Happy Mothers Day

Just wanted to give a shout out to all my peeps and say Happy Mother's Day! Hopefully your husbands won't forget or get you something loserish that you have never given any inclination of wanting (like say, jumper cables or a new weed whacker). Unfortunately, since most of our kids are way too young to gather up the change from their piggy banks, jump on their tricycles and ride to the store, we have to rely on our husbands to pull this day off. Scary. Personally, I would be happy with just a card, getting to sleep late and perhaps a Dunkin Donuts coffee & bagel. Oh, and of course total appreciation for everything I've ever done for this family, while my husband and kids wash the windows and organize their rooms, vacuum and clean up the yard, oh and of course I want to hear these blessed words ~ "Oh no honey, don't worry about making lunch, let me, you just lay on the couch and watch Lifetime T.V., can I get you another glass of wine? How about a grilled cheese sandwich?" Or even better "Bye hon, I'm taking the kids to my mothers and we won't be back for HOURS, love ya." I'm not holding out much hope for any of these things happening.

For my first mothers day Jack was only 3 weeks old. I was still in the sleep deprivation, sitting in a sitz bath, rubbing lanolin on my nipples stage of mothering, and feeling totally hormonal and unsure of myself. So my loving, wonderful, sensitive husband knew (you would think) that this would really have to be the Mother of all Mothers Days. So what did he do, that love of my life for the last 18 years??? He forgot. Got me NOTHING. Actually pulled over at CVS on our way that day to my cousin's house and said he just had to run in and grab me a card. While I waited in the car . . .what a romeo.

He has improved slightly over the years, although romance is not really his big thing, to say the least. The next year I got one of those Mother/Son Bears from Vermont Teddy Bear Factory (check out the pic above). Cute . . but really, more stuffed animals in our house? Last year he got up with the kids and made me breakfast in bed. Of course he cooked that breakfast (bacon & eggs) right at 7 a.m, then put in on the counter and they brought it up to me on a tray about 2 hours later. Yummmm, tasty.

So here's hoping for a Mother's Day for all that is a worthy thanks for all of the hard work we do all year long, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I think it is an impossibility. Smiles!

Addict

I had no idea that I had become so addicted to the computer until last night when we lost our phone & Internet service. I kept walking by, wanting to sit and quickly check my e-mail, or read a blog, or do some fantasy online shopping (where I fill shopping carts with things I don't intend to actually buy unless I hit the lottery). Instead I had to . . . gulp . . actually play with my children. It seemed like a long night too, we hit the park after I got home from work and Jack got home from school, but we still ended up having dinner on the early side, and had almost 2 hours to kill before bedtime hit. We played "Hullabaloo" which is a super fun game. I highly recommend it.

The park was pretty nice today, except for the sudden emergence of the black flies. The kids rode their bikes, but Jack had a wipe out and spent the rest of the time limping and whimpering. It was a pretty bad fall, resulting in a huge scraped and bleeding knee that required both antibiotic ointment, (ointment, don't ya love that word) and a giant bandage. The sad part is that the first thing I noticed and what I was truly most upset about was that he ripped his pants. They are practically brand new, only been worn maybe 3 times, and now they are basically ruined. Sure, I could sew them . . . but if you know me at all the thought of me actually sewing is laughable. First I would have to track down our 1 needle in the house, which I haven't seen since last summer when Dennis had to pull a splinter out of Jack's hand. Then I would have to find thread, which is usually used around here for wrapping things up or setting booby traps for people to trip over when walking down the hall. Come to think of it, I think we used it to create a zip line for Batman to fly down. Maybe if I can track down Batman he will have the thread . . . . . maybe he knows how to sew?

Poor Snow White

So, here is a recap of the conversation this morning with my 3 1/2 yr old daughter. "Mommy, Snow White doesn't have boobs sticking out of her dress but Cinderella and Belle do" Well . . . I told her that Snow White just had smaller boobs than other princesses (which ironically I never noticed before). Or maybe she just has a more modest dress? I'm not sure, but Abbey was very interested in why her boobs weren't falling (she actually said falling) out. Too funny. I explained that some women had big boobs, some small and some medium. She stuck out her chest and looked down, "small like me" and I told her how she was only a little girl, and she would get her boobs when she got older. She looked a little unsure but ran off to play soccer with the big round ball with the Princess pictures on it that started this whole conversation in the first place.

It was kind of hard not to crack up during this, although I understand her curiosity. I myself was totally intrigued when she got her first Barbie for her 3rd birthday. She had Barbies, old ones that used to be mine. We are talking about Barbies made circa late seventies, early eighties. These new Barbies looked weird to me. I couldn't figure out what was up with them, so naturally I undressed a "new" Barbie and laid it next to a naked "old" Barbie and examined them. Wouldn't you??? Anyway, new Barbie has a few very small differences. Her nose is a little bit flatter and wider, her neck shorter and her boobs smaller. Her waist is also thicker. I know they made all these changes to make Barbie look more "realistic" (yeah right, still doesn't look like me or anyone I know!) but the Mattel people did do a pretty good job. At least she would be able to walk upright if she were real. This is all good, but all the old Barbie clothes just don't fit right on these new chicks. Looks like they are going to need a whole new wardrobe ~~ good job Mattel!

When Darkness Falls

Why can't it get dark already???? I love the new longer days . . . sort of. But it is now 7:30 and my children are still running around wildly, because as my son so plainly put it "it can't be bedtime, it's still light out." But YES, it IS bedtime. It is, it really really is. . . . . . .

Spring! Out With The Old, In With The Ants

Ahhh, spring in New England, it is such a lovely time of year. Birds chirping, trees budding with new life, flowers sprouting, ANTS marching their way through my house like a bunch of unwanted annoying . . well, annoyances. While I love the end of winter, I seem to find myself in the same position every Spring, surrounded by piles of outgrown winter clothes, sorting through "might fit" summer-wear while simultaneously killing ants with bits of toilet paper. Nothing says Spring like a toilet filled with tiny ant corpses. I should be used to it by now, but every year I find myself surprised when I go into the bathroom on the first warm day to find about 25 ants having a party around my toilet. Why? Lovely . . . . and Abbey. Lord help us, she saw 1 ant on the seat and wouldn't use our upstairs bathroom for 2 days. I still have to go in with her to do an "ant" check.

As for the clothes, the same thing happens. I put away all the winter clothes that might possibly maybe fit next year, unload the summer stuff and then look around at huge piles of stuff. Stuff for friends, stuff for the Salvation Army, stuff for the trash that I can't even believe I let the kids wear! I feel like I am drowing in stuff . . so watch out Suzy & Pam, some of those piles are coming your way. ha ha