Last Straw

No really. It was the last straw. I have come home to undone homework, trashed rooms and yes, juice box/CapriSun straws on the floor for the last time. How many times have you read me complaining about my messy daughter? Numerous. And countless times have I told her to have her homework done before I come home. She's home by 3:30. I am home by 7 most times. She really can't get it done?

Undone homework is maddening enough. Repeatedly asking her to clean her room put me over the top. Do you see this mess?

I refuse to go in it to hang up her clothes so some of that mess is me tossing clothes on her bed. But coming home to the undone homework and pigsty, I swear I was going to develop an ulcer on the spot. For sure my head was hurting. My son isn't perfect but his mess I can tolerate and when I say clean it up, he does. The girl is just stubborn and unmotivated by the loss of her DS, going to bed early, the loss of allowance, not being allowed to go to a cheerleading class....unmoved. I knew what I had to do and it requires commitment on my part. The hard part about teaching these kids a lesson is that usually YOU are deprived of something as well. But my husband can't seem to get as riled up by this as I am so unless I am home to have a fit, the crap continues.

Not anymore.

The undone homework - again - sent me into a spin. I had called her over an hour before I got home to tell her I would be home and to get the work done. I checked. Not done. Why? No reason. Then I see the room again. That's all I can stand. She goes to get a pencil to finally finish the homework. I refuse to let her. "You had your chance. Leave it, take a bath, brush your teeth, go to bed."

She's not too fazed. Umm hmm. OK. After she gets in the tub I am still fuming. Before long I snatch a trash bag from the drawer and storm to her room, tossing clothes and school papers and books to pick up whatever toy my hand lands on. She hears it and begins to ask what I am doing. Before long she is wrapped in a towel at the door and it has hit her.

"Please, wait!"

Too late. I ignore her crying and pick up toys until the bag is full. The tears are flowing and suddenly she is fazed.

You think it's easy hearing a child begging you to do or not to do something? It's not. I had no desire to start trashing things. But the I-don't-care attitude had to go. For the first time in weeks I had her attention. The bag went to my car as swiftly as I had picked it up, leaving her to stand crying in her mess.

She has no clue how pissed off I am at the relentless mess. She has no idea how it hurts my heart for her to be sad in any way. But this was a war and she had to go down.

"If I come home tomorrow to this mess STILL here, you lose more," I tell her with the best poker face I have.

All she could do was ask me to help her button her pajama top. Kind of pathetic really and freaking cute. But I am standing my ground.

"If I clean up my room, can I have my stuff back," she sniffed. "I don't know what I am going to do," I tell her without feeling. "The only reason it's not at the dump now is because it's closed."

Threats are pointless. You can't start something like this and not follow through. I can't say the bag is going to the dump and not dump it so I won't go there because it's not what I want to do. But of course if cleaning once gets her her stuff back, then what's going to make her keep cleaning? It's a conundrum. Thankfully, her being 6 may be in my favor since she most likely won't think quite this far. Let's hope I'm right.

Today is Her Birthday...

...Happy Birthday to her!

Daughter is 6. Daughter told the world she was 6. There's nothing monumental about 6 but she's loving it. Daughter went to the cub scout pack meeting with her brother and got to touch a snake - 2 actually - a bearded dragon and a hissing cockroach, to name a few.

Ew.

Daughter is happy. See?



She was up a little late eating candy from the pack meeting and ice cream cake. Don't ask me if she ate food. That was her daddy's job before we went to the pack meeting. Her brother signed her up for Club Penguin - his FREE gift to her.

Oh, and here's one of the snakes. That's Son at the head. He was going for the tail but the man switched it up on him. (God said He'd make us you the head, not the tail, right?)



Oh yes. It was that big. And Daughter took the picture. (That's why I'm getting her a camera for Christmas. Shhhh.) Clearly few things phase her.

Daughter was happy. Her birthday party is Saturday but for now, it was a good day.

Happy birthday, baby.

The New Girl

The dawn of a new day - the day Daughter starts wearing glasses. It's not the glasses, though, but how much older it suddenly made her. It's still a little weird for me but as you can see, she's handling it like the new accessory it is - complete with cute blue eyeglass case.

I've Got a Teen On My Hands

Daughter graduated from preschool last Friday. She went to the same school Son went to so I couldn't help but compare. He was and still is one of the friendliest kids around but he was shy that day. His teacher had to hug him while they sang. He looked nervous in front of the people. And shy. But he made it through.

This time there were considerably more family and friends in attendance. But Daughter walked out with her class singing her little heart out. We ALL knew the words. She had been singing them daily since Christmas or so. Just like Son, I was on the verge of tears the moment I saw her. Don't ask me why. Don't know. It only lasts as long as it takes for them to all come marching in. But weepy I was and trying to control it so I can see her clearly. Two years at this school and it was time to say goodbye - again. "That's it, right," one teacher asked. "Last one?" Mr. T and I just laughed. "Don't know yet. Don't know."

The kids went through the alphabet phonetically. They sang more songs. Soon, they called her name and she walked up and got her pretend diploma. She's just so confident. Must be nice to have that confidence at the age of 4.

As a treat for her and Son who's report card was the equivalent of all A's, we went to Hershey Park.



Mr. T. and I had last been there back in 1994 or maybe 1995 when a friend of mine was graduating medical school. So the kids had not been at all and we didn't tell them they were going. We said nothing at all the whole ride until Son, who had been buried in his DS and missed the "Welcome to Hershey" sign, looked up and saw the street sign pointing right to Chocolate Ave. "We're going to Hershey Park," he said matter of factly. And then you could hear him start to smile and get excited. Daughter is still a clueless when it comes to theme parks and recognizing them by name but she got into the swing of things easily. All she wanted was to stay in a hotel and eat in a restaurant.

We stayed for the weekend and did Chocolate World the first night and the park the next day. The park was immaculate. Daughter wanted to ride everything and would have been on the coasters next to her daddy if she were at least a Twizzler size. But alas, she's only a Reese's right now and Son is a Hershey. Too short for the mega coasters. But Mr. T. has a budding roller coaster companion in her and thank God because it's not my thing to go loop-de-loop and I don't think it will be Son's either. He didn't even want to get on the big swing that went REALLY fast but made Daughter laugh.



She's a teen-ager, I tell you. I came home last night and she wanted me to polish her toenails. She had asked in the past and I'd do one toe and she'd mess it up moving around. "I can keep still," she promised. And she plops her foot on my lap to beautify her toes. We make it through so I do the other foot and blow on them. I turn her to sit on my lap. "Why do you have to hold me?"

"Because I don't want you moving around and putting nail polish on my new furniture."

"Oh."

So she sits, and wiggles her feet, propping them on my propped up legs so she can compare our toes. She talks about everything and nothing, telling me she's almost 5 now and she can sit still long enough so her toes dry. All I can think is how could I have ever said I didn't want a girl? She's the perfect mix of brave boy for her dad and girly girl for me. When it seems all is safe, she moves around to test her new toes. "See? I didn't mess them up! Can you do my fingers now?" Why not. She can handle anything.

Sweet Summer!

Where did the Spring go? It was in and out, haunted by Fall temperatures and Summer sun but it never really had its chance to shine. Still, it was as much my chance to bloom as the rest of nature.

I wrapped up my incubator and I joined the business network I've been looking to join. If you have a business in any stage or if you just want to make some personal changes in your life, I really think Ladies Who Launch is an excellent resource for all that and more. The incubator was so inspiring and motivational and even though I am a self-motivator, it propelled me even more to do things I might have been dragging my feet to do. So I'm content in the possibilities and focusing one huge thing for next year but we have to see if we'll even get the chance to do it. In the meanwhile, my local paper interviewed us after I sent them a press release on a teen sales program we are launching. A few buyers have asked to see samples and my plan is to hound them until I get an answer one way or another. More samples are going out to trade publications and blogs and I'm hoping for the best. I've reconnected with my sorority and even though they are too far for me to go to monthly meetings, it's good just to expand my network in that direction. It's one of my avenues for giving back and my chance to help some younger people make their own marks in the world. It's good.

Today I force myself to step back from it all. Well, OK, I do have to mail a few things and I do need to make one phone call to get some clarity on the show we hope to do next year but after that - or maybe I'll be doing all this en route - is Daughter's preschool graduation. Time to watch her shine now and I know she will be smiling and singing her heart out. It's just her way. My little leader. Of course, she then has to turn around and go back to the school for the month of July until it's time to go see the grands but she knows the next step is going to her brother's school and getting on that school bus. My children and my business are growing up. Yay.

Oh, and so is my brother. My niechew has officially become a nephew and in 5 more months he's here. I wonder if I can sneak down there for the weekend when he gets here. I'm sure I'll figure something out so I can hold that baby while he's brand new. I LOVE brand new. But no, not ready for my own yet.

Now it's off to finish breakfast. We are taking the kids to Hershey Park for the weekend and they don't know it and there is still much to do. Catch you all later.

Trash Talk

A lovely, windy Saturday spent saying Happy Birthday to Trash-O-Saurus.

Son and Daughter go on a treasure hunt.

He's looking. She's looking. Who will finish first? (He did.)

While I wait, pictures of Unidentified Discarded Objects. (Well, ok. They were cans.)

Ummm! A cake shaped like a trashy dinosaur. Yum!

And free ice cream too!

Photo opp inside an indescribable house of gar-bahge.

Schoolchildren wow us with their eco-friendly creations.

And college students too!

It's a twister!

What a load of garbage!

What a close-up load of plastic garbage!

Some boxes to amaze you.

And the Bridgeport Bluefish (yeah baby, Connecticut has baseball!) stopped by to say hi too.

Time to make our birthday hats.

And wear them too.

"Mommy! Take my picture!"

Hmm, if I put this here, it will balance the other side. "Mommy, get me the raisins please!"

Nothing like throwing trash at each other inside a cage to have a little fun!

Where is Son? Hiding inside the glassfault sculpture.

Then it's home to upload all the pictures. Another busy day for us.

Scene from the Schoolyard

Today I spent an hour in Daughter's classroom. I was pretty sure I had told her once before that I would be there for an hour but I didn't remind her until this morning so she wouldn't bug me about it. Daughter loves it when I hang out in her world, which I can't do often. But today I sat beside her as we planted a sunflower seed and carrots in a cup, made a birthday cake out of blocks and read Cinderella. She sat happily on my lap as they sang all the songs I always hear her sing at home and then outside we went where I watched her ride a bike and helped her plant a branch from a tree as she knelt on dirt and mulch in her off-white tights. We played basketball and turned into human airplanes and then I had to go to work. She buried her face in my leg and said she wanted me to stay until lunch. Even if I did, I knew there would be no good time to extricate myself so sooner rather than later was the plan. That girl not only knows how to argue her point ("Your boss isn't at work so you can come to my school!") but she pulls a mean heartstring too. Those tears were a little unexpected since I did warn her but dang it, I just adore her.

I thought about Son who I know always wants me to go on class trips with him but his trips are much longer and I still say it's Mr. T's job to do the trips since I do the homework and special projects. But alas. I know that doesn't work. They want us both. Daddy is daddy and mommy is mommy and never the twain shall mix. I know they are thrilled to have either of us visit with them in school and Mr. T is just as involved as I am, yet for some reason I'm always the one they ask first.

When I think about it, I really should try to jump on every opportunity I can create to spend that time with them in school because it gives us the one-on-one that's hard to achieve at home and I know that no matter how lazy I get at home with the game playing, those moments in school and on their trips seem to be even more valuable to them. And with nothing to distract me, I get a moment to really look at these little people who love me and reflect on why they're such wonderful people. This was a good week - Son got me to himself for an extra long Cub Scout meeting Monday night and Daughter got me to herself today. Not bad for a Wednesday.

Spring Hopes Eternal

I am one tired sistah - again - but it's Spring and hope abounds.

Hope for energy. Hope for more change, although the change thus far has been pretty good and it isn't all mine so that's good too.

I have the hope that Daughter will learn how to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. When we ran out of pull-ups recently, we took on the challenge of going cold turkey. Of course, sleep is a lot more broken up now as we play Beat the Bladder - I think the score is now 10-5, our loss - but we're remain eternally hopeful. Plus, Daughter is feeling like even more of a big girl when she wakes up in a desert instead of a pool so we can't turn back now.

I have the hope of walking again. After a year, my treadmill is finally back with me as well as about 10 boxes of books. I moved it, I cleaned it, I ran it and it's still humming. I refuse to make a plan with it but the idea is to simply be able to start walking again while I'm watching TV those nights Mr. T is sleeping. I'm actually quite excited but getting back to the size I should be means seriously discussing that third kid. Not sure I'm completely ready for that but the clock is ticking.

I have the hope of adult furniture! Nope, we haven't started looking yet because we've been too busy on the weekends and my goal right now is to get Daughter a new dresser. Mr. T's way is to see what the need is and then comparison shop it to death. In this case, the comparison shopping can't go on too long because the bed is already there and it is beckoning its mates - the dresser specifically. We're not going to find it anywhere other than where we got the bed but he thinks we can find the source of the bed, which will mean a huge savings. So I wait because that savings can get the bookcase I want for Son and 2 for 1 is a great deal to me. In the meanwhile I can let my inner designer enjoy the thoughts of what we want to do and revel in the anticipation.

I have the hope for big business. We did a photo shoot of our puzzles recently so we can do some marketing we need to do. Our potentially REALLY big client remains on our horizon. We share the same financial advisor so I hear about her progress from time to time and boy will I be happy when she's under way. I really think she'll help us turn a corner. But as I ticked off the things we had in the works, Bizzy Girl and I were pleased that we've got a year's worth of things to do and if they all come off even a little bit, we should still be ahead of what we did last year. Plus the store where we are wants us to try a 2nd site they are opening in order to give us a better chance at sales - practically nil so far but we have a solution in the works - so we're thinking about it.

Lastly, I have the hope for something else and I can't even go into it right now because it's too nebulous. But it makes me happy to think about it.

Weddings abound, Son is on the way to moving up in Scouts, Daughter is beyond eager for kindergarten and all is well in my world. Let's keep it that way.

Doped Up Babies?

After 8 years of being a parent, I am still amazed by the number of things there are to afraid of that I never thought about. I was watching a makeover show last night as I chilled out so I could go to sleep. The woman getting the makeover had been a drug addict and worse for many years before finally getting her act together at the age of 41. Her mother had had her at the age of 11 but she grew up in a foster home - relatively stable, it seems - but the parents were old enough for her to get away with telling people they were her grandparents. This girl had first started smoking weed at the age of 5.

Five.

F-I-V-E.

Can somebody tell me how the heck that happens and no one notices? Just a hypothetical. I know darn well how it happens but she was one year older than my daughter is now and she was smoking joints, people!

I quickly woke up, sat up, and shivered at the thought. It was truly a scary thought. The child in the room next to mine could be sneaking weed somewhere? Unlikely, I know, since she's never out of someone's presence for very long but it's possible and that is freaky. I know I have to talk to my 8-year-old about sexual issues. I know I have to dumb down the topic for my daughter. I know I have to talk to son about everything under the sun, frankly. But the idea of my five-year-old being capable of finding weed, learning to smoke it and then being able to hide it from me is more than I can bear. And since my child is brilliant and every generation is smarter than the last, you know it's not outside the realm of possibility this happens way more than we think or know.

Before children, I was oblivious and happy-go-lucky. When I was pregnant with Son, I had loads of anxieties suddenly plague and try to paralyze me. Then you have the kid and you snap out of it and get on with the business of life and raising them and taking it day by day figuring out how to incorporate all the life lessons you want to teach and issue all the warnings they need to heed.

Daughter is heading to kindergarten in August and I already had enough on my mind thinking about the bus driver not paying attention and dropping her AND her brother off at the wrong stop. Now I can add one more thing to my list of concerns regarding their generation.

I thought I was past all this worrying. I guess not.

Scene with Daughter

"Mommy, can I talk to you privately?"



(Raised eyebrows and hands on hip.) Talk to me privately about what?



"Come in your room."



(Smirking now.) Your daddy is in there. That's not privately.



"Come in my room then." (Leads me by the hand.) "Sit down." (Turns on her light and closes her door with a huge grin on her face.) "Umm, when I was in the car, I was talking to daddy and I asked him if we can have a baby brother or sister."



I see. And what did he say?



"He said yes." (Stands up to bounce on her bed.) "I can be the big sister and Son can be the big brother! I'll take care of them. Change their diaper."



I see. And, uh, where is this baby going to come from?



"You and daddy can get married all over again!"



Of course.



"We'll have a carriage and he can ride on my bike."



I see.



"Ok, that's why I wanted to talk privately."



OK then. Thanks for the talk.



(Feeling slightly child pressured now.)

Happy 4th Birthday, Ladybug!

On this date, at 12:18 p.m., you proved to me that having a little girl wouldn't be as tortuous as I expected. And just like in this picture, you haven't been still or quiet for one moment, not even when you sleep. I love you, Angel Face. ::kiss::

October Babies

I am sitting here right now fuming. I have errands to run and bills to pay because - surprise! - my job paid us today instead of waiting until Monday. Thank you! So I was able to do some things now that I thought I'd have to wait until Monday to do. Son will be surprised when he finds out I got him a Club Penguine membership. I wonder how long it will take for him to figure it out on his own? Daughter's birthday present was blissfully about $10 cheaper when last I saw it and since it's going directly to the store, I save on shipping too. A Dora Kitchen. She's been bugging us for one for a solid year or more. She turns 4 on the 28th and we finally have our own space so why not?

So I "do my math" as I call it, figure out the bills and try to hurry up because Son has a birthday party to go to later today and I have 2 bathrooms I want to clean but I've got to go get some gloves and a few other things. Cleaning behind males can be gross, you know.

Almost done and what does Son come to tell me?

"Daughter closed your door and now we cna't open it."

"I'm sorry?"

"We tried to open it but it won't open."

All the bedroom doors have locks on them. The woman before us only had 1 kid and I think he was a teen so this was probably never a concern for her. But I have 2 chimpmunks, one in particular who INSISTS on running around slamming doors when they play. This time somehow she locked MINE and I AM RIGHT NOW LOCKED OUT OF MY BEDROOM not yet showered or dressed with bills to pay and errands to run before this party and I am ready to strangle her.

One of my co-workers just had a baby. He wasn't there at the time we were talking about his daughter's impending arrival but I was talking with a few other people, another of whom is also expecting a child this month, and I told them, "Watch out for those October babies. I think it may be more the girls than the boys but they are a challenge."

One of my immediate co-workers (she's a friend now, really but I don't want you to get confused) asked me if she was really a challenge.

"They are a challenge. MINE is a challenge."

I have a friend whose daughter was born in October 3 1/2 years before mine and when I started telling her stuff Daughter did she laughed and said, "October babies." She could predict what I was going to say! Another friend of ours has a daughter who was born in October and she is older than both our girls. When my friend started saying things about her Daughter to this mutual friend he laughed and said, "October babies."

He warned her. She warned me. Now I warn others because these girls have been alike - stubborn, obstinant, always wanting something that costs a lot of money. The immediate co-worker, when I told her Daughter was a challenge says, "Really? A challenge? My son is a challenge." She tells us of tantrums and things he has destroyed and I agree, Daughter is not like that. But what co-worker sees as cute - she's met Daughter - I assure her is not always easy to live with. Right now her age saves her and yes, she is darn cute. I always want to kiss her.

But not right now. Dear co-worker friend, YOU are probably off having fun right now. I am sitting here blogging instead of running errands HOPING Mr. T knows how to jimmy this lock so we don't have to break down a perfectly good door in a perfectly new house because Daughter can't stop closing doors. I TOLD you she is a challenge.

October babies. They are never a bore but if you're having one, baby beware!

And They're Off!

It's gonna be a girls' night.
And day.
And night.
And day.
And wee early morning.

Mr. T and Son got on a bus for Cincinnati tonight along with about 90 some other kids and parents from his summer program. It's their weekly trip to somewhere educational and next up is the Underground Railroad Museum in Ohio where - after a 14-hour bus ride - they will have 2 days and 1 night visiting the museum and having a little (very little) R & R before boarding the bus for the 14-hour trip home, which is supposed to land about 2 a.m. Sunday back in our church parking lot. Oh, the things we do so our children will have life experiences. But I've seen it and heard it way too much; children who have NEVER left their own state or even their own county. Sad but true. Not that that was ever a concern for us. Mr. T and I both have the travel bug firmly nestled in our DNA so I'm sure the kids will follow suit. As it is, they like to go any and everywhere and want to do it as often as possible, whether you are tired and broke or not.

So that leaves Daughter and I to our own devices for quite a bit of time. A mini-vacation for me because I not only have to care for one child and not two, but I get the bed ALL TO MYSELF. Woo hoo! Son and I worked diligently on his book project this week and thankfully got the writing of the story done so that it is now in editing stage and I will not be as pressured to work on it as I thought I might be. I can edit while he's away and practice our illustration technique and we'll be ready to roll when he gets back. So attention will be lavished on Daughter who has been hurling activities at me since I got home.

"Can we go outside and ride my scooter?"
"Can we go to the beach?"
"Mommy, can we go to the movie feature! I wanna see Bratz. I wanna see Superdog!"
(It's Underdog, baby.) "Let's go! Let's go!"
"Can we go to the movies?"
"Can we go to the movies?"
"Mommy, can we go to the movies?"
I consider her movie request since this is the time to do untraditional things but her desired choices are not out right now so I ask her about Evan Almighty. She says she'll go but I see it's 7:30 and Fandango says the next movie is after 10.

"Can we go to the movies?!"
Not tonight. It's too late. We have allllll weekend. Chill, would you?
So we get something to eat because I haven't done that yet, go home and now she watches cartoons while I talk to you all before getting in my bed.

What? I DO have to work in the morning, ya know! Granted, I'm working from home so it's not like I have to get dressed. But one moment at a time. For now I must go. Daughter is psst-ing me and beckoning with her tiny index finger. I think there are some brownines upstairs doing the same.

This Morning...

...my daughter was explaining to me how I have to "be adult about things." I don't know what prompted this reprimand. We were walking to school and talking about her father and her brother yet somehow we got to how I need to be adult and she doesn't because "I'm the little one." Thank you for the reminder, Daughter. Darn if she's not right, though.

(Sorry. Let me remind you that Daughter is 3.)

...I was thinking about the fact that this June 27th marks my 2nd year at my wonderful job that I love completely. It also marks my mother's 57th birthday and her 36th wedding anniversary. Or is it 37th? Darn it. I always have to do the math. Thank God it's even numbers. She's 20 years older than I am. So if she's turning 57 that means my father is turning 59 in August. I was driving at the time I was thinking of this and had to hold the wheel tightly as I yelled out, "woah!" as I realized they would talking 60s soon enough. When did I get old enough to have parents in their 60s? Yes, I know it's not that old. Yes, I know the older I get, the younger everyone older than I am gets. I am well aware that it means nothing really and yet, their being 60 means I AM GETTING OLDER! And I like being adult, despite what Daughter said above, but dang! I think I don't want to think about it. I'll let them stay 50something for as long as possible, if only to keep that ribbon of time flowing as long as possible.

(Confirmed it today. My father does turn 60 this year. What does one do to mark that milestone, I wonder.)

...speaking of being an adult, my girlfriend - the one whose personality is 97% like my own, by her admission and my agreement - was explaining to me how she dealt with something at work recently and she knew she'd have to talk to me about it because though we think alike, that 3% difference is just enough so that we aren't just talking to ourselves. She's a straight shooter with everyone, including family. I tend to give family a little more room to be flawed but everyone else hears what I really think - eventually. So her story just reminded me of how much I need to work on my own patience and she too has things she wants to improve on and yet - being 3 years old than I am - she knows she is set in her ways and so am I. Plus, we rarely apologize for it.

It's that age thing, yet again. Three reminders in one hour. Yep, one hour. God, are you trying to tell me something? I don't think I want to hear it right now. Nope! I don't. I won't. And you can't make me! (OK, ok. I hear you. Just later, ok?)

Bad Blogger

Bad, bad blogger!

"Where have you been, Monica," you ask. "How are we supposed to keep up with you if you don't blog?!"

Valid questions, my friends. You want to know what happened since I last blogged on the 15th? (My gosh, has it really been almost 2 weeks! I'm so sorry!)

Dec. 18 - I turned 36. They had bagels in my honor at work. The kids jumped me when I came home that night because I had a present - ice cream cake and the new BabyPhat perfume. I drove Mr. T's car that day and unfortunately he left the sample cards on the seat of his car so I wasn't shocked but I was happy to see it was bought for ME! :-)

Dec. 21 - We learned who our Secret Santas were at work. We had a $100 limit (don't gasp. There's a reason.) because our holiday dinner had to be postponed until Januaryu so the boss upped the limit and said to expense it. Sweet. So I received this lovely entertaining set - red tray, plates, canape knives, candles, it's really beautiful - and I guessed my SS on the first try. We had pizza, salad, chicken fingers and thick cheese sticks. It was fun.

Dec. 22 - Son sang a duet with a classmate for the holiday concert. Well, maybe it wasn't a duet per se. They were the leads. He sang a solo last time - a full-fledged solo - and listening to him again this time, hands in his pockets as he leaned into the mike to confidently sing his part, I'm amazed at how it makes me emotional. I couldn't be prouder of him. I wonder what it is that makes me so proud of who he is and yet not capable of telling him that enough. The older he gets, the harder it gets and yet he clearly craves it. The boy stood in front of my bedroom door on Sunday and counted. He didn't call me or come in. Just counted - out loud - for a long time. I woke up on 289. He still writes me love notes so I guess I'm still a good mommy overall.

Dec. 23 - Went to start cleaning the new house. Mr. T and I are still stopping each other saying, "Hey! We've got a house!" We're very much caught up in what color to paint all the rooms. Daughter gets yellow and lavender. We just don't know whether to make it lavender with yellow accents or the other way around. We're afraid all yellow will heighten her already vibrant personality but we think we really want to see it that way. Plus I'll find a butterfly stamp so I can stamp lavender butterflies at the top of her walls near the ceiling. Son wanted purple but I was afraid a boyish purple would be too dark. So he said blue. I told him I'd go for blue and try to create a purple and white stripe on the wall you see when you enter the room. Good luck to me. Could have been worse, though. He wanted a checkerboard pattern at first and knowing me, I would have tried it. My office/guest room will be a lovely harvest color - think a fall orange. That is the one room I had dreams about. We still don't know what to do with our room, the kitchen, the kids' bath, the family room or the living room we are currently calling the Sky Box. (It's a raised ranch and that room is upstairs on the same floor as the kitchen and bedrooms. The last owner used it as a dining room but it's hard to know what to do with it because makig it a designated dining room jsut seems like a waste.) In our room and our bathroom, I want something relaxing but Misted Green (See Pottery Barn color palette) keeps coming to me and I don't know if I want to be surrounded by green. I'm not actually too fond of that color. Anyhow, we had hoped to start painting that day but the store was closed early. So this weekend we get to work.

Dec. 24 - I had bought all I intended to buy for my immediate people - Hubby and 2 kids - and wrapped them all up so this day, I just watched movies with Mr. T. My Super Ex-Girlfriend - Eh. OK. Twin Towers - better than I expected. The kids watched Over the Hedge and Ant Bully, both of which they saw in the theater but had to see again. Of the two, I'd probably recommend Ant Bully over the other one. I think it's because so many cartoons these days aren't as scenic as they used to be - remember The Prince of Egypt? - and at least I felt like I was going to different places in that movie even though it was the same house and same front yard. Just from a very different perspective.

Dec. 25 - Breakfast at the sister- and brother-in-law's house. They do it every year and it's nice. His son and daughter come with their families and we're from her side and it's one big, happy United Colors of Benetton ad that day. Well, OK, just 3 colors, but close enough. Then we go home so the kids can tear through their stuff and I can hopelessly try to keep up with all the wrapping being strewn about that I so carefully put on the boxes the days before. But they felt like it was a neverending bounty of gifts. I'm happy they were happy. And oh, by the way, yes I am eating. I'm just trying to maintain weight but dieting right now is just insane.

Dec. 26th - Ugh. Back to work. Still love my job. Don't get me wrong. But why don't we all just take this week off? I know the grocery stores have to be open and places like that but really, who wants to work right now?

Dec. 28th - TODAY! Got to get home to take Daughter to get her hair done. We both had appointments for Saturday but my girl would be doing us both because her girl is on vacation this week and this girl just didn't want to face it. Besides, the cable guy is coming on Saturday and both of us in the hairdresser is sure to keep us in there all day. I want to be able to be there when the cable/internet/phone is hooked up. We're going for the triple package so I'm very excited to finally have cable internet plus I opted to get their DVR system so I can finally tape all the shows I like to watch but I'm often too tired to stay up for.

The new year is shaping up quite nicely so far. And this is my life.

How's yours?