Jen needs - a meme

This meme has been popping up on facebook now and then. It's actually been going around the internet for several years now. I finally decided to try it. The funny thing is that I found tons of other "Jen needs" lists...some written as far back as 2005.

So here you go..this is what I need (according to Google).

Here are the directions, in case you want to join in the fun:
Type “[your first name] needs” into Google’s search engine and list the first ten results. Nearly all will be amusing, but you’re supposed to underline the ones that are actually true about you.

1. Jen needs to have a session or two with a therapist.
2. Jen needs rates on 2 scenarios.
3. Jen needs to find a self righteous, conspicuous "I'm better than you" charitable position so she can keep charming the sheep into thinking she matters a rat's ass.
4. Jen needs human anatomy lessons.
5. Jen needs to wise up.
6. Jen needs a muzzle.
7. Jen needs a tech makeover.
8. Jen needs you.
9. Jen needs to use the bathroom.
10. Jen needs a new job.

Blogger Stress!!

I remember when I didn't know what a blog was. Once I figured it out, I knew I had to have one. The problem is that the blogger world is advancing much faster than I have time to figure it all out.

First of all, do you know how many different blog sites there are to choose from? I mean really, who has time to figure out which one does what? There is blogspot, typepad, word press, movable type and the list goes on and on I'm sure. I did find a web page that offers cheatsheets for these different platforms - but I don't have time to read it.

Then, once you have decided on a platform to use, I choose blogger, it's time to figure out how to add a cute template to your blog to make it graphically appealing. There is the banner, sidebar, header, footer, scrollbars, links, background images, labels and so on.

And if this wasn't enough to make your head spin, don't forget the Digg button and the RSS feed, followers, videos, ads, contests, give aways, and widgets!! Oh geez, this is enough to make my head spin!!

But that is the EASY stuff. The hard part, for me, is trying to figure out what to write about. I need a theme. Do I write about my family? my daily craziness? stuff I like?

I guess the only thing I know, is that this is one thing I am determined to figure out. It may take me all year - but I'm gonna have a blog!

Random-ness

1. I am worse than the person who doesn’t know how to say “no.” I don't have to say no because I just offer my time and myself way too much.
2. I felt so guilty when I first bought my Blackberry a year ago. Now I’m not sure I could live without it.
3. The sun makes me sneeze.
4. I gave birth without drugs…on purpose.
5. Key lime pie is my favorite dessert.
6. I wish I had more time for hobbies. There are so many things I’d love to try: digital scrapbooking, taking a photography class, trying out for a play, gardening, etc.
7. I used to teach childbirth classes – my favorite part was attending the births. I’ve been to all kinds of births (home births, free standing birth center births, hospital births –natural, no drugs, hospital births with drugs, and caesarean births, too.
8. I love taking my kids to museums, Broadway shows, national monuments, etc. I would like to spend a summer traveling across the country doing nothing but that.
9. I’m a jazzercise snob. I can’t attend any other type of exercise class b/c I think they are way too boring and stupid. I only like jazzercise.
10. If someone sends me a chain letter via email that contains some kind of urban legend (for example…”This really works! Send this letter to 25 people and you will get free laptop!”), the first thing I do is go to the SNOPES webpage to prove them wrong.
11. Raising an 8 year old daughter is the HARDEST thing I have ever done. God help me when she’s 13!
12. I absolutely LOVE my dvr. I wouldn’t have time to watch TV without it.
13. Ever since last year, when winter would not leave, I have come to despise it. I hate the cold weather. Come on summer, hurry up and get here!
14. If you love my kids – I will love you. If you want to see the mama bear come out, mess with my kids.
15. I miss the times when my kids were babies. I stayed at home with them, organized playgroups, nursed them, wore them in a sling, took them to Musik Garten, cloth diapered them, slept with them. It all seems like another lifetime.
16. I went to seven different elementary schools. This has affected me in at least 2 ways: I make friends easily and find that I have something in common with almost everyone AND I am tortured by the thought of my kids not being at a good school – which is why they’ve been in private school for the last 6 years.
17. I think it’s funny how my classmates at KU think I am so smart, like I can just get an A without effort. I work by a** off for those A’s – but I do have to admit, somehow it is a bit easier for me now. I think I just know how to study better than I did when I was in high school/undergraduate school.
18. I love video games. If I’m on the phone with someone at home, I’m usually playing Zuma at the same time.
19. I love to listen to books on CD while I am driving in the car. I can get through a lot of books that way (because I seem to be in the car all the time!).
20. I love my job. Seriously, I’m not sure why I am even going back to school when I already have the best job in the world.
21. When we bought our house, there was a tree growing out the foundation. The previous owners had chopped it down but once spring arrived, that tree popped right back out. After several failed attempts at chopping it back down – I decided to just dig it up (rather than pay someone to remove it). It took me several days to get it done. My son said it looked like a meteor had hit the side of our house. I wish I had taken a picture.
22. When a section of our sewer pipe had to be removed, I dug that up, too.
23. I have an irrational fear of food contamination. I won’t eat left over’s or food that might have been out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. I won’t touch raw meat – the very thought of meat (dead animals) makes me feel sick. Thank goodness my husband does all the cooking!
24. I’ve watched Days of Our Lives for over 20 years. (Thank you dvr).
25. I can’t resist an open house. I love to see the insides of other homes.

AND HERE IS PAUL'S RESPONSE......
#1. True, my wife can say no to almost nobody.
#2. Also true. I just know that my wife will probably need a newer, better one (blackberry) here in a minute. Potentially a good birthday present or something else.
#3. Funny, but also true, the sun does make her sneeze.
#4. True (she did give birth without drugs on purpose), and it was the best birth I have ever attended, although I have only attended two births.
#5. Key lime pie is her favorite desert. I usually by her Edwards or Sarah Lee, it's in the frozen section at the grocery store.
#6. My basement and garage are full of UNFINISHED PROJECTS that my wife began. We sold a bunch at our last yard sale. My wife's hobby is starting hobbies, but this makes her knowledgeable about almost EVERY darn thing.
#7. She will go to anyone's birth, just invite her. I can admit that I am VERY flexible to make her presence at other people's births possible.
#8. Me too. . . but having the time and money to travel across the country to lots of museums is tuff.
#9. . . .
#10. I just delete chain letter emails and don't read them.
#11. I say, God help up us when our daughter is 15-17!!! I don't think thirteen will be that bad. Hormones + Attitude = VERY BAD DAY!
#12. Our DVR was a present of sorts to each other and the family, and it has been a good idea.
#13. Amen.
#14. . .
#15. Maybe we could have more kids.
#16. I went to the same for school for my ENTIRE life and would love to have it the same way for my kids, but I know that isn't happening.
#17. My wife is smart!
#18. I could go the rest of my life and never play another video game and it wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit, but I did buy my wife Guitar Hero for Christmas, along with an Animal Crossing Guide and a WII Speak, and then said it was okay with me to get a WII Fit. It keeps her happy and helps her to relax. If you play Animal Crossing come visit my wife's town.
#19. Books on tape in the car put me to sleep. Not a good idea. But talk radio; now that gets my blood pumping.
#20. Yeah. . . I remain confused about that one too. . .
#21. My wife deserves a plaque for her efforts in digging up that tree's roots, along with about three or four others in our backyard that she failed to mention.
#22. My wife also deserves an award for single handedly digging up the sewer pipe. Please understand that I was out of town on business for the entire week and so don't assume I told her to dig it up.
#23. I love to cook; I love to cook even more for my wife, but she is not allowed to watch, because if she sees me cooking her food she sometimes will not eat it, weird. Friends like to have us over for dinner because I volunteer to cook (partially because I have this belief that other people's food is kinda gross), because I know what is in the food when I prepare it. Also, If there are left overs at our house, they must be eaten within 24hrs are they get tossed.
#24. . .
#25. . .

John Shipp (1939-2009)

John Mark Shipp, Sr. (born October 8, 1939, died January 16, 2009). John was the son of A.H. Shipp and Emma Henry Newcomb. He is survived by his wife of thirty-eight years, Shirley Shipp, formerly Shirley Foster. On January 16, 2008 he died at home with his wife after enjoying an afternoon and dinner with her. He died in her arms.

He is survived by four children, Jerry Wayne Shipp, Joyce Ellen Barger, John Mark Shipp, Jr., and Paul Shipp. He is also survived by his step-daughter Kate Marie Martin, who he treated as if she were from his own loins. He was very caring and willing to sacrifice for his family. He often went without so that his family's needs would be met. He was also always concerned about the comfort of others. Complaining was not something he did. In periods of great adversity he was not one to complain, rather he would work through the difficultly and have an open and optimistic outlook. He could find the silver lining in almost any situation.

As a child I remember very vividly the way he would very calmly handle the most difficult of situations. I remember once when our small weenie dog was severely injured when she was attacked by a German Sheppard in our yard. The Shepherd almost tore off our little dog's leg. We had no money for emergency vet services. I was so worried that our poor little dog would not make it because in my eyes she was bleeding a lot. Dad, on the other hand, simply said she would be alright. He assured us that he would do all he could to make certain everything would be okay. I am certain he said a prayer in his heart. It was shortly after the incident that my father had me and others holding the little dog down in the yard as he sewed her leg with a needle and thread. He wasn't a vet, but he did his best. He was shaken by the incident, but at the same time he remained calm, and his calm attitude helped settle those around him. The dog lived many years after that.

My father had a quiet dignity about him. He never spoke ill of other people. He enjoyed serving others. Our front yard was always littered with neighbors' broken cars as he was quite handy under the hood. My father was a great example of how anyone could be an expert on just about everything. There wasn't anything my father couldn't do or learn to do. He was convinced that he could fix anything. Now, it wasn't really true that he could fix anything, but he would die trying because no task was too difficult. He would do everything he could to learn about anything he did not understand. When neighbors had car problems he never worked on before he would spend tireless hours, even days sometimes, trying to help them figure the problem out. Then he worked incessantly until he could achieve a working solution. Even if he couldn't fix your problem, you knew that his attitude was one that he would keep trying until you asked him to stop, and even then, he would sometimes own your problem and keep working on it.

My father always had time. He never made anyone feel as though he was rushing them. He never made you feel as if you were a burden on his schedule, even if you indeed were a burden; it just wasn't in his disposition for him to tell you how much of a burden you really were. He never let his problems get in the way of helping you. As a matter of fact you would never know he had problems, because he wasn't one to talk about them.

On special occasions like his birthdays, father's day, Christmas, and any other time when he was deserving of a gift, everyone was always at a loss as to what to give him, and the reason for this was he was satisfied. He didn't "want" because he appeared to always have everything he needed, even when he didn't. He obviously didn't need to 'keep up with the Jones,' because he was never in competition with anyone for anything. He would wear his socks, shirts, shoes, and everything else until they were literally worn out, and tattered with many holes. He was content with hand-me-downs from any source. He wouldn't get new underwear unless his wife bought them for him. I assume this was his way of counting his blessings. It was also a great sermon on how every man should live a life free of pride.

My father taught me the importance of loving your family. He made it a priority to visit his mother regularly. When he visited his mother he would do anything she asked of him. He loved his wife. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her. He was not happy unless he knew she was happy. It was not unusual for him to worry himself to death about his wife's happiness. He was the same way with his children. My father would even put his family's wants above his own "needs." Again, the comfort of others was the hallmark of his life.

Even now, while he is temporarily gone, and his family and friends are distraught to not have him here to provide us much needed comfort, the truth is he is probably the one more worried about us. He is certainly worried about our individual needs. It no doubt pains him to know that he cannot physically put his arms around us, and tell us softly, “. . . all is okay. . ." It probably hurts him to know that he cannot make our tears go away. He will be greatly missed.

I appreciate so much the many things he taught me by simple, subtle sermon, his example.

Paul

Where You'll Find Me

Yep, it's a new year...and I haven't an idea of what to blog about. All I know is that I'd like to actually blog more on a regular basis this year. You could kinda say it is a new years resolution.

So I was thinking, why not share with you all those other places I find myself when I'm online. (These are no particualr order).

1. Facebook - I know that many bloggers don't really like facebook, actually I have heard them outright say that they are never going to use it. Well, sooner or later, they all end up on facebook. I've been on facebook for several years now however, it has only been the last six months that I have actually had any "friends." It seems that out of nowhere, people all over the place started to join facebook. As of this day, I have found 140 people on facebook that I know. I love being able to keep up with old friends, see pictures of their baby's and hear about what they are up to. My favorite part of facebook would be the status bar - It always says "Jen Shipp is" and then I fill in the rest. (It's kind of like twitter, but none of my friends have found that yet so I'll just keep using this one on facebook instead).

2. Blogs - I am a blog reader. I could spend hours upon hours just reading blogs. I have an entire list of blogs that I frequent in my bookmark folder. I start with one, then somehow find the link to someone else's blog...and then I'm bookmarking yet another blog.

3. Cuteoverload.com - OMG you have to see this website! What can I say...it's so CUTE! Yeah, this is just another blog...but I think it deserves it's own space. My kids and I get such a kick out of that website. Too cute!

4. The University of Kansas - No, I'm not obsessed with sports...just my grades. Since I've gone back to school, things have really chaged. Everything is online now; lecture notes, quizes, grade books. The program they use is called blackboard and I can't stop looking at it.

5. Google - Did you know that google is an offical verb now? It is. Whenever my kids have a questions, we google it. Once, I was trying to expain to my son (who was 9 or 10 at the time) that the internet has not always been around to find answers to our questions. I asked him if he had any idea how I used to find information when I was a kid. You know, I was thinking of that one encylpedia that my grandparents had. Do you know what that turkey said? He says, "I know, I know...you had scrolls." WHAT?!!

My daugther has also found google. She used to use it to look up kittens or cute dogs. I say used to because the other day, after playing on the computer, she comes down stairs and tells me how she had this great idea to type in "body parts up close" on google. Paul and I exchange glances. "Oh. So...what did you find with that search...?" There will be no more unsupervised googling in our house.

Math Olympiad

Our school participates in a program called, Math Olympiad. Kids in 4th thru 6th grade are given monthly math tests (only 5 problems each time). It doesn't matter which grade you are, everyone gets the same test. The problems are really hard - see if you can solve this example:

Time Limit: 6 minutes
Bay Street has between 1 and 15 houses, numbered 1, 2, 3,
and so on. Mr. Sullivan lives in one of the houses. The sum
of all the house numbers less than his equals the sum of all
the house numbers greater than his. How many houses are
there on Bay Street?

Did you get it? See the answer below.

Anyway, Brennen scored high enough to earn this patch. He was one out of five kids from the forth grade that earned a patch. Only THREE 5th graders & 12 6th graders earned a patch - which means, that Brennen was able to do better than most 4th, 5th & 6th graders. Remember, they all took the same test. Way to go Brennen! I can't wait to see what he does next year.

Here is your answer & solution:
Consider the first few houses on a street, then the house Mr. Sullivan might
live in, and then the first few houses that come after that.
Beginning of Street Mr. Sullivan End of Street
1 + 2 + 3 = 6 4 5 + 6 = 11 …… Too big
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 5 6 + 7 = 13 …… Too big
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15 6 7 + 8 = 15 …… Equal sums
Therefore, there are 8 houses on Bay Street.

Sack Race

From Crackle: sack race

Brennen's Twin

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Zoo Trip

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Comic Life

So I've decided that I will become a comic strip artist....just kidding. I actually found this cool software on my computer and wanted to try it out. It's really fun. You can make a comic strip out of anything. I think I will take some pictures of the kids next and have a little fun.

My Boy

My son is so literal.

Today I was going through his school folder that was filled with completed work. I came across his math progress report. As usual, he tests as "secure" in each of the mastery concepts. This is nothing new, he has always had a mathematical brain. And if I didn't know that he really does understand math, I might be worried after looking over some of his answers on his assessment. Read on....

So read this question, and pay close attention to his answer.

5. Mrs. Green wants to buy a washing machine and pay for it in 1 year. L-Mart offers two plans, and she want to choose the cheaper one.

Plan A: $7 each week; a total of 52 payments.
Plan B: $27 each month; a total of 12 payments.

Which plan would cost less?

My child, correctly puts down "Plan B."

Then he is asked to "Explain your answer."

He writes:

"I remembered the answer on our study guide."

I tell ya, that kid is so LITERAL!

The Flip

Have you heard of the Flip camera yet? It is so cool! It's so small that I can carry it in my pocket and then it just fits right into the USB port on your computer and BAM! you can share your videos via Youtube, blogger, email or even make a movie! I love technology.

Actors- Hugh Laurie
Album- "Wicked" did you have to ask?
Appetizer- Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls from Old Chicago
Book- "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Clothes built for comfort- Hanna Andersson
Cookbook- "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld
Customer Service-
Comfort shoes- Echo
Documentary- “The Bridge"
Fragrance- Realities
Gadget- bluetooth headset
Healthy habit- Jazzercise
Hobby- Flickr
Holiday activity- sleeping in and just being at home
Live performance- Wicked
Movie- Harry Potter
Quick pick me up- Diet Pepsi
Shopping thrills- ebay
Technology- blackberry
Television- House
Thrifty Finds-
Value- goodwill
Website- Facebook

Science Center

The kids are having a blast in at. Louis.
Here is a picture of them at the lego mindstorm exhibit. Maeve is finally old enough to try it out.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Wicked

Here I am, using my mobile Blog. Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to see wicked in one minute from now. Were at the fox theatre and its just gorgeous! Here we go!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Mobile blogging!

This is my first mobile Blog post. I just have to say that I love technology!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

my other "kids"

Everything Batman!

Lest you believe that my kids are obsessed with batman (and batgirl) I am here to tell you that they are not. I wonder where you would ever get an idea like that? First of all, Brennen picked his costume this year. He wasn't seeking out to be batman, but that costume was at the store, it was his size, it was the right price for mom, and it was kind of cool. Maeve on the other hand did her shopping online. I believe that she had her costume down to a top 20 list. She finally picked batgirl after a little pressure from mom to hurry up and decide. I always wanted the kids to "match" on Halloween and this time, I didn't have anything to do with it!

We celebrated Brennen's birthday with a friend this weekend. His real birthday was like three months ago. The family did celebrate but we never had a "party." It was a bit hectic over here b/c both kids were starting school, mom was starting school, and dad was transferring offices. We meant to have a party, but it just never happened.

So finally, Brennen agreed to be satisfied with a sleep over and his best friend, Michael. Dad took him to the store to pick out a cake, and this is what they came home with. Again, I had nothing to do with it. You would think that we are up to our eyeballs in batman videos and toys but we are not. These seemed to just be three separate but coincidental happenings!

They Said Something About Cookies

Here's a picture of an audiogram showing a "cookie-bite" hearing loss. Apparently, this is something I have. I was participating in a study a the University of Kansas. They were testing otoacoustic emissions (sounds generated by the inner ear). These are important because these are how one can test the hearing of a newborn. Anyway, I was a research participant and to get started, they tested my hearing. Technically, I don't have a "hearing loss." Technically, the student who tested me isn't an audiologist anyway. According to her test results, I am within normal range. I am however on the borderline for a mild hearing loss around the frequencies of 1000Hz. My audiogram makes a shape like this one. It looks as if someone took a bite out of a cookie. Usually, the audiograms will be sloping or a rising line. It would be straight across (at the top) for someone with no hearing loss. You can see from the audiogram with cartoons drawn in how different sounds are at different levels of frequencies (Hz) and noise levels (dB). So now the question is, do I go and get my hearing tested? What? Did you say something? I can't hear you.