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The Banana Splits are Back!
2008-08-06 19:08:00
Do you remember the Banana Splits TV show from the early 70's?  If you do... great news... they're coming back to TV!  If not.... you'll love 'em all........   Fleegle (a dog), Drooper (a lion), Bingo (a gorilla), and Snorky (an elephant).  They're going to start appearing in shorts on the Cartoon Network.  You can get a sneak peek at their website, which doesn't launch until later this month.  My three year old niece thought the site was pretty cool.  She enjoys the music and games that are available on the site.  There is also a daily secret code that older kids can use to decipher answers to word puzzles.  Better yet, they can even join the Official Banana Splits Club for free.  If you want to relive a small piece of your childhood, head on over to the The Banana Splits website.  Be sure and introduce your kids to the gang while you're there!
More About: Fun , Back

4-Wheelin' in WV
2008-08-05 05:20:00
The day after Darrin's reunion, he and a lots of his male classmates decided to spend some time (12 hours) in the mountains of West Virginia and went 4 wheelin'.  Darrin came back dirtier than I've seen him in ages, but he had a blast!  They all thought they were 18 again.  I know they all paid the price the next day.  They may have thought they were young again, but I'm certain their bodies reminded them of their true age the next day. I was thankful that he had the opportunity to "bond" with his old buddies and returned safely.  He took some awesome scenery pictures of the beautiful WV mountains.  Check them out on flickr.

Darrin is O-L-D
2008-08-05 05:11:00
Last weekend we attended the OHS Class of '88 high school reunion in Beckley, WV. Can you believe it has been 20 years since my husband graduated from high school? I told you he was old! We had the best time. We saw old friends that we hadn't seen since the 10 year reunion and others we'd not seen since 1988. We ate, laughed, danced and reminisced until well after midnight. It was great to catch up with everyone and rekindle old friendships. We're both looking forward to his 25........and to my 20th next year. I guess he's not that old after all!You can see the rest of the reunion pics on flickr.

Yeah for Me!
2008-08-03 02:28:00
Yesterday, Aug. 1st, marked one month since I started my diet.  I am happy to report that I've lost 11 pounds.  This is the first time in my life that I've ever dieted.  Not the first time I've needed to, but the first time I've actually committed to it.  It was very difficult the first couple of days.  I was used to drinking 4 or 5 cans of Vanilla Coke a day.  And I have a major sweet tooth.  However, I finally decided that my will power was stronger than my cravings.  Darrin has also joined me.  We're both diet pop drinkers now.  We prefer Diet Dr. Pepper but will take whatever is handy.  I do walk on my treadmill for 30 minutes a time or two a week but counting calories it what works for me.  I now equate 200 calories to walking 30 minutes on a treadmill.  A 3 Musketeers bar (my favorite) just isn't worth 45 minutes on a treadmill.  I've got a handy little weight loss tracker over there in the side bar...
More About: Shane , Yeah

Oral Surgery Stinks!
2008-07-25 01:34:00
I took the liberty of doing you a favor here......I'm not posting a picture.  Trust me, you do not want to see this! So, a few weeks ago the boys and I went to Darrin's work to eat supper with him as it was a late night for him.  I was enjoying my chicken salad sandwich on a delicious croissant when it happened.... 1/2 of one of my molars just broke off.  It didn't really hurt so I wasn't really concerned about it.  Well, I wasn't concerned until yesterday.  That's when it started killing me! I frantically called the dentist and he told me to come in at 7:30 am this morning.  Most of you know I don't do morning, but I was actually happy to get up at 6:45 am today.  After much deliberation, we (the dentist and I) came to the conclusion that it would be best to pull it.  Nope, not enough left to put a crown on.  We're talking a molar here people, with 3 HUGE roots! I was tough, just took the 3 injections in my mouth to numb it.&n...
More About: Shane , Surgery , Oral

All Washed Up
2008-07-19 02:48:00
Isn't it odd how we never appreciate what we have until it's gone? Some things we just use day in and day out and never think twice about. It's as though they've always been there and always will. Think again! My fancy washing machine, which is less than one year old, started acting up about a week ago. I called Mr. Repair Man and he came out to take a look this past Monday. It took him all of about 3 1/2 minutes to say, "Yep, it's broken. The darn things are so smart now that I'm going to have to order a special part before I can fix it." Isn't that the absolute last words you want to hear a repairman utter? Part? Order? Please, tell me it isn't so.I have been patiently waiting...and waiting...and waiting. I finally got a call today. "The part for your washer is in." Yipee!!!! "But we can't install it until next Wednesday." What? Are you kidding me? I have two active, clothes dirtying boys... next Wednesday? "Yes ma'am, that's the first available opening." Oh, for Pete'...
More About: Misc , Shane

A Team Mom Review.... TripFLIX
2008-07-17 22:11:00
I recently signed up with Team Mom and offered to volunteer to receive and review products. Not long thereafter, I received my first product... TripFLIX. My family and I were preparing to head out of town to see family so it could not have came at a better time.TripFLIX was first conceived by two parents who wanted to make "an engaging, interactive educational media piece for kids that let them choose their own adventure, from coast to coast." Well, did they ever succeed.The DVD is a whopping two hours long and will introduce your children to 25 fun-filled destinations throughout the United States. Your children can choose from six exciting regions: NortheastSouthMidwestPlainsSouthwestWestO r, you can choose to just "play all." That's what my two boys decided to do. They wanted to see everything and had plenty of traveling time to do so. The loved the comedic interaction between the two hosts, Emily and Alex. The entire DVD kept them entertained and taught them a little something in...
More About: Reviews , Review

Red Skelton & the 4th of July...
2008-07-05 02:16:00
I heard this on the radio today and knew I had to find it online and share. I found it....and I'm sharing it........God Bless America!!Just a side note: This first appeared on the Red Skelton show on Jan. 14, 1969....exactly 2 years before I was born. I feel it is as relevant today as it was then.
More About: Misc , July

Children get whatever they want at Grandma's!
2008-06-28 03:49:00
So.... Tater is spending some quality time with Gee (my mom) in WV. He loves to go to Gee's because he gets spoiled rotten and is apparently the "king of the house" when he's there. Okay, I totally get that. I used to be quite the princess at my Grandparent's house as well! I did, however, have limits. Tater proved today that he is capable of talking his Gee into ANYTHING! Here he is upon his arrival in WV.... cute, sweet, innocent...........And, after only 2 days into his rule, this is him now............. Hard rockin', tough, home boy Tater! Where's my baby?? Look at that! He has NO hair on the sides of his head!! He does look happy I guess. But, I told him he couldn't come back home until it grew out! Yeah right ;)
More About: Children

A New Blogging Adventure
2008-06-19 20:45:00
Today marks a new venture for me as I begin blogging at Trusera.Trusera is an online health network where you can find and share real-world experiences. Share your story and experience the Power of Been There?.I'm taking my personal experience with ADHD & LD and sharing it with others on this amazing site. I will be posting at least three times per week. I invite you to come on over and check it out! I will also continue to write, post and update my ADHD & LD Resource Blog as well. Sure hope you don't get tired of me. :)
More About: Adventure , Blogging

Welcome Home, Jim!
2008-06-12 01:37:00
(Jim is on the left)My brother, Master Sergeant James L. Cook, has retired from the US Air Force after 26 years of service. To welcome him (and his family) home, our "home" church had a dinner after church this past Sunday in his honor. My mom is so excited to have them moving back "home." She even managed to talk him into buying the house right beside of her!(L to R front): Boots (mom), Lucille (Mamaw), me, Dawn (sis-in-law), Lisa (sis-in-law), Trish (step mom). Back: Gayle (step dad), Darrin (hubby), Jim (brother), Rodney (brother) & Donnie (dad).......... one big dysfunctional family. :)You can see more pictures from Sunday on flickr.
More About: Family , Home

Announcing my Grand Opening and a Giveaway!
2008-06-08 05:33:00
I'm pleased to announce the grand opening of the ADHD & LD Affordable Products "store" at my other blog.....ADHD & LD Resource Blog. Head on over and find out how to enter to win a free book of your choosing!
More About: Opening , Grand

Tater's been a busy boy...
2008-06-02 21:49:00
Tater recently took his "girlfriend," Maddie flowers after her performance at the school talent show. She and her friend sang a lovely song. He said, "I want to take her pink roses and be romantic." Romantic? He's 7 years old!Saturday was Family Fun Night at the Little League field. Tater won fastest base runner for his division. He finished in 16 seconds. Way to go Tater!
More About: Busy

A Picture for the Tooth Fairy
2008-05-27 21:33:00
Tater Tot lost a tooth last week and left a nice drawing for the Tooth Fairy . "She must have liked it," he said, "because she left me $4 for just one tooth!"
More About: Picture

Want Gas Relief?
2008-05-27 05:27:00
So, our gas is now $3.85/gallon. It's now over $70 to fill up my Acura MDX which gets a whopping 20 mpg. I know in West Virginia, where my mom lives, it's over $4/gallon. In South Carolina, where we just moved from, it's only $3.65/gallon. Only $3.65.....can you even believe we're saying that now?Anyway, I came across a handy tool today that I thought I'd share. You can just type in your city or zip code and find the gas stations that have the lowest price in your area! Cool, huh? Give it a try...*Gas Buddy*MapQuest prices
More About: Misc , Relief

In Memory
2008-05-23 21:46:00
In Memory of my PapawJames Otis CookOctober 10, 1920 - May 23, 2005For more information, read this post.
More About: Inspirational , In Memory

Taterisms & a Bubby Blunder
2008-05-18 18:44:00
Last weekend the boys and I were in Oceana, WV (i.e. "home") for Mother's Day. Sunday afternoon there was a tornado watch in effect. Tater told his dad that it was really dark, high winds and lots of rain but he didn't see any funnel cakes in the sky!Tater came home from school one day, unpacked his backpack as usual and then searched the bottom for "something important." He pulled out a little scrap of paper, held it up in the air and announced..... I finally got Madison's phone number! He is his father's child.When his friend's mother asked Tater where his dad worked he replied, "At a hoity-toity grocery store where they play fancy music." She asked what he did there and he told her "Nothing much really. He just walks around all day and straightens stuff." For the record he's as assistant manager at The Fresh Market and says he does do a little more than that each day. While putting lotion on Tater's legs after his shower I asked if he knew what those blue lines were under ...
More About: Bubby , Blunder

Tater's first school report
2008-05-14 00:09:00
Tater's first grade class was given their first major report assignment last week. They had to choose an animal and write a "report" about it. The report had to be at least ten sentences...that they could read to the class...and had to include at least one picture. Tater chose the shark of course. That is his favorite animal of the moment. He and I went to library and checked out a few books about sharks. I know we could have done it on the computer, which would have been a lot faster, but I wanted him to do it the "old fashioned" way (as he called it). We had a good time actually. He helped me pick the pictures to include as well. He took a real shark tooth to share with his class and even drew his own picture to include with the report. He (and I) learned a lot. Tater's Shark Report Tater's drawing of a "mommy shark and baby shark holding a necklace with a shark's tooth on it."*Click on each picture to enlarge them.
More About: School

New uses for a dead hard drive....
2008-05-09 02:25:00
R.I.P.My laptop hard drive recently died. At first I was quite upset I must tell you. And, yes, we did have a small ceremony. Afterwards, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Could it be recycled some way? Could I just throw it in the trash? Was there something in it that would harm the earth? Would my carbon footprint be really huge if it was dumped in a land fill. Needing guidance, I knew just who to turn to in this situation........my older (much, much older) brother, Jim. He is after all a computer genius. He can build one out of some nuts, bolts and a twisty tie. I think he could take on MacGyver and win! Anyway, I sent him an email seeking his wisdom on how best to dispose of my dearly departed. He shot back a quick and thoughtful reply.....which I just have to share."Well, there are actually several things you can do with it."1. Throw it in the trash.2. Have the boys paint it, then use it as a paper weight.3. Put it under a table leg to stop it from wobbling.4. Give it to...
More About: Fun , Drive , Hard , Dead , Hard Drive

We Have a Winner
2008-05-01 05:38:00
The winner of my first giveaway at my other blog, The ADHD & LD Resource Blog, is:Tara from, Tara's View of the World. In her entry she wrote...I would love to win this! My son is in the process of being assessed right now. Please enter me.Well, not only did I enter you, you won. Congratulations and happy reading! Be sure and come back in three weeks for my next giveaway.
More About: Fun , Winner

Dig A Little Hole
2008-05-01 01:53:00
A poem and drawing by Tater Tot: (click on picturess to enlarge)P.S. - You may be wondering why there has been no mention of Bubby as of late. Bubby has asked for a blog break so I am granting it to him.
More About: Hole

Yeah...our check will be here in just 2 days!
2008-04-30 21:18:00
Wondering when your IRS stimulus check will arrive? Well, I was too and figured there was some website that would tell me. I went on a little search and sure enough there is! Just go here and find out when yours will be arriving.
More About: Fun , Check , Days , Yeah

Have you heard the one about......
2008-04-28 20:32:00
The sports store, two women and a cup? No? Well great..... you're about to.In preparation for Tater's first baseball game of the season, my mom and I (with boys in tow) headed out for a local sports store. He needed a new bat as the one he had was a tee ball bat. (check) Then there was the face guard for his batting helmet. (check) Of course he had to have a baseball bat bag too. (check) Lastly, he needed/wanted a cup...I'm not really sure which one. So, my mom and I made our way to the cup section of the store. Now, I've done a lot of shopping in my time but this is one item I have never purchased.I had always thought when this time in our boy's lives arose, my husband would be the designated cup buyer. But, since he was laid up at home with a sprained ankle, that torch was passed on to me. Anyway, back to the story.......There were lots of sizes and colors to choose from. Who knew? I just figured they were all white and came in like two sizes..... big and little. After severa...

Opening Day
2008-04-28 20:19:00
Yesterday was opening day for Little League. Up to this point Tater has played tee ball. This year he felt like he should move up and tried out for a machine pitch team.....and made it! So, yesterday was a huge deal for him. He was nervous for the first time he said. After all, "that machine throws hard!"Opening ceremonies started at 1:30 with all of the teams on the field. After a few plaques were distributed to major contributors of the league, they started announcing teams. Tater is on the Pirates team this year.......yellow and black. They had a bouncy house for the kids to jump in, hot dogs galore and it was also picture day. Busy to say the least.Tater's game started at 4:00. He hit the ball both times he was at bat but was tagged out both times. That really disappointed him. I'm just thankful the rain held off and the sun even made a brief appearance. It was a great day of fun which we were glad to share with family. My mom and Darrin's brother were there to support our Ta...

Happy Earth Day!
2008-04-22 21:08:00
"Save Gas....Toot in a Jar"
More About: Earth , Earth Day , Happy

Bloggy Giveaway time!
2008-04-21 18:26:00
Yeah.....it's here again! If you like "meeting" new bloggy friends and getting free stuff in the process, you need to head on over to Bloggy Giveaway. So far there are over 300 blogs participating and by the end of the week it will more than double I'm sure!
More About: Fun , Time

Everyone's a Hokie Today
2008-04-16 14:11:00
"We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.... We will prevail...."-- Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, poet, activistYou can read about the remembrance services being held at VT today here and here. Also, you can donate to the VT Remembrance Fund by visiting this site.One year ago today we were living in Greenville, SC. I felt far removed from the tragedies of that day. My how things have changed. We now live a mere 30 minutes from the Virginia Tech campus, my half-brother is a campus policeman and my brother-in-law works on the campus several times a week. My heart goes out to the families, friends, and faculty that will never forget April 16, 2007. I'm certain many prayers will go up in your honor today. God bless you all!
More About: Inspirational , Today

* Book Giveaway *
2008-04-15 06:45:00
I'm extremely excited to announce my very first blog giveaway at my other blog, ADHD & LD Resource Blog. I was recently contacted by Guilford Publications, Inc. about reviewing a book entitled Your Defiant Teen~ 10 Steps to Resolve Conflict and Rebuild Your Relationship. I was most happy to do so and quickly agreed. I have just posted that review and am giving the book away to one lucky reader. For more details head on over to ADHD & LD Resource Blog and read the review post. Thanks a bunch!
More About: Book

The Bronchitis Bug is Back
2008-04-14 20:54:00
Saturday night Tater came into our room coughing his little head off. I gave him some Delsym (the best cough medicine ever invented) and told him he could crawl in bed with us. As Sunday progressed, his cough worsened quickly. By 3:00pm he and I were at an urgent care place waiting to be seen. He was diagnosed with bronchitis. She gave him an Rx for amoxicillin and instructed him to eat lots of popsicles (to keep him hydrated of course) and informed him that he would have to miss school Monday (he was all smiles when he heard that). His condition got worse as the night progressed and we were about to take him to the ER. His breathing was very labored and shallow. Before going I called a neighbor who is an EMT and he offered to come down and check him out which he did. He did not feel it was necessary to take him and suggested we use a cool mist humidifier and just keep a close watch on him. He slept with me (we put daddy in Tater's bed). It was a rough night, but as of now (3:00 pm...
More About: Back , Bronchitis

Our own little Christopher Newport
2008-04-12 16:26:00
The entire 4th grade class at Bubby 's school presented Sing to Know Virginia Studies this week. It was a great play about the history of Virginia. Bubby chose to play the part of Christopher Newport . Mr. Newport was a sea captain who founded the Jamestown Colony. It was up to each parent to assemble their child's costume, which was fun to say the least. We found everything that Bubby wore at Goodwill! The entire costume, from head to toe, was only $13. You can't beat that.Bubby did an excellent job and really enjoyed the musical numbers. Singing is his "thing" after all! He even took the time to pose with an adoring fan after the performance.