Monday Monday...

It’s Monday again. How come these Monday’s come so quickly? Just when I think I am enjoying my time off it hits me that tomorrow is MONDAY! I’d like to know who decided we work five days and play two. Whoever it was they didn’t think this through very well! Was there not a censuring committee?

Anyway, even after my crabby start to Friday the day turned out well and the entire weekend was beyond fine. It was BEAUTIFUL!

Friday night we accompanied Alex to a dance. It was put on by our local Adaptive Park & Rec program and believe me when I say that the worker bees behind all these adaptive programs are WONDERFUL! Helping those with special needs is their passion. Our community would be lost without their valuable addition to the lives of our special needs population. As for the dance attendees, there is just something so refreshing about seeing a crowd of teens and young adults with nothing more on their minds then having fun. There are no hidden agendas, no secretly held best-dressed competitions in the women’s bathroom, no superiority or jealousy. Seriously. Life may be tough for them, much tougher than any of us with “normal” lives will ever know, but you would never know it when you go to these dances. Music seems to be the universal language spoken by everyone in every capacity. It does my sometimes cynical heart good to watch all these beautiful souls sing and DANCE!

Alex also had the honor of helping with the refreshment table at break time. They couldn’t have picked a better person. He got things done and whatever you did you did not take more than your allotment of cookies or juice – one each – no exceptions – at least that is how it worked at Alex’s end of the table!

Lauren and Sydney always want to go and dance with their big brother. We usually try to take them. I feel like the lessons they are learning from watching and interacting with this group of diverse individuals is more valuable than anything I could ever teach them. It was a good night.

We also planted some bulbs this weekend. The girls insisted they needed to help. At first they were a little rough with the delicate lily bulbs so I told them they had to handle them gently, that they were flower babies. Well that was the right thing to say. Soon we were making dirt beds for each bulb. Syd tucked them in and Lauren covered them up with their dirt blankets. After we were done Syd went around and sang a lullabye to each bulb.

I’ll carry this weekend in my heart for a long time.

Shoulda - Woulda - Coulda...

I had a shoulda-woulda-coulda moment this morning. I missed a golden opportunity to ruin someone’s day! I know that sounds mean hearted – and on a Friday but – well I’m not feeling a lot of charity right now.

This morning on my way to work as I was pulling out of my driveway and waving goodbye to my kids (who call me on my cell phone crying if I don’t remember to wave goodbye when they are at the window) I saw a car 4 blocks up the street - no problem. Well before I know it this woman is ON MY BUTT. She must have been going 45 – excuse me this is not the frontage road – this is a residential street, with lots of kids – the speed limit is 25. So I just kept going my 25 and I knew it was bugging her and then she starts digging around for a cigarette and is weaving all over the road. Again, there are kids in this neighborhood (which she obviously knows since she must live here). But I got my revenge and she got stuck at a red light I was able to go through  All the way to work I am thinking about how annoyed I am and how I want to put a sign on the sidewalk that says – If you SLOW DOWN you may be a few minutes late for work – but if you hit a kid you’ll be in JAIL! Seriously, I want that sign.

Anyway I pulled into the parking lot at work and was taking my sweet time and start to walk to the door and THERE SHE IS coming into the parking lot. She gets out of her car and sprints to the door and lets it shut in my face. NICE! But you know what really annoys me? It is the fact that I didn’t say anything to her. I so wish I would have confronted her and asked her how she would feel if someone flew by her house at 50 mph while her kids were waiting for the bus. Why didn’t I speak up? So now I am trying to suppress an uncontrollable urge to go put a note on her car – but I really don’t want someone throwing eggs at my house so I won’t but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to do it.

So now I’m still sitting here going shoulda – I shoulda said something – I coulda said something – if I had more prep time I woulda said something. DANG!

One last thing, if you are the praying kind please say a prayer for Joey Gallacher. Things aren’t looking good. Although I don’t know the Gallacher family personally I can’t help feeling sad and helpless for Jen. As a mother with a mother’s heart it brings tears to my eyes. It breaks my heart.

I always miss the good stuff...

So last night, just as I was getting ready to settle in for another stimulating edition of Dancing with the Stars, McHubby told me that Memoirs of a Geisha was on one of the premium channels. Well I hadn’t watched it yet so I decided the dancing “stars” could wait and I watched the movie. Which was good but man am I glad I read the book because I would have been lost. The movie left out a lot of crucial information – at least I thought so – and made some up too. Anyway, I digress. So due to the change of viewing pleasures I missed the elimination on DWTS which was fine by me – that is until I found out the one-legged wonder was eliminated. I’m sorry but I have been waiting for the former Mrs. Hey Jude to be voted off. I don’t like her and I refused to make allowances for her. She knew what she was getting into when she signed up for this gig. So there, I’ve said it and I’ve probably been politically incorrect but guess what – I.DON’T.CARE - at all! And besides the show is called Dancing with the STARS – how is it she qualified as a star in the first place? EXACTLY!

Oh and in case you haven’t noticed, or maybe I just need to say it, but today I AM CRABBY! Seriously. Which means I should probably just keep my mouth shut so I will…

Meet Pinkie......

the Hugh Hefner of the teddy bear world.

Look at him all decked out in his bathrobe getting ready to seduce all the Barbies and Baby dolls hanging out around the closet organizer! I know I know I have too much time on my hands. But this is Syd's version of a well-dressed bear - whether the wardrobe is right or not. The robe really belongs to a wayward Pooh Bear who was stripped bare all in the name of sacrifice for the beloved Pinkie, Syd's teddy friend since her birth. Oh and by-the-way, Ms. Syd just informed me that Pinkie and her twin, Pinkie, (you gotta love the originality of that girl) are girls. Well so much for the Hugh Hefner story...

The "dancing show" is on tonight. Normally the girls and I watch it piled onto our "big" bed but we got a new mattress this weekend and it is so high I'm afraid the girls might fall off and break their legs. The past two nights I have hoped and prayed I haven't had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night - it's quite a drop and I'm not the most graceful even when fully awake :-) Oh and about the dancing - have you noticed that those that dance to a real dance tune instead of a stylized Brittney Spears tune do much better? Okay, just wondering.

Okay gotta go - big happenings in the house tonight. It's our turn to make playdough for preschool. The girls want "TUROOOOQUOISE"
TTFN

I am beyond words...

with the recent events that happened in Virginia and now the bomb threats on other campuses. It leaves me sad and grieving for the families, the community, and the country. I want to hold on to my children and never let them venture out of my grasp. There has to be a better way. Something has to change NOW!

But what about dance...

The girls have been taking gymnastics class and they love it. They talk about gymnastics all the time. They tell me that they LOVE gymnastics. That gymnastics is their favorite. That they like gymnastics better than dance! WHAT – what did you just say? Gymnastics better than dance? You can’t love gymnastics better than dance. What good will gymnastics do you? I mean really, you can use dance in the future. Dance can hold the key to your success. Look at Heather Mills (avoid the teeth) she’s landed back on her foot and has become America’s darling all because of Dancing with the Stars. And who knew who that tall Clyde guy was before he started TRYING to dance. No one – well maybe someone – but not me and now I know. And and and what about My Magnificent Mario. If it wasn’t for his appearance on the dance floor (not to mention his cute butt and dimples) I may never have remembered him OR started this blog. So see how useful this dancing thing is? I mean really, when has gymnastics ever created a Miss America host? So yep, the girls may think they are off the hook with the dance thing – but ohhhh how wrong they are – I know they will thank me for this in the future.

Oh and on that Bachelor thing, I was going to write a little something about Dr. Andy but then I read what Sports Gal had to say and I knew I couldn’t compete. Click on the link - Sports Gal - and check it out – be sure to read all three episodes - you’ll be glad you did!

TTFN - I'll see you at dance!

And we're back with the weather...

We had a beautiful weekend – FINALLY! After the snow last week I have been more than ready for spring to begin! This weekend the temperatures were perfect for getting outside and doing lawn and garden clean up. We were outside the entire day yesterday. It was wonderful. Well until that pesky ice cream truck started stalking the neighborhood with its pied piper music and colorful ice cream graphics causing me to hide the children and stuff cotton in their ears. Seriously, that thing reminds me of the kid catcher on Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang - I had nightmares!

So ANYWAY, with the warmer weather it was time to pull out some of the new clothes I recently purchased. I love new clothes. No worrying about stains or holes or loose hems. They are perfect right off the hanger. Today I am wearing a red shirt. And it is RED! No fading yet. I feel like a walking stop sign. Hey wait, maybe I’ll just plant myself at the corner of my daycare house and hope that if the sign doesn’t stop traffic I will. It’d be great. I could actually say that I stopped traffic :-) I mean really, I could pretend that Cindy Crawford story I tell myself is true, add that Rob Lowe/Mario Lopez thing and mix it up with the stopping traffic fairy tale. Shoot, I’m a movie star :-) Okay maybe not a movie star but I do have this blog – oh and I scrapbook so it’s close – really…


TTFN

You Can Help!

Sometimes life isn't fair...

Seriously. I know I try not to be too serious on this blog too often but lately it seems like I have been hearing that dreaded "c" word (cancer) all too often from friends and acquaintances whose lives have been touched by cancer. And no one is spared, not young or old, male or female, wealthy or destitute. Cancer is an equal opportunity disease. Recently the son of an acquaintance I have made through two peas and scrapbooking was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I can't read this story and not think of my own children and not try to make a difference. To learn more about how you can help Joey and his family please follow this link.

Thank you!

GRRRRRRR

Just when I thought I might reconsider and start to love the big red bulls-eye again I am forced to reconsider. This is a true story. Names have not been changed to protect the corporate giant

So you know how you buy something NEW for a special occasion – oh let’s say new white tights for Easter from TARGET? And you know how you just make the assumption that since THEY ARE BRAND NEW and from TARGET that everything will be okay? And then you know how you don’t bother to open the package because you just bought the item at TARGET and just throw it in the suitcase? Well in the future OPEN THE PACKAGE especially if it is from TARGET.

I mean LOOK AT THESE TIGHTS!

Do you see a problem here? These tight were made for oompa loompas! Big round waist - little bitty legs. So here it is Easter morning and my girls in their pretty princess dresses have nothing to wear on their legs. I had to resort to plain ole’ cotton socks. I wasn’t happy! I can hardly wait to find out the fun I will have returning these DEFECTIVE tights. I’ll keep you informed.

Easter was good. Lots of candy was had by all

I just about jumped out of my seat...

I was sitting here getting ready to post my little post when there was this huge CLUNK against the window. I jumped 10 feet. Some little birdie thought it wanted to sit on my shoulder (I am absolutely sure it was the bluebird of happiness) but didn't realize there was a nasty piece of glass between him and contentment. Hmmm. I wonder how long it takes a dazed bird to get up and start flying again? I hope it is before the neighborhood cat comes lurking around... Okay so with that thought.

Do you have a memory that no matter what the time or place it makes you smile. Your heart just sings with the happiness of the moment remembered. My girls made one of those memories for me the other night. We went out to dinner at a Bar-B-Que place. You know the type, it had all the knick knacks, flying pigs, flashing lights, the whole deal and that snappy music playing in the background. The down south on the bayou kind of thing going on right in our own little frozen corner of the world. Anyway... they have this row of old theater seats in the waiting area and the girls both slid themselves up into those seats. I was perusing (fine, looking, but I like perusing and really how often do I get to use it) the menu on the wall and turned back around to look at the girls and there they were heads bobbing, feet wriggling and they were wearing the most innocent, supremely, I am so happy to be where I am smiles on their faces that I just couldn't stop watching them. I asked in my teasing "mean voice" "What are you doing" and Syd piped right up "oh we're just dancing - we like it here". There was just something so simply happy about that moment my soul just sang with the delight I felt. And now every time I think of their little bodies and sweet faces sitting in those chairs with dancing feet and heads I just can't help but smile at the sweet memory. I mean really does life ever get any better than that? Not in my book!

It started out so good...

with Dancing with the Stars. I have a few favorites; Ian, just because he is kind of goofy and seems like a genuinely nice guy, Apolo, because that guy has got some energy going on, the In Sync guy, who I can never remember his name, because he can dance, and Billy Ray because, well frankly, because he cleans up rather nice :-) As for the females – I like Laila Ali. There is nothing frou-frou about that woman but she still has grace. And I really wish John Ratzenberger (sp?) would just go home – NOW! Oh and one more thing – WHAT THE HECK WAS LEEZA GIBBONS THINKING? That outfit – ewwwwww. Need I say more?

So in the afterglow of the “Dancing Show” I was ready to be swept off my feet by The Bachelor. *SIGH* Is it just me or has this show lost the very little bit of reality it ever had? Those girls. Seriously. I’m sorry but I don’t know any real-life women who act like that, whether they are fighting for the same man or not. Come on. Sure Andy boy is cute and seems naïve enough and is probably quite a catch – but I mean really, he isn’t the only guy with it going on. I mean there is Mario and then there’s Rob. Sure they are hopelessly devoted to me but I do have a McHubby so I can’t be everything to everyone – come on there’s enough to go around. So Bachelor girls - straighten up! Lift your heads, perk your implants and play nice.

Oh and in local news. I have not heard any reviews about My Mario’s appearance in St. Paul. I don’t know if he was good or bad or just sad to miss me. Anyone, any news??? Amy?

TTFN!