jenny's journal

Caring for your Pets

2010-03-19T08:59:00.006-05:00

Apparently, I've forgotten how to schedule posts on blogger. Ergh.

And apparently, my son is having second thoughts about forgetting to take care of his guinea pig for weeks on end. I found this in my printer last night:

I Know What I Want for My Birthday

A few days ago I got home from school and I heard Charlie Brown making his usual “get me carrots” sound. Right away I knew why I had been feeling empty inside. I missed having a pet. I know that your first response is a quick “No, remember last time you had to have a pet?” but hear me out. I think that I have changed for the better and am more responsible then I was a year ago.

When I came home one day and you had given Gretzky to Carly I felt like I had failed (I know that I did), but I want to revise that. Constantly hearing him cry for food and seeing his long, untrimmed nails made me realize that I ruined his life. When he was in Carly’s possession and he got sick, and stayed sick, I knew it was MY fault, not anyone else’s MINE. I said that he was going to die, just out of grief, and I apologize, if it still means anything. If you give me another chance I promise you that all those terrible things will change.

I believe that I am more responsible now. I can take on a challenge and win. I can raise a happy animal of my own. I understand where you are coming from if you reject me but, I will be disappointed.

I would like to make an outdoor hutch/run combo and get a rabbit/ guinea pig. I think this could be an opportunity for me because it would teach me to take care of an animal and responsibility. I think maybe I could put it in the front garden and plant around it. I would get sod and lay it down to make the hutch grassy.

He is going to be 13. Most kids would probably want a laptop or a computer game, right?

I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach and want to run right out and get him a fuzzy little creature. Except...we already have TWO fuzzy creatures. The guinea pig (formerly Gretsky, renamed Charlie Brown when my daughter "took over" a term I use loosely as she rarely cares for him) and the dog. Does he care for either of them voluntarily? No. When asked he will do it most times without complaint. Most times.

But the guilt... is he feeling that guilty about the sick guinea? My word, then why was I the ONLY ONE to bring the poor thing veggies a few times a day, make sure his food and water were full and his bedding was changed?

Something I will never tell my boy: I thought he was going to die too kiddo and I might have even suggested that your father hit him square on the head with a shovel because the poor thing sounded and looked so miserable, a wheezy rattle with every breath - I was sure he wouldn't make the winter. But he did. Miracle? Maybe, but give me the 1980 Olympic Hockey team miracle any day over this one....

I am heartsick when I read his letter - he's so logical and for him, emotional. It's probably the truest thing he's written that I've ever read. I do feel bad that he feels so badly but I have to steel myself and remember that he has every opportunity to hold and care for Mr. Charlie Brown and he doesn't even look in there most days. Is Charlie Brown's life ruined? Maybe it is. He seems pretty chipper though, squeaking when the fridge opens and running around his cage.

The logical side of me is screaming Noooooo. And then I reread the letter and think 'How long does a bunny live for? Will he be leaving for college with a rabbit in the backseat?' and then I'm back to No. Never. And then I think 'Well, another guinea pig cage wouldn't fit anywhere would it? Can two males live together in one cage?' And then I'm thinking No. Uh-uh. And then I think....

You see where this is going.

So anyway, I'm just sharing here so that I can remain strong(ish). And really, when he came home from school that day to hear the guinea pig squeaking...did he bring him some veggies or did he grab himself a gatorade and a snack and drop himself in the chair to watch Pawn Stars onDemand?

A Refresher

2010-03-16T22:50:00.000-05:00

So, hey now.

It's been awhile. And my promise to dust off my keyboard was forgotten...you know you don't visit your blog too often if when you type the first three letters and a different site pops down in the menu.

Summer, fall and nearly winter have come and gone. More of the same here...

The boy will be THIRTEEN in one month. Thirteen. Since we've last spoken he's gotten a cell phone and a girlfriend. He's still playing hockey and can text faster with his cheapo phone than I can type on a full size keyboard.

He flashes this look every two to three minutes to let us know just how disappointing we are.

My girl? Nine years old. She wants to do EVERYTHING. Last week after talking about signing her up for softball we're snuggled in watching some crazy downhill skiing thing...wipeout after wipeout. She turns to me and says "Mom, about softball..." I, thinking she's nervous to try something new says "Scared?" and she says "Nah, I think I'd rather ski".

And that's about it on the kid front.

The dog is, like, 85 pounds of lazy puppy. He's good, better than we could ever expect from a lab puppy. The husband? Working hard at coaching hockey - recently re-employed (the annual winter layoff appears to be over) and I? Am busy trying to juggle the kids sports, the almost-a-teen romance, the hockey coaches wife thing, school...I almost forgot SCHOOL, perfecting my homemade frosting, reading and watching The Wire or True Blood or Weeds or Surivor.

Pretty much the same stuff that's been going on for the past four years or so.

Hmm.

And while part of me is disappointed that not a whole lot has change another part of me likes it just fine.

I'm thinking this isn't going to make for too many interesting posts but I'm thinking of giving it another shot here...

2009-08-06T07:23:00.002-05:00

*dusts off the keyboard*

Which might actually be true if I wasn't fritting my time away on that dastardly Facebook. Which, while I love it has some serious downfalls.

If I read one more Hooray it's Friday! or Boo Mondays! I may weep. Save that shit for Twitter.

The dog weighs almost sixty pounds. I don't know, but that seems big. I'm sure the growing will slow down a bit now. Maybe?
Was just told that my hours at work will be a joke once a big development project finishes up. From a local engineer: "this town is going to EXPLODE when that tower is done".
Shit. Love my small town.
Sixty pound dogs make excellent foot warmers.
Loving black cherry kool-aid.
And frozen margaritas
Two weeks until vacation!

And with that, I'm disappearing again. Not for long though...

2009-07-03T23:12:00.004-05:00

Well, now. My retinas are officially burned right out of my eyes.

There is this giant glowy thing in the sky today and I just stared in wonder...

FINALLY.

Bedtimes have officially flown out the window this week - I ordered from Amazon for the first time since Christmas (which, just so you know, is a record hold out for me) and we're all staying up too late, tucked into bed with book lights and fans and a warm snuggly puppy.

Well, only my boy has the puppy because the OFFICIAL word is that the dog is not allowed on the beds (so sayeth my husband) but the boy's room is upstairs and the dog quietly goes in there and my son is all too happy to have him jump up on the bed. Next thing I know, I can't find the dog and I'm going up the stairs to make sure he's with the boy and not gorging himself on his 40lb. bag of dog food in the cellar - and then I have to make a show of pretending to mind that the dog is curled up with my son. When really, I could honestly care less. And they both know it.

My husband took the kids and two of their friends on a six mile bike ride today on the Canal. He and my daughter just got new bikes - so it was their maiden voyage. The girlie is eight but we're hoping to keep the bike for a few years and we thought she'd be outgrowing the foot brake option before too long. So we opted for handbrakes and gears. Now, I remember my first ten speed - it was the official coming of age bike. You were no longer a 'little kid'. I also distinctly remember riding it for the first time, backpedaling furiously while trying to stop - totally forgetting the handbrakes - and riding directly into a very prickly fir tree. Also, I used each and every gear but probably didn't really understand how to use them for like, two years.

So I tell the girl my story and envision her trying in vain to use her footbrakes, and the bandaids, the crying....Well, my daughter? Had it all figured out within the first hundred feet. Brakes, gears - the whole nine yards. I was suitably impressed.

2009-06-25T10:51:00.002-05:00

Today officially starts Summer Vacation for the kids...now if someone would just tell Mother Nature that as of June 21st she's supposed to turn the knob on the weather machine to 'sunshine'...

I'm on vacation as of two p.m. today. Naturally, we've got a few things planned and seeing as it's supposed to be Summer at this point...everything involves the outdoors.

*Loud Sigh*

There are slugs on the deck. And the pile of sand that has to be wheelbarrowed down to the beach? Waterlogged and really, really HEAVY. I now have a special pair of always wet sneakers to take the dog out because the lawn is long (can't be mowed until it's at least a little bit dry) and yes, always wet sneakers are every bit as gross as they sound but I figure better to have one pair of wet sneakers than 5 pairs.

*Looks out window*

I suppose light grey skies are better than dark grey, right? Right?

And the gloves and scarf I have stashed in the car for hockey...at least I don't need them outside the rink. So that's something...

I haven't had to wash the car for a month.

Ummm...

Ladies, I'm grasping here, to find the positive... can you tell? Hard to find the silver lining in a bunch of clouds that are all the same damned color.

Oink freaking oink

2009-06-22T19:40:00.005-05:00

So, have you all been hearing much about the Swine/H1N1 virus thing? No? Yeah, well why is that? Think it's gone?

It so isn't.

Dudes, there are over 100 sick kids in my girl's school. They've let us know about 11 confirmed cases. But there were 400 kids absent today. FOUR HUNDRED. Out of about 580ish. Most of these were for precautionary reasons - or simply because it was grey and raining and who doesn't just want to roll over and play a little hooky on a day like this? Or on days like these since it's been raining for about 822 days now. But I digress.

Was my girl there? You bet. They had the school professionally cleaned over the weekend, she has NO symptoms and so she went.

Apparently there were tears - students and teachers alike, there are huge budget issues, layoffs are imminent and the feeling of having the school year cut short - even by two measly days - has left everyone feeling out of sorts and all unfinishedlike. My girl is heartbroken that she didn't get a chance to say good-bye to a special needs aide that is assigned to one of her best friends. Heartbroken.

I was planning on making cookies for end of the year presents...but I can't imagine wanting homemade treats during Germfest 2009. So tomorrow, while my babe accompanies me to work she is going to make some pictures and we'll scan them and email them off. Kind of blase but I know it'll make her feel better.

Only two more days of rain in the forecast...so I'm holding off on finishing the ark. At this point the only reason the pigs would be invited is to ensure a lifetime supply of bacon and ham, the virus ridden bastards.

Enjoyable

2009-06-12T08:18:00.000-05:00

1. Sims 3. Waste of time? Quite possibly. Are there better ways to kill an hour while my husband watches Ax Men? I think not.
2. The new (to him) boat is in heavy rotation these days. This was the first time he rowed by himself to the other side of the pond. They were hunting for minnows, which they found. They also grabbed a glop of frog eggs, which turned out to be toad eggs. We now have two minnows and 35 tadpoles in our aquarium. 3. Love this gum. And no, I don't eat the wrapper.4. I was so sure that I wouldn't really like this series. A western? In space? Yes and yes. What this guy did for vampires? He does even better for space cowboy types.

May 21st

2009-06-11T07:09:00.009-05:00

See now in real life...my birthday is long gone. But on the blog? It was only three short posts ago. I sometimes like how that works.

My requests were simple. It was to be the four of us, clam strips and ocean. The weather was beautiful and I hit the trifecta - I got all three.

We headed here for dinner. Based on years of driving by on my way to and from the beach and the hugely long lines I've seen - I thought we'd give it a try. It's not much of a website, but I suppose I'd rather have them perfecting the fried clam than learning html and java.

Our view:No vibrating, flashing beeper thingy here. Just a number. On a rock.

The girlie and I? Thought it was delish - the clam cakes (fritters, really) were to die for. The menfolk, however? Not as impressed with their choices. My husband kept looking longingly at the plates of all you can eat crab legs that kept passing by our table. Ah, well - live and learn.

Now, it was downright hot at home but in Newport? Um, TWENTY degrees cooler. Actually not cooler....COLDER. Still though, I thought we'd hit up the sea glass beach before heading home. It was high tide and we pretty much struck out but there were jetties to climb and periwinkles to rescue. "You want me to go again? Because I can go again. Did you cut my head off? Are my feet in the picture? Because I can jump again, y'know. If you need me too. Do you need me to? Just get one more jump. Just in case."Not a problem, kiddo. I'll take a thousand more of these if you want me to.

In summary? Fantastic way to spend my evening.

And as a bonus? We got to come home my other birthday present:

This soccer position has a name

2009-06-09T20:50:00.006-05:00

It's called Butt to the Gut.

It's one of her specialties. Which is better than her positioning when she started dome soccer with names the other team's parents would yell out like "Hey, wasn't that a hip check?" and "ELBOW!" Mama didn't take photos of those.

Really, this kid oughta be on the ice but soccer's only a few hundred bucks while hockey is much, MUCH more. Plus she's not much of a skater and frankly, the money for two to play? Yikes.

She's also learned that if she puts her forearm out and braces it and runs through people without shoving her arm forward? That's perfectly fine. In fact, it's called a forearm shiver. And her coaches LOVE it.

Now, obviously she's not knocking everyone flat on their collective asses but she gets the ball up the boards like nobody's business.

This next move though? I don't have a name for this one...

Fore!

2009-06-08T07:00:00.004-05:00

I know it's no secret that I totally love where I live. I mean, the exact location of where I live - on the pond. It also happens to be in a fairly small town - two stoplights, very sketchy cell phone coverage and no grocery store. The usual things, I suppose. It's not a bad little town but all the new houses going in are McMansionish and change is in the wind...

Anyway.

There's this driving range, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere (suppposedly it's totally close to a main road - but I've never driven that way so I can't be sure). No golf course nearby, surrounded by woods and a few houses...really, it's kind of nice as driving ranges go. I guess - because one thing I don't do is golf. Unless, of course, it involves dinosaurs or fake pirate ships and the only club in use is a worn out putter - then I'm in.

But the boy? Wants to golf. He got an inexpensive set of clubs for Christmas so I taken him to the range a few times. This past time we grabbed one of his friends on the way and we ended up getting there fifteen minutes after it closed. But, and I'm guessing this doesn't happen in all that many places, we walked up to the little ball shed and there were ten buckets of balls and a cash slot in the door. And a can of bug spray.

Now, the cash slot? Big enough to stick your hand in and remove all the other latecomers payments. If there were any other late comers, which there weren't. We paid for three buckets of balls - they wanted more, so I let them collect another bucket themselves (stealing from the honor system - nice, eh?) so they could shoot for another ten minutes until it was too dark to play. They practiced their Happy Gilmore shot, burned some worms (fast moving ball that never really leaves the ground) and made general fools of themselves...definitely not following any golf etiquette that I've ever seen.

This, apparently, is the look on your face after a ball you hit goes whizzing by your mom's head.

Almost two a.m.

2009-05-21T00:41:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I should totally be in bed but I've got better things to do.

1. One episode left to watch of Entourage, season three.

2. Contemplate dinner plans for tonight. It's my birthday and the weather is supposed to be positively summer like...I'm thinking seafood + picnic table + ocean.

3. Totally got sidetracked by Jen. First I'm strolling down memory lane - remembering our old Kool-Aid pitcher, then I'm wondering about letting my kids drink the stuff, then I'm thinking that Kool-Aid is the least of my problems, then I'm cursing at the thought that my mom threw the pitcher out, then I remember these cups I used to have...what kind of drink was that again? Then I'm googling 1980's drink mixes. Lo and behold...Funny Face cups.

See? Sleep is so overrated.

2009-05-12T11:52:00.002-05:00

Well then.

The dog has a rock obsession. Well, maybe not an obsession but he eats an alarming amount of them...and now he's learned to swallow the smaller ones quickly - like as soon as he sees my hand go towards his mouth.

Dudes. Combine this with a week of dog poop induced worrying and let's just say I'm about done boiling hamburger and rice for his meals.

And y'all know I love Boston Sports and apparently there's this baseball team in town you may have heard of.

But right now it's a baseball team of which I know nothing about because my house is topsy turvy with Bruins love. That would have been fine by me had they not lost three games in a row, giving me a hockey induced stomach ache (maybe the dog's issues aren't rock related after all) and keeping me glued to Twitter and whatever other Bruins stuff I can find. Which, apparently, isn't even HALF of what's out there.

I'm a blip on the Bruins obsession radar, honestly. I checked the ticket prices for the playoffs and had to laugh. One ticket for a decent seat? On the verge of being out of my price range. For a family of four? Bankruptcy.

NESN HD, homemade popcorn and the couch with the kiddos begging to stay up for the third period. Not so bad.

Except for the fact that I'll be at work and watching it later, by myself, in my computer chairand on my 15" computer monitor in NON HD.

Ergh.

Truman Fix

2009-04-17T10:27:00.003-05:00

My daughter's been training him with the usual commands. Sit, come, ROLL YOUR EYES AT MOM.

Good Friday? You bet.

2009-04-10T09:38:00.003-05:00

Daughter: Good Friday? Why's it called Good Friday?

Me: Because you don't have any school.

*climbs inside handbasket to await journey to the underworld*

I'm hostessing an Easter Brunch this year. Which, while it's not my first choice or even my 61st choice of things I want to be doing...my mother in law scheduled her Easter dinner at a time that leaves me no choice. Well, no choice if I want to see my family.

Other reasons for it being a Good Friday?

Sunshine, kids making Easter chocolates with my mother in law, husband golfing, dog running around a fenced in yard, going grocery shopping alone, sunshine. dinner with friends, husband got his CDL license, thumb is healing nicely, the Bruins beat the Habs last night and oh...did I mention SUNSHINE?

2009-04-09T07:51:00.000-05:00

Remember last year...my son had an accident, splitting his knee wide open? The whole incident the result of a flailing dive after a football thrown by my husband.

The injury left him unable to play in his hockey playoff game, unable to attend tryouts for next season, going to class with a footstool and limping for weeks? (Ed. note: His legs = toothpicks, with knees)

Fast forward to this past Sunday.

A friendly game of basketball between my husband and son. The boy goes to make a move with the basketball and my husband, doing some defensive mojo - slams into my son's hand, jamming his thumb knuckle to the point where blood spurted out from his nail bed. Immediate swelling. No tears, but lots of pain. Lots.

Twelve hours later it's bruised and swollen. He can move it, a little. A nurse friend of ours says, "It's not broken but WOW that looks baaaad". Thanks, nurse friend.

And guess what...once again, it happens the day before hockey tryouts.

The silver lining? My boy and I are giving my husband so much grief, nothing like a good guilt trip to keep your spirits up...

Our fictional versions of the story include:

My husband slamming the ball out of my son's hand with a whallop and yelling "DENIED" as my son falls down holding his hand and crying.

2. My son reaching for the ball and my husband, knocks him down and steps on his fingers while yelling "Too Slow!"

3. The fact that it's all just a psychological thing my husband's doing unconsciously because my son is better at hockey than he was and now my husband is green with envy.

Now, obviously none of these things happened but, hey, we're easily amused.

2009-04-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Contrary to popular belief there is no Easter Bunny. At least not at my house.

Just a grouchy mom going outside at the crack of dawn to hide eggs around the perimeter of the yard where the dog couldn't go because the underground fence would shock him.

Why outside? Because the dog would follow me around trying to eat the eggs moments after I hid them? Same reason why they were mostly hidden around the very edges of the yard. Color me bitter. Not that the whole dog thing made me bitter it's just that old Easter non-spirit I have.

There may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon though:

Scene: Tuesday morning in the bathroom.

My girl was brushing her hair and I was brushing my teeth and she says "I really want Mentos and deodorant in my Easter Basket."

My response, besides an internal raised eyebrow at her request? "Really? Well, why are you telling me, maybe you should be telling the Easter bunny..."

Her: "I just did."

So, what do you think? Am I off the secretive hook? Can I just get up at, say, six a.m. and hide the eggs and baskets with their knowledge or must I still trip around in the dark with a flashlight hoping that egg eating raccoons aren't living under my shed.

Grateful For

2009-04-07T09:53:00.002-05:00

1. Empty water bottles recycled to be the most favorite dog toy.

2. Sunny spring days. They will not be taken for granted.

3. Tim Thomas, goalie extraordinaire

4. Opening Day at Fenway.

5. The Easter Bunny charade? Done.

If I hear one more person call him Marley....

2009-04-06T08:24:00.001-05:00

Truman, the eleven week old dog? Twenty two and a half pounds. I can't remember what Baxter weighed but this is seeming large to me. Something else I don't remember...the whole blank slate thing.

He had to be taught to walk up stairs. One at a time, me putting one paw on a stair and then moving the rest of them in order while he stood half frozen in terror. On the same idea? He's not going down them. Not no how. Not with treats, not with the same step by step teaching. I'm sure he'll get over it but for now, I'm scooping him up and carrying him downstairs every morning and praying he can hold it for just a few minutes longer.

He didn't drink for most of the first day he was home. We showed him his water dish but it wasn't until my husband splashed it around did he figure out what it was.

His collar? The bane of his existence.

There were some loud squawky birds outside today and his ears perked up and he RAN for the door. Somehow I foresee eighty pounds of quivering terror...hopefully he outgrows this.

Last time, with Baxter? We went for the super happy puppy. The one that licked us and wanted to play. Six YEARS later, he was an enjoyable dog to have around. Years one through five? He was hell-on-wheels. Or paws, as the case may be. This time we walked into the dog run and when four of the puppies ran over to jump and play with us my eyes went straight to the dog hanging back, half asleep in the corner.

I'm half convinced he has narcolepsy. And I'm thanking my lucky stars every day.

So far my responses to the ultra annoying Marley thing have been:

"Who's Marley?" which, when combined with a confused expression has people thinking I live in another dimension.
"Um, no this isn't Marley...wasn't that a movie or something?"
"Nope, not Marley...I'm pretty sure he died, didn't he?"

I only used the last one on a wack job lady at the tennis courts but seeing as she screamed it across the courts as we walked by and then let her dog follow us halfway home? She totally had it coming.

Today

2009-04-05T07:32:00.003-05:00

I am cautiously optimistic that maybe, god willing...I will not need the umbrella at all today.

I was writing down a list of meals we might have this week and my girl looked over my shoulder and says: Chicken POT pie?!?!? All this time I thought it was Chicken POP pie.

Wondering if a nine pound chicken will defrost in seven hours.

Debating between staying home and doing whatever needs doing or going to see a play at my son's school.

Echo....echo, echo, echo. Anyone? Anyone?

2009-04-02T14:57:00.002-05:00

Yikes, TWO MONTHS without a post?

Let's see how things stand around here....

1. Husband, still out of work. He's going back in a matter of weeks, though. A local channel did one of their 'investigative reports' on his company and the whole owner in prison thing. What it added up to was them trying to drum up a story and the people they interviewed saying they have no problem working with this company, they've totally restructured and blah, blah, blah. In your face channel five.

2. The boy? Is well. There's one more hockey game, a tournament final and we are DONE. For a month, anyway. School is going spectularly this year. He's trying to negotiate for a cell phone...Fail. It took him until about a month ago to start checking people in hockey, nothing like seeing your seventy pound kid rub a 150 lb giant into the boards. Love it!

3. The girlie? One minute she's the death of me and the next she's quite literally the kindest person I know. She's also trying to negotiate for a cell phone and this FAIL needs to be in caps. She's playing dome soccer and now Spring Travel is about to start. She's the little enforcer on the team and when she was told to choose her number for her uniform? She picked 17, after her favorite Boston Bruin - Milan Lucic.

Going on record here as saying that the announcer, Jack Edwards is THE best. "They have beaten them. And tonight they have beaten them up." Love that guy.

4. Truman. Welcome home.

Grocery Shopping

2009-02-09T11:22:00.011-05:00

Dear Market Basket,

Just last week I was cursing DHL as a horrible, terrible company to do business with. But, stunningly, you have far surpassed them. Quite possibly far surpassed EVERY SINGLE COMPANY I HAVE EVER DONE BUSINESS WITH, actually.

I have friends who swear by you and your low prices and so, with a spirit of adventure and a touch of cabin fever I took my daughter food shopping with me. It was probably not the wisest time to go...four thirty on a Saturday afternoon...but I thought, how bad could it possibly be?

I was forgetting two things. One, I hate crowds. Two, I hate crowds of stupid people.

The collective IQ of the shoppers in your store on Saturday? Couldn't be much above, oh I don't know, 36? 42? And there was no freaking shortage of people. Literally, we walked in and my daughter and I just pulled off to the side (1. to grab some bread - which BTW had a hole in the bag and was stale good thing I had to put it back; 2. to gasp at the amount of people vying for space in your dairy section; 3. try to navigate around the bins that are so conventiently placed in front of the doors). Did I see the customer service window at this time? No, I did not. I was, instead, focused on the serpentine route to the cheese.

So, with a spirit of resolve, we set out. My girl? She couldn't walk next to me and chat...there was no room for that. She had to walk in front of me (not behind me and out of sight...far too many people, many of them unwashed.) so there wasn't any chatting just "honey, stop...I've got to get yogurt". Plus, apparently this was PRIME FREAKING TIME for your employees to be restocking the shelves. They clogged the aisles with carts chock full of boxes. You couldn't see around them and couldn't reach around them to get what you needed. Waffles? Fail.

Also, deli? Fail. I will not wait for twenty people to order before I can buy some cheese and a half pound of lunch meat. Do you have the cutesy little pre-order thing like Stop n Shop? Where I can order on the computer in the store and then stop by on my way out? Oh, rest assured...you do not.

Some of the middle aisles? Not too bad. I could actually see the low prices that my friends rave about and accordingly, I filled my cart. Again, though, we reach the other end of the store and it's FULL. We could barely navigate the cart in and out of the fruits and vegetables. But we persevered! And I only had to wait 2 and a half minutes for someone to get out of my way so that I could buy hamburger. Which, I would've loved to have gone home without - but the prices, so low, like a siren song....and so I waited.

Did I mention the free cookies? Well, in the little bakery section they put up a tin of cookies...for your munching pleasure. I spy them, let the girlie know and we try to make it over there. Now, I'll tell you...this was a HELLACIOUS trip for an eight year old. Tons of people, most of them mannerless...I thought, hurray - you've been vindicated with free cookies.

But that wasn't to be. A fiftyish lady, decides that she can move her cart faster and she literally cuts us off at the cookie counter taking the Last Freaking Cookie. Last one. She hears my daughter cry foul and she looks at us and takes a bite. Eye contact and everything. I may have made a snide remark in her direction...something along the lines of "oh, NICE" but I was thinking "You freaking lunatic, you make me stop my cart short because you zoom in front of me and then you look at my daughter as you hear her say "There's no more??" and you take a BITE? BITCH!"

The only good decision I made while at Market Basket? Not heading straight to the checkout line but instead locating the customer service window (tucked helpfully in a corner behind bins of food) to see if I needed a check cashing card before writing a check.

And pray tell, I DID need a check cashing card. And guess when I'll get it? 4-6 weeks. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I was told that I could indeed write a check...for $75.00 worth of groceries. Which, I had probably triple that amount in my cart.

My first reaction was to laugh, kindly because he must be kidding. Seriously, $75.00? At other stores you can just write a check -no cards necessary. Seriously? $75.00?

Then your helpful employee asks if I do 'telephone banking' to which I reply "WHAT? On the phone?" But what I'm thinking is more like "Is it 1995 back behind that customer service desk? Telephone banking?"

He proceeds to half ass explain to me about calling my bank to get a larger check approved. Which I completly misunderstand because five minutes later he's asking me, again about telephone banking and telling me that he tried to access my account but he needed the PIN number and would I just give that to him? To which I laughed at him and told him to just approve the $75.00 check. My girl, gamely goes and gets me a spare cart and I proceed to unload everything but $66.00 worth of groceries into it. Including the stale bread.

Your helpful employee tells me that my card will arrive in 4-6 weeks (speedy! Some stores give them out that day! Is it 1990 back there?) and that next time I come I should just stop by the service desk first.

My response? "Kind of presumptious to think there WILL be a next time"

I spent far too much time in that store. Comparing prices and finding groceries that I needed. Well, actually, that I still NEED as I couldn't really buy them. My husband told me that I should've just left everything and walked out. Which, I guess I could've but 1. Our dinner was in that cart; 2. The next day's dinner was in that cart (scheduled to be in the crockpot by 8 a.m.; 3. Those freaking prices...they are low. Asparagus? $1.69!

And so, with that...I still hate you, Market Basket. Are you busy next Sunday at 7 a.m.?

Dudes, I am on a tear

2009-02-05T12:51:00.003-05:00

Pissing me off today....in no particular order:

1. DHL. Dear DHL, you suck. And FedEx is cheaper. Love, Jenny P.S. Srsly. SUCK.

2. This show, Lie to Me* *the truth is written all over our faces.

Okay this is one show that I will NEVER see. Why? Because of the stupid asterisk. Lie to Me? A fine title. Add the asterisk and little subtitle and I'm not watching.

3. Our superintendent. Hey, four inches of ice coating every driveway in town? Too bad, get to the bus stop. The mere THREAT of a snow storm? He closed school at four p.m. The day before.

4. Radio commercials with sirens in them. There's a few of them that I hear when I'm driving causing me to check my mirrors for oncoming fire trucks or police cars. Which, of course, are never there.

5. Animal shelters that charge $425.00 for a mixed breed/mutt puppy. And require a two hundred dollar obedience school commitment on top of that. WTF, I'll just go to a breeder then.

6. These freaky people at the library book sale I'm going to tonight. They wait in line all wrapped up in giant sheets or some shit with bags and scanners and then they RUN to the books and just pile them up and cover them with their sheets. There are quite a few of them and once they're done piling up books (think hundreds and hundreds of books) they get these scanner gizmos out and scan each and every book...for what? We don't know. BUT I HATE IT. It adds an element of stress to the night that just pisses me off.

7. Oh, wonderful...at the bottom of the screen it says..."Could not contact Blogger.com. Saving and publishing may fail. Retrying...."

Making me happy?
#7 is no longer an issue.

2009-01-13T11:33:00.002-05:00

I'm late to the party with this one...I didn't realize today was actually THE day. Ah, well - such is life.

I'm fairly sure I don't have many if ANY lurkers. But maybe there's one of you out there that I haven't heard from yet. And if you're out there, you lurker you, leave a comment. Show me some love on this cold January day.

2009-01-12T23:27:00.001-05:00

winning scrabble on facebook
and then
watching True Beauty on the computer between turns -

A total brain usage balance, no?

2009-01-11T10:20:00.001-05:00

Not wanting to be left out of any possible concussion action we had going on last weekend my daughter clonked her head while sledding.

Never mind the fact that, when asked both she and the neighbor girl said that they would be right next to the neighbor girl's house and would under NO circumstances be sledding down the slope to the pond.

Lies, all lies.

What my daughter clonked her head on turned out to be a different neighbor's dock. As in, on the shore of the pond. At an entirely different house.

There was bleeding and tears and ice packs but within a few minutes they had invited her back over to watch a movie. I sent her, in her pajamas, with popcorn and drinks. And a giant lump on her head.

We were fortunate that it was the side of her head, that she didn't hit harder, that she didn't go far enough out onto the Pond as to fall in. There were a few conversations this week about honesty and keeping yourself out of dangerous situations. Not at all sure how much of it sunk in, apparently she's got a pretty thick skull.

2009-01-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

Last year, there were two days of skateable ice. I use the term skateable loosely as it was bumpy and cracked and while it was safe it wasn't fun. We've been monitoring the situation very closely for the past few days. Trips down to the pond before school. Reports from Dad after getting off the bus...."Is it safe yet?" Finally, today...it was. They skate until it's dark and the pucks are disappearing into the shadows. Until we look around and realize the temperature has dropped a bunch and damn, it's REALLY cold now and holy crap, it's kind of dark out here.

But tonight, as we're watching the weather the meteorologist starts talking about the full wolf moon that's going to be out tonight. And that it's going to be clear, cold and bright. 'Like mother nature has turned on a night light for us', he says. I give my husband, B. a look. He knows what I mean. So, at eight fifteen we get tell the kids to grab their stuff and we took them to skate under the light of the full moon. Truly awesome.

16 Random Items....

2009-01-09T13:37:00.000-05:00

Dawn posted this a week or so ago and instead of being original and coming up with my own 16 Random Items I just, um, stole hers.

Not really stole, I mean I just used her topics as my starting point. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Right?

1. I have never made my own pie crust. I've made tons of pies but never, ever have taken the time to make the crust from scratch. Someday, I'm sure I will - but honestly, I don't even care to learn how.

2. I'm always afraid that my shoelaces will come undone and my foot will be sucked into the escalator. I double and triple check the shoes of anyone that's with me too.

3. I sort of like bologna.

4. The winged monkeys from the Wizard of Oz totally scared the hell out of me when I was little. Same with the crows from Dumbo.

5. I use Firefox.

6. I used to eat canned fruit cocktail when I was a kid and the cherries were the best. Oh, to have a can with an extra cherry!

7. I have only just learned to spell definitely.

8. I didn't start eating mushrooms until after I had my son - and then I fell in love with them. And then I had an allergic reaction to something with cremini mushrooms, which I heard were just baby portabella mushrooms and now I only eat the white ones.

9. I could use a cut and color. My hair is now wavy, apparently - after being straight for the entire rest of my life. Weird.

10. Am moderately excited for baseball season, hating the Yankees, at this point, even more than I thought possible. The MLB network is just superfluous to me...we've got NESN and pretty much that's a Red Sox channel come April. I say moderately because April will mean that hockey is just about done and it's the Bruins that I'm really loving right now.

11. My life is totally different than I would've ever imagined. I sometimes think I took the path of least resistance but honestly? I'm so glad that I did.

12. I go to both aquariums and zoos but I'm not really crazy about either one. The kids love going, happy kids = happy mom, so I don't particularly mind.

13. I could be doing a lot better on the whole Green Living thing.

14. Now I'm wanting to make Shepard's Pie.

15. I have posts. In drafts.

16. My favorite TV character on Veronica Mars was her dad.

Snow. And Christmas. And a Show.

2009-01-08T19:06:00.007-05:00

The Mice Before Christmas from Jenny on Vimeo.

Here she is. My elf. I am still willing myself to forget how much the whole affair cost us but damn, she shore is cute.

Snow! Here's the girlie getting pelted by her brother.

And here he is getting his payback.

And you get this one just because I love it.

We're supposed to be trying to get the Christmas Card shot but they have to get some of this out of their system first. See that yellowish/fake front tooth of his? Well, that week he bit into a pretzel and broke it right off. So now he's got a new shiny white tooth in there. Until the next time.
Here's the shot I would've probably used.
If I ever got around to getting them printed for the cards.Here's a semi-blurry shot of the tree. I have a clear one but when I just uploaded I picked the wrong picture. Sorry, no do-overs tonight. The Christmas decoration pictures were supposed to be part of Jen's Open House. Jenny=Fail.
Christmas Morning. They're eleven and eight and still not even one complaint about the matching pajamas. I had to take the waist on my son's pajamas in at ten p.m. on Christmas Eve but other than that? Success!

A Food Meme

2009-01-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

1. Favorite milk? Well, I buy 1% and like it. Would I rather have 2% or whole or skim? No, not really - I could buy them. But I don't, so I guess it's 1%.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook this season? In the winter we definitely lean more towards comfort foods/oven use. I make a lot of pork roasts, roasted chickens (with mashed potatoes, gravy and a veg) and there's the weekly pasta dish.

3. Topping of choice for popcorn? Real butter and salt. Lotsa both..

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure? A few weeks ago I was grilling chicken and within five minutes the grill caught on fire and burned the chicken thighs to a size and color similar to hockey pucks. They tasted only slightly better than pucks and went straight into the trash. Was that my most disasterous? I can't even think, really - it was certainly my most recent.

5. Favorite pickled item? Not a fan of pickled items. I can occasionally stomach a spicy dill pickle and I do liked chopped ham and pickle sandwiches. My girl loves pickled stuff and I got her to try one of those totally gross pickled eggs that they have on the counters of convenience stores all over Maine. She hated it but she totally tried it, and for that, I will be forever impressed.

6. How do you organize your recipes? Um, I don't. Maybe this will fall under the theme of New Year's Resolutions...

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal? We do a mix of the first two. We have a septic system and not town sewer so garbage disposals are a HUGE no-no.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)? popcorn, blueberries and Rapid Ray's steamed hotdogs. Protein course, y'know.

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood? Picking fresh veggies from my parent's garden and making salad from whatever I came up with. Looking back, our yard was a postage stamp and still my dad carved out a little piece for veggies and fruit, trying something new every year. Potatoes = Fail. I'll never forget that.

10. Favorite ice cream? chocolate peanut butter cup

11. Most loved kitchen appliance? Not an appliance but it's my cast-iron pan, seasoned to near perfection.

12. Spice/herb you would die without? kosher salt.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time? Funny, I've read a few of these memes and the Betty Crocker cookbook is on all of them. Mine too. I love the banana bread recipe.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly? Raspberry. Hands down. Although there IS this little place in Maine that makes wild blueberry jam. Delish.

15. Favorite recipe to serve to a friend? I generally make a soup or chili during the winter when we have other families over. In the summer it could be anything from grilled chicken to some sort of shrimp or steaks but whatever I make won't require oven use.

16. Do you eat tofu? I cannot, for the life of me, get past the look and texture.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)? Definitely dinner. Breakfast is okay but I hate cleaning up the kitchen like that at the start of the day and lunch? Nah.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator? A basket with our sunglasses, walkie talkies and my old camera. Plus a little jar for milk money and an envelope for Box Tops for Education.

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking. Ice Cream Sandwich ice cream, a lasagna and a bucket of margaritas.

20. What's on your grocery list? A smoked shoulder. My family loves a good boiled dinner.

21. Favorite grocery store? Shaws, I guess. Although I do go to Trucci's for meats. Market Basket is to scuzzy and Stop -n-Shop is too expensive. Roche Brothers is nice to shop in but I couldn't afford it weekly. The nearest Whole Foods is forty five minutes away - I've never even been.

22. Name a recipe you'd love to try, but haven't yet. Prime rib. I was a little afraid to ruin one, they're not cheap. But after this past weekend...they're SO easy. What was I afraid of?

23. Food blog you read the most. She's not a food blog, per se, but I get a decent amount of recipes from The Pioneer Woman.

24. Favorite chocolate? Dark.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately? Meat. I'm kidding. Things aren't quite that dire. But, extravagant? Nothing.

26. What vegetables do you enjoy most? Corn on the cob and steamed carrots.

Trying it again. Halfheartedly.

2009-01-06T15:20:00.003-05:00

In keeping with Amy's theme...

Facebook:

Where you browse through your high school friend's contacts and realize "god, I'm so glad THAT'S over."

2009-01-06T08:19:00.000-05:00

You'd think I'd be over the whole dog missing thing. It's been six months now.

This was the first year we've been able to put candy canes on the tree.
He'd eat them off the tree, once knocking it over to get at those pepperminty treats. All the salt dough ornaments disappeared mysteriously a few years ago too.

The first year we could put presents under the tree before Christmas Eve if we had decided on that course.
He'd open them while we were gone and leave them unwrapped on the floor for the kids to see.

The first year our tree hasn't died within a few short weeks.
He'd get thirsty and drink all the tree water leaving it bone dry after we had just filled it.

On Easter I'll be able to hide the eggs the night before instead of outisde at the asscrack of dawn without worrying that he'd eat a dozen eggs before the kids have a chance to find them. Generally I spent Easter morning following the dog around the yard calling him, trying to distract him while the kids and HE searched for that one last egg.

But I missed filling his stocking this year.

I still wait to hear his bark when someone pulls into the driveway.

A quick movement, an out of place shadow...I still think I see him sometimes out of the corner of my eye sometimes.

99 Things

2009-01-05T07:48:00.001-05:00

The 99 Things Meme!

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to: leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog. Um, yeah.

2. Slept under the stars. I did, whenI was a camp counselor. Our every other week overnight was just us, in sleeping bags under the stars. I caught bronchitis and slept so close to the fire that my pillow case burned. Did I mention we were left in charge of 10 8-year old kids? The powers that be paired girl and boy counselors together, not sure about the thought process there. My partner in crime was named Mike and he was a shaved head skateboarder dude. And by the end of the summer? He was also my boyfriend.

3. Played in a band. ahahahahaha! No.

4. Visited Hawaii. Nope. And I'm pretty sure I never will.

5. Watched a meteor shower. Once.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity. More than I can afford? No. But we do give.

7. Been to Disneyland/World. Disney World. Once, in sixth grade. Another place I've got zero interest in. Sorry kids!

8. Climbed a mountain. I've climbed Blue Hill. You can ski somewhere nearby, maybe even there. But it's just a hill.

9. Held a praying mantis. I've seen plenty of them. But I have no inclination to HOLD one.

10. Sang a solo. Have you heard me sing? No? There's a good reason for that.

11. Bungee jumped. Nope. I would do one of those crazy long zip lines though...

12. Visited Paris. I'd like to. Someday.

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. Just last summer.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. I taught myself embroidery in the past few years. And I just taught myself how to thread my daughter's sewing machine today. Does that count?

15. Adopted a child.

16. Had food poisoning. Thank god, no.

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. How high can you go up? Her head?

18. Grown your own vegetables. Tomatoes. I have visions of a vegetable garden but for now that's what they'll stay...visions.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. I think Blackbird mentioned a long line. If that's the case then forget it. Still, though - a short line and I'm in.

20. Slept on an overnight train. I would LOVE to travel this way with the kids.

21. Had a pillow fight. A bunch of us teenage girls had a slumber party and we were all in our bras and panties....HAH! Not! Not as much fun as it looks.

22. Hitch hiked. Nope.

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. You bet. I went to Martha's Vinyard and went to the beach.

24. Built a snow fort. Still do.

25. Held a lamb. Aw, who wouldn't want to hold a lamb?

26. Gone skinny dipping. Yep.

27. Run a Marathon. Longest distance ever: 5 miles. And that was years ago.

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice. I'm thinking this would be smellier and dirtier and not as fun as it looks like in the movies.

29. Seen a total eclipse. I'm pretty sure I have. I'm bolding.

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Not many sunrises, except when I've been up all night.

31. Hit a home run. Once. In elementary school. An infield homerun. Not the same.

32. Been on a cruise. Honeymoon. Yawn. I mean, it was okay. But I wouldn't go on another one.

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. How have I never been here?

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. My parents? Yes. Grandparents? No, it's far into Maine. 12+ hours away.

35. Seen an Amish community. We went to Pennsylvania when I was in Junior High School. Saw the buggies. Wasn't interesting at the time. I'm sure I'd appreciate it more now but maybe not.

36. Taught yourself a new language. No thanks.

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. Oh, yeah. With my husband laid off and my work hours set to NEVER increase? Not likely anytime soon.

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person. I'd like to see this.

39. Gone rock climbing. On one of those flooky indoor rock walls.

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David. I'll include this as part of my trip to see the Tower of Pisa and the Mona Lisa.

41. Sung karaoke. Drunk and only as a back-up singer.

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. Okay, I'm bolding but really - I've only paid for someone's coffee at the drive-thru.

44. Visited Africa. No, and I have no real urge.

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. That question about sleeping under the stars? Same guy.

46. Been transported in an ambulance. No, thankfully.

47. Had your portrait painted. *snickers* A caricature.

48. Gone deep sea fishing. A few times.

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Apparently, I'll be busy while I'm in Europe.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. Snorkeling. And I hyperventilate. We were with stingrays. Good times.

52. Kissed in the rain. To be young...

53. Played in the mud. Yep.

54. Gone to a drive-in theater. We used to go all the time when I was a kid. There are a few around here now, around here being a forty five minute drive...I've been meaning to take the kids...

55. Been in a movie. I'm going out on a limb here to say that home movies don't count do they?

56. Visited the Great Wall of China. That's what aerial photography is for.

57. Started a business. Good god. NO. I would be an utter failure.

58. Taken a martial arts class. Yawn.

59. Visited Russia. See number 37. Basically I'll probably never get there. Still, italics.

60. Served at a soup kitchen. No, I haven't. I'm not saying I want to. But I wouldn't be opposed to it.

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies. As a girl scout my dad took the form to work and I cleaned up. As a mom - once. And I sold the bare minimum.

62. Gone whale watching. Dismal failure.

63. Gotten flowers for no reason. Yep and I think they're kind of a waste of money.

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. I went once and they turned me away because of my tattoo.

65. Gone sky diving. No freaking thank you.

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. I'm not sure I could do this. I don't do well with memorials.

67. Bounced a check. Not recently but yes.

68. Flown in a helicopter. Once. Great fun.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. Little People cruise ship? Barn? That big green inch-worm? Got them.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial. This type of memorial doesn't bother me. But The Wall? Or something like that? I just burst into tears.

71. Eaten Caviar. I loved it. Or convinced myself I did. I was a kid and it was so EXOTIC. I haven't had it since.

72. Pieced a quilt. I just learned to thread a sewing machine. Today.

73. Stood in Times Square. Once.

74. Toured the Everglades. I sort of italicized this one for the kids - THEY'D love it.

75. Been fired from a job. Sort of. I was offered a job change where I was working and while I was on vacation I was told not to report to back to work the next day - they were auditing my work at my previous position. When all was said and done what they thought they knew was totally WRONG and I was vindicated. And then I resigned.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London. Something I can skip during my EuroTour.

77. Broken a bone. No, never - thankfully.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. Once. And never again.

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. I would love to. I've heard Zion is better, though.

80. Published a book. I can't even write regularly on a blog. What on earth could fill the pages of a book.

81. Visited the Vatican. Eh, maybe.

82. Bought a brand new car. Maybe next time.

83. Walked in Jerusalem. Do they make kevlar for tourists? No thank you.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper. During my illustrious days as a brownie scout.

85. Read the entire Bible. No but the LOL Cat version is damned funny.

86. Visited the White House. From the outside. Long lines.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. I won't even help my husband clean a fish.

88. Had chickenpox. Yep.

89. Saved someone’s life. No.

90. Sat on a jury. Once, I was like ten people away from being questioned during the voir dire. It was a horrible, violent case. I go again on February 3rd. - it's only trial court this time.

91. Met someone famous. For a split second.

92. Joined a book club. Still in one.

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby. Two.

95. Seen the Alamo in person. I have!

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. No.

97. Been involved in a law suit. Only a class-action suit. For which I recieved a check for, like, three dollars.

98. Owned a cell phone. Uncharged and at the bottom of my purse, but yes.

99. Been stung by a bee. Yes, but not recently. The trick is to close your eyes and repeat "Bread and butter, bread and butter" over and over until the danger has passed.

I love hockey but sometimes I wish he just played golf

2009-01-04T00:40:00.005-05:00

This is nothing. Just a vent.

I saw my kid get leveled tonight at the rink.

A hit from behind. Boarding. Normally that's a five minute major and a possible suspension but because the time keeper had mistakenly stopped the clock with 4.9 seconds left - the freaking game was in actuality OVER, the refs waved off the penalty and they didn't write the kids name down on the score sheet.

My boy was against the boards digging the puck out of the corner and the other player skated full force at him and nailed him in the back. R's head whipped forward and slammed into the glass. Hard. And then he just sort of slid down the boards. It was right in front of us so as a bonus I got to see the look on his face during the entire incident. Oh, and the sound it makes when your 75 pound son gets hit against the boards like this? Still hearing it.

Granted, he got right back up - within a second or two - and skated to the handshake line but my stomach was sick. Never mind the fact that I wanted to go all mama bear on the other kid. I hate dirty hits. Hate. Them.

My boy came out of the locker room half dressed to see me and say hello to his grandparents. The minute he saw me his eyes welled up and he hugged me and told me that his head really, REALLY hurt. A hug? In front of his teammates and their parents? You know it's bad.

He went back to the locker room and apparently he was joking around and laughing with everyone and within minutes he told me he felt better. None of the coaches even suspected he was hurt, at all - his father included.

It's been a few hours. We watched him tonight, he seems fine - he says he feels fine but damn, I certainly don't.

2009-01-03T09:31:00.000-05:00

This was supposed to be the Organization Vacation.

The kids had two long weeks off. I had two days of work over the entire two week period. My husband, being laid off and working sporadically, had about the same.

I was going to clean the kids rooms out, clean our room out. Conquer the eaves behind our bedroom and make a few trips to Goodwill.

I managed to clean out my daughter's closet. I went into the eaves behind our bedroom and sort of semi-organized it. As well as you can semi-organize something that is basically a tunnel like crawl space with no place to turn around and entirely too much crap. Only it isn't crap. It's our stuff. My Eskimo doll from Alaska. My dad's old coins. A bin of pictures. A bin of books. It's not going anywhere so it just gets reshuffled according to what I think I might need next.

So basically I went O-fer. Getting one job half done - the closet. And one job - the eaves - I just pretended to do.

Instead of Organization - it has been the Pajama Vacation. Days spent in pajamas, only to get changed into clean pajamas after dinner. Trying to fit in all of our errands first thing in the morning so we can rush home and re-pajama.

Absolute perfection.

I know there's two days left of vacation and I could try to get some stuff done. And I may.

But I wouldn't count on it.

Stolen from Dawn and I think Mig did it too...

2009-01-02T11:50:00.004-05:00

1. Name a TV show [or] series in which you have seen every episode at least twice:
Twice? Probably none. I watched Gilligan's Island and the Brady Bunch pretty regularly when I was a kid but I can't even be sure I've seen all of them. Oh, I've only seen every episode of Veronica Mars once but LOVED it and totally would watch them all again.

2. Name a show you can't miss:
Hmmm. I've lasted for a season and a half with the Hills. I most always watch Survivor. I watch both OnDemand though so I've actually already missed them and just end up hoping that Comcast doesn't go changing their service before I catch up.

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show:
Brody Jenner. I'M KIDDING. Robert Downey Jr. is good, but does he even do TV anymore?

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show:
Just one? David Caruso, I guess.

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from:
My quote repetoire is limited to "Survivor's Ready?"

6. Name a show you like that no one else enjoys:
Sixty Minutes. Well, just my kids don't like it...I'm sure there's a few other people in the world watching.

7. Name a TV show which you've been known to sing the theme song:
Gilligan's Island.

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch:
The Dog Whisperer, Vernoica Mars and Bruins hockey.

9. Name a TV series you own:
Arrested Development. It's the ONLY TV series I own.

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting chops in television:
A television actor? This is hard. There are actors whose singing chops surprise me but rarely does it go the other way...Jennifer Hudson was great in DreamGirls, that's a movie but it's my answer.

11. What is your favorite episode of your favorite series?
When Tobias joins the Blue Man Group. Or some of the episodes when Buster comes back from Army. Good stuff.

12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven't gotten around to yet:
Mad Men. Is that the name of it? The ad agency guys? Hustle is pretty good too, but I always forget about it.

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad?
All the time.

14. Name a show that's made you cry multiple times:
Extreme Home Makeover or whatever it's called. Sob fest.

15. What do you eat when you watch TV?
Sometimes dinner, sometimes popcorn.

16. How often do you watch TV?
Every day. We're watching a TON of hockey this year, the Bruins are phenomenal. And generally I watch an hour of something every night - sports or whatever else catches my eye. If not, I read or Wii or Sims.

17. What's the last TV show you watched?
Cash Cab.

18. What's your favorite/preferred genre of TV?
I'd have to say sports.

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with?
See question one. Maybe Little House on the Prairie. Obsessed is a pretty strong word....

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched?
Grey's Anatomy. One and a half episodes too many.

21. What's the weirdest show you enjoyed?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although it's not my definition of weird, it might fall into that category for some.

22. What TV show scared you the most?
Movies scare me, TV shows - not really.

23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched?
Arrested Development.

A New Year

2009-01-01T22:11:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I've got no idea what a feed reader is but I'm thinking it updates when I do - so I guess, phew, because I've been gone for awhile and I'm fairly sure no one is checking back here too much by now.

I tried Facebook for a day or two. Fail.

The kids started the New Year with a definitely New Englandish dish....A pie plate filled with freshly fallen snow mixed with maple syrup. Actually, they started the new year snuggled on the couch with me watching the ball drop but we all faded pretty quickly after seeing some of the acts on the Rockin new year's eve special. Horrible stuff, that.

We hunkered in yesterday during the snow, playing some games and making pizzas. My husband told my daughter (who had never made it until midnight before) that the whole world stops for just a second or two at midnight. And that it hurts less if you freeze in place for a few seconds. The boy? Jumps right on the lie bandwagon freezing like a stone at midnight and trying to freak her out, although to her credit...she didn't believe a word.

Until today. When her lovely mother asked her if she froze (to which she replied that she hadn't) I may have said something like, well then - everything will always be a few seconds late for you this year...your birthday, Christmas...only a few seconds but if you don't freeze next year, they'll add up.

She totally bought it (what is WRONG with me?) and got all worried. I only let it go for a half a second because I could see her brother ready to jump on my lie bandwagon and the poor girl would've been worried to pieces. Really, it's a wonder my kids are normal.

Today? Our friends brought over a prime rib so we could watch the NHL Winter Classic in style. And High-Def. Seeing as they have regular DEF and according to the guys? It just doesn't compare.

They're right, it doesn't compare - it's just funny to watch the husband S. conspire ways to end up at our house to watch a hockey game. Here's some of what they brought: Prime Rib, butter, seasoning, hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, dip, crackers, wine, beer, chocolate chip cookies, shrimp cocktail, snow gear for two kids, a portable DVD player, new movies and a corkscrew. Somehow, it all worked out wonderfully.

Except for the fact that my husband had to go out and load trucks with snow at 7:00 p.m. - putting an early end to the entire day. He has my sympathy - there is no place I'd rather NOT be tonight - in a front-end loader, in a deserted grocery store parking lot - trying to stay awake all night between truck fill-ups. Poor guy. I'm totally thinking of him as I sit here in my jammies, contemplating between reading a book or wondering if I'd be able to stay awake through an entire movie.

I do wish he was home, but all in all? A happy new year.

2008-12-22T10:50:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

My pictures for the holiday tour will be up later today!

Facebook. I just don't get you.

2008-12-06T09:45:00.001-05:00

Okay. So I only log onto facebook once a month or so. Just to see what's going on over there and because I always think that maybe, just maybe this will be the time I figure out why people like it so much.

I just went through and tried to go through some of those pending requests...pillow fight, lil green patch...I quit after about five.

What's with all this sending stuff? Snowballs and iPods and scrapbooking shit? It's just imaginary stuff right? Like not real at all, right?

And pokes and super pokes and whatever the hell else. Good karma and 3D puppies?

What am I missing? Anything? Nothing? The entire point?

Enlighten me.

What's been going on...the photo edition - while I lay a big fat smooch on my new computer with the built in card reader

2008-12-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

Baseball is done. Possibly forever. He enjoyed hanging at the ballfield, learning the game. But he didn't love it. He's got a few coaches willing to take him on in the spring if he changes his mind. My best memory? Seeing the third base coach give him signals in his first game. Signals that he didn't know to look for. The guy started out with the 'steal signal' - a bunch of moves that ends in a two handed motion. My boy probably thought the guy had an itch or something - he looked away. The coach then starts with the double handed over the head wave. Ignored. And he keeps waving and waving. No response from my boy. He resorts to jumping in the air, continuing with the two armed wave. Nada. Priceless.

The best part? He ended up being the fastest kid on his team and after he would either get hit with a pitch or get a base on balls (because he never, ever did get a hit) the only thing he really COULD do was steal.

Here are the bunnies I didn't want to paint over in my daughter's bedroom. Her walls were the lightest purpley blue...I loved that color. And it's a good thing too because I can still see shades of it underneath the crapola paint that I used.

I thought I had taken a bunch of photos of her new bedroom but apparently not. So here's her new Build a Bear - Merrilee on her new quilt with a smidge of one of the new wall colors behind her.
We bobbed for apples at her birthday party. This was the thing she wanted to do most of all. Totally old school and it resulted in a room full of laughing squealing girls. Awesomeness.

That takes us through October....I've got to see what else is in this file...

2008-12-04T08:16:00.003-05:00

Excellent. The longest day of the week is now done and DONE. Between work, school, my daughters 3 after school/evening activities that post-sign up were all scheduled for the same night, work again and an 8 p.m. hockey practice...it all makes for a long day.

And we're five days late (and counting) for the big Christmas tree purchase. Although I'm pretty sure I'm the only one counting...my daughter's only mentioned it once, in passing.

My son invited me to be his guest for a day of crafts and a luncheon at his school. Flattered, although I'm not sure who else he would've asked, I accepted. He's in 6th grade so I can't imagine there'll be many more days like this....

And then he brought home the registration form.

The adults don't get to participate in the craft making like he thought. We're there to run the tables. Each teacher is asking for craft item donations and the whole group of teachers is asking for snacks, paper products, punch, etc.

And the luncheon? $6.00 a plate.

And the cost per child? Which includes the spaghetti lunch and the crafts and snack that we've provided most of the ingredients for? $9.00.

Is this crazy or is it just me?

2008-12-03T11:06:00.003-05:00

Okay, well, I have to say the new computer lets me FLY through the internet, just as god intended.

It also, unlike my last computer, enables me to play the Sims and ALL of the Sims related expansion packs courtesy of my pal Mig.

So, if you've been looking for a blog post and are disappointed? Blame her.

But I do have something....

Here we go...

Here are the Rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you - So, Lisa, consider yourself linked....

2. Post the rules on your blog

3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself

4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs - Not tagging.

5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website. 6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up

Random Facts:
1. I used to be a sore loser. Horrible, I was truly horrible. Like throw the cards down and walk away horrible. Or make it so the other person knows that I'm feeding them cards and making mistakes on purpose ensuring that I'm going to lose and it's going to be by a large margin. Only child, anyone?

2. I just learned the definition of which zone was "their zone" and which zone was "our zone" during a hockey game. Dudes, I've been watching hockey and listening to hockey talk for thirty weeks a year for the past four years. You'd of thought I would've picked up on this by now, but no. Our zone has OUR goalie in it. How could I not have figured that out? (Rhetorical question, no "Because you're an idiot!" answers allowed)

3. I cannot remember the different jumps for chinese jump rope and had to google it for my daughter. And a question, if any of you are chinese, is that really how you play jump rope? And was that question offensive?

4. I am convinced that the disappearance of honeybees is directly related to cell phones.

5. I love maps. Oh, and globes too. But mostly maps.

6. I brush my teeth really hard and all my new toothbrushes look like hell after about a week.

2008-11-20T10:30:00.002-05:00

So, my new computer is all built and is on it's way home to me.

Is it sad that I'm hoping it gets here prior to Thanksgiving so I have four days to load and play the Sims? And that I'm already thinking of how I can skip my housewiferly duties to get in more time to blog/upload pictures/play?

Merry Christmas to me.

In other news, report cards came out last week. My son, as I sort of knew would happen, made High Honors. My girl, had perfectly fine grades too. In all honesty, they weren't GREAT grades but they were good and her effort is top notch as is her attitude.

I'm thanking god I don't pay out for grades as my boy would be getting a huge payday these days. My thing is, how not to make my girl feel like she's being punished for getting less than a top notch report card if she just doesn't GET something that's being taught but she's trying? It seems like a can of worms. Plus she's at the age where she's not getting letter grades like A or B but rather 'at grade level standards' or 'approaching grade level standards' - things like that. Ugh.

So instead we go out to dinner, this term the boy chose the restaurant and next term the girlie will choose. My son got to order his choice off the menu (which, generally, we don't do because he's eleven and 70 pounds and there's not a lot of room for restaurant sized grown up portions on a frame that size) and my daughter got to pick an appetizer and all was right in the world.

A prime example of how my daughter attempts to answer a reading comprehension question -

The story is about a talking wolf and it takes place at noon.

One of the questions asks if the wolf was hungry. Which, naturally, she answered yes to even though there was no talk of food in the story.

Why?

Here's what she told me: Noontime is LUNCHTIME. Plus he's a wolf and they're always hungry.

How do I argue with that?

2008-11-18T00:21:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how many of you brave the Black Friday crowds. Usually, it's been a tradition at my in-laws that after dinner we peruse the fliers and while they all just look and 'ooh and aw' over the deals to be had - I make my game plan for the next day.

This year, however, I sort of got a jump on it.

Check this out.

There is no disposable income this year, no picking up something that I think the kids might like. At least as far as my son is concerned. We had the 'if you ask for expensive gifts you get far fewer things to open' discussion yesterday. Again.

My daughter, on the other hand, has a Christmas list with 63 things on it. Some she'll get for sure (this book, for instance) other things will never cross our doorstep. Strangely enough, she put down a few random things that have been in the back of my mind for her that I thought she'd enjoy - a pink bean bag chair? a small sewing machine? A stage for her puppet shows?

I've always thought that my son is more like me, that I understand where he's coming from more than I do my daughter. I think I might be wrong.

2008-11-11T19:56:00.002-05:00

Things I am enjoying that I can't show you photos of because I don't have a card reader on my antique laptop:

I just found a brand new Nok Hockey game at a local consignment shop for less than half the regular price. Score! Merry Christmas son.

Embroidery hoops that look like frames. I found these at a yard sale last year and I've been holding on to them thinking I'd come up with a use for them sooner or later. I'm working on a few things for my daughter's room and these are perfect.

Wall decals from the dollar store. They just peel off and they're flowery and adorable and perfect for a little section of wall in my girl's room.

Four cords of split, seasoned firewood. We've yet to use a drop of heating oil this year and I'm hoping it'll be December before we turn the furnace on. Granted, some mornings there's a bit of a chill in here but we don't have much time to lounge around and if we do? Fleece blankets for everyone. Snuggly.

This fall I've come down with a sick addiction to The Hills. Lauren, Audrina (steer clear of Justin!), Whitney, Brody....love them all. Except Spencer. Dear god, could anyone be more of an asshole?

I just watched the movie Hard Candy last night and when I saw the little FearNet logo in the bottom of the screen I got worried because I don't usually enjoy scary movies or anything that keeps you 'on the edge of your seat'. But I like Ellen Page (from Juno) and I figured I could just shut it off if I got all stressed out. Well, I have to say...definitely not for the squeamish but I totally liked it.

Two and a half weeks until we get our Christmas tree!

2008-11-09T22:52:00.003-05:00

1. Political show - I used to love the Daily Show. Okay, I still love the Daily Show but The Colbert Report has totally grown on me.

2. Picnic food - Fruit. The first time we get our hands on fresh strawberries and blueberries? Yum.

3. Mixed drink - In a bar? Margarita. At home? Grape vodka & lemonade or Stoli vanilla & diet coke.

4. U.S. President - John Adams.

5. Kind of student to teach - Egads. Jen had the perfect answer. None. I have zero patience for teaching anyone anything.

6. Hobby you do or wish you still did - I read and do some embroidery. I wish I could knit better than I do, but I struggle with mistakes...when I make them I can't fix them and I get frustrated waiting for help.

7. Sports commentator - Don & Remy are definitely number one. Then there's Al Michaels and I'm partial to Gil Santos too.

8. Sport to watch on TV - You must mean sports, as in plural. I love a good football game or baseball game. I'll be honest though, I only watch baseball if the Sox are playing and I only watch basketball occasionally. These days? Hockey is winning out. Bruins hockey to be exact. After watching my son's game go from skittish first steps and puck chasing to smooth crossovers and quick wrist shots it's a joy to sit down and watch a game with him.

9. Animal to have as a pet - A dog. *sigh* We're not ready to jump back into pet ownership yet. We dogsat a few weeks ago for my sister in law and it was great having a dog around. Except that the dog we watched was a seven year old, well behaved golden retriever and not a lunatic labrador puppy or a super cute french bulldog that maybe your husband doesn't really want.

10. Halloween costume you have worn - A fisherman.

11. Kind of dessert - Pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

12. Comic strip - The Far Side.

13. Style or make of footwear - Summer? Flip flops and slip on sneakers. Winter? Clogs and regular sneakers.

14. Ice cream flavor - Chocolate peanut butter cup. I"m keeping this one, Jen.

15. College or university president - Um, I'm neither.

16. Internet news source - Sadly, comcast.net. It's my home page.

17. Vacation spot - The beach. Thankfully, they're close by.

18. Wine - No thanks, instant headache. Plus I just can't get over the fact that it doesn't TASTE good.

19. Way to waste time instead of working - Interneting.

20. Student excuse for late work - I can't even remember.

21. Reality show - At this point, it's pretty much down to watching Survivor OnDemand. Oh. And this one probably doesn't count because it's hardly reality but I'm throwing it in here anyway...The Hills. Believe me, I KNOW how bad it is. But I cannot stop. And sometimes the Bachelor(ette) shows too. If I remember they're on.

22. Jewelry on a man - I really like gold chains and link braclets. Oh and those magnet, Q-Ray bracelets are pretty awesome too. ACK! Puh-leeze. A wedding band and maybe a watch.

23. Pizza topping - Sausage & mushroom or pepper & onion.

24. Children’s movie - Hmmm, I'd probably have to say Mary Poppins.

25. Celebrity you wish would retire - I wouldn't mind never seeing Jim Carrey in a comedy again. I'm not a huge fan of Denzel Washington or Julia Roberts either.

That's all I've got. Consider yourself tagged if you'd like.

2008-11-06T22:49:00.002-05:00

I have to say, I'm not a fan of autumn. Maybe I used to like it but now it just seems like a stop gap between summer and winter. Once it's too cold to swim in the pond? We look forward to skating on it. Until then, we've got soccer.

I tend not to talk to many people at the soccer fields where my girl plays rec league soccer. I listen to them talk to each other but I'm not much of a joiner. Her team is undefeated, mostly due to two superstar little boys that play virtually the entire game and score eighty percent of the goals.

Although the coach's son did tell my daughter that his dad said the best three players on the team are 1. His son, 2. Another boy, M and 3. My girl - she was tickled pink but I'm not at all into the coach confiding in his kid about who's good and who's not plus it's blatently obvious because these kids get WAY too much playing time, my daughter included.

But apparently, rumors are swirling about our team - that we've been sneaking another player on the field and playing with an extra kid out there and stomping all over the competition. Last week we played a team that's coached by my daughter's dome soccer coach. The parents were falling all over themselves to make sure we could hear them complaining about us. And then, when we won, the parents on OUR team were falling all over themselves to make sure they were heard congratulating themselves (the kids were still on the field) about beating the other undefeated team with the super loud coach and wasn't it good that the super loud coach finally lost while our super quiet coach got another win.

The whole time I'm thinking, dudes - our coach kind of sucks. Do you not see him short shifting your kids so that mine (and his) can play more? Have you heard him congratulating a kid on a goal and then telling the kid that he didn't even see it? Did you go to the practice that the kids just stood there for twenty minutes while he explained to three kids how to do one drill (and yes, I did too time it - I'm used to hockey and my husband used to ask me how long the kids were waiting in line during his practices)? He doesn't sub the kids, doesn't tell them to pass and rarely tells them where to play. Plus I have to deprogram my daughter before her dome games so she doesn't pull the same moves during her indoor that her rec coach praises her for (Take it all the way, C! Just GO!)

I know, I know. Knocking the volunteer coach is bad form. Mostly, I'm stunned about these parents who are so worried about getting a win in U8 soccer. I mean, it's an eight week, rec league soccer program. If they get this worked up at soccer they'd probably couldn't handle the excitement of youth hockey.

2008-11-04T15:26:00.002-05:00

I'm totally contemplating a new blog address. I've hated this one since I typed it in to blogger over four years ago and soon found out I was stuck with it. I'll stick with Blogger, lord knows if I had to type in wordpress or typepad after my name I may never come back.

So....new blog name....hmmmm.

I'm done with the voting. I went before nine a.m. and the small town thing works just fine for me...I know the ladies checking my address, no one uses photo ID and seeing myself as the 296th person in my precinct to vote? For a town the size of mine? Already a heck of a turnout.

The best thing about tomorrow? No more goddamned "I'm John McCain/Barack Obama/whoever and I approved this message".

Second best thing about tomorrow? Hopefully living in income tax free Massachusetts while I smoke a joint at the dog track.

I kid.

They'll never get rid of the income tax.

I have no great words of wisdom about the election. I am so NOT inspired by Obama, I find him lackluster, inexperienced and Democrats by nature are a little too spendy but I'm even more frightened of what might happen if more conservative supreme court justices are sworn in or if Sarah Palin would have to make even one, small policy decision. And more tax breaks for big corporations? It just doesn't make sense.

Anyway, blah, blah, blah.

Maybe Mig's son will run in a few years.

2008-10-20T09:14:00.004-05:00

That game last night? I won't dwell but that Garza guy certainly can pitch. The Sox had their chances and didn't or, actually, couldn't capitalize so home they go.

At least now I can go to bed before one a.m. this week.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We are dogsitting and apparently I have short term memory loss. On Saturday night we were watching the game with some friends and our charge comes wandering in the room. I was totally thrown for a curve and actually said "Ah, there's a dog!" before I remembered that she was supposed to be there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

There was an ammunition related lockdown at the local high school this week and our book club just read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. Timely subject and I'm sure the whole incident was discussed but I wouldn't know because I ditched book club with another girl to go out to dinner and browse/shop.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In a related story, I now have all the party favors/junk needed for my daughter's birthday/halloween party. And considering that I don't have to make a trip out to the store to get all of this stuff and can instead go to soccer/hockey/drama/work without stressing about when and how I'm going to get to a store before Friday? Ditching was definitely the Idea of the Month.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My son needed a huge favor from me for school today. Well, huge in his eyes. Last night at nine p.m. he came downstairs and told me that his math quiz? The one where she checks your notebooks and your grade is based on how many papers you've kept? ed. note: STUPID.

The one that the entire class is totally unprepared for? Is Monday and he's only missing three sheets which can be printed from the textbook website. ed. note: because his mother checked the Math Class Policy Sheet and seeing nothing about keeping homework assignments threw, like four hundred sheets away since school has started and he has no idea how lucky he is that he only needs three math sheets at this point. Oh, and the teacher CANNOT BELIEVE that no one is prepared for this as she has told the kids twice that the information in on that damned policy sheet. Math teacher lady - you are WRONG.

Okay. But now it's nine p.m. and our main computer is dead and our laptop is outdated and has zero printer software installed. So, seeing as he's holding a straight A+ average at this point (braggy, brag, brag)and is stressed out because this could bring the whole thing crashing down around him I had a brief conversation with him about using his agenda book to jot notes down about things like this (not just copy homework assignments) and then told him I'd take him to my office before school and we'd print out the sheets for his binder. Ed. note: Also he's been promised his own full rack of ribs for dinner if he continues with the ~~good~~ great grades and he was probably more freaked out about losing the chance to cover his hands and face with barbeque sauce than anything.

But. He has to do one favor for me in return. One favor of my choosing. Hmmmm.......

And they live to see another day

2008-10-17T13:08:00.002-05:00

Well, THAT was some kinda Red Sox game, that's for sure. Y'know it's so easy to lose faith in a team that's down by seven runs - I mean really, we had switched the channel for about forty minutes and I made a stab at guessing the score:

7-2 is what I said. Nope, it was 7-0. We laughed and agreed I gave the Sox far too much credit. My husband, bone tired, said three more outs and he was going to bed. Then he calls Pedroia's base hit and Papi's homerun before they were even at bat. All of a sudden - it's a game again. Papelbon looked spot on for the top of the eighth and then my husband calls JD Drew's homer. Blah, blah, blah - more hits, some thanks going out to BJ Upton and the Sox are heading back to Tampa.

The thing about being a Red Sox fan? You can tell yourself it's over, attempt to take a flying leap from the bandwagon, even, to save yourself the mental anguish of watching them get shut out at home. But really, they're down by seven and the minute Lowrie hits the ball you believe that they're coming back to win. In fact, you never really doubted that they could...you were only fooling yourself - or trying to.

For those of you that could care less about the Red Sox:

Um, I got nothin'.

Rally hat? Check. Piles of clean clothes? Check.

2008-10-16T11:31:00.004-05:00

I wish I could say that I'm not superstitious but lord knows, that's far FAR from the truth.

Last year, it was my dedication to laundry and a popsicle stick that won the World Series for crying out loud.

But this year? The famed Citgo sign catching fire the night before the last Fenway game of the ALCS?

What do you think....a good omen? or have we now fallen victim to a new curse?

2008-10-15T11:46:00.000-05:00

Aw, man...you guys are awesome. One post and I feel like all "welcome back!".

The girlie's room? Is Pixie Dust Pink and Hobnail Green. Entirely too frou-frou for my taste but she'd had my choice of color on her walls for eight years now and it was time for an upgrade.

And speaking of eight years, my baby is eight years old - as of yesterday. We made our annual pilgrimage to Build a Bear or as my son called it Engineer an Elephant, because that's what she came home with. A big elephant named Marilee dressed in a pink sweatsuit.

She had her choice of dinner and because I am never going to win Parent of the Year - she had an ice cream sandwich instead of cake (for shame! In my defense, I worked all day and had to be back out of the house for a meeting at 5:45 p.m.) and best of all? No birthday candles. I put a tea light (cinnamon scented, even) on top of the ice cream sandwich.

There weren't any photos so I'm hoping I can hypnotize her later into THINKING she had a cake with honest-to-god candles. This will be a birthday that haunts me at Sunday family dinners in the future when my kids come to visit me.

I plan on having our families over for the usual cake and ice cream celebration in a few days so she won't be permanently traumatized. Or she will be but it will be for entirely different reasons.

Like those earrings I got her. I broke my personal 'must be 13' rule and got her ears pierced. Six long weeks she waited. She cleaned them, turned them and counted the days until her birthday when I told her she could take them out and put in a new pair. Which we did without a problem on Monday. She wore new earrings all day and took them out at bedtime.

And that brings us to Tuesday and a whole 'nother story. Her other birthday present? Getting her earrings poked back through half healed earring holes. I mean, it was one freaking night. How could they have almost closed up? And then, after school? We went to check on the earrings she wore and they were kind of, like, stuck in there. The holes had tried to close up with her earrings in. Yeouch.

So my poor babe, all excited for some new sparkly goods, is now half freaked out because we didn't know what to do...put earrings in to try to keep the holes open or leave them out so she's not wearing permanent earrings for the next thirty years. Verdict? They're in.

I hope she likes little flower earrings when she's closing in on forty.

And look at me, with the posting.

2008-10-14T10:57:00.006-05:00

I know no one wants to hear about the reasons for the absolute lack of posting but too bad. I'm kidding, there's little more to it then the fact that in my list of priorities for the past few weeks posting here falls way short. WAY short. I've still been reading y'all though.

And I use the y'all lightly as I'm sure visitors here are few and far between by now.

Plus my real computer, the one that wasn't built in the early nineties? It died. Basically it was all "Blue Screen? Fuck the blue screen. You've seen the blue screen about forty times this year and did NOTHING so from now on I'm all black screen and how 'bout I throw in this Primary Hard Drive Failure message for your reading pleasure?"

So there's that.

I was in the market for a new computer anyway but I was hoping to hold off until Christmas. Which, I still will but now I have to listen to my son's daily whine about the lack of Runescapability on the forty pound, seven minute battery life laptop. Such is life, my boy.

I spent the weekend painting my daughter's room. A word of advice...

If you head to Lowe's to buy paint, pull up short and get thee to a Benjamin Moore dealer. Or even Home Depot. The Lowe's paint? It sucks.

It sets up too fast, covers like shit and drips like crazy. I thought it was my lack of painting expertise causing the whole paint suckiness. I tend to be a little hyper-critical of my skills (skillz?) and I was painting kind of late at night due to some last minute wall patching by my husband (before he took the kids to Maine for the weekend he patched a few holes and ran out the door mumbling to me about closet door removal, sanding and priming) and a few late starting Sox games.

Long story short, husband comes home - notes the flaws, naturally, and proceeds to 'show me how it's done'. Which, he wields a paint brush with far more confidence than I do and he really does nice work, thinks tape is for wimps and works much faster than I ever could. And what does he say halfway through the second coat on his two walls? "This paint sucks."

And that finishes up our expert review on Valspar paint.

And truly, my husband isn't really all that critcal of my work - he knows better as he'd rather have me paint than have me watch him paint. I'm a backseat painter.

We thought we had escaped.

2008-09-13T04:43:00.000-05:00

Little League.

First there's t-ball, then minor league and then majors. At age 12 it's your last year in majors, you automatically make a team, whether you've played before or not. Some of the kids are pitching sixty miles an hour at this point...which is frightening to a seventy pound boy up to bat for the first time.

My son has never wanted any part of baseball. Sure, he'll play catch in the yard and he loves a good whiffle ball game. But an honest to god baseball game? He's never even been interested.

And for that we've been thankful - by the time hockey season ends were all sportsed out.

But this year?

Two Words.

Fall Ball.

A month or so ago two of his friends start waxing poetic about this league they're in and convince him he HAS to play. I've sort of knocked baseball before to him but if the kid wants to try it...he's trying it.

He scrimmaged another team from town last night and had to stop and laugh on his way to the plate because his entire team and half of the other team was standing at the dugout fence chanting his name. I give him a lot of credit - most of his team is on the all-stars or has played in the majors for a few years and all of them have at least played a few seasons of ball. It can't be easy to go out and learn to play a game these kids have been playing for years. He's not one to put himself out there too easily so I have to say, I'm a little impressed...

And so, for the next five Saturdays I'll be spending five or so hours at the ballfield. And one hour at the soccer field and some weeks there'll be another two hours at the rink.

Which, now that I've just typed that out I'm mourning the loss of half my weekend. Like walkin' in the rain and the snow when there's no place to go...the things we do for love.

The Food Meme that's going around

2008-09-10T07:09:00.001-05:00

1. How do you like your eggs?
Not very often...um, I eat maybe one or two scrambled eggs a year. Once in awhile I'll have an egg cooked, I don't even know what's it's called - over HARD, maybe? That way I can be sure that nasty yolk is cooked within an inch of its life and I can just cut it out and salt & pepper the white.

2. How do you take your coffee/tea?
Tea: Instant Iced only.

Coffee: Oh gawd, not in your life. I don't even like coffee ice cream. Or coffee milk. Or coffee scented anything. Even mocha flavors are too coffeeish for me.

3. Favorite breakfast food:

French toast (yes, I realize there's egg involved), bacon and homefries.

4. Peanut butter:
Chunky is my favorite but no one else in the house eats it. So I'm stuck with creamy but I love it on pancakes and french toast.

This is a gross one but I love peanut butter on an english muffin, with butter and cottage cheese with chives.

5. What kind of dressing on your salad?
Rice vinegar, olive oil and some shakes of whatever spice fits my mood.

6. Coke or Pepsi?
Diet Coke.

7. You’re feeling lazy. What do you make?
Cereal

8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?
Pepper and onion.

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make?
Pork loin roasted in my cast iron pan, steamed carrots, whipped potatoes. Or lasagna.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories?
Yes...

11. Do any foods bring back bad memories?
Not really.

12. Do any foods remind you of someone?
Sirloin steak reminds me of my dad - it was his favorite. Oh and if one of my kids wants milk to drink while they're eating popcorn I always think of him - his parents made him drink milk when they had popcorn and it scarred him for life.

13. Is there a food you refuse to eat?
I couldn't do brains, hearts, kidneys - things like that. Although my husband said that moose heart - cooked correctly - is delicious. Maybe if I didn't know what it was...

14. What was your favorite food as a child?
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Even in restaurants, much to the dismay of my grandmother.

15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like?
Oh sure, cheese, carrots, string beans, mayonnaise.

16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate?
Rum Raisin ice cream

17. Favorite fruit and vegetable:
fruit--locally grown white peaches and blueberries.
vegetable--corn on the cob.

18. Favorite junk food:
popcorn with butter and salt or is this supposed to be real junk food...like candy bars? How about plain M & M's mixed in with the popcorn, then?

19. Favorite between meal snack:
popcorn with butter and salt

20. Do you have any weird food habits?
I never EVER used to touch leftovers. Even from my own plate. But I've gotten over that.

21. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on?
fruit, salad, weight watchers soup, light popcorn and whatever else uses up the points

22. You’re off your diet. Now what would you like?
chinese food and popcorn with real butter and salt. Sodium overdose anyone?

23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai?
Sad, but I don't really know.

24. Can I get you a drink?
Absolutely. Thanks to Fairly Odd Mother I've been making liberal use of the lemondade/grape vodka mixture. It's also excellent in slush form, just make your lemonade a little more concentrated so it doesn't get watered down.

25. Red or White Wine?
Neither. No coffee, tea, wine or even beer. It's official...I'm seven.

26. Favorite dessert?
Probably strawberry shortcake. This summer I grilled pineapples coated with a mix of butter and cinnamon/sugar and served them warm over vanilla ice cream. Yum.

27. The perfect nightcap?
Drink? Like an after-dinner before bed type of thing? Does Powerade Zero count? Water? If it has to be alcohol related I guess I'd go with Bailey's on the rocks. Which I've done precisely twice in my life.

The Last Few Weeks

2008-09-07T20:18:00.007-05:00

The pond definitely gets quieter during the last few weeks of August. It's generally pretty quiet anyway - unless you get some unruly people teeing golf balls of their neighbor's dock. Especially when the first shot is more like a line drive and smashes a beer bottle sitting innocently in its path. Not that I have any personal knowledge of this. Moving on.

She's a cautious diver but she's a diver nonetheless.
The pond is one of the great equalizers in their relationship. It's one of the spots where they get along much more than they bicker. There are races (where the boy has learned the fine art of counting super fast during his sister's headstart), handstand contests and frog catching expeditions. Truly, I know I'm blessed to live here.

If I ever post here about moving to anywhere that is more than thirty minutes to the ocean...slap me. And quite frankly, thirty minutes is about twenty eight minutes too long.
South Shore Beach, Little Compton, Rhode Island. Voted the best. beach. ever. by my children.
Boogie Boardable waves, skim boardable skim, rock jetty walls to explore, crabs to hunt and soft white sand. Perfection.

The view (a partially smokey one) of our campsite at Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire. The campground was virtually empty - leaving my kids free reign to run wild through thirty or so campsites all around us. It's a beautiful park, tons of trails, letter boxes - it was six miles from the main gate to our campsite - truly a HUGE place. Huge. Much like the mosquito population. I've never quite experienced mosquitos swarming us like they did - literally there would be ten to fifteen mosquitos around me and the camp stove as I cooked - disgusting. My poor girl had the welts to prove it.

The lake was beautiful but a mite bit c-c-c-cold. Still, it was refreshing and blessedly mosquito free. There was some sort of naturey pond exploration class one morning and my two little cherubs were waiting at the gate for the volunteer girl. They were the only ones to show up for the class and spent every minute they could catching diving beetles, butterflies and frogs. Later, the same girl took them on a survival hike while I did laundry and washed dishes (oh the fun of camping - where menial tasks take three times as long!). They built a shelter and learned four different ways to build a fire.

What does a mom do when she takes her kids camping and wakes up to a rainy morning? She packs the kids up, throws her mandated 'wait until you're thirteen' rule out the window and gets her daughter's ears pierced.

And here, the first day of school. I got the usual canned smile shot of the girl. And then I asked her how she really felt about school starting.

Here's my son's answer to the same question.

Summer vacation. I thought eleven weeks was going to be too long. Turns out it wasn't nearly long enough.

An Opinion Piece

2008-09-04T08:25:00.004-05:00

Y'know seeing as I usually wear Carmex and not lipstick am I to be considered a pitbull? And seeing as I'm sure to hear that joke (?) forty million times I'm going on record as saying I was sick of it before I heard her speech tonight, because they said that same exact quote this morning on Good Morning America. Recycled quips? Yawn.

I tend not to get at all overly involved in presidential politics, I'm not part of the electoral college or anything...
Tonight was the first and only part of the conventions that I plan to watch. I will try to catch a debate but truth be told, at this point, I'm not thrilled with either candidate.

But Sarah Palin has kind of captured my attention. And god bless John McCain for picking someone who can at least be the subject of controversy and conversation. I mean, his campaign folks didn't know that the daughter's boyfriend had a facebook/myspace page that said he doesn't want kids? Seriously? That's awesome.

I thought her speech started out fairly well tonight. No distracting dangle earrings so that was good. She spoke first as a mother and honestly, I didn't want it to pander to my emotions but it did and congratulations speech writers...it worked. So there was that.

But then, with the whole let's drill and provide our own oil and gas so we can not be dependent on foreign suppliers and I know northern Alaska and we've got plenty? She also said something about how Alaska turned down federal funding for a bridge to nowhere and that if they were going to build a bridge they'd build it the Alaskans would do it themselves. Hello, Ms. Palin but good luck funding roadway construction projects (honest work not fake bridges) without the help of the federal government. (And seeing as my husband's company was banned from bidding on projects that received any federal funding dollars? I can tell you first hand that pretty much nixed public roadwork for them. And rightly so.)

I didn't see Obama's speech, and I suppose it doesn't matter because either way I want to say I'm also sick of those verbal jabs against the opponent. Community organizer, again & again? Oh and hey - maybe Obama didn't use the word victory (except while alluding to his campaign) in his speech about the war because the war has no foreseeable "victory" in sight.

In one remark she commented about Obama not authoring any laws or decisions or something. Which to me, would effectively add more government? Right? Well then a few sentences later she states that Obama wanting more government is a bad, bad thing for us all. Which is it? More laws/regulation/decisions = more government and not enacting them should be a plus. (on the other hand, maybe he IS lazy and indecisive) so thanks for that contradiction.

But then I sort of find myself wanting to like her, even though I don't agree with half of the things she represents. I like the total outsider vibe she's got going for her. And the mom thing, I can't deny it. She seems pretty human and down to earth. Or at least the p.r. people have me snowed into thinking that.

In the back of my mind though, there are a few sticking points:

I'm so glad that if my seventeen year old daughter got pregnant that she at least has a choice as to how she'd want to proceed. And marriage? I can't imagine encouraging it.

Drilling in Alaska? If she's not into wasteful spending I don't quite grasp that. Is the end result worth the impact? A relative minuscule amount of oil seems like the biggest wasteful spending pork barrel type of thing that could be imagined.

She's apparently in favor of aerial hunting of wolves so there will be more moose. Now, I'm not sure if Alaska needs more moose or if the hunting lobby in Maine wants more moose but that's not the point. Aerial hunting is just not sporting or really even effective population control. Think of all the airplane fuel and oil you could save if you hunted them the old fashioned way, on foot. Not that she believes that humans have really impacted global warming or anything, though.

I sort of tuned out the whole worship McCain portion of the speech, like she's going to say anything bad or surprising - plus I wanted to iron the kid's clothes for school tomorrow.

So that's it. My report on the speech. I'm thinking that you sort of have to view her as president. I mean, McCain's mom is still kicking around but I wonder if 76 is just too old. I lean towards hell yes he's too old. And she'll be there, ready to replace him. Scary but at least it's got me kind of interested too.

Which is more than I can say for Obama and Biden.

Updated to add: GMA's fact checking crew was reporting this morning that Palin was totally for the federal funds for the bridge either while she was running for governor or prior to that (while she was mayor, I'm assuming) and then, when she was governor she came out against the project. But only AFTER the offer for the federal funds was taken away and was no longer an option. It's all about the spin, I suppose.

2008-09-03T09:05:00.005-05:00

Well. I'm back. Back from camping, back to work, back to school, back to hockey, back to soccer, back to CUH-RAZEY.

The camping trip? A huge success, a huge tiring success. But well worth the effort. Mostly. Pictures? Why, certainly. But not now...Now I'm unable to access the photos to computer thing *cough*atwork*cough*.

Schoolish related things? School shopping? I don't really go school shopping...I pick up a few shirts here and there, some jeans during Old Navy's SEVEN DOLLAR JEAN SALE (and yes, that merited the All Cap Typing Clause), school suppies when the mood strikes me...but mostly the kids are set for awhile.

The boy wanted seventy five dollar sneakers in the worst way. Since last year he's been on the kick for these foolishly expensive shoes.

I told him that even though he only wears sneakers and one pair will generally last him until April or May there was NO WAY I was going to shell out that kind of dough for Jordan's. He gets forty bucks towards his sneakers from us. He can spend it all, spend less (hello, Starburys from Steve & Barry's - TEN Dollars a pair! And actually decent looking!) or kick in the balance if he still wanted the Jordan's. So, last spring he took thirty five dollars, put it in an envelope and wrote "shoes" on it.

A few weeks ago I took him for his sneakers. We shopped around and ended up at Foot Locker, which I won't link to because the store? Smelled like a foot locker. Actually, more like a new plasticy/vinyl smell. Still, disgusting.

But the boy bought the coveted shoes and all was right with the world.

And then he bought himself a boat, but more on that later.

2008-08-24T08:41:00.003-05:00

Hey, new look for the blogger dashboard. Which means I haven't posted or even TRIED to post since August 14th when, apparently, is when they updated it.

Big doings on the lake today....seven hundred swimmers, some lifeguards, two scuba divers (that pond is deep, yo) - the end of summer triathlon. The last of the triathletes has just swum by... this year's viewing was made all that much more pleasurable by the fact that my husband cooked french toast and sausage for breakfast and brought it down to the pond.

We're packing up the car and heading to New Hampshire for fourish days. Enjoy your week!

2008-08-14T09:55:00.003-05:00

Husband: Hey, we saw groundhog at the tennis courts the other day.

Me: A big groundhog? Like a Puxatawney Phil groundhog?

Girlie: Well, maybe not a groundhog....Maybe it was a quahog!

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FedEx phone guy: So, you're shipping from zip code 21356?

Me: Nope, *gives correct zip code*

FedEx guy: Darn it, I thought I had Massachusetts memorized?

Me: You have to memorize the zip codes?!?!

Him: Yeah, we're supposed to know the whole country but...

Me - interupting: What?! Hey, I hope FedEx is paying you well over there, Rainman.

Him: I'm totally lying to you.

Me: Ack! You totally had me!

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Husband's Work Friend: So they wanted me to work with P. at the job site but I turned them down. I told them that the last time P. has put in a hard day's work the Dead Sea had just gotten sick.

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Husband's Work Friend as he gets off the phone with his ex wife - to my husband: Don't ever have an Ex.

Me: Oh, he'll never have an ex but he may have a widow.

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The FedEx guy just called me back and asked me to bring up the website. So I click around and watch it start loading.

Him: Sorry to do this to you, I know you're busy with the phones and whatnot.

Me: That's okay but I hope you've got awhile. I'm on dial-up.

Him: HUGE pause, then - Um, oh. Okay.

Me: Gotcha.

Him: AHHHHH! Payback for the zipcodes! Well played.

2008-08-11T19:39:00.002-05:00

I wish I had tales to tell but seriously? We've been just around. Not spectacularly busy but I just haven't gotten around to posting.

However I am completely and totally exhausted.

A word to the wise....if you decide to place multiple holds at the library - all at the same time- for, say, Veronica Mars, Battlestar Galactica and Big Love - be prepared to watch a helluva lot of tv after your kids are in bed. Why I can't just return them unwatched I don't know. But I've been up far too late every night for the past two weeks.

Like two a.m. too late.

Other accomplishments?

I am this close to being a tennis pro on the Wii.

I've started thinking about embroidery and knitting again.

Made reservations to take the kids camping for a few days in New Hampshire.

I bought glue sticks and pencils for back-to-school.

I made this shrimp the other night and it was a huge hit.

*yawn* Three more episodes of Big Love and I'm home free!

2008-08-04T05:44:00.006-05:00

Fenway, from Yawkey way. For five extra dollars I parked on Yawkey Way, a stone's throw from the gate. You can almost see my car from here. I'll tell you, that was - quite possibly - the BEST five bucks I've ever spent. Five minutes from the car to our seats. And traffic? ZERO. Also, no sweaty T ride with five thousand other Sox fans trying to get out of Dodge. Lesson: if you're going to pay thirty dollars to park? Pay thirty five. And Jacoby sure does look like he put on a few pounds, doesn't he?

We were there early enough to get in some batting practice. The Angels' right fielder, whose name I won't even bother to look up because I could care less? Ass. He'd field ball after ball and end up with three or four. Then, he'd pretend like he was going to throw one up to the kids in the stands and he'd turn and throw it in. Nice. Still though, the park is beautiful. And my girl?
She was fabulous. FAB. U. LUSS. Really, I know I said I wasn't all that thrilled to be taking her but she surprised me in the best way possible. We bought some chick hats on the way in (baby blue for her, lavender for me) to celebrate the lack of boys. And while she yelled "Right here, Right here!" and held out her glove at BP I scanned the park for our section/seats. Here's the view. The only trouble? Once you sit here there ain't no going back to right field. Well, maybe there's some going back but I'll be pouty and mad the whole way.

Gratuitous Mike Lowell shot for Dawn.

First Fenway Frank. She spent the better part of three innings tracking the cotton candy man and taking inventory of his supply. There were probably five thousand people between him, with his two bags of cotton candy left, and us and she's trying to get his attention - worried that he'll sell out before he gets to us. Which, of course, he did. And when he came back up in the stands with his fresh supply, she nearly jumped out of her seat. And then she got a bag...had three bites...and decided that she didn't really like it. And contrary to all previous girlie ball game behavior? She didn't ask for another thing and then sat back and enjoyed the evening.

Ciao, Manny. Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya. Not that I didn't love me some Manny Ramierez...but pre-Dodgers trade? Insufferable. Hearing some of the things that his Red Sox teammates were saying though? Interesting. Like the fact that he showed up at ball games late and was benched (even though we might have been told it was a hamstring ) and the fact that he recently moved his locker from the back of the clubhouse (outside the reaches of the press) to the area with the rest of the team - insuring he'd have an audience for his sound bites.

Anyway, we saw his last game in a Sox uniform and like many of his recent appearances...yawn.

The Sox lost...and they lost big. And much like the last time I went, which strangely enough was two years ago to the very day, the score matters so little when you're there, doing the wave and singing some Neil Diamond.

2008-07-29T20:45:00.003-05:00

My boss, whose awesomeness knows no bounds, asked me if I would be interested in a couple of Red Sox tickets for tomorrow night's game. For free.

He has a meeting and blah, blah, traffic, blah, blah, stress, blah blah, parking...I wish I knew what else he said because I totally stopped listening when he said FREE Sox Tickets.

I call my husband on the way home and said "hey, I know YOUR boss is in Federal Prison and can't really give you much but MY boss isn't in jail and he totally gave me two tickets to the Sox game"

And he was glad but he's not that glad (comfort of his own home, NESN HD and all of that) and immediately offered up his ticket to my girlie. Who, I'll be honest, I'm kind of not all that excited to take. I foresee many trips to the bathroom and lengthy explanations about the number of visits to the concession stand that my wallet can handle.

But, maybe she'll surprise me - we shall see. She loves hockey games, cheers like a crazy girl and sings all the songs. Baseball's a little slower, okay - A LOT slower but I'm thinking some Fenway magic might just rub off on her.

2008-07-26T08:32:00.004-05:00

So, my sister-in-law's new digs - it's a restaurant that she helped launch. She's a chef and worked her mojo to get things off on the right foot.

Did we go? No.

Why? Long story and it involves lots of favoritism and unhealthy thoughts about how my husband just doesn't rank well in his family's dysfunctional tree - which, on the whole, is actually a good thing, even though it does sting.

We stayed home and had breakfast for dinner, which the kids love and I? Convinced myself that french toast and bacon was every bit as good as mahi-mahi with grilled pineapple and coconut rum sauce.

It almost worked.

Which, I just hit publish and realized that I sound like there's some regret there. There isn't. Am I a mite bitter about how the whole pre-dinner thing went down? Yes, especially in light of how this has been going on for years.

But do I really wish I had been out to dinner with the in-laws instead of serving up an impromptu breakfast in my own kitchen with my three favorite people? Not really.

Driving Me Bananas

2008-07-24T11:08:00.003-05:00

Tone Deaf OfficeMate Singing Along to the Easy Listening Station at Work - check

Vacation Bible School Brainwash of Youngest Child- check

Sandwich Crumbs on the Just Cleaned Kitchen Counter - check

Tornado Warnings - check

On the bright side the family and I get a complimentary dinner tonight at my SIL's new digs - hopefully I'll remember the camera.

2008-07-23T11:51:00.001-05:00

Jon & Kate + 8? Love it or hate it?

A few months ago, I turned it on...and quickly turned it off. I have trouble watching people show off their worst side. And Kate's worst side? Yowza. I was fairly certain Jon's backbone was no longer in place.

I've seen a few episodes since then, some more painful to watch than others. And really, with cameras on you all the time - how could they NOT catch a sarcastic remark or a frustrated moment? Who am I to judge? I mean between honest to god frustration and editing I can't imagine how a t.v. show about my own life would play out.

Still though I saw some links the other day, that there was some behind the scenes controversy going on and blah, blah, blah. I check out the link and find that there will probably not be any happy, extended family cookouts in their near future.

So apparently, I have trouble watching someone make an ass of themselves on t.v. but if they choose to air their dirty laundry on the internet? I have no trouble at all reading about it.

The blog is written by the sister of Jon & Kate's sister-in-law and oftentimes babysitter, Jodi. Obviously, you can't believe everything you read or, apparently, see but again - Yowza.

2008-07-21T21:05:00.004-05:00

So, yeah, the seas were a little rough on Sunday. And it's a good time, watching adult after adult get mowed down by waves as they crash onto the shore. I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the waves - because it couldn't have anything to do with the beverage consumption. Could it?Funny how keeping your arms out of the water seems to make you think that 64 degree oceans are actually not all that cold. Putting your arms in, it freezes you dead, right on the spot.

The only time my husband has had four bathing suit clad girls hanging off of his arms. Even if you combined all of their ages (27) they'd still be too young for him.

The only thing about spending all day Sunday at the beach? By Monday night you're already wishing it were Friday.

2008-07-18T22:29:00.002-05:00

So I've not been around much. Scratch that, I've been around - READING just not posting. I mean, really, would you rather read half hearted drivel, which is all my empty little head can produce these days or whole hearted drivel? Drivel that takes weeks to make it from my brain to the keyboard?

And yes, there is a difference and my apologies but you won't be reading it here tonight.

I've just been sort of hanging out. Enjoying summer. There's a lot of swimming and floating around the pond this summer. My girl learned to dive, um, she was in a play at camp and she bought herself a keyboard. The boy's had some sleepovers, gone to a PawSox game and is a mix of insufferable pre-teen and totally goofy, fun, snuggly kid. We had our first real get-together of the summer over here last weekend with some friends we haven't seen in far too long. Took the kids to see my friend's husband's band play an outdoor concert the other night. Good stuff.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a sizzlah, as we say up here, or at least as the weathermen say - I go more for 'wicked hot'. Fairly Odd Mother has piqued my interest with this grape vodka + lemonade beverage she mentioned so I'm thinking that might make it on the agenda. And fresh corn on the cob. And cucumbers with olive oil & rice vinegar.

Sunday, we're off to Humarock for the day - returning in time for a swim in the lake, pajamas and then I've got a date with my favorite girl to watch that new High School Musical show.

That's about it. Mundane and yet, why would I want it any other way?

In which I post about work, trying not to reveal too much - which probably makes it kind of 'who caresish'

2008-07-07T08:01:00.006-05:00

Ah, Monday.

1. I've been the only official employee in my office for the past four to five months. There are voluteers who come in sporadically (read: one volunteer comes in, while I'm here, twice a week) otherwise, the work load is mine. Mostly, it's okay - I'm not qualified to fill the shoes of the girl who left so I'm not doing the technical, field work stuff - it's just that being the only one here? Sometimes, it grates....

2. One of the newer volunteers who visits the office even less frequently, well he visited a site in town - actually, he was on the neighboring property - and told us he spied a major violation on the site and we issued a cease and desist (stop work order) - delivered by the police department. All official like.

3. Same volunteer visited the site the next day and found that, whoops - he was mistaken - that the nice folks hadn't done any new work and everything appears to be just ship-shape.

4. Person on the receiving end of the complaint is nutty, called the office - voice quavering and holding back tears. Her husband is also nutty, having been arrested for carrying a concealed weapon into a police station sometime last year.

2008-07-02T15:12:00.003-05:00

Seems like every time I sit down to post I get a severe case of ADD and find exactly forty gagillion other things that need doing.

That and I can't think of a single thing to say.

Monday was on the stinky side. There were enough things that I was able to provide my friend with a numbered list. (1. Pissed off wasp that I hit, but didn't kill, in my office...etc.) Tuesday, of course, was better.

This past weekend, damned fine. We set up the Taj Majal in the yard and the girlie and I camped out while the boys wasted an hour and a half watching 10,000 BC. We drank our hot chocolate outside the next morning and by seven thirty a.m. we were swimming and washing our hair with biodegradable shampoo in the lake.

Dough boys were cooked over the fire, the most simple recipe but seriously? It kicks the ass of the inferior s'more. Which, really isn't even a challenge because s'mores? Suck.

The Way Better than S'mores Campfire Snack

refrigerated crescent rolls
melted butter
cinnamon & sugar mix

Unroll the dough, tear off a triangle and then tear that in half. You can cook a whole one but there's only eight in a can and eight divided by four people only equals two each, which isn't enough for my kids. Or me. Anyway, wrap them around the stick, kind of in a spiral, and toast over the fire. They should be golden brown and will slide right off the stick when they're cooked through. Dip them in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon/sugar. Heaven.

We spent Sunday floating in the pond and cooking out and making smoothies.

A mighty fine weekend, if I do say so myself.

Hey, maybe I'll update those amazon links in my sidebar...I mean, it's only been six months or so.

That stupid orange raccoon? Prophetically named Soon 2B Forgotten? At least I know just how much follow-through I lack. I lasted precisely one and one half days on that stupid race. Still don't even know how it logged miles, found no websites worth reading and generally just hated the whole thing. Still, though...cute raccoon.

Love it or Hate it?

2008-06-25T21:57:00.002-05:00

Loving:
Tootsie Pops
Bear Grylls
Mt. Everest/Arctic books
Flannel Sheets
Flip Flops that flip flop quietly
Blueberries by the handful
Almost burnt marshmallows

Hating:
The term 'barista'. Try coffee pourer.
Comcast - why so many fewer channels than FiOS? Why?
S'mores
Thinking I'm going to trip over the dog & find it's just my son's black shirt thrown onto the floor

So the printer works as a card reader...who knew?

2008-06-24T05:39:00.005-05:00

This was our vacation destination last week, my parent's cabin in the middle of our little slice of the Maine woods. Our 31 acres is surrounded by thousands of uninhabited acres of more, um, woods. Uninhabited by people, I should say, there's plenty of wildlife. There is a neighbor, about a mile before you get to our land and after us? No one. And no, that's not plywood in that upper window, it's a giant shade because the sun shines in there and it's so bright at five a.m. that you will want to poke your eyes out. And you'll want to cover your ears because the kids think it's high noon.

The kids are actually panning for gold, which...good luck. What they did find is feldspar, tourmaline, rose quartz and some other ?-ite of which I cannot remember the name, except that it's purple. And purty.

The lean-to. Totally constructed by the kids. Well, mostly the boy - the girl was mainly the stick carrier. They built the frame and then the boy lashed it with strips of bark he had whittled himself. Then they found the Y branches for supports...and covered the whole thing with leafy branches. It held up all week, even through the downpours...he is insanely proud of this.

On the third day we ended up driving the thirty five minutes to the localest mall and movie theater. My girl convinced the boy that he needed a boat ride. They both convinced me that they needed new books (the girl) and new sneakers (the boy). I convinced both of them that the rain pouring down on the roof of the mall meant we should see a movie and it should NOT be Kung Fu Panda but instead, Prince Caspian.

When we left the movie theater he said "The sun! The sun's finally out! Now if it could just STAY sunny for a few more hours." Which it did. He forgot to wish for the rain to stop.
One of the highlights of a trip to Maine? Weaponry. Slingshots, BB Guns, Soft Air Rifles and Cap Guns. Also, my stepfather made roll-cap firecrackers with a needle and thread, some caps and some electrical tape which was lesson enough until my mom reminded him of the flaming match shooter you can make with a jimmied clothes pin. Worthwhile skills for any eleven year old boy to know.

Good Monday Morning

2008-06-23T08:10:00.005-05:00

We've returned to the land of cell phones, internet, cable and running water.

And with the exception of that last one, I could honestly say that I could easily spend the summer up there. Actually, even without the running water I could spend the summer there.

I'd show you pictures but the USB cable has disappeared in my absence. What I wish had disappeared in my absence? The three baskets of folded laundry I left for my husband to put away. Maybe I can work some magic with the memory card and the reader on the printer, of course that still won't get my husband on the laundry bandwagon...

Basically, we spent a LOT of time this past week dodging thunderstorms and rain. We rockhounded, we started a puzzle and upon seeing that it was impossible to finish (f'ing roof) - we left it for my mom, we read and read and read. We saw some wild turkeys, saved a stranded turtle and swatted many a mosquito. I learned how to start the generator so that the marine batteries would charge and I would be able to watch the big Celtics/Lakers game - the biggest of games on the littlest of televisions - it's a camper tv, nine inches at best. Still though, what a drubbing of the Lakers - shooting threes and fouling with two minutes left of the game - LOVE it!

We also, usually, have cell phone coverage. Unless, say, a huge thunderstorm moves through and lightening strikes the tower that sits at the top of a local mountain. Then you're totally out of luck. And then, when you drive twenty five minutes to get a signal? Fifteen missed calls from a worried husband. He should've been putting laundry away instead of spending so much time on the telephone, at least that's what I told him...

2008-06-16T20:55:00.002-05:00

A quick post, as I'm seeing flashes of lightening from my window...

The childrens are out of school and we're heading to Maine for a few days. Like four daysish. The weather is supposed to be thoroughly mediocre but I've packed some games, books and puzzles to keep us busy. And if we get a little stir crazy the movie theater is a short forty minute drive away. Well, maybe thirty five.

The boy has some grand plans to start a lean-to, the girl has three cap guns and 750 caps packed and I am thinking it will be nice to just 'be' for a few days.

Either that or I'll be tearing my hair out while I listen to the two of them bicker non-stop for four days.

Wish me luck...

Totally on the Bandwagon.

2008-06-13T13:15:00.004-05:00

First off, thank you guys for all of your comments. It's a tough adjustment to make. We got Baxter two days after we moved into our house and I found out I was pregnant with my son the same week. There's a lot of memories tied in with him. A lot of old habits to slowly forget. I appreciate the thoughts, thank you.

I took down his picture, replacing it with something that won't make me sigh and walk away from the computer...I needed to post too, move that last one down the page a bit so it's not staring me in the face...

I'll admit it. Between the late 1980's and about eight weeks ago...I wasn't much for watching the Celtics. I'd catch their highlights on the news (if you can call them "high"lights) but I hadn't seen a full game in years.

My mom was a big basketball fan, loving the Celtics from way back. I used to watch alot in the days of Bird and Parrish, Johnson and Ainge. Y'know back when they were world champions and the rivalry between the Celts and the Lakers was red hot.

Well, it's a slippery slope my friends.

It all began with Atlanta. Sure the Celtics could beat them. And they did, stringing my nerves out to the very last game.

And Cleveland? King James? Who? Actually, I sort of like LeBron but another seven games and down to the wire again.

Detroit? Not so much with the liking. The guy with the face mask and whoever else? Peh.

And now we're in Los Angeles and we're up three games to one. I've got no love for Kobe, none. Obviously, though if you believe what the national media have to say - I'm the only person alive who feels this way. Damn, they fawn all over this guy. All that malarkey about him "trusting his teammates" and "he won't let the Lakers lose"? Puh-leeze. He may be everyone's Prince Charming but the Celtics are the Cinderella Story this year.

Last night's come back? Phenomenal. A lesson in perserverance. Paul Pierce hugging Ray Allen - And anyone else who got within reach of those gigantically long arms of his? And Ray Allen? Puts on some magic sleeve and ends that damned shooting slump of his. PJ Brown - one of the oldest players in the NBA and he's out there and he's rebounding like a crazy fella. Eddie House - the short guy with the great 3 point shot. Rondo, Perkins & Powe - what a success story this kid is - his mom would have been proud. Posey and oh yeah, Garnett. Like I could forget Kevin - his mug is all over the place these days.

They've got a few days off before they go after the last win of the series. And it's about killing me to have to wait. All I have to say is....it's good to be loving the sports here in Boston right about now.

He was a good ole dog.

2008-06-12T07:17:00.006-05:00

I've been away for a few days....well, not away from home or work or the computer even. But posting wise? I've got excuses-a-plenty. Too hot (pre A/C), too cold (post A/C installation), working (when has that stopped me?), too lazy, too busy. And excuses they may be but honestly, they've all been true at one time or another this past week.

Yesterday's reason? Emotionally exhausted.

The dog. My dog. Baxter.

Back in March he was given one to four months to live, the tumor inoperable. A sad day, to be sure but after the first week or so, I just kept steadfastly giving him his medication and quietly monitoring him - not totally pretending nothing was wrong but seeing as how the dog was just REALLY hungry and REALLY thirsty - not too worried either.

But Monday, he was panting and didn't really drink his usual five bowls of water that night. And Tuesday? He didn't get up when I came home from work. He could and did get up a few minutes later but I noticed his absence at the door. And Tuesday night? The benadryl apparently stopped working and his mast cell tumor, which releases histamines and itches like crazy? Well it itched like crazy and he just about licked it open.

Wednesday morning, his back leg was giving out on him as soon as he stepped on the kitchen floor. He could walk but if he tried to turn or adjust his position? It would give way. And he couldn't sit (the tumor was on his rear).

The call to the vet was the single hardest thing I've had to do in a long while.

We made an appointment for later in the day, before the kids came home from school. I went to work and spent three hours distractedly flitting from task to task. My husband was supposed to meet me at one thirty. I came home at noon, to spend some time.

I cooked his favorite meal...four hardboiled eggs. As a bonus I covered the eggs with a ton of cheese, another favorite. I took him down to the lake for a swim. Of course on the walk down the hill? He's fine and I'm all thinking I could maybe postpone the whole thing, second guessing myself to the end. He slipped on the stairs into the lake though and I started to cry. Started to cry? Not really, more like I cried again.

We took him to the vet and he died quietly, with his head in my lap, he was still wet from the swim.

Remember when he ate the whole bag of Tastefully Simple stuff?

Or got hit by a car at the veterinarian's?

It will be a long time until I'm done missing him.

2008-06-02T12:10:00.001-05:00

Ah, Monday. Two weeks of school remain and then we’re in for a whopping eleven week summer vacation.

Hold me.

Okay, well don’t because I’d be all stiff and awkward. But come on over, have a drink with me and we’ll watch the kids swim and laugh while we commiserate a bit, would you?

Yesterday I found out that my boy? My super-cute little hockey playing straight A student. Apparently, he’s found himself to be the target of a schoolyard bully.

Of course, naturally he’s not the type of bully that all of the other kids rally against, making him powerless. This one is the head of the popular, football playing clique. (Already with this football/jock shit, it’s fifth grade for crying out loud.) The one that no one dares to speak against, lest they be blacklisted too.

He’s from one of those families. Well known in town because the mom is involved in everything, the family owns a local business, and they’re super into the sports, the whole family. Mostly no one ever says a word against them and maybe they’re not even a bad sort, I don’t run in those circles so I only know what I hear from others.

I do know, however, that he’s making my boy pretty damn miserable. There’s a big group of boys in their class. They all hung out together for most of this year, my boy and a few others being a bit on the outside of it all - which I felt was fine, these aren’t the type of kids that I really want my son hanging with anyway…in class, forced comradeship? Okay. Sleeping over and hanging out on a rainy Saturday? Nah.

Well, this kid has decided to ostracize my boy from the group. Now, I’m sure all the other ‘on the fringe’ kids are thanking god that he didn’t choose them to pick on but that’s not making things too much easier for us.

And today, all of my son’s friend’s classes are fieldtripping – leaving my boy on his own at recess and lunch. He was kind of freaked out about what he was supposed to do all by himself and worried about not being able to fall under this kid’s radar the entire time. So I told him I’d pick him up early.

Mistake? I don’t freaking know. I’d like to think it’s not, there’s ten days of school left, a long summer break, where hopefully this kid will outgrow his meatheaded behavior. (“Only a 66.6 % chance we’ll be in the same group next year” is what my son said to me last night at bedtime).

We talked about confronting him, different things he could say – he wasn’t really having any of it. He was worried that if he says something and tries to walk away that this kid will follow him. My husband told him to stand his ground, then. Which made me cringe a little bit, even though I tend to agree. Lord knows my son can hold his own, just ask my nephew.

If it were September, the beginning of the school year, I wouldn’t have even entertained this half day thing. The whole bully thing would have to be dealt with. But now, with summer so close…I feel like, maybe it would be best just to let it all play out quietly until the end of the year. I know that’s what my son wants, he told me that he doesn’t want me talking to his teacher and that he can handle it, which of course, remains to be seen.

What do you think?

2008-05-28T09:26:00.002-05:00

I wish I could say I had a relaxing and wonderful weekend at home. I could, I suppose, but it would be a complete and total lie and then how would you all ever trust me again?

Having a sore throat from Friday night right up until Monday evening? Way to kill the weekend plans. And not sleeping because everytime you drift off your throat kind of relaxes and you feel like your choking to death on goop? Not at all relaxing. Or wonderful.

But I'm on the road to recovery...with the help of internet researched type of sore throat cure:

warm water, honey & cayenne pepper. Gargle and then gargle some more. Strangely, it didn't even taste that bad. More imporantly, it worked.

2008-05-23T11:56:00.002-05:00

Well, thank you guys for all of the birthday wishes...really - y'all are the best.

The. best.

This morning I was busy spending gift cards (Wii Fit!) and my children's meager inheiritance (New patio umbrella! Milk! Gas!).

I thought about taking the kiddos camping this weekend but when you wait until the Friday before Memorial Day weekend to check on available campsites? You'll be camping on a dirt patch next to the dump station.

Plus I would have made a trip there this morning (to pick a site), come home, gone back this evening to set up a tent and possibly sleep there - only to come home tomorrow because of a birthday party obligation - and then back on Saturday night. And my husband? Working all day on Saturday and fishing all day on Sunday - so I would've been flying solo. Not usually a big deal but I just didn't feeeel like getting it all together. Plus all the gas.

I'd rather mulch.

Thurty sevin

2008-05-21T12:29:00.005-05:00

Okay, I've just spent part of my birthday in my office crying.

And it's not because I didn't get a Wii Fit. It was Tito, he put me over the edge.

Go here and read this. And watch the video.

You don't have to love baseball to appreciate it.

Birthday plans? Work all day, help the kids with homework, make the beds, soak my daughter's very infected toenail and massage the goo out of it, dinner (which I am totally NOT cooking) and back to work for a meeting. Jealous?

2008-05-20T12:25:00.004-05:00

0 - The number of hits given up by Jon Lester last night.

5.4 - The number of gallons twenty dollars will get you around here.

17 - The number of minutes left in my work day.

7 - The number of days the customer service people asked me to wait before calling the cable company AGAIN about our bill.

6 - The possible number of A's on my son's progress report.

6 - The number of A's on his progress report.

7 -Times I've asked for a DVR for my birthday.

426 - Times I've asked for a screen door in the past sixish years.

37 - Age I'll be on my birthday.

1 - Number of Days until my birthday!

The Man Meme

2008-05-19T15:58:00.002-05:00

Okay, I saw this first at blackbird's and then over at jen's....

A poll, from Esquire magazine.

Since he just had his fortieth birthday I figured I'd give it a go.

1. Give advice that matters in one sentence. — Depends on the subject matter - ask him about pipe layout or construction? yes. Girl drama advice for my daughter when she comes home crying? A bit more wordy.

2. Tell if someone is lying. — Yes, and I'm the one usually giving people the benefit of the doubt...

3. Take a photo. — He can, but not well.

4. Score a baseball game. — Not sure...he watches enough of it so he SHOULD be able to...

5. Name a book that matters. — No.

6. Know at least one musical group as well as is possible. — Music? Not his thing.

7. Cook meat somewhere other than the grill. — Absolutely, I'm more of the griller, anyway.

8. Not monopolize the conversation. — He doesn't have a chance.

9. Write a letter. — Can he write a letter? Yes. Would he? Probably not.

10. Buy a suit. — Again, he can and would if he had to. Last suit he bought? 1996.

11. Swim three different strokes. — No, but he can swim across the lake...

12. Show respect without being a suck-up. — For sure. A suck-up is one thing my husband is not.

13. Throw a punch. — No doubt.

14. Chop down a tree. — Yes, it's part of the job description when you own 31 acres of woods in Maine and use a woodstove to heat your home. Plus it might be a part of his actual job description...

15. Calculate square footage. — Absolutely.

16. Tie a bow tie. — Not correctly.

17. Make one drink, in large batches, very well. — No, actually, he can't.

18. Speak a foreign language. — Nope.

19. Approach a woman out of his league. — Not sure when this would come in handy but he's fairly comfortable around anyone.

20. Sew a button. — I’ll ask him -He could, but he wouldn't be happy.

21. Argue with a European without getting xenophobic or insulting soccer. — Xenophobic? Probably not. Insulting soccer? Quite possibly.

22. Give a woman an orgasm so that he doesn’t have to ask after it. — *grin*

23. Be loyal. — Yes.

24. Know his poison, without standing there, pondering like a dope. — Yes, sadly I can't say the same for myself.

25. Drive an eight penny nail into a treated two-by-four without thinking about it. — Um, yes.

26. Cast a fishing rod without shrieking or sighing or otherwise admitting defeat. — Yes, and he catches dinner almost weekly in the summer. Fresh striped bass is good for the soul.

27. Play gin with an old guy. — Okay, I'll say that his dad would be considered an old guy...so, yes.

29. Understand quantum physics well enough that he can accept that a quarter might, at some point, pass straight through the table when dropped. — No, he could care less, I'm sure.

30. Feign interest. — See #29...if someone were explaining he'd try not to be rude. If it were me talking about dinner? Different story.

31. Make a bed. — He can and does. Although, not the way I'd like it.

32. Describe a glass of wine in one sentence without using the terms nutty, fruity, oaky, finish, or kick.
Sure...it'd go like this: *wrinkled nose* "yuck".

33. Hit a jump shot in pool. — No, but he's better at pool than I expect him to be.

34. Dress a wound. — He handled most of the recent knee injury himself (doctor's visits, dressing changes, etc) and handled it well.

35. Jump-start a car. Change a flat tire. Change the oil. — All three, without a problem.

36. Make three different bets at a craps table. — No, he's never learned how to play.

37. Shuffle a deck of cards. — Yep.

38. Tell a joke. — He's not much of a joke teller.

39. Know when to split his cards in blackjack. — He's not here to ask so I'll go with a big maybe.

40. Speak to an eight-year-old so he will hear. — Yes, and sometimes loud enough for EVERYONE to hear.

41. Speak to a waiter so he will hear. — I'm assuming these aren't questions about his voice decibel level - but yes, he can order all by himself.

43. Install: a disposal, an electronic thermostat, or a lighting fixture without asking for help.
Of course.

44. Ask for help.– He can. But he hates to.

45. Break another man’s grip on his wrist. — I would assume so.

46. Tell a woman’s dress size. — No.

47. Recite one poem from memory. — No.

48. Remove a stain. — I don't believe he's ever tried.

49. Say no. — With ease. Unless it's my 87 year old neighbor asking....

50. Fry an egg sunny-side up. — Yep, good egg cooker.

51. Build a campfire. — In the rain, even.

52. Step into a job no one wants to do. — Yes.

53. Sometimes, kick some ass. — Not lately, but he could. And would.

54. Break up a fight. — He could and might, depending on the circumstances.

55. Point to the north at any time. — Hmmm, I'll have to ask.

56. Create a play-list in which ten seemingly random songs provide a secret message to one person. — Not in his life. He might even ask "what's a playlist?"

57. Explain what a light-year is. — Maybe a half-baked explanation...maybe.

58. Avoid boredom. — Rarely is this guy bored.

59. Write a thank-you note. — have yet to see it happen.

60. Be brand loyal to at least one product. — yes, toothpaste.

61. Cook bacon. — yes and thank god because I hate to.

62. Hold a baby. — He sure can.

63. Deliver a eulogy. — I don't think he could make it through.

64. Know that Christopher Columbus was a son of a bitch. — I'm not going out on a limb to say that he's got no idea...

65-67. Throw a baseball over-hand with some snap. Throw a football with a tight spiral. Shoot a 12-foot jump shot reliably. — yes and yes. the jump shot? not so much.

68. Find his way out of the woods if lost. — Yes.

69. Tie a knot. — I'm sure he can, but not 176 different variations...

70. Shake hands. — He does.

71. Iron a shirt. — yes, not the best job but hey - he irons.

72. Stock an emergency bag for the car. — Nope, that's my gig.

73. Caress a woman’s neck. — He can.

74. Know some birds. — There are people who don't know birds? Like Robins and Cardinals?

75. Negotiate a better price. — I'd say not really, it's something he hates doing.

Does he come off like a knuckle-dragger, with all this no reading, sports watching, fish catching, wine-hating type of stuff? Well, watch what you say...he throws a mean left hook.

Saving Money

2008-05-18T17:35:00.001-05:00

1. Negotiate the child care price.

Okay, so Blackbird's guess of twenty dollars a day? Right on the money, so to speak. A leeeetle bit cheaper than staying at the camp and apparently, she was unsure what to ask for and is willing to accept less.

I guess it wouldn't frost my ass so much but there's some history there - between my husband and his brother, most of it not all that great - and I'm totally letting that factor into my feelings about this. Maybe that's not too smart but it certainly makes giving them even one red cent a little bit painful. On the other hand, swallowing your pride so you can afford gas or some other luxury, like food? Maybe.

2. Steal your produce

Thursday, I went grocery shopping at a new "Super" version of a store I rarely visit. Well, they have these little gizmos...you put your card number in, grab a gizmo and scan your groceries as you put them in your cart. It tracks how much you're spending (love!) and you can remove items easily...all good.

When you check out, apparently you're supposed to have been bagging your items as you shop (who knew?). I didn't. I gave the cashier my scanner and asked how they keep track of what people are scanning vs. what people are just putting in their carts. She was sixteen, uninterested - and just shrugged. At this point I had no recollection of not scanning certain weighable items and I was a bit overwhelmed (shopping directly from recipes instead of lists does that to me plus this new gizmo...I was scatterbrained by checkout time).

She scans my gizmo, gives me a total, I write the check and start bagging my items. She checks nothing, rings nothing in...it's all done with my scanner/gizmo. It doesn't dawn on me until I'm driving home, as I'm rehashing the wonder of the gizmo - that I hadn't bothered to scan any of the bag-and-weigh-it-yourself produce. Apples, bananas, peppers, onions, broccoli, asparagus...

There was some complicated chart and scales system but at the time I figured they'd handle that during checkout. Then when I was checking out...it never even occurred to me.

So, free produce.

And no. I'm NOT going back.

3. Spend a beautiful Sunday working in the yard and not at any building or garden supply stores.

Wants: A screen door, a brick patio, a small wooden deck for the front entrance, a new fence for the front, handmade shutters, mulch, annuals ...

See? Saving money.

A question for y'all

2008-05-15T12:51:00.004-05:00

Child Care.

A family member may be picking up my two kids at a local campish type place three days a week this summer (for eight weeks). It's about five miles away.

She'll be there around noon, bring them back to her house (around 12:30 by the time they get their stuff together and leave the place) and I will be there to pick them up by 1:30ish p.m. (1:15 one day and 1:45 two days).

I plan on packing their lunches to eat at her house.

So 1 - 1 1/2 hours, three days per week. Also, my kids (my daughter for sure) will be playing with her two year old and she suggested this arrangement to me with the statement that it would be good for her boy to see my kids this summer as he really loves them and it gives her a little break.

What do you think would be a fair price? I had an amount in mind and last night, when she told me what she'd like to be paid I almost keeled over.

Help!

2008-05-14T09:49:00.002-05:00

Identity Theft was so last week.

Also so last week? My husband and girlie's weekend trip to Maine. My parents need some one to build a roof over their porch and the obvious choice? Their son-in-law. Now, my guy has just gone back to work and he's got a few side jobs plus roofing his parent's house all hanging over his head...no big deal. But my parent's called and asked and lo, the guilt. They said they'd feed him, provide beer and he could ride up with them. None of which are required or all that big of a deal.

Unless you're my husband. Who quite honestly, will work long hard hours to get the job done and not expect a whole lot in return. Even if he is out of state for an entire weekend, postponing jobs that might actually help us pay a bill or two.

But if you promise food, beer and such. Please, for the love of god, feed the man. Three pan fried hot dogs (no buns!) and a can of beans for lunch? And three homemade tacos for dinner, in a sauce that is more sloppy joe than taco? And beer? He was hoping for a few around the fire...he got one. No fire. And breakfast on Sunday? My parents stopped at McDonalds.

Plus my able bodied stepfather stood underneath him and watched him work. And suggested things. Not good.

But...on the plus side, the obligatory trip to Maine is complete, I got to spend a whole weekend with my favorite eleven year old, Mother's Day was a non-event (bonus t.v. watching: Survivor Finale - Boo! Parvarti! - I wanted Cirie), town meeting passed and I'm still employed (budgets are tiiiiight this year), I got the summer work schedule I want and need to make working financially feasible.

Things that are so this week?

My husband's fortieth birthday. Generally, I make whatever the birthday person wants for dinner. So I asked him if he wanted a treat....I could STEAM the hotdogs. Or grill them, even.

He threw a pillow at me.

It Takes a Thief

2008-05-07T10:00:00.004-05:00

Dear Jackass,

I'm not sure if Radio Shack was your store of choice or maybe their store credit applications are a little lax, but congratulations on getting that little piece of plastic. The fact that it's in my husband's name...insignificant detail, right?

The fifteen hundred dollars you spent, I hope you're enjoying it. It's so much easier to spend someone else's money isn't it? I do it all the time, whenever I dream about winning the lottery. I don't have the gall to do the whole 'idenity theft' thing, I'm spineless like that.

Did you pick up a few iPods? I wish you had gotten me a Classic because the 5th generation iPod video I bought a few years ago? Doesn't show rental movies...

How about a nice little LCD television? We bought one, back in December...paid for it ourselves and everything. Foolish of us, wasn't it?

I know the Shack is big into the remote control car/gizmo things...maybe you picked up a hundred or so of those.

So many options, the mind boggles.

Were you all cool and calm when you were filling out the application with my husband's name? Or did your hands sweat a bit as you waited for it to process? Did you look around for cameras and pull your baseball hat a little lower on your head? Or maybe you work there? And didn't have to bother trying to pull one over on the employees. The possibilities are endless.

I appreciate you're doing this, because I really don't have anything to fill my spare moments and there's nothing I love more than spending my spare time on the phone with credit card companies. Maybe you could somehow screw with our Comcast account too because as far as customer service goes? They're almost the worst (I'm looking at you, Verizon).

So, enjoy these last few days of leisure because they're going to start looking for you the minute my husband gets home and makes a few phone calls. Maybe you can listen to the police calls on your new scanner?

Hugs,

Jenny

2008-05-05T12:35:00.004-05:00

I'm going on record here as saying that Cablela's? Totally overrated. And totally overpriced. The tent was back-ordered online but in stock at their closest store (a short two hour drive) so we packed up the car and went, gas prices be damned.

It's one of those ginormous megastores that companies are so fond of building these days - as if a taxidermied zebra and a fish tank full of sluggish salmon has any bearing at all on my need to purchase waterproof matches and a nice cast iron dutch oven.

We did get our ~~portable summer home~~ tent though - and it was priced fairly reasonably. It's big, REALLY big. So big, in fact, that my husband, who okayed the purchase, is now not wanting to open the box. Maybe he think's it'll explode like those snake in can/peanut brittle jars...

The boy and I also picked up a little something for ourselves.

Slingshots. With paintball ammunition.

Which, apparently, the paintballs are okay but the slingshots? Illegal in Massachusetts. As opposed to CO2 powered air/paintball rifles and air powered BB guns - which are are perfectly fine and owned by many of the boys around here.

Sorry, scofflaw here. We're totally using them today after school. I'm planning on sneaking around to shoot at police cruisers and senior citizens. Oh wait, that's right...I'm not. We've got paper targets and tin cans, though, and eye protectors too. Because while I may be a scofflaw, I don't want to be a BLIND scofflaw.

I was totally on the fence about buying them, not because I thought they were illegal (I didn't know), but because I thought it was something my son could build himself with a strong branch and some surgical tubing. I didn't want to circumvent the DIY process, y'know, but after I put one in our cart, for myself, he totally wasn't sold on the idea. It wasn't until we were about to leave the store that he took a good long look at the package and the paintballs and decided that it was something he couldn't live without.

If you see a paint splattered squirrel run by...we might not be far behind.

2008-05-02T06:54:00.006-05:00

We've needed a new tent for a few years now, well - since this camping trip, when I spent half the night rolling up towels to place at the bottom of all the seams as water was just, literally, running in. It sounded like it was raining pretty hard, the amount of water coming in the tent led me to believe it was raining really hard

(That's a glowstick up there, hanging from the top of the tent)

See? Doesn't it SOUND like it's raining hard?

But when I went outside the next morning? Everything was just a little wet. And underneath the picnic table and my car? Totally dry. Clearly it wasn't the monsoon I thought it was.

Last year, while in New Hampshire, it was a monsoon. A wind, rain, thunder and lightening extravaganza. That lasted about a half hour and proceeded to blow trees down all over the campground, onto trailers (a tree on our site fell - but AWAY from our tent) and to knock the electricity out to the entire side of town. It blew our tent right off it's stakes. Plus it leaked terribly.

This year, in trying to come up with something, to celebrate the end of the school year and a year of straight A's for the boy and excellent first grade grades for the girl - I was planning a little trip. Very little, like overnight.

It had to be inexpensive, though, what with the work situation. And close, what with the dog situation.

My husband is easy, he's not a fan of the city OR the beach. He'd go, but he'd rather not. Both are close by but the city? Not inexpensive. And the beach? I can't get behind the idea of staying in a hotel for a night to spend the day at the beach. Especially with someone who's ready to leave the beach ten minutes after arriving.

So last night I ended up at the Cabela's site. And I saw this:

We discussed. I'm ordering today. Our vacation home, she is portable.

In which I'm bitter

2008-04-30T06:58:00.002-05:00

Dear Commonwealth Healthcare Connector,

I've been seeing your commercials for a year or so now. The one where the balding guy with the broken arm talks to me about the importance of insurance for my family? Just wanted to let your ad agency know that the casting kind of sucked because he looks just like a loser who's forty and out of work and is in his parent's kitchen, not his own. His flannel shirt doesn't help matters. I realize the whole forty and out of work/living with the folks thing is part of your target demographic but it only serves to cement just how pissed off I am that my husband is working for someone right now (50+ hours a week) and I have TWO part time jobs and we're still in the same boat as this schlub.

However, thanks to the downturn in commercial development and the law requiring all Massachusetts residents to have health insurance - no matter what the cost - I found myself in need of your services. Speaking of this law, how much did the insurance agencies have to pay to the "re-election committees" of certain politicians to get this beauty passed?

Your vague, user un-friendly website has cemented my need for insurance of some sort because my blood pressure, while trying to find if our doctor accepts the plans you offer? Through the roof. And no, the pediatrician has apparently opted out of these plans. Great.

Just so you are aware.... a link to an Excel spreadsheet that does not clearly identify the numbers being spread? Not helpful. Especially because this was the link that was supposed to break down the monthly payments. So thanks for that.

Oh, to be sure there are some easier options. For instance, instead of wading through the quagmire - I could just get sick and tired of it all and opt for the full price coverage. Or maybe the "bronze plan" that has a two thousand dollar deductable and is just slightly less than my mortgage payment. Sadly, we cannot afford to be so flippant and wading through the quagmire is a necessity.

Also, the whole 'no tax refund' thing? Kind of sucks, guys.

Sincerely,

Jenny

So, to those of you thinking that socialized medicine is a good thing? Just want to let you know that mandatory insurance...is not.

But on the upside, as this sat in drafts, my husband got called back to work at his 'regular job'. For how long we don't know but we've dodged this bullet for now.

2008-04-28T12:24:00.002-05:00

And so, with it being Monday I'll have you all know that I survived not one but THREE sleepovers this past week.

Can I say here, without sounding too weird, that eleven year old boys are kind of awesome? (When they aren't acting like their parents owe them uber-expensive birthday presents)

They play and they laugh themselves silly and shout out random phrases that are mildly annoying - until you hear the laughter. They make fart noises late into the night, giggling themselves right off the bed.

Also, the amount of gatorade they consume? It boggles the mind.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I've been watching Survivor and um, just wanted to let you all know that I'm not at all happy with the the all girl alliance thing they've got going. Ugh, I can't imagine anything worse than being stuck in that type of situation with bitchy girls who think they're the shit. Poor James.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What I haven't been watching, at least since last week? The Red Sox. Seems like I haven't missed too much.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It kind of irks me when a mom, who lets her son watch any and ALL war movies - from Braveheart to Saving Private Ryan - kind of gives me the "ohmygosh NO" when I ask if it's okay for him to play Ghost Squad with three other boys on the Wii.
Okay then.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Tonight is the boy's last hockey practice until August. The girl? She starts skating on Saturday. No rest for the wicked.

Happy Birthday? Not really.

2008-04-24T20:45:00.003-05:00

A few nights before his birthday I had a talk with the boy about what he'd like for his birthday. After the litany of things that he wants but won't get (iPod touch, laptop) he moved on to things he has a chance of receiving (Mario Strikers, UnderArmor Sweatshirt, Boston College gear). I told him that I had picked up a few gifts and would probably take him shopping with me to get something else.

Fast forward to Monday morning.

I had only picked him up a few shirts, shorts and a BC hat. Nothing major, he needs summer clothes so these gifts fell right into the useful category. I fully planned on taking him to the mall that afternoon but hadn't mentioned it to him. He opens his presents minutes after his 7:36 a.m. birthday. He appears happy.

Fast forward ten minutes.

He's lying on the couch all covered in blankets for the next half hour and then proceeds to go to his bedroom and lie down for another half hour. So unlike him, I thought he was ill.

Turns out he was just pissed.

He makes a snide comment about how much we spent on all of his gifts ($10.00 was his estimate) and rolls his eyes. I sat in stunned silence.

I then proceeded to take the BC Hat, the shirts and all but one pair of shorts off of the table.

I took them away and left one pair of shorts. I told him that the shorts I left on the table cost $10.00 and that he could content himself with those. Which, naturally, left him in a foul mood for awhile longer.

Funny though, maybe because he's a boy, he's over it in like a half hour. He's moved on.

He's worn the shorts twice and only asked for his other clothes back once. Request denied.
He will probably get the clothes at some point (he's in desperate need of summer clothes anyway). Probably.

He's had such a bad case of the haves and havenots lately, the grass is most definitely greener over on J. Drive (where most of the ~~spoiled~~ kids on his bus live) - with their $300.00 iPods and cell phones and hundred dollar sneakers. He's spent the last few weeks letting us know just how badly we are failing him - I mean, why can't we just get him everything he wants? There seems to be no conceivable reason, in his mind, anyway.

I'm sure it's a phase. It's got to be a phase, right?

2008-04-22T11:42:00.002-05:00

Saturday's sleepover went off without a hitch. The weather was beautiful, they boys played outside and slowly my yard began to fill up with the neighbor's girls and some random visits from other neighbors and friends.

So, nine kids and a squirt gun/water balloon fight later....

The boys came in to dry off and wait for dark (they wanted to play manhunt) but ended up watching the Bruins game and making goofy videos that only eleven year old boys find amusing. They capped off the night playing Red Steel on the Wii until the wii hours of the morning.

One boy had to leave, because of a migraine, so the other three were all hunkered down in the living room covered with pillows and blankets and trying to hunt each other down with machine guns. Apparently, two versus one isn't as much fun as even teams so after the hockey game I hear one of them say "Ask your mom if she'll play." And my son, apparently not old enough to be mortified by the thought hollers up to me and asks me to join.

I tell them just how terrible I'm going to be and that they aren't allowed to gang up on me until I figure out how to use the controllers. Which, they paired me with the kid who can play anything and he just gunned them down until I got my bearings. Gotta tell you, somewhat strange hearing one of the boys say "Dude, you just shot your mom!" and watching them high-five. Although, revenge was sweet as I sniped him down from a little bunker I found.

Sick. And totally entertaining.

2008-04-18T08:16:00.004-05:00

April vacation is breathing down my neck and things being what they are...

My girl is home sick with a fever, sore throat and mildly stuffy nose. Which, hopefully it will go away all on its own but, again, with things being what they are - it will morph into strep throat, but not until Saturday night after the doctor's office has closed for the weekend.

Plus, because I swore I'd never have another birthday party for my son after last year's lord of the flies behavior... he invited his three good friends from school to sleep over that night.
But, because my husband has a soft spot for my boy and his hockey friends there was a dilemma....because I? Wasn't having an eight boy sleep over.

So, in a stroke of ~~extreme stupidity coupled with spinelessness~~ genius we suggested two separate sleepovers...one for school buddies, one for hockey. Because the two? Do not mix well in groups. They take sides, they argue, they are passively agressively possessive of my boy, each trying to prove that THEY are the best friends the boy could have.

Two weekends in a row with sleepovers. Have I mentioned how much I hate sleepovers? Well, I totally do. Our house is small and there is just nowhere to go to escape. I rented some war games for the Wii and we're having pizza and....that's it so far. No other plans have been made, no party favors (save some gum) have been purchased. I need to do something about cake/ice cream/dessert.

In other news I went up the stairs two nights ago...my son had some horrific music blaring in his room and I figured I'd find him drawing or daydreaming. Instead he was totally engrossed....he was reading his social studies book about the Revolutionary War and the Jamestown settlement.

For this boy I would suffer any amount of sleepovers.

2008-04-14T09:08:00.007-05:00

So, I was tagged by the Fairly Odd Mother...For five random things and five place I'd like to go. Personally, I think she was just sick of seeing the whole wounded knee photo, which, okay I totally agree.

The Rules:

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. Then,share the five top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list.
Tag a minimum of five random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

1. I cannot type 'blogspot' without screwing up. It's always 'blogsopt'. After almost four years you'd think I'd have gotten the hang of it by now, but nope. Plus I hate to type and even though it's partly my job - I'm not even good at it. And don't even care. I'll count it as a bonus that my bosses don't care either.

2. I used to cheat at the speed reading tests in seventh grade. Why? I have no idea. I read plenty fast enough but I wanted to beat everyone else and not just by five words. Or even worse, come in second. Oh, the horror.

3. Once, I called in sick to work and totally went to Martha's Vinyard for the day. By myself - with a beach towel, book and some sunblock. It was great until I couldn't start the rented moped, then I almost panicked and cried. Somehow, lord knows how, but I got it going again and cruised around Oaks Bluffs, half afraid to shut it off. I got over it quickly enough and spent the day reading and trying not to get a too obvious sunburn.

4. I love to plan trips. Or even just look at where we might go...someday. I'm totally a list maker when I'm getting ready... I cannot imagine how much I'd forget if I wasn't. Probably because I truly am a scatterbrain in real life but a smart scatterbrain that knows without a list we'd be bumming without toothpaste, socks and the cell phone. I love the whole process, well, except the packing.

5. My house needs to be vacuumed.

Five places I'd like to visit or visit again:

1. I guess I'd have to go with Alaska. I've been there, but don't remember it...And no, NOT a druken weekend gone wrong...I was born there and we moved before I turned three. I must've said this all before.

2. Game four of a Red Sox World Series...well...only if the Sox have won games 1-3. As an aside, Timlin isn't helping to make this dream location any sort of possibility with his ERA of 27.

3. What I really want to do in the next few years? Drive cross country. With the kids. Sick, I know...and there's no way my barely employed husband could ever take the summer off to come with us . Still, I want to do it.

4. I'd like to spend a few weeks on the Cape, in a house on the beach. Totally full of sand and smelling like sunblock and summer.

5. We'd like to take the kids out to some or one of the National Parks out west - Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion - I should start planning.

And tagging? I would and maybe I will edit this later on to include some random tagging but this post has sat in my drafts folder, half finished, for days now. Time to publish.

Why is it

2008-04-07T17:11:00.005-05:00

that when the kids are watching a movie without me it goes by in the blink of an eye but when I'm sitting there with them, the movie drags on and on? Of course this is true for only crappy movies like Cars and such, but still. And no, I didn't like Cars. And yes, I do realize I'm in the minority.

My husband's team lost on Saturday, so the hockey season is done. Well, games are done...there's still ice time. I organized a big party for the team at a local camp/rec hall type of place and then I officially retired as team mom. *cue choir of angels*

On Thursday my boy accidentally tapped a water bottle against one of his teeth and if you have any idea of how our luck goes you'll be able to at least partly guess what happened next.

The composite part of his tooth? The fakey bottom half? Broke off and fell out of his mouth.

So, today? He got his stitches taken out of his leg and a new front tooth built. Plus he got a permanent filling where the root canal had been done. He's some kinda lucky ain't he?

And just in case you're curious, this is what the knee looked like the day after it happened:Click it to make it large...because gruesome details are much better when zoomed up big!

I haven't taken a photo yet of the stitchless knee...rest assured - I will. And then it will take me two weeks to post it.

How entertaining!

2008-04-04T11:34:00.012-05:00

So. Having my husband home, while it weighs heavily on my mind (read: full blown panic hits the week after April vacation), it has been kind of handy. He gets the kids on the bus, folds laundry, vacuums, cooks - basically whatever needs doing. (Okay, so I have a wife??) Pluse he's available to take the kids to appointments and friends houses - so that I don't have to miss work. So, moneywise - sucks. Convenience wise? Awesome.

And lookey. We went from this:
Not bad, basic entertainment center type of thing. I hate the curvy scalloped thing on the bottom molding piece but otherwise, it fit the room exactly where we needed it to go. But then Christmas day, the TV goes kerflooey and they just aren't making 32", 150 pound televisions anymore. For shame. (Note the glowing Wii controllers on top? Love that Wii.)

And then, some graph paper drawings and measuring tape magic later..... I got this:

Handmade, exactly to my notpickyatall design requests (yes, the depth of the dentil molding really DOES matter.) by my guy.

We were pricing custom maple trim boards and I , I mean, WE decided that it would be cheaper to just buy the router pieces and design our own. I can't picture in my head the type of cut each bit will make so I have to draw the profiles myself. And to the fella that buys the box of whatever in front of the router bits at Lowe's? I didn't copyright those pencil sketches you're seeing all over your box of whatever, so feel free to duplicate.

My husband never, ever reads this. But if he did? He'd be all fired up because he'd find major flaws in each of these photos. Flaws I didn't and don't even notice. Well, except for the bottom, tiny picture. Because those puttied up nail holes? They make him crazy. And I posted that one on purpose.

2008-04-02T12:32:00.002-05:00

So, if I were any kind of blogger I'd be posting about my son's injury (healing well, minor swelling, stitches out next monday)

or the impending hockey playoff season that has my husband making a promise that makes me cringe (if they win it all - he shaves his head. Or rather, my boy does it for him)

or the fact that his team finished in first place (first year coaching, very happy man, big BIG trophies for the kids).

Or maybe I'd post some pictures.

The newly constructed entertainment center. Note that I didn't say FINISHED entertainment center. *sigh*

or

My girlie's new toothless mouth. That has her looking more like a jucket than anything.

Or maybe I could do a meme.

Like the movie one I have in drafts

or the

4 x 4 meme that I've been seeing in a few places.

But sadly, I've been the worst kind of blogger. Lurking, barely commenting and never posting. There's been a lot of working seeing as I'm flying solo in my office now and a lot of sleeping (think 8:30ish p.m.). Lame excuses, I know. I KNOW.

But I am making progress, I mean, look at this lame post :)

Plus I uploaded a bunch of pictures yesterday...so maybe, just maybe I'll have something new here tomorrow.

But don't hold your breath.

In Stitches

2008-03-24T20:30:00.002-05:00

The boy: Dad, can you throw the football to me and L. ?

My husband: In a little while...

The boy, grinning: Dad, it's Easter, don't you want to spend some quality time with us?

MH: Fine, but for TEN minutes only. And I'm only throwing...not playing.

TB: Awesome!

Two throws later....

Screams of pain coming from the backyard - my husband cradling my boy on the ground yelling at me to start the car and we need to go to the hospital.

Apparently, in diving for the ball my son landed on his knee square on a rock in the yard. Guys, let me tell you - I've NEVER seen a flesh wound quite like what he got. Gaping. From one side of his knee cap to the other. And so deep, it didn't even bleed.

Dudes. I saw flesh or tissue or something that SKIN is supposed to be covering.

My heart stopped for about five seconds, we covered his leg in a damp cloth and drove him right to the E.R. The boy was remarkably brave crying one minute and joking the next. He handled himself well until they started working...it wasn't pretty but he got it done. I think I will be haunted for awhile with a memory of my son, tears streaming down his face while he hangs on to his dad...and then he turns to me, eyes wide and says "Mom, I'm just so scared" Me too, baby.

Thirteen stitches in all. A huge dose of antibiotics being pumped into him daily (hello, MERSA) and he's got strict instructions not to run, bike or skate for the next four weeks. Which, the no skating thing? He cried and he cried. I'm sure he's not done crying about it but he's coming around.

So, that was our easter.

Honestly, I would've preferred boring but I'm sure in ten years, when he's showing us his scar we'll all have our own memories of this - his father with the guilt: "It was a bad throw" Me: "I can't believe his pants didn't even rip!" The girlie: "Mom and dad totally spoiled you that week" And the boy: "Dude, I saw INSIDE my body"

2008-03-19T11:52:00.004-05:00

Easter, eh?

It's not exactly a favorite of mine - it seems like Thanksgiving. With a basket.

I don't even mind hiding the eggs or making the baskets. I just want to stop with the bunny already. But I can't - I worry that the rabbit and Mr. Claus are firmly linked in the psyche of my kids and to give up one would expose the other as a fraud. So. The bunny will come.

That being said - the tooth fairy really should've remembered to visit my daughter last night. She's sabotaging the whole damned thing.

We're trying to determine if my husband's/son's hockey team finished the season in first place. In doing so I find myself rooting against another team of ten year olds - hoping they'll lose(and lose badly...so we can get a lock on the goals against average too). There's a special place in the bad parenting hall of fame for moments like this.

Giant Time Suck

2008-03-14T08:00:00.002-05:00

Click here.

And don't say I didn't warn you.

High score?

2008-03-12T11:57:00.004-05:00

Thank you guys so, so much for your kind comments yesterday. I just want to spend my days on the couch with his big fuzzy head on my lap, scratching his velvet ears.

But I cannot.

And I cannot even think about it another moment because I'm liable to burst into tears.

So, then.

I signed my husband up to chaperone the gym activites at the yearly luau. The luau, that LAST year, had me crazy with the talk of dates and gifts and other nutso crap.

So, I sign my guy up thinking he'll just be watching the dodge ball game to make sure no one's pegging balls at the other kid's heads and as the guy who is most likely coaching the Middle School Hockey Team next year, we kind of agreed it would be nice for him to be known to some of the parents in town. (Our current hockey league is a mish-mosh of kids from six or seven different towns)

And then the emails start.

They need a chairman for the gym committee. Some guy steps up. Now, this guy is married to that lady. You know the one. Her name is in every school publication as having volunteered for this and that and she's also spearheading this committee and that fundraising effort and she's single handedly knitting book covers for all the curriculum books for first through third grade. Okay, that last one is a lie but she's that type - that kind of makes you gag.

Well, her husband? IS THE EXACT SAME WAY.

Oh, sure there'll be dodgeball but now there'll be volleyball too. In half of the gym. Two games.

But wait! There's more!

It's Survivor! There's going to be all these little mini challenges set up. And there's rules LOTS and LOTS of rules. About single round eliminations! And who to report the winners to! And the value of the prizes! And it's a surprise! Kids must NOT find out! And the adults ---hawaiian clothes, please! He has extras (of course he does!) to share with strangers! And come early! But don't bring your kids! It's a surprise!

Now, I realize that the vast majority of you don't know my long suffering husband. He's a good man and a great father. But. This may just push him over the edge.