i'm over you, diet coke

some of you know that back in november, i gave up my one-a-day diet coke habit. understanding that one a day was not really such a bad habit, i nonetheless knew that it was nothing but bad for me, and decided to make the switch. what did i switch to? tea.

the reason i switched was health, but the decision was facilitated by my extremely handy father who installed an instant hot water tap in my kitchen. being a busy person, the appeal of mug-bag-tap instant tea was ingenious in its simplicity. no kettles. no waiting. beautiful.

i've bought piles and piles of different teas... black, green, white, red. flavored & unflavored. iced and hot. sweetend and unsweetened. it's such a nice variety, and i've found that i can easily shift flavors with moods and weather. lovely!


right now my fave is trader joe's ruby red chai. it tastes great hot and cold, sweet and plain, with and without milk. other favorites include just about anything by mighty leaf, and the occasional jasmine green tea.

i still enjoy an occasional diet coke at a restaurant, but MAN am i glad i made the switch. i've saved money, added variety, and maybe, just maybe, saved a little bit of myself.

cat nicknames

we have a cute little gray and white tabby cat named jingle bell. i know that jingle bell is NOT the best name for a cat, but we got her around christmas time when s was about 5. it was the most magical name she could consider at the time, so the unfortunately named jingle bell came to be.

now, jingle has a little issue with corpulence. such an issue that she cannot reach her nether regions in order to clean herself. this has led to hundreds of dollars in veterinary bills for urinary tract infections. yeah, i know, great. TMI.

she's the sweetest little tolerant kitty. the kind of kitty that follows you around and gazes up into your eyes. the kind that licks your fingers and toes until they shine. the children absolutely adore her because she lets them carry her around and tease her about her weight.

which brings me to the topic. jingle bell is not the greatest name, and i am prone to calling her bell or bella or bellina. bellicose would be more apt, but i digress. the kids have come up with the oddest names for this poor cat. mostly h. his names for her include belly eller, bellorgin blub, blubberg meowgen, bellee- bellew-bellub and bellatin gelatin. s calls her dinda bueller.

WHERE ON EARTH do they come up with names like this? and what on the earth do they mean? i've asked them, and they just shrug, content in their own little world of imaginary nicknames. the other animals and people in the house are not nearly so nickname-endowed as poor jingle bell. otherwise, you'd probably be wondering what they call ME.

char chek

are you looking forward to the new star trek movie? everyone at our house is excited to see it... except s. what does that mean? that means t will take h to see it tonight, and i get to stay home with s. it IS a school night, so i don't mind. i'm sure i'll get to see it another night.

h is watching the first star trek movie so he can do a compare & contrast for homeschool. he used to LOVE the theme song to star trek: voyager when he was a baby, and whenever he would hear it playing on tv he'd drop everything to listen carefully. when it was over, he'd clap and say "WAY, char chek! (yay, star trek)" we thought he was adorable. we still refer to it as "char chek" occasionally. my, how the times have changed.

if you see it, let me know what you think!

7 and 1/2 months

yes, it's been 7.5 months since i last blogged.

really.

and i was reminded today (ahem, you know who you are) that i haven't blogged in a long time. now, the specific number 7.5 was NOT mentioned, but i've been feeling the pressure in my own mind to put up something, ANYTHING, on my blog so as not to let it die completely.

the beatles are playing on itunes by request of s, who is partial to "everyone's got something to hide except me and my monkey." we both wait with bated breath until the beatles version of rock band is released. won't that be excellent? we'll need to crack out the ol' drum kit and go to town.

there are 24 more days left of public school for s, and then she, too, will be a homeschooler along with h. it's been a tough time being home with him and NOT having her here. i am honestly relieved that she chose to homeschool next year as well. for all of you who ask how long i plan to homeschool, the answer is simply: i don't know. we put one foot in front of the other and take it one day at a time. hopefully i am not crippling them for life.

spring is here, and although i should be outside doing yardwork, i despise yardwork. i had a lengthy battle with the lawnmower recently, and cursed our acreage. the pollen is at record levels, and i'm about to just give up on the landscaping... or rather... lack thereof. with all the interior projects we've done over the winter, it's my kingdom for a break, isn't it? isn't it??!

there. i posted. happy?