MeMe or Not MeMe

Me.

Not me.
Me.
Not me.Me. (minus the logoy stuff)
Not me.

Me.Not me.

Me.

Not me.

Me.

Not me.Me.
Not me.

Me.

Not me.

Me.

Not me.

Me.

Not me.
Me.
Not me.

Me.Not me.
Me.
Not me.



courtesy of blackbird and badger

Is it really a post if I don't type anything?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 126 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Lace 'em up boys

A six quart crockpot filled with chili

Three dozen steamed hotdogs

Many chicken wings

Two giant thermoses filled with hot chocolate (peppermint schnapps, optional)

30 bottles of water

Many cans of beer

Two dozen brownies, a dozen chocolate chip squares and a dozen cupcakes

Chips & salsa, jax and popcorn

+

Eightish inches of ice and forty (!!!!) people

=

Sunday afternoon at my house.


In the latest great debate entitled "Should we invite the whole team?" we did, in fact, invite the whole team. Plus a few families from teams past. There were alot of idon'tknows and we'll sees in the locker room on Sunday morning. But post game, when the goalie shouted "Hey, whose going skating at *boy's name* house?!?!" Well, that appears to have tipped the scales. Many parents caved to the begging and we had a full house. Or full pond.

My heart skipped a bit when they started pulling in, especially because about 15 of the people were all firmly among the "thanks, but I doubt it" camp. Obviously, pleading children and 35 degree weather won out.

Beer Sled

Saturday we had the entire pond to ourselves. The boy had two friends over to skate and they could literally skate the entire thing, shore to shore. A rare occurance in these parts and to these boys? Very, very cool. A pesky one inch of snow fell on Saturday night so the husband and son took to the ice at seven a.m. clearing a rink for a game and a smaller rink for twirly girls (figure skaters) and littler kids with big paths connecting them to form a loop. Dedicated guys, those two.

• Day Three of the 102.3 degree fever. The girlie not me.

• Day Five of the UNO Winter Tournament. I'm only losing to her by 650 points.

• Day Twelve of Winter Layoff 2007. He's cutting firewood today, but he's working on making wooden shutters for the house and shed.

• Day Two of Waiting for Football Season to Begin Season.

• Day Twenty Six of credit cardless spending.

• Day Twenty of wondering if there will be a reply to an email that might have effectively ended a seven year long friendship.

• Day Four of Realizing it didn't upset me quite as much as I would've thought. But still, it did upset me.

• Twenty three days until the annual ice fishing trip for the husband. I've told the kids they could spend their holiday gift cards and my own personal plan is to watch a ton of movies and spend guiltless time on the computer into the wee hours of the morning. We are all counting down.
  

Okay, okay, okay

So the Patriots didn't get to do any showoffy moves centerfield. And I'm bummed.

But hey, they just didn't have what it took this year. Watching Peyton pray on the sidelines as Tommy marched his team back up the field with under a minute to go...you have to know that even Peyton thought it could be done. And this year...that will have to be enough for me.

There will be no Super Bowl party, no watching of the commercials because I've promised myself that I would never NEVER watch Peyton in a SuperBowl. Ever. And so football season, in my house, has ended.

As the Colts began their last drive back up the field I said to my husband:

Want to know my fantasy ending?
he just looks at me...

the Colts run the clock down to mere seconds...they are well within field goal range but can't get a first down.

Vinatieiri takes the field.

Seconds tick away.

Cue Gil Santos as announcer:

The snap. The kick. He shanks it right- NO GOOD!!! The kick is wide! The kick is WIDE!

End Gil.

Vinatieri jumps for joy...

Then, Superman like, he rips his Colts jersey off to reveal his true colors....his old number 4 Pats jersey.

The Patriots win the game!

Okay, so it's not plausible but it really would've been something, eh?

And Kate, what's with all the Tomhate? I don't take it personally but according to my girlie, she's marrying him - so he's practically family...do you know something I don't?

while I suppose I'm rooting for New Orleans, I'm doubting they'll win. I'm doubting even more if I can stay awake through this boring game. yawn.

i missed all the hoopla surrounding the Patriots win last week. Unsportsmanlike? Maybe...More unsportsmanlike than trash talking a team during week prior to the game? More unsportsmanlike than suggesting, post game, that it was done with the coach's direction?

My two cents: People are passionate about sports. Fans, sure, but imagine being a player. Sure, you're paid alot of money (more money than you should be but that's neither here nor there) you're alot of things to alot of people...hero, role model, scapegoat, object of my affection (that would be you Mr. Rodney Harrison)...-ehem, anyway...you spend the week listening to just how terribly you do your job and just how much better someone else is. You've been overlooked as far as individual honors and maybe you really don't want to go to Hawaii but you know you should've been invited. I mean, Merriman? Hello, didn't he miss quarter of the season for violating the substance abuse policy? Really now, that's company you'd be better off without. So, you're being put down, not given a chance to win and you go out and play one of the most physical games around. And then something unexpected happens...you win. And maybe you shouldn't do it, but you do...take that league MVP, take that Shawn Merriman, take that naysayers. Enjoy your stay in Hawaii, and hey, now y'all can leave a few weeks early.

Does LT really think Bill Belichick okayed all of that? I'm sure not, it hardly seems his style. I think emotion got the best of those guys and they all heard about it in the mandatory full team practice on Wednesday. I think emotion got the best of LaDanien when he repeated the coaching comment later in the week, disappointing end to a stellar season...can't be easy, but as a friend of mine says "Suck it up, Buttercup."

I didn't have a problem with Harrison doing the eagle wave when the Pats won the Super Bowl, I don't disapprove of the Merriman imitation and I'm wishing the Colts had some sort of signature dance that the Pats could perform on that big blue horseshoe in the dome after they win later on today.

Sigh.

I am alone. In my own home. For the first time in too long.

We are about done recuperating. The hockey tournament was exhausting. Late nights, lots o' boys, snowball fights, intense hockey games..




Getting ready to tee up on the goalie.







Post Snowball fight exhaustion. See that two inches of snow? Not very wintery for January in New Hampshire...but no matter, it was perfectly playable.







Inspirational team meeting.






We parked our car on Friday and left it until Monday. The whole village is centered around this square...hockey rink included. There were fireworks on Saturday night and it did actually snow while we were there...not to mention the ice storm we drove home in. I thought I would go a little stir crazy - and I did - but it was survivable. Much more so because I could walk to the bakery for hot chocolate to escape the knee hockey madness that overtook the boys. And our living/common area.





Little rink rats sisters. Whose throats were hoarse from breathing in the superchlorinated air in the pool. They're pretty good sports considering an ice hockey rink is one of the dullest places on earth...if you don't watch hockey.






This number 11? Played the best hockey he's ever played and learned why good sportsmanship is so much more preferable than bad. Seeing a Squirt A (our's are C's) team from Rhode Island come in and skate circles around them, all the while taunting our boys and complaining to the refs when they were called for penalties. He took notice...they all did. Sometimes the winning team doesn't necessarily have the higher score.


Oh, did I mention that due to two poorly scheduled hockey games I MISSED THE LAST THREE QUARTERS OF THE PATRIOTS GAME? And had to rely on a 12 year old who was sneaking into a bar for updates? No? Yeah, well I did. I really didn't mind, still don't in fact...but let me just say there will be little to no parenting happening after 6:30 p.m. this Sunday.

yipes. a week, eh?

I'm fine.

I'll be back tonight to post.

First of all....

Go here. Go on, go wish Jen a Happy Birthday ~ she's a sweetie...a YOUNG sweetie. I hope it blizzards for her tonight.

*taps foot, waits impatiently* And, please Jen, take no offense that I'm foot tapping...I'm just impatient by nature.

Back?

Okay, well I guess we'll see how well I can sign on to a random wireless network this weekend...

We're heading to Waterville Valley, NH for a hockey tournament. Oh, the joy. Fourteen boys and one girl with their families. When booking the hotel room the clerk offers me a room that sleeps ten. Um, no - I'm not going to host the knee hockey tournament in my room. So the only other room available was a regular ole hotel room...away from the other team. The clerk said it like it was a bad thing but I'm thinking 'hey, no early morning or late night kids playing ding dong ditch?' I think we'll be fine.

There is an obscene amount of packing today as it turns out there is only three days of hockey during our four day stay.

And being the impatient soul that I am, I don't do bored very well. So. I will pack. Stuff.

Stuff being: knitting (a scarf in my boy's hockey colors), 2 issues of Vanity Fair, Ipod (recently downloaded with Tetris and some Battlestar Galactica - I know, I know...GEEK!), Laptop, Alias Grace (very good, just very little time to dedicate to reading...so not like me) Uno Attack, Cribbage, Blisters and Pictionary Junior.

Gretsky the Guinea Pig is visiting friends. Baxter the Lab is staying home, with occasional adult supervision and that, I think...is that.

So, tell me now....what will I forget?

wow. things sure are different with the husband home.

A. lack of blogging/computer time. Sheesh, he's a task master and a master of the guilt trip.

B. he comes with me places. I had to pick up a hockey sweatshirt for the boy a few towns over and he drove. it was kind of nice.

C. he comes with me places. Christ, give me some space already.

D. the laundry is folded. the grill rotisserie we've had for almost a year was put together and installed, the cellar is halfway cleaned, he promised to go food shopping tomorrow and he's going to grab a battery for the dog collar today. After he buys the boy some snow boots and me the latest copy of Vanity Fair. At the mall.

E. I too am a master of the guilt trip.



As an aside - we cooked a pork roast on the rotisserie last night...excellent.

Here I am. On my couch. Blogging and watching the Grease/American Idol thing.

On my laptop.

With the wireless connection.

The other day with all the negative, woe is me...yeah, not so bad now.

Plus today I got some baby smooching time in with my favorite three month old.

Baby smooching courtesy of SneakyPeek with wireless access brought to you by the SP husband.

Really, I might've hugged him. If I was the hugging type.

IN which I learn to not blog about financial messes because there's always something else waiting to drop on my head like an anvil

So, it was suggested that there be no blogging of husbands and jobs.

Well that will be easy.

My husband has been laid off and the job *poof* is no longer.



In all fairness, he was the last one to go this year and we're going with the assumption that he'll be called back when work picks up again. It's likely that there'll be work for him before spring but really, there are no guarantees.

On the bright side - he can take over half the carpool, lunch making, backpack packing duties.

Well, yeah. The movie was terrible. Bad acting!! (exclamation points merited) and a complete ripoff of LOTR in some places. Never mind the fact that the movie just didn't go from point A to point B with any plausibility. I expected better.

New Year's Eve was a mellow affair. We were with friends but no one was feeling it so a bunch of us just hung around, chatting and completely sober. Christmas trees were set ablaze in the middle of the cul-de-sac. Good times.

Monday was the last day of vacation and we did nothing. Or next to nothing as playing Uno Attack, Pictionary Jr and The Littlest Pet Shop Game and watching National Treasure doesn't amount to a whole lot.

I napped.

Then it was back to school. Back to the dentist's, a different dentist - one who couldn't help the boy (immature tooth, blah, blah blah) and then on the phone for almost an hour with a new endodontist. Dudes, I'm getting tired of teeth.

As for resolutions? Two.

Quit with the yelling.

and

Work on being debt free. This year was a financial disaster for us...the husband was laid off for two months - and then, with the company's legal "issues" they aren't allowed to bid on any jobs that are funded by the state. Which means his rate of pay dropped considerably. Then it was my huge car troubles, new tires for both vehicles, two root canals and remaking the teeth, an oven that died and needs repair, a washing machine that died and was replaced. Oye.

I just picked up some more work, we switched phone services, I'm cancelling netflix (and maybe cable if my husband keeps being jerky), switching our cell phones to a prepaid option (we barely use them), eating out only every other week, and no credit card use. Well, with the exception of an occasional internet order or say, booking a hotel for a hockey tournament. I have to be realistic.

I'm curious to see how I'll do.

Quick Movie Review

just in case you were thinking you'd go see Eragon today.

Don't.

Well, here we are. Just me and the boy.

Best laid plans were thwarted but it's nice to have him here with me. I guess. He's kind of loud and requires food.

The kids' room are clean. So's the playroom and bathroom. The kitchen and living room are about at the halfway point.

My room, meh. We'll see how much time I've got left.

After all.

We must:

• Go to hockey practice.

• Get Dinner. Because I don't cook anything major, like dinner, when the husband leaves for just one night. If he's gone for a weekend, that's different, but overnight...nah.

• See Eragon. The boy is on page 385 out of 497. As long as he makes it to page 400 (or close) we're going.

• Watch Brokeback Mountain or Deadwood. Or both.

• Get a mouse for the laptop.

Priorities. Each and every one of them.

This Just In

We were tentatively planning a trip to Maine, just an overnight to the parent's cabin.

My husband said that if I'd rather stay home to take down the decorations and such, that would be fine by him.

Oh my.

Decisions, decisions....

So I've not taken down any holiday decorations, except the village. Am I the only one? I'm officially blaming it on the illness I've caught but truth be told, I kind of don't mind what's left. Including the dead tree.

It's not brown, people, just dead.

I totally entered a time warp yesterday.

We went roller skating. Brown boot, four orange wheels, carpeted surfaces everywhere rollerskating. The rink, for not having had any significant updates in probably 25 years, had fresh coats of paint on the walls and was well kept. But still. There were disco balls and Kool and the Gang or something equally seventyish was blaring from the loudspeakers. I laughed out loud when I walked in. Until I saw the very updated price of admission.

The girlie had fun and the boy, showing off his (in girlie parlance) mad skating skillz pestered me to leave the entire time we were there (this is bore-ring, it's just skating in circles, how much longer, etc) and then told my husband he had a great time. yeah, okay then.

I spent the ENTIRE night, a few nights, ago, trying to set up a router and wireless card for the 'ole notebook computer. Dear god, I wish I knew what I was doing. Five and a half hours of my life that I'll never get back and still not successful. The router is in and I, quite obviously, have internet access and phone (I have vonage so NO internet access isn't an option for us). The wireless card is installed and seems to be working on the notebook - it gives me a signal strength and everything...it just won't let me connect.

Grrr.

But on the bright side, the girlie is at her friend's house and the boy is using up everybit of his Runecape Membership. It is blissfully quiet. And I've got me some Arrested Development to watch. Buh-bye!

So the root canals were kind of a bust.

Liquid valium given the night before and the morning of had basically NO effect. Both the doctor and one of the assistants asked me what dosage I had given, if any, because most people are thrown for a loop with that stuff.

But, nonworking narcotics aside, he was brave and resolute. He got two thousand five or six shots of novacaine...two or three in his gums and two or three in the roof of his mouth. The roof of his mouth that does NOT get any pain relief from the topical analgesic.

And then they did the cold test, with my boy in tears, and he still had plenty of feeling in there. The assistant calmed him while the endodontist came out and chatted with me about other options. Sedation! Restraints?!?! And went back in, to renovacaine. The boy cried and refused and that, my friends, was that.

He said the shots in the gums were painful but okay but he just couldn't take any more to the roof of his mouth. Poor kid. Part of me wanted to just beg him to suck it up for a minute or two more the other part, the part that won, hugged him tight and took him home.

We were given some very general referrals..."Call Tufts or Boston University, they both have pedodontic departments, sorry we don't have the phone numbers"... I spent the better part of the morning on the phone trying to find a endo guy who works on kids and doesn't rely exclusively on novacaine. HAH! The joke was on me. Apparently they don't exist. The 72nd office I called referred me to Children's Hospital in Boston. Yeah, sure...I figured it'd be another dead end. It's not. They totally have a dental department and once they get the referrals they'll be calling me to make an appointment. Phew.

10 Holiday Mysteries

1. Why did our tree, which we cut down ourselves, die a sudden and horrible death weeks ago? Shouldn't it live longer than the ones trucked down from Canada? It was watered regularly and the super drying woodstove wasn't on much and still pfft...dead. We're supposed to bring it to a New Year's Eve party where they burn the trees in a huge bonfire...it won't have even one needle left. However, a corner of my living room rug will be turning up pine needles until June.

2. Why did my husband ask my son to fill the birdfeeders on Christmas Eve? Kismet, I guess because the cabinet where the birdfood is kept is the EXACT SAME PLACE I stashed the Santa Claus wrapping paper after I had finished wrapping all the stocking stuffers earlier that afternoon. He totally saw the paper and at that point the boy had no idea what it was (or why there was a random roll of wrapping paper thrown in a cabinet in the cellar) and he laid it on my husband's workbench. After all the Eve festivities I was in the cellar warming up by the woodstove and I spied the wrapping paper. Thank god my husband told me that the boy moved it otherwise A.) The whole santa thing would've been outed and B.) I wouldn't have gotten to spend another hour first deciding the best course of action (1a. lazy = leave gifts wrapped and hope for the best. OR 1b. less lazy= rewrap with paper I had in my 4runner that he may have seen making the rewrap possibly pointless.) and then rewrapping all the stocking gifts at 11:45 that night.

3.) Why don't I remember to hide the gingerbread house? When I saw one of the gingerbread christmas trees and a speamint leaf missing I thought it was the girlie...I should've known. Four days later I left to go grocery shopping, when I returned there was only a sad plastic tray left. A sad plastic tray and a very sick dog. I guess I should be thankful the girlie got the croup that night so I was only kept awake for one entire night instead of two seperate ones.

4.) Why does my brother in law think I like him?

5.) Why does the convenient USB port on the front of the computer recognize my video iPod and camera but not my son's new shuffle? It only took me three hours of intermittent installing, restarting and clicking to find that other USB port on in the back.

6.) When was the last time I vacuumed behind the computer? ew.

7.) Why can't I spell vaccuumed? vacuumed? vacuummed?

8.) Why does Tom Brady not have a proper wide receiver? And more importantly do you think he broke up with his girlfriend because she proved to be a distraction this year as he's struggling more than usual as he DOES NOT HAVE A CONSISTENT WIDE RECEIVER? This has been an issue all season it will be and even bigger issue post-season. Hey, they played on Christmas Eve and a tight-end was his go to guy...it qualifies as a holiday mystery. To me, anyway.

9.) Is it unchristmasy to pack away decorations before Christmas? I had the entire village packed up and stored by noon on Christmas eve. And I was glad to see it go.

10.) Is it wrong to want us all to sleep in one bed so that I don't have to make three beds every day? The kids will do it if I ask them but they don't make them how I like them, which means I have to redo the bedmaking. I am by no means a clean freak nutso but I can't stand a messy bed.

Jenny's Christmas Countdown

250 - pages left for the boy to read of Eragon. Pages I'd like read before we see the movie.

30- Degrees the temperature needs to drop. Enough of this warm.

11- Days 'till the root canals.

8 - tires needed for both vehicles.

7 - presents to wrap for christmas at my mom's later today.

6 - The amount of Christmas cards I'm short. Note to self: count the list BEFORE you order.

5 -The number of appliances in this house that are on the fritz or just one good cycle past the fritz. Dryer, Microwave, Oven, Dishwasher, Toaster Oven. Plus smoke was coming out of the switch on my blowdryer. That's never good.

4 - days left of sanity school.

1 - The number of times I refrained from calling my husband to question him, in a not so nice manner, on why he left the new guinea pig cage box in the middle of the bathroom floor, where the boy and girl could find it. Find it and read the label.

2- Number of Gift Certificates "misplaced".

2 - times the girl has been sent to her room this morning.

0 - The number of days on my calander that are blank between now and December 28th.


There is an overwhelming temptation to invite all or part of the hockey team over after practice next Saturday.

Help me to resist.

I've been struggling with the whole lack of spirit thing. I thought that maybe it was the weather (meh, 60 degrees in december still kind of sucks) turns out it wasn't.

Anyway, I got this christmas card yesterday, from a friend in blog land, it was just a wee little card but somehow, driving home last night looking at lights and reflecting on the fact that this world is a whole lot smaller than I'd ever thought *insert blog sappiness here* - it hit me...

It's Christmas.

And your stories of choosing trees, feeling scroogish, mailing cards, advent sundays, buying gifts, making dinners and planning parties - they make it more so.

Have a great weekend.

I am ruined

Do not even try to eat Ghiradelli's dark chocolate one day and think, a day or two later, that you will get your chocolate fix by grabbing a hershey's kiss.

The girlie's sidewalk chalk has a smidge less flavor but much the same texture.

The Meme that's been in my drafts folder for weeks just waiting for the most opportune posting moment

Hot chocolate or eggnog?
Hot chocolate - usually. But my father in law makes homemade eggnog, which, if you've never had homemade eggnog, I can't blame you for hating it - the storebought stuff is awful.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa doesn't give out a whole ton over here. He wraps the small, individual kid stocking trinkets but the toys that go into the large family stocking are unwrapped.

Colored lights on your tree/house or white?
This year the kids finally broke my spirit and got us to put colored lights on the tree. I tested them all and we hung them...only to find that barely half of them worked once they were actually ON the tree. We took them down, thought about testing each light and totally threw them away. We're back to white. The way it was intended.

Do you hang mistletoe?
Not usually. I'm afraid it will fall and the dog will eat it.

When do you put up decorations?
Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving.

What does your favorite christmas meal include?
Generally we have a roast pork dinner which is good, especially because I don't have to cook it but my favorite meal is breakfast with french toast, orange juice, thick cut bacon and real maple syrup.

Favorite christmas memory from childhood?
I remember shopping with my dad. We didn't have much money but he put alot of thought into what he bought my mom, he really loved her.

How and when did you learn the truth about Santa?
I cannot remember, so I'm thinking it wasn't too traumatic.

Do you open a gift on christmas eve?
The kids do. They open their new pajamas. Which match. hehehe.

How do you decorate your christmas tree?
I don't do too much anymore. Just the heavy ornaments that need a strong branch near the top plus a few of the ornaments I made as a kid. The chillens do the rest, results be damned.

Snow! Love it or leave it?
Love, love, love.

Can you ice skate?
Not well but I go out anyway.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
Silly, but a pair of mittens my husband gave me.

What's the most important thing about christmas for you?
Getting good gifts. Ahahahaha! Okay, not really, but a thoughtful gift really does mean something... Really, it's lazing around with the family. First at our house then at the in-laws. Lots of lazing and chatting, by the afternoon there's usually a christmas movie playing in the background. It's just nice and comfortable.

What is your favorite christmas tradition?
The matching pajamas and the J family stocking.

What tops your tree?
A golden star with (what else?) white lights.

What is your favorite christmas song?
O holy night and Oh Come all ye faithful.
This, from a girl who doubts the very existence.

1. Two root canals. Scheduled for December 27th.

2. Officially exceeded the dental insurance maximum payout. By a thousand dollars.

3. But. The insurance re-ups in January.

4. The new teeth, scheduled to be constructed on January 3rd, will be covered.

5. Thanking god this happened in December and not June.

The boy handled the endodontist testing very, VERY well. For a boy who gets all freaky when I try to pull a bandaid off...it's a majorly good thing. He'll be getting some valium the night before and the morning of the root canal "therapy". I will be sipping his last, leftover dose. I'm kidding. I will swig it down, not sip. Sipping is for babies.

Interview with a Vampire

Recently heard in the J household:

"I wish it was all a dream."

"I was "this" close to calling K. And then D called and I wanted to play. If only I called K five minutes earlier. Or even two minutes earlier."

"I can only drink room temperature water?"

"I'm thinking I can maybe get some more computer time out of this..."

"Go ahead...say it. You won't get in trouble, I swear..." "Thit"



And so. His front teeth are broken. Pretty badly. He was playing street hockey with over a friend's house last night and the other boy's stick got stuck in a storm drain grate. The kid gave it a good strong yank and SLAM. The blade hit my boy square in the mouth. His teeth parts fell straight into the storm drain and that, my friends, was that.

My husband was already on his way to pick the boy up, I was out Christmas shopping. (P.S. Retail therapy + Best Friend = Total Able to Cope Mom) My husband calls me and says the boy "had an accident" at D's house. I, for a brief minute, thought he had peed his pants. Which would've been bad enough. Anyway... he tells me his teeth got smashed out, mostly. I, in my head, think there is something more. Something called A PUNCH LINE. Alas, no punch line.

I called the dentist - no emergency hours. I called the pediatrician - an almost immediate and awesomely good natured callback. Sorry, though, nothing they can do. My husband says the boy is in fine spirits, no pain (except for a sore lip) and is doing well. I stay on course with the shopping, buying the boy many shirts at Old Navy while plagued by 'survivor's guilt'.

We got in to see his dentist today. The news isn't all that great. First, it's off to the Endodontist for some testing on the teeth and nerves. One of the nerves is exposed and one is just below the surface and that, apparently, spells trouble. Especially if trouble is spelled R-O-O-T-C-A-N-A-L. The endo guy will either say they're okay or the boy will need root canal "therapy". Which, holy fucking moly...that's supposed to hurt and that's pretty much the way the dentist was leaning. Once the endo guy gives the regular dentist the okay...then we'll start with the reconstructive work. Some sort of temporary measure is all they'll do until he's about twenty. Sort of breakaway teeth, in case he gets hit again. Even the permanent measures, according to the dentist, will be a lifelong bout of dentistry fun for the boy. Damn, damn, damn.
I told him I could return his gifts because I heard

All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth...

He wasn't that amused.

Making me Happy:

• Finding my Wicked Good Slippers. Got them for christmas last year and totally forgot I had them.

wicked good indeed.

• Squidward: "Have any of you ever played a musical instrument before?"

Patrick: "Is mayonnaise a musical instrument?"

• Squirt Hockey: 10-1-0

• Possible snow in the forecast

• Eight Christmas presents left to buy. And I know EXACTLY what they are.
  

Making me question my sanity:

• The son's attitude (and then punishment for said fit) when he got an answer he really didn't want to hear.

• Husband's pending layoff. Although there are two furniture projects in his plans...so aside from the complete lack of money and possibly loss of health insurance, i will try (i only said TRY) to not let it drive me too batty.

• The guinea pig hair loss issue. Still going on. All advice says "see a vet". And so we will, Monday at 2:45. It could be mites, lack of vitamin C (although with a daily dose of kale, carrots and enriched food - I'm doubting this), dehydration (he drinks, but how do I know if it's 'enough'??) or stress. I'm actually HOPING for mites. Sick, I know but I can kill them, clean the cage and be done with it. I can't control my own stress, never mind a guinea pig's.

From Lisa

TEN FIRSTS

First Best Pal: Melissa
First Hamster: Never had a hamster.
First Piercing: Ears - 13 yrs. old
First Crush: Joey.
First CD: Hootie and the Blowfish
First Car: Mustard yellow plymouth turismo
First Love: Bill.
First Stuffed Animal: cannot remember
First Teacher: Mrs. Fitzgerald
First Watch: again, can't remember

NINE LASTS

Last Beverage: milk
Last Vehicle Ride: Home from the ice rink
Last Movie Seen: Akeelah and the Bee
Last Phone Call: called some hockey parents about a fundraiser
Last CD Played: High School Musical Soundtrack
Last Bubble Bath: far too long ago
Last Time You Cried: sheesh, can't remember
Last Person who gave you a hug: My son
Last Time you rang your mum/dad/guardian: two days ago

EIGHT HAVE YOU EVERS

Have you ever dated one of your best friends: yes
Have you ever been arrested: No
Have you ever skinny dipped: Yes
Have you ever been on TV: Yes
Have you ever kissed someone and then regretted it: Yes
Have you ever had a dream about someone you knew: Yes
Have you ever been in love: Yes.
Have you ever wanted to slap/punch a friend: Yes

SEVEN THINGS YOU'RE WEARING

1 grey shirt
2 jeans
3 grey socks
4 sneakers
5 bra
6 underwear
7 sorry, only wearing six things!

SIX THINGS YOU'VE DONE TODAY (in no particular order)
1. Got my hair colored
2. Went to the zoo
3. Spoke to some people about the playground fundraiser
4. Gritted my teeth after talking to a certain daisy mom
5. Fed the guinea pig
6. made kale soup

FIVE FAVORITE THINGS IN NO ORDER

1. Snow...and lots of it
2. Hugs from the kids
3. Lobster Salad and potato chips by the pool
4. The beach
5. One favorite to be: my new router and wireless card for the laptop. To be opened on Christmas.

THREE CHOICES

1. Eat or drink: Eat
2. Blonde or brunette: Brunette
3. Pink or black: Black

TWO THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE

1. Visit all fifty states
2. Have my grandkids visit me here...in this home.

So, did you get tired of looking at the one word meme yet?

I know I did.




Why doesn't the boy like baseball? Or, really, even soccer. He used to like soccer - was pretty good at it, even. Doesn't he realize that they don't play soccer at the crack of dawn?








Hey, at least I got to catch the sunrise - even if it was in the rear view mirror.





And because, to you guys, the hockey pictures probably all look about the same - here's one from a few weeks ago.

But hey, this game was different - the boy got a shot a playing wing (usually he's on D) and he had three breakaways and he skated faster than he's EVER skated. We were speechless. And we haven't told him but his coach plans on skating him up again this week. Plus his team is 9-1-0 (woohoo for the squirts!)



Then, sometime later.... when the rest of the world was awake...

A christmas tree cutting expedition. Notice the lack of winter jackets and gloves and such? Yeah, well it may be nice weather for picking out a tree but it does not really make me want a tree. At all. How do you folks in California do it?


Turkey pot pie for supper.







Well now, days have passed. The tree is decorated, the pot pie a distant memory. The days fly by...chess club, daisy scouts, work, guinea pig.

Which, by the way, the guinea pig is mine. No longer any doubt (at least in my mind). The thing is such a little bundle of stress he's pulling his hair out. Just like I always threaten to do. He's my kindred spirit.

Blogger has me on a deadline.

I need to go comment on someone's site and all I get where the usually gobbledy gook of word verification letters are is this: Visual Verification. As in that's where the verification SHOULD be. No letters to type. So I can't comment. It. Is. Killing. Me.

In a Word

One Word Meme

Yourself: cooking
Your partner: tired
Your hair: cut
Your Mother: reliable
Your Father: gone
Your Favorite Item: camera
Your dream last night: toys
Your Favorite Drink: coke
Your Dream Car: newer
Your Dream Home: same
The Room You Are In: bed
Your Ex: snowboarder
Your fear: separation
Where you Want to be in Ten Years: here
Who you hung out with last night: kids
What You’re Not: rich
Muffins: blueberry
One of Your Wish List Items: slippers
Time: short
The Last Thing You Did: cleaned
What You Are Wearing: jeans
Your favorite weather: snow
Your Favorite Book: Haruf
Last thing you ate: cracker
Your Life: balanced
Your mood: funkless
Your Best Friends: love
What are you thinking about right now: baking
Your car: favorite
What are you doing at the moment: this
Your summer: lake
Relationship status: comfy
What is on your TV: timer
What is the weather like: grey
When is the last time you laughed: "dust"

Jennifer

I just bought a $29.00 first generation ipod shuffle from the Apple Store.

The boy will be stunned. And I have just checked his 'big gift' off my list! Hoo-yeah.

I'm not much with wanting to celebrate Thanksgiving this year...I feel like I'm just doing what's expected of me, going through the motions. Which is a shame. I won't let the kids catch on but honestly I'd rather stay home and do something ourselves.

Maybe it's the fact that my husband is still working at his parents. We see him almost not at all and I'm feeling a bit disconnected. Like part of what belongs here is missing.

Today's the first day it's been even marginally cold. I've got my christmas shopping well over halfway done but I'm having trouble computing that THIS is the weekend we buy our tree.

Must. Snap. Out. Of. It.

Funny, because when I was just reading last year's November archives it seems I was in the same sort of funk.

So.

Anyways, here is my own private hideout the shed. It's almost done, the trim needs painting, and the husband is unhappy with his windows (that he spent hours making) and there's some talk of redoing them. My guess is, they're in...they'll stay. And shutters...it needs shutters. And some landscaping too.
favorite part of the shed...the handle. It's the center of a 4"x 4" piece of oak. They age and crack in the heat of the cellar when the woodstove is on for awhile and in the middle is this round, solid piece of wood.The sides and roof of the shed sort of extend back to create a little outdoor storage area for the bikes and lawnmower and ice fishing sled. I'm thinking it might be time to deflate the tubes.

The procrastination meme - AKA I should be in the shower but instead I'm here

Explain what ended your last relationship?
the fact that a relationship is exactly what i didn't want.

When was the last time you shaved?
yesterday.

What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?
filling out the hockey picture order form.

What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
making the beds.

Are you any good at math?
uh, no.

Your prom night, what do you remember about it?
jr prom? biggest memory - stopping back at my house to pick up a pair of sneakers and finding my dad and his wife having had way too much to drink and his wife - who hated me -fawning all over me. i still feel bad about leaving her ten year old daughter there with them that night.

senior prom? - my boyfriend getting two left shoes from the rental place, celebrating last minute approval for a post prom stay in Ogunquit and having a great time, even though I was sure I wouldn't.

Do you have any famous ancestors?
no. my grampy was a small time criminal but he wasn't famous. Well, maybe for a short time he was a little famous, one time - to the bigger time criminals that were looking for him when something went awry.

Have you had to take a loan out for school?
No.

Last thing received in the mail?
So many catalogs. And two anxiously awaited netflix flix. third disc of deadwood - season two and the first disc of entourage - season two.

How many different beverages have you had today?
zero. but it'll be one just as soon as i'm done here.

Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine?
well, yeah.

Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?
The Hooters.

Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
My name? no. The kids' though.

What’s the most painful dental procedure you’ve had?
the removal of impacted wisdom teeth.

What is out your back door?
Our deck, tons of wet leaves and pine needles and the remnants of a squirrel chewed pumpkin.

Any plans for Friday night?
Yes, remember those netflix movies?

Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
Not particularly but we generally go for a swim in the lake when we get home.

Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
yep, the kids enjoyed it for a day or two and then we dumped it in favor of storing something or other in it.

Have you ever been to a planetarium?

I went alot as a kid, my junior high had one so it was a field trip destination even when i wasn't in that school.

Do you re-use towels after you shower?
I do the laundry OF COURSE I reuse the towels.

Some things you are excited about?
My boy's writing, upcoming christmas season, italian sub stoup

What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O?
jell-o? red. only. want to hear something gross? something that could turn you off jell-o forever? my inlaws and husband eat it mixed with milk and sugar. just picturing it make me gagish.

Describe your keychain(s)?
two keys with a pewterish looking MAINE and a moose on it.

Where do you keep your change?
At the bottom of my purse.

When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
I cannot even remember. Small groups - weekly.

What kind of winter coat do you own?
Some sort of chunky polar fleece number.

What was the weather like on your graduation day?
Sunny and warm.

Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?
No door - it's a loft.

Here...piggie piggie

Gretsky

I pretty much bungled the whole NaBloPoMo thing. Not posting for a week will do that to you. Oh well, classic underachiever. I've been doing other things, though.

this recipe for instance?





Delicious.

And so easy I was convinced I was doing it all wrong.

I can't quit you

I thought about quitting, I did. Well, not writing anymore, anyway...I don't know if I could ever stop reading. But I'm a chatterbox. And my husband has been claiming to hear less and less of what I'm saying (oh, yes...I did too tell you I had a book club meeting this Friday) so it has to come out.

My poor friend SP bore the brunt my conversation monopolizing last Thursday. She fared well. And compared me (favorably too, I might add) to her lovely, if vociferous, baby. I cry less. Score one for me!

Last week my husband worked on my inlaws septic system. This has been a non stop clusterf*uck for the past two weeks with messed up communication on inspections and permits (with my work, no less) and sneaky, crappy installers. Okay, and it wasn't just last week because they still have a ton of work to do over there but at least the stress of fines and cleaning up someone else's headache is behind us.

Looks nice, no? It's a mess. Their yard is a mess now and instead of waiting to do the work when they sold their home they've decided to do the work and take the house off the market. So that my deadbeat brother in law and his wife and their baby could all live there. Oh, plus two cockapoo dogs. That my father in law hates. AND there's some rumor about my BIL buying the house at a STEEPLY discounted price in two years. I wish I could find a quick way to illustrate how this information entered my husbands ass in the horizontal position. Suffice it to say, he's pissed. And hurt. I told a friend of mine that our status in that family is just one notch above the drug addicted (and currently imprisoned) brother that stole his parent's car last Christmas Day. Totally true.

The rest of the weekend was spent watching some hockey. No, not some. Alot. He skated in Providence on the big guy's ice which is always fun. And we hung out with the parents, which, this year is not so much fun as it was in the past. *sigh*

Plus we got a guinea pig. Which, hell-o....cutest little fella...ever. He's the boy's. He's been hounding us for his own pet for a few years. The 85 lb. black lab that sleeps with him every night is the family's. Not his. Just ask him, he'll tell you. Until your ears bleed.

So we discussed, and discussed the whole responsibility thing. He did well and is doing well. He has his moments, but don't we all. Anyway, he did want a lizard or frog or some other pet. Veto. Well, no so much with the veto as with the extensive "they're mostly for looking, not for touching" type of pet conversations. And then I showed him a picture of a guinea pig. He was hooked. He bought himself a book, we've been to stores pricing out all the cages and food dishes and such. He's spent hours on line checking out guinea pig information and looking at pictures (see how I ramble, how could I NOT blog?) .

And so, on Friday, a Freecycle email came through. One guinea pig, with all accessories, free to a good home. They were hoping it would go to a child that would take good care of it.

*Bingo*

I emailed her right back and found out her daughter was allergic so he had to go as soon as possible. We picked him up Saturday and the boy renamed him.

Gretsky.

I'll try to get a picture tonight.

Whatever you believe or don't believe, god wise, you might find this interesting.

I can't stop reading it.

Don't be scared...really, it's not some over the top crazy talk...

want to post more...but I can't...Lost is calling me.

gah!

10 p.m. and my e-z post ain't happenin.

blogger's not letting me post pictures.

tomorrow, then.

The silicone bakeware: A recap.

I cannot make cookies. At all. I'm not a huge fan of baking cookies anyway, I find it tedious. But my attitude is this:

If I want to make cookies and can follow directions, the cookies should end up being edible.

They weren't.

No amount of new baking powder, cookie sheets, baking soda or even oven thermometers helped. And I threw hundreds of cookies away. Hundreds. Because, while we love hockey, we don't generally eat the pucks and that all these cookies were good for.

So, I bought some red floppy baking sheet liners and figured I'd give it another try.

They. Are. Miraculous.

The cookies are perfectly textured, golden brown and slide right off the silicone. Plus they roll up and you can tuck them in a corner of your cabinets.

Go. Buy Some.

So, maybe there's nothing to this steroid thing...

He must have one hell of a workout ethic. That's all I'm sayin'.

For Amy

She wanted me to leave out some cookies. And here they are. In all their silicone cookie sheet liner perfectness. Now, if only she lived close enough to come over for the game Sunday night, because The Patriots vs. The Colts is fun best shared.

Friday Updates

Daisy Scouts:
The actual act of being the daisy scout leader probably won't kill me. It will the be the moms. OR the mom. There is this one. The other leader and I've decided to institute an aggravation surcharge to be billed monthly.

for example: yesterday she actually reported a grown man to the librarian for using the children's room computers because she thought he looked drunk and homeless...and he looked at her strangely. She actually said this...in front of all the girls and other moms. She then proceeded to make a comment about him maybe being 'a perv'.

The best part of this?

I got to tell her, in my most upbeat passive agressive tone, that "Hey, I know him." As I did - his son is friends with my boy. He was in the library with his kids, helping them find a book or two, and he had just gotten out of work - hence the Carhartt jacket and woolie cap - that were dirty and i guess those dirty laboring types do tend to look homeless. My husband is one of those dirty laboring types and he is certainly in rough shape come 4 p.m. but c'mon... And maybe this guy is a perv, because who really knows, but he was probably just staring back at this lady who was giving him the hairy eyeball because he didn't meet the dress code. And no, he wasn't drunk.


Survivor:
Now, ususally I would pronounce Pavarti as Pahv-ARE-tee and not Poverty. And maybe I have my pronunciation key all wrong...but whatever. Jeff says Poverty. And if that is how you pronounce it? One more reason for her to lose. Her name would be meaningless if she were a million dollars richer.

I kind of liked Flicka.

The guy who rocks at puzzles should've took a minute to realize that if the rest of the group has alot of trouble swimming that there won't even be a chance to DO the puzzle.

They seem to have alot of food. Remember the good old days, when Colby looked like a walking skeleton? Now THAT was Survivor.

Not really Lost...But Found Anyway...

courtesy of google and too much diet coke after 9 p.m. :

an ex-long distance high school romance fella with a poetry blogspot blog.

and

this:


another long ago boyfriend. Now, a professional snowboarder.

Both guys doing what they dreamed of.

Impressive.

On the whole crazy playdate thing: While I could have taken the confrontational route...I did not. I could not. 1.) I was kind of taken aback; 2.) It was a bratz doll, not a joint; 3.) I didn't find out the details of the day until we were on our way home and 4.) There's no need to have the girlie blacklisted by the gestapo mom brigade in town. We can quietly decline future playdate invites or just keep them to a minimum - same result, less drama.

Take Note. I'm Posting Every Day This Month. I swear. Now, put the gun down.

A mom of one of the girlie's classmates invited her over for a few hours the week before last. She offered to pick her up after school and I'd pick her up at their house a few hours later. Not a problem. I know of the family, the kids are nice, etc. - while we aren't really past the 'mom stays too' playdate when it comes to new friends, we know enough people in this small town that now, with child #2, I'm running into the families that have kids my son's age.

Anyway.

When I get there to pick up the girlie, my daughter says that they haven't even had a chance to play. I'm thinking it's just an excuse because she doesn't want to leave yet. Turns out, they weren't home. At all. They went out to lunch, then did an errand or two, then went to Target. Where, after my girlie said that I won't buy her Bratz dolls because they wear too much makeup, the mom buys her a Bratz doll.

Is that normal? To not tell me that she had a few things to do and was going to take them to lunch? And then buy her a toy that even she says isn't something her mom would allow. The mom said she bought her a toy because it was her (my girl's) birthday and her own daughter wanted one. And so, there was no playing on their playdate.

Why can't this whole dealing with other parents thing be easy? I won't be saying anything to the mom and will probably end up inviting the daughter to our house but really...am I way off base here?

And okay, so maybe I'm crazy but I'm not a fan of Bratz dolls - it's the name, slutty attire AND makeup. Not just the makeup. That being said, she's right - I won't buy her one but if she got one as a gift I'd wouldn't go all commando and not let her use it. But I am sort of enjoying the fact that it's sitting under her bed, forgotton.

Oh, yeah. Happy Halloween

Is Self Awareness a Good Thing?

I knew it, i knew it, i knew it.

So, last friday...a day after I order the replacement...I'm running out the door to volunteer for the pumpkin project at the boy's school when, on a whim, I reach into the entertainment center cabinet - where the dvd player and such reside - i put my hand way back, behind the netflix rentals into the dark abyss. Presto. The mf charger.

Hey, at least the new one is a car charger too.

murphy's law

Battery charger - ordered

Spare Battery - ordered


Now I will go downstairs and they will be sitting in the middle of the kitchen counter. Where, I swear to god, they have not been for the past five days.

Isn't that they way it works?

Daisy Scouts.

You will be the death of me.

P.S. Has anyone seen my camera battery charger? Yeah, me neither.

In Review

Dearest Interviewers:

I am submitting a brief synopsis of yesterday's employment interview for your reading pleasure.

Currently, I am performing the exact same job I interviewed for yesterday, and then some. A job I plan on keeping, by the way. I am well qualified and would make an excellent asset to your town. However,

1. There were THREE people there to interview me. I transcribe town board meetings - I am not a neurosurgeon. The three person tag-team interview style for a 12 hour/month position was a little excessive.

2. The woman I'd be replacing? The main interviewer? Congratulations on your 21 years of gainful employment with the town. And thank you for continually reminding me of that fact in your not so subtle way. I'm sure your meetings run like a well oiled machine. Actually, I know they do. You told me. You seem to be curt and efficient but certainly not as intimidating as you wished. You were almost pleasant, even. ALMOST.

3. After leaving the hour long interview (hell-low, it's transcription not rocket science) I drove out of the absolutely beautiful tree lined driveway and thought to myself....Please, please, please don't offer me the job.

4. The man on the phone said that this might become a full time position in the future as the current gal from item #2 will be retiring. How come no mention of that yesterday? It would've been the nail in your coffin anyway...my husband and I agree...full time employment for me will be avoided at all costs. And by costs I mean I'd rather give up cable TV then work for you.

5. Don't take it personally, I just wasn't getting the "Wow, I really want to work here" vibe. Not from the office, the job description or you guys. And maybe I shouldn't be so picky but...I am that picky. And now I know how much I really LOVE where I'm working now. As in lu-uuuuve.

Am anxiously awaiting your 'Sorry, but we've found a more qualified candidate' letter.

Yours truly, or not,

jenny

Nerves

Job interview this morning.

I haven't been on an official job interview in thirteen years.

It's sounding very casual - but still.

In typical fashion I lost the paper with the interviewer's name on it.

Will report back later.

A meme for youyou

ARE YOU:
A Cuddler? well, with the kiddos.
A morning person? I'm not grouchy or anything...but I like nights better.
Are you a perfectionist? Mostly, no.
An only child? Is it wrong to say yes when you have a stepsister? It is? Too bad. Yes.
Catholic? : Raised catholic but when they refused to confirm me our family officially dropped out.
In your pajamas? Sadly, no
Currently suffering from a broken heart? No
Okay styling other people's hair? No, no and no.
Left handed? Righty.
Addicted to MySpace? I think myspace is the worst the internet has to offer.
Shy around the opposite gender? mostly not.
Loud? I think so.

DO YOU:
Bite your nails? No
Get paranoid at times? Why? Who's asking?
Currently regret something that you have said/done? Currently? No.
Curse frequently when you get mad? You'd better believe it.
Enjoy country music? Meh, not really.
Enjoy jazz music? Sometimes
Enjoy smoothies? I love an Orange Julius.
Enjoy talking on the phone? Sometimes, Vonage keeps me in check.
Have a lot to learn? For sure
Have a pet? One dog, three fish and soon to be the mother of a guinea pig owner
Have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" person? Eeep. yes.
Have all your grandparents died? yes.
Have at least one sibling? Step.
Have been told that you are smart? Yes. The gifted and talented program sucked tho.
Have had a broken bone? No
Have Caller I.D. on your phone? Yes...see 19. Love the Vonage.

HAVE YOU:
Changed a diaper? Um, did I have a choice?
Changed a lot over the past year? Not a one.
Had friends who have never seen your natural hair color? Hmmm, maybe.
Had surgery? No - just wisdom teeth - which, they knocked me out - does that count?
Killed anyone? No. At least not that I know of.
Had your haircut within the last week? Nope, two weeks ago.

LAST PERSON WHO:
Slept in the bed beside you? My daughter
Saw you cry? My kids.
Went to the movies with you? SP, I think. It might have been the boy.
You went to the mall with? My daughter - Build a Bear and then we split a milkshake.
You went to dinner with? The kids, the girlie wanted Friendly's for her birthday dinner.
You talked to on the phone? My friend Jean
Said 'I love you' to you and meant it? My boy- when he got on the bus this morning.
Broke your heart? Adam. Hahahaha. I left this in from Jen's. But I'd have to say my husband.
Made you laugh? The girlie.

WOULD YOU RATHER?
Pierce your nose or tongue? Neither really. But I guess tongue, more discreet. Except for the lisp.
Be serious or be funny? Funny
Drink whole or skim milk? Skim
Die in a fire or drown? Drown
Spend time with your parents or enemies? Parents.

ABOUT YOU!
What time is it? 8:02 a.m.
Name? Jennifer
Nickname(s)? Jenn(y)
Where were you born? Anchorage, AK
What is your birthdate? May 21 st
What do you want? Nice kids. And some money for christmas & the hockey tournament would be nice too.
Where do you want to live? Right where I am.
How many kids do you want? Just two.

Two Outta Three Ain't Bad

well, we're 66.6% done with the birthday celebrations.

1. Birthday Trip to Build a Bear - check. Last year, it might have even been the night of her 5th birthday, she said that she wanted to go back to build another bear - just her and I. She's loved Nellie more than I would've ever even prayed a girl could love a much too expensive stuffed dog and she's waited so patiently for her return trip - and now we have Butterscotch.
And yes, perfectly safe to take pictures while your driving. Didn't you learn that in your Driver's Ed class?

Family + a bonus best friend party - check. And there were babies...two babies...which gave the rest of us plenty of reason to oooh and ahhhh. The favorite present was a my little pony notebook set that - because it is the favorite - has been used non-stop for the past 36 hours. Thanks SP! Plus I scalded everyone's mouth with my soup...oops.

And now we're moving on to the High School Musical Birthday Party. We're converting her room to the dressing room, complete with full length mirror and a big gold star on the door, a karaoke machine with Troy & Gabriella singing their little high school hearts out, T-Shirt decorating, and some sort of basketball game (Go Wildcats!). I think I'm up to eight girls - which is like, six to many (hah!) - and the husband is working so he misses the whole thing. And him missing it totally bums me out - we're totally a party team...he's a better hostess to the moms than I ever could be. He's the drink server and let me get you a chair type of guy. I'm more of a "oh, you're thirsty AGAIN?!?! the drinks are in the cooler..." type of girl.

Today the girlie is off to her first kindergarten friend playdate (ACK - I hate that word!). And I don't have any plans from 9:00 a.m. until 2:40 p.m. - the mind reels.

She needs two hands to show how old she is

Six years ago yesterday.














A kiss from an older brother.

Arriving home.
















so absolutely kissable at four weeks old.












again, with the smoochable.













three hours ago.

six years have gone by in what feels like minutes.

Happy Birthday Girlie.

Happy Friday Mornin'

Peyton Manning, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Colts flag in the window. “This house is yours for eternity, Peyton,” said God. “This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here.”

Peyton felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. On his way up the sidewalk, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a 3-story mansion with a blue and red sidewalk, a 50 foot tall flagpole with an enormous Patriots logo flag, and in every window hung a red Patriots towel.

Peyton looked at God and said “God, I’m not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was an all-pro QB, I hold many NFL records, and I even went to the Hall of Fame.”

“So what’s your point Peyton?", God asked.

“Well, why does Tom Brady get a better house than me?”

God chuckled, and replied “Peyton, that’s not Tom’s house, it’s mine.”

Okay, I'm not what you would call organized. I don't wear a watch. My calendar starts off promisingly in January and then I forget about it until hockey starts again in September...you get the idea.

But I just made an AGENDA for tonight's daisy girl scout meeting.

Go aheah...put the L on your forehead...I know it already...Looosaaaah.

Mostly because I'm scared of looking like an bumbling idiot in front of the other moms and the other leader mom was all..."I don't know, um, we should be fine, I'll bring some construction paper." That type of thing throws me headfirst into panic mode.

I volunteered to help with the troop and when I met the other volunteer mom...I didn't really like her. She was okay, I guess, but there was no good vibe feeling. Which kind of stinks. Plus her emails are ALWAYS in different style fonts and colors and sizes. And yes - This is an issue. Green italics garamond, blue bold size 24 jester, teeny purple times new roman. Oy. She's pleasant enough and all, just was hoping we'd click a little better since she plans on holding meetings until June.

Well, I'm off to cook dinner, make copies, get the snack together, wrap some books, go to the post office, meet the son at the bus stop, take a shower, watch last week's Survivor, set up the VCR to tape tonight's Survivor, head to Daisy's and then to work. Chow.

Last Saturday

not this past Saturday...but a week and a half ago...we were the recipients (or rather, the boy's league was) of some free Bruins tickets. Generally these are upper balcony, obstructed view type of tickets but this time, because it was still pre-season, they so weren't. Some of us got luxury box tickets and some of us got seats right in front of the boxes. We opted to sit with friends in front of the boxes because this is how my nine year old watches the game:
And he doesn't think you'd get a good enough view from inside the room. He's probably right.

Oh NO I didn't

Wah. Oh yes I did.

I got sucked in by all this blogger beta nonsense.

And now look at me.

No Coach, No Blogroll, No Nuthin.

On the other hand...it's all mine to mess with.

Off to template land.


*Update- Template land was a bust. Oh sure, it's easier to add links in beta. But with all of those fucking widgets it's ten times as confusing changing the rest of the codes. For me, anyway. Super.

** Update - They say they save your old template. They never tell you where.

Today

I am waiting not so patiently for the principal to get back to me about the girlie's bus transportation. Or lack thereof.

My boy went to school with nervous jitters because he had his first real argument turned thrown punch with one of his best friends and I know he's anxious to see how it all plays out. As am I.

We're getting ready for the last of the open houses. I must remember to not plan A THING for the first week in October next year.

I bought the kids their matching christmas pajamas. Corny, I know and every year I wonder how long I can get away with this. Thank god the girlie is a bit of a tomboy - the son would've stopped this long ago had I brought home two sets of Barbie jammies.

I am looking forward to Survivor.

I'm hoping that, if there is some higher power, it's watching over my husband's cousin. He landed in Baghdad this morning to begin his tour of duty.