Make new friends...

but keep the old one is silver and the other gold.

My friend Beth, who has been one of my closest friends since Jr. High, spent the day yesterday. We had so much fun. There is something to be said about someone who knows your entire history. No need for explanations - they already know who you are and why you do what you do. They know your family. They even know things you would rather they forget! There are years of shared experiences. It was a very good day and I was sad to see her go – her 7 year old son wasn’t too sorry to be leaving as I think he had enough girl stuff for one day (before they arrived Syd was wondering what princess gown he would like to wear when they played dress-up). You would think my girls never see people. They were all over that poor boy. They wanted to show him their room and their toys and their Wii. I don’t think they left him alone for two minutes. I’m sure the fact that he is a cute boy didn’t hurt either! GIRLS!

Oh one other thing about the little ditty at the top - I remember learning that song in grade school and being absolutely amazed that my Great Grandma (at whose house my brother and I stopped for milk & cookies every day after school – I know it sounds so Little House on the Prairie but it’s true – every day milk and cookies – and not just any cookies but Archway cookies - with our great grandma) knew the same song. And now I hear my girls signing it too. It must be a childhood staple J

We are supposed to get more SNOW today. I can’t even think about it anymore – but at least those slow Walmart shoppers may go back into hibernation for a day or two!

Have a great day and call an old friend. They would love to hear from you and talk about things old and new.

TTFN

Double Whammy...

this morning I encountered the "double whammy" when I entered the Walmart Zone (I'm telling you, it's the warmer temps - as in slightly above freezing because really I'm not talking about 70 degrees - but this sucky weather - that's an entirely different subject). Anyway... first there were the two cars that pulled out mere inches in front of me and then proceeded to go 20 mph. I guess their big hurry to get on the road after the shopping extravaganza at Walmart became less critical once they had actually ticked me off (because really it's all about me :-)) Which brings me to something I have to tell you about me and it's not good. I'm going to say this very quietly,
when someone is behind me and I know they are in a hurry (proven by their lack of stopping for stop signs, tailgating and just general bad driving) I may, depending on my mood and sense of urgency, go a little slower than the person behind me may desire. I KNOW! I told you it was bad! And once I even stopped at the stoplight while it was still yellow just to annoy the person behind me (I told you I can be crabby). So this makes me wonder - those Walmart shoppers - do you think they were just trying to annoy me this morning? Would someone actually do that to ME? Maybe, in the future, I should just act like I have all the time in the world and approach the Walmart Zone with a smile on my face and a foot on the brake. Would that fake them out and cause them to speed up? Hmmmm, now that's something to think about for the rest of the day.

TTFN!

Oh and FYI - Blogger spell check does not recognize Walmart - I'm just sayin'...

Here it comes again...

Monday.

I really want to be a Monday lover - really I do - but it just doesn't happen. I go to bed thinking about how bright and cheery and happy I am going to be when I wake up in the morning. How I am going to sing "Climb Every Mountain" to my children as they rise from their beds and get themselves dressed while joining in on the chorus. How I am going to be full of domestic bliss and joy. Then reality sets in and the alarm goes off and the HotY hauls himself out of bed takes his shower and then wakes me up. No matter how he wakes me up I am generally not very happy about the entire concept of early morning wakage :-) (yeah yeah yeah, I know it's not a word but so what it's my blog). A couple of weeks ago he asked me what the appropriate way to wake me might be as he had tried several variations all resulting in the same thing - CRABBY! I didn't have a good answer. Actually I'm better with an alarm clock than I am with a human. Anyway, I believe I've digressed. The point is I don't like Monday's even though I try, really, really, really hard.

Oh and one other thing, I have a confession. We missed Mass on Easter Sunday :-O We were at my parents, home of the ultimate shower, when plans on Saturday night changed slightly. But it was all good. It was family, and family is just as important as church as far as I'm concerned because really isn't that what church is all about? Family and community and belief? I think so. Besides we had a little bread and wine. Just ask Kerrie. She'll tell you about the wine. :-) Oh and Ms. Kerrie I'm sorry I was not up to say goodbye. For some reason I got to bed REALLY LATE and then in the morning my children pinned me to the bed and forced me to cuddle with them so by the time I got out of the shower you were gone :-( Sorry, really!

Man I think this is the most I have written in three months. WOW! Of course it is riveting stuff and all...

Okay, I'm out.

TTFN

And this is why...

we didn't bother to buy a picture package from the bunny visit...

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

I was right...

and it had nothing to do with the super special ESP I am always bragging about. Nope, this simply had to do with knowing my kids because last night we WERE that family at the mall. After hurrying to eat dinner, get dressed and do hair I think we spent a total of 2 minutes with the bunny. These two minutes were proceeded by 15 minutes of whining and crying about not being able to play in the kids area which we made the mistake of walking by when we entered (there should be a warning on the doors about this - CAUTION PARENTS WITH CHILDREN: CHILDREN'S PLAY AREA AHEAD DO NOT ENTER IF IT IS NOT YOUR INTENTION TO STOP") and followed by another half an hour of pleading and crying for the Ariel "Polly" doll (which to those of you not able to interpret Syd-speak means the small Polly Pocket size Disney dolls). Which was then followed by the continuing saga of the Ariel-less Syd when we arrived home which continued THIS MORNING as soon as the "Little Mermaid" herself woke because as she told me "I want what I want". Ummm sorry little girl - it doesn't work like that. Oh and I did buy the dang doll (and the Belle doll for Lauren) which the Easter Bunny will bring but I am almost tempted not to put it in her basket because I don't want to reinforce the behavior. If she doesn't mention it again the Easter Bunny will deliver but if there is any more whining and crying - NO ARIEL FOR YOU! At least not for a while anyway. She wore her Ariel socks today - pulled up OVER her pant legs because she wanted to be able to look at "the face" all day long - *sign* she looked like a nerd but at least there was no whining and I'm afraid I'm probably going to hear about the Polly Ariel again tonight since she will have the visual reminder ALL DAY LONG but I had to pick my battles and this time the socks won. When does this stage end??? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller????

Okay gotta go. TTFN!

Here comes Peter Cottontail...

hmmm, is it Peter Cottontail? Or is he hyphenated Peter Cotton-Tail? Or Peter C. Tail? Or maybe in real life he simply goes by Pete Tail???? It is all a mystery to me!

So the Easter excitement is reaching epic proportions at our house. The kids are all excited about meeting the Bunny at the mall. I've never bothered with the meeting of the Bunny before but someone put the bug in their ears and now there is no going back. Although I will admit visiting Peter, or the lack thereof, has been a threat almost as effective as calling Santa to put certain someones on the naughty list! I know, my parenting skills abound :-) I'm going to have to come up with new consequences tomorrow as the visiting is taking place this evening. Yes, we'll be THAT family at the mall. Enough said!

Speaking of kids, I've got some work to do with Miss Syd regarding giving. She seems to have an issue with not having everything belong to her - FOREVER. On Sunday she actually cried when she put her quarter in the collection basket at mass. It was her quarter, she loved that quarter, she had plans for that quarter. I sternly whispered "put the quarter in the basket NOW or there won't be any Peter Cottontail for you" - see above :-) It worked but she wasn't happy. And the weird thing is that she is a good sharer but she is not a good giver. I'm not sure what that is all about - control maybe? I think I am going to have some work to do with her on this because I really do not want selfish, spoiled kids (remember that chick from Willy Wonka - not the one that blew up like a blueberry but the other one - the "I want it now" one, I can't remember her name - anyway, I don't want kids like that!). Maybe I'll make her give away an unloved toy every month. I don't know. Suggestions????

Okay I've rambled enough today. I mean I could start in on how the sister of the non-giver is a good giver and BAD sharer but really the story's the same only the names have been changed :-)

TTFN!

Well at least it's not Monday...

feeling sort of out of sorts today but it's sleeting and snowing so I'm blaming it on the weather!

My super special ESP has been on the fritz for a while but I'm happy to say it is back. After Friday's post (I think it was Friday - I can barely keep track of my kids how do you expect me to keep track of the days...) guess what song I heard on Sunday? Yep, Hello It's Me, and it's not like it is a much played song so you know it was me - me and my blog :-) Anyway, I was on my way home from Target and I was almost home and it came on the radio so I had to drive around my neighborhood like a Sunday open house hunter until it was over. Ahhhh it was a good thing! Now if I could only direct my super special ESP in a productive direction - like predicting the Power Ball numbers or when a Walmart shopper is going to pull out right in front of while I'm on the frontage road. That would be useful information!

Have a great day.

TTFN

Ahhhhhhhhh...

it's Thursday. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the temperature is above freezing so snow is melting. The only thing that could make this day better is Todd Rundgren singing a little Hello It's Me. Really some days it is the little things that are pure bliss!

But alas, (I love that phrase "but, alas" - not that I would ever utter it in real life but on my blog I feel free to use obscure vocabulary with great zeal :-)) so anyway, but alas, melting snow, singing birds and rising temperatures are not the only harbringers of spring - but it seems that slow drivers on the frontage road are like the first robins of the season. During the winter months they all but disappear but bring on a little sunshine and temps above 40 degrees and out they come - robins and slow drivers. I don't mind the bird thing (as long as they aren't pooping on my windshield) - but those slow drivers - grrrrrrrrrr.

Okay gotta run. I promise more frequent posting and pictures to come.

I'm out. TTFN!

Really, it's like feeding the lion (or an open letter to Wendy)...

You see I can be a little overly sensitive about things but I realize it and I adjust and go with the flow - but when it comes to my age you don't mess with me. Which my friend WENDY knows full and well yet she INSISTS on leaving these comments which she knows are the equivalent of FEEDING THE LION or POKING THE BEAR as her husband calls it. And really if you know Wendy she just can't help herself, it's part of her charm, when really she should know oh so much better. SO... I have been deleting her comments but she keeps beating me at this game. So here's the deal, I won't tell you my age because I tell very few people my age, because really at the end of the day it's just a number and why should I pin myself into a box when I can just give an entire range (30-40). But I will tell you this I AM NOT FIFTY nor am I anywhere near that age (and the HotY - who is 36 - can verify this). So those comments from Wendy - ignore them, really, she'll never know. And Wendy, you know I love you but you are poking the bear girl and I can't be responsible for the repercussions!

It's almost that time again...

only a short week until my birthday - AGAIN - which means by this time next week I will be a year older. It isn't nearly as exciting as when you are getting ready to turn 5 or 10 or 15 or even 20. THEN comes 25 and the party's over baby! And when is it that a person stops feeling like they are 18 on the inside? Because seriously I am always surprised when I realize that I am not 18 but instead something in the 30-40 range! And I won't even get started about the age regression that happens when I am in my parents home :-) So that's the agenda for this week - prepare for the birthday - which means having to remember I'm a new number. Which is another weird thing - sometimes I have to actually FIGURE OUT how old I am. That never happened when I was in my 20's - I always knew how old I was - no math required! Shesh. I know isn't it amazing how well I cope with this getting older stuff :-) Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Oh and the other thing about my birthday - as far as I'm concerned by the time it is my birthday Spring is here. No more snow. No more cold. No more winter coats. SPRING HAS SPRUNG. There is no need for winter to make an appearance after March 9th. It's amazing how frequently this does not happen the way I think it should in my mind yet I continue to give Mother Nature that deadline. You think she'd want to be on time once in awhile - I mean it's my birthday after all it's the least she could do - especially after the winter we have endured this year! I can't even think about it without getting crabby.

So that's it. That's what I've got for a Monday. I'm out!

TTFN...