It made the news so it must be true ...

I don't have much time to watch the news on tv so I tend to listen to the radio on the way into work in the mornings and then, depending on how busy it is at work I'll try and have a look at the newspapers or read the metro on the train (free newspaper).

Here are just a couple of  news stories that I've noticed recently:

Menganno -- (Spanish for Joe Blow ) the super hero form Buenos Aires

According to the article he was a self-styled superhero, prowling the gritty outskirts of Buenos Aires wearing a mask and cartoonish outfit and armed only with a flashlight, compass and pepper spray as he took on bad guys. Only his cover was blown following at shoot-out with local thugs.

Easy enough for a dog to do: BUCHAREST - Stray dogs crossing at crosswalks are being used by the Romanian traffic police in a new safety campaign to convince pedestrians to be more careful. 

Would you vote for Vladimir?

 

Murder by vagina

and last, but by no means He's back!

LL-Cool-J – in da house!

 vs

image via Google images

You know that LL-Cool-J is short for Ladies Love Cool James (real name James Todd Smith) well I have a little LL-Cool-J in my house. It is ridiculous. Yesterday I came home to found a pile of nearly 20 love letters given to Tiger (who’s middle name is James btw) by the girls in his year.

Some of them were one love letter from two girls. Other where a list of names and then he had to chose which girl he likes the best. And we you ask him who he likes best he just smiles and says ‘I don’t know’.

His sister is not much help either. Apparently, she told one of the poor girls (Emma) that she doesn’t stand a chance compared to two of the other girls. Since she is in the other class while Chloe & Chiara are in his class so they get to spend loads of time with him.

Chiara makes a point of saying hello to me and chatting to me (in her very limited English) whenever I make it to school for the pick-up. Seems she knows how important it is that the mom likes you.

Here I was thinking that at 8 boys think that girls are gross … maybe he’ll start thinking it at 10.

Cat, on the other hand is very quiet about who she likes. I know there are two boys she sort-of alternates between but she plays her cards very close to the vest.

O and this might be totally random but a very happy birthday to Tom Selleck who is turning 68 today. According to Cat he is looking very young.

Happy Birthday to Tom from probably the only 10 year old on the planet who thinks he is hot

Dancing and singing and sun

I can see blue skies! Amazing! we have one day of clear(-ish) blue skies and sun shine before the rain comes.  But we can’t complain too much, at least it is not as cold as it has been. We still to fresh snow on Saturday but most of it has been washed away by the rain the followed yesterday.

Well, now that we have the weather talk out the way, let me ask you how your weekend was?

Ours was good.

We sent the kids to my parents on Saturday night for a sleep-over while the man & I went to a combined 40^th.  It was fun. I can’t remember when last the two of us went to a party together.  I think we got home at about 2:30 so it was a good night.

Unfortunately I had to get up earlier than what I would have liked to after our night out, but I had to fetch the kids from my folks and drive to Duffle. We had tickets to go and see a pantomime.

Do you know what a panto is? If not I found this great website which will tell you all you have to know.

Anyway, we made it to Duffle and then we drove to Antwerp with my friend Noreen. We met up with some other friends and their kids so it was quite a group of us in the end.  Panto really is for the kids and it showed. The kids had a blast, they were shouting and dancing and taking part. There were times when Noreen & I just looked at each other cause the singing was SOOOOOO BAD! Honestly I had to bite my hand to stop myself from laughing out loud! (It would have been better if they were trying to sing badly, i/o just singing).

After a quick dinner we drove back home … poor kids, they got to bad long past their bedtime but they slept in the car so I didn’t feel too bad. Himself says I really ought to feel bad but it’s not often that they go to bed that late on a school night.  I’ll make sure they go to bed a bit earlier tonight.  I have loads of ironing to do in since I didn’t do any yesterday … so excited about that! (very sarcastic)

In my own hand

Today is the last time that Lena is hosting the Tuesday10 … which is a little sad. But, I’m very glad to know that as of next week we’ll be in the capable hands of Mindy. Thanks for taking over Mindy!

Joining Lena as co-host today is Cody (Solemn Sound) … Thanks ladies!

 

And since topic is handwriting I’ve written my post by hand only to realize that no-one will be able to read it. So I've added a typed out version below:

1. I hate writing with a black pen!  

2. I love writing with a blue pen!

3. I want a fine point pen.

4. I don’t like anything with runny ink like a felt tip pen.

5. I think my handwriting looks best when I write in pencil.

6. I turn my page on its side when I write … so the top of the page will be on my left

7. I like writing on lined paper

8. I can’t read my kids handwriting because they both learned to write in Belgium (weird cursive style)

9. I can change my handwriting so completely it looks like my aunts (she’s left handed)

10. I’m sad when I think how few people write things these days, soon no-one will know how to write anymore

I’m staying home next weekend

You know how things happen in 3s? Well the way things are going next weekend is going to be nr 3 and I would much rather avoid it.

Nr. 1 > Flat tire

Last Saturday afternoon (as in not this past weekend but the weekend before that) after picking Tiger up from a birthday party I got a flat tire on the way home along a backwards farm road.  No problem I though, I know how to change a tire.

Only the rental car that I’m driving at the moment had no spare tire only one of these run-flat kits.

After a while I figured out how to work it and despite messing quite a bit of the liquid I managed to inflate the tire to the recommended level.

A farmer who lived nearby came to see if I needed help and also offered that I use is phone when I discovered that I had left mine at home.

Luckily Tiger & I managed to get going before it was pitch black and snowing. Unfortunately, we were home too late to get Cat to swimming.

I don’t know what your husbands are like but mine was really annoyed with me. He claims that it is because I drive like a typical woman that this happened. Cause he’s never had a flat tire. (Yeah I can distinctly remember him getting one about 2 years ago).  On the other hand, this was my third flat tire in 2 years.

Nr. 2 > Towed

On Saturday I drove through to Mechelen (about 50km / 31 miles) away to help my friend Noreen pick new frames for her glasses.  I find it hard to decide what looks good on me when I change my frames, so when she asked me if I would come help her I was only too happy to oblige.

So, after the trip to the optometrist we went and had some coffee etc. I couldn’t stay too long since I had to be back home to get Cat off to swimming on time. So at just after 4 we said our goodbyes.

Okay, now let me first back track. I don’t know Mechelen at all. But Himself had suggested that I just find parking on the street i/o using the underground parking which would cost an arm & a leg.

Right, so when I got there I was thrilled to find parking not too far from the city centre. FFW to when I wanted to leave … the car is not there. Another car is parked where I was parked.

WTF!!!! Now I’m panicking, did someone steal it? Surely no-one would have stolen it! (I did have an antique Singer sewing machine in the back) but still….

I call Noreen. She comes up to meet me. I go into to store across from where I was parked and ask if they saw anything. Yes, as a matter of fact they did. The police towed me away.

So we go outside and low and behold there is one of those temporary no parking sign boards two parking spots away.  Not very clear!!!!

Luckily Noreen knows Mechelen quite well so she was able to take me to the police who told us where we could find the car.

Now, in the mean time the man has been calling me to hear where I am.  Before I knew the car had been towed I told him I was just getting to the car (which I thought was true but then the car was not where I left it).  And since he totally over-reacted about the flat tire I just stuck to my story that traffic was bad (there was an accident on the way back) I just neglected to tell him about being towed away. 

Also, the man’s blood pressure is way too high, so I need to do what I can to keep it down. One day I’ll be able to tell him and he’ll see the funny side of things.

In the mean time, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn’t act totally out of character and get the mail out of the mailbox … and find the bill for the towing service! Cause then the cat will be out the bag in a major way, plus I might be dead.

Nr. 3  > I really hope nothing happens!  

However, my plan to stay at home all weekend is not going to work. Noreen just reminded me that we have tickets to go watch a Pantomime in Antwerp on Sunday.  I’m so going to park under ground!