for blogging.
10. I shall seek out a dark secluded place in my house to write undistracted (even if I have to hang out in the closet).
11. Even if I don’t have a bright, bubbly, exciting, or fun subject, I will blog the bummer events sometimes too. (It can always be sunshine and summertime right?)
12. If I know hubby is planning on blogging my best material, I will either stake claim to it first or race him to the finish line.
13. I shall not disappear again without warning
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Thursday Thirteen:
Oct 11th
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One of the perks of having two kids in a relatively short time frame is that you get to use all of the goodies from the first one. This has come as an extreme advantage since our tiniest one is not so easily subdued most of the time. Therefore this Thursday Thirteen is dedicated to the objects that attempt to entertain little britches through out any given day. Be forewarned the manufacturer of most of these toys are “we suck batteries dry in mere minutes” aka “we keep back ups for our own peace of mind”.
The Snugglie, Guitar and Bath are the big guns that come out when all toys, meals, & means to a nap have been exhausted.
Thursday Thirteen
Oct 3rd
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They say that life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. This should actually be the theme of my existence since most of the big events in my life, including my husband and two of my children, have happened on a whim without much planning. It occurred to me when trying to think of a Thursday Thirteen that before Summer begins next year many exciting events are on their way. So as Summer is coming to an end I am dedicating this post to the most exciting events that I’m planning on. It remains to be seen which events didn’t make the list.
1. Halloween- I love dressing my kids in ridiculous outfits and walking blocks in the windy outdoors til’ our noses are red and runny and we come home to hand out candy to the miniature ghost’s and princesses.
2. Becoming the parent of only ONE child in diapers as the aging two year old is finally reaching a milestone.
3. Getting my tubes tied (no more birth control, condoms, or calender watching…yippeee)!
4. Going to Las Vegas to celebrate my 5 year anniversary (which is where we tied the knot).
5. Celebrating all of the major first holidays for our newest addition (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter).
6. Traveling through all of the above mentioned holidays not having to serve the miserable grumpy guests who seem offended by holiday cheer (as it would seem I am definitely through waiting tables 
)
7. Hubby has recently taught me 3 chords on the guitar, so with all hope in less than a year I will actually be able to play a recognizable tune.
8. Christmas- need I say more?
9. Finishing my BA (after taking 12 years, it is about time),
10. Trading in this:
for this:
(probably more like wishful thinking, but surely with in a year it should be possible)
11. Taking leaps and bounds toward fixing little man’s crooked teeth 
12. Starting my credential Program in June
13. Last but not least…if my schedule permits, I will be teaching in a class of my own by August 2008
Thursday Thirteen: Fall Line Up
Sep 12th
With so many new shows beginning this Fall, as well as older ones returning, I thought I would dedicate my Thursday Thirteen to the shows I am most anxious to get on (or back on) my Tivo list.
1. Bionic Woman: I watched the original of this with Lindsey Wagner growing up and am dying to see the remake. The nearly 10 minute teaser that was released on yahoo a couple of months ago has left me more than eager to see more.
2. Heroes: This action packed show premiered last Fall and never stopped peaking my interest with attention grabbing twists & turns. I can’t wait to see what is in store for Season 2.
3. CSI: I only watch the Las Vegas version of this show, but last season we were left wondering what in the world is going to happen with Sarah who is left dying under a car (esp. now that everyone knows how Grissom feels about her). In case you don’t watch this one, it is not as soap opera-ish as I just made it sound, lol. It is actually precisely as titled, Crime Scene Investigation, giving you a look into the forensic science of solving crimes.
4. Journeyman: This is a new NBC mystery-drama about a guy who is somehow traveling through time, who may or may not be able to change people’s lives. I hope this one turns out as good as the ad’s are making it look.
5. Desperate Housewives: My only defense for this one is that I don’t watch day time soaps so I need some fictional scandal from somewhere right? 
6. Biggest Loser: I can use inspiration from any where it is available. I love how in the premiere they put small facts about bad & good foods on the bottom of the screen. It is amazing the clarity that comes with awareness about the impact of certain foods on your body.
7. Grey’s Anatomy: Though this used to be one of my favorite shows, it is falling quickly. I hope this season they can do something to get the chemistry back between Mc.Dreamy & Merideth, and dump the lame affair between two friends with NO chemistry.
8. Kid Nation: This is a new reality show about a bunch of kids who are rebuilding an old western town without adult interference. They have to make the city function with businesses as well as cook and work. It hasn’t even premiered and I want to get my 9 year old on it. He could desperately use a good lesson involving hard work and a true look at the reality that sometimes things are “not fair”. (This is a phrase I have hear uttered by him a couple of times recently).
9. House: If you haven’t seen this show, you have missed out on one rude doctor. Hugh Laurie plays a PHd who mistreats his staff, superiors and patients, but is the best at what he does so they keep him on. Each week he and his team are trying to find a cure to a mysterious ailment that one of his patients has been plagued by, adding mystery to the standard medical show genre. This is one of the only shows Riley and I enjoy together, so it’s place on the tivo is secure.
10. Lost: Yes, I am one of the millions of viewers hooked on this rediculous plot, and eagerly awaiting its end as I ponder what direction the writers are going to go this next season. Personally I think they all crashed and died and we are getting a glimpse of their personal hell’s. Guess we won’t really know what is going on for a few more years, as they signed on for a final four seasons.
11.Brothers & Sisters: Riley despises this show, but my side of the family is sometimes equally full of drama, if not more, so I try to watch it when he is not around. 
12. Private Practice: A spin off of Grey’s Anatomy which takes Addison to Los Angeles to work with a new staff in a private practice. I am slightly interested in this because the staff includes some of my former favorites like Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy), Tim Daly (Wings), and Taye Diggs. But I have never been a big fan of Kate Walsh as her acting skills are somewhat lacking. Last season we got a peak at this shows future, hopefully it will be worth watching.
13. Smallville: This is a show that I have resisted watching for 7 full seasons as it completely contradicts the original Superman movies (of which I am a fan). However my mother (thanks mom 
), got my 9 year old watching it, so now after a full Summer of watching multiple season reruns, I am anxious to see what is going to happen to Clark Kent as he is growing up and uncovering secrets of his heritage.
Thursday Thirteen: Becoming a teacher
Aug 30th
For anyone out there that thinks that teachers are overpaid and that “those who can’t, teach”, here is my list of thirteen hoops I have to jump through (or already have) just in the pursuit to become a teacher.
1. Get an AA taking ugly general education courses as electives rather than fun foo foo classes.
2. Major in Human Development rather than anything thing else more interesting because it contains most of your pre-rec’s for the credential program.
3. Take the CBEST ($41 pass or fail).
4. Spend many late night crumpling papers and throwing them as far as they will land wishing the school would burn down or you would win a billion dollars and get to drop out.
5. Add additional classes to your already full schedule to finish within your cramped time frame, because believe it or not, you can not get a BA in two years unless you are overloaded.
6. Expend massive energy preparing for a three part state exam (aka CSET) that you can’t teach without, then take the CSET (at $74 per part, pass or fail).
7. Once you are in your credential program, you now get to go to school full time, AND go to work every day as an unpaid student teacher.
8. Finally finished with your AA, BA, and Credential you can start interviewing.
9. In the process of finally getting hired, you will need to go get fingerprinted and have your entire background checked (hopefully while you were completing the first three lengthy steps you stayed out of trouble).
10. Get a job and start paying back years worth of debt accrued in student loans for the exciting $38k per year you will now be earning.
11. Sign up to teach summer school as well, because you need to pay off a couple of extra bills that your deficit pay check didn’t cover.
12. Listen to a bunch of idiots tell you for the rest of your career just how lucky you are to have the whole summer off.
13. Sigh in relief that college life is now over, but take a deep breath for the new world of politics and administration that has now alienated your life.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Damozel
2. Jessica the Rock Chick
3. Jennifer
4. Damien
5. (leave your link in comments, I?ll add you here!)
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It?s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Thursday 13: Random Facts about myself.
Aug 22nd
2. I was born the year Elvis died.
3. I have a major fear of spiders.
4. I was a single mom for 4 years.
5. I met and dated a guy off yahoo personals.
6. I Married him 2.5 months later in Vegas (our 5 year anniversary is right around the corner).
7. If I had been born a boy, my name would have been Delbert Chancellor.
8. I am left handed, but do many things right handed.
9. I wore stir-up pants in Jr High (and beyond).
10. I often curse at stupid drivers on the road.
11. I recently found an A on my transcripts for a class I never took, I’m sure I’ll report the error eventually.
12. I still have a large collection of Garbage Pail Kid Stickers, and can’t bring myself to get rid of them.
13. I once went Para-Sailing in Mexico and loved it.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
| 1. Lori |
2. Miss Wisabus |
3. Wendy Wings |
| 4. Malcom |
5. Imma (Alice) |
6. Kat |
| 7. Suprina |
8. Robin |
9. Jessica the Rock Chick |
| 10. Cyndie |
11.Kendra |
