It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Captain Camerica

Doug has a lot of really odd board games.  His family is really into board games and they play them all the time.  They are not your average games like Scrabble and Monopoly.  They are games you have probably never heard of.  I have reluctantly been indoctrinated into it.  Some of them are ok.  Some of them I hate.

He has slowly started the brainwashing Michael process.  It's ok.  I actually think Doug is so smart because he didn't watch tv and played these crazy ass games.  One of the games he has is based on Marvel super heroes.  All Michael wants to do is play it but it is way beyond him.  So he just gets the little figurines out and gives them names and assigns them super powers.  But, he does it in the same vein of the tv show "Super Why."  So, instead of "Super Why with the power to read" we get "Spider Man with the power to web."

But then it gets really bizarre.  Because I have never seen half of these "superheroes" that are in this box I can't tell Michael what their names or "superpowers" are.  So Michael starts making up names and superpowers.  Like "stretchy guy with the power to stretch."  And "rock guy with the power to rock."  And "fire guy with the power to fire."

And my favorite "Captain Camerica with the power to Camerica"

But seriously, what the hell was Captain America's superpower anyway?  The power to save America?

In Sickness and In Health

It dawned on me recently that Doug and I never made that vow to each other.  The Jewish marriage vow is "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine."  We do none of that better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and or health stuff.  I have no idea why.  I should ask my best friend.  She is a rabbi.

I was thinking about this because it occurred to me that Doug did not sign up for this.  This, being sick Jodi.  He didn't sign up for me being tired and achy and cranky.  For worrying about sunscreen and sun protection clothing.  For discussing ANA results and rheumatoid factors and one medicine versus another medicine.  And doctor visit after doctor visit after doctor visit.

Trust me, I know it could be worse.  It could be cancer and chemo, not Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis.  I know.  But some days, like lately, the bright side is hard to see.

I try to think if I was Doug if I would be mad or resentful and I don't know.  I'd like to think no, but who knows?  He had gum surgery once and I wanted to hire him a nurse.  Him sick for the rest of our lives?  I have no idea if I could do it.  I apparently suck.

I always say there are boys you date and boys you marry and I married very, very well.  And what is amazing is that before I married very, very well I dated morons.  (My entire family is nodding their heads right now.  Doug, who knew one of my ex-boyfriends is nodding his head right now also.)  It's true.  I dated idiots.  It would never occur to Doug to do anything but to take me in sickness and in health, even if we didn't say those words almost 9 words years ago.

9 years?  How is possible I've been married almost 9 years?

I found this song recently and it is true.  It may be a bit schmaltzy but it just seems to fit the place I am in in my life right now.  And unlike the rest of the mamapop crew, I am not so much a music snob.

We do live on borrowed time.  In sickness and in health.  Who knows what is going to happen next?

And The Winners Are

You know how some people can post a screen shot of random.org to show who won?  Well, I don't know how to do that so you will just have to trust me.

My friend Stacy, and this was not fixed, won the diapers.

Melanie, Diane, Elaine, and Janana Bee won the onesies.  You should have all gotten an email from me but if not, please email me your address to jodi@lucidphoenix.com and I will mail them out.

Congrats to all!

Quick Reminder

You have today and tomorrow to enter my contest for onesies and diapers and then it ends!

Shoe Friday #23 and The End Of The Party

It's the end of the Ultimate Blog Party and Kim has some amazing party shoes.  I love the middle ones.  Thanks for partying with me all week!

In her words,

Oh Deer! peep toe sparkle pump

Unlisted floral print d'orsay pump

Carlos Santana ankle strap sandal

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Don't forget to enter my contest, it ends Sunday.

I Guess It Was Bound To Happen

So I haven't been feeling so well lately.  Tired, achy.  Generally crappy.  And when it started I was like, oh, right, that again.  See, I tend to forget I'm sick.  Call it denial or managing, it's generally a nice place to be.

They say stress can bring on a flare, and we have had some of that around these parts lately.  And even when all that was going on everyone was like, "and how are you feeling?"  And I was like," what are all you people talking about?  I'M FINE."  And then now, wait a minute, I'm not fine.

Add to that the car accident we we were in last weekend.  Someone rear ended us at a stop light.  We were sitting still, they hit us, Doug's car is a mess, and their car insurance is being total assholes.  So, yeah.  Stress.

And my work laptop caught a virus, a trojan it's called.  I use my work laptop as my personal laptop and the one they handed me back is less than stellar.  Let's just say the IT people caught on to my personal use and it's no more tweet deck and itunes for me and bring on the laptop shopping.  So, yeah.  Stress.

When Michael got hurt, my motto kicked in, just keep swimming.  Because that's what I do.  Just keep moving.  Don't slow down.  Don't stop.  Don't think.  Because if you stop, if you think, if you even sit down, it is all going to come crashing down around you and you will never be able to get up again.

My friend Amy found herself in a little bit of a pickle last week without a room at a BlogHer and we were trying to make it work for her and Ezra to stay with me.  And I really didn't care.  But because Amy is so much smarter than me she was like, I really don't want to do this to you.  You need your own room.  If Ezra is up all night, you need your sleep.  Your sick.

And I'm like, wait a minute, I'm sick.  I forget, because most of the time I'm not.  Most of the time, I'm fine.  But right now, right now I'm not fine.  So it's time to slow down.  To stop swimming, to stop doing.  To let myself be sick.

Words cannot express how much I hate this.     

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And in case you didn't see it yesterday, I have a very cool contest.

Together We Can Help Save a Life

Since 2006, Pampers has worked with Unicef to combat Tetanus, an often fatal disease caused by bacteria that is often contracted during childbirth in many developing countries. Despite the availability of low-cost vaccines, 128,000 infants and up to 30,000 women die from maternal and neonatal tetanus every year --  approximately one death every three minutes.

By donating the cost of one vaccine to UNICEF for every specially-marked pack of Pampers sold through their "One Pack = One Vaccine" campaign, Pampers has raised enough money globally to help UNICEF provide over 100 million tetanus vaccines. Their goal is to raise enough money to donate more than 200 million additional vaccines over the course of the next three years.

Join Pampers and mother and acclaimed actress, Salma Hayek, in helping UNICEF protect mothers and their newborns against maternal and newborn tetanus. All you have to do is buy specially-marked Pampers diapers and wipes through May 1, 2009 for your little one, or purchase them for someone you know, and together we truly can help save lives.

Pampers has given me 4 adorable onesies to give away in size 12 months.  They have also given me one coupon for a FREE PACKAGE OF JUMBO DIAPERS.  I will award five winners.  To enter, leave me a comment with a valid email address.  If you only want the diapers, tell me.  If you only want a onesie, tell me.  For extra entries, tweet the giveaway and stumble the post and leave a separate comment telling me what you did.  Contest closes Sunday March 29th at 5pm.  Winners will be chosen by random.org.

Since It's A Party, How About Some Pictures From The Last Party I Threw

I completely outsourced Michael's party this year. I went to one of those designer kids party places. And I remember when It first came into the neighborhood I was like who in their right mind would spend that much for a kids party. And then I did. And it was the best decision I ever made. Because Michael broke his hand the week before the party and I had to do nothing.

(And before you decide to send me hate mail, yes I know there is a recession, yes I know people have lost their jobs, yes I know people can't afford food. Doug and I are very lucky. We also live in a house way below our means, drive old cars and have a lot of money in a savings account. And I still have a dog walker so feel free to yell at me for that one again because that was fun)

Back to the party.  It was in a word, awesome.  The kids dug for dinosaur fossils, NOT IN MY HOUSE.  Because what a mess that made.  And everyone who came to the party commented and how much Michael wasn't even bothered by his hand.  Because he was too busy having the time of his life.

I'm ready to sign the contract for next year.  I'm thinking a pirate theme.

   

We Have A Winner

Okay, so the contest was really dumb and way too easy.  But De won.  You can pick either an itunes gift card or a Starbucks gift card.

And if your new here via the party we not only like parties but really stupid contests.  But they always have prizes!

An honorable mention goes out to Sasparilla who gave Sarah's husband a blog, except that it was his friend's blog.  But nice try.

Shoe Friday #23 and It's A Party

This is a sticky post and will be up the whole week of the blog party, scroll down to see any new posts.

Be sure to check out my contest.

Colleen's shoes which are the ultimate party shoes.

Because it is a party!

 

So, hang out, stay a while, and tell me, what are you favorite party shoes?