Confessions of a Disorganized Perfectionist

Update on the Book Goal

2012-01-01T13:11:00.003-05:00

Final tally for books read this year: 77!

MUCH much better than the 6 of 2010. Yay me!

Here are the books that stuck with me long after the cover was closed (in no particular order).

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. The premise of this book, that the main character can taste the emotions of the person who prepared the food, was fascinating to me. Ultimately the book is about how we deal with emotions, our own and others, and whether we allow ourselves to truly feel.

The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer. I've been both a stay-at-home mom and a work-outside-the-home mom and from the very first line this book resonated with me. Each of the women in the book struggles with finding and accepting her role in the world, her smaller community, her family. You look at other moms and think "she's got it all figured out" only to be incredibly surprised that she's thinking the same thing about you.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I loved the language and the intellectualism of this book. Putting these three three protagonists, a middle-aged French concierge (kind of like a superintendent of a building) trying to hide her intelligence, a depressed 13-year-old girl and a dapper Japanese elderly gentleman, together was pure genius.

Room by Emma Donohue. Haunting, terrifying, and intriguing. What is language? What is reality? What is home? What is family? What is safety?

Elizabeth I by Margaret George. I confess that anything by Margaret George will be loved by me before I have even opened it. Her work is so well researched, so intimate, so in-the-moment that it is easy to forget you are reading about a well-known historical figure. Perhaps it is the first-person narrative, but you really feel that you know the subject. And Elizabeth I (and her dad, Henry VIII) are two of those hypothetical people I'd like to have dinner with.

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran. I love historical fiction. This book gave me a lot of insight into the French Revolution and the history of waxworks. I did not know anything about Madame Tussaud other than her name and the multiple museums that share it. That an art we now view as somewhat kitschy has its roots in the struggle to share information openly with all classes was riveting.

The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York by Chandler Burr. I originally found this book because of reading "Perfumes: The Guide" and "The Emperor of Scent " and it was fascinating! The author gives an inside view of the perfume industry and follows the creation of a perfume from idea to creation to marketing. It also talks about the fairly recent trend of celebrity perfumes, which is interesting in itself. I love how reading one book can lead you on a journey of discovery about a subject, to other things the author has written, to things you never would have thought you'd be interested in.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Whether or not you have been touched by Alzheimer's personally, please go read this book. Your notions of what constitutes self, memory, and what is quality of life may get turned on their ears.

Faithful Place by Tana French. I don't normally read suspense, but this third book by Tana French, like her other two grabbed me and didn't let go until the last page. I particularly like it when books reference familiar characters. It's like greeting old friends and fosters my favorite illusion that these are real people living real lives somewhere out of our consciousness until we can check in with them again. There were so many twists and turns that it was impossible to figure out the ending until you got to it. I appreciate that in an author and in a book.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Nefenegger. Creepy but in a good way. As a twin and a mom of twins, I found this book about twin sisters of twin moms very interesting. I don't really have a way to describe this fully, you just have to trust me on this one.

The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean. I love fashion and I love history, therefore I must love vintage fashion, right? A sweet story of family and finding your way in the world with storytelling magic along the way.

The Harry Potter Epic, Books 1-7 by J. K. Rowling. Yes, I've read them before but I really do recommend that you read them straight through, one after the other. You get a better appreciation for J.K. Rowling's genius that way. And yes, even though you know how it ends all the little details still take you by surprise. That we can still be enthralled after 14 years, 7 books and 8 movies is a marvel.

The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs by Christina Hopkinson. I could have written this book. Why didn't I write this book? Hilariously funny in the way that has you looking over your head for speech bubbles. The author *must* be reading your mind and putting out there all the things you think but would never dare say out loud. Very British, reminiscent of Bridget Jones' Diary and a happy ending to boot.

Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd & Ann Kidd Taylor. Part travelogue, part spiritual journey, part family saga, this book really touched me. Partly because we had just seen "The Way" right before I started reading this and I was in the mindset of spiritual journeys, this book made me remember things I'd forgotten. My wish to travel, the ways travel can open your eyes to things you already know deep inside, the ebb and flow of family relationships, the many faces devotion takes. I also enjoyed all the references to art, poetry and literature. I googled myself silly for awhile! It was a bit of a shock at first to find myself identifying with the "mature mom" half of the team rather than the daughter half, but I can't be the only one who has to remind themselves of the passage of time and your chronological age vs. your internal age. Sue Kidd struggles with issues of aging, menopause, moving onto another stage of life and wondering if it's going to be productive and if so in what form? All things I realized I was struggling with myself but not being able to articulate or put into concrete thought. And in the laws of serendipity, after googling all the religious icons in the book and remembering how beautiful I find them, I found a small one of the Virgin Mary while cleaning out a box. I think it might have been a baby shower gift. It's on my computer desk now.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. A new favorite author. Like Tana French her work is so dense and has so many twists, turns and connections that you cannot possibly figure it all out until the last page. Every so often there is a little clue and you think "ah ha!" only to be turned on your head later on. Wonderful!

My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke. A class act and a gentleman. That he's one of my favorites didn't hurt either.

The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delaney Begins Her Life's Work at 72 by Molly Peacock. Fascinating retrospective of an 18th-century gentlewoman's life and her creation of 985 mixed-media collage (previously unknown) botanically correct flowers (now housed in the British Museum). Like Traveling With Pomegranates, it is a meditation of creativity late in life, how one's life history culminates in unexpected ways. For all those still wondering "what will I be when I grow up" this book offers hope and inspiration.

The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan. My deepest admiration goes to those authors who can take a well-known story like Santa Claus and re-imagine it to make something totally new, totally believable and totally loved. This year I got to share this book with M. and he loved it just as much as I do.

Special Shout Out to my sister, R. who recommended some of these and many others as part of our family & friends book club.

More Entries from My Encyclopedia

2011-12-09T16:11:00.003-05:00

Sheetrobics - (No, not *that*, this is a family encyclopedia!) The workout you get from trying to put the sheets back on the kids' beds each day without dislodging 8 billion stuffed animals, 10 blankets, 8 pillows and a sippy cup. All the while exclaiming "what do you *do* at night? most people just sleep!" over and over.
Sheet Ring - the grubby bottom third of the sheet when laundry day comes. You asked your kids if they washed their feet and they said yes. Silly you, you believed them.
Compucrastination - the art of putting off whatever you don't want to do by clicking on all the blogs you follow, facebook, your email, etc. - every fifteen minutes.

more entries here

Stuff My Mom Said A Lot

2011-10-26T17:14:00.002-04:00

Remember! (meaning don't do anything you're not supposed to)
You're cruisin' for a bruisin'
Knock it off!
Hob Dobbins
If I make it, you have to eat it
We're the only sane ones
there's always room for one more
Jesus, Mary & Joooowwseph
who touched my curtains?
I only want the best
I love you

Stuff My Dad Said A Lot

2011-10-26T17:05:00.003-04:00

You make a better door than a window.
When have to is your master you can do a lot of things.
Pick up everything that doesn't grow.
It's not cold, it's just a little cool.
Now son... (even to the girls)
Put one foot on the floor.
Want some poultry seasoning on that?
Lovely girl, married her twice, wouldn't do it again.
You're my best girl. (to whichever daughter was in the room at the time)
A man could drown in those eyes.
If you name a baby Harold, I'll haunt you. That's an old man's name.
This'll do.
Want to go on an adventure?
Your mother'll kill me if she finds out I let you... (but of course she already knew and didn't!)
This is Mother's Goulash Number X (different number every time).
You Snooze, You Lose!
Smoke 'em if you've got 'em
Jesus H. Christ
What am I gonna do with you?
What page are you on?

Life With Boys II

2011-10-25T08:49:00.003-04:00

When is a smoke/CO alarm not real? When it is the toy metal detector!

Life With Boys

2011-09-27T19:48:00.001-04:00

The newest game here is "throw your socks at the brick fireplace wall and see if they stick" accompanied with lots of hysterical laughing. All this Mom can say is "Huh?"

Four Stages of Dirt

2011-09-05T17:17:00.006-04:00

Stage 1: Dirt Obliviousness. This is when things are dirty and invisible at the same time. Note the difference from Stage 2. From this state, it is possible to progress to either Stage 2 or directly to Stage 3.

Stage 2: Dirt Ignorance. This is when the dirt is visible but you have entered into a peace treaty with it. So long as it does not wave its hands in the air, embarrass you with horrible smells or cause botulism or other fatal illnesses you are willing, in return, to ignore it for a little while longer. From this state it is possible to progress to Stage 4.

Stage 3: Dirt Flabbergastedness. This is when the dirt blindsides you into such a state of shock, that you cannot possibly ignore it. Like when you look over your husband's shoulder while he is hugging you and blurt out "My god! When did the ceiling fan get that disgusting?!?!" and you push him away and immediately climb on the table, shouting for Clorox, rubber gloves, a tarp, copious amounts of hot water and possibly the National Guard. Note the difference from Stage 2. From this stage you skip right over Stage 4. There is no progression except into disgust with everything followed by exhaustion and possibly death (sometimes your own, but not necessarily).

Stage 4: Dirt Eradication. This is when all dirt is banished from your home at the same time. A very rare condition that if you are lucky enough or insane enough to reach, it will be fleeting. How fleeting depends on how many people share your house and how adept they are at picking up after themselves. In other words, about five minutes. From this stage it is possible to continue back to any of the previous stages, either exclusively or in progression.

Stuff I Say A Lot

2011-09-04T23:03:00.007-04:00

We've got to leave in 10 minutes.
We have to go.
Get in the car.
Come on! We're going to be late!
I told Grandma we'd pick her up, she's waiting!
Getinthecargetinthecargetinthecaralreadydammit!
Did you pee before we got in the car?
Go pee.
You do too have to go, you're dancing all over!
Put that down/Stop talking/Tell me in a minute and go pee.
Do you have to pee? Are you sure?
Well *I* have to go, so you may as well go too.
Yes, you can use the men's room. But don't talk to anyone and come right back.
You have to pee now? Here?
You washed your hands, didn't you?
What am I making for dinner?
No, you cannot eat spaghetti again.
Well, what are you going to eat?
No, you cannot eat that.
Spaghetti!? You're going to turn into spaghetti!
You need to eat more than that.
You ate all of that today?
Oh no you don't. You've already eaten. Put that back.
I hear my phone ringing. Do you know where it is?
Daddy's at work.
Daddy's upstairs.
Daddy's asleep.
Daddy's stopping at Grandma's on the way home.
I bet nobody calls me when I'm not here, do they?
10 minute warning!
Don't you dare tell me those shoes are too tight.
You're fine. It doesn't hurt.
Should we close the drain?
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Look at Mommy! Smile!
Keep doing what you're doing, pretend you don't see the camera.
Have I got the camera?
Dang, the camera battery is dead again.
How come I'm never in any of these pictures?
Yes, I did tell you that. About 10 times.
I do not want to hear another word about (Halloween/Christmas/Your Birthday) until after (Back to School/Thanksgiving/New Years).
Not today. But you could put it on your list for Santa.
Well if you don't get it for Christmas, maybe you'll get it for your birthday.
I'm just a little bit turned around
I made a wrong turn
I know where I am but not how to get where I should be
Stop snorting and use words please.
Remember the rules! No stitches until you're 10 and no broken bones til you're 15! (I keep upping the ages. So far it's working!)
Why do I spend good money on pillows if you're just going to throw them at each other?
Why are your sheets off the bed?
There's no room for you in that bed with all those toys.
This place is filthy!
Do NOT spray that hose inside the windows!
Go spray over there!
If you get me wet, so help me...
Come over here and spray the mud off my hands/feet/shoes.
They arrest people who go outside without pants on.
It's in the (bedroom/pantry/basement/closet/your room/etc)
I don't know where your stuff is. I have my own junk to keep track of.
Well where did you leave it?
Where's your brother?
Go play with your brother.
Turn off that computer/DS now.
You're going to have to hang up soon.
You're silly!
I'll call their mom and set it up.
Of course I'll read that book to you.
This book sounds really good, we should read this one.
Yes I want to hear, tell me all about it!
Super job! 2 Thumbs up!
Who wants a smoothie on the way home?
You can have a donut, either one.
Who loves you?
I love you!
Daddy and Mommy and M./P. love you the best.
Everybody loves you!

Things That Freak Me Out

2011-09-04T21:32:00.002-04:00

Bats
Those LED headlights (are they LED? the bluish ones?). It's like a Transformer is following me
An article I just saw about how bugs are great for the diet because they're big sources of protein. Including a section about which ones to eat if you like this or that food. Um.... no
Driving over the Grand Island Bridge
Driving over the Grand Island Bridge at night
Driving over the Grand Island Bridge at night in the rain
Millipedes
The sound grinding teeth make
That puff of air they put in your eye to test for glaucoma. How on earth do they expect you to keep your 2nd eye open after that?
Venus flytraps
Troll dolls

I Hide, You Seek

2011-09-04T10:53:00.003-04:00

The other night P. wanted to play hide and seek before bed. "No way, " I told him, "it's already very late! Get in bed!" I turned around from putting clothes away, turning on the fan, confiscating the books, etc. and there he was under the covers. "I see you! I know you're under there!" M. cracked up laughing. "That's not him, Mom. He's in the bathroom." Sure enough, I go in the bathroom and there he is, laughing at me. You can trick Mommy sometimes!

I'll Be Back Soon

2011-09-02T20:05:00.003-04:00

D. fed the kids while I was out. But he needed me to clarify the instructions on the box of macaroni and cheese. I love him dearly, but... really??? Clearly he needs to be in charge more often. If it's the same at your house, call me and we'll go do something!

This Morning I Came Downstairs

2011-09-01T11:42:00.002-04:00

to find P. getting breakfast in bed ready. (M. who is usually the mastermind at shenanigans like this was still fast asleep.) He had the baking sheet we use for a tray out on the counter (I really need to buy a bonafide serving tray), a coffee cup with an inch of water in it and some leftover ravioli and a fork. Such a smile when I asked him if he was making breakfast in bed. He even got it off the counter and over to the stairs without spilling. Then he yelled "Help!" And when we got upstairs he climbed back in bed and ate it. Wouldn't share with us at all. Is this kid too much or what? The wheels are turning in there, P. I can see them turning...

Goal Exceeded

2011-08-31T18:44:00.005-04:00

In 2010 I read 6 books. Six.

Ok, so maybe I read a few more, but I'm not counting bedtime stories. These were books for me. Books read for pleasure and information gathering and just for fun. Six books. Six. This pathetic little number made me sad, dismayed, and a bit angry. To be frank, I was appalled. How did I let this happen? Me? The girl who can read a 700 page book in 2 days? I could give a lot of reasons for the decline in number of books read, like I went back to work full-time, I spent a lot of time in the car ferrying kids back and forth and I hate audio books, I am exhausted, etc etc etc. Who cares what the reasons are, Lizzie, what are you going to do about it going forward?

So for 2011, I set a goal to read 52 books. I thought one a week was reasonable and left some leeway for the short reads that might take a day or two and the longer ones that might take more than a week. The important thing was I set a goal and I put a reminder out there to help me do it, namely my account on Shelfari.

Reading has always brought me great pleasure and making a conscious effort to put it back into my life just made me happy happy happy. There were books I adored (The Ten Year Nap, Elizabeth I, Madame Tussaud, Still Alice, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Perfumes: The Guide), books that freaked me out but kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next (Room, Faithful Place, Her Fearful Symmetry), books that I could take or leave (we won't single those out because opinion is subjective) and books I hated (I stopped reading them).

I'm happy to say that as of today I've read 55 books, so I've surpassed my goal and there are still 4 months left in the year. Yay me!

Current book: Re-reading all 7 Harry Potters in succession. I'm on Chamber of Secrets now.

Next challenge: get needlework back into my life on a regular basis...

If You Shouldn't Go Grocery Shopping While Hungry

2011-08-31T18:12:00.001-04:00

clearly you shouldn't be bringing 2 hungry boys along either. A trip for 3 things resulted in 5 bags and $125...

I Just Found

2011-08-31T18:10:00.002-04:00

a big bag of Halloween lollipops in the back of my cupboard. Clearly it is time for tidying and reorganization! What does it say about me that I hovered over the garbage can for several minutes and then put it back. Lollipops don't go bad, do they?

Nine Things About You at Age 9

2011-03-08T16:06:00.003-05:00

Nine Years Old.

Wow.

You think the best vacation in the world would be a) Disneyland b) Wizarding World of Harry Potter c) Disney cruise or best of all d) all of the above in the same vacation. I don't know if that last one is possible but we'll work on it...
Kingdom Hearts rules!
You've stolen my buckwheat heating pad and refuse to give it back.
Suddenly you have incredibly large feet and hands. Boy Feet and Boy Hands. I don't know where the cute little baby ones you had yesterday went.
You like to write letters. So far you have heard back from 2 of your favorite authors (one with original artwork!) and the White House.
You are always singing.
You have a lot of curiousity about the world and it's history. For instance, because of a very brief scene in Return to Neverland, a trip to the library was in order to find out more about WWII and why kids in England were sent to the country.
You notice everything and you hear everything.
You will talk to your cousin G. on the phone for as long as I'll let you. And then do it again tomorrow.

Wrestling matches & pillow fights with Dad & M. are the best.
You go through a fake litany of body parts that hurt, trying to get kisses. You haven't figured out yet that you can just ask for the kiss by itself.
Current favorite movie: Lilo and Stitch. Which has led to an interest in Elvis music and the hula.
You will sit and play a board game or turn-taking game now, if you understand the rules. Zingo, Richard Scarry's BusyTown, dominoes...
You got a set of Disney figures for your birthday. You were thrilled and told us over and over who all the characters were. I watched you playing with them today and you were very purposefully making them interact together. What was very interesting to me was which figures you paired together: Winnie the Pooh and the Evil Queen from Sleeping Beauty. Ariel and Scar. Cruella DeVil and Cinderella. I wish I could hear the stories you are telling in your head.
You have been doing great at dance class, participating in everything and getting ready for your recital in May. We've gotten past the "smoothie as a bribe" stage.
You are finally old enough to participate in Special Olympics. Bowling is the sport right now, which you have done before and enjoy. Bonus that a lot of your friends are participating too.
You like to go around turning the lights off on everyone. Unless we want them off. Like when we're sleeping. Then you go around turning them on.
You adore the babysitter, K. In fact when I come home from work, you try and shut the door on me because you know that means she has to go home. She adores you back.

The Answer to All Eternal Questions

2011-01-04T20:29:00.004-05:00

Last night, M. had trouble falling asleep. "What seems to be the problem?" I asked. "You'll think it's crazy, Mom, but it just popped into my head and I can't stop thinking about it and I just don't know..." "What is it?"

"What is the meaning of existence, Mom? I mean, why are we here?"

Crap. And here I thought he was going to ask something easy like whether Santa was real.

Philosophers and all manner of learned and common men have been asking that question since time began. How to answer? And more importantly, how to answer so he'd feel reassured enough to actually go to sleep?

And then it came to me, like the hand of God touching me in a blessing. "It's love, honey. We're here to love each other and nothing else matters." He was asleep in 10 seconds flat.

All his questions should be that easy.

They're a Great Team

2010-08-15T17:44:00.002-04:00

This morning D. and I woke up to our sons proudly bringing us breakfast in bed. M. operated the toaster, P. buttered and cinnamoned the toast. P. got out the bottle of juice, M. poured it. M. scooped out the yogurt for the parfait, P. put the berries in. P. decided ice cream would be good, M. scooped it. P. sang up the stairs, M. carried the tray.

Could they be any cuter? That's why I write this stuff down, so we'll all remember.

Who Knew?

2010-08-15T17:41:00.002-04:00

Apparently, if you angle the jets in the whirlpool tub just so and let out just enough water, you can have a nifty water cannon that shoots hot soapy water out the bathroom door and down the stairs!

And the Angels Sang "Ahhhh-ahhhhh-ahhhhhhh"

2010-08-05T20:45:00.003-04:00

Is there anything quite like putting on a new pair of glasses and realizing just how much you weren't seeing with the old ones? And I can read with these ones too!

Dream = Reality

2010-07-30T22:20:00.002-04:00

Dreamt that we woke up late and had to rush to make P's bus on time. Then I really did wake up and...

Lists from a Vacation

2010-07-19T15:11:00.004-04:00

The boys and I just spent the better part of a week in NJ visiting my family. On the long drive home, this is what I was thinking about:

Stuff Brought to NJ:

Too many clothes for the boys, not enough for me.
Too much food in the cooler
Apparently not enough books

Stuff That Should Have Been Brought to NJ:

The main vitamins for P. (I bought all the secondary vitamins but left home the one that they all get mixed into)
Some meds (non-necessary ones)
The medicine eye dropper for the necessary one (but P. learned to swallow pills, yay!)
my swimsuit cover-up

Stuff Left in NJ:

Lots of hugs and kisses
2 boy socks (not matching, naturally)**
1 Buzz Lightyear*
2 oil portraits of M & P (they needed to dry first)
1 book the nephew was in the middle of

Stuff That Has to Go Back to NJ:

1 portable DVD player and some movies, most particularly Beauty & the Beast

Stuff Acquired in NJ:

Lots of memories! cousins reading to each other in bed, Wii dragon battles, Friendly's ice cream, swimming, reading the paper, one little cousin dragging one big cousin *everywhere* (c'mon!), yummy food, book club, seeing friends, riding in each other's cars, going to the movies, taking uninterrupted showers, and many more...
As many snacks and drinks for the ride home as I could "steal" :-D
Some great photos that my friend K. took
Toy Story 3 toys/games (thanks Aunt D!)
2 Koosh balls that also become spiky hats (thanks Aunt R!)
Clean laundry! Yay!

* updated: Buzz has been found under the seat of the car. Call off the search party!

** update to the update: I think I found the socks too, mixed in with mine.

I Just Love It When a Plan Comes Together

2010-06-05T15:29:00.007-04:00

I have had this picture in my head ever since we moved into our house 6 years ago.

We have never used the coat closet in the entry hall for its intended purpose. It is so small that coats ended up everywhere else. I found the bench at a garage sale last summer (I'm still debating whether or not to paint it. Yellow? Red? White?) I painted the inside of the closet to match the kitchen (which horrified D. at the time and probably still does). In the fall we finally got the walls fixed and hung the coat hooks. Now the shelves are in the closet along with the bins I found 2 years ago (they pick up all the colors in the curtain fabric that's still under my bed). I'm still filling them and moving the contents around, but a lot of the flotsam and jetsam from everywhere has found a home. You can't quite see it in the picture but we've got an outlet in there for the cell phones and whatever else needs charging. The boys backpacks are no longer objects to trip over. We traded the ugly front door for a beautiful one. Behr, btw, calls that color "Lunar Shadow." We call it "Necco Wafer" (which horrified me until the 2nd coat went on).

But since we both picked it out from the 30 or so paint chips I had taped to the door, it's all good. Everyone has their own shoe bin, even guests (though that's still taking some work to make sure the shoes actually end up there). We're going to change the floor, but haven't had the chance to go pick something out yet.

Now when I come home, aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. Organized heaven.

Summer is Officially Here

2010-05-30T16:49:00.003-04:00

The ice cream man has arrived in our neighborhood!

8 Things About You at Age 8

2010-05-28T22:24:00.010-04:00

1. You are into trading card games. Any and all of them. Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Harry Potter, Dinosaur King, 39 Clues... If there are cards to collect, play with and trade, you're in.

2. You're developing your own sense of style. Graphic tshirts, dragon pendants on a leather choker and Silly Bandz. You're pretty cute.

3. You decided on your own to audition for a speaking part in the Second Grade play. And you got one of the leads! You've also asked to take Irish dance lessons.

4. At the lunch table you and your friends discuss economics, theories about the Bermuda Triangle, the existence of alien lifeforms, inventions the world needs, and the differences in various religious traditions. I am totally blown away by that.

5. You put all the change in your piggy bank in a donation bin to help underprivileged kids go to camp.

6. You're a really great brother. I love seeing the bond between you and P. You can always make him laugh. You never think twice about helping him, playing with him, translating for him and advocating for him. He's lucky to have you.

7. You still love sugar above all things. With french fries and chicken fingers coming in a close second.

8. You still really hate it when we have to wash your hair or cut your nails. But you're a lot less whiny about it than you used to be.

1. You still love all things Toy Story. We're definitely going to see TS3 in the theatre as soon as it's released!

2. You will eat frozen meatballs if I don't catch you fast enough.

3. Swimming is still your favorite but you're starting to enjoy running too.

4. You just got a STAR award at school for showing the most growth over the school year.

5. A 1929 Model-T Ford drove into the parking lot of a local diner while we were having dinner. You turned to me in great excitement and said "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"

6. You're a really great brother. I love seeing the bond between you and M. You can always make him laugh. You miss him when he's not around. You'll bring him the toys and books you know he likes and play for awhile, even when they're not your favorites. You ask him to sing to you at night so you can go to sleep. He's lucky to have you.

7. You think hanging out in a fort made of boxes and couch cushions and blankets is the coolest thing in the world. Bonus if there are snacks and a movie on the portable DVD player involved.

8. You've been using an augmentative speech device and doing really well with it. We've also noticed a real increase in your vocal speech since you've been using it.

More Random Musings

2009-11-29T10:38:00.002-05:00

Why is it that the Littles can hear and converse with Stuart and his friend Margolo, but act hard-of-hearing when Snowbell speaks?
We are in that curious holiday limbo where the decorations from the holiday(s) just past are halfway down and the decorations for the next holiday are halfway up. It looks like an explosion in a Party City.
The noise from the Star Wars video game is highly annoying. Therefore, I am setting the timer.
Grocery shopping whilst hungry will result in 5 different kinds of bread. Where is my copy of the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet book?
Why can I never find my Advent Wreath? Even when I pack it away with the fall decorations, it goes missing.

Ten Things You Don't Want to Find in the Washer or the Dryer

2009-10-29T21:27:00.003-04:00

10. Tissues

9. Rocks

8. A Fork (?!)

7. Chewed up Starburst candies

6. Grass

5. Marbles

4. Eyeglasses (the kind from the dollar store, thank heavens)

3. Crayons

2. Realistic-looking toy snakes

1. Poop!

It's sooooo much nicer to find money. I would also like to point out that, other than tissues, I never carry any of these things in my pockets.

You know you're a Mom when...

2009-08-20T09:46:00.003-04:00

Any sentence with the words "temperature" or "degrees" in it automatically makes you think of fevers instead of weather.
The only thing you want to say to the young studly lifeguard is "stop twirling that thing before you poke someone's eye out!"
A stranger in your immediate vicinity 1) sneezes 2) cuts their finger 3) gets dirty or 4) has a clothing emergency. Without even thinking you reach into your purse and hand over a 1) tissue 2) a bandaid 3) a wet wipe or hand sanitizer and 4) a safety pin.
You also carry snacks in your purse. And crayons. And paper. All in multiples based on the number of children you have.
You know the locations of all the public bathrooms within a 50 mile radius of your house.
You know the guy who makes smoothies at the local Dunkin Donuts by name. And he knows you and your kids and who likes strawberry and who likes mango.

True Confessions

2009-08-13T08:41:00.003-04:00

I've never finished reading Little Women. Along about the time that Laurie and Amy get engaged, I just stop caring. Every few years I drag it out, determined to finish and... quit in the same place.
I don't sort my laundry, I just use a lot of Shout Color Catchers. A few months ago I felt guilty and pretended I was in an old Cheer commercial. I didn't notice any difference at all and it took 45 days to get the laundry done instead of 31. So the heck with that.
I sometimes secretly reload the dishwasher after D. does it (actually it's probably not that much of a secret, he's just too much of a gentleman to bitch about it)
If I do something that's not on my 'to do' list, I write it down just so I can cross it off.

Random Unjustified Fears

2009-08-12T08:14:00.003-04:00

Whenever I smell something in the basement, I am immediately convinced that there is a gas leak and we will all be blown to smithereens. Even when it is obviously the towels I left in the washer for 2 days.
I once spent an entire night in my childhood home wondering what would happen if the furnace blew up and envisioning how I would make a sling for the dog from my quilt and jump to safety from the porch roof.
The Prize Patrol will come to my door and I'll be wearing the pajamas with the holes and my hair will resemble a styrocasaurus with twice as many horns as usual.
My car will careen off the Grand Island bridge and I'll be swept over Niagara Falls. (I actually had a recurring nightmare about this when pregnant. I went the long way around to NF for 7 months).
Scientists will discover a junk food that will ensure weight loss and is good for your heart. Naturally it will be the one I absolutely hate.
My kid will bring home a bat for a pet. Or a komodo dragon. Or a giant anaconda. (hmmm... suddenly a puppy doesn't sound so bad!)
I will never meet Tim Gunn.

Rebuffing Murphy's Law

2009-08-10T21:14:00.005-04:00

Last week I painted the hallway closet and hung 16 pictures on the walls -- things that have been on my "to do" list since we moved in 5 years ago. Next week I'm going to attempt to make curtains from the bolt of fabric that's been living under my bed for 3 years. That better not mean we're going to move.

Random Musings

2009-08-10T11:11:00.003-04:00

How much do they pay those guys who stand on the corner waving signs about sales or store closings? It must be a lot because one of them was standing there in a thunderstorm and torrential rain yesterday. There's also been a lot of dancing jalapeno peppers and pita sandwiches to announce restaurant openings. If the job search doesn't work out, maybe I could do that.
There's a lot of building going on around here and whenever we see some excavation starting, we joke that it's going to be a pharmacy. The sad thing is that it usually is. How many Rite Aids or CVS or Walgreens do we need? There are 5 intersections that immediately come to mind with a pharmacy on each corner. There must be a lot of $$ in prescriptions because all the other stuff in there is the same. Is the population really aging that fast?
Why is it sunny all morning but as soon as the pool opens, we get thunderstorms and rain?
For 2 weeks in a row, I have maintained and emptied my ironing basket. I'd like to say it's my commitment to organization, but it's really a comment on the horrible weather this summer and how much we have been indoors.
We watched "Lady & the Tramp" the other day. It occurred to me that Jock & Trusty are offering to marry Lady not to get her out of the doghouse but because she's spent the night with Tramp, compromised her reputation and is already preggers. Please tell me I'm not the only weirdo who finds subtext in classic Disney films.
We were talking about our "happy places" the other day and I said Wegman's was one of mine. Hmmmm.... grocery store as a happy place on one side of the scale, weight issues on the other... Hmmmm....
The Friends of the Library are selling chocolate bars as a fundraiser. Since I'm at the library approximately 3 times a week, this is really good news. Or bad news, depending on my hormonal state at the moment.
Why is it that I've taken 5 bags of clothes to Goodwill but I still don't have enough hangers?

And That, Gentlemen, is an Example of How NOT to Behave

2009-07-02T15:07:00.002-04:00

It must be my week for peeves.

Ok, as much as I hate inappropriate cell phone use, intentional rudeness is worse. We should all be reminded on a daily basis that the world and its inhabitants do not revolve around us.

The boys and I were eating lunch in the cafe at our local Wegmans when a young woman started berating the elderly gentleman sitting behind her. Apparently, she was studying for an exam and was bothered by his loud cell phone conversation. What ensued was a much much much louder argument.

I sat there in amazement. What has happened to common courtesy? Both parties were in the wrong, but a public screaming match was totally unmerited. My only consolation was that (surprisingly) no swearing was involved. She could have moved if she was bothered by the noise or found a more appropriate place to study. He could have used a headset or earpiece if he had trouble hearing or found a more appropriate place to talk. Either of them could have made their grievances known to each other in a polite manner, if they felt the need to say anything at all.

He finally got up and left. She spent the next 10 minutes glaring at the rest of us with her hands over her ears. And then someone else sat behind her and whipped out their cell phone.

By then we were done eating, so we left. But talk about teachable moments!

Yadda Yadda Yadda

2009-06-30T22:14:00.005-04:00

Today's topic is cell phones. At times I think they are the greatest invention of the modern world. What on earth did we do without them? We lost our friends and relations in warehouse clubs or the mall, we ran double the number of errands, we had people wondering if they should start calling the hospitals when we were merely stuck in traffic. And then there are the times, like today, when I curse cell phones and want to throw them all down a very big hole.

Just because you have a cell phone, that doesn't mean you have to use it constantly. Use a little restraint and common sense, people. Does everyone in the dentist's office waiting room need to know every little detail of your ugly family feud? The fact that your 13 year-old is shushing you and is totally mortified should have clued you in. Does the entire post office need to know the intimate details of your recent colonoscopy? Even your spouse probably doesn't want to know all of that.

Just because you have a cell phone and it rings, that doesn't mean you have to answer it. That's what voicemail is for. You can call back. Do I really need to know that you're in the bathroom? I can't help but picture (cringe) what you're doing with the hand that's not holding the phone.

If you must talk on the phone while driving (I know sometimes it is necessary), please use a headset or hang up while you're trying to parallel park. Or is it just me that needs two hands and complete and total focus for that?

I Probably Don't Want To Visit Your House

2009-06-29T23:36:00.008-04:00

I've got to report a little peeve. Well a big one actually. In the past two weeks I've visited about 10 public bathrooms and all of them were disgusting. Not in the sense that management hadn't cleaned or maintained them. They were disgusting in the sense that patrons weren't using them correctly. It's pretty crowded in a restroom stall with two kids doing the potty dance and the space gets smaller when I've got to clean everything first before they can go. I'm trying to teach them to be neat and respectful of public spaces and the people whose job it is to clean them. That's difficult when they can see for themselves that no one else is bothering.

Come on people, I know your Mom taught you to flush! Yes, public restrooms have a high germ factor. But that's what the paper and the toilet seat covers are for. If there aren't any or you just can't bring yourself to sit, please wipe up the seat and the floor, so I don't have to. Go ahead, use all the paper you need. Use it all if you must. I always carry tissues but now I'm considering carrying Clorox wipes and the warehouse-club-size hand sanitizer too.

I'll bet you didn't wash your hands either.

Little Old Not-So-Crazy Neighbor Ladies

2009-06-17T16:16:00.005-04:00

When I was a kid I used to sit outside and watch all the neighbor ladies sweeping. They swept their doorsteps. They swept their porches. They swept their stairs. They swept their sidewalks. They swept their driveways. Mrs. Correa even stood in the middle of the road and swept that! They swept like it was their personal mission to attack all dirt within a five-mile radius. When they swept it was like Charlie Brown's friend Pigpen walking by. And when they all got going at the same time, I had an idea of what the Dust Bowl might have been like. If I had known then what an anthropologist did, I'm sure I would have felt like I was studying an unknown culture's rituals.

I thought of all those neighbor ladies this morning as I swept my walk and driveway, tidying up after last night's lawn mowing. After I'd been responsible for a home of my own for awhile, I finally realized that all that sweeping outside made for less sweeping inside. I grew up with a mother who had a love affair with highly-starched curtains and thought the smell of ammonia and bleach mixed together was "lovely." In light of that fact, I think I can be forgiven for not necessarily placing housework high on my list of priorities. (Though my house isn't as grody as reading this blog regularly might lead you to believe. Honest!) But this morning as I got into the rhythm of sweeping and listened to the tchh-tchh-tchh of the broom on the concrete, I came to a new realization.

It's about more than cleanliness. It's neighborliness to the nth degree. It's about self-respect. It's about loving your family. It's about loving your neighborhood and the world at large. By showing that you care about your little corner of the world, you're also showing how much you care about everyone else's corners. Everyone in the world should have a corner of their own that's clean, well-swept and free of all manner of debris. Sadly, that's not a reality for many of our neighbors. But if we all do our best work, we can eventually help that come to pass. Some of us work to clean up the environment. Some of us work to make sure children grow to their fullest potential. Some of us provide food. Some of us serve and protect with their lives, be it in the military or as police officers and firefighters. Some of us bring joy through the arts. Some of us practice medicine. And some of us sweep. But no matter what job we're doing at any given moment, we're all doing the same job.

As I put the broom away, I said a little prayer and thanked all the neighbor ladies for showing me something so wonderfully important. Even if I didn't know it then.

You Can Call Me Ingrid

2009-06-07T15:03:00.010-04:00

My sister-in-law and I were joking the other day about how some women try on their wedding dress on each anniversary. It's a cute idea but we'd never go there. D. overheard us and very nicely said that I'm skinnier now than when we got married. I said he was nuts, he insisted, we looked at the wedding photos, we still disagreed, he got some brownie points and we moved on. I put these pants on the other day and to my surprise, they were a bit big. I stepped on the scale and somehow I lost 10 lbs. It's been a long time since I weighed less than my husband. I'm not sure how that happened, but I think my friend S. has to get some of the credit since she's been convincing me to go to the gym and then I've actually broken a sweat once we get there. So I've been trying on a few other things in my closet, just to see...

I may have mentioned a few times that my favorite movie of all time is Indiscreet starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. In 198-I-can't remember-that-far-back-exactly, I bought The Dress at Loehmann's Back Room because It reminded me of this ensemble from the movie (and because it was an unbelievable $25!):

In reality The Dress looks nothing like a Dior. But It is a classic Little Black Dress: princess-seamed, knee-length with a keyhole back and made from a heavy black brocade. The matching coat is the same fabric in white with a simple black jet button closure. When I bought It I had absolutely nowhere to wear It. I still don't. I wore It once for about an hour to a family Christmas party until I dripped cocktail sauce on the coat. I ran screaming for the stain remover and my predictable and oh-so-washable reindeer sweater.

Over the years The Dress has hung in my closet as a talisman of possibilities, a tribute to romance, and a wink at my inner-Ingrid. When size 11/12 was a long ago memory, It went in the Goodwill pile during every closet reorganization, only to be snatched back at the last minute. When I was in the midst of crazy quilting obsession, It went into the cut-it-up pile, but I could never bring myself to do it. And there It remained, unworn but well-loved.

The suspense was killing me, I had to try It on last night. I wouldn't necessarily say It fit, but It did zip. I didn't try to sit down and wearing It outside the house would require serious scary-undergarment intervention. But. The glimmer of all manner of unseen possibilities re-emerged.

In actuality, I may never wear The Dress. But those glimmers make me unbelievably happy. What possibilities have been turning up in your life lately?

Predict the Weather

2009-05-26T20:11:00.001-04:00

Why is is 80 degrees and sunny until the day after I take the storm windows out and put the screens in?

Sure Signs That Your Kids Are Growing Up

2009-04-28T19:40:00.005-04:00

Other than the obvious kids-wearing-pants-that-now-look-like-capris, I've noticed a few things lately:

I no longer chuck 3 stain remover sticks in my grocery cart each week. (yes, you read that right, I used to buy 3 each and every week). In fact, I don't remember the last time I had to buy a stain stick. We still use them and I still keep one in each bathroom and in the laundry room but they are lasting a LOT longer.
Related to stain stick quantities, I'm not sweeping up as much food from under the chairs. So if it's not on their clothes and it's not on the floor, it must be going in their bodies! Wooohooo! Which must be why their pants are all suddenly too short. (Sorry boys, you'll have to look like geeks just a bit longer until it's shorts weather).
Another household cleaning product I no longer buy in massive quantities is Magic Eraser. No one draws on the walls anymore, thank goodness.
I often find them reading books together rather than bringing one to a grownup. While this is sweet and has me running for the camera, I hope that we're not totally outsourced as book buddies yet.
I can say "get in the car" and they actually go in the garage and do it. And one of them can buckle his seat belt. Wow. The other one might also be able to do it with a bit of practice, but if I show him how to buckle it, that means he would also know how to UNbuckle it and I'm just not willing to go there right now.
Ditto when I say "get dressed" or "get undressed." 80% of the time it actually happens and the dirty clothes end up in the hamper. Except for socks, but hey, every home needs a few socks strewn about to make it look lived in.
I almost never have to clean pee off the floor or the wall anymore (aiming takes practice and parental patience). I only have to wipe the seat half the time.
Everybody knows which recycling bin is which.
I have help setting the table, putting the groceries away and dusting (Ok, that's not totally honest. I never dust. But when we're having company and I notice it needs to be done, I get volunteers).
They notice what's on the car radio and now I have to give them equal time.
They order for themselves when we go to a restaurant (I only have to translate a bit for P.)
We can sit through an entire movie at the theatre.
Homework!

Easter Recap

2009-04-13T21:05:00.009-04:00

Easter has always been a relatively low-key holiday for us. We color some eggs, have a egg hunt or two, overdose on marshmallow Peeps (oh wait, that's just me) and look for some signs of spring. This year was no exception. We hung out in our pajamas for awhile, took some walks around the neighborhood, engaged in a cut-throat game of hide & seek and generally enjoyed being with each other.

M. has been anticipating what the Easter Bunny would leave for weeks. So much so that I had

to remind him that it wasn't like Christmas. There would be a few candies, a toy or two, some colored eggs and that was it. He said he knew that, but I was still a bit concerned that he'd be underwhelmed or disappointed. I resisted the urge to buy more stuff. (Eek, did I type that out loud? Cover the eyes of any minor children who might be in the room while you're reading this!) What I meant to say was we left a nice salad the night before which the Easter Bunny enjoyed tremendously before leaving the parent-approved amount of loot. And everyone was happy.

P. pretty much lives in the moment (as far as I can tell anyway) and was more than happy enjoying the Easter videos and books that we got out of storage a few weeks ago. It's always a happy day when I get to reread The Country Bunny and the Little Gold

Shoes by Dubose Heyward. This is the first year that the boys enjoyed it too, rather than just suffering through my enthusiasm. They do like my other favorite, The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown. There's something about that mischevious little bunny pushing the egg with his foot that just speaks to the souls of little boys, you know? And of course we had to watch It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. It's just not a holiday without Charlie Brown. We're watching it again right now.

We colored eggs twice, once with regular food coloring and once with the usual

Paas egg dyes. Much to my dismay, both times everything stayed really neat and clean and only one egg cracked (D. did it). Part of me misses the dyed hands, having to repeatedly say don't drink it!, multiple spills and eggs that end up brown inside and out because they have a billion cracks from being literally thrown in every single color. The first year we dyed eggs the boys were both technicolor marvels and I worried it would never come off. I'm surprised that I feel nostalgic for chaos. But the fact that Superman X-Ray Vision Glasses were necessary for egg dying made me feel much better. Call me crazy.

We all hid plastic eggs in the house on Saturday and hunted for them Sunday morning. We're still finding them, which explains why we don't use real eggs.

7 Things About You at Age 7

2009-03-22T20:39:00.010-04:00

When you're not reading everything in sight, you're writing and illustrating your own stories.
You still like to snuggle with a grownup and read chapter books together though.
You just discoved Webkinz and all the online fun you can have with them.
Chicken fingers are your new favorite food.
You started karate and love it.
You're very sensitive and empathetic and because of this, you've been visiting the school nurse a lot lately (mostly for reassurance).
Art is still your favorite subject

Woody from "Toy Story" is your almost constant companion (you have two of them).
Lately you prefer to watch the outtakes from a movie rather than the movie itself.
Your favorite book is "Too Many Toys" by David Shannon.
Pasta is still your favorite meal, but now you'll eat mashed potatoes and gravy.
Swimming is still your best thing.
Cookie Monster makes you laugh really hard!
Ever since you saw "Ratatouille" you want to help cook dinner and read cookbooks.

R is for Respect

2009-03-21T10:12:00.011-04:00

There are a lot of lovely words that begin with R: rain, radiant, read, reassure, recipe, reconcile, recycle, reflect, refuge, rejoice, relax, remember, rescue, resilience, reunion, reverie, revive, rhapsody, rhyme & romance.

There are also a lot of ugly words that begin with R: racism, rage, rancid, rat, reek, reject, renege, reprehensible, repress, repugnant, revenge, ribald, ridicule, rigid, rotten, rubbish, rude & ruthless.

It's time to ban the ugliest R word from our vocabulary: retard.

President Obama appeared on the Tonight Show this week and compared his bowling ability to the Special Olympics. He apologized for the remark before the show aired and Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver called it a teachable moment for the entire nation. Should the President have known better? Sure. Was he trying to be purposefully hurtful? I don't think so (because those folks don't apologize). Was he insensitive? Sure. To me, it just shows how commonplace statements like this have become. The majority of people who use the word "retard" or "retarded" probably aren't even hearing the word when it comes out of their mouth, never mind connecting it to a real live person. It's become a synonym for ignorant or doofus. You hear this word every day, everywhere, from people of all ages. I'll admit that I used to say it when I was much younger and much much much stupider. I never gave a thought to what it really meant and I'm ashamed of that now. It's a slur, plain and simple. And it hurts.

It's also very inaccurate. People with special needs are not retarded in their capacity and capability to love just like the rest of us. They are not retarded in their ability to learn, just like the rest of us. They can function in the world and be productive members of their community, just like the rest of us. However, people with intellectual disabilities and other special needs may not always be able to articulate their feelings. When they can't, it's up to us, the ones who love them, to say it. It hurts everyone in our society when you use this word or otherwise treat them as 'less than.'

From now on, let's use all the lovely R words more often. Help eradicate one ugly one.

Gee, Am I Really that Transparent?

2009-02-26T09:29:00.004-05:00

D. thinks all this sorting and organizing is a thinly disguised attempt at avoiding finding a job. Maybe a little, but it's more equal parts full-blown panic knowing that once I go back to work it'll never get done and plain old I've-had-enough-of-all-this-now. I can't tell you how much better I slept last night because there were no piles of crap around the bed. Sure, I should have had this revelation six months ago, but I procrastinate on everything, even revelations.

Treasure Hunting

2009-02-25T14:03:00.014-05:00

It must be cabin fever or maybe longing for spring, but I've been sorting, organizing and purging this month in a big way. I've unpacked boxes that got shoved in various closets and piled in the basement when we moved into this house almost 5 years ago. That would make me feel bad, but remember the part in The Incredibles where Helen tells Bob that it only took her 3 years to unpack the last box? I'm not a superhero so I think that means I'm doing pretty well! Part of me was a tad overwhelmed and thought, oh you haven't opened these boxes & bags in 4 years, just donate them all sight unseen. But I had open them because there were things I'd been missing and worrying about, like:

All my "good" jewelry (with the exception of my wedding band and gold bangle that was Nana Bertha's that I wear every day).
My flower girl dress from my sister G's wedding when I was six. My sister K. sewed it to match all the other bridesmaid's dresses. It's blue dotted swiss with net sleeves. (Do they even still make dotted swiss?) I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress. I'd like to shrink myself so I could wear it again. The only childhood dress I loved more was my "rainbow dress" from when I was 7 but we didn't think to save that one. I think I'm going to put it in a shadowbox or display it on my bedroom wall somehow.
Ditto the little baggie of cloth diapers that came home with me from the hospital and the one decorated with pink ribbons that the nurses made for me to wear for the occasion. There were no NICUs 45 years ago and these little diapers are a reminder of how much these ladies loved and cared for me for 3 months and how they wouldn't give in, especially after my twin Philip passed away. These have to be displayed somewhere special.
2 boxes of checks. I knew I ordered them!
2 pairs of handmade gloves with fur trim and Athabascan beading. A very dear friend made these for us when we lived in Holy Cross. They're too nice to wear every day but I'm going to start wearing mine more often now that I've found them. I also found some other beaded items that we got as gifts, some keychains, a credit card holder, some earrings.
Video of the boys when they were very little. I found 3 tapes earlier in the month but I knew we had taken lots more. I found 5 other tapes today. I haven't watched them yet but I'm guessing 4 of them are of them egging each other on in the Jolly Jumper and the Exersaucer.

And the treasure hunter in me was happy to find:

2 savings bonds
$100 cash ($50 in each of 2 sealed envelopes with the boys names on them, no note or card or anything and it's not our handwriting.) I opened a bank account with it and I think it'll be the start of our Disney fund. (I know I should put it in the college fund but if we don't start saving the boys will be in college before we get there!)
A bag of lightbulbs. Considering that the kitchen light just burnt out and the drawer where we usually keep lightbulbs is empty, this is a good find.
Some silhouettes that an artist handcut at a craft show when the boys were about a year old. I totally forgot all about these. Just looking at them brings back memories of that time. I need a frame for these. I'll probably find one in another box :-D
My gargoyles. I missed their ugly mugs.
A new pair of pants that I bought at Target in... the receipt says April. I have no memory of buying them, but they're rather nice and they still fit.

And then there was some stuff that was easy to donate or recycle:

All the cards & ribbon bows from my baby shower. I always had intentions of putting these in a scrapbook or something. Oh well. I've got lots more current things for the scrapbooks! And I've still got the love, if not the cute little onesies and blankets. Actually, we do still have some of those... remind me to post the photo of 6 yo M. wearing a 6 month size romper!
All the miscellaneous bedding that didn't match or was for the wrong size bed.
Lots of lots of crafts and stitching supplies. I could probably get rid of a lot more but I didn't want the "now we can go and get more" instinct to kick in.
My collection of perfume bottles and little china boxes. They're pretty but they're just not me anymore, you know?
Many years of Family Fun magazine. Everything is online now anyway. Ditto for all the other magazines I used to keep. I kept the Simple Scrapbooks only because I do refer to them and they're going out of print.
A bunch of books I've finally admited I will never read again. This was not as hard as it used to be.
Many plastic bags and other flotsam. Apparently I packed our garbage.

Tropical Bird Massacre

2009-02-24T09:22:00.002-05:00

Feather boas make good reins when you're playing all the variations of horse race. I only hope the vacuum cleaner can handle the aftermath.

You'd Think I'd Know Better

2009-02-01T19:24:00.001-05:00

I made the mistake of mentioning to D. that "gee, no one has been sick all winter!"

Now the germs have decided to hold their annual convention here instead of in Tahiti.

Looking for a Job

2009-01-23T17:42:00.004-05:00

I've been a SAHM since I was pregnant (I was a full-time student). But now the time has come to re-enter the workforce. I'm nervous about finding a job. I'm nervous about actually doing it once I find one. I'm nervous about finding a job that will still let me be home in time to meet the school bus. If that's not possible, I'm nervous about finding a good after school program that we can all be happy with and that doesn't use up my entire paycheck. I'm nervous about leaving all the stuff undone that I leave undone now - only with less style, grace and while having to wear pantyhose. I'm nervous about appearing to be a functioning human being with a brain during a job interview. For the most part, being a mom uses a whole different set of skills - when was the last time you had to use the eyes in the back of your head in a job situation (teachers excepted)?

So what on earth do I put on the resume? Domestic Engineer & Chief Operating Officer have been done just a few too many times, but here are some jobs I'm quite good at:

Food Stylist. For several years I have been able to make dinosaur chicken nuggets (or whatever food item my children are currently fixated on) look appetizing and different each night. This is more for my benefit than for the person with the food jag, because as long as they get to eat the item of choice they don't much care what else is on the plate. (And please don't leave me a comment about how your kids eat escargot or whatever you put in front of them or how to be firm at the dinner table. You pick your battles and I'd much rather argue over something really important, like how your pajama bottoms should always match the tops)

Food Artist. I can make pictures with food in an effort to get picky eaters to ingest more than the aforementioned dinosaur chicken nuggets. And it works too! Pictures of Blue's Clues rendered in cheese & salami, a horse and rider made entirely of pickles, olives, cheese and dried cranberries and other such artistic creations available on request.

Hormonal Grouch. Just when my family thought they were safe, menopause starts nosing around. On second thought, most workplaces probably wish they didn't have to pay the hormonal grouches they already have, so we'll just scratch this one from the c.v. why don't we?

Special Needs Educator to the Public. Unfortunately, many people still express surprise that P. is able to walk, communicate and otherwise function in the world. Whilst I still find this shocking, P. & I have been able to give a little primer on etiquette and reality with a smile and lots of patience. And on P.'s part, lots of hugs.

Twin Wrangler. I have been able to feed two infants simultaneously without the aid of bouncy seats or high chairs, using only the limbs God gave me and a throw pillow. I can buckle two wriggling boys into carseats without dumping my purse or the grocery bags. I can look at a "crime scene" and know immediately whether one (and which one) or both children were involved. I can get everyone to bed and asleep in... several hours.

Family Photographer. Literally thousands of examples available on request. But if you want a photo of me, there aren't that many. M. took one the other day that has most of my head in it.

Lustful Launderer. This isn't a homemade porn video, honest. (With these stretch marks!?) I do like to iron and folding laundry can be meditative, but I just like to watch my collection of Highlander videos while I'm doing it.

Family Timekeeper. Through years of scientific research, testing and a highly developed system (all my clocks are 30 minutes fast), I am able to get my entire family to appointments on time. To date, we have never missed a school bus!

Organizational Maven. Just read previous posts for evidence of said brilliance. (Ok, maybe not all of them) In the corporate world, I specialized in color-coded filing systems. In the domestic area, closets and drawers are a specialty, as are toy systems containing lots of eenie-weenie pieces. It is a known fact that it's a lot easier to organize someone else's stuff than your own.

Translater. I have a lot of experience translating KidSpeak into English for the benefit of waitstaff, store clerks, and other members of the public who may not know the language or who have lost their skills. Apraxic speech patterns also translated.

Lily Gilder. My husband says I'm quite good at this. I don't really see it though.

Project 365 and One Little Word

2009-01-09T21:05:00.003-05:00

After a lot of deliberation, I've decided that my One Little Word for 2009 is Health. Sure, it's about physical well being. Everyone in the free world is resolving that this week and I'm no different. But I'd like my word to encompass more than that. Mental health, financial health, emotional healthy, relationship health, keeping the whole family healthy... That's probably way too much for one little word to handle. But I'll give it a go.

Have you heard of Project 365? You take one photo a day for a year. It sounded daunting until I realized that I carry the camera everywhere I go anyway. I took 190 photos in September 2008 alone. So 365 in a year should be pretty easy. We'll see! Click on the Flickr badge on the left to follow along.

Sleeping In

2008-12-21T11:01:00.002-05:00

Daddy sleeps in: morning progresses as usual. After a long while, somebody might ask "where's Dad?"

Mommy sleeps in: lots of games involving thundering feet, screaming and whooping. Lots of Daddy voice saying loudly "stop that!" Followed by loud tv and many trips upstairs to "just make sure that Mommy is ok" with a few bed-jumping detours.

Even with all that I still feel much better.

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

2008-12-15T09:51:00.003-05:00

Last week I visited M.'s classroom to share a holiday tradition. His teacher encouraged him to do all the talking. Last night, while we were getting ready for bed he told he that he was quite nervous standing up there in front of his classmates and talking. I told him that pretty much everyone is afraid of public speaking.

Me: "They've even done surveys about it. It's the #1 thing most people fear."

M: "Really? It's not my #1 fear. It's about 4th on my list."

Me: "What's your #1 then?"

M: "Being in a plane crash over the ocean."

Me: "Well, it's been about 3 years since you were anywhere near the ocean in a plane and we were pretty safe. Believe me, if there was any serious risk Mommy wouldn't have put you on the plane! What's #2?"

M: "Having my leg chewed off by a lion."

Me: "Not too many lions around here. And they're not real fond of how we taste. You know how I tell you not to eat dirt or boogers or other yucky stuff? Lion moms tell their kids not to eat humans. If you were a wildebeest or a zebra though, you'd have to worry. What's #3?"

M: "Going into outer space without an oxygen helmet."

Me: "That would be a problem. Are you planning on going into outer space anytime soon?"

M: "Mom! I'm a kid!"

Me: "Are you planning to go without the help of NASA?"

M: "They've got all the ships right now."

Me: "That takes care of that fear, then. Which leaves..."

M: "Talking in front of a group."

Me: "See? I told you it was #1!"

Apparently I'm not the Garage Goddess I thought I was

2008-12-10T19:54:00.003-05:00

because the keypad outside doesn't work. I changed the battery. Nope. I got up on the ladder again and reprogrammed it. Now it works! But the remotes in the car don't work now. So up on the ladder I go and reprogram the remotes. They work! But now the keypad doesn't. After trying a few other things, D. and I have agreed to just have seasonal openers. Winter will be for remotes since we keep the cars in the garage then and summer will be the keypad since the cars live in the driveway. Works for us!

Words that Strike Fear in a Mom's Heart

2008-12-10T19:48:00.004-05:00

I think I have to throw up
My shoes feel too tight
I forgot I need 36 cupcakes for school tomorrow (said at bedtime)
I didn't mean to break it (before you know what "it" is)
He (pointing at brother) did it!
Are bones supposed to poke out of your skin like this? (this hasn't actually happened but it's only a matter of time...)

and at this time of year:

Santa, what I want most of all is (insert item you never heard about before and will have a hard time finding)

Who Says Disco is Dead?

2008-11-25T18:41:00.002-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

There's just something about...

2008-11-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

the combined smell of vomit and rug cleaner...

Thank You

2008-11-11T09:39:00.004-05:00

Honoring veterans, both past & present, as well as those who continue to serve. Your sacrifice has not gone unnoticed.

Please Vote!

2008-11-04T14:30:00.003-05:00

No matter which candidate you are supporting, please exercise your right to vote today!

Trick or Treat Bag Analysis

2008-11-01T10:30:00.002-04:00

Our juice boxes were a big hit as always. I love to see happy Trick or Treaters! The cutest costume of the evening was the tiny pirate in the most adorable coat with gold braid (his dad said it came from Old Navy).

Between an event at the local college last weekend, parties at school, actual trick or treating last night and a party this afternoon, the costume count for my 2 kids stands at 8. They have been a vampire, a king, a Clone Trooper, Woody from Toy Story (making three appearances), a goblin and a lizard. Why stick to only one persona when you can change them every day? More evidence that dressup bins are the most played with things at our house.

Big thanks to the neighbor who sets up an elaborate timed-to-music tableau on his lawn every Halloween & Christmas with moving figures. The whole neighborhood looks forward to it every year and we appreciate all the work and love that goes into it.

And now for the Trick or Treat Bag Analysis:

Mini Hershey bars were clearly the giveaway of choice, followed closely by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and mini M&Ms.
Malted milk balls were making their first appearance in a reasonably good showing.
Several items had address label stickers from a local church. Trying to boost membership or just recycling?
Lots of pretzels!
Which joker gave out candy canes? And more importantly, are they a year old?
And only ONE box of milk duds. :-(

Evil Plot or True Confession?

2008-10-31T13:06:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I just went to throw out the packaging from my brand-new Mr. Clean Magic Eraser mophead. On the side it shows you when to replace it, showing a really hideously grody mophead that has been used "many many times." Um... mine looks just like that. Not the old one I just replaced. The new one I just used. One time.

This could mean one of two things. I am a really crap housekeeper (sorry Mom!) who cares nothing for the health and wellbeing of my family and would rather be blogging or scrapping or reading or whatever else seems remotely interesting to do while the kids are at school. OR. It is an evil plot on the part of Mr. Clean to convince us to continually buy more mopheads, sponges and other kinds of toxic cleaning products that make our houses look shiny and clean but also pollute the earth and our lungs while simultaneously putting more of our hard-earned (but now less interest earning) cash into their pockets. Hmmm.

I'm going with the Evil Plot Theory, people.

I am a Garage Goddess

2008-10-28T12:50:00.004-04:00

I went to Sears and navigated through the tool aisles. I bought the correct items. I got up on the ladder without it collapsing under me. I didn't bump my head, electrocute myself or start a fire.

And if all that were not enough, folks, I (yes, me!) reprogrammed not one! but two! garage door opener remotes correctly. In under 30 minutes.

If you knew me at all, you would know what a seriously amazing accomplishment this is.

Tooth Fairy Mystery

2008-10-08T14:24:00.003-04:00

M. lost his tooth at school. We forgot to put it under his pillow so we did it the next night. I remember thinking "oh I am too tired. I better tell D. to do the tooth fairy duties before he comes to bed." And that was the last I thought or did anything about it until the next morning. M. was already awake but hadn't looked under his pillow yet. I couldn't think of a way to get in there and make the exchange without him seeing me. He knocked on the bathroom door to tell me the Tooth Fairy left him a gold coin, but that the tooth was still there. I explained that TF must have been in a hurry since he'd said 4 kids in his class lost their teeth over 2 days. She'd just come back for it later (but he wouldn't get any more $). Later I thanked D. for remembering. He said he didn't do it. I told him to stop kidding. He was insistent that he did not put the coin under the pillow. I know I didn't. So who did?

Local Woman Injured in Avalanche

2008-07-22T10:25:00.003-04:00

Rescue workers were dispatched this morning in aid of a woman buried in piles of wrinkled clothing. "I've never seen anything like it." a shaken rescue worker told the News. It took workers several minutes to locate the woman, who was treated at the scene with chocolate and caffeine. She is expected to make a full recovery. Her naked family was extremely relieved, as well as a little cold and embarrassed.

As Much As I Hate To Admit It, Leonard Cohen, You Are the Man

2008-07-13T10:20:00.006-04:00

My husband is a serious Leonard Cohen fan. He was always trying to get me to listen to some song or other. And I would run screaming from the room. Literally. While I can read his poetry or the song lyrics and agree that this is seriously good stuff, when he sings I find his voice is really irritating. Ok. It made me want to stick my head in the oven. It even became a joke over the years. "I'd rather listen to a Leonard Cohen song, than do X." "If you don't behave I'll make you listen to a Leonard Cohen song." Still when this movie came to our local theatre I was willing to book a babysitter and go. Sometimes getting out is more important than the what or where, you know? But the critics panned it and D. decided he didn't want to spend the $ to see it on the big screen. So I put it on my Netflix 'save' list for when the DVD came out and promptly forgot all about it. A year and some later, it makes its way up my queue and appears in the mailbox. So being a good wife, I get the kids to bed and go downstairs gritting my teeth in the name of marital harmony.

D. loved it (no surprise). I loved it (surprise of epic proportions). We watched it all the way through and then rewatched our favorite parts. Over the next few days we slipped it in around Monsters Inc and Bear in the Big Blue House and enjoyed a song or two. I ordered the soundtrack CD and that's been playing away upstairs in the office. We found some new artists we liked enough to buy a few more CDs (U2 and the man were the only folks in the movie we'd ever heard before). And when Leonard himself sings now, I (gulp) like it. I'm a Leonard Cohen fan. There, I said it.

Is this one of those "the longer the couple is together, the more alike they get" things? Because if I suddenly tell you that I'm going to ride 100 miles on a bike, you have to agree to slap me repeatedly until I come to my senses. Ok?

Day 3 Looking Better

2008-07-01T16:20:00.005-04:00

We got up, ate an on-the-go breakfast and made it to the free movie at the local theatre by 10 am. We saw "Everyone's Hero" which was very cute and had a nice message. P. was very excited, knew why we were there and watched the whole thing with hardly a snort in earshot. Very big developmental milestone there! (I was half expecting to have to leave early.) I was also reminded that a medium size drink at the movies is an XL super jumbo size everywhere else. We'll be drinking Hi-C forever. Both boys have read or done some other educational activity for at least 45 minutes. Half of dinner is in the crockpot (taco salad) and morning glory muffins have been baked and no one chopped off their fingers. We'll head to the pool in about 45 minutes... House still looks like crap, but hey, there's always tomorrow. Or September.

Summer Schedule

2008-06-30T19:08:00.007-04:00

Last week I had a mini panic about the fact that summer vacation was practically upon us. I didn't want the boys to be parked in front of the tv or the computer for 2 months (though to be honest, for about 2 minutes I thought it sounded good and waaaay easy) so I came up with this little schedule for the days when P. is not in summer school and M. does not have any scheduled activity:

8:00ish: get up, have breakfast, get dressed -- no tv just like on school days (as opposed to Saturdays when I let them eat in front of it
9:00ish: go to the BAC with Mom & play while she works out
10:00ish: go on errands or fun place with Mom, maybe stop for a treat. If no errands then do art activity or baking or play outside.
11:30ish: lunch
12:00-3:00ish to keep out of the dangerous sun hours, alternate between computer time & tv time while Mom does housework, then do reading or other educational activity with Mom
3:00ish play outside or art or baking
4:00-5:00ish get ready for the pool and swim
6:00-7:00ish come home for dinner
8:00ish a bit more tv, computer, reading or trip with Dad for a treat if we didn't have one already
9:00ish bath & bed

Sounds pretty reasonable right?

Today is Day 2 of Summer Vacation and here's the schedule the boys came up with:

ReallyEarlyish: get up before the grownups and turn on tv or use the computer until grownups realize where you are and stumble downstairs in a panic. Cheerfully say you've eaten breakfast already and point to crumpled chip bags and pile of popsicle sticks.
11:00ish avoid getting dressed
12:00ish go in backyard wearing underwear minus sunscreen 1:00ish make messes with toys but don't actually play
1:30ish get in the car already so Mom stops yelling
3:00ish return from errands and eat crap in front of tv until
4:00ish go to the pool
6:oo-7:00ish avoid eating dinner. Beg for more tv & computer
9:00ish avoid going to bed. Say you're hungry.
10:00ish fight with each other and whine
11:00ish finally pass out

No exercise for Mom, no books have been read, and the house is filthy. I'm taking consolation in the fact that it is still only Day 2...

Random Entries from my "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life"

2008-06-25T11:56:00.005-04:00

Have you read this book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal? It's fun, a fast read and makes you want to do one too! Which is exactly what a bunch of scrappers have done. Mine is still in the construction stages, but here are some random entries:

Accents
There’s a scene in the movie “A Fish Called Wanda” where Jamie Lee Curtis’ character is having a romantic encounter with Kevin Kline’s character. KK’s character has a heavy Italian accent and she keeps encouraging him to talk. He doesn’t know what to say. “Say anything at all” she pleads. “Chicken parmigiana! Rigatoni! Veal Scallopini!” he croons. She swoons. That’s pretty much how I feel about men with accents. They can be ugly as sin, but if they wear a paper bag over their heads and just keep on talking, I’ll keep swooning.

Bats
I am terrified of bats. It all started in 1993? when one got into Mom’s house. ... That night just as I was falling into sleep, it started swooping around my room. I turned on the light and it hung on my curtains making the same squeaky noise that movie bats do. Mom finally chased it out of the house with a broom and I spent the rest of the August night completely covered up by a heavy quilt, sweating to death and wide awake. Then in 1998, when D. and I lived in Spencerport, one came sailing up from the basement. ... It took a week to get rid of it. A week I spent holed up in the bedroom with rolled up towels under all the doors so it couldn’t crawl under. Now just hearing the word “bat” gives me nightmares. D. looked it up once in the animal imagery book and apparently bats are a symbol of change. “You’re afraid of change!” he exclaimed. Well, duh.

College, Clown
I’ve always had a secret desire to go to clown college.

Eating, Strange Habits of
I cannot “mix” my food. I have to eat in sections: all the vegetable, all the potato, the meat always last. I absolutely cannot take a bite of this and then a bite of that. It makes me queasy watching others do it. And those people who mix everything up into one big glop on their plate? We’re no longer dinner companions. If it’s soup or salad or something that’s meant to be mixed up, that’s ok, I can eat it like that.

I have to cut up all my food first before eating it. I cannot cut a bite of meat off the larger piece, eat that, and then cut another piece. Nope, it’s all gotta be in little pieces first.

I eat apples all the way around the middle, then one end all the way around, then the other end, until the skin is gone. Then I go back and do it again until I reach the core. I cannot share an apple with D. who just bites it any old place. Corn on the cob must be started at the left and eaten in a circle around the cob. Move to the right one mouth width, eat in a circle around the cob and continue until you reach the right end.

Hot sauce is the only condiment I like, though I will tolerate ketchup on a hamburger. Mustard is entirely too disgusting, as is mayonnaise.

Garbage
We keep the garbage can under the kitchen sink. When the boys were small we had those childproof locks on everything. It was a pain to undo the lock every time we wanted to throw something out but obviously I didn’t want the garbage can out in plain view either. So we started putting the garbage into an empty bread bag or other container in one side of the double sink. When it got full, we’d undo the lock and throw it all in the garbage can. The boys are bigger and we don’t need childproof locks anymore but try as I might, we can’t change this rather disgusting habit.

Laundry, Time Needed To Do a Load of
It takes at least 31 days to complete a load of laundry. Really. First there are the two days I try to ignore the overflowing hamper or the jammed laundry chute. Then there is one day for washing, including leaving the clothes in the washer overnight. Then the four days for drying -- two hours to actually dry the clothes and 3.8 days to leave them wrinkling in the dryer. The laundry basket remains in the basement for three days. Then I move the laundry basket to the living room for two days. Finally I fold the clothes, which takes one day. Then the clothes reside, nicely folded, in their laundry basket bed in the living room for seven days. I have actually taught my children how to lift the stacks neatly to extricate that coveted Spiderman shirt without disturbing the rest of the basket. The sight of my husband wandering around naked looking for underwear should shame me into bringing the laundry upstairs but I actually enjoy the show. At the same time, part of my brain is anxiously wondering if the neighbors are enjoying it as well. Then it's time to bring the basket upstairs where it sits until every laundry basket, Rubbermaid bin and cardboard box is similarly filled with a combination of neatly folded and wrinkly unfolded laundry. Then I put it all away in the now completely empty drawers and start over.

Rhino Head
Also known as “RH” - the result of waking up with your hair sticking out in “horns” all over your head. Which can be especially bad if you have no time for a shower & shampoo. As in “how bad is my RH this morning, do I need a hat?”

X
I cannot think of a damn thing to put under X.

14 is My New Favorite Number

2008-06-17T15:43:00.003-04:00

Last week I was shopping in Kohl's and on impulse tried on two pairs of pants, one a size 14 and one a size L. They both fit! I don't know why, since scale keeps flashing the same big number, but I'll take a gift like that when I can get it. I even went back to the racks to see what other colors they came in, but they were all ugly.

Today I found a credit from BonTon in my wallet from who knows when. I found 3 pairs of pants AND the acid test, a bathing suit! all in size 14. So I guess that number wasn't a fluke or a misprint. And if you have read somewhere that the world's clothing manufacturers are putting smaller size tags on the big clothes (they did that once didn't they?) please don't tell me. Since my store credit ended up to be a whopping $1.95 I only got one pair of pants and the bathing suit. I was so happy I celebrated with a banana split blizzard at DQ. Ok, so maybe that wasn't the best idea...

Record of a Different Sort

2008-06-07T09:21:00.002-04:00

Time spent in Target: 4 minutes
Money spent: $6.59

Anxiety

2008-05-27T17:22:00.002-04:00

Today I heard the water running for a long time. I asked M. what he was doing. "Just washing my hands" he replied. Ok, finish up then, stop dilly-dallying. Then I heard the water going on and off. M.! What are you doing? "I told you, I'm washing my hands" Knock it off already. What's going on with your hands? "I'm just washing the blood off." BLOOD!? I shot into the bathroom faster than Carl Lewis or whoever the fastest man in the world is these days. Turns out it was only loose tooth #4 and so little blood it didn't even qualify as a drop. Thank goodness!

Typical Monday

2008-05-13T15:53:00.006-04:00

Here is May's 12 of 12 layout:

The journaling reads:
Just the usual weekday around here…
1. making P.’s vitamin mix
2. packing lunches
3. reading for half an hour over my own breakfast once the boys have gone to school
4. lots of errands: visit to the JCC to see if we
want to join, the library, grocery shopping
5. gotta have my Tim Horton’s tea. $1.65 may
seem a lot for some hot water and a tea bag,
but it is soooo good and since I’ve cut back
to one cup a day, I feel justified!
6. went to the BAC for the first time in 2 weeks and managed to stay on the Stairmaster for 15 minutes!
7. waiting for the school buses
8. P.’s school had a flower sale for Mother’s Day. We sent in the money and he brought home the red one on Friday. This morning the bus driver said they had one leftover and did I order 2? I said no, I didn’t think so. Well, apparently I did, so the yellow one came home today. Poor Teri, she babysat this flower the whole weekend and all of Monday, keeping it alive. I tried to give it to her but she wouldn’t take it.
9. Signed up for Stacy’s “Have More Fun” class at BPS starting in July. I can’t wait!
10. Made a quick playground visit after dinner. We’re finding the boys sleep better if we do this and now that it is light out longer, they want some outside activity.
11. laundry, it never ends
12. stayed up too late watching a movie (Unconditional Love with Kathy Bates) sometimes Netflix is a bad thing

I'm not totally happy with how it came out, I had some cropping and sizing issues and I think that big green space at the top is distracting... Maybe I'll slap a big 'ol flower there or something. Or maybe not.

Doesn't Smell New, But Looks Pretty Good

2008-05-02T21:22:00.006-04:00

Today I decided to clean out the car. Here's what I found:

1.5 plastic easter eggs (1 purple, 1/2 green)
a metal monkey bookmark
a broken pirate eyepatch
1 red wool headband
a baggie of crushed Lucky Charms cereal (no marshmallows)
1 plastic thingamajig
4 rocks
10 books (2 Halloween theme)
4 coloring books (2 Christmas theme)
31 crayons (26 whole, 5 broken)
1 colored pencil (yellow)
1 cardboard tag that says "Rush" (what or to where I have no idea)
6 bank envelopes (empty)
4 raisin boxes (also empty)
at least half a box of petrified raisins scattered all over
3 torn paper chef's hats from Ted's Hot Dogs
3 donut bags (empty; 2 Tim Hortons, 1 Dunkin Donuts)
many many sprinkles from said donuts
2 ATM receipts
3 errand lists
2 shopping lists
lots of used tissues
a bottle of eyeglass cleaner
3 petrified french fries (we haven't eaten these in the car in I don't remember when. Other than the dust they looked a lot like they do when you buy them. That right there is probably reason enough to stop eating them)
2 blankets
a box of emergency stuff (jumper cables, flares, etc.)
a box containing wipes, the harnesses & cup holders from the booster seats, portable potty liners, and a first aid kit)
the diaper bag (doesn't get daily use anymore but still good to have in case of emergencies)
2 kid winter gloves (not matching)
1 pair kid mittens (matching)
3 baseball hats (1 adult, 2 child - too small now)
1 winter coat (adult)
1 windbreaker (adult)
1 tobaggan
1 tote bag of swim gear
a bag of gummy worms (empty)
4 toy cars
2 kaleidoscopes
1 bendy plastic cat
1 plastic princess ring (pink)
2 plastic knights and thier matching horses
1 transformer
2 toy phones
2 toy alphabet games
2 drawing boards
1 tic-tac-toe game
1 broken happy meal toy
1 winter scarf (child)
1/2 box of tissues (clean)
my sunglasses
my wireless headset
3 pens (2 blue, 1 red)
the snowbrush
1 flashlight (still in package)
$2 in change ($1.45 that I spent later, .30 that I sucked up in the vacuum and .25 that I can see but can't get out)

What's in your car?

Lighten Up, People!

2008-04-20T22:25:00.007-04:00

The boys and I went to a ceramics make & take Friday night with their cousins. Lots of fun and the woman who owns the business seems very nice. But I don't think she understands kids very well, even though she works with them a lot. She took one look at P. and announced that he could paint the cat because it was all one color and didn't have small details since he would not be able to handle them. I told her nicely that he was capable of picking the piece he wanted to paint and I was cool with imperfection. He picked a lizard. She insisted on giving him the green paint because lizards are green. He didn't want green, he asked for orange and red. I got him orange and red and she seemed surprised. M. also picked the same lizard but he wanted his to be red, black and yellow stripes with a turquoise underside. "No, " she said again, "lizards are green." I said he can do it however he likes, it's his lizard. After a few more similar exchanges, she gave up on us and started insisting that cousin's reindeer must be brown all over. Now really, what kid is going to want to paint with only brown?

Today we took the boys to a free movie at the big theatre/playhouse downtown. It was Wizard of Oz so I knew P. would sit still for it, that's his favorite movie. Come to think of it, it's one of my favorite movies. As we waited for the show to start, the man in front of us was annoyed because M. kept kicking his chair. M. insisted he wasn't, he was just swinging his legs. No matter, I said, sit cross-legged and try really hard not to swing. Throughout the movie the man kept turning around to check that M.'s feet were not near his seat. They weren't, because by this time he'd made me paranoid about it. But really. It's a free movie for kids. There are, like, 10,000 kids here. The man had 2 kids of his own, who were no doubt kicking the seats of the people in front of them. It's a free movie for kids. It's not a $200 ticket to the opera. There are kids involved. You gotta expect a little excitement, noise and dancing & singing. And yes, maybe even some leg swinging.

You Just Can't See This Stuff Coming

2008-04-17T19:41:00.004-04:00

Last night after the boys got out of the bath I went to get their pajamas. When I got back, there they were: stark naked, movin' and groovin' to the music from their Tooth Tunes toothbrushes (the themes from Transformers & Star Wars). D. and I were practically in tears we were laughing so hard.

Before you have kids you picture all the big stuff, like learning to walk, birthday parties and going off to college. You could never imagine the little everyday moments like these, which makes them even more precious. Right now I can't think of any greater blessing than being a parent.

This is What Saturdays Look Like Here

2008-04-13T19:36:00.005-04:00

I just joined a scrap challenge entitled "Twelve of Twelve" started by Susan. I found out about it from reading Cathy's blog. The premise is simple. On the 12th of each month, take 12 pictures of your everyday life and scrap them. Sounds fun, yes?

This is the first one I've done and I'll admit I didn't remember to take any photos until around 1:00. We're pretty laid back here on Saturdays and I've been wanting to do a layout about that for awhile, so it all worked out. Here's the layout:

And the explanation: Saturdays are all about relaxing in our house. The boys are worn out from school and I'm just plain worn out. So we spend the day (from left top to right bottom) making art, playing on the computer, going to playgrounds, having ice cream treats at our favorite local place, dog piling with Dad, reading (Quilter's Homecoming by J. Chiaverini), watching tv (Finding Nemo), logging into SparkPeople (yikes, I've used more than half my daily calories before lunch!), getting dressed at 2:21 (usually when D. gets home from work and says "you're STILL in your pajamas?!") going to dinner for spaghetti at another favorite local place, drinking a lot of tea, and reading Simple Scrapbooks before bed.

Sounds like a pretty good Saturday to me.

Stop Global Warming

2008-04-02T20:40:00.006-04:00

This past weekend we participated in Earth Hour and turned off our lights from 8 to 9 pm. When I told the kids about it M. was all for it. "We have to stop Global Warming, Mom! Where is he? Why don't they just put him in jail?" It's funny how kids interpret things sometimes, isn't it? But now I can't get these two guys out of my head. Picturing them helps me turn off the lights and keep recycling!
(If you want to create your own superhero, go here)

Mystery Baby

2008-03-27T10:04:00.004-04:00

We just got the most adorable birth announcement in the mail. The problem is we have nooooo idea who the baby is. The announcement just lists her name and stats, no parents or siblings. We have some friends with that last name, but they're in their 50's and haven't adopted, so it's not them. The postmark is from Virginia. We have 2 sets of friends who live thereabouts, but it's not either of them. We run through the list of people we know who are expecting. Nope, nope, and nope. We scan the Christmas card address list. No bells ringing there. We scrutinize the handwriting. No clues there either. So proud parents, while you may know us well enough to send us notice of this happy occasion, we have no clue who you are. I'm sure when we find out, it'll be one of those "Duh!" moments. In the meantime, we'll just say that the baby is adorable and we're so happy for all of you! Edit: We found out today (4/2) who the baby is: D's cousin's granddaughter, so I guess that makes her a third cousin? And it seems a lot of the family was asking "whose baby is this?" too. Made us feel better.

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T23:31:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter how is your wife Mister Easter Bunny how are you doing do you have any children

What's Your House Rating?

2008-03-19T12:34:00.009-04:00

We had a family dinner last weekend. The kids were all playing so nicely. And so quietly. Yeah, you're right, that should have been my first clue.

They had asked if they could do art projects in the family room, which was fine with me so long as it didn't involve paint or playdoh and they cleaned up the mess afterward. They asked if they could make a "cave" which was also fine. I assumed they were doing something with the couch cushions since those items almost never actually reside on the couch. It turns out that they were taping the art work to the walls to make the room look creepy and cave-like. Also ok as I have been known to tape artwork to the walls myself, particularly in the kitchen to hide all the holes and the stripes of potential paint colors.

But I have to draw the line on using a glue stick to put stuff on the wall. How the heck am I going to get that and its bonded orange construction paper off my pale blue wall? Honestly, if they had done it in the kitchen or the playroom (aka what most people use as a living/dining room) or the hallway I would have laughed and moved on. But they picked the family room. The room that we redid last year after removing the ugly 1960's paneling. The room that looks better than the whole rest of the house put together. The room that looks like grownups live here.

That last statement kept repeating in my head all night long. What does it mean to have a house that looks like kids live there? What does it mean to have a house that looks like grownups live there? Can the two exist in the same house at the same time or will that bend the space-time continuum?

I thought of all the houses I've been in lately. There are the houses where you know the instant you get inside, maybe even before, that kids live there. There are pictures on the refrigerator, little shoes littering the hallway, legos strewn around. There are the houses that look a bit neater but kid-evidence is still around in the form of bigger shoes, game systems and the like. There are the houses where you can guess that teens live because there are still bigger shoes, electronic devices, a chest freezer in an obvious place and lots of cars in the driveway.

Then there are the houses that have me totally stumped. I know kids live there because I've met them, spoken to them, maybe even followed them inside. But there is absolutely no evidence of them anywhere. It's like entering an alternate house universe. A house black hole. And the whole time I'm there I'm discreetly searching for the evidence. I'm looking for a fingerprint on the light switch. A cheerio under the couch cushion. A stray sock peeking out from somewhere. Something! Anything! I become this guy. ---> We've got ice creams and lollipops and candies, allllll free today! Where do they keep the kids and all their associated flotsam in these houses? I imagine a set of graduated nesting boxes marked "baby" "toddler" "little boy/girl" "bigger boy/girl" and "teenager". Are the kids just more well behaved and trained in these houses? Are they all neat freaks with touches of OCD? Maybe they have a full-time nanny and a separate wing for her and everyone under 18. And a housekeeper. What? Where? How?

And then I started thinking what if there were a house rating system? How would kids rate houses?

***** totally kid friendly. No holds barred, messes allowed, junk food all the time.

**** kid friendly. Some rules, some messes allowed, good snacks

*** kid acquainted. More rules, few messes allowed, ok snacks

** kids might have lived here once a long time ago. Lots of rules, very few messes allowed, snacks are of the disgustingly healthy variety

* Danger! Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!

I think our house would rate 4 stars. Possibly 5 stars on some occasions. For the most part I don't mind being the kid friendly house in the family and possibly the neighborhood later on. You've got to be a grownup for an awfully long time so why not let the kids enjoy being kids for as long as possible? This is not to say that I'm going to abandon attempts to make my boys eat veggies, make sure they say please and thank you (even to the brother who's sitting on their head), tidy up and all that other good stuff. But I'm not going to let a spill or some paper scraps on the floor ruin our day. I'll figure out a way to get glue stick off the grownup wall. Because when all is said and done, I'd rather have a 4 star house than a 1 star house.

I'll just have to wait to have totally grownup house until the boys leave home. I'll be around 65 by then. I can live with that. I can enjoy it until whenever grandkids hopefully arrive and then I'm sure we'll be back to paper scraps and spills.

But I'm definitely going to hide all the glue sticks.

The UPS Man Thinks I'm Psychic

2008-03-12T18:48:00.003-04:00

A few months ago I pre-ordered this book, mostly so I wouldn't have to try and remember it later when it was actually ready to ship. Today I realized that it should be arriving soon. While I was standing in the driveway waiting for P.'s bus to arrive, the UPS truck came rumbling down the street. "Oh" I thought "here comes the UPS man now to bring me my new book." And wouldn't you know it, that is exactly what he was doing! He was a little freaked out that I was standing in the driveway though.

So if anybody would like me to predict their future, the sex of their unborn baby or what stock is going to hit it big next -- you know where to find me :-D

Birthday Party Realities II

2008-03-10T14:05:00.008-04:00

If you are going to plan a birthday party, if at all possible try to stay away from the one weekend of the winter when a major storm hits. Using the excuse of it being March does not cut it here in WNY.
If that's not possible, just reschedule and move on.

At least the extra time gives you more time to clean the house.
Which can be a bad thing. All children at the party fall on your kitchen floor about 10 times. This has nothing to do with the fact that they are playing chase, because they do that every day. It is because the floor is way too clean -- there is no dirt to keep them stuck down.

So in the interest of safety, you have to invoke rule #1 from here and spill heavy whipping cream all over said floor. Naturally, in full view of all the guests. Try to swear quietly.
Thank goodness you have another pint hidden in the back of the fridge because the birthday boy likes to put the heavy cream in his cereal and to hell with being lactose intolerant! but send said birthday boy to the store for 2 cans of "fake" whipped cream just in case. Now you have 2 full cans of fake whipped cream just hanging around because there is no more dessert to eat them with.

And speaking of dessert, if one cake is good, then 2 are better. And a pie, and banana bread, and what the heck, put some cookies out too. And some berries for the cheesecake. And the whipped cream. Worry that you are an overachiever or channeling your mother who had to feed 12 people 3x a day. But notice that there were very few leftovers so either you are a perfect party planner or your guests are all just sugar addicts and will be buzzing around at 3 a.m. cursing you. At least the coffee was decaf.
If you are going to put 51 candles (because you need 1 extra for good luck) on a small cake, you had better be sure the birthday boy is in the room and the guests are ready to sing right then. The flames from 51 candles get pretty high! The children will be highly entertained by this and want to know if the smoke alarm will go off and if it does will everyone have to go outside and stand in the snow? The heat from all those flames will also make the wax candles melt extremely fast. The cute cake will not be so cute anymore after you pick all the wax from its icing, but it will still taste good.
If you think chocolate is a good gift for the birthday boy, everyone else will too. Fortunately, in this case he does not mind duplicates at all.
If you make a cute "50 Things We Love About You" book for the birthday boy, realize that all the party guests will read it before he gets a chance to. Which ended up being ok too.

50 Years Ago Today

2008-03-06T09:51:00.004-05:00

They couldn't have known it then, but 50 years ago today, these two wonderful people gave me the very best gift ever.

Happy Birthday Honey! I love you!

Squirrel Energy

2008-02-28T17:46:00.003-05:00

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we don't live in rural Alaska any longer. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that there are 3 grocery stores and a warehouse club within 5 miles of our house -- no planes, ferries or excessive shipping costs involved. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that this is the end of February and stocking up for winter is almost at an end. Sometimes we remind ourselves of all these things and fail miserably. Which is why D. came home from BJ's with 32 bottles of juice.

Six Things

2008-02-27T14:12:00.006-05:00

Six Things About You @ Age 6

Your current favorite food is meatballs, with or without sauce

You come into the bedroom every morning to snuggle and you get mad if I'm already up

You like to call us continuously "Mom! Daddy!" for no real reason, just to make sure we're still there

Sometimes you just start singing out of happiness

Lately you have been shouting "NO!" really loud in your sleep. Or laughing.

You love swimming! You just went to no bubbles at swimming lessons.

You are very sensitive

You love to create art

Your current favorites are Ben10 and Thunderbirds

You love Tim Horton's donuts, especially vanilla dip

You take dinosaur chicken nuggets to school for lunch every day

You like to wear all the same color: red shirt, red pants, red socks

Birthday Party Realities

2008-02-27T09:46:00.007-05:00

We had the boys' birthday party this past weekend. Their first "kid" party. When your son looks up at you and says "can we have our friends instead of your friends at our party this year?" you realize that yes, you have to do the kid party.

Most of their friends and cousins have done things at various bounce house places, a farm, a gymnastics place -- in other words, somewhere other than their house where everything is provided, you don't have to clean up and it costs lots of money. So naturally, D. and I decided we should have the party at home. A good old-fashioned home party like the kind we remember having as kids.

We set the guest list: 3 school friends each, 2 cousins, 2 mutual friends. With the birthday boys that made 12 kids. We set the theme: super heroes! and asked all the guests to think about their super hero name and power. We got the craft/favor: decorate-your-own canvas capes from Oriental Trading and masks from Party City. We set the menu: hot dogs, pizza, various chips and juice boxes. We ordered the cake: yellow with raspberry filling, with red, white & blue icing with yellow stars, very superheroish. We got ice cream skippy cups for the birthday boy who doesn't like cake. We organized the activities: decorating said capes, training exercises (an obstacle course in the basement play area), a graduation ceremony where they get their capes and mask, a scavenger hunt for glow stick necklaces (power magnifiers), and a rescue from a burning building (a decorated wardrobe box). Everyone rsvps yes and we're good to go.

Here is my planned "schedule" for the party:
3:00 guests arrive, have their identity "scanned" and decorate
their capes
3:30 everyone goes downstairs for the obstacle course while I heat-set the designs they've drawn on their capes
3:50 Everyone comes up to eat pizza & hot dogs
4:15 We have our little graduation ceremony and everyone puts on their superhero garb and I get lots of photos
4:20 We do the scavenger hunt for glow stick necklaces
4:30 We do the burning building rescue of stuffed animals
4:45 We have cake and ice cream
5:15ish Everyone departs

Here's reality:

3:00 Guests arrive and some have their identities scanned (most did not get this at all). They begin to decorate their capes. Some do not want to decorate their capes but want to play with our many toys. Husband and I express surprise at how many parents elect to drop off and leave. (We have had this conversation before at bounce house places, etc. and have come to the conclusion that we are just hyper-hawk paranoid parents.)
3:20 A pack of cape and mask wearing superheroes commence running all over the entire house, including the upstairs which is off limits.
3:30 Said pack goes downstairs and begins training on their own. Husband realizes this and goes down to supervise.
3:40 Half the pack comes upstairs and starts doing puzzles, art, taking out trains, etc.
3:50 Everyone comes to table for pizza & hot dogs. Listen to many voices saying they don't like pizza or hot dog or this kind of juice box, etc. etc. Most eat or drink something with only a few dissenters wandering around.
4:00 Pack runs around for 10 minutes while food is cleared.
4:10 Scavenger hunt for glow sticks begins. Some do not get the concept of "find only one" while others do not want to find any at all. Some wear them, some do not.
4:15 Commence burning building rescue with stuffed animals. Have conversation about how it doesn't matter that animals can't talk or call for help and why they are in the burning building in the first place. Everyone does at least one "rescue," some grudgingly. Several do 5 or 6 rescues. Everyone has an opinion on which stuffed animal they want to rescue. At this point the box begins to break because you have cut too big a door into it along with a window on the opposing side and 12 crashing 6 year-olds take a toll. The ones who do not want to rescue more than once resume their previous activities: running in pack, art, puzzles, toys, jumping around downstairs. Simultaneously supervise potty trips & coax wanderers from upstairs.
4:40 Cake and ice cream. Singing of the happy birthday song many times as well as blowing out the relighting candles. Have to microwave skippy cups for 5 seconds each as they are frozen solid and plastic spoons are breaking.
5:00 More playing and merriment.
6:00 Last guest departs.
6:05 You and husband exchange a look and simultaneously say "Next year, bounce house."
7:00 Eat rest of pizza and hot dogs with in-laws while cleaning up.
7:30 Convince birthday boys to open gifts. Thankful for gift receipts, separate gifts into 2 piles, keep and exchange.
8:45 Two happy birthday boys express delight at party and fall asleep content.

Did our moms just make it look easy?

Grocery Shopping & Gender Differences

2008-02-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

I forgot it was Super Bowl Sunday and went to the grocery store this afternoon. Not that I had any choice, all the cupboards were bare. And since there were many more men than usual in the grocery store, something I have noticed in the past became even more apparent. Maybe you've noticed it too? It seems that men and women grocery shop in very different ways. And I'm not talking about what's in the cart, I'm talking about the process. For instance:

Women wheel the cart around the aisles or carry the basket with them. Men leave the cart or the basket at the end of the aisle and carry armloads back and forth. (which can lead to an argument if you are shopping with your spouse and your purse or your child is in the cart)

Women wait in one place at the deli counter, trusting that the nice deli slicer person will remember our faces or our coat color and be able to find us again. Men follow the nice deli slicer person from slicer to slicer, up and down the counter. Women ask for "half a pound of Battistoni hard salami, sliced thin." Men point and ask for "half a pound of that."

Women use coupons. Men don't.

Women may or not follow a shopping list. Men, if they have been sent by their spouse, always have a list. And will still have to call home 3 times to ask for help finding the things on the list.

To be fair, you can substitute "Home Depot" for grocery store and reverse everything in favor of the men. Not that I intend to be stereotypical in any way, shape or form, you understand.

I didn't see my shadow today...

2008-02-02T18:55:00.000-05:00

because it's snowing. I've always wondered what all the fuss is about the Groundhog predicting an early spring or more winter. It's February 2, people! In six weeks it will be the middle of March and the first day of spring is March 21. So the way I calculate it, whether Phil sees his (her?) shadow or not, it's still gonna be winter for six more weeks. Right?

Lots of Random

2008-01-19T12:38:00.001-05:00

This will be a whole lot of unrelated random stuff ...

I never got around to sending Christmas cards since I didn't have a recent picture of all of us and whenever anyone was around to take one, someone was missing. So they have turned into New Year's cards. But I still need someone to take the photo. Anyone want to come over and hold the camera? It still counts as Happy New Year if I get them out before Valentine's Day right? Edited 1/26/08: The cards are out! I mailed the last batch today. So look in your mailboxes loved ones!

And speaking of Valentine's, we got all the Christmas decorations put away and while I was at it I took the opportunity to put the boys' special ornaments into their own boxes with labels saying when they received them and from who. They got a lot of ornaments before they were even born! Then I figured I may as well reorganize all the other holiday decorations. The basement was full of things I hadn't put away from autumn/Halloween/Thanksgiving and Easter was mingled in with St. Patrick's -- in short, the kind of task I love. The kind that is relatively unnecessary in the large scheme of things and therefore must take precedence over everything else. So now every event has its own little home. And I see that for an irish girl I am pathetically deficient on St. Patrick's Day decorations, but if I even think about acquiring any more Easter stuff you should cut off my marshmallow peep supply. I put up the Valentine decorations yesterday (you know M. was happy!) and even found some nifty blinking heart lights to put in the front windows. They look really neat at night.

We still haven't figured out what to do for M&P's birthday which is fast approaching. They have been to a few birthday parties for classmates at bounce houses and those kinds of places and I know they really want to have a "friend" party rather than the big family party we usually do (which considering it's mostly our friends that come I can totally understand). Most of the places I've checked into are reasonable in price if you break it all out but still more expensive than I was expecting. Or they have a big minimum to meet, like 15 or 20 kids. We could easily meet that if we invited everyone in both classes but do I really want to be in close proximity to 30 six-year-olds on a sugar or adrenaline high? We could do something at home with fewer kids. Or take a few kids to an activity like bowling. They seem to be happy with either option so long as there is cake, ice cream and friends. What to do, what to do?

Still working on getting the blasted wallpaper off in the hallway. Scraping it with a razor blade is the only thing that is getting it off so it's slow going. Now I wonder if we should keep going or just put up 1/4" wallboard over the whole thing or wainscoting or something. And if I even mention putting wallpaper up in the next 50 years, you have permission to make me eat paste.

Have you heard about one little word? This is something that Ali Edwards started a few years ago on her blog and it has caught on with a lot of people. I was intrigued by it and thought about what my word for the year should be. Possible candidates were joy, love, share, create & simplify but I think my word is going to be BEGIN. Kind of a strange word to focus on for the year I know, but my reasoning is that a lot of what I want to accomplish doesn't get done because of my tendency towards procrastination. When I finally get started (wallpaper notwithstanding) I find the task I've been putting off takes a very short time and I'm left wondering what took me so long? So this year I am going to remind myself to just BEGIN. Even if something takes a long time to complete, it'll never get done unless I start. So whether it's laundry, losing 30 pounds or organizing the closets, this is the year that I am going to take a deep breath and just get started. Wish me luck!

There is also something called the 365 photo challenge, which is basically taking one photo a day for an entire year. I'm intrigued by this too, but not going to do it this year. Maybe I'll try and commit to doing a whole month first...

I've been participating in the Layout a Day (LOAD) Challenge over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. Due to a bout of stomach flu and other stuff I haven't been posting or even doing a layout a day, but when I get going I scrap 8 or 9 at once so I'm still caught up. There are more than 2000 scrappers participating and 14,000 (yes you read that right!) layouts posted to the gallery. As a relatively new scrapper, I haven't done this many layouts ever, never mind all in one month. And I'm trying very hard to use the supplies I have already acquired and not buy anything new except adhesive. So far so good since I got a new goodie fix due to a Christmas gift from my niece. Thanks H! I'm having lots of fun with this and getting a lot of ideas and inspiration as well, so thanks to Lain for doing this for all of us! If I figure out how to post a separate photo album on here, I'll put up some photos. Edited: There is now a Flickr badge to the left! And here is a link to the photo album there if you want a closer look.

My new-to-me tv find is Heroes. Love it! I could have done without the graphic violence in the first few episodes though. I love how with each episode there are twists & turns -- "he's a bad guy, no wait, is he a good guy, no, maybe he is a bad guy, just what is going on here?!" What super power would you like to have? I think I'd like to multiply myself to get more done and still be able to sleep 12 hours a night :-D

Speaking of sleeping, did you ever have one of those nights where you keep having bizarro dreams and end up awake imagining all kinds of scenarios that will never ever happen but that you now feel prepared to handle? It's not just me, right?

Swimming lessons started up again last week. P. is in his element, so excited when he realized where we were going. They are "lobsters" this go round which means that they are in the pool on their own with the instructors and Mom & Dad do not have to get in the pool. (Yay!) And they both did a very good job listening to the instructors so that was a big sigh of relief for us. We were running late (as usual) and halfway across the parking lot I realized that P. was missing a shoe. Ok, that's not uncommon, he takes his shoes off all the time. At least he kept the sock on. We go back to the car and I can't find the shoe. Thankfully there is no snow and it's relatively warm, and hey, we've already been across the parking lot once, so we just go in without it. Once D. arrives and they have started their lesson, I go back out to do a more thorough search. I find several empty Tim Horton bags, lots of broken crayons, a full juice box, some knights that have been missing from the castle playset and lots of dried up raisins. No shoe. Now I am panicking a bit. They are brand new and cost $55! Where is that shoe? Would Stride Right possibly let me buy a left shoe for half price? He couldn't have thrown it out the window because now that he's figured out what that button is for I have the parental window lock on. I search the cargo area of the car and find several dirty socks, some empty plastic bags, lots of emergency gear, and the container of dish detergent I forgot to bring in from the last trip to BJs. Now I am questioning my own sanity and powers of memory, did I even put the 2nd shoe on him? D. thinks I am a nut and volunteers to go look for the shoe since he often finds the thing I swear is lost forever. But he doesn't find it either. All the way home I am going a bit loopy thinking about the shoe. M. suggests I pray to "that saint guy." What the heck, we all say the poem and ask St. Tony to have a look-see around and get back to us. When we get home, there is the shoe, tangled up in the hallway rug. It must have come off as I herded everyone towards the garage. Where was it that I go to apply for the "most observant mother" award?

Relentless Part II

2007-12-31T11:35:00.000-05:00

We just returned last night from my family's Christmas party in NJ where the boys had a fantastic time running around with all the cousins and being spoiled by the aunties & uncles. I still haven't moved all the furniture back from hosting Christmas dinner for D's family. There are some new toys mixed with the old ones, a lot still in their packages and I think P. hasn't even seen everything in the bag of gifts Santa left him. I just put together the walls of our gingerbread house so we can decorate it (with leftover Halloween candy) later this afternoon. When I go down to the basement to start the mountain of laundry we somehow accumulated in 2 days, I'll get out the horns and party hats for our little New Year's Eve celebration before the boys go to bed. I'm wondering what I can turn leftover ham into that will still be festive and more importantly, get eaten. You know, general mid- and post-holiday mayhem. You've probably got it at your house too.

And then it happened:

M. came over and asked "don't we have any Valentine decorations we can bring up? How about Easter then?"

Aaaaaargh!!!!!

I Should Listen to Oprah More Often

2007-11-26T22:56:00.001-05:00

For the past few months, my boobs have been feeling different. Not painful, no lumps or bumps or visible changes, but just... there. You know how suddenly you're very conscious of a body part that was "invisible" before? Still, I was considering moving my mammogram appointment up because clearly something was not right. (You've made your appointment, haven't you?)

Then at the gym, I'm flipping through an old issue of "O" in an effort to trick my mind into thinking that I'm not really exercising but am home in my pajamas reading a magazine, when I come across this article that says 8 out of 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra. Hmmmm. Might that be my problem? When I get home I take a look at my under garments. And I have to say, they look pretty sad. I can't tell what size they are because all the writing has been rubbed off the tags, but the few sports bras I have say 36B (I don't wear those that much). Come to think of it, I don't remember the last time I went bra shopping. It's entirely possible that I purchased these before I got pregnant. That's rather sad and pathetic, isn't it? Maybe there needs to be an article about how old your bras are! So I go and get myself measured and I'm a 38C! I had to go to Target anyway and found some nice comfy cotton ones (and I got some new underwear too, since I figure I haven't shopped for those in 6 years either). I'm happy to say that after a week of wearing new bras, my boobs have gone back to invisible status.

Yeah. That Oprah knows what she's talking about.

Relentless

2007-11-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

M. has been talking about Christmas since August but with the start of kindergarten, Halloween and various other events, we have been able to distract him. The requests to bring up the decorations, the videos, the books, anything Christmas have been becoming more frequent as stores turn red & green and people start putting up their outdoor lights and decorations before the snow and ice arrive.

Last night driving home from Thanksgiving dinner, there was considerable excitement in the back seat. An unmistakable feeling of "Thanksgiving is over. Come on Christmas!" We declined to empty the Christmas Closet right then and there, but allowed that the books and videos (of which we have a considerable collection) could come out of storage. Each boy got to pick one video to watch before bed and we parents held firm to our resolve of "no more!" This morning M's eyes were barely open when he was lobbying for the tree to come up. Over breakfast he argued that the tree would look sad without the lights. Now it's lunchtime and he's begging for ornaments. This child is relentless when there is something he wants. I will have every sympathy for his future wife (but no advice, I'm afraid!). P. is more subtle. He doesn't ask, but he's been quietly going into the family room and festooning the tree with potholders, the batman cape, a book, and a pink feather boa. Otherwise he's watching "Barney's Night Before Christmas" and doing his own version of the 12 days of Christmas dance. (I really do need to get a battery for the video camera!)

We've never begun decorating this early before. The rest of the downstairs is total chaos as I continue to strip wallpaper and will try valiantly to get the painting done before we host Christmas dinner. I would have preferred not to introduce decorations into the mess right at this moment, but I do have to admit that Thanksgiving is over...

Twitterpated

2007-11-14T19:55:00.000-05:00

A few new things I'm loving:

These have been heavily advertised in the scrapping magazines for months and I have been anxious to get a look at them. Finally, they are available and oh so cute! I've got a few of the "Believe" ones for Christmas projects but I can't tell you any more in case the recipients are listening...

How can a magazine junkie and organizing freak not love this?All kinds of tips, tricks, storage containers and interviews with organized people I aspire to be like. I'm putting a subscription on my wish list for Santa.

The two classes I'm taking at Big Picture Scrapbooking. One is gift projects that can be made in two hours or less. Lots of inspiration, doable projects and gifts that people will actually use! Just what I needed to get the holiday gift giving season rolling. The other class is on wellness. More inspiration, tips on exercise and nutrition, and the knowledge that lots of other women are struggling with the same things I am. I've renewed my commitment to getting healthy. My classmates are very inspiring and giving ladies, I am getting so much from visiting the galleries and message boards every day -- I've done more layouts this past two weeks than I've done in 6 months. Gotta love it when creativity and practicality merge. Thanks Kolette & Lisa!

And I'm very excited about these returning favorites:

I was a late convert to Project Runway since we don't have regular tv (long story). But once I found the DVDs on Netflix, I was hooked and having fashion marathons after the boys went to bed. (Isn't it every girl's dream at some point to be a fashion designer? It seems to be the natural evolution from ballerina.) The Season 3 DVD just came out last week and I'm halfway through (don't tell me who won). Season 4 starts tonight and I need to find someone with cable to go watch with because no way am I waiting a year to see it. D. doesn't get the whole attraction and keeps telling me to go to bed and get some sleep already. But then, but he's not a woman or a gay man (thank goodness). :-D May I say how much I adore Tim Gunn? I can?Ok. I absolutely adore Tim Gunn.

Victoria has returned! What a surprise that was at the magazine section of Wegman's. Oh, did I mourn this magazine's passing. I loved everything about it: the photography, the articles, the recipes, the gentility, the Victoria of it all. Now it's back and it looks exactly the same. It's like being in a time warp, but in a really good way. Maybe this should go on my Santa wish list too.

Recognizing a Kindred Spirit

2007-10-27T14:40:00.000-04:00

Last night we were at a Halloween party. Another of the guests was a 7-year-old boy with Down syndrome. P. ran by him, stopped, and came back. He looked up into the boy's eyes, smiled and patted him on the chest. The other little boy smiled back. Then they ran off in separate directions. Once, walking through a mall at Christmas time when the boys were toddlers, an adult man with Down syndrome gave P. that same kind of smile.

Witnessing exchanges like this remind me that some cultures believe that people with Down syndrome are the closest beings to angels here on earth. They recognize that in each other. I wish we all could.

Command Central

2007-10-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

M. stayed home from school today with a fever, so my plans of stripping wallpaper were pretty much shot (I was really heartbroken). As anyone with a sick child knows, they don't want you too far out of range. So we snuggled on the couch and watched a movie (Dreamer - really good!) and later we did some art projects.

I found this quiz the other day on one of my favorite organizing websites. Fun, but a bit disconcerting when I realized that I am essentially all of these except The Rebel. Hoarder - yup, that's my craft area(s)! Deferrer - yup, I can procrastinate with the best of 'em. Perfectionist - well, I am a Virgo. And the blog title says it all. Sentimentalist - uh huh!

So with that in mind, and since I wasn't going to get much done today otherwise, I decided to tidy up and reorganize the "command central" area of the kitchen. There was so much stuff stuck to the refrigerator I had no idea what any of it was anymore and every time you walked by something would fall off it. I took everything off and organized the papers into folders: M's school handbook and papers, P's school handbook and papers (they go to different schools in different districts), separate homework folders for both boys, appointments and events (that little pocket on the calendar wasn't big enough), & all the papers I need for Room Mom duties. That all got organized in a nifty super-strong magnetic holder next to the calendar. Then I redid two little photo calendars: one for P. so he knows whether today is a school day or a pajama-weekend day and one so we can remember what to bring to school on what day (library book, show & tell, etc).

I had revamped my Tea Towel Cleaning Schedule a bit and printed it onto cardstock last week, so I made that into little cards for each day, as well as lists of monthly and seasonal cleaning chores (with input from the same organizing site and this one. I lost my shopping lists when the old hard drive croaked so I redid those too. And my menu lists. I put all of it in plastic envelopes that I put sticky magnets on and dressed up with some stickers from my scrapbooking stash.

Why yes, I do have too much time on my hands, why do you ask?

We Only Get One Planet

2007-10-15T19:32:00.000-04:00

Today is Blog Action Day. What are you doing lately to protect and preserve the environment? You don't have to make big sacrifices to help the environment (though those are good!). Even little things will help.

Around here we clean with a lot of natural stuff, like vinegar & baking soda. There are a lot of books available with "recipes" so you can do the same thing. Vinegar kill 99% of household germs, so I wash the floors and other surfaces with it. It smells nicer than some of the chemical products and I always want to eat a salad afterward, which since we buy organic produce, also helps sustain the earth. Two for one!

If we ever have serious money for a new car or the government gets their energy act together, I totally want to buy a hybrid vehicle. I can't ride a bike to work like my niece H. does (Hi H!) because here in Western New York there is snow. And I'm not working outside the home at the moment. But today I did park my car at one end of the strip mall parking lot and walk all the way to the other end and back (with packages!) instead of driving from store to store. So I cut down on emissions and got my exercise too. Another two for one!

In the spring we are going to start a garden in the space where the broken down shed used to be and attempt to grow veggies and maybe some berries. As I said above, we buy organic as much as possible, both for our health and the health of the earth.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We've all heard it, but we need to do it. We recycle a lot around here, even the boys know not to throw out a piece of paper or cardboard in the regular trash. And M. is always going through the recycling bin looking for stuff to make art projects with. We send outgrown clothes to friends with younger kids or take them to Goodwill. I'm still working on the Reduce part, in many ways.

We only get one planet. Don't leave your kids a sick one.

The Little Things Are the Big Things

2007-10-13T09:35:00.000-04:00

We realized the other day that life around here seems a lot easier and calmer. A lot of that is due to the fact that P. has shown a lot of progress since school started.

He is starting to tell us when he has to use the potty, often getting out of the bath or bed to go again before he goes to sleep. This week he kept his pants dry for a 40 hour stretch! And I don't really want to count the accident, since he was sitting on the potty at the time, he just forgot to take his pants off first.

If he needs medicine, he drinks it right out of the little cup, no more holding him and forcing it down with the little dropper.

This morning he insisted on eating his yogurt all by himself. This doesn't sound like a big deal unless you know that all his vitamins, ginko, fish oil, iodine and flaxseed are mixed in there. (Would you eat it on your own?) He can help himself to a snack or drink if he wants one, though I have to check to make sure the refrigerator door gets closed. He's trying new foods voluntarily. All the fruit in the drawer has little bite marks. More food is going in his mouth than on his shirt, lap, or the floor. Last week he got the step stool out of the bathroom to get the cup he wanted from the back of the counter. Then he got a drink of water from the refrigerator door dispenser and put the cup in the sink when he was done.

He puts his dirty clothes in the hamper or down the laundry chute. He tries really hard to get dressed and brush his teeth by himself.

He knows how to use the remote to turn on the tv and the DVD/VCR and get the movie he wants to watch in the right slot.

He gave M. a hug and kiss this morning when M. was upset over a bad dream. He says thank you to the bus driver when she brings him home and yesterday he attempted to say "good weekend."

When we go to the store I don't have to put him in the cart as a means of keeping him with me. He stays next to me and half the time I don't even have to hold his hand. If we're taking a walk, I don't have to hold his hand to keep him out of the road. And if he gets too far ahead, he stops and waits when we ask him to.

The past few weeks he's been spontaneously running around the house pointing at things and naming them. He's much more willing to attempt new words. He's not snorting all that much at school. He knows about 20 sight words.

He's making good progress at coloring in one area rather than all over the page and he can say all the colors (orange is his favorite).

In swimming class he is moving to the belt with only 1 floaty and the instructor says he doesn't even really need that but they have to follow all the levels.

Yup. Things are going good here.

Things Best Filed Under "You're Better Off Not Knowing"

2007-10-13T08:58:00.001-04:00

What are those little crusty things are on the sheets when you go to make the bed?
What is scrapple anyway?
Where did the giant millipede in the basement go?
What is that noise/smell/stain?

The Real Reason We Trick or Treat at Night

2007-10-08T10:30:00.000-04:00

It's traditional to trick or treat after dark. If you took a man-on-the-street poll you'd hear a variety of reasons for this: it's spookier that way, people are home from work to give out treats, it gets darker earlier at that time of year. But if you take a mom-on-the-street poll you'll hear the real reason. Trick or treating in darkness does not show the wear and tear on the costume. Every mom who has been costume shopping already is experiencing the same thing: kids who refuse to take off the new costume. M & P have had their costumes about 30 hours and so far apple juice has been spilled, ice pops dripped, cheeseburgers sat on (don't ask), and ripped hems narrowly avoided. By the time Halloween comes around I can only hope that these beauties don't look as wrecked as the rest of the stuff in the dressup box. But even if they do, it will be dark, no one will notice. Except another mom maybe...

Reason #786 to love Danny Wegman

2007-10-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

As I was driving through the parking lot last week thinking "what are they giving away?" I saw this sign at the very end of the parking lot. At first I thought it was for employee of the month or something. Then I got close enough to read it and laughed. Ever since then, I have this insane compulsion to park there! If somebody else has beaten me to it I smile and say "good for you!"

Naked Superheroes

2007-09-26T09:46:00.000-04:00

Awhile back M. and I were talking about Superheroes. Stuff like who would beat who if they weren't both good guys, who has the cooler powers, whose powers we'd like to have, etc. At some point in the conversation, I mentioned Clark Kent using a phone booth to change into his Superman clothes. "What's a phone booth?" my little one asked, perplexed. What do you mean, what's a phone booth? Those little places that have public phones. "What's a public phone?" Thanks to technology my children have never seen a phone booth and, even more scary, they have no concept of one.

To say this freaked me out just a tad is an understatement. What else from my personal history is totally gone from their world? What will their children be giving them blank looks about someday? I took it upon myself to search for a phone booth so M. could see one. And you know what? There aren't any. They just disappeared when we weren't looking. You'd think there would have been some notice in the papers or a few signs posted. Sure, there are little kiosk-type things at Thruway exits and at a few gas stations, but all true, Superman-approved phone booths have been wiped off the face of the earth. The closest I could come was to show him a photo online of a red telephone box in London with the caveat that ours weren't as pretty as that. Even after all that, he still doesn't get it.

So, the official story is that the Justice League is up there orbiting earth in the Watchtower to keep a better eye on things and protect us as a team. But the real reason is that they just had no place to change clothes.

Autumn Has Arrived

2007-09-24T12:33:00.001-04:00

How do you gauge the arrival of autumn? Back-to-school? Football? Halloween and Thanksgiving advertisements? Do you wait for the calendar's proclamation of "first day of"? Perhaps you check the trees for color changes or the temperatures for sweater weather.

Those are all good, but in our house (ok, it's really just me) this is how I know autumn has finally arrived. I did a little dance right there in Wegman's this morning. Happy happy happy. Since it's a seasonal item, I have this undeniable urge to stock up. What if they stop making it and I'm ciderless all winter? I did manage to stop myself at 3 boxes this week. D. even laughed when he helped me bring in the bags, "oh, it must be fall! You've got your fix again!" Sometimes it's those little things that make all the difference.

But I can't talk to you anymore because the microwave is beeping...

Obsession, you are my Obsession...

2007-09-23T15:03:00.000-04:00

I just got the way fun issue of Scrapbook Play. One of the prompts is to do a page about one of your obsessions. Great idea! But which one? Over the years, there have been the celebrity obsessions (Shaun Cassidy, Adrian Paul), the food obsessions (Oregon Chai Cider, Nutella, Cadbury Dairy Milk -- why haven't I got an exercise obsession to go with this?), the tv show obsessions (Highlander, Dark Knight, Days of our Lives), the book/author obsessions (Margaret George, Maeve Binchy, Diana Gabaldon), the hobby obsession (cross stitch, crazy quilting, scrapbooking), the shoe obsession, and so on and so forth. But I think I have to go with the big one, the one that started it all:

When I was 11 or 12 I had a huge crush on the Bay City Rollers. They were five guys from Scotland doing remakes of "Bye Bye Baby" and "Saturday Night" (though I didn't know they were remakes at the time). I loved to hear them talk even though I only understood about one word in ten. I subscribed to Tiger Beat magazine to read all about them. I bought all their albums, including the special order European releases. I hung posters (from Tiger Beat) on every square inch of my half of the bedroom even though my sister said that she couldn’t get dressed in there because of all the eyes looking down at her (love ya, D!). I knew all the words to the “B” side songs. My friends and I would stay up 'til 1:00 a.m. to see them on the music show that came on after Saturday Night Live (what was the name of that show?) And most embarrassing of all, I convinced Mom to sew me an outfit like theirs. It consisted of white denim capris (before capris existed, when they were called "highwaters" or "flood pants") hemmed in red plaid with a jacket to match. Completing this lovely ensemble were striped socks, high-top sneakers and a scarf in a contrasting green plaid. I actually walked around town like that. I’m surprised I didn’t cause car accidents.

Alan Longmuir was my favorite Roller. He was the oldest in the band, 26. Besides being very cute, he had that older man allure and as I said, there was the accent thing. I remember thinking that when we were older no one would even mention the 14 years age difference. As if. This crush/obsession lasted much longer for me than it did for my classmates. I think I finally realized they were uncool in ninth grade. By then I was into Shaun Cassidy and fighting my brother for the tv on Sunday nights to watch Hardy Boys. (Are you starting to see a pattern here?) I remember overhearing my grandmother ask Mom when I was going to grow out of all this and thinking “Grow out of it? I will feel this way FOREVER.” Well, thank god that particular forever was short-lived.

So now on the far far far end of that obsession, I wonder how it must have felt for them? Was it hard to walk around in those bizarre clothes, belting out songs to screaming 12 year olds? As men in their mid-20's I have to think (hope!) it was just a little too creepifying. Or were they just riding the gravy train as long as possible so they had enough money to do what they *really* wanted to do? My beloved Alan would be about 58 now and I was right: no one would comment on the age difference at all. I wonder if he still has all his hair?