Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Weird Word Wednesday - Rake

RAKE


Today's weird word is RAKE. While most everyone knows the definition of the garden tool, I found this definition to be much funnier.


I guess hoes will be hoes and rakes will be rakes! lol

 

rake2 [reyk]

noun
a dissolute or profligate person, especially a man who is licentious; roué.
 
Origin:
1645–55; see rakehell


libertine, profligate, lecher, womanizer.



http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rake


=J Do you have a weird word for us to shar? Let us know and we will mention you in our post!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Monday Vent - Swearing

*#@%&!

While growing up there were very strict rules about what we could and could not say.  I remember being slapped for asking my mother what b-u-t-t spelled.  That was a bad word.  My mother would also tell us that swearing was for people who did not have the education or the creativity to effectively put their thoughts into words so they had to rely on the "shock factor" and use profanity.  I admit, I agree with her.  I rarely, if ever, swear, other than the occasional "dammit" when I am injured (e.g. at church, my son slammed the kneeler onto my foot and I swore very quietly under my breath).  My husband typically does not swear in front of me during normal, everyday conversations.  I appreciate the fact that he accommodates my feelings that way.  We do have two young children, which, you would expect would further clean up his language.  For the most part it has, unless he is playing a video game.  While playing these STUPID and INANE games he swears so profusely that I have to shut whatever doors lie between him and me.  Our sons call this game the "yelling game" because he screams at the top of his lungs. We have had so many discussions/arguments about his abuse of language within earshot of our children and me, that I am beside myself with frustration.  My children have learned ALL the swear words there are straight from the mouth of their father.  It's completely infuriating and disgusting to me.

S-)

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Weird Word Wednesday - Pule

PULE


Having children provides one with multiple opportunities to describe whining.  This is a new one for me that I will definitely use! S-)



Definition of PULE

intransitive verb


Examples of PULE

  1. <a distressed baby puling in its crib>

Origin of PULE

probably imitative
First Known Use: 1534

Related to PULE

Synonyms: bleat, mewl, whimper
Related Words: fuss, sniffle, snivel, snuffle, whine; bawl, blub [chiefly British], blubber, cry, sob, weep; peep, squeak; yelp; mumble, murmur

Monday, November 21, 2011

Monday Vent - The Kitchen Sponge

Yes, today's vent REALLY IS about the kitchen sponge. Not so much about the kitchen sponge, as where I find it, REPEATEDLY.

 For you to fully understand, I will have to share with you my disgust of kitchen sponges. Kitchen sponges, to me, are just playgrounds for germs and bacteria. They gross me out to no end. I use a brush to hand wash things or even a paper towel that then gets thrown away (I know. Not exactly green of me.)

My husband LOVES the kitchen sponge. He will use it on ANYTHING. He will wipe off the counter top and then go right to the cook top. I have seen him use it on dishes and the garbage can. (Hold on... I'm gagging...)

Once he is done using the kitchen sponge, he then throws it into the sink. No rinse. No wringing. No setting in on the edge of the sink so it can dry. Nope. It sits in the sink while cups are rinsed, hands are washed, and dog bowls are filled. That kitchen sponge sits in the bottom of the sink just waiting to be picked up again so a couple squirts of dish soap can be squirted on it and contaminate wash the next thing. (dry heave)

I have tried to discourage the use of the kitchen sponge many times. I hid the kitchen sponge, and my husband found it. I didn't buy new ones, he bought replacements.

I then thought I would at least try to keep the sponge out of the sink. Repeatedly I pulled out the sponge, rinsed it, squeezed the extra water out of it and set it on edge to dry. Certainly if my husband finds the sponge this way enough times he will return it to that position, right? Nope. I thought that perhaps my husband, being the gadget guy that he his, just needed a place to put it and THAT'S why he always throws it in the sink. (Side note: there is a hidden ledge on the front side of our sink that he COULD put the sponge in already. In fact that's where I put the kitchen scrub brush, but I digress.) So, while out shopping, I found a double sided sponge holder. It looks like a saddle and hangs on the cross bar between our two sinks. PERFECT and EASY place to put the kitchen sponge. I point out to my husband the new purchase and promptly place the kitchen sponge in it.

Do I even NEED to tell you where I STILL find the kitchen sponge? This is one of those battles that I will never win. I refuse to fight with him about it, and as gross as I think it is, we have never gotten sick because of it (that I am aware of). Full disclosure: whenever I see plates or silverware that he washed drying on the counter, I put them in the dishwasher when he isn't looking.

This is one of those things that I know will not go away. I try to not focus on it. However, if one day, you see a news headline that reads "Woman Goes Crazy Mumbling About Her Kitchen Sponge" you will know it is me.

=J

Have a similar situation at your house?

Friday, November 18, 2011

Bright Side Friday - Free Warm Goodness!


Today's Bright Side Friday has to do with one of my life's simple pleasures: a Venti Soy No Water 7 Pump Chai.

Now I know, I sound obnoxious. I feel funny even typing it! But my girlfriend, who is a barista, turned me on to the "no water" and the "7 Pump" part. Anyways, to me, it's like having a glass of heaven.

But wait, it gets better... a girlfriend treated me to it! A completely surprising random act of kindness. And do you know what? It made my day. It is STILL making my day, even thought I've long finished it.

So that's why this Friday's Bright Side, is dedicated to Free Warm Goodness because both my friend and my favorite drink filled me with a special warm feeling.

=J

What's your Bright Side Friday? Do you have something that gives you a lift?

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Weird Word Wednesday - Pulchritude

PULCHRITUDE



This Wednesday's Weird Word is PULCHRITUDE. Credit goes to Cecily K at http://www.uppercasewoman.com and twitter @Cecilyk for giving us the idea and permission to use it.

On Tuesday, Cecily had tweeted:

"Trying to make a word trend: pulchritude. Yep, PULCHRITUDE. It means beautiful. Really." 

So here is our little part in helping to make her wish come true! =) Though in all honesty, Cecily could do just about anything all by herself. We are just happy she is our twitter friend. Oh, and the highlight color is also a nod to Cecily and her wonderfully fun hair. (Am I starting to sound like a stalker now?)

Pulchritude means (beautiful or) physical comeliness. Now I have to look up the word comeliness... or maybe I'll just save it for next Wednesday.

pul·chri·tude

noun \ˈpəl-krə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\

Definition of PULCHRITUDE

: physical comeliness
pul·chri·tu·di·nous adjective

Monday, November 14, 2011

Monday Vent - The Pressure of Helping

The holidays are fast approaching and I am starting to realize how unprepared I am. I am thinking about how I can gear up and knock out all of my "to do" list. The problem? I also have my mom's "to do" list. She went in for  replacement hip surgery 1 1/2 weeks ago. She is recovering beautifully, but... she still needs a ton of help. I don't mind doing it, really I don't. I love my mom and I know that I'm the only one that can do some of these things the way she wants them done. My brother makes her crazy with his own agenda and arguing with her about what she needs or doesn't need. JUST DO IT! She wants fabric deodorizer in the wash with her towels? THEN JUST DO IT! Nope. Not him. He argues with her that it doesn't need it and moves on.

I don't ask my dad, because my mom and dad are directly connected by emotional well being. If my dad thinks my mom is doing well, then he's happy. If my mom thinks my dad is happy, then she's happy. Keeping my dad out of it makes everything to him seem like it's going easier for my mom. Doing things for my mom, keeps my mom mentally happy and hence my dad too.

So I know, I could say "no" to her. But I just can't. I know that I will be purchasing all of her Thanksgiving Day food for her and getting it into her house. I will probably prepare of bunch of it too. I know, I SHOULD anyways. Why should she do the bulk of the work year after year? Even if she is able bodied enough to prepare the food this year, her stamina is not back to normal yet. So I say "yes" and "no problem" and "anything else I can do for you?" And then I put more on my plate, to put less on hers.

Who knows when she will be able to drive again. So after Thanksgiving, I will look forward to doing her Christmas shopping. I will do all of this with a smile on my face and a hug and kiss to her, while inside I will be stressing about all of my "to do" lists and my Christmas shopping. 

I do it out of love. I do it out of appreciation of all that she has done for me. I do it because I'm the only one that can. When I do it and feel stressed about it, I feel guilty.

=J

Have you found yourself in a similar situation?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Weird Word Wednesday - infotainment

INFOTAINMENT



Today's Weird Word is Infotainment. I love this word! How many times have you gotten caught up in some silly infomercial because it was completing entertaining!!





  • infotainment





  • audio pronunciation




  • \in-foh-TAYN-munt\




    • DEFINITION
    noun
    : television programming that presents information (such as news) in a way that is meant to be entertaining
    • EXAMPLES
    "Presidential efforts to generate news of their policies compete with Americans' preferences for infotainment and soft news coverage of celebrities and scandal." -- From Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha and Jeffrey Peake's 2011 book Breaking Through the Noise: Presidential Leadership, Public Opinion, and the News Media

    "Smith is maybe best known for having hosted the CBS morning infotainment show 'The Early Show' and its predecessor, 'CBS This Morning,' for 17 years." -- From an article by Lisa de Moraes in The Washington Post, July 12, 2011

    I love this word!  How many times have you gotten caught up in some silly infomercial because it was completing entertaining!!

    Monday, November 7, 2011

    Monday Vent - Relatives

    I have a number of years experience in special education and have worked with hundreds of different kids with a multitude of issues.  There is a lot I don't know, but I have an educated and experienced point of view.  With that being said, I would not tell someone that I think their child has issues, even if it is obvious to me, unless they specifically asked my opinion, and even then I would be extremely cautious with what I said.  This becomes more challenging when it is the child of a close relative.

    I babysat for this relative who has a 3 & 5 year old.  I have been concerned about the developmental skills of the 5 year old since he was 18 months old and have kindly and lovingly expressed my concerns on a number of occasions.  This was not received well at all.  I, therefore, have not said anything for over one year.  Now, however, the goofy dad starts telling me how he's concerned about the 3 year old because she is giving him a hard time with everything (ie. typical three-year-old testing & pushing limits).  He doesn't understand because the older child was so "easy to deal with".  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!  The older child threw tantrums any time he was in a new situation.  He threw tantrums when we sang happy birthday at parties because it was too loud.  He refuses to use the toilet anywhere but at his house.  He only eats 5 foods.  This is the easy-going child???  How can a parent be so blinded and in such denial!!!  How can some people's view of reality be so cockamamie?

    S-)

    Sound familiar? Tell us your frustrating relatives story.