Candid Carrie's Photo Friday

Since I'm down with a wicked cold (every year right at Boo's birthday.  Cosmic joke or my body remembering the nightmare of childbirth, hmmm) It stinks today of all days because Boo is reading the narration for the fairy tale play at school today and I told him I'd go.  I'll be downing more Tylenol between now and 2 then.  Instead of What Are You Wearing (cause no way am I posting my pj's) I'm going back to the classic Candid Carrrie's Photo Friday.  I think I'm going to alternate from now cause I like doing both.  So get a picture and link up over at Candid Carrie's!

 I like her, maybe!

All right, I love her but DON'T make me say it!

So much more to do

I'm sending off the work project this afternoon after I read through it to make sure it's the best it can be (sounds like the Army doesn't it?).  Upcoming events are the Amazon Novel contest starts on the 2nd.  So I have to polish my entry until it shines.  Boo birthday party is Sunday - 7 kids, two parents and bowling.  Should be fun.  Be sure to check back Monday for the pictures!

HELP

Today we also got the evaluation from Chick's speech therapist from July to present.  And it's discouraging.  She is far below where she should be even for a child adopted from a foreign speaking country.  I just don't know what to do.  People say kids only have a limited word base at this age.  Fact is, she doesn't speak at all.  Literally no words that can be identified (by anyone other than us) except mama.  She will be three in May.  It is now recommended that she be seen 2-3 times per week and I just yesterday dropped her to once a week because frankly I don't see any progress that is significant with this therapist (and the cost is staggering).  And she charges the highest amount legally she is allowed to charge me.  (She told me this herself.)  I am considering moving Chick to the one other therapist (an actual office) and seeing if she'll be making better progress there.

It's hard to take in when I had one child who at two spoke in complete sentences and has always had advanced language.  In fact people tell me that if you didn't know Boo was seven you'd think he was older because he uses words adults use (and I don't mean the bad ones!).  He can easily engage an adult in a lively conversation.  Two different kids and I do not expect them to be the same.  But for her to be so far, far behind is very hard.  I knew she was delayed but to the degree as pointed out hurts.  Today I plan to research ASL (American Sign Language) because she does know some signs, uses them with frequency and correctly and I think we have to start getting any kind of communication we can going.

It's not the way I thought adopting a child would be to say the least.  If the process itself didn't break me, I suppose this won't either.

*For clarification she is not deaf nor mute.  She has had extensive hearing tests and all auditory function is normal and she does make vocalizations.  She simply can't connect the sounds with words.  It's known as verbal apraxia.

I simply couldn't resist posting this gem...

Now during my research for my work project (which thank goodness will be done tomorrow) I came across this.  And looked.  And looked again.  And then I laughed.  All I will say is my work is related to jobs and finding jobs in Germany.

This is taken directly from the US State Department website people (no joke)  I'm including the link so hopefully it'll be there for awhile.  Don't you love a good edumication??

 -  State Department Website Job Benefits Listing

( http://www.state.gov/p/io/empl/index.htm)

US State Department Benefits - exactly as I found it!  Can you see the misspelling??

Typical International Organization Benefits:

• Competitive Salary 

• Generous Health Benefits Plan

• Attractive Pension Plan

• Educafion Grant for Dependents (including college -- 4 years)

• Generous Leave

• Home Leave Travel Costs

• Relocation Costs

• Holidays (10+) 

No Time No Time

Project due Thursday.  No time to blog, no time to read.  The only thing I can say is this:

From now on - this mama don't do non-fiction projects!

Enough said.

Hotel Wanted: Hotel Found

I found a hotel for the conference.  I'm just going to be staying at the Marriott the conference is being held at.  I found a roomie so the cost will actually be cheaper than finding somewhere else to stay on my own.  And this way when the time difference kills me by 7 pm all I have to do is crawl upstairs and fall fast asleep.  And Marriott does have those super nice comfy beds and comforters.

So happy day.  Roomie.  Check.  Conference Registration.  Check.  Waiting till the conference in July.  Long Check.

Double Dose of Birthdays

This week is a double dose of birthdays.  Hubby on the 26th and Boo on the 1st.  One refuses to tell me what he wants ('nothing really') and the other has requested a Lego's Racer that can interchange with his green one (exactly as it is phrased on the list) and, this one cracks me up, a compass holder.  Santa brought him a compass for Christmas and he loves to tell us where we are as we drive.  North, now west, now south.  He's so stinkin' cute. 

I actually still need to shop for the presents.  Maybe the word of the week should have been procrastination? (Hubby just called to tell me he found a Disney/Pixar Monopoly game, Boo's currently in love the with Monopoly game he got from McDonalds.  So he's getting that.  Even though it's in German that's ok it's easy enough to figure out.)

Busy day today.  I have to clean because we have a sitter tonight (wahoo!) and she cleans houses and babysits (not that she cleans my house) but I can't let her see my lack of cleaning.  We are going out with Hubby's co-workers/friends of ours tonight for Italian food.  Yum.  It should be interesting because I will be meeting two new people from Hubby's work whom I've heard mentioned a lot.  It's been a long time since we've gone out and I'm looking forward to it.  Thankfully Boo is better.  And I don't know why but Chick slept through the night last night.  I am not complaining because we stayed up until midnight so we could catch the new episode of Numb3rs (which comes on at 11 here) and I had a killer headache.  So whatever I did last night to make her sleep please let me do it again tonight.

Only when you've had broken nights of sleep for 11 months can you truly appreciate sleeping through the night!

I have my project to finish up before Friday (hopefully going to get done by tomorrow night) and then there's a book contest that starts on the 2nd I am debating entering but I don't know if the piece I want to enter is completely ready yet.  I also have the start of my month long psychology of characters class starting the 1st (incidentally also Boo's bowling birthday party).  

Listen to the words of the first song on my iPod.  Yes, it's country but it is SO funny!  What song's do you listen to that the words move you or make you laugh?  Do you have cruise wear?  Do you wish you did?  What are your goals for February?

And in case you're keeping count like we are

  25 days till we go on our Disney Cruise Vacation!

Upcoming post - cruise wear, I'll show you mine, you show me yours.

In the News

The most wonderful news came through last night from my adoption blogger friend Tisra at LifeTrain

After two and half years of waiting in one program she's been given a chance to adopt a baby girl from India.  A long awaited journey is in the last stages so please stop by and give her and her family a hearty congratulations.  This is one lady I've gotten to know and I truly feel blessed for it.

Congratulations Tisra and Family on your new blessing!

Review of Canon Powershot SD1100 (Ixus 80 IS)

I love this camera.  It is fantastic.  Small (unbelievably so), light, easy to use and takes fantastic pictures.  With 8 megapixels that's even more than my Nikon D40.  It has a fast trigger too, I mean really good.  I'd say fair close to my Nikon.  The compactness of the camera was the selling point for me.  I wanted something I could pocket for Disney and that I could just keep in my bag for those times we all wish we had a camera (I can't use that excuse anymore).  I'm very pleased with my purchase and it was only 150€ so a good bargain I'd say.

Some examples of pictures I took Wednesday:

Action shot (she was moving so slight blur)

Looking up while we were walking

Another Chick picture (Boo won't let me take his picture)

Unedited, picture taking while driving

Our sleepy village, again while driving (Don't worry I was safe!)

And another one

Ew, Ew and more Ew

Or an alternate title: my child barfed on the way to school.

I thought he felt slightly warm when he left and he laid down on the couch before school but said he was just tired (he came downstairs for water at nearly ten pm last night so tired wasn't out of the ordinary for him today).

So Hubby called and told me Boo barfed in Wassup (Hubby's car, aptly named by Boo).  If you know Hubby, you know he's a sympathy barfer.  With the addition of children he is so far better than he used to be though.

They arrived back home where I had the couch covered in towels and pajamas on standby with paper towels and all that for umm, cleaning purposes.  Hubby didn't even have tissues in his car to swab the poor kid.  He will now incidentally be carrying a barf kit.  For only $19.95 I to can tell you how to build your own Car Barf Kit.

Hubby took Lucy (my car) and went to work.  That means I get the job to clean Wassup.  Probably not until this evening when someone else can supervise the children.  I'd love to pass this job off to someone else.  Any takers??  

No??

That's what I thought.  Well, I hope your day is barf free, I have no doubt there's more barfing in my future.  In the meantime I will try to keep Chick from licking her finger and sticking it in the electrical outlet.  You think I'm kidding?  In time out on Tuesday she did just that.  I think I need to find a new time out corner.

What I should do versus what I am doing

How many times have we all had one of these days?  We should be doing lots of stuff (laundry, cleaning, shopping, work) but instead we are sitting blogging, reading blogs, thinking of a blog post.  I seem to have this affliction quite often.  Today for instance I need to go to the grocery store (cause HIT didn't have chicken breasts.  Yes, the grocery store didn't have chicken breasts, how that is possible I do not know.)  And we are missing various other things.  I go to the grocery store everyday.  No joke.  I really do.  

Yesterday I had to go because when I went the day before the HIT didn't have ground beef nor chicken (I hate having to order from the meat counter, my German comes out like ahgeuow rforifhorif, not pretty, especially when my almost seven year speaks it better than I do).  This means that yesterday I needed to go to the Edeka or ECenter.  It's the closest thing to an American style grocery that we have here.  But the catch?  They don't take credit cards.  Not usually a problem because I have an EC (ATM) card.  But I'm on my fourth one now that has had the magnetic chip go kaput.  I simply can't fathom having to go yet again to the bank, submit my request and wait a week for my new card and pin number to arrive.  I can't do it.  

So that means I need cash to visit the Edeka.  Have you ever taken for granted how easy it is to find a cash machine in the US?  Didn't think so.  Here they are few and far between and none of them are drive ups.  They don't do drive up or drive through here.  And if I visit say Sparkasse instead of PostBank or one of the two other banks affiliated with my bank, they'll be happy to charge me a 4€ withdrawal fee.  I actually drive across the river to the PostBank by the Police station to get money sometimes.  Post Tower, which there is no parking or the Deutsche Bank for which there is construction blocking the sidewalk where I would normally park, or going to the Little Square (not the actual name) parking at Globus and walking to the Commerzbank are my other options.  However the Globus parking garage hates me.  Every time I go there the parking tickets fails to recognize that I've paid the ticket.  So I have to park, go into the disgusting smoky parking office and try to tell the man Kaput.  He never believes me so he makes me walk with him to the kasse machine where he does indeed see my ticket is kaput.  

Usually this is with kids in tow.

Are you starting to see why driving twenty minutes out of my way to get cash or shopping at the dirtyish, crappy HIT is the better option?  (HIT takes my cc just fine.)  Also HIT carries my chips that I should not eat but do.  Natural's Balsamic and Vinegar chips.  Before we moved here I didn't even eat chips (pretty sure I told you that before, in fact I may have blogged this exact post before I really don't know).

And of course I've forgotten my point now...

Oh yeah, what I should do versus what I am doing.  Well, now that took up about ten minutes didn't it?  And I am sure you're thinking that's two minutes of your life you'll never get back after reading it too.  Well, I feel for ya but we all have to procrastinate what we should be doing somehow don't we?

I see whining temper tantrum chick has returned again today so I should really go.

For the record, Chick and I are going on 11 months now without a full night sleep (minus two or three nights).  Yep, I'm a laugh these days.  Is post traumatic sleep disorder a condition?   I'm considering checking into an asylum cause I hear they let you sleep there.

One more random fun thing - I ordered Word for Mac (cause I hate the Pages program with passion) and a US keyboard!  Wahoo!  I can stop confusing the y and the z now :)

I love my Mac!

We have the greatest translation tool on the Mac.  As I discovered it even does Han or Traditional Chinese characters.  This would have come in handy during our wait for the Chick!

Here's the symbol for (as given by the Han translation)

Family

Love

Happiness

系列

愛

幸福

So what else can I make it say??

Chick's Chinese name - 的 (I don't think it captured both parts of her name though) Sih-Syuan

But this is a fun tool I think I'm going to play with.  Oh, here's another one that seems VERY relevant today

Temper Tantrum

脾氣勃然大怒

And for fun the same in Japanese

気性の癇癪

Korean

성미 울화

Russian

истерика закала

And Greek

ξέσπασμα ιδιοσυγκρασίας

Yep, still temper tantrum.  Ah the joys of a TWO year old!

Happy Inauguration Day

Ah, CHANGE is a coming.  It starts at 11:30 Eastern so that's 5:30 here, we'll be tuning in.  It's good ole American Chili for dinner tonight (and some Spanish Rioja wine) 

Happy Inauguration Day everyone!

For those who played along with my Q&A below, there is a specific reason I asked those questions, maybe I'll tell you sometime.  Consider it research for now :)

Let's Play Q & A

I love Kat over at Sunshine and Lemonade.  She always has this fun Friday Follies thing where she (or a guest questioner) ask questions of her readers.  It's a fun idea, a great way to see a bit more about the virtual people who read a blog and can inspire some fun discussions.  Hubby and I talked about her series of door questions this past week.  We found a house in the neighboring town of Linz that had a door from the 14th century, just sitting right there along the street.  It was amazing.

So not to copy (cause no one could ever be Kat) I want to ask a few questions of my own about all of you.  In no particular order please answer the following questions (if you care to)

Do you have a signature scent? Perfume, cologne, eua de baby vomit?  If you have one that you wear please list the brand and name.

Which do you tend to wear more heels or flats? (obviously for my girl readers, or guys if you've got a preference list it, I don't judge!)  For guys sneakers or nice work/date shoes? (like loafers or whatever it is guys wear)

What type of drink do you order on a first date? And let me know if your answer depends on where the date is (bar, club, restaurant).

If you recently moved into a new city/town, after finding a place to live what would be the first thing you would do or place you would go?  What would be your priority?  (finding other people like yourself, finding the library, store, park, etc.)

And coming soon a review of my new camera.  I am LOVING the pictures this thing takes and the speed is fantastic.  With it's tiny, itty bitty size, it is amazing.  Here's an example of the pictures this can take - 

Random Stuff

Christina's World - Image from Wikipedia

I was saddened to read about this yesterday.  Andrew Wyeth died this week at 91.  

American Painter Dies

I loved his painting called Christina's World.  I always wondered what she was looking at.  We had many discussions of this painting in my college Ideas and Images class.  I love Ground Hog Day.  I don't know what it is about this painting but the detail of the wallpaper in the

 background or the colors, I just like it.

Image below from allposters.de

Ground Hog Day

A great book that my kids got for Christmas was from my parents.  It is based in the town where my parents live and basically where I spent my summers as a kid.  It's a super cute book and the city actually has statues of the characters placed on the same trail as Mudgy and Millie take in the book.  Mudgy is a moose and Millie is a mouse.  Check it out below for more info but it's a great book.

Mudgy and Millie Book

I am looking for some help with a research project for a book.  I'd like to ask questions of any bloggers who might read here who live in either Nashville or Atlanta (and I do know some of you do, Kat and Tisra!)  It's basic stuff but if you want to participate please click the Contact Me button and send me an email.  I'll be sure to mention your help if I hit the NYT Bestseller list, alright??

I've noticed a lot new readers have popped over from here and there and I so appreciate you stopping by.  I will be doing random blog checks in the next few days to check out all my new commenters.  Thanks for coming out of lurking to say hi!

Back to the grind.  We've discovered that we can watch Leno about a week behind so tonight's show Daniel Craig stopped by.  Oh yummy on a James Bond stick.

Looking for some recommendations and What Are You Wearing?

I want to go to the RWA conference in DC in July.  The problem is the cost of the hotel.  Supposedly the RWA has negotiated reduced rates for the hotel the conference is at, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.  The non-special everyday ordinary rate is $299 a night.  It's very doubtful that the special rate is oh like an affordable $100-150 a night.  Especially considering the early registration price for RWA members just to attend the conference is $425 smackers.  They throw in a few lunches and breakfast and one gala night dinner, wahoo!  Hotel is on your own.  Can I just point out DC ain't cheap??

And to find a hotel other than the Marriott, which I am, I also need to get to the conference hotel easily and cheaply.  The Metro you're saying.  Love the DC Metro.  Easy, clean and fast.  Love it.  Always have, always will and I know (or used to know it anyway) very well.  The nearest stop (two blocks away) is on the Woodley Park Zoo - Adams Morgan, red line I believe. 

View Larger Map

So anyone have any cheap (not-scary) ideas for a hotel with easy access to that Metro stop?  I've google earthed it to death and the cheapest I can come up with is a Days Inn in Chevy Chase saying $120 a night but claims no rooms available for the dates or a B&B for $170 that's down the street from the conference center.  (If I want to share a bath with strangers the rates drop to about $100 a night, but this woman doesn't do sharing a bathroom.  After all I'm not in college anymore.)

I am counting on all of you to come with some ideas please!  I'll throw in a special prize for you, umm, I'll mention that you gave me the hotel name :)

On to the second edition of What Are You Wearing? on Blogging Mama!  Please be sure to visit Tiara's & Tantrums and play along.

The jeans are from Tom Tailor and I got them at Kauhfof.  On sale for 12€, yep from the original price of 70€ down to 12€.  Steal of the century.  And the famous crocs from my last WAYW?

Back long sleeve shirt from J-Crew, probably $20.  I've had it a long time so it's all soft and faded but great for layering.  Fuschia ribbed zip sweater from DKNY.  I think I got it back in 05 during the after Christmas sale at Macy's.  Likely under $40 cause I am all about the savings!

The necklace is an actual Danish Kroner (they have a hole in the middle) and a key charm from a bracelet I have that broke.  I strung them on the cord and voila, instant jewelry.

Who would you be?

My kids are obsessed with Madagascar (the first movie we haven't seen the second).  We watch it almost everyday it seems.  We quote the movie 'Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly' 'All hail, the New York Giants!'  and of course both kids shake their groove thing to the Move It Move It song the lemur King Julian dances to.

An additional bonus is the Penguins Christmas Caper that's on the dvd.  Not a moment goes by that we don't laugh at that one.  

'Kaboom?  Yes Rico, Kaboom.'  I could go on and on.

For Halloween next year we've decided to make our four family members the four penguins. Hubby will be Skipper, I'll be Kowalski, Boo will be Rico and Chick will be Private.  Perfect provided we can come up with some great costumes.

If you could be a Madagascar character who would you be?  

Melman the Giraffe?

a complete hypochondriac

Alex the Lion?

born into a life of privilege

Gloria the Hippo?

a hip hippo, beautiful, smart and independent

Marty the Zebra?

a dreamer and adventurer

A penguin?

the zoo is a conspiracy and they are always plotting escape

One of the Chimpanzees?

always on a coffee break but can throw poo at a moments notice

So tell me, who would you be?

And by the way, got the new camera, battery is charging.  But here's the thing it literally fits in my jeans pocket and is SMALLER than my Blackberry.  How nuts is that??

Ahhh!

Guess what?  Crash said I'm follower of the week!  The award goes to and all that jazz. 

 Ahh, you rock!  

Feel free to steal anything you like from the closet or the music list.  I'm so flattered (guess I should find something interesting to say... hmm.)  Busy week maybe I'll come back to that later today.  My new camera is due to arrive so maybe I'll have a picturefest over here later.  Nothing as cool as Jack Johnson like you Crash but maybe a few cows from the hillside?  Or horses?  Or crazy Germans?   Yep all those I can do!

*****************************

OK so I emailed hubby at work (not like he's got something to do or anything ;) and asked him what I should blog about.  He said him, so here goes.

Did you know that once when I posted the following picture I was told that Hubby looked like Matt Damon?  Yep, totally true.  And if you look I think that's fairly accurate actually.

Hubby and Matt

Hubby was away on Monday night for a work event (aka team building or some such thingy where you pretend to actually like your co-workers.  But in his case he was hobnobbing with the VP's of his group.)  Anywho hubby was put in charge of the team event.  That in itself can be scary.  Not because he isn't good at this stuff, he's perhaps too good at it.  Have I ever told you all about the Jeopardy Lunch Game he put on at work awhile back?  NO?  Well, that was pretty funny especially since some of the people playing (he pitted one work group against another like IT versus HR or something) didn't even know what Jeopardy was.  This is after all Germany, they don't get that one here.  Anyway I'd have paid money to watch that.  He based all the questions around things about the company.  How creative is that?

Wait until you hear what he planned this time.

Blindfolded Indoor Mini-Golf.  

Seriously, how could that NOT be fun?  He made little courses from wood and stuff.  And you had to answer questions about your co-workers on your team.  Like who on your team said Top Gun was their favorite movie, who was an only child, stuff like that.  Again, I so would have paid money to see that.  Apparently there are pictures but I know that I'm likely not going to get to see them.  Darn it.

I am sure Hubby will happily come up with a good Team Builder for your next corporate event if you like.  Simply click the Contact Me button above and I'll have him send you a quote.

I gotta say, I love my guy.

And Crash?  I totally stole saying helk from you.  It's right up there with seriously and whatever for me these days.

Oh help

OK, I said I wasn't going to blog but I have to.  I have wads to do for the paid project but that'll come.  Right now I just completed my homework for day one of my class.  After reading everyone else's homework (share your five year writing plan goals)  I can safely say I'm depressed now.  Almost all of them have specific publishers to sell to and as far as year three at least of the titles of their books they want to write.  Umm, hello?  I'd like to just finish the third in my series (somewhat titled) and I have one idea (no title) for another.  That's it so far.  Blech.  

Our instructor hit the USA Today list with book FREAKIN two.  Which is awesome in that she can teach us a ton about getting there someday too.  But geesh, most of the people in the class have at least had rejections, I have yet to actually submit anything (my fault of course).  I am afraid of the big bad query letter and synopsis.  That is so much harder than writing the actual book. 

Write a book? 

No problem.  

Write a query letter to an editor or publisher along with a synopsis?  

Idontwannaidontwanna   Yeah, something like that, helk and all that too.

Canon Powershot SD 1100 IS/Ixus 80IS

I decided to get the Canon Powershot SD1100 IS which is known here as the Canon Ixus 80IS thanks to recommendations and reviews.  I even got it in P I N K  hehe.  I can't wait for it to come so I can start annoying my family by always taking their picture.  Boo's gonna LOVE that!