 |
| Or in Deanna's case, the '696969' wireless password that she had to tell the cable guy, LOL! |
Showing posts with label uh-oh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label uh-oh. Show all posts
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Talk about Awkwaaarrrd
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Eating a smurf
We were at the arena for Gunnar's game and I gave Ardan some money to get himself and the little ones a treat. They come back and THIS is what I see...
Gunnar said after the game that he even noticed from where he was sitting on the bench! LOL
Gunnar said after the game that he even noticed from where he was sitting on the bench! LOL
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Life with BOYS: Top 10
1. When you go out and buy a new toilet seat rather than have to clean the old one.
2. You turn a blind eye to the number of showers your teenage son has in a day. (Also see #3)
3. Your son brings you his sheets to wash every other day.
4. "We're just going to have a sandwich" results in an entire loaf of bread gone, an empty peanut butter container, and jam spilled all over the counter.
5. There's an instinctive shudder of dread when you're doing laundry and have to reach into the pants pockets before putting them in the wash.
6. Dried snot on the walls no longer fazes you.
7. You buy candles and air freshener by the bucketful, just to try to overpower the aroma of Eau de Boy Stench.
8. You have learned your lesson about coming to investigate when your son yells from the bathroom, "Mom, come see!"
9. Milk and juice jugs are put back in the fridge with mere droplets left inside.
10. "If you don't clean your room, I'll do it for you" is a really great threat. Boys have secrets, don't you know.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
What clogged the toilet: mystery SOLVED
Oh, yeah, you "accidentally" flushed something down the toilet, eh Ryder?
Turned out it was a long comb wrapped in tons of what looked like paper towel (but later realized was actually Lysol antibacterial wipes, which do NOT dissolve in water like the toddler wipes).
So I pretended to take a picture of the comb/wipes with my camera and told the little DICKens that I was emailing it to Santa and there was going to be yet another check mark under Ryder's 'naughty' column, and that from now on he'd better work extra hard at being 'nice' or he was going to get ELF POOP in his stocking.
Turned out it was a long comb wrapped in tons of what looked like paper towel (but later realized was actually Lysol antibacterial wipes, which do NOT dissolve in water like the toddler wipes).
So I pretended to take a picture of the comb/wipes with my camera and told the little DICKens that I was emailing it to Santa and there was going to be yet another check mark under Ryder's 'naughty' column, and that from now on he'd better work extra hard at being 'nice' or he was going to get ELF POOP in his stocking.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Time to Catch-up
Hello everyone! Felt I should play catch-up, let you know what's new in my world...
Finally got new tires on the Suzi yesterday. After doing extensive research online for the best tire, best price, best place to purchase them from, I ended up choosing the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires, from Canadian Tire. Fountain Tire usually specializes in Goodyear tires but their price, even with the $25/tire discount, was still more than what Canadian Tire quoted. The CdnTire website had them listed at $181.99/tire, but get this! When I went in to order them (they didn't have them in stock), they gave me a quote of $177.99! So, even cheaper than the website price! I was pretty happy about that. The tires took two days, YES, two days, to come in. I was a little shocked. Here I was thinking they had to come from a warehouse in Ontario or something, stupid me. Haha. During my research, every website made sure to specify that if you have a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System) you can expect an extra fee. Since I DO have a TPMS, I was thinking it would be like an extra $100 or something. However, when I asked CdnTire about this, the lady was adamant that they do not charge for that. (I was like, half-joking, 'Can I get that in writing?') So I got them installed yesterday, took them about an hour (during which time Ryder and I went down every aisle, Christmas shopping), and lemme tell you, my new tires are BEAUTIFUL! Haha. So black and new and shiny. The total cost, with labor and shop supplies (and yes, the lady was right, they did not charge for the TPMS), came to about $906. Pretty good, eh? The TripleTred tires are all-season, NOT a winter tire, but during my research I discovered that they do a pretty damn good imitation of winter tires. On a scale of 1-10 (10 is best), rated for snow, ice, rain, slush, they scored a 10 for each one. For 'sound' they scored a 7, for 'smoothness' (whatever that means) they scored an 8. So I consider the TripleTreds a hybrid winter/all-season tire. So the tires were installed and it was time to drive home. Anyone recall what the weather was like yesterday? Blowing snow and wind gusts of over 100km/h! Transport trucks were literally being flipped over by the wind on Hwy2. So I thought, 'Perfect weather to test out my new tires' and boy, were they ever tested! I could tell the difference immediately. No slipping or sliding on the snowy, ice streets. My Suzi took those corners like it was summer. Got to an intersection, driving behind a total idiot, and just as he's about to go through the light turned yellow. And what did the dipshit do? Slammed on the brakes! And that intersection was slick. If I would have had my old bald tires on, I would've slid right into the back of him. But with my new TripleTreds, screech! right to an instant stop. So right there, those tires paid for themselves. I am really impressed, and so much more confident about driving in our poor winter conditions.
I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer eat chinese food. Ty discovered this new great restaurant in Red Deer called Wok Box, located in Southepoint Common across by Tony Romas. Its not your average chinese food place; its asian food inspired from places like Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and India. It is FABULOUS. We've ordered takeout from there a few times and its great because Ty can actually eat many of their dishes. So his new thing is bringing home Wok Box for supper, which he did last night. He usually gets the Family Feast, or whatever its called; it has everything from spring rolls, ginger beef, chicken balls, chow mein, fried rice, crispy wontons, coconut shrimp, beef & broccoli, malaysian stir-fry, etc etc etc. TONS of food, for like $50. So, great prices too. And it is delicious. BUT... last time we had it, I had some 'stomach issues' that night. Just attributed it to a stomach bug I must've picked up. However, last night after eating it, same problem. Like, immediately. So sadly, I think I can no longer eat Wok Box. Waaaaa....!
Pablo and Kippers escaped last night (I thought I heard meowing but the kids said no). I got up with Ty this morning around 4am, to make his sandwich and keep him company --- yes, apparently I CAN be a nice wife sometimes, who knew--- and when he went out to start his truck, in rushed Pablo. Kippers, I had to actually go outside and coax him to me, as Ty scared him away. So Ty carried Pabs into the kitchen and he goes, "What's that smell? Hey, what's on Pabby's back? HEY, WHAT'S ON MY CHEST AND HANDS?" Yes, Pablo had shit himself while outside (hey, maybe it kept him warm) and it was smeared all over his fur. His long, long fur. Poor Ty. Just like Dad, with the gagging and dry-heaves. So Pabs got locked in the laundry room until I could bathe him. Which I just did. And it was gross and traumatizing. Despite a couple wild escape attempts and the near-constant growling, Pabs actually did well, stayed in place so I could lather, scrub and scoop water on him. So now he's slinking around here like an embarrassed, wounded victim, 'You did me WRONG, bitch!' LOL. But he smells much better.
Oh, and speaking of SHIT... the main toilet is plugged again. AGAIN. Did I not just go through this a few months ago? No amount of plunging or drain cleaner is fixing it, and I have, oh, just a teensy clue about who the culprit is. Ryder says to me, as I'm plunging and swearing and sweating, "Um, what would you say if I told you that mayyyyybe a toothpaste got ACCIDENTALLY flushed down there?" OhhhhhhMYGOD Ryder, seriously??? Again?!?! So it looks like I'm off to Rona for another wax ring, because that toilet needs to flipped over and flushed out, AGAIN. Oh, and in case you were wondering, YES, Ryder did get a 'serious lecture' about flushing non-poop-related items. (Remember when Levi was little and used to always tell Mom that so-and-so needed a 'serious lecture'? Good times.)
I'm done Christmas shopping for Lena and Ryder. What a good feeling! Good thing she won't be reading this because its serious spoiler-alert time... I may have went a little overboard, like I always do, but I've picking up little things here-and-there for the past couple months, and they just get shoved into my closet so I tend to forget what all I've gotten. So Lena is getting pretty much everything she had on her list: a Justin Bieber barbie-doll, six Monster High dolls (one of each girl plus the only boy doll, which is a serious coup as the boy ones are all sold out now), two Baby Alive 'Crib Life' dolls (it was a set of twins, also sold out now), a Teacup Piggy mama with two baby piglets, the Justin Bieber Christmas cd, a Zhu-Zhu pet, a Christmas book, and a DS-XL starter kit to go with the new DS-XL she bought a while back (the set includes a case, headphones, charger, games container, etc). Ryder, the little BRAT (I'm still bitter about the toilet) is getting, not that he deserves it, a Thomas figurine 4-pack (includes Harold the Helicopter and the boat, which he doesn't have), the new Down With Webster cd -- he loves Big Wheels, its his new fave song "Cops up, cops up!", a Bop-It XT, a Cars Lightning McQueen activity set, a holographic Spiderman case for his DS, a Zhu-Zhu pet, Hot Wheels Showdown set, a Christmas book, and almost the full set of Star Wars figurines & vehicles. The Star Wars toys are small and almost cartoon-ified, geared toward little kids. There's the big Millenium Falcon with Han Solo and Chewbacca (the toy opens up and the figurines can 'play' in the command centre, etc), a Speeder Bike with Anakin, a Star Fighter with a different Anakin and C3PO, and then I got two sets of just figurines, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, R2D2 and another C3PO. The only thing that would make it a complete set was if there was a Darth Vader figurine & vehicle, but either it was sold out or Walmart doesn't carry it. Got a few things for Ardan as well: a Lego Alien Attack set, a MuchDance 2012 cd (he specifically asked for it, ugh), a 3DS starter set for his new 3DS which he bought with his own money, a little Betta aquarium for one of those fighting fish (which I'll get when its closer to Christmas day), and a remote-controlled car that follows a laser from the remote and can climb up walls (oh yay, probably will be regretting that). Gunnar, I got nothin'. He's so hard to buy for! He asked for a new set of boarding gloves from Nomads, that's it. He just wants money. *sigh* That's no fun! Whatevs. The only other thing Ardan has asked for is a Lego City Police Station set. So don't anybody be stealin' that idea from me! I'm a little desperate here for ideas for the boys' gifts. Picked up a few things from Cdn Tire for Hubs: a new black leather belt, a camouflage magnetic LED light, some ice-fishing stuff, and an electric shaver set that has different heads for precision trimming, ear/nose trimming (HA!), hair clippers, etc. He's also hard to buy for. Got myself a new Adam Lambert cd that I just happened to spy out of the corner of my little eye at Walmart. Also picked up a couple $5 gifts for our annual Christmas Eve party at Deanna's (they're really cute so keep an eye out for them, you'll probably want to 'steal' them). So I still have all the stocking stuffers to get (that requires a sans-kids trip to Dollarama), $20 gifts for the exchange at Julie's, gifts for Fred & maybe-Bunnie, and a few more things for Ty and the boys. But other than that, I'm done! lol
The CP Blakely Christmas concerts are on the next two Tuesdays: Lena's is Dec 6th and Ardan's is Dec 13. Probably at 7pm, like last year.
Ardan's homegame against Stettler tonight has been cancelled due to the weather and road conditions, still waiting to hear if Gunnar's homegame, also against a Stettler team (what are the odds), will be cancelled. (Oh, and if you're ever interested in finding out when/where the boys' games are, just go here for Ardan and here for Gunnar.) So this means we have all day to put up our Christmas stuff! We already have the big tree put up, just no ornaments yet. Sucks that I stored the xmas bins in the little closet beside the dryer, because that means I have to move both the washer and dryer just to get the bins out. Argh! The kids are super-excited and hyper about all this decorating, though. Really cute to see. They've really gotten into the Christmas spirit early this year. We've already watched the cartoon Grinch movie and the oldschool Rudolph show on tv. Lena walks around singing Christmas carols and Ryder is excited to make Santa a present out of playdough. We're also planning on crafting some ornaments and doing some baking as well.
So there ya go. Now you're all caught-up on what's happenin' in the Kasha household.
Finally got new tires on the Suzi yesterday. After doing extensive research online for the best tire, best price, best place to purchase them from, I ended up choosing the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires, from Canadian Tire. Fountain Tire usually specializes in Goodyear tires but their price, even with the $25/tire discount, was still more than what Canadian Tire quoted. The CdnTire website had them listed at $181.99/tire, but get this! When I went in to order them (they didn't have them in stock), they gave me a quote of $177.99! So, even cheaper than the website price! I was pretty happy about that. The tires took two days, YES, two days, to come in. I was a little shocked. Here I was thinking they had to come from a warehouse in Ontario or something, stupid me. Haha. During my research, every website made sure to specify that if you have a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System) you can expect an extra fee. Since I DO have a TPMS, I was thinking it would be like an extra $100 or something. However, when I asked CdnTire about this, the lady was adamant that they do not charge for that. (I was like, half-joking, 'Can I get that in writing?') So I got them installed yesterday, took them about an hour (during which time Ryder and I went down every aisle, Christmas shopping), and lemme tell you, my new tires are BEAUTIFUL! Haha. So black and new and shiny. The total cost, with labor and shop supplies (and yes, the lady was right, they did not charge for the TPMS), came to about $906. Pretty good, eh? The TripleTred tires are all-season, NOT a winter tire, but during my research I discovered that they do a pretty damn good imitation of winter tires. On a scale of 1-10 (10 is best), rated for snow, ice, rain, slush, they scored a 10 for each one. For 'sound' they scored a 7, for 'smoothness' (whatever that means) they scored an 8. So I consider the TripleTreds a hybrid winter/all-season tire. So the tires were installed and it was time to drive home. Anyone recall what the weather was like yesterday? Blowing snow and wind gusts of over 100km/h! Transport trucks were literally being flipped over by the wind on Hwy2. So I thought, 'Perfect weather to test out my new tires' and boy, were they ever tested! I could tell the difference immediately. No slipping or sliding on the snowy, ice streets. My Suzi took those corners like it was summer. Got to an intersection, driving behind a total idiot, and just as he's about to go through the light turned yellow. And what did the dipshit do? Slammed on the brakes! And that intersection was slick. If I would have had my old bald tires on, I would've slid right into the back of him. But with my new TripleTreds, screech! right to an instant stop. So right there, those tires paid for themselves. I am really impressed, and so much more confident about driving in our poor winter conditions.
I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer eat chinese food. Ty discovered this new great restaurant in Red Deer called Wok Box, located in Southepoint Common across by Tony Romas. Its not your average chinese food place; its asian food inspired from places like Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and India. It is FABULOUS. We've ordered takeout from there a few times and its great because Ty can actually eat many of their dishes. So his new thing is bringing home Wok Box for supper, which he did last night. He usually gets the Family Feast, or whatever its called; it has everything from spring rolls, ginger beef, chicken balls, chow mein, fried rice, crispy wontons, coconut shrimp, beef & broccoli, malaysian stir-fry, etc etc etc. TONS of food, for like $50. So, great prices too. And it is delicious. BUT... last time we had it, I had some 'stomach issues' that night. Just attributed it to a stomach bug I must've picked up. However, last night after eating it, same problem. Like, immediately. So sadly, I think I can no longer eat Wok Box. Waaaaa....!
Pablo and Kippers escaped last night (I thought I heard meowing but the kids said no). I got up with Ty this morning around 4am, to make his sandwich and keep him company --- yes, apparently I CAN be a nice wife sometimes, who knew--- and when he went out to start his truck, in rushed Pablo. Kippers, I had to actually go outside and coax him to me, as Ty scared him away. So Ty carried Pabs into the kitchen and he goes, "What's that smell? Hey, what's on Pabby's back? HEY, WHAT'S ON MY CHEST AND HANDS?" Yes, Pablo had shit himself while outside (hey, maybe it kept him warm) and it was smeared all over his fur. His long, long fur. Poor Ty. Just like Dad, with the gagging and dry-heaves. So Pabs got locked in the laundry room until I could bathe him. Which I just did. And it was gross and traumatizing. Despite a couple wild escape attempts and the near-constant growling, Pabs actually did well, stayed in place so I could lather, scrub and scoop water on him. So now he's slinking around here like an embarrassed, wounded victim, 'You did me WRONG, bitch!' LOL. But he smells much better.
Oh, and speaking of SHIT... the main toilet is plugged again. AGAIN. Did I not just go through this a few months ago? No amount of plunging or drain cleaner is fixing it, and I have, oh, just a teensy clue about who the culprit is. Ryder says to me, as I'm plunging and swearing and sweating, "Um, what would you say if I told you that mayyyyybe a toothpaste got ACCIDENTALLY flushed down there?" OhhhhhhMYGOD Ryder, seriously??? Again?!?! So it looks like I'm off to Rona for another wax ring, because that toilet needs to flipped over and flushed out, AGAIN. Oh, and in case you were wondering, YES, Ryder did get a 'serious lecture' about flushing non-poop-related items. (Remember when Levi was little and used to always tell Mom that so-and-so needed a 'serious lecture'? Good times.)
I'm done Christmas shopping for Lena and Ryder. What a good feeling! Good thing she won't be reading this because its serious spoiler-alert time... I may have went a little overboard, like I always do, but I've picking up little things here-and-there for the past couple months, and they just get shoved into my closet so I tend to forget what all I've gotten. So Lena is getting pretty much everything she had on her list: a Justin Bieber barbie-doll, six Monster High dolls (one of each girl plus the only boy doll, which is a serious coup as the boy ones are all sold out now), two Baby Alive 'Crib Life' dolls (it was a set of twins, also sold out now), a Teacup Piggy mama with two baby piglets, the Justin Bieber Christmas cd, a Zhu-Zhu pet, a Christmas book, and a DS-XL starter kit to go with the new DS-XL she bought a while back (the set includes a case, headphones, charger, games container, etc). Ryder, the little BRAT (I'm still bitter about the toilet) is getting, not that he deserves it, a Thomas figurine 4-pack (includes Harold the Helicopter and the boat, which he doesn't have), the new Down With Webster cd -- he loves Big Wheels, its his new fave song "Cops up, cops up!", a Bop-It XT, a Cars Lightning McQueen activity set, a holographic Spiderman case for his DS, a Zhu-Zhu pet, Hot Wheels Showdown set, a Christmas book, and almost the full set of Star Wars figurines & vehicles. The Star Wars toys are small and almost cartoon-ified, geared toward little kids. There's the big Millenium Falcon with Han Solo and Chewbacca (the toy opens up and the figurines can 'play' in the command centre, etc), a Speeder Bike with Anakin, a Star Fighter with a different Anakin and C3PO, and then I got two sets of just figurines, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, R2D2 and another C3PO. The only thing that would make it a complete set was if there was a Darth Vader figurine & vehicle, but either it was sold out or Walmart doesn't carry it. Got a few things for Ardan as well: a Lego Alien Attack set, a MuchDance 2012 cd (he specifically asked for it, ugh), a 3DS starter set for his new 3DS which he bought with his own money, a little Betta aquarium for one of those fighting fish (which I'll get when its closer to Christmas day), and a remote-controlled car that follows a laser from the remote and can climb up walls (oh yay, probably will be regretting that). Gunnar, I got nothin'. He's so hard to buy for! He asked for a new set of boarding gloves from Nomads, that's it. He just wants money. *sigh* That's no fun! Whatevs. The only other thing Ardan has asked for is a Lego City Police Station set. So don't anybody be stealin' that idea from me! I'm a little desperate here for ideas for the boys' gifts. Picked up a few things from Cdn Tire for Hubs: a new black leather belt, a camouflage magnetic LED light, some ice-fishing stuff, and an electric shaver set that has different heads for precision trimming, ear/nose trimming (HA!), hair clippers, etc. He's also hard to buy for. Got myself a new Adam Lambert cd that I just happened to spy out of the corner of my little eye at Walmart. Also picked up a couple $5 gifts for our annual Christmas Eve party at Deanna's (they're really cute so keep an eye out for them, you'll probably want to 'steal' them). So I still have all the stocking stuffers to get (that requires a sans-kids trip to Dollarama), $20 gifts for the exchange at Julie's, gifts for Fred & maybe-Bunnie, and a few more things for Ty and the boys. But other than that, I'm done! lol
The CP Blakely Christmas concerts are on the next two Tuesdays: Lena's is Dec 6th and Ardan's is Dec 13. Probably at 7pm, like last year.
Ardan's homegame against Stettler tonight has been cancelled due to the weather and road conditions, still waiting to hear if Gunnar's homegame, also against a Stettler team (what are the odds), will be cancelled. (Oh, and if you're ever interested in finding out when/where the boys' games are, just go here for Ardan and here for Gunnar.) So this means we have all day to put up our Christmas stuff! We already have the big tree put up, just no ornaments yet. Sucks that I stored the xmas bins in the little closet beside the dryer, because that means I have to move both the washer and dryer just to get the bins out. Argh! The kids are super-excited and hyper about all this decorating, though. Really cute to see. They've really gotten into the Christmas spirit early this year. We've already watched the cartoon Grinch movie and the oldschool Rudolph show on tv. Lena walks around singing Christmas carols and Ryder is excited to make Santa a present out of playdough. We're also planning on crafting some ornaments and doing some baking as well.
So there ya go. Now you're all caught-up on what's happenin' in the Kasha household.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
I am a computer WHIZ
If you've seen any of my facebook statuses from the last week, you'll know what I was dealing with regarding Gunnar's computer.
If you haven't, here's the short story: his laptop was hijacked by viruses, worms, malware, spyware, etc. Basically, everything that can destroy your computer. The little brat didn't have antivirus and was cruising porn sites. What else did he expect? GAH! All of his programs and applications were missing, couldn't open anything, and I kept getting pop-ups telling me 'application not found', 'cannot open', etc. With the knowledge and help of a fb friend, I downloaded on disc and (in safe mode) installed three separate programs to help me deal with all these problems: SuperAntispyware, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, and Avast antivirus protection. Took me almost a full day, but those 3 programs removed over 800 infected files.
I was riding high on triumph and pride. Had gotten his computer pretty much restored, just had a few things left to figure out (like how to move his programs and applications back into the All Programs on the Start menu).
Suddenly an Avast window popped up informing me a rootkit virus had been discovered and removed, and the laptop now required a reboot. Upon restarting however, I was horrified to see the Blue Screen of Death!! It advised restarting the computer; did that, the BSoD kept appearing. Got more advice from my fb friend but nothing worked, the computer was too damaged. Looks like I'll be taking it in to a real computer techie.
BUT... all this researching and downloading inspired me to try to 'fix' the other two computers. The desktop in the livingroom is very old, very cluttered with files, runs verrrry slow, and the internet connection is slow sometimes (even though its connected via cable, so should be lightning quick). My laptop is pretty fast with not that many files or programs, but it still needed a good antivirus program (had installed Avast on it as well but with that rootkit virus destroying Gunnar's laptop, I was suddenly unsure about its competency).
I went to PCworld (my new favorite site for anything computer-related) and found a program called Security Task Manager (I found a free 30-day trial version). This program "gives a wealth of detail about each program and process [running on your computer, many without your knowledge], including whether the program is likely malicious or not, and it lets you delete any program and process with a single click. You'll get an enormous amount of detail about what's running, including the manufacturer, type of program, how it started (for example upon startup or from within Windows Explorer), and the file name. It also rates files according to how harmless or malicious they may be. To stop a program, highlight it and click remove, and you're done."
So I used that program to remove several unused, unimportant, unnecessary-to-the-system programs and applications, as well as some broken file fragments. I like that it shows you, highlighted in red, which ones are the most suspicious; as well, other users rate how dangerous they consider that program/process which helps you to make your decisions about what stays and what goes. One thing I would DEFINITELY advise is to open up a new window and google the name of each program/process BEFORE deleting or quarantining it, as some have weird and misleading names that make you think they are 'bad'. For example, I almost removed my laptop's wireless capabilities because I didn't realize that's what it was (you'd think it would be labelled 'wireless' or something obvious, but no). Security Task Manager also creates system restore points before each deletion/removal, so if you suddenly think 'Crap, what have I done?', you can go back and do a restore.
Next thing I did was to remove all the antivirus, antispyware, and antimalware programs I'd installed and instead download & install Microsoft's Security Essentials, which is completely FREE but you have to have a genuine Windows program on your computer (XP, 7, etc). This program guarantees: real-time protection, system scanning, system cleaning, Windows Firewall integration, dynamic signature service, rootkit protection, protection against real threats (not good software), and network inspection system. And because its from Microsoft, I know I can trust it to do its job, and do it well.
Okay, so with my computer now cleaned up and protected, the next thing to do was secure my wireless connection. I'd already secured it somewhat about a year ago using WEP, but in my online wanderings I learned that WPA or WPA2 is much more secure. Apparently, WEP can be cracked within a minute, huh. So this process involved getting out the linksys installation manual and following the steps, very very easy.
Lastly, I wanted to figure out how to get rid of the annoying pop-up windows that never failed to appear upon start-up, along the lines of 'unable to locate component for this application because this .dll file not found'. (Dynamic Link Library (dll) files are an essential part of the Windows operating system.) On the laptop I would always get two such notices, on the desktop there were three. I wrote down the specific dll files and applications, googled them, and just followed the instructions. The newest Apple update (for itunes) has an error in it that mistakenly places a certain dll file in the wrong place (the application is AppleSyncNotifier, if you're experiencing any pop-ups with that). Its as simple as locating the dll file stated (do a Search from your start menu), copying it, and pasting to the correct folder. Restart the computer and voila, no more annoying pop-ups!
So yeah, there ya go, am I not a computer whiz? What can I say...
If you haven't, here's the short story: his laptop was hijacked by viruses, worms, malware, spyware, etc. Basically, everything that can destroy your computer. The little brat didn't have antivirus and was cruising porn sites. What else did he expect? GAH! All of his programs and applications were missing, couldn't open anything, and I kept getting pop-ups telling me 'application not found', 'cannot open', etc. With the knowledge and help of a fb friend, I downloaded on disc and (in safe mode) installed three separate programs to help me deal with all these problems: SuperAntispyware, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, and Avast antivirus protection. Took me almost a full day, but those 3 programs removed over 800 infected files.
I was riding high on triumph and pride. Had gotten his computer pretty much restored, just had a few things left to figure out (like how to move his programs and applications back into the All Programs on the Start menu).
Suddenly an Avast window popped up informing me a rootkit virus had been discovered and removed, and the laptop now required a reboot. Upon restarting however, I was horrified to see the Blue Screen of Death!! It advised restarting the computer; did that, the BSoD kept appearing. Got more advice from my fb friend but nothing worked, the computer was too damaged. Looks like I'll be taking it in to a real computer techie.
BUT... all this researching and downloading inspired me to try to 'fix' the other two computers. The desktop in the livingroom is very old, very cluttered with files, runs verrrry slow, and the internet connection is slow sometimes (even though its connected via cable, so should be lightning quick). My laptop is pretty fast with not that many files or programs, but it still needed a good antivirus program (had installed Avast on it as well but with that rootkit virus destroying Gunnar's laptop, I was suddenly unsure about its competency).
I went to PCworld (my new favorite site for anything computer-related) and found a program called Security Task Manager (I found a free 30-day trial version). This program "gives a wealth of detail about each program and process [running on your computer, many without your knowledge], including whether the program is likely malicious or not, and it lets you delete any program and process with a single click. You'll get an enormous amount of detail about what's running, including the manufacturer, type of program, how it started (for example upon startup or from within Windows Explorer), and the file name. It also rates files according to how harmless or malicious they may be. To stop a program, highlight it and click remove, and you're done."
So I used that program to remove several unused, unimportant, unnecessary-to-the-system programs and applications, as well as some broken file fragments. I like that it shows you, highlighted in red, which ones are the most suspicious; as well, other users rate how dangerous they consider that program/process which helps you to make your decisions about what stays and what goes. One thing I would DEFINITELY advise is to open up a new window and google the name of each program/process BEFORE deleting or quarantining it, as some have weird and misleading names that make you think they are 'bad'. For example, I almost removed my laptop's wireless capabilities because I didn't realize that's what it was (you'd think it would be labelled 'wireless' or something obvious, but no). Security Task Manager also creates system restore points before each deletion/removal, so if you suddenly think 'Crap, what have I done?', you can go back and do a restore.
Next thing I did was to remove all the antivirus, antispyware, and antimalware programs I'd installed and instead download & install Microsoft's Security Essentials, which is completely FREE but you have to have a genuine Windows program on your computer (XP, 7, etc). This program guarantees: real-time protection, system scanning, system cleaning, Windows Firewall integration, dynamic signature service, rootkit protection, protection against real threats (not good software), and network inspection system. And because its from Microsoft, I know I can trust it to do its job, and do it well.
Okay, so with my computer now cleaned up and protected, the next thing to do was secure my wireless connection. I'd already secured it somewhat about a year ago using WEP, but in my online wanderings I learned that WPA or WPA2 is much more secure. Apparently, WEP can be cracked within a minute, huh. So this process involved getting out the linksys installation manual and following the steps, very very easy.
Lastly, I wanted to figure out how to get rid of the annoying pop-up windows that never failed to appear upon start-up, along the lines of 'unable to locate component for this application because this .dll file not found'. (Dynamic Link Library (dll) files are an essential part of the Windows operating system.) On the laptop I would always get two such notices, on the desktop there were three. I wrote down the specific dll files and applications, googled them, and just followed the instructions. The newest Apple update (for itunes) has an error in it that mistakenly places a certain dll file in the wrong place (the application is AppleSyncNotifier, if you're experiencing any pop-ups with that). Its as simple as locating the dll file stated (do a Search from your start menu), copying it, and pasting to the correct folder. Restart the computer and voila, no more annoying pop-ups!
So yeah, there ya go, am I not a computer whiz? What can I say...
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Top 50 Funniest Auto-Corrects of 2011
You HAVE to click on the link and read these. Can't breathe...laughing...too hard...!!!
http://damnyouautocorrect.com/13608/top-50-funniest-autocorrects-of-dyacs-first-year-part-1/
http://damnyouautocorrect.com/13608/top-50-funniest-autocorrects-of-dyacs-first-year-part-1/
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Excitement at the Beach
We took the kids to Petro Beach last night for some swimming, kayaking and playing in the sand. Ty brought the canoe as well so he could do some fishing. We got down there (its just past GTI) around 7:30pm; the weather was warm and beautiful and the kids were excited.
We all took turns on the kayaks, Ty of course headed out on the canoe, then the kids frolicked and splashed in the water. Lena and the two older ones went out to their chests, even Ryder tested his limit by going up to his belly button. Then the two little ones returned to the sand to play and build castles while the big boys stayed out deep and goofed around.
Ryder dug a big hole and proceeded to flood it with water, first calling it "Tiger Lake" and then changed the name to "Crocodile Lake". Gotta put some more water in Crocodile Lake for all the crocodiles that live in Crocodile Lake. I think he said the word crocodile about 30 times in 5 minutes, haha.
Lena was prancing around in the sand when she noticed something on her leg near the ankle, looked like a small piece of grass or reed. She went to slap it off but it wouldn't move. I was sitting there at the picnic table watching all this and it was like it happened in slow motion. She grabbed the thing with her fingers and then suddenly this horrified scream burst out of her, "ITS A BLOOD SUCKER!!!!" O.M.G! She started frantically hopping around, stomping her leg, slapping and pulling at this thing, and it wouldn't come off! Gunnar had reached shore by then and raced for the bug spray, started spraying that leech like crazy but it just would not leg go. By this time Lena was hysterical, still screaming and crying, while bad mommy sat at the table and giggled. (You know, that nervous laughing thing I do. Bad, bad me.) Gunnar had a firm hold of the leech and was pulling at it, and it still would not come off! Finally, it came loose and Gunnar flung it to the ground, where Ryder promptly stomped on it, "That's for sucking my sister's blood!" (Then of course he checked the bottom of his foot to make sure it hadn't stuck to HIM! lol)
Poor little Lena was a shivering, sobbing mess, utterly traumatized by the whole experience. She changed back into her clothes and flat-out refused to swim or get near the water for the rest of the night, even though I assured her the leech had come from the deeper waters she'd walked in, because there were reeds and seaweed over there. To my knowledge, leeches don't hang out in shallow water (maybe I'm wrong though). So she just sat by me and I cuddled her and rubbed her back and crooned to calm her down. See, I'm not such a bad mom after all!
A little while later I asked Ryder to find the dead leech so we could be sure it wasn't still alive in the sand, waiting for a juicy foot to come near. He told me, quite seriously, "No mom, it clawed its way back to the water with its one sharp tooth, and then it fell in and drowned because leeches can't swim, and now it can never be revived." Omg I laughed so hard to hear that, in his solemn gruff little voice. We never did find it, either.
So the boys were out kayaking, I was stuck on the beach with the little ones, one of whom refused to play or swim after her traumatic episode, and it was getting colder and windier, the sun was setting, and I realized Ty had taken the truck keys with him in the canoe. I was wearing flip-flops and my feet were blocks of ice. Ryder had to go poop so we ran to the bathroom there. Afterward, we couldn't wedge his cold wet clammy thick thighs back into his suit, so he just ran back to the water buck naked and played, sand stuck all over his cute chubby butt. By now it was around 9pm, the kids were starving (we hadn't eaten supper before we left because we'd had a really late lunch, but I had a roast slow-cooking for when we returned) and they had already eaten the bag of chips I brought and drank all their juiceboxes. I, stupidly, had not brought along a book or anything to keep me occupied other than my pack of smokes, so that was incredibly boring. Just sitting there shivering, chain-smoking, cursing my hubby who'd taken off across the lake in his canoe and taken the damn truck keys with him.
The boys came back in the kayaks and we all started packing up and hauling stuff back to the truck so when Ty finally returned, we could quickly get out of there. Finally we spotted his canoe heading our way. He was just at the area where all the boats are docked in the water when we saw him stop to take a few more casts. Oh, you can imagine the steam coming out of my ears. It was 9:45 at that point. We all watched as he cast and reeled, then he actually got something. He was so surprised! Then, THEN, oh holy mother of all things awesome and righteous, the damn man over-reacted in his excitement and set the hook much harder than he intended, that he actually managed to somehow lose his balance and accidentally flung himself overboard the canoe! SPLASH!! Ohmygod it was so funny. We were all laughing so hard we almost peed our pants, bent over and clutching our stomachs. He returned to shore in disgrace, haha. Good thing he had the foresight to put his cellphone in a ziploc baggy in his pocket before heading out. Unfortunately, he did not put his wallet in there. Bahahaha.
So anyway, we got home around 10, had a very late supper of tender deer roast, tossed salad, leftover corn-on-the-cob, and spinach. Threw the kids in the bath while the boys took turns showering, then everyone hit the sack.
What an exciting night!
We all took turns on the kayaks, Ty of course headed out on the canoe, then the kids frolicked and splashed in the water. Lena and the two older ones went out to their chests, even Ryder tested his limit by going up to his belly button. Then the two little ones returned to the sand to play and build castles while the big boys stayed out deep and goofed around.
Ryder dug a big hole and proceeded to flood it with water, first calling it "Tiger Lake" and then changed the name to "Crocodile Lake". Gotta put some more water in Crocodile Lake for all the crocodiles that live in Crocodile Lake. I think he said the word crocodile about 30 times in 5 minutes, haha.
Lena was prancing around in the sand when she noticed something on her leg near the ankle, looked like a small piece of grass or reed. She went to slap it off but it wouldn't move. I was sitting there at the picnic table watching all this and it was like it happened in slow motion. She grabbed the thing with her fingers and then suddenly this horrified scream burst out of her, "ITS A BLOOD SUCKER!!!!" O.M.G! She started frantically hopping around, stomping her leg, slapping and pulling at this thing, and it wouldn't come off! Gunnar had reached shore by then and raced for the bug spray, started spraying that leech like crazy but it just would not leg go. By this time Lena was hysterical, still screaming and crying, while bad mommy sat at the table and giggled. (You know, that nervous laughing thing I do. Bad, bad me.) Gunnar had a firm hold of the leech and was pulling at it, and it still would not come off! Finally, it came loose and Gunnar flung it to the ground, where Ryder promptly stomped on it, "That's for sucking my sister's blood!" (Then of course he checked the bottom of his foot to make sure it hadn't stuck to HIM! lol)
Poor little Lena was a shivering, sobbing mess, utterly traumatized by the whole experience. She changed back into her clothes and flat-out refused to swim or get near the water for the rest of the night, even though I assured her the leech had come from the deeper waters she'd walked in, because there were reeds and seaweed over there. To my knowledge, leeches don't hang out in shallow water (maybe I'm wrong though). So she just sat by me and I cuddled her and rubbed her back and crooned to calm her down. See, I'm not such a bad mom after all!
A little while later I asked Ryder to find the dead leech so we could be sure it wasn't still alive in the sand, waiting for a juicy foot to come near. He told me, quite seriously, "No mom, it clawed its way back to the water with its one sharp tooth, and then it fell in and drowned because leeches can't swim, and now it can never be revived." Omg I laughed so hard to hear that, in his solemn gruff little voice. We never did find it, either.
So the boys were out kayaking, I was stuck on the beach with the little ones, one of whom refused to play or swim after her traumatic episode, and it was getting colder and windier, the sun was setting, and I realized Ty had taken the truck keys with him in the canoe. I was wearing flip-flops and my feet were blocks of ice. Ryder had to go poop so we ran to the bathroom there. Afterward, we couldn't wedge his cold wet clammy thick thighs back into his suit, so he just ran back to the water buck naked and played, sand stuck all over his cute chubby butt. By now it was around 9pm, the kids were starving (we hadn't eaten supper before we left because we'd had a really late lunch, but I had a roast slow-cooking for when we returned) and they had already eaten the bag of chips I brought and drank all their juiceboxes. I, stupidly, had not brought along a book or anything to keep me occupied other than my pack of smokes, so that was incredibly boring. Just sitting there shivering, chain-smoking, cursing my hubby who'd taken off across the lake in his canoe and taken the damn truck keys with him.
The boys came back in the kayaks and we all started packing up and hauling stuff back to the truck so when Ty finally returned, we could quickly get out of there. Finally we spotted his canoe heading our way. He was just at the area where all the boats are docked in the water when we saw him stop to take a few more casts. Oh, you can imagine the steam coming out of my ears. It was 9:45 at that point. We all watched as he cast and reeled, then he actually got something. He was so surprised! Then, THEN, oh holy mother of all things awesome and righteous, the damn man over-reacted in his excitement and set the hook much harder than he intended, that he actually managed to somehow lose his balance and accidentally flung himself overboard the canoe! SPLASH!! Ohmygod it was so funny. We were all laughing so hard we almost peed our pants, bent over and clutching our stomachs. He returned to shore in disgrace, haha. Good thing he had the foresight to put his cellphone in a ziploc baggy in his pocket before heading out. Unfortunately, he did not put his wallet in there. Bahahaha.
So anyway, we got home around 10, had a very late supper of tender deer roast, tossed salad, leftover corn-on-the-cob, and spinach. Threw the kids in the bath while the boys took turns showering, then everyone hit the sack.
What an exciting night!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Well, poop!
Things just aren't going my way lately...
It all started with a toilet that wasn't flushing properly. At first the plunger seemed to do the trick, but then after a day or so even that didn't work. I knew, I just KNEW, that little Ryderman had something to do with it. "I promise Mommy, I did NOT flush anything down there!" After emptying the toilet of its foul soup-of-despair, I tried the snakey-thing with the claw, even put my hand up there (*shudder* picture me afterwards, like Lady McBeth, frantically washing and washing and washing my hands and arms), nothing worked. It was at that point, with my arm buried up to the elbow in the throne, when I heard a tiny voice coming from Ryder's room, "Wellll.... I might have accidentally flushed a bath toy down there." WHAT. THE. HELL?! So now I knew the enormity of the problem. It then became apparent that I would have to physically take the toilet apart, flip it over and flush that damn toy out. Googled until I found a how-to article that didn't seem too scary, annnnddd.... long story short, it DID NOT turn out to be a tub toy, but hundreds of friggin' toothpicks jammed up in the bottom like a friggin' Kerplunk game. And of course, the toothpicks held in place a disgusting putrid sludgy mess of crap and toilet paper and even a few cardboard toilet paper rolls. You can bet your ass Ryderman got a spanking for THAT! Toothpicks, of all things. Now I know why the new container of toothpicks I bought went missing.
Also, during the past week I came to discover, after taking Lena in to the doctor because her voice went froggy, that she has strep throat. And then this morning, Gunnar woke up with an agonizing throat. Yep, the doctor confirmed it, also strep. Just waiting now for it to hit Ardan and Ryder. You know, because that's the way it goes in this household.
Oh, and then, tonight, Lena and I showed up for her 6:30 soccer practice, 6:30 like it said on the schedule I was given, only to see her entire team already on the field playing. And I was then informed that the schedule had been changed, ALL our game times are at 5:30 from now on, and oh wasn't that too bad I hadn't gotten the new schedule? And it was our turn to bring snacks, which we did, a huge container of watermelon for the kiddies, so the poor duffers had to eat it after the game was done. Lena got to play for 5 minutes, and she did score a goal in that time (of course), but the coach (who owns Taco Time) awarded her the Taco Time Player of the Game award (a free taco gift card) for having Most Goals Scored this season so far. So that took the embarrassing sting out of our night, a bit.
*sigh*
It all started with a toilet that wasn't flushing properly. At first the plunger seemed to do the trick, but then after a day or so even that didn't work. I knew, I just KNEW, that little Ryderman had something to do with it. "I promise Mommy, I did NOT flush anything down there!" After emptying the toilet of its foul soup-of-despair, I tried the snakey-thing with the claw, even put my hand up there (*shudder* picture me afterwards, like Lady McBeth, frantically washing and washing and washing my hands and arms), nothing worked. It was at that point, with my arm buried up to the elbow in the throne, when I heard a tiny voice coming from Ryder's room, "Wellll.... I might have accidentally flushed a bath toy down there." WHAT. THE. HELL?! So now I knew the enormity of the problem. It then became apparent that I would have to physically take the toilet apart, flip it over and flush that damn toy out. Googled until I found a how-to article that didn't seem too scary, annnnddd.... long story short, it DID NOT turn out to be a tub toy, but hundreds of friggin' toothpicks jammed up in the bottom like a friggin' Kerplunk game. And of course, the toothpicks held in place a disgusting putrid sludgy mess of crap and toilet paper and even a few cardboard toilet paper rolls. You can bet your ass Ryderman got a spanking for THAT! Toothpicks, of all things. Now I know why the new container of toothpicks I bought went missing.
Also, during the past week I came to discover, after taking Lena in to the doctor because her voice went froggy, that she has strep throat. And then this morning, Gunnar woke up with an agonizing throat. Yep, the doctor confirmed it, also strep. Just waiting now for it to hit Ardan and Ryder. You know, because that's the way it goes in this household.
Oh, and then, tonight, Lena and I showed up for her 6:30 soccer practice, 6:30 like it said on the schedule I was given, only to see her entire team already on the field playing. And I was then informed that the schedule had been changed, ALL our game times are at 5:30 from now on, and oh wasn't that too bad I hadn't gotten the new schedule? And it was our turn to bring snacks, which we did, a huge container of watermelon for the kiddies, so the poor duffers had to eat it after the game was done. Lena got to play for 5 minutes, and she did score a goal in that time (of course), but the coach (who owns Taco Time) awarded her the Taco Time Player of the Game award (a free taco gift card) for having Most Goals Scored this season so far. So that took the embarrassing sting out of our night, a bit.
*sigh*
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
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