Have you noticed all the social media challenges lately, and I am not talking about the brilliantly marketed ice bucket challenge for ALS, but the "grateful" challenges. While it is a fantastic concept, to sit back for 3 or 5 days (depending on who sent it to you) and reflect on 3 things you are thankful for, grateful for, happy thoughts, whatever, you name it. Great, right?! We should all do this, all the time. We should live in this state of mind. In reality, this just drives me bonkers. Like for some reason, it seriously bothers me. Maybe I am just jealous that no one tagged me? hmmm? But, now, I really want someone to tag me so I can by sarcastic and rude. Who is this "new" self. Who stole my apple pie outlook and let in this bitchy imposter? I think this is the new 40. I don't give a rats ass anymore.
So here you go, 3 things in 5 minutes instead of 5 days.
1. I am thankful that I didn't have a vertigo episode when I was in "rockstar" pose at yoga this morning. Oh and that I didn't fart during class, there were only 3 of us, it would have been obvious.
2. I am grateful that I have a drip coffee machine in my kitchen and milk that is only 11 days old to pour in it.
3. I am happy for that 30 minute nap this evening, when both the kids were gone. Should I have been a good wife and instigated some romantic relations? Perhaps. He should just be thankful that the thought even passed through my mind, even if I chose to ignore it and sleep instead.
So, I think that was 5 actual things, or maybe 6, but you get the idea.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Seriously Tripping
Can not believe it is mid-July and I have not posted about "vacation" yet. As soon as school let out at the end of June, the girls, dog and I hopped in the car for our first serious road trip. We took 11 days and over 2000 miles! Hubs showed up to help with the last 700+ miles though (thank god!) Here's the recap.
The first night in a hotel north of Baltimore, I almost threw in the towel and drove home. I had taken a course that day at the Culinary Institute across the river from us (1 hr drive) so we didn't start our road trip until 5pm and I had already driven 100 miles that day. There was a wedding group staying at the hotel, so as each guest arrived back to their room anytime between 11:30pm and 3am, my dog went ballistic. I actually had to get up and walk her at 2:30am. It was not pretty. Plus, I had snuck her in, so I was so nervous that we would get caught. Day 2, after approximately 2 hours of sleep, we took the long way around DC but had no traffic and made pretty good time down to my college roommates house south of Raleigh. After a great overnight visit, we made the final push to my parents. We spent 5 days there and had fun with my brothers and my nephew and with my parents. We hit the beach twice, the pool numerous times, plus manicures with grammy and the golf range with grampy. All was good.
Then we split up the trip to Knoxville, TN by driving to my aunts' in Columbia, SC for an overnight. The only mishap on this leg was the pouring rain and my driving on the wrong side of the road at South of the Border. Other than freaking out my 13 year old co-pilot we were fine and I quickly pulled over for some disgusting tacos.
Knoxville for a visit with my grandmother was very low-key and relaxing. We did get the 87 year old and her walker out to the movies to see Maleficent and to dinner at Bravo. It was some good ole QT with the girls' great-grandmother. Hubs flew in after many flight delays, got 6 hours of sleep and then we drove all the way home. I logged approximately 1500 miles of driving on this trip which is approximately 1400 more than I drive on any family road trip we normally take. You see my patting myself on the back, right?!
Highlight - I let the kids each pick out a t-shirt at the beach shop near Wrightsville Beach. Car really wanted a tank which took much longer to find in the piles, but we found one! I washed it and as I was folding it I realized this is what the logo said -
Yup - my 10 year old just wants to have Rum. Mom of the year right over here! I guess our eyes saw something completely different and much more age appropriate.
I did grab my box cutter and worked some wonders if I do say so myself. There may be a few small holes, but at least she can wear it in public now. And, I do think this is something we will laugh about for the next 40 years.
The first night in a hotel north of Baltimore, I almost threw in the towel and drove home. I had taken a course that day at the Culinary Institute across the river from us (1 hr drive) so we didn't start our road trip until 5pm and I had already driven 100 miles that day. There was a wedding group staying at the hotel, so as each guest arrived back to their room anytime between 11:30pm and 3am, my dog went ballistic. I actually had to get up and walk her at 2:30am. It was not pretty. Plus, I had snuck her in, so I was so nervous that we would get caught. Day 2, after approximately 2 hours of sleep, we took the long way around DC but had no traffic and made pretty good time down to my college roommates house south of Raleigh. After a great overnight visit, we made the final push to my parents. We spent 5 days there and had fun with my brothers and my nephew and with my parents. We hit the beach twice, the pool numerous times, plus manicures with grammy and the golf range with grampy. All was good.
Then we split up the trip to Knoxville, TN by driving to my aunts' in Columbia, SC for an overnight. The only mishap on this leg was the pouring rain and my driving on the wrong side of the road at South of the Border. Other than freaking out my 13 year old co-pilot we were fine and I quickly pulled over for some disgusting tacos.
Knoxville for a visit with my grandmother was very low-key and relaxing. We did get the 87 year old and her walker out to the movies to see Maleficent and to dinner at Bravo. It was some good ole QT with the girls' great-grandmother. Hubs flew in after many flight delays, got 6 hours of sleep and then we drove all the way home. I logged approximately 1500 miles of driving on this trip which is approximately 1400 more than I drive on any family road trip we normally take. You see my patting myself on the back, right?!
Highlight - I let the kids each pick out a t-shirt at the beach shop near Wrightsville Beach. Car really wanted a tank which took much longer to find in the piles, but we found one! I washed it and as I was folding it I realized this is what the logo said -Yup - my 10 year old just wants to have Rum. Mom of the year right over here! I guess our eyes saw something completely different and much more age appropriate.
I did grab my box cutter and worked some wonders if I do say so myself. There may be a few small holes, but at least she can wear it in public now. And, I do think this is something we will laugh about for the next 40 years.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Seriously Fitting?
Well, Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. May your day be filled with good weather, good company and good spirits! Unfortunately, I will not get to see my own dad (he lives 600+ miles away).
To hubs - who is the greatest! It may not be the most ideal Father's Day in all of history but we do hope you enjoy it in the best way that you can. Here is the breakdown -
6am-11am - golf with his buds
11am - 11:45am - late breakfast with his kids
11:45am - 2:30pm - Hubs tends to his garden and reads the paper while his girls are backstage helping at the little kids dance recital
2:30-3:45am - picnic lunch in the car outside the recital theater. Talk about family fun!
4pm - 8pm - Hubs will nap and perhaps watch some sports and perhaps start dinner while the girls and I are at dance recital
8pm - 9pm - late dinner as a fam and then bed - it is a school night around these parts.
So, he gets approximately 3 hours with his kids today. Not really sure if that's what Father's Day is all about, but at least he gets to skip sitting through recital 2 days in a row- maybe that's the most fitting Father's Day gift of all?
To hubs - who is the greatest! It may not be the most ideal Father's Day in all of history but we do hope you enjoy it in the best way that you can. Here is the breakdown -
6am-11am - golf with his buds
11am - 11:45am - late breakfast with his kids
11:45am - 2:30pm - Hubs tends to his garden and reads the paper while his girls are backstage helping at the little kids dance recital
2:30-3:45am - picnic lunch in the car outside the recital theater. Talk about family fun!
4pm - 8pm - Hubs will nap and perhaps watch some sports and perhaps start dinner while the girls and I are at dance recital
8pm - 9pm - late dinner as a fam and then bed - it is a school night around these parts.
So, he gets approximately 3 hours with his kids today. Not really sure if that's what Father's Day is all about, but at least he gets to skip sitting through recital 2 days in a row- maybe that's the most fitting Father's Day gift of all?
Monday, June 2, 2014
Seriously Fizzling
Grades for report cards are due in less than two weeks so you know what that means? We are cramming in the remainder of the curriculum and testing the children at a Dover Downs kind of pace. Car was in tears today trying to find verbs in a verb phrase, three times she circled nouns (she is 10 years old people) We.are.just.done.
If we finish out the year all in one piece it will be a miracle. Between 3 lacrosse games this week, on top of girl scouts for both and my leader meeting, 12 dance classes, two golf lessons and piano we are bit over scheduled to say the least. Oh, and hubs is gonna be gone Tuesday - Sunday. And, this is not even recital week. Next week should be a real kick in the ass.
The two meltdowns that occurred between 3:15 and 3:30pm from Car is not a good indication of how this is all going to go. And, I think I am PMSing again, already. My cycle is dwindling down to every 22-25 days, so this does not fare well for the overall vibe in this house either, as admittedly I am a little testy during the 7 days leading up to the menses. So, you do the math on how often that's occurring, it ain't pretty.
Wish me luck. See you on the other side... of a margarita glass if I don't throw in the towel before then.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Seriously Kicked
Love a long weekend at home! I so wish it meant summer was actually upon us. But, here in New York, we have weeks and weeks until the real fun begins, about 4 more in fact. It is a busy time of year with testing, field trips, sports, banquets, parties, and recitals. I am sick of studying with my kids, sick of reminding them to do homework, sick of reminding them to practice their instruments, sick of carpooling them all over the county for sports and events, sick of having to schedule out every moment of every day, including my shower.
But, you know what, this weekend we had a reprieve. We were lucky to have just a few events that they had to be at (piano, dance and guitar) otherwise we were free! On Memorial Day a brilliant friend had the brilliant idea of our entire bunco group renting out the picnic area at the large county park just outside of town. So, we had a playground, a pavilion, bathrooms and a field all to ourselves. 25 families which included 65 children! It was affordable ($15/family) and we each brought our own food, toys and drinks. There was a massive water gun fight, there was ladder ball and corn hole, there was sidewalk chalk and hula hoops, there was playground fun and volleyball. But the most fun for me, was the kickball. This is a game I have probably not played in 20+ years and it truly is so much fun! First, just the moms played, it was hilarious and easy and no pressure. Then the kids and dads played which was exciting and silly and active and then an adults only game which was competitive, intense and exhausting. Usually at these events, when the 35+ age group participates in a sporting event together there is at least one "major" injury. I did strain my hip from trying to steal 2nd base, but I am seriously accident prone, so I got off easy considering, actually, we all got off easy.
I may be pushing it but I think I may try to coordinate an adult kickball league here in small town. Once a week, bring a cooler, your family and let the good times roll...
But, you know what, this weekend we had a reprieve. We were lucky to have just a few events that they had to be at (piano, dance and guitar) otherwise we were free! On Memorial Day a brilliant friend had the brilliant idea of our entire bunco group renting out the picnic area at the large county park just outside of town. So, we had a playground, a pavilion, bathrooms and a field all to ourselves. 25 families which included 65 children! It was affordable ($15/family) and we each brought our own food, toys and drinks. There was a massive water gun fight, there was ladder ball and corn hole, there was sidewalk chalk and hula hoops, there was playground fun and volleyball. But the most fun for me, was the kickball. This is a game I have probably not played in 20+ years and it truly is so much fun! First, just the moms played, it was hilarious and easy and no pressure. Then the kids and dads played which was exciting and silly and active and then an adults only game which was competitive, intense and exhausting. Usually at these events, when the 35+ age group participates in a sporting event together there is at least one "major" injury. I did strain my hip from trying to steal 2nd base, but I am seriously accident prone, so I got off easy considering, actually, we all got off easy.
I may be pushing it but I think I may try to coordinate an adult kickball league here in small town. Once a week, bring a cooler, your family and let the good times roll...
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Seriously Waxed
This post may make you uncomfortable because I am going to talk about my hoo hoo, you know, my beave. So, if this is the future and you are my dad or any male relative that stumbled upon this post (anyone beyond 2nd cousins are fine) stop reading now. I have adequately warned you.
At the ripe old age of 40, I decided to get my first ever bikini wax in preparation for my girl's weekend with my college housemates next week. I always wondered what all the hype was about and if it really is better than just shaving. So these are my take-a-ways from this experience.
1. Why do women succumb themselves to this torture every 3 weeks for their entire adult lives during bathing suit season? Hot wax, the most sensitive part of your body, and the eye watering, clenched fist rip of what feels like your entire top layer of skin, 15 times in a row. I still cannot believe I was not oozing blood.
2. "Isn't this so much better than razor burn" says the technician. Um, jury is still out on that one. I did have what appeared to be razor burn or it must have been 'open pore burn' for 2 days afterwards. The red, splotchy, swollen skin around my lady parts lasted for days and days. Razor burn if treated correctly is not so bad (Aloe Vera lotion right after the shower, then air dry for at least 10 minutes - Yes I am an expert, I have had 27 years experience with shaving this area and I have extremely sensitive skin). With the wax job my reaction was so bad, I had to apply bacitracin for the first 2 days before I could even switch to Aloe Vera.
3. Maybe it is just my skin. I did have one brow wax about 13 years ago that also ended very, very badly as the swollen, red space above and below the brow caused me to wear a baseball cap for 3 days until I would allow anyone to actually look me in the face.
4. I also had no idea that a standard bikini wax in which I kept my undies on, resulted in a landing strip. Four days later and hubs just starts laughing out loud when I get out of the shower. Not because he doesn't like it, but because he knows how sensitive my skin is and how many horrible cosmetic and adhesive reactions I have had over the years, this is just another something to add to the growing list of stupid heather decisions.
5. I am so glad I rescheduled this for 8 days before my girl's weekend and not the day before as I had originally planned. One little checkmark for me :).
6. I keep finding strays that the technician missed so every time I get out of the shower I am using tweezers to finish the job.
7. No one told me it could lead to bruising...
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Enjoy your day!
At the ripe old age of 40, I decided to get my first ever bikini wax in preparation for my girl's weekend with my college housemates next week. I always wondered what all the hype was about and if it really is better than just shaving. So these are my take-a-ways from this experience.
1. Why do women succumb themselves to this torture every 3 weeks for their entire adult lives during bathing suit season? Hot wax, the most sensitive part of your body, and the eye watering, clenched fist rip of what feels like your entire top layer of skin, 15 times in a row. I still cannot believe I was not oozing blood.
2. "Isn't this so much better than razor burn" says the technician. Um, jury is still out on that one. I did have what appeared to be razor burn or it must have been 'open pore burn' for 2 days afterwards. The red, splotchy, swollen skin around my lady parts lasted for days and days. Razor burn if treated correctly is not so bad (Aloe Vera lotion right after the shower, then air dry for at least 10 minutes - Yes I am an expert, I have had 27 years experience with shaving this area and I have extremely sensitive skin). With the wax job my reaction was so bad, I had to apply bacitracin for the first 2 days before I could even switch to Aloe Vera.
3. Maybe it is just my skin. I did have one brow wax about 13 years ago that also ended very, very badly as the swollen, red space above and below the brow caused me to wear a baseball cap for 3 days until I would allow anyone to actually look me in the face.
4. I also had no idea that a standard bikini wax in which I kept my undies on, resulted in a landing strip. Four days later and hubs just starts laughing out loud when I get out of the shower. Not because he doesn't like it, but because he knows how sensitive my skin is and how many horrible cosmetic and adhesive reactions I have had over the years, this is just another something to add to the growing list of stupid heather decisions.
5. I am so glad I rescheduled this for 8 days before my girl's weekend and not the day before as I had originally planned. One little checkmark for me :).
6. I keep finding strays that the technician missed so every time I get out of the shower I am using tweezers to finish the job.
7. No one told me it could lead to bruising...
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Enjoy your day!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Seriously Texas
I wish a vacation high lasted a few days after you get home, actually I would even take a few hours. We had a great time! I highly recommend a trip to Texas. Everything is bigger and better in Texas. I can plan it all for you, even on a budget, I am a queen at budget trip planning because I over-think and over-research everything. I think I must have been a travel agent in a past life. Seeing our friends that moved away to Dallas was so bitter sweet. We had such an awesome visit and the kids were all amazing together and it just reiterated how much we miss them and how great we had it when they lived 3 blocks away. So, we will be going back to Dallas. We also toured the cities of Austin and San Antonio. So much to see and do, and we only hit a few of the things I would have liked to. Austin has t-shirts and signs all about that say "Keep Austin Weird". I think that about sums up Austin, but weird in a quirky fun kind of way, for sure. After our city tours we visited hub's cousin at his "ranch" outside of Houston. It is a ranch as it has wild animals roaming, but not the kind of ranch you are thinking of, this one is all African mammals like Oryx, Impala, Fallow Deer, Sable, and many more. The house is amazing with these sweeping views of these meadows where the animals live. We drove over to a nearby horse ranch to horseback ride, so the girls got to experience that, as well.
On the trip we took our nephew's Flat Charlie, so he too, could have a Texas adventure. I feel there could be a book just about Flat Charlie and all of his adventures. And I will leave you with a few:
On the trip we took our nephew's Flat Charlie, so he too, could have a Texas adventure. I feel there could be a book just about Flat Charlie and all of his adventures. And I will leave you with a few:
 |
Flat Charlie and our friends where Kennedy
was shot in Dallas (Lee Harvey Oswald shot from
rectangle window 2nd down from top on right)
|
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Flat Charlie touring Austin via the DuckBoat
|
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| Flat Charlie at a concert at Austin City Limits - he got into a scuffle in my purse and broke (off) his arm |
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| Flat Charlie at the Alamo in San Antonio |
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| Flat Charlie with "Whitey" a sable at the ranch |
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| Flat Charlie horseback riding |
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| Flat Charlie and the zebra head pillow at the ranch - look closely it is an actual zebra's face |
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Flat Charlie's appt with the plastic "surgeon" to
repair his arm on Monday morning
|
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Seriously 30!
Well, today is day 30. I actually did it. 30 blogs in 30 days. Thank you dear readers for humoring me- follow me OK? I will keep blogging but promise to keep it to a few times a month now.
For the most part, it has been a lot of fun to get back into writing, to have an outlet to vent, to share my life, and to remember funny and meaningful (word of the day) events and stories. Every once in a while, I really did not want to blog, but in those moments I really did not want to do anything, so it didn't have anything to do with writing.
At home, I am frantically trying to get the house and the family ready for our trip. We have dog sitters coming to stay, hence getting the house ready and now all you would be robbers now know our house will be occupied, sorry, maybe next time. I have piles of clothes that I hope fit into the two paid checked bags we get. I have been excessively applying tanning lotion to be legs in hopes that my pale, spidery legs don't look as severely out of place in Texas where everyone has a golden tan 365 days a year.
We are all excited about what we are calling our Hee-haw Tour of Texas Spring Break. We will see friends first that moved to Dallas last summer, then a few days in Austin and San Antonio and then off to hubs cousin's ranch west of Houston. He imports African mammals, so that will be interesting and we will go horseback riding, as well. We love a good authentic vacation and I think we are going to get one this time around!
Adios.
For the most part, it has been a lot of fun to get back into writing, to have an outlet to vent, to share my life, and to remember funny and meaningful (word of the day) events and stories. Every once in a while, I really did not want to blog, but in those moments I really did not want to do anything, so it didn't have anything to do with writing.
At home, I am frantically trying to get the house and the family ready for our trip. We have dog sitters coming to stay, hence getting the house ready and now all you would be robbers now know our house will be occupied, sorry, maybe next time. I have piles of clothes that I hope fit into the two paid checked bags we get. I have been excessively applying tanning lotion to be legs in hopes that my pale, spidery legs don't look as severely out of place in Texas where everyone has a golden tan 365 days a year.
We are all excited about what we are calling our Hee-haw Tour of Texas Spring Break. We will see friends first that moved to Dallas last summer, then a few days in Austin and San Antonio and then off to hubs cousin's ranch west of Houston. He imports African mammals, so that will be interesting and we will go horseback riding, as well. We love a good authentic vacation and I think we are going to get one this time around!
Adios.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Seriously Sentimental
I left work early today because I got a phone call from school that MK had a red, sore throat. We went to the doctor and the rapid strep came back negative, she has no fever, so let's hope this is nothing and some hot tea and sleep will do the trick before we head out for our trip.
When we got home, it felt like the perfect time to watch a movie she got for Christmas, that we had not watched yet, "Stand By Me". You know, the one from 1986 with River Phoenix (Chris), Corey Feldman (Teddy) and Jerry O'Connell (Vern), and...hmmm, I forget who played Gordie. This may have been my favorite movie as a kid (with Goonies close behind) and hence why MK got it under the Christmas tree. I feel it is a sentimental right of passage for her to watch this with me and someday in a few years I hope to watch it with Car also. It is rated R (which I was shocked about and don't remember this being the case when I was twelve) and it does have a lot of bad language but that's it. Anyway, this was my first "Hollywood" crush - River Phoenix. My first boy poster in my room, I watched the movie over and over with my BFF and could sing all the 1950's songs and remember all the quotes. I was a sophomore in college when he died, and actually cried over my nostalgia (word of the day) and that it was River that died, because when I was twelve I really felt like I loved him and I knew if he ever met me, he would love me too.
Here are some of my favorite quotes that really could just be some of my "life" quotes now, so listen up:
When we got home, it felt like the perfect time to watch a movie she got for Christmas, that we had not watched yet, "Stand By Me". You know, the one from 1986 with River Phoenix (Chris), Corey Feldman (Teddy) and Jerry O'Connell (Vern), and...hmmm, I forget who played Gordie. This may have been my favorite movie as a kid (with Goonies close behind) and hence why MK got it under the Christmas tree. I feel it is a sentimental right of passage for her to watch this with me and someday in a few years I hope to watch it with Car also. It is rated R (which I was shocked about and don't remember this being the case when I was twelve) and it does have a lot of bad language but that's it. Anyway, this was my first "Hollywood" crush - River Phoenix. My first boy poster in my room, I watched the movie over and over with my BFF and could sing all the 1950's songs and remember all the quotes. I was a sophomore in college when he died, and actually cried over my nostalgia (word of the day) and that it was River that died, because when I was twelve I really felt like I loved him and I knew if he ever met me, he would love me too.Here are some of my favorite quotes that really could just be some of my "life" quotes now, so listen up:
Gordie: Do you think I'm weird?
Chris: Definitely.
Gordie: No man, seriously. Am I weird?
Chris: Yeah, but so what? Everybody's weird.
Teddy: This is my age! I'm in the prime of my youth, and I'll only be young once!
Chris: Yeah, but you're gonna be stupid for the rest of your life.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Seriously Pamper?
Today was my day, yoga then a few errands and the spa - an 80-minute reflexology massage followed by a manicure and pedicure. I was so excited for this day to pamper (word of the day) myself. But, I kind of feel more like an actual pamper full of shit and tossed in the trash.
First, I had to pack lunches and feed and walk the dog in the rain. The cold, wet weather (welcome back!) made me incredibly irritable. Yoga was great other than those four 45 second dolphin planks she made us hold. You go try it; here is an image to reference. They suck.
Once I made it home, I did 3 loads of laundry, packed my clothes for Spring Break, ate lunch and prepared dinner for later. I had to pick the kids up from school early to make it to my spa appointment. Only one kid was ready when I got there. I had to wait 10 minutes, which then directly correlated into a loss of 20 minutes during my massage. So, even though I was in a little part of heaven during the massage, when I saw the clock after, I was just annoyed because I paid for 80 minutes and only got 60. But I didn't have the energy to complain. Also, I am seriously PMSing.
This "joke" pretty much sums it up. On the drive home from my pampering, I find out hubs will not be home this evening as he has a work dinner, which is fine, but I normally like more than 10 minutes notification since I had already prepared the caramelized onion, spinach, bacon and swiss quiche for us to eat for dinner. Then, I attempt to pack clothes with the girls for our Spring Break coming up. So, this resulted in a few, "um, no" and "you need to look presentable" comments by me. I have no idea when I will allow them to just pack themselves, maybe when they go off to college? It was just annoying and the whole thing was just frustrating. I did not want to lose my cool with either of them, this is supposed to be exciting and fun, but damn you PMS, you won again.
First, I had to pack lunches and feed and walk the dog in the rain. The cold, wet weather (welcome back!) made me incredibly irritable. Yoga was great other than those four 45 second dolphin planks she made us hold. You go try it; here is an image to reference. They suck.Once I made it home, I did 3 loads of laundry, packed my clothes for Spring Break, ate lunch and prepared dinner for later. I had to pick the kids up from school early to make it to my spa appointment. Only one kid was ready when I got there. I had to wait 10 minutes, which then directly correlated into a loss of 20 minutes during my massage. So, even though I was in a little part of heaven during the massage, when I saw the clock after, I was just annoyed because I paid for 80 minutes and only got 60. But I didn't have the energy to complain. Also, I am seriously PMSing.
This "joke" pretty much sums it up. On the drive home from my pampering, I find out hubs will not be home this evening as he has a work dinner, which is fine, but I normally like more than 10 minutes notification since I had already prepared the caramelized onion, spinach, bacon and swiss quiche for us to eat for dinner. Then, I attempt to pack clothes with the girls for our Spring Break coming up. So, this resulted in a few, "um, no" and "you need to look presentable" comments by me. I have no idea when I will allow them to just pack themselves, maybe when they go off to college? It was just annoying and the whole thing was just frustrating. I did not want to lose my cool with either of them, this is supposed to be exciting and fun, but damn you PMS, you won again.Monday, April 14, 2014
Serious(ly) Progress
The painting has begun. I love the color we chose - Benjamin Moore - Booth Bay Gray. It was worth all 8 samples. Because we went with this particular shade on the walls, the little turquoise entry table we have is now getting painted by me in one of the lighter shades so it won't clash. So, only 6 of the samples are going to waste. On the main stretch of wall, I have one of our Andrew Wyeth prints hanging with two hooks on either side. In my mind these hooks are strictly decorative or possibly for a "cool" hat or an artsy scarf. The children know to NEVER hang anything from these hooks, well, maybe not. They never could because hubs used them for his coats.
This picture was obviously from MK's birthday, but you can see how his coats (note the use of a plural noun) are hanging on one of the hooks. He, of course, finds absolutely nothing wrong with this. After 7+ years in this house of me telling him to not hang things there and me moving every coat, every day, to its proper place in the hall closet that is directly.across.from.the.hooks; yeah no, he never heard a word of it.
This evening, he began painting this section of the wall. I went on a run and came home to the hooks still there, when I know we had had a very distinct conversation about how with this facelift, the hooks were going bye, bye, forever. He asked for a veto (anyone watch two week's ago Modern Family?) Nope, not happening. So, after some mumbling under his breath and a few choice words, my hallway now looks like this.
Oh, it's the little things that make me satisfied (word of the day).
This picture was obviously from MK's birthday, but you can see how his coats (note the use of a plural noun) are hanging on one of the hooks. He, of course, finds absolutely nothing wrong with this. After 7+ years in this house of me telling him to not hang things there and me moving every coat, every day, to its proper place in the hall closet that is directly.across.from.the.hooks; yeah no, he never heard a word of it.
This evening, he began painting this section of the wall. I went on a run and came home to the hooks still there, when I know we had had a very distinct conversation about how with this facelift, the hooks were going bye, bye, forever. He asked for a veto (anyone watch two week's ago Modern Family?) Nope, not happening. So, after some mumbling under his breath and a few choice words, my hallway now looks like this.Oh, it's the little things that make me satisfied (word of the day).
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Seriously Great
We had a beautiful weekend in the northeast. The first of what I hope is at least three seasons worth of sunny weekend days. Yesterday was yard work, and practices during the day and then we helped host a Community Dinner in our town, which is always humbling and important for our kids to experience. Hubs and I even walked downtown for a late dinner on our own after that. Car played goalie in a lacrosse tournament this morning, she had at least 10 saves in the 4 games, if not more and we all got a little sunburnt, but it felt great (word of the day). We had ice cream with teammates and after Palm Sunday evening mass we hit golf balls and then went to our local Mexican restaurant for dinner. Really an awesome weekend. Too bad, it's 8:30pm and both girls have to study for tests. Sigh. That is not great.
You know what else is not great? That lady mumbling at the Community Dinner that we had no fried chicken. "Why doesn't anyone ever have fried chicken? It's always spaghetti and meatballs, must be because that's cheap," she says. I looked at her as I was clutching my ladle with plastic gloves over the hot pasta sauce in a very warm room and even though I wanted to punch her in the face, I responded, "Oh, your welcome, enjoy." Then she proceeded to take not one but two to-go containers. That was not humbling, that was truly annoying.
You know what else is not great? I forgot my epi pen at the lacrosse tournament today, so when a bee landed on my leg, I actually screamed and then thrust forward flailing to get it off of me, which resulted in me nailing my head into the railing and now I have an abrasion on my forehead.
But, you know what is great? Today after mass the same deacon I blogged about yesterday was outside greeting people as they left mass. He saw me, gave me a high five and I said, "Look, it's a miracle, I don't need me wheelchair anymore."
#greatweekend
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Seriously Sacred
Last night after dropping the tween/teens at their first semi-formal, I met one of the other mothers to stuff inserts into this Sunday's church bulletin. She and I do most of the marketing for our kid's school and so every 8 weeks or so we get the fun job of showcasing all the great things the children of the school are doing in a one page newsletter and then we stuff 500 of them into the bulletins. I have no idea how I got signed up for this particular job (i.e. big S on my forehead).
We head over to the church about 7:20pm. We thought it would be empty, we forgot about Lent and the whole Stations of the Cross thing. So we decide to hide in the passageway to the choir loft. There was a folding table so we set it up, took the only two seats available and started stuffing. About halfway through the service, the deacon's voice started getting louder and louder. He was going through each Station down the aisle closest to us. He peeked in and then turned off his mic. He came over to us and blessed us each by doing the sign of the cross on our foreheads. He then asked if we needed any prayers. Meanwhile, he is leaning over me, coaxing my arm and repeatedly doing the sign of the cross on my forehead. My friend is just looking at me funny. I say, "No, I'm good, thank you." he looks at my friend and she says, "Yes, please pray for my father" (who is having some health issues). He looks at me again, as he is still blessing me and consoling me. I say, "Sure, please pray for my brother" (dependency issues). He bestows the sign of the cross on my forehead, for the tenth time, and then re-enters the nave of the church and continues with the Stations.
I look at my friend and I said, "That was a little weird." She said, "I am not sure if he was hitting on you or if he really thought something was wrong with you." I asked if there was anything on my forehead, because he either just accosted it, or was really trying to rub something off of it. She then starts cracking up and says, "Oh my Gosh, he really did think something was wrong with you, you ARE sitting in a wheelchair."
There had only been one folding chair and the wheelchair in the hall, so instead of searching for another chair somewhere during the service, I just sat in it. I swear, it could have been one of the funniest things that have ever happened to me. The deacon did come back in later and asked me, "Are you just sitting in that chair, or do you need that chair?" So, he did pick up on the fact that I was a bit perplexed by all of his attention (word of the day).
#stilllaughing #beyondblessed
We head over to the church about 7:20pm. We thought it would be empty, we forgot about Lent and the whole Stations of the Cross thing. So we decide to hide in the passageway to the choir loft. There was a folding table so we set it up, took the only two seats available and started stuffing. About halfway through the service, the deacon's voice started getting louder and louder. He was going through each Station down the aisle closest to us. He peeked in and then turned off his mic. He came over to us and blessed us each by doing the sign of the cross on our foreheads. He then asked if we needed any prayers. Meanwhile, he is leaning over me, coaxing my arm and repeatedly doing the sign of the cross on my forehead. My friend is just looking at me funny. I say, "No, I'm good, thank you." he looks at my friend and she says, "Yes, please pray for my father" (who is having some health issues). He looks at me again, as he is still blessing me and consoling me. I say, "Sure, please pray for my brother" (dependency issues). He bestows the sign of the cross on my forehead, for the tenth time, and then re-enters the nave of the church and continues with the Stations.
I look at my friend and I said, "That was a little weird." She said, "I am not sure if he was hitting on you or if he really thought something was wrong with you." I asked if there was anything on my forehead, because he either just accosted it, or was really trying to rub something off of it. She then starts cracking up and says, "Oh my Gosh, he really did think something was wrong with you, you ARE sitting in a wheelchair."
There had only been one folding chair and the wheelchair in the hall, so instead of searching for another chair somewhere during the service, I just sat in it. I swear, it could have been one of the funniest things that have ever happened to me. The deacon did come back in later and asked me, "Are you just sitting in that chair, or do you need that chair?" So, he did pick up on the fact that I was a bit perplexed by all of his attention (word of the day).
#stilllaughing #beyondblessed
Friday, April 11, 2014
Seriously Drama
Having one teen and one tween girl = lots of drama going on over in this house this afternoon. Approximately, 1 hour after school pickup this is what has already gone down.
1. I was giving them their chores for the afternoon before the weekend "begins" and as I explained to Car how exactly she should clean the bathroom sink (as this usually ends in a wipe down of the basin of the sink only, not any space around it, not moving any of the sh%t all over the counter or the nasty toothbrush holder). Meanwhile, MK is growling and rolling her eyes at her sister over this conversation that.she.was.not.a.part.of.
2. I was telling MK that when her friends get here to get ready for their first semi-formal* tonight that they need to be conservative with the make-up- light shadow, light eye-liner, blush and lipgloss only. (They are 12 and 13 years old - 7th graders) I got, "Well, Jessica's mom lets her wear whatever makeup she wants." I said, "Well, I'm not letting any raccoon eyes out the door and her mom is dropping her off, so thanks for the heads up, I will be sure to discuss this with her mother."
3. Car and I were heading back from dropping MK at dance class and she lays into me about the summer dance schedule and which Lyrical class she should take, I told her what I discussed with her TEACHER and she starts yelling that it will be too easy and all "these" girls will be in it (I guess girls that she feels are not worthy of being in class with her). So walking in the front door, I am screaming at her, "I have no idea why this is a problem that you are yelling at ME about. I have no control over the schedule, no control over what the teacher told me and no control over how well you dance in the class, but somehow this is now my problem."** As I unlock the door I notice both my next door neighbors out on their front porches. I just shrugged my shoulders and walked in the door as Car stomped upstairs and slammed her door.
Good times. I am sure adding 5 more tween/teens to the mix in a half hour is going to be smooth sailing. Welcome to the celebration (word of the day) ladies, I mean the nuthouse.
*I have a kid old enough to go to a semi-formal, sigh.
**I have a dance mom bumper sticker on my car, which may explain a lot.
1. I was giving them their chores for the afternoon before the weekend "begins" and as I explained to Car how exactly she should clean the bathroom sink (as this usually ends in a wipe down of the basin of the sink only, not any space around it, not moving any of the sh%t all over the counter or the nasty toothbrush holder). Meanwhile, MK is growling and rolling her eyes at her sister over this conversation that.she.was.not.a.part.of.
2. I was telling MK that when her friends get here to get ready for their first semi-formal* tonight that they need to be conservative with the make-up- light shadow, light eye-liner, blush and lipgloss only. (They are 12 and 13 years old - 7th graders) I got, "Well, Jessica's mom lets her wear whatever makeup she wants." I said, "Well, I'm not letting any raccoon eyes out the door and her mom is dropping her off, so thanks for the heads up, I will be sure to discuss this with her mother."
3. Car and I were heading back from dropping MK at dance class and she lays into me about the summer dance schedule and which Lyrical class she should take, I told her what I discussed with her TEACHER and she starts yelling that it will be too easy and all "these" girls will be in it (I guess girls that she feels are not worthy of being in class with her). So walking in the front door, I am screaming at her, "I have no idea why this is a problem that you are yelling at ME about. I have no control over the schedule, no control over what the teacher told me and no control over how well you dance in the class, but somehow this is now my problem."** As I unlock the door I notice both my next door neighbors out on their front porches. I just shrugged my shoulders and walked in the door as Car stomped upstairs and slammed her door.
Good times. I am sure adding 5 more tween/teens to the mix in a half hour is going to be smooth sailing. Welcome to the celebration (word of the day) ladies, I mean the nuthouse.
*I have a kid old enough to go to a semi-formal, sigh.
**I have a dance mom bumper sticker on my car, which may explain a lot.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Seriously Singed
I never thought I would be one for product endorsement, but this one has really changed how I feel about my hair every single day. I had longer hair for about 6-7 years and decided to cut it choppy and shorter this fall. Approximately, one week after I had it cut, I was blow drying the top layer with my new round wire brush and as I pulled my hair through I realized I had singed it. I guess the heat on my hair dryer was too high for this particular brush?
I had never done anything like this to my hair (not counting those two perms - in '88 and '90 respectively- not sure why I didn't learn the first time). My stylist was just as shocked, so every 6-7 weeks she trims a bit of it off, but since these are short layers she can't really just chop it off. So, I am still dealing with this 7 months later.
Then, I was at Ulta a few weeks ago and after spending $140 on hairspray and bb cream, they gave me a free sample of this spray called It's a 10 miracle leave-in product. I love this stuff, it makes my hair so soft and the singed parts don't seem quite so rough.
Not sure if these before and after shots do justice of how bad my hair is, you have to look closely. But essentially without this stuff my hair resembles Beetlejuice after he's been electrocuted. It ain't pretty.
There you have it. I am being productive (word of the day) today with assisting all you dried out, singed and ratty hair gals and guys out there. I am rarely happy with any product I use anywhere on my body (I blame my parents for the bad genes) so if you are a product person - go out and buy this now.
I had never done anything like this to my hair (not counting those two perms - in '88 and '90 respectively- not sure why I didn't learn the first time). My stylist was just as shocked, so every 6-7 weeks she trims a bit of it off, but since these are short layers she can't really just chop it off. So, I am still dealing with this 7 months later.Then, I was at Ulta a few weeks ago and after spending $140 on hairspray and bb cream, they gave me a free sample of this spray called It's a 10 miracle leave-in product. I love this stuff, it makes my hair so soft and the singed parts don't seem quite so rough.
Not sure if these before and after shots do justice of how bad my hair is, you have to look closely. But essentially without this stuff my hair resembles Beetlejuice after he's been electrocuted. It ain't pretty.
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| Without It's a 10 - see the singed parts |
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| With It's a 10 - yes, I know you can still see some of the singed ends but doesn't it look softer in general? |
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Serioulsy Pain(t)ed
I think I have mentioned that I really want to get my kitchen redone. But, it is not happening now, so the next best thing is to update a different room. I did a reorg of our front hallway this fall, but didn't paint, and while it looks better than it did, it still needs some work. But, I am not the best about deciding on a color to use. That photo down there shows 5 different colors. There is another wall with um, I think, 3 more. We have decided, I think, on the one second from the left. It is called Booth Bay Gray. Please don't comment on a different color, as I have no more energy or money for more samples.
And, since our stairwell is a blah taupe with a "country" stencil along the rail from the previous owner (that was probably painted in 1999) it is time to paint that, as well. But painting a stairwell is a different ballgame than just a hallway. Since, we kind of need the ceilings done as well, I figured I would get a quote. Well, that did not go over well with hubs. While he is truly my best friend and who knew at age 20 I would be so intuitive (word of the day) to pick just the right life partner and father for my future children. And, he is really handy around the house. Also, he is not one of those guys who leave projects half done. But, (isn't there always a but) he is never home and when he is home, there are only like 2-3 hour windows to get any work done, so any one given project takes a solid 3 to 4 months to complete. Which can be truly painful. It took him 3 months to power wash, scrape the paint, sand and then paint our front porch last summer. And, we both hate the color now. Ok, back to my estimate on this paint job. So, so, not happening. He says, "When did this $100 job turn into a $1,000 job?" I said, well, "If we are getting the stairwell done, maybe we should get the ceilings done and the job would get done in a week and not 20 weeks."
Next morning, I spot hubs on the Lowes website looking at ladders. "So, you are really going to buy a ladder to paint the stairwell, even though you are a afraid of heights, and we have no idea what an estimate would even be," says me. 3 hours later he brought home the mother of all telescoping ladders (for $189) He sets it up in the stairwell to see how it would work and then got stuck between it and the railing (I was upstairs folding laundry and had no phone or camera on me or I would have taken a picture after I was done cackling at him). He had to carry it all the way up to fold it and carry it back down. Now it rests in.my.dining.room.
For the next 3 months or so, I have this lovely view from my kitchen. I should have just gotten the estimates without him knowing. At least, I would feel better about this situation.
#whycantijusthiresomeone
And, since our stairwell is a blah taupe with a "country" stencil along the rail from the previous owner (that was probably painted in 1999) it is time to paint that, as well. But painting a stairwell is a different ballgame than just a hallway. Since, we kind of need the ceilings done as well, I figured I would get a quote. Well, that did not go over well with hubs. While he is truly my best friend and who knew at age 20 I would be so intuitive (word of the day) to pick just the right life partner and father for my future children. And, he is really handy around the house. Also, he is not one of those guys who leave projects half done. But, (isn't there always a but) he is never home and when he is home, there are only like 2-3 hour windows to get any work done, so any one given project takes a solid 3 to 4 months to complete. Which can be truly painful. It took him 3 months to power wash, scrape the paint, sand and then paint our front porch last summer. And, we both hate the color now. Ok, back to my estimate on this paint job. So, so, not happening. He says, "When did this $100 job turn into a $1,000 job?" I said, well, "If we are getting the stairwell done, maybe we should get the ceilings done and the job would get done in a week and not 20 weeks."
Next morning, I spot hubs on the Lowes website looking at ladders. "So, you are really going to buy a ladder to paint the stairwell, even though you are a afraid of heights, and we have no idea what an estimate would even be," says me. 3 hours later he brought home the mother of all telescoping ladders (for $189) He sets it up in the stairwell to see how it would work and then got stuck between it and the railing (I was upstairs folding laundry and had no phone or camera on me or I would have taken a picture after I was done cackling at him). He had to carry it all the way up to fold it and carry it back down. Now it rests in.my.dining.room.
For the next 3 months or so, I have this lovely view from my kitchen. I should have just gotten the estimates without him knowing. At least, I would feel better about this situation.
#whycantijusthiresomeone
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Seriously What?
So, I was on the phone with my mom the other night. She asked how the weight thing was going. You know, the few extra lbs I have been unsuccessfully shedding. I said, "the same, it's annoying" I was not about to divulge I had in fact gained another pound. Then she goes into a "I remember turning 40 and how everything changed". blah.blah.blah. Then she says to me, "Well since I have lost so much weight in the past few months, we should just ship each other our clothes, you can have mine that are too big for me and I can have yours that are too tight for you." Yup, my mother requesting us to swap clothes. I do love my mother dearly and I sympathize with her current situation at home as it is not an ideal lifestyle (some other day, some other post) I commend (word of the day) her for trying to be humorous. Well, I hope she was trying to be humorous, but I really think she said it to annoy me. My 67 year old mother wants to swap clothes with me.
#seriouslymom
#seriouslymom
Monday, April 7, 2014
Seriously Cranky
I have been really cranky at home lately. I wish that this wasn't the case, but in fact, I keep finding myself snapping at my kids. I used to be on a med for my auto-immune issues that would help with chronic joint pain. I stopped taking it about 3 weeks ago in conjunction with being gluten-free so I would have a better "base line" for my health. Plus, being gluten-free is supposed to help with inflammation so I was just hoping I actually didn't need it anymore. But, I can't really decide. I do not have as severe joint pain in general, but I threw my back out 1 1/2 weeks ago (again) and that particular joint is terrible (sacral, left side) but the rest of me feels OK (word of the day) joint-wise but emotionally, I am leaving a lot to be desired.
Car and I just keep butting heads. MK and I seem OK for the most part, but that younger one can really push my buttons. Example: Saturday she found an over the shoulder sports bag in the basement. It looks something like this -
She asked if she could use it for school. I think I mentioned that my kids go to a Catholic school and that said school likes to send home several very heavy textbooks for studying and homework at least 4 nights a week. I said, "No way, you have to have a two shoulder bag for school." So, she switched all of her lacrosse equipment to it instead. Fast forward to the next day. She finds another one of these bags in the basement. Hubs gets a lot of freebies at cable events. She brings it up; decoratively duct tapes the front of it, then comes to show us her bag and how excited she is about it. I said it looks great. She shows her dad and then says, "Ok I am going to switch it over to my book bag now." Umm, "What?" This ended in a lot of stomps and door slamming, by me. Did I stifle her creativity, did I overreact to something not that big of a deal, and did I not choose my battle wisely? Yes, yes, yes. But I don't care. I am sick and tired of the blatant disregard for anything I say at all by the 10 year old. It is unraveling me at high speed. And, this is making me realize, I should probably be adding meds to my daily quota, not taking them away.
Car and I just keep butting heads. MK and I seem OK for the most part, but that younger one can really push my buttons. Example: Saturday she found an over the shoulder sports bag in the basement. It looks something like this -
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Seriously Delish
My mouth feels like my taste buds are exploding into fireworks right now, but in a good way. I sometimes make this bean salad referred to as Cowboy Caviar. I hate the name but it sure is tasty. Now that I have been gluten-free for almost 7 weeks*, I have needed to come up with more creative dining choices, especially for lunch. I made this traditional Cowboy Cav a few weeks ago and was in the mood again today. After preparing the dressing, I realized I did not have all of the ingredients, like 2 of the main ingredients, so I improvised and made my own.
Because I am so thoughtful (word of the day) I am going to share it with you all today. You.must.try.it. Then comment here so you can tell me what you thought.
HK's Black-Eyed Pea Salad
Ingredients
2 Tbs red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp hot sauce (I used Tabasco - use less if you don't like things hot)
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 firm, ripe avocado
1/4 of a fresh lemon juice
1 can black-eyed peas (drained and rinsed)
1 cup sweet corn kernels (defrosted, or drained if canned)
2 tsp diced sweet onion
1/3 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup diced cilantro
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts drained and diced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil and garlic. Toss to combine. Peel, pit and cut avocado into 1/2 inch pieces, add to dressing and mix gently. Squeeze juice of a 1/4 lemon over the avocado.
2. Add drained peas and corn to the mix. Add the chopped sweet onion, cilantro and artichoke. Gently mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve with gluten-free (or not) corn tortilla chips and/or put over lettuce. Enjoy!
*I weighed myself at week 6 and I have successfully gained an additional pound. I am eating less, more lean and green, exercise 4 days a week and I am up over 5 pounds total in 2 months. I hate being 40. #40seriouslysucks
Because I am so thoughtful (word of the day) I am going to share it with you all today. You.must.try.it. Then comment here so you can tell me what you thought.
HK's Black-Eyed Pea Salad
Ingredients
2 Tbs red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp hot sauce (I used Tabasco - use less if you don't like things hot)
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 firm, ripe avocado
1/4 of a fresh lemon juice
1 can black-eyed peas (drained and rinsed)
1 cup sweet corn kernels (defrosted, or drained if canned)
2 tsp diced sweet onion
1/3 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup diced cilantro
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts drained and diced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil and garlic. Toss to combine. Peel, pit and cut avocado into 1/2 inch pieces, add to dressing and mix gently. Squeeze juice of a 1/4 lemon over the avocado.
2. Add drained peas and corn to the mix. Add the chopped sweet onion, cilantro and artichoke. Gently mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve with gluten-free (or not) corn tortilla chips and/or put over lettuce. Enjoy!
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| I ate half of it for lunch today |
*I weighed myself at week 6 and I have successfully gained an additional pound. I am eating less, more lean and green, exercise 4 days a week and I am up over 5 pounds total in 2 months. I hate being 40. #40seriouslysucks
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Seriously Peace
I think I have mentioned that my house is not big, in fact, it is quite small, and I don't really have a problem with that considering I am the one who has to clean it. But, there are moments when I want just one more room, in the back, with a door that locks from the outside so I can just have some peace (word of the day).
Our "office" is one wall of our kitchen. I normally LOVE that our computer space is in our kitchen space as this is where we always are. I know what my kids are doing online, I can help them with homework, or stop them from watching one too many kitten videos on YouTube. But, because I am spending more time on the computer than I normally even do typing this blog, I have realized that sometimes I just want some privacy. So, I guess I need to add laptop to my list of wants (and $50K to put the addition on the back). I am currently typing day 18 of 30 this morning so that I can check blogging off my list of to do items today. While typing I have had Car over my shoulder, "What you doing mom? Blogging? Is it about me?" Why yes, dear, now it is. Hubs is listening to some country singer on YouTube, he says I can have the computer now, but he still wants to hear the song. But I, of course, just want some peace and quiet to think about what I am going to write. I put my head down on the counter to reiterate this point and when I pick it up, they are each over one of my shoulders reading the screen to mock me.
The song ends, Car and hubs are heading out for errands and finally I can concentrate. Hubs walks back in with the Bona box (hardwood floor mop that I ordered on amazon prime) sticking out of him and says, "Look hon, you still give me a Bona after 17 years of marriage."
#nonsense #dotheyevergrowup
Our "office" is one wall of our kitchen. I normally LOVE that our computer space is in our kitchen space as this is where we always are. I know what my kids are doing online, I can help them with homework, or stop them from watching one too many kitten videos on YouTube. But, because I am spending more time on the computer than I normally even do typing this blog, I have realized that sometimes I just want some privacy. So, I guess I need to add laptop to my list of wants (and $50K to put the addition on the back). I am currently typing day 18 of 30 this morning so that I can check blogging off my list of to do items today. While typing I have had Car over my shoulder, "What you doing mom? Blogging? Is it about me?" Why yes, dear, now it is. Hubs is listening to some country singer on YouTube, he says I can have the computer now, but he still wants to hear the song. But I, of course, just want some peace and quiet to think about what I am going to write. I put my head down on the counter to reiterate this point and when I pick it up, they are each over one of my shoulders reading the screen to mock me.
The song ends, Car and hubs are heading out for errands and finally I can concentrate. Hubs walks back in with the Bona box (hardwood floor mop that I ordered on amazon prime) sticking out of him and says, "Look hon, you still give me a Bona after 17 years of marriage."
#nonsense #dotheyevergrowup
Friday, April 4, 2014
Seriously Singing
MK did the first reading at First Friday mass today. I was not able to stay for all of mass, but I was there for the first half (I'm such a Half-lic). The hymn that was sung by the choir at the start of mass was On Eagles Wings. This is one of those hymns that I know every single word to because I too, went to Catholic grade school.
Once in my early 20's I was out with friends over the summer at a bar in my hometown. I ran into a group of guys that were still all friends with each other from my grade school. They graduated a year ahead of me, but none of them had gone to the same high school as me. So, I had not seen any of them, I don't think, since they were in 8th grade, about 8 years prior. It was a huge bar, one or two of these guys came across the bar to talk to me. We were catching up over a few beers, reminiscing about grade school, and our shared history (word of the day). Then, out of nowhere I start singing On Eagles Wings at the top of my lungs (I have a weird feeling I was over served) and these two guys join in. Next thing I know we are singing so loud in what I think was an attempt to get the other group of guys across the bar to hear us and join in. I have no recollection if they did or not. I think we next broke out in the little ditty His Banner Over Me is Love, with motions! My friends had totally abandoned me at this point but I don't think I cared.
Every time I hear either of these hymns I suddenly crave a Natty Light, and can't help but think of that smoky bar and the camaraderie of those classmates. Probably not the correct intention of a couple of church hymns, but it's a helluva memory!
Once in my early 20's I was out with friends over the summer at a bar in my hometown. I ran into a group of guys that were still all friends with each other from my grade school. They graduated a year ahead of me, but none of them had gone to the same high school as me. So, I had not seen any of them, I don't think, since they were in 8th grade, about 8 years prior. It was a huge bar, one or two of these guys came across the bar to talk to me. We were catching up over a few beers, reminiscing about grade school, and our shared history (word of the day). Then, out of nowhere I start singing On Eagles Wings at the top of my lungs (I have a weird feeling I was over served) and these two guys join in. Next thing I know we are singing so loud in what I think was an attempt to get the other group of guys across the bar to hear us and join in. I have no recollection if they did or not. I think we next broke out in the little ditty His Banner Over Me is Love, with motions! My friends had totally abandoned me at this point but I don't think I cared.
Every time I hear either of these hymns I suddenly crave a Natty Light, and can't help but think of that smoky bar and the camaraderie of those classmates. Probably not the correct intention of a couple of church hymns, but it's a helluva memory!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Seriously Dreading
Today it is beautiful out, finally! I should be so
exited to take on today, but nonetheless, not so much. I am working today,
which is not a problem, looking forward to that because then I don't even have
to really think about all the other stuff going on. I know this is not the case
with most working moms. My job is the type that when I am there, we deal with
each client and project as it comes in, we set realistic deadlines and we do
what we can in between helping customers. I know my boss stresses some about it
all, but the rest of the shop girls can just punch out when our day is done and
not worry about a thing work related.
And, on the flip side, while at work, I do not
really think about what I have to get done the rest of the day. I am able to
put that out of my head because there is nothing I can do about it while at
work. That is a lovely thing. I do check my texts at work, but I don't check
email until I get home.
After work today I have to take MK to the
orthopedic. She has been having consistent knee pain since last July. I kept
thinking it was going to coincide with some sort of growth spurt, but that's
not the case. She can no longer go up on pointe at ballet because of the pain.
She takes Advil before class and uses a heat pad every day. It's one of those mom-worrying
moments. I am sure I am over thinking it like I tend to do, but I am just
praying this doesn't turn into anything long term or serious. It brings back so
many memories of my ortho appointments throughout my childhood due to
gymnastics injuries.
Then in addition to the appointment this afternoon, hubs and I have an
event tonight. The event itself is a positive awards kind of thing, recognizing
those in our county that help those that need it. The organization serves the
homeless, the hungry, the emotionally and physically handicapped, immigrants,
the marginalized and the vulnerable. My husband is on the board of directors
and we go to the annual Celebration of Charity event each year. It is a
humbling (word of the day) event to attend. But it is also incredibly boring.
Tonight they are honoring not just one, but two politicians plus a priest.
I am sure the speeches will be short and to the point, right? I am taking bets on two
things. How long the event will run and how many people I will catch nodding
off.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Seriously Dairy Fairy
I swear I was born in the wrong decade. I think I should have been a 50's kind of mom. About 9 months ago I started using a dairy delivery service. Yes, I have a milk box on my front porch and yes I do get glass quarts of milk (for the most part). I absolutely love it! And it is not just a milk delivery, they are a full service operation bringing me locally produced foods including meat, pies, breads, eggs, pasta, sauces, pierogis, granola, honey, empanadas, pizza, pickles, cookies, you name it, right to my front door, every week! I have to place my order on Friday's by noon for the next week's Wednesday delivery. So, guess what? Since I have absolutely no short term memory left in my brain, it is like Christmas morning every.single.wednesday. About 7am each week my dog starts barking and I know my milk and goodies have arrived.
Our family favorites - chocolate milk by Ronnybrook Farm, Peg's Eggs, Noble Pies chocolate bread (for MK) and the gluten-free zucchini muffins are a little taste of heaven. The favorite is the Lowland sweet (word of the day) Italian sausage. Best sausage I have ever put in my mouth. period.
Our family favorites - chocolate milk by Ronnybrook Farm, Peg's Eggs, Noble Pies chocolate bread (for MK) and the gluten-free zucchini muffins are a little taste of heaven. The favorite is the Lowland sweet (word of the day) Italian sausage. Best sausage I have ever put in my mouth. period.
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| This morning's delivery |
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Seriously Tuned Out
A friend reminded me of this story tonight. Seamas, our exchange student was very, very excited that we had a piano in the house. The 2nd day she lived with us she asked if she could play. I, being the pleaser that I am said, "Yes, of course". Day 3 we all wake up at 4am to the pounding on the piano. Apparently, I needed to be more specific about when she could play the piano. Day 4 she began at 8am after she ate a hot dog for breakfast. Things were not starting out well.
She had not taken lessons in a few years, and now that she was in America and only went to school for 7 1/2 hours a day versus her normal 12 hours, she had A LOT of free time. But none of this free time was spent with us, she spent her quality (word of the day) time playing Korean video games on her laptop or playing the piano. She had one particular song she played over and over. I later learned it was the theme song to a Chinese soap opera.
We interviewed 3 separate piano instructors and she finally settled on the instructor my MK uses. She paid for a one hour lesson a week, by the month in cash. We never saw where she stored her money in her room, she had no bank account, but in the end we think she brought $5K with her in cash in her suitcase with her sports socks.
Back to the piano, once she started lessons she wanted to practice every.single.day. And, at first, this was either during homework time or during dinner and I was close to combustion. My piano is in my front room, my house is not large, there is a front room and a back room (kitchen) on the main floor. That is it. There was no escaping the pounding of the ivories. And while some of the music was lovely, most of it was scales and more scales over and over. And, she played for 3 hours at a time. Did I mention every.single.day? So, by day 9, I had to devise a plan.
I created her a piano schedule. This piano schedule directly correlated with my kids other activities when we were out of the house. It went something like this - Monday 3-4 (Car basketball), Tuesday 3-4 (MK's piano lesson), Wednesday 5-6 (Car ballet), Thursday 4-5 (MK ballet) Friday 3-4 (to get it over with) Saturday - Off (she had her lesson, isn't that enough) Sunday - when we are at church. She was not happy that I only gave her one hour a day. So I added in, any time we are out of the house, feel free to play as long as you would like. Then I laminated it and put it on her bulletin board.
She had not taken lessons in a few years, and now that she was in America and only went to school for 7 1/2 hours a day versus her normal 12 hours, she had A LOT of free time. But none of this free time was spent with us, she spent her quality (word of the day) time playing Korean video games on her laptop or playing the piano. She had one particular song she played over and over. I later learned it was the theme song to a Chinese soap opera.
We interviewed 3 separate piano instructors and she finally settled on the instructor my MK uses. She paid for a one hour lesson a week, by the month in cash. We never saw where she stored her money in her room, she had no bank account, but in the end we think she brought $5K with her in cash in her suitcase with her sports socks.
Back to the piano, once she started lessons she wanted to practice every.single.day. And, at first, this was either during homework time or during dinner and I was close to combustion. My piano is in my front room, my house is not large, there is a front room and a back room (kitchen) on the main floor. That is it. There was no escaping the pounding of the ivories. And while some of the music was lovely, most of it was scales and more scales over and over. And, she played for 3 hours at a time. Did I mention every.single.day? So, by day 9, I had to devise a plan.
I created her a piano schedule. This piano schedule directly correlated with my kids other activities when we were out of the house. It went something like this - Monday 3-4 (Car basketball), Tuesday 3-4 (MK's piano lesson), Wednesday 5-6 (Car ballet), Thursday 4-5 (MK ballet) Friday 3-4 (to get it over with) Saturday - Off (she had her lesson, isn't that enough) Sunday - when we are at church. She was not happy that I only gave her one hour a day. So I added in, any time we are out of the house, feel free to play as long as you would like. Then I laminated it and put it on her bulletin board.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Seriously Authentic
One year ago my family was on Spring Break in Panama. My hubs uncle and aunt owned a small bed and breakfast on the Pacific coast of the country about 4 hours south of Panama City in a town called Pedasi. They have since sold it, but it is a beautiful part of the country if you ever feel inclined.
Uncle Jack relied heavily on his wife and their hotel manager to converse with both the guests and the locals in Spanish for him. As far as we could tell he could only say "si" and "mi familia" in Spanish. But the locals loved Uncle Jack. He is a delightful (word of the day), jolly sort of guy and has a strong resemblance to St. Nick, hence his Panamanian nickname of Papa Noel.
On our first day in Pedasi we followed Tio and Tias (uncle and aunt in Spanish) down to the beach which is about 2 miles down a country road. This was Good Friday which is a major holiday for Panamanians. The beach was packed, we had to dodge the small motor boats driving up onto the beach (no docks) to drop off and pickup passengers to go over to Isla Iguana off the coast. We lost Tio and hubs to some locals drinking beer. (Hubs ONLY Spanish is "un cerveza, por favor" which came in quite handy) The beaches in Panama will remind you of the Jersey Shore in the 80s minus the hypodermic needles. The concept of trashcans, let alone recycling is a very foreign concept in this part of the world. The beaches were covered in litter from ocean dumping, so lots of plastic floating and washing ashore.
The girls splashed in the water a bit and then after dodging a boat full of locals, a 2 liter of coca-cola and a plastic quart of motor oil, they were ready to call it a day, approximately 8 minutes after we arrived. Tio offered to let the girls ride in the back of his pickup truck back into town. Since this is illegal in the US of A, we figured what the heck, let's let them live a little. Approximately a half mile into the journey, Tio spotted some indigenous indians walking back into town. Since he is Santa Claus, he stopped to offer them a ride. All twelve of them. They just started climbing into the back with our girls. Hubs and I were in the car behind them and literally saw the fear of God in their eyes as the natives started piling in on top of them. I just kept clicking away! They may be scarred for life, but talk about a life story! Have you ever ridden pitbull with a dozen indigenous Panamanians?
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| Tio Jack aka Papa Noel |
On our first day in Pedasi we followed Tio and Tias (uncle and aunt in Spanish) down to the beach which is about 2 miles down a country road. This was Good Friday which is a major holiday for Panamanians. The beach was packed, we had to dodge the small motor boats driving up onto the beach (no docks) to drop off and pickup passengers to go over to Isla Iguana off the coast. We lost Tio and hubs to some locals drinking beer. (Hubs ONLY Spanish is "un cerveza, por favor" which came in quite handy) The beaches in Panama will remind you of the Jersey Shore in the 80s minus the hypodermic needles. The concept of trashcans, let alone recycling is a very foreign concept in this part of the world. The beaches were covered in litter from ocean dumping, so lots of plastic floating and washing ashore.
The girls splashed in the water a bit and then after dodging a boat full of locals, a 2 liter of coca-cola and a plastic quart of motor oil, they were ready to call it a day, approximately 8 minutes after we arrived. Tio offered to let the girls ride in the back of his pickup truck back into town. Since this is illegal in the US of A, we figured what the heck, let's let them live a little. Approximately a half mile into the journey, Tio spotted some indigenous indians walking back into town. Since he is Santa Claus, he stopped to offer them a ride. All twelve of them. They just started climbing into the back with our girls. Hubs and I were in the car behind them and literally saw the fear of God in their eyes as the natives started piling in on top of them. I just kept clicking away! They may be scarred for life, but talk about a life story! Have you ever ridden pitbull with a dozen indigenous Panamanians?
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| Excited about riding pitbull in a truck, notice the hitchhikers, the brake lights and that my kids have no idea what is about to happen. |
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| There were 6 others sitting with my girls that you can't see. |
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Seriously Indulge
A couple of great moments this weekend! Champagne brunch with my book club today! I haven't done that in years. Gotta love a 3 hour lunch on a rainy Sunday! And, we laughed and laughed which is the best kind of day. And mostly at the expense of some of our teenagers and their friends and their antics which always makes us all feel relieved we are not the only ones and scared about this crazy world we live in. If you are wondering, we read "The Husband's Secret". Some of us thought it was predictable but overall we all enjoyed the story and the plot twist!
Yesterday, on the way to the movies with my girls, a song from my past came on my favorite Sirius radio channel The Spectrum (28). It was none other than Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry". This song conjured up one great memory. My bestie from gymnastics/high school and I in the back seat of her mom's hatchback on the way to the Jersey Shore for the day. Avalon was the destination, the album was blaring and we sang along all the words. So, when this song came on yesterday, I sang along like I was 14 again! My kids were cracking up and scared I was going to wreck or get pulled over. I simply said, it will be fine. "Officer, don't mind me, I was just singing along to Chicago."
So, at Sunday dinner tonight I was relaying this story to hubs and the girls and I were cracking up all over again. I put it on youtube and sure enough hubs knew all the words as well. He still complained that they were the worst band ever, but he knew every.single.word. We were using spoons (well I was) as microphones and dancing around the dining room and MK threw in some air guitar which spurred many college memories as well! So great. Also played the music videos for "You're the Inspiration" and "I Don't Want to Live Without Your Love". Hubs also knew the words to both of those numbers as well. The videos were priceless for my kids to see some real authentic (i.e. 80's) MTV videos!
So indulge (word of the day) yourself and hop on youtube, crank it up and belt out your favorite 80's ballads. It's a great way to end a weekend!
#youknowyoulovechicagotoo
Yesterday, on the way to the movies with my girls, a song from my past came on my favorite Sirius radio channel The Spectrum (28). It was none other than Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry". This song conjured up one great memory. My bestie from gymnastics/high school and I in the back seat of her mom's hatchback on the way to the Jersey Shore for the day. Avalon was the destination, the album was blaring and we sang along all the words. So, when this song came on yesterday, I sang along like I was 14 again! My kids were cracking up and scared I was going to wreck or get pulled over. I simply said, it will be fine. "Officer, don't mind me, I was just singing along to Chicago."
So, at Sunday dinner tonight I was relaying this story to hubs and the girls and I were cracking up all over again. I put it on youtube and sure enough hubs knew all the words as well. He still complained that they were the worst band ever, but he knew every.single.word. We were using spoons (well I was) as microphones and dancing around the dining room and MK threw in some air guitar which spurred many college memories as well! So great. Also played the music videos for "You're the Inspiration" and "I Don't Want to Live Without Your Love". Hubs also knew the words to both of those numbers as well. The videos were priceless for my kids to see some real authentic (i.e. 80's) MTV videos!
So indulge (word of the day) yourself and hop on youtube, crank it up and belt out your favorite 80's ballads. It's a great way to end a weekend!
#youknowyoulovechicagotoo
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Seriously Poisoned
I always wondered if my challenging pregnancies reaped any lasting effects on my children. I so wish I signed up for some sort of 30 year research study so I would actually know and not just guess.
With MK I had morning sickness which required hospitalization, iv fluids for weeks and a Reglan (anti-nausea med) pump going right into my stomach lining because I kept throwing up the pills. I lost 15 pounds and then I hit my 2nd trimester and even though I still puked a lot, I started eating, gained a ton of weight and had a pretty good pregnancy after that. I had a terrible delivery and she was a colicky baby until 10 months old, then we "sleep-trained" her because I was going insane and smooth sailing with this kid from there on out (except when she is PMSing but can you blame her?)
With Car it was a whole different ball game. We had moved to my husband's hometown for a job opportunity, in addition to the fear of what another pregnancy would do to me with no one to watch the toddler. Odd, how some some fates just can't be avoided. In this instance the other shoe did drop. I was hospitalized for months, lost 25 pounds, had a central line inserted by a surgeon (it took 9 tries to get a viable vein) and then a feeding tube because I had lost some liver function and hadn't eaten anything in over 3 weeks. The anti-nausea drug I used with MK caused severe diarrhea this time around. Those 3 days were super fun (word of the day), but another drug (Zofran) seemed to work a little bit, intravenously. Once I was "stable" at about 19 weeks I went home with the IV's and the feeding tube. I slept at night at home and then hubs would drop MK and I at my mother-in-laws each day. I slept on the sofa while she raised my toddler.
My in-laws were amazing, I was so grateful for the care they gave my entire family during this time. My mother-in-law birthed 8 babies naturally with very "normal" pregnancies, so this was new territory for her too. Oh, and she's a nurse. My only complaint was about 5 pm each day when she started to cook dinner. The smells waifing into the family room caused the fastest mad dash an IV pole toting, anorexic pregnant woman could make to the bathroom. I didn't always make it. So, in addition to wiping my babies hiney, feeding my family, and making me comfortable she also had to clean up my puke. A saint, this woman.
She decided one late March day (somewhat like today, hence the story) that I should get out and get some fresh air. We bundled up, put MK in the stroller and hit the pavement. It was a sight, a cute grandma with her granddaughter and then me, the limping, baggy eyed, washed out, 20-something, dragging an IV pole down the street. One neighbor asked if I was an AIDs patient. Seriously. This was 2003, not 1987. But it is a small Allegany Mountain town in Pennsylvania, so I let it slide.
Then, one day when I was about 24 weeks pregnant and I was keeping down crackers in addition to the Ensure that was in the tube, my m-i-l made tuna fish sandwiches for lunch. For whatever reason, I didn't dash to the bathroom, I actually had a sudden craving for one, as well. I inhaled two full sandwiches in 5 seconds flat. It was the best tasting food I had ever put in my mouth. In the next five days I think I ate at least ten tuna sandwiches. About a week later I got to remove both my feeding tube and my picc line and even though I still puked everyday and had to take Zofran every day, including the day I delivered, I had a somewhat "normal" last trimester. Two weeks after the tuna fish overdose, an article came out about the mercury in fish being toxic and during pregnancy you should really limit this. Whoops.
But it could explain a lot about Car's behavior*. I would love to have a "reason" for her frequent drama filled meltdowns, her constant stomping around, her lack of memory when it comes to bringing books home from school and her inability to sleep in past 7am. It must be the mercury poisoning.
*I do feel like I give her a bad rap here on this blog. She is definitely the kid I bump heads with and lose my patience with daily, but she is super fun, a thoughtful friend and when she is laughing and the center of attention there is no other place anyone in the room would want to be.
With MK I had morning sickness which required hospitalization, iv fluids for weeks and a Reglan (anti-nausea med) pump going right into my stomach lining because I kept throwing up the pills. I lost 15 pounds and then I hit my 2nd trimester and even though I still puked a lot, I started eating, gained a ton of weight and had a pretty good pregnancy after that. I had a terrible delivery and she was a colicky baby until 10 months old, then we "sleep-trained" her because I was going insane and smooth sailing with this kid from there on out (except when she is PMSing but can you blame her?)
With Car it was a whole different ball game. We had moved to my husband's hometown for a job opportunity, in addition to the fear of what another pregnancy would do to me with no one to watch the toddler. Odd, how some some fates just can't be avoided. In this instance the other shoe did drop. I was hospitalized for months, lost 25 pounds, had a central line inserted by a surgeon (it took 9 tries to get a viable vein) and then a feeding tube because I had lost some liver function and hadn't eaten anything in over 3 weeks. The anti-nausea drug I used with MK caused severe diarrhea this time around. Those 3 days were super fun (word of the day), but another drug (Zofran) seemed to work a little bit, intravenously. Once I was "stable" at about 19 weeks I went home with the IV's and the feeding tube. I slept at night at home and then hubs would drop MK and I at my mother-in-laws each day. I slept on the sofa while she raised my toddler.
My in-laws were amazing, I was so grateful for the care they gave my entire family during this time. My mother-in-law birthed 8 babies naturally with very "normal" pregnancies, so this was new territory for her too. Oh, and she's a nurse. My only complaint was about 5 pm each day when she started to cook dinner. The smells waifing into the family room caused the fastest mad dash an IV pole toting, anorexic pregnant woman could make to the bathroom. I didn't always make it. So, in addition to wiping my babies hiney, feeding my family, and making me comfortable she also had to clean up my puke. A saint, this woman.
She decided one late March day (somewhat like today, hence the story) that I should get out and get some fresh air. We bundled up, put MK in the stroller and hit the pavement. It was a sight, a cute grandma with her granddaughter and then me, the limping, baggy eyed, washed out, 20-something, dragging an IV pole down the street. One neighbor asked if I was an AIDs patient. Seriously. This was 2003, not 1987. But it is a small Allegany Mountain town in Pennsylvania, so I let it slide.
Then, one day when I was about 24 weeks pregnant and I was keeping down crackers in addition to the Ensure that was in the tube, my m-i-l made tuna fish sandwiches for lunch. For whatever reason, I didn't dash to the bathroom, I actually had a sudden craving for one, as well. I inhaled two full sandwiches in 5 seconds flat. It was the best tasting food I had ever put in my mouth. In the next five days I think I ate at least ten tuna sandwiches. About a week later I got to remove both my feeding tube and my picc line and even though I still puked everyday and had to take Zofran every day, including the day I delivered, I had a somewhat "normal" last trimester. Two weeks after the tuna fish overdose, an article came out about the mercury in fish being toxic and during pregnancy you should really limit this. Whoops.
But it could explain a lot about Car's behavior*. I would love to have a "reason" for her frequent drama filled meltdowns, her constant stomping around, her lack of memory when it comes to bringing books home from school and her inability to sleep in past 7am. It must be the mercury poisoning.
*I do feel like I give her a bad rap here on this blog. She is definitely the kid I bump heads with and lose my patience with daily, but she is super fun, a thoughtful friend and when she is laughing and the center of attention there is no other place anyone in the room would want to be.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Seriously Ivan
I have no idea why, but my autocorrect on my iPhone ALWAYS changes "I can" to "Ivan". So here's a glimpse of some recent texts I have actually sent. They make a lot of sense (word of the day) and some could even become actual heatherisms.
1. Ivan pick her up on the way to the party.
2. Ivan get the $100s broken down into singles.
3. Ivan stop by and see her if she needs help.
4. Ivan sign all names for $50 each.
5. You up? Ivan throw on some clothes and meet you?
6. It was a group text, I got it too. Ivan just send you a reply though.
7. If there is school tomorrow, Ivan not help, if no school Ivan.
8. Ivan feed them here while they get ready for the dance.
9. Right, Ivan make it $20, that will be good.
10. Ivan be home by 3 if you need me.
I am quite bossy with this Ivan, and I think hubs may need to start worrying about him as well.
1. Ivan pick her up on the way to the party.
2. Ivan get the $100s broken down into singles.
3. Ivan stop by and see her if she needs help.
4. Ivan sign all names for $50 each.
5. You up? Ivan throw on some clothes and meet you?
6. It was a group text, I got it too. Ivan just send you a reply though.
7. If there is school tomorrow, Ivan not help, if no school Ivan.
8. Ivan feed them here while they get ready for the dance.
9. Right, Ivan make it $20, that will be good.
10. Ivan be home by 3 if you need me.
I am quite bossy with this Ivan, and I think hubs may need to start worrying about him as well.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Seriously Reflect
Facebook updated its look again which drives me crazy (or I have a virus). It asked me all kinds of personal questions and since I am cooling down from a run, I actually answered them. Let's hope it was legit. As this update was occurring a very old post came up on the bottom of of my page. It was under Notes and was from January 2009 - FIVE years ago - I haven't seen it since. You remember - 25 Random Things About Me. It was really fun to read through it, reflect (word of the day) and contemplate what I would change today and honestly I don't know if I would change much. Here is the post -
25 Random Things About Me - I'm jumping on the bandwagon
Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
1. I love to cook and I love finding and making new recipes but if I could choose I would eat out every night.
2. I am the most accident-prone person I think I know, I've had 9 surgeries and a few new teeth.
3. Tom and I have moved 9 times and lived in 7 different cities in our 11 years of marriage, 8 of the moves happened in the first 6 years, so we've slowed down...
4. I want to do sports with my kids. I think it is a good way to connect with them especially as they get older, so we are working on biking, skiing, tennis and golf. So far they only like sledding.
5. I was a gymnast for 15 years of my life, I met Tom one month after I officially quit my sophomore year of college, so he never knew me as a gymnast.
6. I do tend to mix-up standard cliche sayings. My husband calls them "heatherisms" and has started writing them down for a book or a country song some day.
7. I truly enjoy the company of each of my inlaws, from Tom's parents to each of his 7 siblings and 2 spouses.
8. I am pretty sure I am allergic to being pregnant but am quite grateful to have 2 healthy beautiful little girls, regardless of what I went through.
9. I feel like I am just as close to my grandparents as I am to my own parents.
10. Even though I cannot carry a tune I have always thought being a backup singer would be the best job and if it happens to be after 1am and I've had a few drinks I like to practice this profession.
11. I just made snow ice cream for my kids this week for the first time. I made it the same way my mom did when I was a kid. It was delicious, I had 2 bowls.
12. I broke my neck on Friday the 13th when I was 13 years old doing my bar routine at Watkins Gymnastics in West Chester, PA.
13. I had my older daughter, Magdalen 13 years to do the day and she will turn 13 on Nov. 13 in the year 2013. It is not a Friday. weird, right?!
14. My entire 8th grade class (60+ kids) came to my house on a bus driven by Mr. Colliins to sing Christmas carols when I was recovering from my neck injury. It was simply the most embarassing moment in my life.
15. I have a turtle tattoo on my left hip named Bobo.
16. My goal is to give my children the same childhood I had growing up, i truly had an amazing childhood an can only hope that Tom and I can do and give as much as my parents did. And if we are able to give them more it will be to travel extensively and perhaps a car when they are 16 (the one thing I didn't have).
17. I love to plan everything and anything - trips, meals, outfits, furniture placement, parties, grocery lists, this, etc.
18. Getting tipsy with my husband is one of my favorite things to do.
19. We named our oldest daughter after a saint - my Catholic grade school in Wilmington, DE.
20. We named our younger daughter after a little girl from our neighborhood when we lived in Cincinnati. You know how when you hear a name and it just makes you smile as you think of that one person. Well, this hilarious yet devilish blond toddler used to chase dogs with sticks and we always wondered how her mother did it. The name just made us smile, so we used it.
21. Both of my girls' personalities completely epitomize their namesake. really. it's scary.
22. My kids are a complete source of amazement and awe to me. They are my joy 95% of the time and my frustration the other 5%. I love being home with them and feel fortunate that I can be (95% of the time)
23. I feel like I have been truly blessed with fantastic girlfriends in my life - from childhood to grade and high school, to college and in each move we have made. I just wish they all knew one another so I could plan a trip to see all of them at once.
24. I pray and think about (and worry about) my mom, my dad and my brothers every single day of my life.
25. I am excited to grow old with Tom. He is my best friend. I have a lot of plans for us after the kids grow up and leave us (well, hopefully they move out at some point)
My few 2014 Updates -
2. No new surgeries in five years, at least none that I can remember. But I have had 7 MRIs or catscans, 6 ultrasounds, 5 sets of X-Rays, 4 moles removed, 3 hospital visits, 2 heart tests and 1 spinal tap (you should sing it like partridge in a pear tree)
4. My kids like to ski and bike (sort of ) now, I actually don't think they like to sled anymore. Still working on golf, and tennis is o-u-t.
7. and 9. We have lost two of the most dear people in my life these past two years, my grandfather and my father-in-law. I still miss them both terribly.
11. I make snow ice-cream at least once every winter now!
13. MK survived her 13th birthday!
22. I am working part-time but it's when they are in school, so technically I am still "home" with them.
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
1. I love to cook and I love finding and making new recipes but if I could choose I would eat out every night.
2. I am the most accident-prone person I think I know, I've had 9 surgeries and a few new teeth.
3. Tom and I have moved 9 times and lived in 7 different cities in our 11 years of marriage, 8 of the moves happened in the first 6 years, so we've slowed down...
4. I want to do sports with my kids. I think it is a good way to connect with them especially as they get older, so we are working on biking, skiing, tennis and golf. So far they only like sledding.
5. I was a gymnast for 15 years of my life, I met Tom one month after I officially quit my sophomore year of college, so he never knew me as a gymnast.
6. I do tend to mix-up standard cliche sayings. My husband calls them "heatherisms" and has started writing them down for a book or a country song some day.
7. I truly enjoy the company of each of my inlaws, from Tom's parents to each of his 7 siblings and 2 spouses.
8. I am pretty sure I am allergic to being pregnant but am quite grateful to have 2 healthy beautiful little girls, regardless of what I went through.
9. I feel like I am just as close to my grandparents as I am to my own parents.
10. Even though I cannot carry a tune I have always thought being a backup singer would be the best job and if it happens to be after 1am and I've had a few drinks I like to practice this profession.
11. I just made snow ice cream for my kids this week for the first time. I made it the same way my mom did when I was a kid. It was delicious, I had 2 bowls.
12. I broke my neck on Friday the 13th when I was 13 years old doing my bar routine at Watkins Gymnastics in West Chester, PA.
13. I had my older daughter, Magdalen 13 years to do the day and she will turn 13 on Nov. 13 in the year 2013. It is not a Friday. weird, right?!
14. My entire 8th grade class (60+ kids) came to my house on a bus driven by Mr. Colliins to sing Christmas carols when I was recovering from my neck injury. It was simply the most embarassing moment in my life.
15. I have a turtle tattoo on my left hip named Bobo.
16. My goal is to give my children the same childhood I had growing up, i truly had an amazing childhood an can only hope that Tom and I can do and give as much as my parents did. And if we are able to give them more it will be to travel extensively and perhaps a car when they are 16 (the one thing I didn't have).
17. I love to plan everything and anything - trips, meals, outfits, furniture placement, parties, grocery lists, this, etc.
18. Getting tipsy with my husband is one of my favorite things to do.
19. We named our oldest daughter after a saint - my Catholic grade school in Wilmington, DE.
20. We named our younger daughter after a little girl from our neighborhood when we lived in Cincinnati. You know how when you hear a name and it just makes you smile as you think of that one person. Well, this hilarious yet devilish blond toddler used to chase dogs with sticks and we always wondered how her mother did it. The name just made us smile, so we used it.
21. Both of my girls' personalities completely epitomize their namesake. really. it's scary.
22. My kids are a complete source of amazement and awe to me. They are my joy 95% of the time and my frustration the other 5%. I love being home with them and feel fortunate that I can be (95% of the time)
23. I feel like I have been truly blessed with fantastic girlfriends in my life - from childhood to grade and high school, to college and in each move we have made. I just wish they all knew one another so I could plan a trip to see all of them at once.
24. I pray and think about (and worry about) my mom, my dad and my brothers every single day of my life.
25. I am excited to grow old with Tom. He is my best friend. I have a lot of plans for us after the kids grow up and leave us (well, hopefully they move out at some point)
My few 2014 Updates -
2. No new surgeries in five years, at least none that I can remember. But I have had 7 MRIs or catscans, 6 ultrasounds, 5 sets of X-Rays, 4 moles removed, 3 hospital visits, 2 heart tests and 1 spinal tap (you should sing it like partridge in a pear tree)
4. My kids like to ski and bike (sort of ) now, I actually don't think they like to sled anymore. Still working on golf, and tennis is o-u-t.
7. and 9. We have lost two of the most dear people in my life these past two years, my grandfather and my father-in-law. I still miss them both terribly.
11. I make snow ice-cream at least once every winter now!
13. MK survived her 13th birthday!
22. I am working part-time but it's when they are in school, so technically I am still "home" with them.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Seriously Really?
I was thinking about why I named my blog Seriously. It is a word I use a lot. I use it in any form possible about 20 times a day. Examples being: earnest intent: "I seriously think you should consider getting me that boob job, it would benefit you too." In a considered manner: "Do you think that shush'ing your mother would seriously have no consequences?" Really or sincerely: "Do you seriously believe I love the puppy more than you?" To add sincerity: "Seriously though, if you focus and study a little harder you can be as smart as your sister." To indicate surprise: "You remembered to brush your teeth, I am seriously impressed!" To a degree that is significant: "If you stop complaining about my spending habits, your sex life would seriously benefit." Very: "This gluten-free diet seriously blows."
I feel like most people have a word or phrase they go to or end every sentence with. For many, many years mine was "you know what I mean?" or simply "ya know?" I really have no idea when I dropped it, ironic, huh? I think the "you know" was my plea for acceptance and acknowledgment, maybe the middle child in me? I think motherhood has allowed me to come into my own in that sense. I still do have a strong need for acceptance among my peers but I think I have calloused some over the years and have come to accept who really wants to be around me and who doesn't. And, I guess I am OK with that for the most part. Or at least I tell myself that.
Moving to New York was interesting. The most common phrase we hear here, that we have never heard anywhere else we have lived is "not for nothing". I would say 5 out of 10 people I know use it all.of.the.time. It is their phrase, so much so, it has recently become my husband's. It took 7 years of living here but New York has broken him. People call him Tommy, he says "not for nothin" and he folds his pizza in half (like a taco) when he eats it.
Hubs brought home a garden gnome as a prize for our daughter - kids these days expect prizes for everything, like remembering to bring your folder home from school two days in a row is "seriously" amazing. Her garden gnome says "Really?" on it. This is her word. She constantly says it. I won't go through the examples but you can imagine what is "really" going through a 10 year old's head. She loves that gnome, it's on her bedside table. I just wish we had gnomes for the rest of us. We obviously know what mine would say. Mags would say "Get Out" And hubs would say "Not For Nothin" Can't you picture it? All organized (word of the day) in a row on our front path to greet you as you come to our door. You pick the order.
I feel like most people have a word or phrase they go to or end every sentence with. For many, many years mine was "you know what I mean?" or simply "ya know?" I really have no idea when I dropped it, ironic, huh? I think the "you know" was my plea for acceptance and acknowledgment, maybe the middle child in me? I think motherhood has allowed me to come into my own in that sense. I still do have a strong need for acceptance among my peers but I think I have calloused some over the years and have come to accept who really wants to be around me and who doesn't. And, I guess I am OK with that for the most part. Or at least I tell myself that.
Moving to New York was interesting. The most common phrase we hear here, that we have never heard anywhere else we have lived is "not for nothing". I would say 5 out of 10 people I know use it all.of.the.time. It is their phrase, so much so, it has recently become my husband's. It took 7 years of living here but New York has broken him. People call him Tommy, he says "not for nothin" and he folds his pizza in half (like a taco) when he eats it.
Hubs brought home a garden gnome as a prize for our daughter - kids these days expect prizes for everything, like remembering to bring your folder home from school two days in a row is "seriously" amazing. Her garden gnome says "Really?" on it. This is her word. She constantly says it. I won't go through the examples but you can imagine what is "really" going through a 10 year old's head. She loves that gnome, it's on her bedside table. I just wish we had gnomes for the rest of us. We obviously know what mine would say. Mags would say "Get Out" And hubs would say "Not For Nothin" Can't you picture it? All organized (word of the day) in a row on our front path to greet you as you come to our door. You pick the order.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Seriously Shopping
Two years ago we hosted a Chinese exchange student. Her name was Seamas. Well, actually, her name was Xian but she chose Seamas as her "American" name. She had a hard time understanding (word of the day) that she chose a boys Gaelic name. My girls were 7 and 10 when she first came to live with us for the school year. We thought it would be this interesting cultural experience for our family. It was certainly interesting. I actually can't believe this is the first time I am writing about her. There are so.many.stories. I thought about her today when I was at the mall with my girls, so here we go.
Seamas, pronounced See-mus, that is what she told us she wanted to be called after we told her the correct pronunciation is actually shay-mus. Her English was quite good, but there were certainly many communication break downs. She got off the plane at JFK in an all white light-weight track suit with matching white sneakers. She came with one suit case and her laptop bag. In that suitcase she packed her school supplies, three track suits (another white and 2 black), two black t-shirts, one extra pair of sneakers (black), 3 pairs of underwear, 1 bra, 5 white pairs of sports socks, 5 black pairs of sports socks, one rain coat, one winter coat and one nightshirt. And that would be it. To live with us for 10 months. Please note the ratio of total socks to total underwear.
I quickly introduced her to two of my friends that were also hosting exchange students. Three weeks into the school year we had to take the girls Homecoming dress shopping. Seamas wanted to wear her black track suit. I told her that she had to buy an appropriate dress or she could not go. She did try on maybe 3 dresses but did not show any of them to us. She would come out of the dressing room with her arms across her chest in an X formation and shouting a very adamant "No". After 5 hours, I convinced her maybe black slacks and a top. Once I said that she seemed remotely interested. I started throwing clothes at her in the fitting room (my thought - well now she will have something to wear for Thanksgiving and Christmas) After 2 more hours she settled on flowing black pants and a top with some embellishment around the neckline and a cropped bolero style cardigan. She looked like she was a twenty-something going to a dinner party, not a 16 year old, but I was exhausted and frankly did not care, I was about to just let her wear the track suit. A pair of black wedges from DSW and she was set. She was definitely the only girl in pants at Homecoming but her friends put some make-up on her and she looked quite attractive, especially for a girl who thinks she is a boy.
Fast forward many, many months. I was speaking to a host mom of a boy. She knew some of the struggles we had throughout the year and she knew about Seamas' preferred wardrobe. She then said, "Well, I know you have tried hard to get Seamas to the mall without a lot of success, I heard a story about a crazy host mom that didn't even take her student shopping for Homecoming that she just grabbed some clothes out of her own closet and made her student wear those to the dance." I was like, "You've got to be kidding me?" She says, "No, she was the girl that wore pants to Homecoming." I had to walk out of the room. I know for a fact, Seamas was the only girl in pants at Homecoming, so apparently everyone else (other than the two others that actually went shopping with us) thought I (crazy host mom) had dressed Seamas from my own closet. #priceless. #iwouldhaveificouldhave
Seamas, pronounced See-mus, that is what she told us she wanted to be called after we told her the correct pronunciation is actually shay-mus. Her English was quite good, but there were certainly many communication break downs. She got off the plane at JFK in an all white light-weight track suit with matching white sneakers. She came with one suit case and her laptop bag. In that suitcase she packed her school supplies, three track suits (another white and 2 black), two black t-shirts, one extra pair of sneakers (black), 3 pairs of underwear, 1 bra, 5 white pairs of sports socks, 5 black pairs of sports socks, one rain coat, one winter coat and one nightshirt. And that would be it. To live with us for 10 months. Please note the ratio of total socks to total underwear.
I quickly introduced her to two of my friends that were also hosting exchange students. Three weeks into the school year we had to take the girls Homecoming dress shopping. Seamas wanted to wear her black track suit. I told her that she had to buy an appropriate dress or she could not go. She did try on maybe 3 dresses but did not show any of them to us. She would come out of the dressing room with her arms across her chest in an X formation and shouting a very adamant "No". After 5 hours, I convinced her maybe black slacks and a top. Once I said that she seemed remotely interested. I started throwing clothes at her in the fitting room (my thought - well now she will have something to wear for Thanksgiving and Christmas) After 2 more hours she settled on flowing black pants and a top with some embellishment around the neckline and a cropped bolero style cardigan. She looked like she was a twenty-something going to a dinner party, not a 16 year old, but I was exhausted and frankly did not care, I was about to just let her wear the track suit. A pair of black wedges from DSW and she was set. She was definitely the only girl in pants at Homecoming but her friends put some make-up on her and she looked quite attractive, especially for a girl who thinks she is a boy.
Fast forward many, many months. I was speaking to a host mom of a boy. She knew some of the struggles we had throughout the year and she knew about Seamas' preferred wardrobe. She then said, "Well, I know you have tried hard to get Seamas to the mall without a lot of success, I heard a story about a crazy host mom that didn't even take her student shopping for Homecoming that she just grabbed some clothes out of her own closet and made her student wear those to the dance." I was like, "You've got to be kidding me?" She says, "No, she was the girl that wore pants to Homecoming." I had to walk out of the room. I know for a fact, Seamas was the only girl in pants at Homecoming, so apparently everyone else (other than the two others that actually went shopping with us) thought I (crazy host mom) had dressed Seamas from my own closet. #priceless. #iwouldhaveificouldhave
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