I'm glad that Pelosi met with Pope Benedict XVI. His job is to shepherd the flock, and she is obviously ignorant of Church teaching. What a wonderful opportunity to enlighten her about what an "ardent Catholic" (her words) believes! I can only hope that the Holy Spirit did find the meeting irresistible, as a few Catholic bloggers have speculated.

I'm a bad mommy. Guess what I forgot to buy this week? (That's a pineapple upside down cake, with cherries on half since Mr R can't eat them. I do love upside down cakes. I don't have to make frosting for them!)


Truth be told, it's not that I forgot to buy birthday candles, it's that I forgot to check and make sure the 1 yo hadn't eaten them before it was time for cake.

And the newly minted 5 year old has declared she has outgrown all of her 4T clothes and will only wear things with a 5 on the label. Poor, deluded, nekkid girl!

I still have not bought a new pair of shoes. And I'm a bad hillbilly wannabe, too. I could not find a roll of duct tape to save my life, and my neighbor didn't have one either (despite the fact that I bought two rolls prior to Ike, they are not in my hurricane box!). Related: electrical tape does not stick well to rubber soles, but will do in a pinch. And did I mention how much I hate shoe shopping?

I am so very irritated with our electric company's ridiculous billing policies. It's all green energy (mostly from wind, some hydro) but I have about had it and am calling around to switch. Bills are printed on the 5th of the month, and due on the 20th. But they are mailed out bulk mail and are not available online until the due date. My latest bill had a billing date of Feb. 5, but the envelope was postmarked Feb. 13th.

In Houston in the summer, the electric bill can be several hundred dollars and it can be hard to budget precisely.

They do email it but my spam almost always eats it. Why can they email the bill but not show it to me online? Enquiring Minds Want to Know! Paying online costs a fee, but there isn't enough time to mail it in. And if it's a day late, they assess another fee ($7.99)

Also, our rate went up 2¢ per kilowatt hour, so the other companies are cheaper now, too.

This graphic is way better than the stupid one the Houston Chronicle published over the weekend.

Where is the Stimulus Going?

My friend posted about Governmentium, the heaviest element ever discovered. Go read for a laugh!

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.

Is this not the cutest little house you have every seen? Can you believe it is only 382 sq. ft, and she has a toddler? It was on the sidebar of Eyes of Wonder blog.

See more Quick Takes over at Jen's blog!

Labels: 7 Quick Takes, Friday Fun, Frugal, In The News, politics, V

Kim posted this and it's funny, but true.





He's a comedian and his language is a little coarse, though.

Labels: Friday Fun, Viral

First, some things that make me happy.

Baby X learned to nod his head, and he blows on his food. Even if you serve him watermelon, he'll blow to make sure it's not too hot.

Mr P does math just like his mama - weird made up shortcuts. I didn't teach it to him (his math book teaches math as a process of addition). For example, for a problem like 6x7, we will take half (3x7) and add it together. Very helpful for larger numbers - 18x9 would, in my mind, actually be 9x9 + 9x9. Mr P does it the same way, and came up with the method on his own. Must be genetic. Can't wait until we get to squares and cubes!

Google Earth lets you download and explore Ancient Rome. You'll have to download the application.


H/T Melissa Wiley for the Google link.

Labels: children, education, Friday Fun, P, X

We are having a friend from the UK over for Thanksgiving, and I thought maybe I'd try a new dish.

I hate that green bean/soup/canned onions casserole and I also detest yams + marshmallows. Mr R can't have marshmallows anyway.

I do know a few recipes I probably won't be trying anytime soon. I signed up to be a Bush's Baked Beans test kitchen. They send you recipes, you make them, fill out a survey on how your family liked it, and then you get coupons for free cans of beans. I chose to test Kid Friendly Recipes.

The recipe selections included Banana and Black Bean Quesadillas, a pinto bean filled energy bar, and Strawberry Smoothies. The smoothie included a can of beans, of course. Blech.

Food Network is usually a good place for recipes. Paula Deen's Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie is awesome. But... beware of any recipe appearing on Iron Chef. You might be tempted to make something out of the ordinary, like Cantaloupe Soup (with lemon!) or Candied Bacon. Meat Candy is not Good Eats, as old AB would say.


Although this bacon lollipop sounds.... strangely delicious.


For your enjoyment:
Gallery of Regrettable Food


What's the worst recipe you've ever tried?

Labels: cooking, Friday Fun

John C. Wright has the answer.

Labels: Friday Fun, Linky love

I just thought I would share Mr R's handwriting page with you. Can you tell it's not his favorite thing and that he gets distracted?



On the political front, I saw this on three different blogs yesterday. Check it out.

Labels: education, Friday Fun, politics, R

After 10 years of loyalty, I'm down on WalMart. Target, here we come!

Shopping at Target is certainly more entertaining.
From Failblog.org (not a kid friendly site, so surf when they're in bed if you must!)

The employees don't always read directions...


Sometimes they run out of advertised sale items, and the substitutions are ... strange...



They apparently think Jedi Knights are an ethnic group:



Wonder when we'll get a two story Target?

Labels: Friday Fun

My favorite line? "Coach Del Rio chewed Taylor out, telling him to quit pondering the inconsequence of being in a universe governed by chaos and just play some football!"



H/T Evolving Thoughts via Leave the Lights On.

Labels: Friday Fun

Many people have wondered about my name, since I live in Houston.

I grew up in Colorado, although I wasn't born there. I went to elementary school there. I had middle school bullies there. Graduated high school there. First kiss, first date, first driver's license - all in Colorado. I met my husband there, got married in Denver, and birthed four babies... all in the Mile High City.

Thus, the name. That, and when I started blogging I was totally going to have an awesome site like A to Z Homeschool, but chock full of all things Denver. So my name had to be branded.

I may live in Houston, but my heart is in Denver.

Why Milehimama, and not MileHighMama? I'm simply unnaturally prejudiced against silent letters, I guess.

I even cut my brownies into the shape of the state, and make sure my muffins come out of the oven with peaked cones. That's how much I love Colorado.

Colorado is a great state. You can't sell cars on Sunday. You can't put your sofa on the porch. You can't cause light pollution with your porch light. And they eat every part of the animal. Ever hear of Rocky Mountain Oysters?

Every year, the Columbus day parade is a MAJOR event, complete with protests. Cinco de Mayo shuts down half the city. We have a state dinosaur, people!

Colorado is also infested with aliens.



Who left their mother ship in a Woody Allen movie.



What's not to love?

My heart will always be a mile high.

Labels: Friday Fun, Misc.

Please prepare yourself for gratuitous family picture posting.

What personality are you? A lion? An otter? Choleric? INTJ? Huh? There are as many scales as there are books for sale on the topic.

Labels: C, E, Family Life, Friday Fun, S, V, X

Ever have one of those days? When you can't wait for school to start - until you remember you'll be teaching them at home this year?

Me too.



This might help.

Labels: Friday Fun, Viral

Husband dear got hurt at work yesterday. He got in a fight with a tool, and lost, and has ten stitches.

In his honor, here's a sweet song about a kid who looks up to his dad: (A JCB is a digger.)



Sitting on the toolbox...I'm Luke and I'm 5 and my dad's Bruce Lee...


Thanks for the link, Clare!

Labels: Friday Fun

Too funny not to pass along, especially if you have a Simpsons fan in your family.

Cutting Calories and Saving D'oh at Cheap Healthy Good.

Labels: Friday Fun, Linky love

I was tagged by Soul Pockets for this meme a while ago, and I'm just now getting to it. I wish I could say that I spent the time thinking of the perfect phrase, but I wasn't.
I was shopping at Ikea.

Write your memoir in 6 words. Add an illustration. Pass it on.

Err in charity, you never know...

and

Were you born in a barn?

(Oh, wait, that's my children's life story summed up.)


That's not necessarily an insult. A friend of mine was born in a barn, in fact.



Hemingway started it, with what he claimed were the saddest 6 words ever strung together:

For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.

Who's playing?

Labels: Friday Fun

The best part of the whole video is Pat Sajak's face at the end.

Priceless.



H/T Leave the Lights On

Labels: Duh award, Friday Fun, grammar

...in a jaw-dropping, head shaking kind of way.

Is the stupidity quotient ignorance particularly thick this week, or what?



"Toddlers who turn their noses up at spicy food from overseas could be branded racists by a Government-sponsored agency."
(Only in Great Britain. Actual news story, not a piece in The Onion. H/T Random Brown.)


"I have repeatedly said that I think it's entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions..." ...and I have a bridge for sale in Arizona...

Obama's spin, trying to mitigate the fallout from his oppostion to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, support of the Freedom of Choice Act, and latest statement saying "health of mother" exceptions should not include mental health or emotional health. Poor man. He doesn't know if he's coming or going!

(BTW, head over to Catholics for Obama and disabuse them of the notion that Catholics care more about social doctrine, such as subsidized daycare for working mothers, than prolife issues. They call any outing of actual facts regarding Obama's votes and statements "disgraceful smears".)

"Like most Roman Catholics, I was almost unsaveable, but with God, all things are possible."
Not even gonna go there. The same blogger goes on to note: "In the following quote, Paul explains that not very many educated people will get into heaven. "
(1 Cor 1:17-29)

Yeah. Okay.

"Two schoolboys were given detention after refusing to kneel down and 'pray to Allah' during a religious education lesson"
Great Britain again. H/T Catholic Cavemen

Labels: Crazy is as Crazy does, Friday Fun, Linky love, politics, Prolife, Rants and Raves

Mr P does not have a sense of humor. Oh, he tries. He tries really really hard. He just can't tell a joke to save his life.

He is just not funny. And he's not funny in a straight-man-Bob-Newhart kind of way, he's not funny in the awkward-silence-then-pity-laugh kind of way.

Honestly, I don't know where he gets it from. I, myself, have a Shakespearean sense of humor. This means I'm full of obscure puns and prone fits of iambic pentameter. Okay, not really on the last one.

One of his favorite jokes to tell?

What's black and white?

A penguin.

(The joke actually goes something like, What's black and and white, black and white, black and white, black and blue? A penguin falling down the stairs.)

He forgets to mention the punchline, every time.

Are your children humor challenged? Perhaps these sites might help:

Printable knock knock jokes

Knock Knock jokes arranged by name

Jokes and riddles

Knock knock jokes have helped Mr P come up with one funny joke.

Knock knock

Who's there?

I farted.

Then all of the boys and their dad roll to ground in helpless laughter. Ah, life with boys. And men.

And for those poor souls similarly afflicted with Bad Pun Syndrome, I offer The Shakespearian Insult Generator. Much better than the standard "doo-doo head" heard in our playroom!
And look what I found for our preschool classroom! Take that, Baby Einsteins!

The same site also offers avenging narwhales action figures. I guess you really can find anything on the internet.

Labels: Family Life, Friday Fun

From Illinipundit:

Application to Eat (click to enlarge)

Labels: Friday Fun

No, this is not for real. This is the nerdy homeschool mom's version of fantasy baseball.

Entertainment Weekly magazine features a review by Ken Tucker of the miniseries John Adams. (7 part miniseries on HBO starting March 16.) Laura Linney did such a wonderful job as Abigail Adams that EW comments:

Clearly, what this country needs is a feature-film franchise based on the Little House on the Prairie books, with Linney as Laura's mother.

Who should round out the cast?

I think they should probably cast an unknown as Laura - or perhaps Abigail Breslin.

Labels: Friday Fun, movies