Tri-Ominos

Yay yay yay!! Guess what I got at the store today?

However did you guess? Yes, that's right, Tri-Ominos! Well, I was excited, anyway. I don't think I've ever seen Tri-Ominos or its sister, Quad-Ominos, on store shelves since 1983.

Now all I need are Gen, Eli, some Kool-Aid, maybe a block of cheese and some popcorn and I'm all set for a Tri-Ominos game. And I'll make sure that the Kool-Aid consists of 13 different colored packets and four cups of sugar, so it's the color and consistency of a mud puddle. But sweeter.

Hmmm, what else has been happening? Not a whole lot. Tuesday was a busy day. Annika had her two year check-up first thing in the morning. She weighs a whopping 26 3/4 pounds and is 33" tall. And her head is 49 cm in circumference. It's 158 cm in circumference when her hair is wild. Seriously, how can I control this curly 'fro? I have never had to deal with curly, wild hair in my life. I wish that my hair would have developed a wild attitude instead of a lazy, dull, sarcastic attitude.

Anyway, as predicted (and thank God for it), Annika passed all of her tests with flying colors and didn't even need any shots. She behaved so nicely during all the poking, prodding and listening, probably because I prepped her beforehand and told her all about what the doctor would do. The only thing the doctor did have to say was that I should limit the kids' juice intake to four ounces per day. Yeah, right. That's what I say. Four ounces? That is a ridiculously small amount--it's about a thimbleful of juice. I already give them 75% sugar-free juice. Doc says to give them more water, so that's what I've been doing. Four ounces...sheesh. Why not just outlaw juice altogether?

Damn the obesity epidemic! A child can't even have juice anymore!

Second, I had my yearly checkup. I tried to talk the doctor out of certain aspects of it, but he very nicely persuaded me that it was necessary, despite what I've been reading. Ladies? Have you read that if you have normal results for a certain number of years, you can skip that part of it for three years? I have. The doc must not have read that article in Oprah magazine. Anyway, I lived through it, ugh. The doctor was great, actually...took a lot of time to answer my questions and did a very thorough job. The only snag was that my blood pressure was a little high. Yes, Jan, I promise that I will go next week and get it checked again. It could be any number of things, but coming from a family of high blood pressure sufferers, I suppose I shouldn't take a chance.

Last appointment of the day was to get my hair chopped off. It really doesn't look that different, just a lot, lot shorter. I don't know how many times I will grow my hair out only to discover that my hair hates me. It tricks me into believing that this time, growing it out will be different, and I will end up, somehow, with the long and lustrous hair that I've always dreamed of. The long, lustrous hair Hans has always dreamed of. Alas, it is not to be. My hair inevitably gets to my shoulders and then gets stringy and shapeless. I don't have time to mess with it in the morning. This new cut is great. Last night after going to the gym, I showered and went to bed and woke up with it looking great. I don't even really have to do anything to it. Sweet!

Please remind me of how great it is to wash and wear when I start talking about growing my hair out again.

Yesterday, I loaded up the kids, withdrew some Euro from the bank and set out to find the Real store. Real is like Wal-Mart or Target, I think. I see the Real store from the highway all the time, but when I exited the highway and tried to get over to the Real store...well, I don't know what happened. I'm sure if Hans had been driving, we would have gotten there without a problem. I'm just so directionally-challenged. Luckily, I had Dora with me...she directed me home after fruitlessly trying to find Real for 15 minutes. Ah well, maybe next time. I shouldn't shop too much on the economy anyway. The dollar to Euro rate is disgusting.

While I was aimlessly driving through a wooded area towards home, I saw a sign I've never seen: a red-rimmed, triangular sign. A warning sign. The picture in the middle wasn't a falling rock or a deer. It was a frog. Hmmm. Well, I can remember some trips home from the farm during a wet night when there were tons of frogs on the road. Maybe they get slippery when hit. Pete, care to weigh in? Apparently, the frogs are enough of a problem in some areas of Germany to require signs.

Interesting. And gross. Reminds me of those disgusting, reeking buckets of half-dissected frogs in biology. Ba-ha, amplexus, kids!!