40 and Fabulous

I am turning 40, I know that everyone will eventually turn 40, but I am actually turning 40 in 2009 and I am feeling a little uneasy about it. So, I have decided to make a list of 40 things that I want to do before I turn 40!!! Now this in itself is a little harder than I had anticipated, I can’t necessarily go tour Europe for a month with 5 kids (if you see what I am talking about). So I am trying to come up with 40 things for a mother of 5 kids (all under the age of 8), on a limited budget and also limited time. And I really don’t want to do anything that will get me seriously injured or inflict pain (so the tattooing idea is out).

So, I did what all Americans do when then need some help to a serious question, I turned to “Google” and typed “100 top things to do before you die” or in my case turn 40, and the list that Google felt was appropriate was lame, so I went to my Brother and he had found this list which I thought was much better: (Bolded things I have done)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (ran two Half-Marathon does that count?)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee.

I think that I may have to modify the list slightly; it does have some serious potential (the other list had “grow a beard”, though my facial hair could come in rather thick if I allowed, I will not grow a beard!!). So with some slight alterations I may come to realize that I have lived a pretty darn good 40 years and not have to do anything next year……

To Be Continued………

Pastor or Pimp Daddy!

My husband is considering changing religion, (no not really) but at the very least taking some advice from a Pastor who seems to have everyone talking (or doing something else).

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/us/24sex.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Broken, Burnt and Stranded

My sweet little Sally has a broken leg, a “fracture” in medical lingo, which by the way took the doctors quite a long time to identify, but in their defense it did take Steve and me 4 days to identify something was wrong. And we still have absolutely no idea how it happened. The month of October has been a complete blur and November made this sound “WOOOSH”. I did manage to run out of gas, having to call my Mother in law to rescue me, then make the dreaded call to my husband to “eat crow” because he had warned and warned of the car not being able to run with out gas. I said, “Oh, you silly man, I have plenty of gas”. I then turned on my stove trying to make dinner and set the cake-save aflame (which I had placed on the stove) with Bailey’s birthday cake in it, which gave it quite a little smoked flavor and completely melted my favorite and only cake save. I have ½ potty trained Sam, he still feels more comfortable pooping in his pants than on the toilet, and peeing on his friends floor, which is absolutely delightful. But all is well, only one broken leg, one fire, one fuel issue and 3 accidents at friend’s houses. I chalk that up to a pretty darn great month!!!! Oh ya, add one bunny killing to that tally. But I still feel pretty darn great!!