Miscellaneous Shorts: Take Two

I can't keep my hands off the darn keyboard. I've got a million things I should be doing today and all I can think of is what I'm going to blog about next. Yes, I'm completely addicted. **** I've had several people say, "Hey - I hear you've got a blog...what's the address?" So I've been considering a "calling" card of sorts, just with my name and contact info and blog address to pass out on these occasions. I asked my friend G if she thought this was stupid and her response was, "If by stupid you mean wicked cool - than yeah, they're stupid." I thought this was highly amusing. Of course, it doesn't happen often that someone asks me for my blog address because it's in my email signature and it's all over the web (I guess) - but it has happened and it would be nice to be able to say, "Sure - here you go!" and whip out a crisp, shiny new card with all the appropriate info. (See poll above.) **** I'm confused. Stephenie Meyer said that she needs to "feel alone" when she's writing, and now that she's got so many people putting in their two cents on Midnight Sun (Twilight from Edward's perspective) she wants to put off working on it until she can find her quiet place again. I'm confused because on the one hand, I totally understand the need to have any creative efforts come from you and you alone, and not run the risk of accidentally using someone else's idea and then getting "sued" for it. (People sue for everything these days.) On the other hand, she's got so many people clamoring for more that one would think Ms. Meyer would want to continue writing Midnight Sun just to appease her ravenous fans. Which is the right decision? Which is the right course of action? I suppose only Ms. Meyer can decide. G says this probably means that Ms. Meyer will finish it when she needs more income. **** I'm planning (or attempting to plan) the New Years Eve / New Years Day celebrations at my office. We've ordered some goofy 2009 give-away stuff, some Happy New Year plastic champagne glasses, and purchased dozens of bottles of various sparkling juice-based bubbly stuff. Now I just have to order 111 pizzas (no, that number is not an exaggeration) to be delivered at various times during New Years Day and multiple fruit trays for the overnight folks on New Years Eve. Yay fun! If there isn't enough stuff (food or otherwise) don't come complaining to me - I don't wanna hear it. **** Kiddo seems to be developing an obsession with washing his hands. He's never, since day 1, liked having his hands dirty or sticky. But it seems that lately, he's asking me if he can wash his hands every 20 minutes or so. He asked me last night, and since Hubby was in the bathroom taking a shower, I told him he'd have to wait. This was definitely not something Kiddo wanted to hear and made his displeasure known by whining about it until I could ask Hubby if he could stand having a room-mate for a few minutes so said room-mate could wash his hands. Hubby said, "Again?" What is this all about? Is it a phase or is Kiddo really developing some obsessive compulsive thing...? **** Found this on the Pajama Diaries site and thought it was totally worth sharing. I'm dedicating it to all the mothers (and dads who feel likewise) I know. TTFN JMS

Miscellaneous Shorts

Yesterday morning, I grabbed one black leather boot and one camel-colored suede boot. Thankfully, I looked at them carefully before I put them on and left for work. What is it with me? I'm 35 years old and still having difficulty matching my shoes. At least I get them on the right feet! **** I finally found my favorite sunglasses, missing for over a week. I readjusted my legs under my desk and realized I was feeling something with my right foot that shouldn't be there. When I looked, I discovered my sunglasses. I'm very happy to have them back because I've been using the cheap, crappy ones I hate - or none at all, which is even worse! **** What is it with people driving in the rain (or dark) with no headlights on? On my trip to SC to get SM for her Christmas visit, I was nearly into G'Ville when this car was suddenly on top of me and passing me on my left. I hadn't noticed it was there because it was dark (mostly dark, anyway) and they didn't have their lights on. Also, on the way back from G'Ville on Sunday after dropping SM off, I was driving through the mountains and encountered many, many cars without their lights on - and it was raining, steadily. I don't understand that, but maybe it is just because I drive with my headlights on all the time, even during the day. **** My friend G got her hair cut. It is so adorable and totally suits her. When my friend AKP got her hair cut at the beginning of the month, it was (and still is, of course) adorable, too. I even made an appointment to get my hair cut because I wanted my hair to be adorable - but I had to cancel the appointment for lack of funds. Maybe someday. Ooohhh...and maybe I'll get my nails done, too...since I'm dreaming. **** I've managed to gain back 8 of the 14 lbs I lost. Blasted holiday food. Well, back to the drawing board. **** Kiddo said the "S" word. When I confronted him with, "Excuse me? What did you just say young man?" He said, "Nothing!" with a big grin on his face, even though he looked slightly abashed. I said, "I don't think so. Please repeat what you said." Of course, he did, and he had, indeed, said what I thought he'd said. When I explained that it wasn't a word he could/should say/use...he responded, "Well, Daddy said it!" Yes, that's true. But Daddy is an adult and Kiddo is, well...a Kiddo. **** Little Bit is a holy terror. Everything is "Mine!" or "My turn!" or "No!" or "Hungry!" or "I wanna do it, too!" And on and on and on... She's not actually 2 yet, but she's already well into the Terribles. Lord, give me strength! :) TTFN JMS

The Most Fabulous Christmas EVER!

No, really. It was a chaotic, emotional, frenzied, stressful, but fun and wonderful time. It's amazing how even through the chaos and stress, you can still enjoy yourself. Even through the exhaustion, you can still be happy and somehow force yourself to continue moving forward. You have the story of my trip to SC to get SM and some other bits of pre-Christmas fun. I've got a lot to say regarding the rest of it, but I'll try (please understand when I say try that it doesn't mean I'll succeed) to condense it here and not bore you (my beloved followers) to death. SM brought back TONS of gifts for the kids. I remember talking to Hubby on our way back from SC - he wondered if I would be able to stop at the store and get some groceries, but when I informed him that there wasn't room for anything else unless SM wanted to hold everything on her lap, he responded, "You're kidding?" When I assured him I was not kidding, SM and I continued on home. We left all gifts in the car so we could keep them out of sight of the kids until after they went to sleep. The kids went to sleep on Christmas Eve with no trouble at all. Frankly, I was amazed Kiddo didn't flop around like a fish out of water; he was out within 5 minutes. We were able to get all the stockings and all the gifts under the tree relatively early, which was great. Christmas morning dawned bright and early. The kids managed to sleep until 7:30, which floored me. I was totally expecting a 5AM wake up call - but it didn't come! In fact, I was the last one to get out of bed. Kiddo and Little Bit both came flying into my room and said, "Mommy! Wake up! It's Christmas!" I remember groaning my displeasure at having to abandon my warm bed, but was completely happy to have been able to sleep as long as I did. Kiddo was so excited he could hardly contain himself. He jumped around like a crazy person and grabbed gifts left and right. I tried to control the gift opening so I could actually see what he (and Little Bit) got and make a mental list of thank you notes I was going to have to write, but that effort proved to be fruitless. Hubby finally said, "It's Christmas morning...just let 'em have at it!" So we did. And it was a chaotic mess of wrapping paper and excited exclamations over the best gifts ever. Little Bit needed some help because she would get a gift, be pleased and excited with it, but never actually unwrap it. We had to help her discover the fun inside the packages. I've never seen so many gifts in my life - it was really incredible. SM really outdid herself. There were, of course, gifts for me, Hubby and SM, too...but, though we all really made out well this year, it was really all about the kids. I'm sure somewhere in there we had breakfast, and then I started cooking Christmas dinner. I made Cornish hens, a sweet red cabbage, stuffing (although I guess I need to refer to it as "dressing" - I'm sorry, I will never be able to do that comfortably), green beans, Sister Schubert's Yeast Rolls (Parkerhouse style - yummy!) and Hubby made a fantastic sweet potato casserole. The only trouble I had was getting the hens to cook correctly. I won't go into detail, and it really wasn't a big deal, but it was frustrating and eventually all turned out well. Dinner was not only edible, but it was actually good! SM didn't really feel well the entire time she was there - her stomach is a constant source of difficulty for her - and she considered going home early, but we managed to convince her to stay until Saturday AM as we had originally planned. We didn't really do much at all, honestly. She and I visited with each other a lot - which is something we rarely get to do, even though we talk to each other on the phone practically every day. She enjoyed watching her grand kids play with their new toys. She and I discussed all the new outfit possibilities I had and what would go with what; I rely on her for fashion advice because she's so damn good at it. (I totally scored this Christmas, getting several new shirts and sweaters, 3 awesome new pairs of dress pants from Hubby, a beautiful brown corduroy skirt, a red wool coat and a pair of shoes I'm dying to wear to work!) We tried to get out on Friday and drive around to look at apartment/condo possibilities for her in my area, but she wasn't feeling well, the one place we actually stopped was closed, and the kids were a nightmare - so we went home. The kids - ah, there's another thing - they were a nightmare almost the entire time. Well, Christmas Day wasn't so bad, but afterward was awful. They screamed and yelled, fought with each other and with me, didn't listen and generally made a ruckus of monumental proportions. I was ready to kill them... (Being ready to kill them is another thing entirely from actually killing them. They are, in fact, still alive - though lucky to be so.) On Saturday morning, we packed the kids in the car, loaded all of SM's things and headed back to SC. The drive over the mountains was, thankfully, uneventful. Traffic wasn't really all that bad, and though we had to stop a couple of times, we made it back to SM's house in decent time. We allowed SM to go inside to have a quiet reunion with her Scaredy Cat (he really is afraid of his own shadow; and leaves, bugs, wind, rain, birds, walking, talking, eating...you name it, he's afraid of it). After she had thoroughly loved on her cat, we were allowed to come in. We knew the kids would scare Scaredy Cat and seconds after we'd set foot into her house, we saw a black streak fly up the stairs and only saw him again a couple times. The kids were awful the entire time we were at SM's house. I thought I was going to have a breakdown - and very nearly did. I kept apologizing to SM and she kept assuring me that she was OK. I don't believe a word of it, she was as stressed out over the insanity as I was. Kiddo really is lucky SM didn't kill him! He's also lucky his Mommy isn't the abusive sort - or he might have a few bruises to nurse. (Sheesh!) Anyway - we drove back home on Sunday morning and met Hubby at a Cracker Barrel for lunch. Little Bit screamed almost the entire time we were there, until the female half of an elderly couple sitting across from us came over and said, "I've got a puppy out in the car - would she like to come see it?" Of course, Little Bit heard the word "puppy" and that got her undivided attention. We trekked out to this nice woman's car to see said puppy, who turned out to be a 1 year old Skipperkee named Lady. She was very cute and quite happy to see people. Tongue and tail wagging the whole time. This elderly couple were on their way from Illinois to Florida. We didn't have any trouble with Little Bit after she visited the puppy, though she really didn't eat anything. For the rest of Sunday, Hubby and I were completely useless. We were both exhausted and lacking any energy. Kiddo spent almost the entire afternoon having "alone" time in his room playing with a marble construction set that came to him from his cousin Z - through his aunt, of course. Kiddo had received marbles in his stocking for the purpose of using this toy. Though it seems to be missing several parts, it was still hours of fun for Kiddo and hours of peace for Hubby and me. Little Bit was basically good - but I think both kids were over tired. Also, I think their attitudes toward everything were compounded by the fact that they ate things they don't usually eat, had sweets they don't usually get, and probably had sensory overload. It's a lot for a four-year-old and an almost-two-year-old to handle. We all got through it, though. We stuck Kiddo and Little Bit in bed last night at 6:30. I did some laundry, and Hubby fell asleep on the couch watching M*A*S*H. Though chaotic and stressful, it was still one of the best Christmases on record for our family. Hope everyone had a good one, too! TTFN JMS

24 Hours (or so) In The Life of JMS

I drove to G'Ville SC yesterday afternoon and arrived at SM's house shortly after dark. The first thing I did (after lugging my crap inside) was help her carry the hundreds of gifts she'd purchased down to the living room from her bedroom. Then we chatted, and ate, and chatted some more. We lamented about her crazy, scared-of-everything-that-breathes-or-looks-at-him-cross-eyed cat - and, though we decided he is a lovely feline specimen, he is absolutely worthless otherwise. We got to spend some much-needed alone time sans kids, husbands, friends or even feline accompaniment. We went to bed (it was a sleepover, so I stayed with her in her room) and we watched the end of Prancer (ugh...) and the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott (love it!). The end of this movie put us somewhere near midnight. We were both actually almost asleep when her next-door neighbor started banging nails into his walls! (SM can't fall asleep without the TV on and I can't fall asleep WITH the TV on - so she was asleep and I was fading quickly, having suffered greatly through all the flashy lights from the TV and the loud, obnoxious commercials.) SM commented that her neighbor has no concept of time and that he frequently does this (apparently he's a photography fanatic) and that it just made her laugh. Then, after all was quiet for a few minutes, the phone rang. It was MIDNIGHT at this point!!! It was a friend of a friend looking for said friend who had taken off without her cell phone and now, no one knew where she was so they were all having panic attacks...and apparently drunk, too. Then next-door neighbor on the other side decided to come screeching into the parking lot, revving his engine and squealing his tires. Slamming doors on both his car and his condo, and then yelling at someone (probably his dogs, come to think of it) before he, too, fell silent. It was a nuthouse! SM and I both got up around 6:30 AM, having managed to get a few hours of sleep, but we were both exhausted. SM commented that she felt like she was hungover. (I guess sleep deprivation can do that to a person. Wonder why I haven't started feeling the effects of it yet? Maybe because I've been sleep-deprived since Kiddo came along nearly 5 years ago and I'm used to it by now?) We were able to leave her house right at 8:30 AM for the nearly four-hour drive back to K-Town. Thankfully, traffic was light and we only had to make 2 pit stops. I would have preferred to plow on through, but SM's bladder thought otherwise. (Well, since we're being honest here, I didn't complain b/c I had to go, too!) When we got back to K-Town, Kiddo and Little Bit were eating. After food, Little Bit went down for a nap and SM and Kiddo hung out together while Hubby and I had a couple of hours to get some last-minute shopping done. Dinner was an easy event - though I baked cookies, chopped red cabbage, put green beans in the crock pot and generally prepped for tomorrow's meal. I have a TON of dishes to do in the morning, but right now, I'm too tired to even think about them. Kids fell asleep very easily. I thought Kiddo would fight and squirm and generally make a nuisance of himself, but he slipped into Dreamland almost immediately. Little Bit was more-than-ready for bed, and we have not heard a peep from her since she went down. I stuffed stockings, wrapped a few final items and we (me, Hubby & SM) put everything under the tree. It's amazing! There is SO much stuff there, I can hardly believe it. Kiddo and Little Bit aren't going to know what to do with themselves in the morning! Oh - and there are even cookies (freshly baked) and milk for Santa. It's been a busy, chaotic, 24 hours - but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Merry Christmas! TTFN JMS PS: I know I said I probably wouldn't post again until after the holiday, but I guess I lied. It was unintentional, though. I just can't stay away from my blog for that long.

I Got Dressed In The Dark: Part II

Yes, folks - I will admit it... I have, yet again, worn two different shoes. When was the last time? October 15th - check it out. No one can be that unobservant. OK, well, maybe one or two people that I know, but really - are they that bad? Probably not. I even put together this outfit last night when the lights were on, so that really says something about me, doesn't it? I was talking to one of our security guards this morning and I wanted to show her my Christmas socks (you know - 'cause they're oh-so-cute-and-festive) and when I lifted up the cuffs of my pants and looked down I was suddenly hit by the sight of one shoe with a smaller heel and a cute silver buckle on my left foot and and another shoe with a slightly higher heel and no buckle on my right foot. At least they were both the same color this time! Sheesh. (And I didn't notice the heel height difference because the higher heel was on the shorter leg - yeah, I'm lopsided, too - but not noticeably so.) Security guard friend (whom I will call ChinkyPin) said, "I never would have noticed if you hadn't reacted to them! Maybe you should just hide at your desk all day!" Um...no. I just can't do that. My OCD is reacting strongly to this horrendous oversight and I am going to have to take myself home to right this wrong. Maybe, if I time it just right, I can get my prescription from Wal-Mart, too, while I'm out. Oh, and I should pick up the gifts for a couple of co-workers that I also forgot to bring with me this morning. Gosh - where is my brain? Well, to be honest, my brain is on finalizing a project at work and my impending drive over the mountains to SC to get SM this afternoon. (Oh, and I was also focused on getting a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks with my gift card!) Anyway - I had to share my clothing debacle. Hopefully those outside of my "sphere" will think it's amusing. I, on the other hand, am mortified. I probably won't post again until after Christmas so here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! TTFN JMS

Who, me? Worry? Never!

I give up. I've busted my backside every day for over a week now in an effort to get my house clean for SM's visit - but it seems I am thwarted at every turn. Either by the kids, or by myself. I spoke with SM yesterday (after spending a blissful day free of cleaning - Sunday is a day of rest, after all) and she said not to worry about it. Who, me? Worry? Never! But, though I want desperately to have my house beautified for Christmas, I realize now that it's just not going to happen. If I can make sure the bathroom, kitchen and the living/dining room are in order, I'll be happy. I have grand plans, you see. This in itself is a reason for me to step back and actually look at said plans to make sure they are feasible. I think they are, but are they? Really? Cornish game hens, Danish butter ball cookies, red cabbage (the way my Danish grandmother used to make) and a few other family traditions. I know for sure I can do the cookies. I think I can do the hens. I'm hoping I can do the cabbage. Other than that, I might need to open a can of green beans and pretend I cooked them from "scratch." I can even do stuffing (Oh...I guess they call it "dressing" in the South, which really confuses me) from a box and probably make it taste homemade. I need to get Hubby to make a sweet potato casserole. Too much work. Plus - I still have to shop for the kids and wrap presents. And, somewhere in the midst of all that hustle and bustle, I've got to drive to G'Ville, SC to pick up SM! Cripes. I'm doomed. TTFN JMS

Another Rare Saturday Post

I think my kids are going to be the death of me. It will either be them, or this house. I've been busting my you-know-what trying to get all the laundry done, and the house in inspection order before the 24th when SM arrives. The kids gleefully follow behind me and undo everything I've done. Also - I'm irritated that it takes 90 minutes for my dryer to dry one measly load of wash. The washer is done within 20 minutes and then I have to wait for the dryer to finish before I can advance the laundry. I could so have been done by now with a new bright red, front loading, energy saving washer and dryer set... Hey, I can dream, can't I? Right now, I am waiting for just that thing - for the dryer to be done so I can move what's in the washer along and start a new load. I'm almost done...but I can't speed it up. Kiddo has barricaded himself in his room so that Little Bit can't get in and bother him while he plays with his cars. I asked him if he was OK, and he said, "I want to stay in here and play all day, OK Mom?" Whatever, bud. Little Bit is watching Oswald on Noggin. She's the only one that is actually dressed yet. Kiddo and I are still lounging around in our jammies. Well, unless you count Hubby, who is at work and was dressed and gone before the rest of us had had breakfast! Anyway - now I'm dreaming of a steaming hot Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks and, thanks to my very good friend BG, I can do just that with my new gift card! I think I might need to get dressed and go there, if for no other reason than to satisfy my yen. Happy Saturday! TTFN JMS PS: Just in case anyone knows or cares, I deleted my MySpace page and am now using Facebook exclusively.

Spring Cleaning at Christmas Time - Yay!

SM is coming for Christmas come He** or high water. I told her yesterday that I was coming to get her even if she was deathly ill. I told her that I was coming to get her even if I was deathly ill. There is no getting out of a trip to ETN this year. She's coming even if I have to walk there, toss her over my shoulder and walk back! That being said, I wonder if I haven't taken on too much responsibility this year? I say this because now that I know (and she knows) that SM is coming, the race is on to get the house in order for her impending arrival. There's still tons to do...plus I plan to cook. I have a menu in mind and I want to be the one to do it because it's the first Christmas where we all get to be together in MY house. I spent two hours on Tuesday night cleaning and organizing Little Bit's room. Last night, it was Kiddo's room. He "helped" but he mostly got in the way and I was making a desperate effort to get it done before he went to bed. It was such a complete disaster and we've been fighting with him for days to get it done - even going so far as to threaten to put everything into a black plastic trash bag and throw it all away (which Hubby even tried). Nothing motivated Kiddo. Nothing. He screamed and cried when he thought his stuff was being thrown away, but it still didn't make him do anything. So I did it. The room is lovely now. The toys are all put away in their proper place. The bed is made. There is nothing under the bed that shouldn't be there. The area rug is vacuumed. His clothes are put away. When I tucked him in his newly-made bed last night, he was asleep in seconds. Both he and Little Bit slept well in their clean rooms. Here's what I think: I think that they both slept well in their clean rooms because they were clean. There's got to be something to all the Feng Shui stuff. The rooms were clean and clutter free, so why shouldn't the occupants sleep soundly? Free of cluttered dreams and fitfulness? Their surroundings have got to have something to do with it...don't you think? Tonight, Hubby is working and I am focusing on our room. My plan (as much as I hate to admit this) is to put the kids in the living room in front of their favorite Noggin programs and go to town. If anyone thought Kiddo's and Little Bit's rooms were a disaster, they haven't seen nothin' yet! Our room won't get done in two hours. Two days, maybe...but definitely not two hours. Last night I was still fired up and cleaning around 11PM - folding laundry and putting stuff away - even though I was thoroughly exhausted. This morning at 6:30 found me folding more laundry and trying to match the bazillion stray socks that I found in Kiddo's and Little Bit's rooms when I was cleaning them. I don't know how they can have so many socks that don't match! I guess that's always going to be a mystery. Once our room is clean, then the rest of the house is going to be a piece of cake. The bathroom just needs a good wipe-down and the kitchen, though messy, is small and shouldn't take much time. The living room needs to be de-cluttered and vacuumed, but otherwise isn't a complete disaster. Now, after I get the place picked up, all I have to do is threaten my family within an inch of their lives to keep the place clean. I'll do it. I swear I will. I'm serious! You wanna live in a cardboard box? Drop that sock in the middle of the floor and see if I mean what I say! No, those cars do not belong in the living room - put them back in your room...right this second! Why is that book under the couch? Whose sippy cup is this and what is it doing in the bathroom sink? You wanna cross me? I can take you. See if I can't! TTFN JMS PS: Merry frikkin' Christmas! :)

Things I Learned From My Mother

My mother's birthday was on Monday, December 15th, and though it is still hard to know she's gone, it was a bit easier this year, as it is every year that passes since she left us. It started me thinking, though, about all the things I learned from her in the 15 years I had with her. These are reasons I miss her and reasons why not a day goes by when I don't think about her. I learned...

• ...how to make a bed with perfect hospital corners
• ...how to scramble eggs
• ...how to make bacon in the microwave
• ...how to "bend" the dishes (figuratively) so they all fit in the dishwasher
• ...how to brush a dog so they actually like it and will hold still for you
• ...how to take care of a baby
• ...how to wash, dry & fold laundry (I'm not sure I can ever forgive her for this one, though!)
• ...that true love is unconditional
• ...how to use the telephone
• ...that proper manners, in all aspects of your life, are important
• ...that proper grammar is important
• ...that elbows on the table should be forbidden
• ...that it is possible to make an entire dinner out of practically nothing (I haven't quite picked up this skill yet, but I know it's possible.)
• ...that cats are your friends
• ...that you should treat your friends like family, and your family like friends
• ...how to wrap the cord around a hairdryer so it isn't a jumbled mess and is always neat and tidy when you need it
• ...how to shave your legs (though I haven't learned not to cut myself, yet.)
• ...happiness doesn't mean money, conversely, money doesn't mean happiness
• ...how to look like you feel good about yourself, even if you don't
• ...that you are stronger than you give yourself credit for
• ...that you can do anything if you put your mind to it
• ...to fight until there is no fight left in you

Thanks, Mom. I love you every day.

TTFN JMS

Elizabeth Gilbert's Book - Eat, Pray, Love

I'm reading a book I really wasn't sure I'd like. You see, I'm part of 2 book clubs - one a little more formal than the other - and the "formal" club is currently reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. It's about one woman's search for balance in her life after a nasty divorce and a bout with severe depression. She travels to Italy to learn the language and to try to remember what pleasure was. She travels to India to learn spiritual devotion. She travels to Indonesia to find the balance she has been lacking. I'm only on page 59 and I've already decided I really like this woman. I like the way she writes. I understand her in ways I never expected. She describes Depression and Loneliness as if they are actual characters; living, breathing, beings that exist in her life. She's funny. She's serious. She has a fantastic way of describing exactly what she was feeling and/or doing at any given moment. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make the next book club meeting because Hubby is working and I am not (repeat - NOT) going to drag both kids with me and subject the nice ladies of my book club to the chaos that the kids would bring. But I need to finish the book anyway - and can maybe do that before Thursday (our next meeting) - so that I can email Q (our fearless leader) and give her my two-cents. She can then choose to share my thoughts with the group without me...or not. Only being 59 pages into this book, I'm hoping that it doesn't become a complete sob story that I'm going to wind up hating by the time I'm done. But, so far, it seems that what began as a sad tale, can only end up in enlightenment (literally and figuratively). I'll keep you posted. TTFN JMS

The Sickness, Wally-World at Christmas-time, Embarrassing Exposure, and Family Christmas Event

Hubby had on Friday whatever it was that I had on Monday. He was miserable and called me to see if I could come rescue him so he could sleep. I left work around noon (I think) and went home to take care of the kids while Hubby went to bed and slept for a few hours. I knew exactly how he felt. Kiddo wanted to know why I was home and where Daddy was. I told him that Daddy wasn't feeling well so he was asleep. Kiddo wanted to know, again, why I was home if Daddy was there. I said, "Because Daddy is sick and had to go to bed. If he's sleeping, he can't watch you and your sister, can he? So I came home to watch you. Aren't you excited to see me?" To which he responded, "OK." (Meaning, "Whatever, Mom.") So they played, and as much as I tried to keep them somewhat quiet so Hubby's sleep could be undisturbed, they did a lot of screaming and yelling. Not because they were unhappy, but because they were having fun. I can't fault them for that. Then they had a warm bubble bath, and there was more screaming - but this time because they were fighting over who had more bubbles on their side of the tub. That was a tough argument to stop. Eventually, I just scrubbed them down, hosed them off with the sprayer and got them out of the tub because...well, enough was enough already. Then it was nap time. Kiddo didn't sleep at all, and Little Bit fought me every step of the way, finally succumbing around 3PM and sleeping soundly for about 2 hours. When they woke up, I packed them up and took them out. We got McDonald's and then headed over to the insanity of Wally-World. The kids ate quietly in the cart while I picked up a few last minute items for our family Christmas event. At one point, Little Bit leaned over, put her head on Kiddo's shoulder and said, "I wuv oou, [Kiddo]." To this he responded by shoving her away and saying something grouchy. I said, "All she wants to do is give you a hug, buddy. Why don't you let her hug you and then she'll leave you alone?" He didn't want her to hug him. She persisted. She pecked him on the cheek with a sweet baby kiss and said again, "I wuv oou, [Kiddo]." It was a push and shove match of the oddest kind. She pushed her love toward him and he pushed it away. He had the glassy-eyed look of the exhausted and I knew he was only acting/responding that way because he was so sleepy. Eventually, he let her give him a hug and that was the end of it. We left the chaos of Wally-World and went home. By the time we got there (it's less than a 10 minute drive from our house) Kiddo was sound asleep in his car seat. Little Bit was awake, but didn't want to walk. She vocalized (loudly) her displeasure of having to walk while I carried Kiddo's sleeping form, so I stooped down, scooped her up, too, and walked, heavily burdened, to the front door. When I put her down again at the entrance, she said, "Mommy, I sleepy, too." Both kids went to bed without any trouble, and I left again to finish what I couldn't get done earlier. I woke Hubby up before I left to let him know I was going and that the kids were in bed. I went to Staples and to Walgreen's. When I sat down in the car after coming out of Staples, my nearly-new blue jeans split from the belt seam, down by the rear pocket, to almost the back of my knee. I didn't realize it. I heard it, but it didn't occur to me that it was my jeans! So I walked into Walgreen exposed to the world!!! So embarrassing. The poor little girl behind the counter "Ahem'd" at me and quietly told me of my exposure. Of course, I'm sure I went beet red. She was kind enough to stay behind me while I looked for what I needed and then while I took off my bright yellow jacket and tied it around my waist. I'm sure she couldn't wait to get home and tell all her friends about the idiot woman who came into the store with her rear-end hanging out of her jeans. (And not in a "I'm-a-Cool-Hip-Hop-Chick" kind of way.) The thing is, I'd had these jeans for only a month or two, and I've LOST 14 lbs! So how and why they split is beyond me. I thought I was getting smaller. Maybe it was just a defect? Either way, I'm down to one pair of jeans that only sort-of fit me. I know I'm going on and on today, but there's more... Then we drove up to Deep-in-the-Holler, VA for the family Christmas event. It was a lovely, chaotic time. I got to see and hold my new baby niece, who is quite adorable and content to be held, warm and snug. Little Bit was a bit accident prone, tripping several times and once even falling into the coffee table and giving herself a nice bruise on her right temple. She also fell and bit her lip, somehow scratched herself above her right eye and has a nice bruise on her shin. I think it's the fault of the slippery wooden floors in GM's house combined with a kid's penchant for running when happy. Kiddo fell a couple of times, too, once biting his tongue, and another staving his toe into the side of a cabinet. Drama, drama, drama. The dinner was fabulous, the company was comfortable, and the gift opening was a free for all - but it was lots and lots of fun. Plus, I got to get another good kitty-fix. I do love me some kitties. One of the kittens (the shyer of the 2) slept with me all night on Saturday and then was my buddy all day Sunday until we left. I think she's the one I should take home. But it's probably a toss up between either of the kittens, and the beautiful black furball my Mother-in-Law named after my son. TTFN JMS PS: Happy Birthday, Mom. (Mary Nolton Greening) I love you and miss you every day!

Visiting the Throne of the Porcelain god, Family Christmas, and Folks who Read My Blog

Kiddo and Hubby are sick again. Tummy this time. Kiddo was up visiting the throne of the porcelain god last night several times, poor kid. Hubby didn't get much sleep because he was up with Kiddo. Kiddo is 4 1/2 and doesn't really understand what's happening so it scares him and he cries. It's very sad. He does not have a temperature at all. It sounds very similar to whatever I had on Monday, which was mostly gone 24 hours later so I'm hoping that will be the case here. We're supposed to go to Deep-in-the-Holler VA to GM's house for our family Christmas celebration tomorrow, so hopefully everyone will be feeling A-OK by then. I am really excited about seeing everyone, but I'm especially excited about seeing my new baby niece who was born on 12/4! This means that I want everyone I take with me to be healthy so I can hold the baby!!! Yes, it's selfish...I can't help myself. I'm nearly done with Christmas shopping for this event tomorrow. Hubby will hopefully be able to go do a few last minute things today that will round off the shopping hullabaloo and I can then get everything wrapped and ready. (Speaking of which, I need to check with Tennswede to see if he's got a couple boxes I can use...) **** It's always interesting to learn of folks who read this blog. One of the guys I work with said to me this morning, "Oh, hey! I wanted to tell you that I love your blog! You write very well." (Or something to that effect.) I was very pleased to hear this because I didn't know this person read my blog - but then he's a friend on MySpace and I've got my blog listed there, so it's not that unusual. I'm sure there are several people who read my blog that I don't know about. But it's always fun to learn that they enjoy reading it. I enjoy writing it. Even if I have nothing to say! TTFN JMS

Kiddo and the Gingerbread House

The gingerbread house construction was a bit trickier than I'd anticipated, but Kiddo had a fantastic time anyway. He jabbered non-stop for 2 hours as we labored over icing and placement of little tiny pieces of candy.

He ate (with my permission) the gingerbread Christmas tree that came with the kit and then later decided he shouldn't have eaten it. I guess he thought it should have been there with the gingerbread boy and the gingerbread snowman. So we constructed what Kiddo dubbed (all on his own, by the way) "The Famous Leaning Christmas Tree" out of gum drops. (You can sort of see it in the picture.) It was a little difficult to get the gum drops to stand up in the wet icing, and even though I held it up for a few minutes, it still leaned over some, so Kiddo said, "That's OK, Mom. That can be The Famous Leaning Christmas Tree!" And so it is.

I was very thankful that I'd put Little Bit to bed before we began erecting the structure because it required more concentration than I would have had if she had been there getting into things. And, I probably would have lost not only the gingerbread Christmas tree to Kiddo, but either the gingerbread snowman or gingerbread boy to Little Bit, too, thereby decreasing the amount of stuff in the front of the house.

We had a great time, though. I was thoroughly over it by the time we were done and Kiddo was raring to go. He was a little put out that he had to go to bed (at 9PM) without a story, but I explained to him that it was already an hour past his bedtime and he'd had fun making the gingerbread house. While I don't think he really understood, he was asleep relatively quickly.

Good times. Good times.

TTFN JMS

G's Unspoken Proposal, Gingerbread House, & Little Bit's Bottle Days

My friend G wrote something about me that I thought I'd share...

I'm still trying to talk JMS into giving up her life and becoming my new sister so that she can move into my parents basement with me and we can read books and go to the movies all the time. She's not feeling it. Apparently, she made some sort of vow to her husband about till death do them part or something along those lines. And she likes her children more than I like my dog. And I looooove my dog. So I've got to shelf that idea until I find a way to get her away from domesticated life.

This amused me to no end for a couple of reasons: 1) Because she's never actually discussed this plan with me, and 2) because she's right...I'm not feeling it. As much as I love her, my family always comes first. Sorry, G; in another life, maybe, but not this one. **** Hubby bought a gingerbread house kit for me to do with the kids tonight. I'm anticipating a complete disaster (both mess-wise and house-wise) but I really don't care - it should be fun. I know Kiddo will be supremely interested and Little Bit might feign interest for a little while, but then she'll get bored when she can't eat all the pieces. Either that, or she'll get really pissed off and start screaming and then constructing a gingerbread house will be a lost cause for all of us. We'll see how it goes. **** We're finally almost at the end of Little Bit's bottle days. She's down to getting about 3 ounces of milk at bedtime. Tonight she'll get 2 ounces and tomorrow she'll get once ounce and then nothing. She can have milk in a sippy cup before bed - but no more bottles at bedtime. First of all, there's the rotten teeth thing (not that she has them, but the longer she's on the bottle, especially at bedtime, the more likely that prospect is) and secondly, she needs to start going to sleep without the bottle at all. She's got her blankie and her bunny and our routine, ("I love you [Little Bit]!" and "I wuv oou, too, mommy!") and then she settles down with eyes closed, ready for sleep. Hopefully by the end of this week, she'll be completely "weaned." Kind of a New Year's Resolution, so-to-speak. I'm anticipating a couple nights of screaming for her bottle, but she'll eventually get used to not having it - and it's important. Well...I guess that's all for right now. TTFN JMS

Feelin' Not-so-Groovy

I went home early yesterday and was asleep by noon. I was really struggling to keep my head up yesterday and my stomach was in total turmoil. I tried. I really tried to stay at work and get things done, but I couldn't concentrate. I felt dizzy and fragile and not at all well, so my boss told me to go home. No questions asked. I slept from noon until about 4:30 yesterday, got up, watched my family eat dinner (I tried to eat a bit but it didn't really sit well) and then after the kids went to bed, Hubby and I watched Hancock. I'm not sure I enjoyed it; I had more questions than I got answers for. Then I went back to bed and slept until 6:30 this morning. It was a fitful sleep, though, and I don't feel rested. I feel better today, but still not 100%. I'm hoping that this...whatever-this-is...passes quickly. I'm at work now and trying to catch up on things I missed from yesterday. Oh - and something funny I thought I'd share. (Forgive me if I have mentioned this before...I can't remember what I've shared and what I haven't.) Kiddo and Little Bit are only secret identities. They are actually Superman and Supergirl. All we have to do is tie a bandanna around their necks so they look like capes (Kiddo's was a Halloween one last night, and Little Bit's was pink) and they tear up and down the hallway screaming, "SUPERMAN!" or "SUPERGIRL!" It's quite adorable, if a bit loud, but they have a wonderful time and it certainly wears them out. Anyway - I guess that's it for now. TTFN JMS

Productive Weekend

Kiddo, Little Bit and I decorated our Christmas Tree. Kiddo really did most of it, so it's a little lopsided and there are big holes, but I don't care. It's my favorite tree yet.

We all did a lot of work this weekend toward having a clean house. We're still a long way off, but I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! Yay! We did multiple loads of laundry, cleared all the stuff off the dining table, brought out all the miscellaneous Christmas decorations (including 3 nativity scenes), did three loads of dishes, and a bunch of other various things.

I cooked both nights. Yes...me, myself and I. I'm getting better at this cooking thing...but I still don't really like it all that much.

I've managed to lose (get ready for it!)....14 lbs! I'm still going strong. I'm feeling motivated and, though right now all I'd like to do is crawl back in bed and go to sleep, I know I am strong enough to lose this stupid weight! I'd like to have another 5 or 10 lbs off of my body by Christmas. At least that way, I will be able to justify eating myself into a food coma...which I fully intend to do.

Right now - I'm headed to the cafeteria to get a bowl, a knife and a spoon so I can eat my grapefruit!

TTFN JMS

Chopped Liver, Sock Puppets, and Christmas Decor

One of my favorite times of the day is when I get home from work and am able to snuggle with and love on my kids. I said this in front of Hubby last night and he said, "Gee...thanks." Meaning: "What am I, chopped liver?" I'm ALWAYS happy to see my husband. Every time I look at him I'm happy to see him - even if he's not my favorite person at the moment. That's how marriage is. I absolutely adore him and wouldn't trade him for the world...and he should know that. He does know that. Anyway - last night was a good night. Even though I wasn't feeling all that well, and spent most of the evening resting on the couch while the kids played around me, it was still a good night. I made a quick sock puppet out of one of Hubby's socks and the kids enjoyed an hour of giggles, kisses and hugs with said puppet. It was lots of fun. Little Bit's expressions were so funny and Kiddo got into the game, too. I might have to make a real sock puppet - google eyes and all - so that the kids can really see what a sock puppet should look like. I am no closer to having our Christmas stuff up. I've got the nativity scene up and the stockings out and a runner "thing" on the front door instead of a wreath...and that's it. For now. I think Hubby and the kids and I are going out tonight to get some shopping done. Our big family Christmas event is on Dec. 13th in Deep-in-the-Holler VA - and we have nothing done for this, at all. I'm starting to panic. Well, I guess it really doesn't matter. We do what we can, right? And the "stuff" isn't important, anyway - though it certainly helps. TTFN JMS

Christmas means more than material things

I cannot believe it's December, already! This year has absolutely flown by! There are so many things I want this year:

• I want a beautiful wreath for my front door - but I haven't found one yet.
• I want to put up and decorate my lovely Christmas tree - and then not worry about the kids messing with the ornaments.
• I want a clean house - top to bottom - and then a weekly housekeeper to maintain it for me!
• I want to cook a fantastic Christmas dinner - all by myself.
• I don't want to do any laundry.
• I want a car.
• I want a fireplace so I can hang our Christmas stockings from the mantel but will have to make due with placing them on the floor around the Christmas tree.
• I want to dig the large nativity scene out of the storage shed and proudly display them in the front of our house.

But mostly, I want to make this Christmas special for my family; my kids. They deserve to have a wonderful day of joy and to understand the True Spirit of Christmas. There are so many things I want to give them, but, material things aside, as long as they are happy and healthy - I'm happy. The rest really doesn't matter. I heard something this morning that bothered me, though. Apparently there was a bad accident near my office - the wrecked car had wound up blocking both lanes of traffic going one way, and taken out a sign and some other stuff along the way. Aside from the obvious tragedy of this poor person having had a car accident, I was told by someone who was stuck in the jam behind it all that people were trying to get around it by driving up on the median! No one stopped to see how the driver of the car was doing - if he (or she) was even OK! These folks trying to drive by on the side were more focused on where they were going, being late for work, needing that cup of coffee, chatting on their cell phones, or whatever it was that they were focused on, that they forgot about or didn't care about the poor person in the wrecked car! This bugs me - a lot. How can someone be so self-involved that they drive right by an accident without at least stopping to see if the person is injured!? I remember, several years ago, I was on my way to work, having just gotten on to the road that leads me by my beloved lake every morning. The car in front of me was a relatively new, light blue Lincoln Continental (or something similar in size) being driven by an elderly man, with his wife riding in the passenger seat. A deer leaped out in front of them and they hit it - dead on. The deer wound up on the windshield and the Lincoln wound up on the side of the road. It scared me, first of all, because it happened right in front of my eyes - but it also scared me because I didn't know how the occupants of this car fared. I could see, by just having followed them for a couple hundred feet, that they were elderly and I was supremely worried about their physical condition. Forget the deer. I pulled over behind them, jumped out of my car and by the time I got to them, the man driving was getting out. He saw me right away. I asked him if he was OK and if he needed me to call anyone; that I had a cell phone. He told me, shakily, that he and his wife were fine and they, too, had a cell phone and had already called 911. I made certain that they were both really OK, but then, at the old gentleman's prompting, I went on. I was shaken. But I'm sure they were shaken more. It bothers me to no end that people, especially at this time of year, can be so self-focused that they can't or won't stop for someone who's been in an accident. My comment was, "So much for the Christmas Spirit!" Something to think about. TTFN JMS

Fun at Nani's House

I thought I'd post a few pictures of some fun we had at GM's house this past weekend. (Pic 1: Little Bit licking her plate after eating a tiny bit of chocolate cake. Pic 2: Hubby, Kiddo & Little Bit (a.k.a. The Snow Heads) while putting up the Christmas tree at GM's. Pic 3: Kiddo helping his Nani (a.k.a. GM) with the dishes. Pic 4: Little Bit helping her Nani (a.k.a. GM) with the dishes.) I'm thinking I may need to frame The Snow Heads! I just love their expressions!

TTFN JMS

Thoughts on Christmas & How to Clean out a Refrigerator

I am, I think, actually getting excited about Christmas this year. Usually, Christmas is a very tough time for me... But my husband said something on our drive back home from his mother's house the other day that really hit me. He said that he sees Christmas, now, as an adult, through his children's eyes, and therefore enjoys it a lot more. How profound. (I actually looked at him over the rims of my sunglasses, eyebrow raised, and asked him who he was and what he did with my husband...!) But he's right. While the holidays are typically an emotional low time for me (and, unfortunately, for my poor Hubby this year) if I can remember the true meaning of Christmas, as well as try to see it with the joy of my children, I will most definitely be in a better frame of mind. There's a lot of work to do between now and Christmas, though. I haven't even started shopping, though I have definite ideas of what I want to do (mostly) for each person I buy for. Our house needs a thorough scouring and the Christmas tree needs to be put up...but I'm taking it in stride this year. And even though SM is coming to join us for a few days over Christmas, and I would normally feel the need to play the perfect housekeeper - I don't really care. It's just not that important in the grand scheme of things. On another note - Hubby and I figured out a very efficient way to get the refrigerator cleaned out: Spill an entire gallon of orange juice on the bottom shelf and let it filter through to the very bottom of the fridge and into the crisper drawers! It's definitely an effective motivator, but our fridge does look good now! Have a great day! TTFN JMS

Thanksgiving 2008

It's Monday morning, December 1st, and I'm back at work after an exhausting 4 day mini-vacation. Travel included me, Hubby, Kiddo, Little Bit, The Dog, everything that goes with us, & a chocolate cake, crammed into my 1993 Toyota Corolla. We made a 2.5 hour trip in just over 2 hours, spent a lovely afternoon at the Boys & Girls club (rented for the occasion of a large family Thanksgiving) in Small Town USA munching on fabulous foods and kibitzing with extended family. Then a trip to Deep-in-the-Holler-Virginia for a three-day stay at GM's house - with her 6 cats & 2 dogs. Allergy H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks for me, but I managed to get some good fuzz therapy in, despite the sneezing and itchy eyes. I love me some kitty cats! Visit with GM was wonderful. Kiddo was her ever-present shadow and Little Bit ate like a champ the entire time we were there. It's always good to see GM - I absolutely adore her. Speaking of Little Bit - I have to share this. Our sleeping arrangement was such that Kiddo & GM shared the room with the 2 twin beds, Little Bit and I shared the double bed in the main bedroom, and Hubby (bless his now-aching neck) slept on the couch. Little Bit is a very active, and vocal sleeper. She chastised Kiddo in sleep for doing something she was not happy with, yelled "No!" at me several times for unknown reasons, smacked me in the face often and said, "Mommy! Wake up!"... She also flopped around like a fish out of water, asked for her blankie when she couldn't immediately lay her hands on it, her bunny if it was just beyond her reach, and had to touch me regularly just to make sure I was still there. Blankets in general were bad, and we had several arguments over this because I wanted to be covered up and she didn't; it was hard to strike a compromise. But I watched her sleep, watched her tug at her hair, watched her open her sleepy eyes and see me there, then lean over to kiss me and then go back to sleep. One night (I don't remember which one) after I thought she was good and asleep, I whispered to her, "I love you, [Little Bit]." After a brief pause, she whispered right back, "I love you, too, Mommy!" She kept her eyes shut while she said it and I never heard another word from her. It almost made me cry. So sweet. Some other things we did: gave kittens medicine and eye goop, washed dishes with Nani, puddled in the sink just because, had a bath in the sink, got rained on, ate at a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant, put up and decorated Nani's Christmas Tree, watched too much television, ate too many sweets, drank too much tea, coffee, hot chocolate, ran through Nani's supply of apples and many other wonderfully simple things. Anyway - we had a great time. And, aside from being awakened before the crack of dawn by kids who were just plain done with sleeping (read 5:30 AM!!!) we really had a nice visit. Kiddo and Little Bit just adore their Nani and I think she is pretty sweet on them, too! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too. TTFN JMS