April Fools - I did the meme!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Kimber, the color of cooked crab, and the number 544.

1. It's the first of April, do you play April Fool's jokes on anyone? a couple years ago I told all the members on my forum that I was closing it down. It took them half the day to figure out what day it was.

2. Do you like to eat sardines?no, do you?

3. Have you ever played racketball? Thats with a racket, right? I think we played it in phy ed once.

4. If eating at a fast food joint that has a dollar menu, do you order a bunch of different dollar items or just go ahead and get a regular meal? dollar menu baby... but we still walk out $20 poorer

5. Have you ever taken a brand new pencil and sharpened it in an electric sharper until it was almost gone just because you were bored? can't say that I have... I don't even know if I've ever used an electric one.

6. Do you have any old broken computers still sitting around your home? a closet full of them, but I talked the husband out of the 2 monitors in there - garage sale!

7. Ricky Martin came out this week stating he is gay. Were you shocked, had a feeling, "who?" or just didn't care? huh?

8. If marijuana is legalized, do you think it should have a luxury tax added onto it? I think there will anyway... this is the US afterall. Any country that can put a tax on tanning will be tax on anything.

9. What's the oddest thing you have sitting on your computer desk right now or where ever it is you may be sitting with a laptop (you could be sitting at a Starbucks with an alien from Mars for all we know)? oddest? um.... an empty jolly rancher wrapper that nobody threw away

10. Have you ever bumped into a former lover and found out they were now gay or straight depending on your relationship with them? um... no.

11. Have you ever held a tarantula? yes. And I was ok with it until it's leg moved

12. Shower- curtain, door, walk-in, or do you just roll around in the dirt to get the stink off? What the sam hell are you talking about Kimberella? I shower in the yard with the garden hose.

13. Which commercial is the most annoying to you on TV or radio? the caveman commercials... they are just stupid now. At first it was funny but the 2nd time around? Not so much.

A random blog post.

Yeah, I'm still alive. Just been busy. So something thats been on my mind...

I'm really out of the loop on babies with my baby being 14 in May. I had my little quirks, but I was still a real laid back mom. Someone asked me if I wanted a changing table and I laughed and said "I have one! The living room floor!". I never had a diaper pail either. My oldest had her first taste of mashed potatoes & cranberries at 2 months... her first taste of peanut butter probably around the same time. I started feeding her cereal soon after that. My youngest I started on cereal at about a month and she had tastes of everything as I ate things. If I didn't wear a coat, they didn't. If I didn't think I needed a hat, they didn't.

I know a lot of things have changed in almost 15 years, but I really am amazed at some of the things that I hear from moms of little ones now. I seriously never heard of sterilizing a bottle until today. My youngest took a pacifier until she was about 2 1/2... I don't think I EVER did anything but rinse it off on occasion. Know what made her stop using it? We had a puppy that got a hold of it and chewed the end of the nipple part off and left it lay on the floor. I watched Krissy walk up to it later on, pick it up and stick it in her mouth. She pulled it out of her mouth, looked at the end bitten off, threw it back on the ground and never picked it up again.

Now, let me tell you my one dumb mommy move. When Taryn, my oldest, was born I breastfed her. I couldn't believe how much she ate! At night she would nurse for about 1/2 hour, fall asleep, but as soon as I'd move to go put her in her crib she'd wake up and start eating again. Some nights she ate for a good three hours! It took me a good 3 or 4 months before I figured out why that kid never took a manufactured pacifier. Mom, your a dumbass.

And sleeping.... oh I listened to the doctor and laid her on her back to sleep. Even tried her side. The kid wouldn't sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. My sister (10 years older than me) was watching her one day when she was about 4 months old and when I got home Taryn was laying on the kitchen table... ON HER TUMMY... sleeping. I just about had a heart attack. Then I found out that she had been sleeping almost the entire time we were gone... 5 hours! I put that kid on her tummy that night in her crib and got my first 7 hours of sleep since the day before delivery. To this day she's a tummy sleeper.

My kids shared a bassinet and a crib with a cat, crawled all over dogs, chewed on their ears and sucked on their nose. They used a walker that had wheels, they ate dirt off the floor and sometimes food that fell on the floor.

My point to all this? There really isn't one. But I do enjoy the mommy blogs & message board posts, but let me warn you... some I laugh at, some I roll my eyes at and some I sympathize with. As much as I want to reply and say how I did things way back when... I know you all would think I need to go into a loony bin!

Maybe this is my way to say that its ok.. they all grow up just fine. Mine sure did... outside of their thyroid conditions, they rarely get sick. But really, sit back and enjoy them because from someone who is dealing with teenagers - I'd love to go back to those nervous baby years and pay just a little bit more attention to the little stuff and even less about the stuff that really isn't going to matter years down the road. My oldest just walked through the kitchen and I am pretty sure she was never affected by that junebug she ate when she was a year old...

Wait. I wonder if the junebug stole her common sense on the way down her throat.... that could explain a lot!

1 In 4 Parents Believe Vaccine-Autism Link - Health News Story - WKMG Orlando

1 In 4 Parents Believe Vaccine-Autism Link - Health News Story - WKMG Orlando

One in four U.S. parents believes some vaccines cause autism in healthy children, but even many of those worried about vaccine risks think their children should be vaccinated.

Most parents continue to follow the advice of their children's doctors, according to a study based on a survey of 1,552 parents. Extensive research has found no connection between autism and vaccines.

"Nine out of 10 parents believe that vaccination is a good way to prevent diseases for their children," said lead author Dr. Gary Freed of the University of Michigan. "Luckily their concerns don't outweigh their decision to get vaccines so their children can be protected from life-threatening illnesses."

In 2008, unvaccinated school-age children contributed to measles outbreaks in California, Illinois, Washington, Arizona and New York, said Dr. Melinda Wharton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thirteen percent of the 140 who got sick that year were hospitalized.

"It's fortunate that everybody recovered," Wharton said, noting that measles can be deadly. "If we don't vaccinate, these diseases will come back."

Fear of a vaccine-autism connection stems from a flawed and speculative 1998 study that recently was retracted by a British medical journal. The retraction came after a council that regulates Britain's doctors ruled the study's author acted dishonestly and unethically.

The new study is based on a University of Michigan survey of parents a year ago, long before the retraction of the 1998 study. However, much has been written about research that has failed to find a link between vaccines and autism. Mainstream advocacy groups like Autism Speaks strongly encourage parents to vaccinate their children.

"Now that it's been shown to be an outright fraud, maybe it will convince more parents that this should not be a concern," said Freed, whose study appears in the April issue of Pediatrics, released Monday.

Some doctors are taking a tough stand, asking vaccine-refusing parents to find other doctors and calling such parents "selfish."

A statement from a group practice near Philadelphia outlines its doctors' adamant support for government recommended vaccines and their belief that "vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities."

"Furthermore, by not vaccinating your child you are taking selfish advantage of thousands of other who do vaccinate their children ... We feel such an attitude to be self-centered and unacceptable," the statement says, urging those who "absolutely refuse" vaccines to find another physician.

"We call it the manifesto," said Dr. Bradley Dyer of All Star Pediatrics in Lionville, Pa.

Dozens of doctors have asked to distribute the statement, Dyer said, and only a handful of parents have taken their children elsewhere.

"Parents have said, 'Thank you for saying that. We feel much better about it,'" Dyer said.

The new study is based on an online survey of parents with children 17 and younger. It used a sample from a randomly selected pool of nationally representative participants. Households were given Internet access if they didn't already have it to make sure families of all incomes were included. Vaccines weren't mentioned in the survey invitation and vaccine questions were among others on unrelated topics.

Twenty-five percent of the parents said they agreed "some vaccines cause autism in healthy children." Among mothers, 29 percent agreed with that statement; among fathers, it was 17 percent.

Nearly 12 percent of the parents said they'd refused a vaccine for their children that a doctor recommended. Of those, 56 percent said they'd refused the relatively new vaccine against human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer. Others refused vaccines against meningococcal disease (32 percent), chickenpox (32 percent) and measles-mumps-rubella (18 percent).

Parents who refused the HPV vaccine, recommended for girls since 2006, cited various reasons.

Parents who refused the MMR vaccine, the shot most feared for its spurious autism link, said they'd read or heard about problems with it or felt its risks were too great.

The findings will help doctors craft better ways to talk with parents, said Dr. Gary S. Marshall of the University of Louisville School of Medicine and author of a vaccine handbook for doctors.

"For our children's sake, we have to think like scientists," said Marshall, who was not involved in the new study. "We need to do a better job presenting the data so parents understand how scientists have reached this conclusion that vaccines don't cause autism."

I'm on the fence about the autism link, but I do think there is something going on with all the vaccines. There are more kids sick, more allergies and just more everything. I think I might have been one of those non-vaccinating or limited-vaccinating parents had I known then what I know now. I haven't seen any major things with my relatively healthy kids, but I do wonder sometimes about their thyroid disorders and their obesity if there isn't some link between that and something that we do now vs what people did then. The allergies is what really gets me though - why are there so many of them now? My kids are not allergic to anything (besides one having severe reactions to horseflies) and the only thing I know I did different than parents do now (and then) is they ate everything from birth on. Tastes of peanut butter, mashed potatoes, sips of milk... all in the first few months of their life.
There has to be some sort of link to the autism, but I also wonder how many misdiagnosis are going on. Everyone knows how much doctors (and some parents) love labels.

This is also being discussed on the InsanityCafe Forums - http://tiny.cc/ctROC

Crappy TT Questions & Answers

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the color of blood, and the number negative 18.

1. Kimber is freaking out because I didn't get the TT done yesterday. I had a busy day. Will you ever forgive me? Yes I forgive myself. Today is Thursday.

2. So this weekend is Valentine's Day. When you think of yourself and this love-filled holiday, what is biggest memory? The first one that pops into my mind is the $85 roses that the husband brought home quite a few years ago. He got his ass chewed.

3. Pajama pants. Who knew it could have so many fricken opinions. (Seriously... if you don't believe me) Would you... do you... could you wear PJ pants to a store? I wear 'em and I'm proud of it. Even my leopard print ones. They are my favorite.

4. I'm gonna give you one of those big heart candy boxes on Sunday. Are you an expert at chocolate candies and already know whats inside them all or will you just take whichever one and enjoy it no matter what is inside or are you one of those people who sticks their finger in the bottom of the candy to see what the filling is then puts it back if you don't like it? I poke them. I hate biting into something that I don't like and I hate surprises.

5. Scented Candles - whats your favorite? Clean laundry scents.... I hate the fruity ones.

6. Snow sucks. We've mostly all been hit. What kind of snow shovel do you have? (The rest of you who live in sunny no-snow places... tell me your favorite sunscreen brand) We have a old metal orange one that is the best. We bought a new one last year but everyone hates it because the snow slides off before you get it to wear you want it to go. And the old reliable scoop shovel.

7. The first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up was "Oh crap. Kimber's gonna be pissed...." then I had a whole bunch of good ideas for questions to ask. Now I can't remember them. Do you keep a notebook next to your bed for times like that? Obviously not or the questions would have been better.

8. Have you ever seen a groundhog in real, you can touch it and it will bite you, life? Nope I haven't. I'm not even sure they are real. It's a robot, isn't it?

9. Is there any key on your keyboard that is starting to wear off? Which one is it? Strangely my H & N key, which I don't think I use more than any others.

10. Do you think Kimber should move to Minnesota and take long walks in the snow with Berleen? Yes, but I've always thought that.

Wow. Those questions sucked. Yes they did.

Kimber wants to know~ Why haven't you joined ICForums yet? A fellow blogger followed her last week.... wonder who it will be this week. I dunno but I love who joined up last week! You know who you are ♥

In other news... The husband's sister had this little boy kitty - a dark tiger tabby. He's kinda stuck in kitten size because she thinks the dog stunted his growth. He sits and lets their german shepard chew on him... to the point that he's had punctures in his neck. He just lays there and lets her chew!! He wheezes but there really seems to be nothing wrong with him.
Jason went out there the other night and his sister was trying to get him to take him home... I said "awwwww" in my whiney little voice when he told me and he said "go get him". I bounced the idea through my head overnight... 4 cats? Do I need that many? But dammit, the husband never cares about animals, so it made me keep thinking that I really should go get this cat.
The husband told me to make an appointment at the vet... take him in and see whats wrong with him before I even bring him home. Well.... He has severe ear mites so he's away from the rest of the critters for a month. He has an upper respiratory infection and is on meds. He's only 2.3lbs. His testicles haven't dropped yet and he's a year old. He isn't getting any vax until he's better. His ears are scarred from frostbite - my sis 'n law would find him curled up in the snow sleeping with ice & snowballs all over him.

We are now a family with 4 cats.

Meet Sebastian.

Sebastian didn't use the litterbox all night (he's living in Demon #2's room for a month). He was an outside cat, so has never seen one. I had a brainstorm - I took some of the other cats poop out of one of our other littlerboxes and put it in his. 15 minutes later I checked - he had used the litterbox. That was easy.

R.I.P. Mrs H - Frances Reid/Alice Horton

Frances Reid has passed at 93, Reid played Alice Horton on Days of Our Lives, a role she played from November 1965 to December 26 2007 .Reid starred on broadway in the 1930's in Where's There A Will at the John Golden Theatre, She begin tv soaps, joining As the World Turns as Grace Baker in the 1950s, then went on to Days of Our Lives.

As a long time Days fan I am saddened to hear this news this morning. We all knew it was coming... she hasn't been seen on the show for a long time, but there was always that bit of hope that she would be at the Horton Christmas or a wedding....

PJ pants? Where can I get another pair?

Something I read this morning really ticked me off. Check out this blog/article: Should Moms Wear Pajamas to the Store

Bits & pieces:

So wrong, in fact, that Tesco, a giant grocery chain in the UK, has actually had to enact an official store policy banning patrons wearing slippers and/or nightwear.

and this....

For heaven’s sakes, moms, have some pride! I don’t actually care so much about what the other shoppers are thinking: Is a mother in her flannels really a lot worse than Britney Spears prancing through Target half-naked, in an outfit consisting mainly of flip-flops, cut-offs and a Starbucks cup? The problem is a matter of self-respect. How can you take yourself, and what you do in life, seriously, if you don’t think you’re important enough to even bother getting dressed in the morning?

and that...

So far, no U.S. stores have followed in Tesco’s footsteps. But there are a number of people here who wouldn’t mind that happening. One Internet comment urged Walmart to impose the same rule. Added another, “I hope America adapts this ASAP.”

Ok wow. Get a life. Someone actually gives a crap if someone else wears PJ bottoms to a store? Are you the fricken fashion police? I can sit here and pick out a lot more "outfits" that should be banned from stores and none of them include PJ pants.
Now what I find incredibly wrong about this whole thing is that people don't seem to blink an eye about trying to get major chains to do this! What country do we live in again? You want a store to tell you what kind of pants you can wear? What if my PJ pants don't have bears or cupcakes on them? What if they are a solid color? Are you going to check my tag at the door? Feel the fabric to see if it's flannel? If I get hauled out because I'm wearing a pair of PJ pants what about the woman who walks in with all her cleavage hanging out? Or the guy with so many holes in his jeans you can see what brand of boxers he's wearing? And of course there is my personal favorite... the farmer who had to stop and get some milk and you can smell him when he walks in the door because he's been around cow shit all morning.
People need to really sit back and think about the word "freedom" before they start flapping their jaws about what other people do.
I work at home for a number of reasons, but one of them is because I like working in PJ pants. Are they clean? Yes. Am I clean? Yes. Hell, I even have makeup on... it's really helps bring out the color of the purple teddy bears on my pants. If I need to run up to the store, the last thing I'm worried about is some holier than thou mom thinking that my choice of clothing is wrong. My ass is covered... get over it.
And... yes there's more. Slippers. My favorite pair of slippers are moccasin like. They are slippers in every sense, but I wear them everywhere. To the store, on the short walk to my parents house... how the hell does anyone know if they are slippers or not? And I really don't give a shit if the woman behind me at the checkout has big floppy bunny slippers. I bet her feet are warm.

Ok thank you. I'm done now. Leave me and my PJ pants alone. I think these moms are just jealous because my ass looks better in PJ pants than theirs does...

This was brought up at IC Forums, too. Seems like I hang around with the right crowd.

We're Not Laughing At You.... sure we are.

Welcome to the February 4th version of Thursday Thunks!

(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)

Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Kimber, the color of doom, and the number 999.

1. You walk into a room, someone turns and looks at you and laughs. What do you do?
Punch them in the nose. Well, I'd like to anyway. I'd ask what the hell their problem is, but I probably wouldn't get an answer. Nobody ever answers me.
2. You find an egg, take it home and keep it warm. It hatches. What type of dinosaur is it? Do you keep it and name?

It's a tiny one that wouldn't eat me when it grew up and I name George. What else would you name a dinosaur?

3. Which superhero would you want to be related to and why?

Wonder Woman so I can borrow her outfit

4. A drunken sailor comes up to you on the pier...he begins harassing you in a most repulsive way....what'll be your defense?
Push him off the pier and into the water. Duh.
5. Entering a CLASS A piano bar, you're encouraged to sing atop the grand instrument...you grab the microphone and sing.....
in the bathroom. Hey, you said I was encouraged to, not that I had to.
6. If you were a character in a Dr. Seuss book/movie, who would you be and why?

a kitty. Just because.

7. If you have just been called to be a substitute in the Winter Olympics for your country (apparently everyone else was busy), what sport(s) will you compete in?

what are all the sports in the Olympics again?

8. Did the audience from the piano bar in question #5 applaud when you were done with your song?
Dunno, I was in the bathroom. Don't you fricken pay attention to my answers?
Questions 4 & 5 were contributed by Hootin' Anni. Thanks Anni! If you would like to submit your own TT questions, email us at thursdaythunks@gmail.com
Thanks Hootin' Anni! You rock my socks. That explains why #4 & 5 were in red, I thought Kimber was having a mental breakdown there for a minute.
Berleen wants to know~ Why haven't you joined ICForums yet? You're a blogger, you like to talk... you like to read... seriously. It's the same concept!

I did? Really? When did I say that? I still think everyone should join, though. We have some sweet contests going on & coming up where you win actual, hold in your hand, type prizes! Plus I posted an article today about bullying that you can only see if you are logged in. It's an interesting article and it got some interesting responses...

Berleen's General Tso's Chicken Recipe

The husband hauls chicken. He's a truck driver, ya know. He hauls Gold N Plump chicken which is, by far, the best you can buy (I didn't get paid to say that). We have a lot of chicken in our freezer at any given time because of this. A few weeks ago I got a hair up my butt that I was going to make something different with the chicken. One of my favorite things to order at an Asian restaurant that we go to a lot is Hawaiian Chicken. I tried that. I failed. Miserably. It was awful. The husband ate it, but seriously? When he's hungry he'll eat just about anything. He's a growing boy, ya know.
I ran across a recipe for General Tso's chicken and yesterday was the 5th time I've made it this month. I have perfected it in the five tries. Yep, I'm tooting my own horn. Toot toot.
I've ended up combining a few recipes and taking cooking tips from other recipes to create my own. I've cut the cooking time by about 20 minutes and made something that even my daddy liked! I brought a plate over to him last night and this is an old German guy who doesn't like spicy food... he LOVED it!
So I bet you are wondering if I'm gonna share this recipe? Of course I am! I'm not shy... try it. And it's not quite as difficult as it sounds while you are reading it and it's worth the time it takes to make it. Both of my demon spawns have ordered me to make this at least once a week from now on. I serve mine with Jasmine rice... be prepared to have a full tummy when this is served!

The Berleen-variation of General Tso's Chicken

3 lbs chicken (I use about 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
2 cups green onions
8 small chilies (I use cayenne pepper, but I haven't got a measurement yet)

Slurry (coating)-
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup cornstarch

Sauce -
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp garlic
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup white or sherry wine
1 can chicken broth
ginger - although I haven't figured out a measurement yet

I mix the sauce up ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It doesn't take long to mix it up, but it's nice to have it done. One less thing to do later.

Cut up chicken, put in bowl. (I marinate the chicken pieces in a bit of soy sauce for a couple hours) Put the slurry ingredients in and mix until all chicken is covered. It's going to be a weird consistency. Not too thin, not to thick - but weird.

Heat oil in pan and fry pieces of chicken until all brown. Put cooked pieces on a paper towel.

In same oil, put in cut up onions and chilies/cayenne pepper. Fry for about 30 seconds. Add the cooked chicken. Dump in the sauce. Bring to a boil while stirring. It's going to thicken up all of a sudden... as soon as it's kind of a thick gel and steamy it's done. If you want to add broccoli or other veggies, add at the same time as chicken. I run the broccoli under warm water (if it's frozen) so it's at room temp before I put it in.

Still working on the Hawaiian chicken disaster....

Forum Stuff

Hey... for those of you who are members at InsanityCafe Forums (or those of you who want to be... because seriously - you know you do!) we've done a bunch of stuff over the weekend.

First of all... we added a new forum called The Padded Room - The walls are padded so go crazy with giveaways, contests, coupons, deals... whatever fits your fancy! They are all over the web and we have them listed here! Thats the technical description. It's for just what it says it is....

Second... we are having our first of many contests... this one is called "Sloganize Us" and here are the details:

Alright members here's a fun challenge for you, and one where you could win your choice of a free Keychain, Magnet, Mug (travel or coffee) or even a Beach Tote Bag! Now that you're all excited lets get this contest started!

How do you participate? Come up with a new Insanity Cafe slogan, then post it here.
How long will this contest run? This contest will run for 2 weeks, in order to give our members plenty of opportunity to participate. Valentines Day will be the final day for submissions at which time voting will take place. If your slogan is chosen we will PM you and allow you to make your prize choice as well as announce your winning slogan in the forums.

Eligible to registered members only.

Well...there you have it Now everybody get your thinking caps on and let the game (contest) BEGIN!!

We are also going to start having some fun games (but different from your average forum games).

And don't forget...

Spanking is bad

I stumbled across one of those "mommy boards" this morning. The biggest thread was about spanking and how bad it was. (that argument isn't over yet? They were still fighting that one out 10 years ago when I left mommy boards....) You wouldn't hit an adult, why hit a kid... all the same reasons. I grew up being spanked, but I could count how many times on one hand. My dad didn't have to spank... I knew if I screwed up I'd get spanked and who wants that? I don't see spanking as hitting... slam me for that one.

But stop and think about it for a minute.... when the parenting experts (coughbullshitcough) decided that spanking was no longer a correct form of parenting, what happened? What are we all bitching about now? The lack of respect that kids have for adults these days...

Think about it.

When I was in high school there were a few teachers that you just knew going into their class that you didn't screw up in their class. We heard the stories - sometimes from the "victims" themselves - of those teachers picking up boys by the collar and holding them up against the wall and getting right in their face. There weren't many trips to the principle's office in my day, the teachers took care of the discipline themselves. And they were respected. To this day they are respected by my generation and generations before me. I hear kids in school now talking about these same teachers... yep, some are still there... and I wonder if they are talking about the same people! He doesn't scream until blood comes out of his nose anymore? She doesn't slam books on the desk? He doesn't throw erasers at students anymore?

Of course not. They can't.

And guess what? There's no respect anymore either. People are horrified about the old stories of the nuns in Catholic schools who would break rulers over someone's hand. Yeah well, there was no disrespect in that generation. None. The word didn't even exist.

You call it fear? Call it what you want, but I call it respect, which kids have none in this world today... they don't even have fear! They know adults hands are tied - someone is going to cry abuse.

So to all the parenting experts and all of you parenting-by-the-book people - thank you.

And don't even get me started on the baby-wearing, breastfeeding until kindergarten, don't let the baby cry, co-sleeping, toy bleaching parents....

Sorry. Just my little temper tantrum this morning.

Vikings lost - oh well

Now I can watch the Puppy Bowl!!!!

About the Game ...

If your favorite team is on the bench instead of in the playoffs this year, it’s time to forget that post season slump. Some very special rookies are ready to take the field with a winning combination of tackles, fumbles and even a few tumbles, for their shot at the end zone —or a tug toy—in Animal Planet’s PUPPY BOWL VI. This annual canine battle is back as a new pack of pups mix it up on the grand gridiron of Animal Planet Stadium.

On Sunday, February 7 from 3-5PM e/p an all-star lineup of rambunctious, rescue pups competes in the ultimate showdown full of dogged defense, puppy penalties and fido first downs. Plus, for the first time in Puppy Bowl history, all the action will be captured in panoramic view with aerial coverage provided by the Twizzler’s® blimp and its rogue hamster crew. In another fun first, the sidelines will also be hopping with the addition of spirited bunny rabbit cheerleaders. Animal Planet has also booked a bevy of frolicking felines for an all-new edition of the Kitty Half-time Show.

Straight from shelters, this year’s starting lineup is filled with spunky spaniels, fierce French bulldogs and bustling beagles that are ready for action as they vie for the title of MVP (Most Valuable Puppy). Puppy Bowl VI cameras catch all of the thrilling action as the puppies pounce and play, mimicking the rough-and-tumble moves of professional ballers. Our veteran Puppy Bowl referee, Andrew Schechter, will be on hand to keep the players in line and to dole out any necessary "puppy penalties." With instant replays, the popular water bowl camera and the addition of the blimp, viewers won’t miss any of the action on the field.

The Voice of Puppy Bowl — Harry Kalas

Award-winning sportscaster, Harry Kalas lent his voice to calling puppy penalties and doggie downs every year during Puppy Bowl since the first game in 2005. In addition to Puppy Bowl, Kalas was best known for his Frick Award-winning role as lead announcer for Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies. For professional football, he served as a voice-over narrator for NFL Films, was a regular feature on Inside the NFL and called NFL games for Westwood One radio. Kalas passed away on April 13, 2009. Harry's booming and powerful voice juxtaposed against our furry players will be sorely missed.

I'm rooting for Eenu, the golden/rottie mix...

Berleen's turn to thunk your thinker

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the color white chocolate caramel and the number 0.

Did you miss me? I can't get away from myself long enough to miss me.

1. Pants on the Ground.... I hope that this changes the way guys wear their pants.

2. To compliment Kimber's question from last week.... have you ever fell down the stairs? I'm sure I have a time or two. The husband fell down the stairs once... or should I say rode a book down the stairs... and fell into a heap at the bottom. I laughed. He was pissed. It looked funny as it was happening though.

3. Have you ever written to a company about their product? Ever called them? No. But after reading some of the other bloggers' answers, I should. Might get some free stuff.

4. Your dog/cat/snake/iguana/pet skunk (or just fill in your pet's species) goes to the vet. Ok, you take them to the vet... most pets wouldn't go on their own. The vet tells you that your species has cancer. Do you:

• a. tell them to pull out the needle and put them to sleep on the spot
• b. take them home and let them live out their life until the end
• c. same as b. except you don't let them get to the suffering stage
• d. go full steam ahead with cancer treatments

I'm not crazy about putting a human through cancer treatment much less an animal. I pick B.

5. What is your favorite comfort food? ice cream

6. If your child was put in jail for putting a gun in their spouses mouth and pulling the trigger (even though the gun wasn't loaded), strangling them and breaking their arm... would you post bail for them? Bud asked me if this was a Law & Order eppy. Sad to say, it wasn't. It happened where I live and the guy is someone who I considered a friend in high school. His dad bailed him out.... he went back after his wife. Thankfully she had installed an alarm system and he was caught again and thrown back in - this time with a million dollar bail. Hope his dad doesn't try to bail him out again.

7. If elephants had wings, how many feathers do you think they would have on each wing? I think about 100,000. Need lots of umph to lift an elephant off the ground.

8. Is there anything growing in your refrigerator right now? I think the veggie soup is growing.

9. What did you do with your Thursdays while we were on a break? I didn't think about it, thats what I did!

10. Would you donate to the Kimber Ark Building Fund and donate wood? She is about to float away after all... Yes I would. Hopefully she hasn't floated away yet. They are getting lots of rain in Arizona right now and as of yesterday she had a mud pool in her backyard.

11. If I were to send you a letter and I wanted to put a little heart sticker on the back of the envelope, what color sticker would you like it to be? I would attack a leopard print heart shaped sticker! Roar.