We have PlayStation!

I finally have a break from my children now that they are hypnotized. No more chanting:

1. Keep your hands off of your brother!
2. Quit lighting the lighter!
3. Be careful with that candle!
4. Don't light anymore candles!
5. Quit blowing out the candles!
6. Don't shine the flashlight in my face!
7. Don't shine the flashlight in your brother's face!
8. This is all we have to eat, so eat it!
9. Repeat 1-8.

I am parking my kids in front of the PlayStation for a few hours and enjoying some of those wonderful Buds my friend Shawn dropped off in the previous post. God, I am so happy right now!

Relief supplies have arrived!

God bless my dear friend Shawn Salyers. He dropped off a 12-pack of Bud Light and a bag of ice. I love you Shawn!

Oh yeah, he brought a generator too.

Monotony and Monopoly

Q: What's the only thing more boring than being stranded without electricity and gasoline?
A: Playing Monopoly.

My God this this game is painful. Fortunately, my children play Monopoly using their revised rule. This rule allows you to start building hotels on a property as soon as it is purchased. You don't wait until you have acquired the other properties in its set before you can start building. Thankfully, this brilliant wonderful little rule shortens your typical game of Monopy from 12 to 3 hours. It is almost tolerable.

Boys and Fire

We're sitting out front and the boys are playing with a candle, burning pieces of grass and just doing boy-stuff. No homework. No school. No TV. No video games. No anything. Kind of peaceful for a change.

Blue Roof

The roof is tarped so I don't have to worry about more damage from the rain. I don't have electric or water but no one else does either. The weather has been nice and cool making the days and evenings quite pleasant. However, when it starts to warm up this weekend, people will begin to complain.

Hair-Raising Experience

I don't want to go through that again! But thankfully I survived. I had just walked out of my kitchen when the tree came crashing through through the roof, so I am alive and uninjured. My children are fine. They rode out the storm at their mother's house with their big brother, Ryan, keeping an eye on them. My cats Bell and Liger are safe, but they've been using the litterbox a lot. They don't know what in the heck happened. The tree destroyed my kitchen but if it would have hit another section of my house, it could have destroyed the electronics and new furniture I recently purchased. My dear friend Adrian has provided food and lodging for the last 2 evenings and helped me put a temporary cover on my roof. Tomorrow, my boys are coming over and we are going to campout at my house, probably for the last time. Things aren't too good, but they could have been a lot worse.

Thank God for good luck and good friends!

What did I say about shoveling snow?

It looks like I will have to shovel some snow after all. See my Wilma!!! post. Now that the storm's over, I am surveying the damage and starting to realize the implications of this mess. The house isn't habitable and probably won't be for some time. The rest of the house is OK but it won't see electricity for 3-6 months. All my neighbors are safe but no one knows what's going on in South Florida yet. We don't know how bad or widespread the damage is.

Atleast I wasn't in this room when the tree fell. I had just left the kitchen and was peeking out the front door when it happened. I called Amy and the boys are safe. Life is good.

This is the culprit

This is the culprit that smashed though the kitchen ceiling. It scared the you-know-what out of me.

Ouch!

Just left the kitchen right before this smashed through the roof. I spent the rest of Wilma sitting on the floor in the bathroom.

Timber!

Wilma's doing some landscaping in the back yard. I can see through Max's bedroom now that a shutter has been ripped off.

Wilma!!!!

I just snapped a pic of the tree that fell down in my front yard. The kids will be glad because they hated picking up its constant barrage of leafs. Now, I'm crouched in the bathroom listening to things shake and things break and things explode outside. My hurricane shutters are up and it's still scary as Hell. What I wouldn't give to be back up in Indiana shoveling snow right now. If I don't make it, tell my children I love them.

Cell Phone Rules

If you plan on getting your adolescent child a cell phone, may I suggest the following rules that I've enacted?

• You can not call me if you are within 30 feet of me (e.g. the backseat of the car).
  
• If you use your camera phone to take another picture of me or your brother in our underwear, you lose the phone.
  
• Do not use your camera phone to send me pictures of your bowel movements or close-ups of the cat's butthole.

More rules will be coming soon. You can count on it.

Reasons not to buy your child a camera phone (Part 1)

Maxwell started junior high this year, so I got him a cell phone for my convenience and his safety. Unfortunately, I chose a camera phone enabling Maxwell to send me wonderful pictures like this at 40¢ a pop. Thanks a lot Max. What did you learn in school today?

Reasons not to buy your child a camera phone (Part 2)

As you can tell, Max's humor is becoming more and more sophisticated. Max claims this is an imitation of his brother, Trevor.

Breakfast Club

Snapped this pic of the boys and their cousin feeding their tired faces at the family reunion. They are never too tired to eat.

Good Times

This picture is from a 2003 trip to Sugar Key near Tampa, Florida. Every parent loves nothing more than hearing their children laugh and seeing them smile.

Let me out!

I stumbled across this picture of Bell I snapped during her first visit to the vet. As you can see, she's not too fond of the kitty carrier. It only took me 20 minutes to catch Bell and put her inside.

Room with a View

Instead of enjoying the view, the kids were upset I wouldn't let them spit off the balcony.

Satin Sheets

I couldn't pass up this picture of my little angel. Don't be fooled though. He is a blanket-stealer and hell to sleep with.

The Signature Cookie

Max partakes in one of the renowned Signature Cookies offered at the Ritz. I think he knocked down about 20 over the weekend.

Spoiled Rich Kid

Trevor is refusing to mug for the camera and doing his impersonation of a spoiled rich kid.

Vacation in Paradise

I am finally posting some pics from our vacation at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida. We were guests of our dear friends Arty and Debbie Palermo (Arty is also my trusted accountant). The beaches of Naples are gorgeous and the hotel is absolutely luxurious. I am definitely motivated to work harder.

Homework (Ugh!)

Unfortunately, Max is spending the weekend catching up on homework. I sneak back to his bedroom every once in a while and catch him teasing the kittens with the laser-pointer. Notice the legos he is pretending to ignore on his desk.

PS2 Trance

Let me begin by stating that I put strict limits on video game time. However, after Trevor finishes his mandatory reading (currently he's reading 'The Hobbit'), he like to play 'Lord of the Rings' on the PS2 and kill a few goblins and orcs of his own.