Dang Blog

Sorry I haven't been updating the blog. My internet is flaky and I usually can't get on it to update. Today I can, but it's not letting me do pics. Sigh.

Big news around here is that I'm test-driving an iPad for work. The Bruno boys are really enjoying it, I can tell you that. I'm trying to figure out if we can call Angry Birds an educational app - seems sciencey to me. LOL!

I'll try to get on this weekend and see if I can put some pics up. Stay tuned!

Tattoos and Cars

This weekend was all about tattoos and the family car. On Saturday, Joe took me out for my pre-birthday surprise - a new tattoo! It's one I've been wanting to get since January, just haven't had the money. Being a little more experienced this time, I brought my new library book and read while Rob did his thing on my ankle. Here's what it looks like:

If you can't make out the words, it says "We're all mad here." It's an Alice in Wonderland thing, which goes with my Hatter tattoo. I've designated my right leg as the Wonderland leg, so anything Alice-related will end up there. Not that I have any immediate plans. Joe got a tattoo also (naturally!). It's an ambigram, which means that when you look at it from one direction is says Saint and when you look at it the other way it says Sinner.

Also got the brakes fixed on the car today. Our friend Josh did it for free, we just had to pay for the parts. So now all my brakes work, yay! In the next week or so he'll also be repairing our tie rod and wheel bearing. Very handy, having mechanical friends. We hung out at Josh and Nancy's house all day. This meant Xander had to play with Tehya, who is only four. There were some rough spots, but for the most part they got along.

When we got home, Joe and Xander finished up a school project - diorama of Jack and the Beanstalk for the Fairy Tale Museum they're making. Didn't they do a good job?

Mother Bought A Coconut...

Whenever Xander comes grocery shopping with me, there are some standard areas where he needs to go. First and foremost is the toy department, where he checks out the latest in action figures and Legos, does a little begging, and compiles a mental list of toys he can't live without. Other hotspots include looking at the fish over in seafood, and checking out pineapples and coconuts in produce. Only this time we actually brought a coconut home.


Xander was chomping at the bit to get into that little brown ball. He pestered Joe and I until finally last night Joe hacked it open. He gave Xander the glass full of coconut milk and told him to have at it. What he had was one sip, followed by a water chaser. The coconut milk was a no-go. I think Joe drank the rest of it.

Next came an actual chunk of firm white coconut, which Xander nibbled on. (I did too, but I have to say I'd rather have it honey roasted. It's much tastier that way!) Once again, my son was underwhelmed by the taste of the coconut. I can't blame him - the raw stuff does nothing for me.

All in all, I'd say Xander was fairly disappointed in the whole thing. I don't know what he thought it was going to taste like, but clearly it wasn't anything he was hoping for. Still, now he can say that he's tried coconut. I wonder when he'll start asking for a pineapple...

Week In Review

It's been an entertaining week for the Brunos, which started on Sunday with dinner at our friend Nancy and Josh's house. It's the first time we've dined together that hasn't been in a restaurant, and they went all out. Josh BBQ'd these huge steaks (which were insanely delicious), and Nancy made twice-baked potatoes from scratch. Even Xander ate one! We'll be seeing them again on Saturday at the motorcycle club's annual dinner at the Heartbreak.

Tuesday we picked up our rental car (our regular car is having some issues at the moment). They gave us a Kia Optima and I'm now doing almost all of the driving because Joe just can't fit behind the wheel. Watching him try to get in the other day was hilarious! Hopefully our car will be back on the road next week sometime.

Wednesday we had dinner at Eli and Krissy's - corned beef and cabbage dinner number one. The kids played, the grown-ups hung out, and Joe immediately became addicted to something called Angry Birds on Krissy's Droid. Dinner was good, and followed up by a giant cupcake made with rainbow colors. It was delicious!

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, so there was lots of wearing of the green and more corned beef, just for us Brunos. Joe had it cooking in the crock pot all day and it was delicious! Next year we need to get a bigger corned beef or something, though, because there's not even a crumb left. Xander at corned beef both days, and some potato. I'm so proud of him for trying new food!

Today it's already warm, though we do have a wind advisory. It's a big conference day at work, and Xander normally wouldn't have had school but they used up all their snow days. Sorry, buddy! I've been up since 6am because Joe was snoring so bad I couldn't get back to sleep. It's going to be a long day!

The Camera Man

Xander loves taking pictures. I don't always love seeing them, though, since he finds everything worthy of a photo - dirty laundry, clutter, his feet. He got out my camera yesterday after Joe took some pictures of him. Among the many things he took pictures of (including numerous pics of the show he was watching on TV) these are my faves:

Stuart, snoozing on Xander's bed.

Xander's room, with all his posters and drawings on the walls.

Joe, taking a pic of Xander. (Don't tell him I posted him topless, LOL!)

One of these days I'll get my boy his very own camera. And it will definitely be digital - can you imagine paying for developing for fifteen blurry pictures of a movie on the TV? I don't think so!

Salad and PARP

The big news of the week is this: Xander ate salad! Yes, he willingly and without complaint ate something that was green. It was a big moment for the Brunos. As you can see, he didn't really have that much he had to eat. We did find out that he doesn't like bacon bits though. Now I wonder what my chances are for broccoli. LOL!

In other news, PARP (Parents As Reading Partners) started this week. Xander's school does it every year. At the end, he gets to join in an ice cream party and gets a coupon for a free book. So what we've been doing is having him read a book to us, and then one of us reads one after. On the first day it was Joe reading The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. The other night he followed that up with How the Grinch Stole Christmas. (Can you tell we're big Dr. Suess fans?)

I'm happy to report that Joe qualifies for unemployment, so that's a relief. (If you didn't know, he was fired last Friday from Hospice.) We've been talking about making some big life changes, but it's all still in flux right now. As always, we Brunos like to keep things interesting! LOL!

More Snow

This winter seems endless. We got over a foot of snow on Friday, which was both unexpected and unwanted. Poor Joe got stuck in the driveway on his way home from work Friday morning and had to be dug out. Luckily we have a very nice neighbor!

Xander loved it, of course. He couldn't spend too much time outside because it was really cold, but he managed to get in some sledding, some fort building and some general snowy mayhem. As for myself, I'll be happy to never see another snowflake for as long as I live!

Hellooooooooooooooooooooo!

Anybody out there still reading this? Not that there's been anything to read. It's not that I gave up on the ole blog, but I don't have access to it at work anymore, and my new internet service at home is unreliable in the extreme. Today, for some reason, it seems to be working.

So what have the Brunos been up to in the last six months?

Xander's second grade teacher has left for Khazakstan to adopt a baby, so he'll have a sub for the remainder of the year. He's doing great in school this year, too. For the Fall field trip we went to Schenectady to the science museum and planetarium.

Joe and I hit a marital snag, but now we're in counseling and doing soooo much better! It's an on-going process, but it's worth it.

We got a new kitty - Grundy. He's one of Andy and Angie's kittens, and we brought him home on Halloween. Stuart wasn't too sure of him at first, but now they co-exist mostly peacefully. Except when they chase each other quite noisily first thing in the morning. Grr!

I've been writing fan fic, and posting it over at Fanfiction.net. If you're interested, by name over there is Brumeier. Lots of good reading to be had there, and I'm making some good friends. Writing is fun again!

Joe was made the Sergeant at Arms for his motorcycle club, which he was very excited about. He's the enforcer. We have a dinner coming up next month at the Heartbreak that I'll go to. Joe's friend Nancy is prospecting the club - she and her husband Josh have become friends of ours. (See, I'm making new friends all over the place!)

Now we're just trying to survive Winter. I don't know if I'll be able to update regular, but I'll keep trying. I know my mom at least has been missing the blog, LOL!