Perky's Perspective

I've got a secret.......

2009-06-01T08:37:00.002-04:00

I did something this morning that I thought I'd never do. And I did it in public! The roofers working on the house next door saw me the whole time as they peered through the shrubs. I'm somewhat shocked at myself. My mother would be upset to see her daughter do such a thing, especially where neighbors could see. My father would wonder that he didn't raise me better. My husband may see the evidence of my actions when he returns home this afternoon; he'll be reminded of the girls from his rural hometown. You know the ones -- they start at a young age, at first unwillingly, but eventually they're doing it almost every day without a complaint.

What did I do?

I hung my laundry out to dry on the line. Why? What were you thinking?

I've been trying hard to cut corners and save money here and there and all the blogs I read keep suggesting to line dry clothes and linens as much as possible to save on the energy costs to run the dryer. So, I decided to try it. Luckily, the weather is absolutely perfect this morning and it was a very pleasant task! I figure that even if I only hang half the loads for half the year, that could add up to a noticible drop in my PECO bill.

And it made me feel like such a radical! That is, if hearkening back to a prior age can make one a radical!?!?!?

What are you doing to save a few pennies or dollars today?

For your viewing pleasure.....

2009-05-23T12:51:00.001-04:00

This is where my mind is. This is NOT where my body is. Sigh.

Gotta love the lazy days!

2009-05-23T12:44:00.003-04:00

RockStar got up early and went golfing this morning. Since then, me and the boys have been hanging out. I've been trying to get a lot of stuff done (laundry, freezing leftovers, cleaning up, etc...) and the boys have been playing. Finally, I shooed them outside to enjoy the great weather!

Later today, we're going to our friends' cabin. We've never been there before, so we're all very excited. It should be fun!

Until then, I'm just lazing around, going about my chores in a very unrushed manner. Even the cats are all quiet right now. If we weren't leaving this afternoon, I'd seriously be looking at a nap pretty soon! Maybe RockStar will drive and I can nap in the car? Possibly. I won't count on it.

Oh, and word to the wise --- if you have kids and you also have On Demand movies, figure out how to block them from buying movies without your permission. Yeah. Learn from my example. At least HandsomeBoy really enjoyed Bolt. He honestly didn't realize he was BUYING it. He thought he'd just stumbled on the movie. Silly me for not knowing that was going to happen. I chalked it up as a stupid tax for me and not a strike against HandsomeBoy. Live and learn.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

Just say no!

2009-05-22T18:06:00.002-04:00

I was on the phone with my local phone/cable/internet bundler yesterday. I won't name names, but here's a hint: it starts with V and ends in erizon.

The woman helping me was very friendly and thorough and cleared up my billing question for me in about 90 seconds. Great! I was very happy at that point. At which moment she says, "And since we value you so much as a customer, I'm happy to tell you about some freebies we have for you."

Anyone who knows me know how perky I get at the sound of the word "freebie", so I was eagerly anticipating the benefits they were about to offer me. Silly Perky! As she started to tell me about the "freebies", it became very clear very quickly that these were definitely NOT free. What they were offering was an opportunity to add on features to my account that I don't need and they would graciously wait two weeks before starting to bill me for them.

Now, I understand that they're in business to make money, so that part didn't bother me so much. It's called suggestive selling and anyone in retail whose worth anything will always do it at any opportunity.

Here's what made me mad -- after I politely turned down the first two "freebies", she then said to me, "Okay, well here's an offer I KNOW that you can't POSSIBLY refuse," and then proceeded to offer me something else that we don't need.

Excuse me, but DO NOT tell me that I can't refuse! That's just guaranteeing that I will! I understand that she was just doing her job as it was set forth to her by her managers, but I was doing my job as an educated consumer who is totally committed to improving my family's financial condition, both in the short-term and the long-term!

If not for RockStar's adamant refusal to even consider it, I would have cancelled the cable altogether when we recently bundled our services. As it is, we're paying less than we were before and getting more; however, I don't know how much of the "more" we really need!

The moral of today's story? Don't be afraid to say no. Just because someone is offering, doesn't convey on you an obligation to accept. Be an educated, conscious consumer and only buy what you need and no more!

CSA - Community Supported Agriculture or Creates a Serious Appetite????

2009-05-19T21:30:00.002-04:00

This is my second year as a site host for a local CSA and I'm LOVING it again!

We're on the third delivery week now and my fridge has been full of beautiful produce such as radishes, strawberries, rhubarb, scallions, mizuna, romaine, baby lettuces, collards, and asparagus. I've searched through my own recipe books and Googled and AllReciped in order to transform these into delicious salads, tangy radish-top soup, Asparagus and Scallop Risotto, Southern Braised Collards, Rhubarb Pie, Rhubarb Crisp, Rhubarb Sauce (served over ice cream, of course!) and Spring Vegetable & Turkey fried rice.

Can you tell I'm in love?

We eat pretty well during the winter, but I can already see a massive change in our diets now that spring and the CSA is here! I look forward to each Monday's delivery like it's my birthday! Each week, we receive the most amazing gifts of fresh food and we enjoy it all week long!

Next week, I'll have to wait until Wednesday to get our delivery since Monday is Memorial Day. I'm really going to miss it on Monday and Tuesday!!!!

If you've joined a CSA, great! If you haven't, please visit your local farmers market as soon as you can. Even if you only buy one thing, the visit should inspire you to try new foods and/or new recipes and incorporate more fresh produce into your diet.

The ABCs of me

2009-05-19T10:55:00.003-04:00

I picked this up off Rancid Raves quite awhile back and never got around to posting it. Was it worth the wait? Doubtful, but here goes.........

A is for age: 40

B is for burger of choice: Either mushroom swiss or blue cheese blast, but it MUST be cooked medium rare. I know, I know..... I'm bound to contract some horrible food-borne pathogen like e. coli, but what's the point in eating it if you don't enjoy it? I prefer my meat to moo softly when I cut into it!

C is for the car I drive: Minivan. But, unlike a lot of other people, I LOVE my minivan! I love sitting up a little higher than a sedan (although still lower than some SUVs) and I love the flexible seating/storage space!

D is for your dog’s name: < sob > Since we lost Big Red last fall, I guess I don't have an answer for this. But, I've decided that it's time to submit our application for our next dog, so maybe my answer should be "to be determined"?

E is for essential item you use every day: Blackberry Storm. I've become totally spoiled and need to access my email and Facebook from every red light!

F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Uh...... I have no idea. I really don't watch much (okay, ANY) TV these days. Although I do occasionally catch The Daily Show on Hulu. Luv me some Jon Stewart!!!! As my Bubbe would have said...."Such a sheyner Yiddisher boychik und klug, too!!!!!"

G is for favorite game: Scramble, I guess.

H is for home state: Born in Virginia, raised in Pennsylvania.

I is for instruments you play: None, really. Although I am learning Cello with HandsomeBoy as he goes through the Suzuki program.

J is for favorite juice: Tomato Juice (but only after I've added vodka, horseradish, pepper and hot sauce and garnished with a stalk of celery and a small paper umbrella!)

K is for whose bum you’d like to kick: Wow -- that's a pretty long list! I'm not sure where to start!

L is for last restaurant at which you ate: The Great Machipongo Clam Shack

M is for your favorite Muppet: Kermit

N is for number of piercings: At one time, I had five ear piercings. Now I'm down to two.

O is for overnight hospital stays: None since being born.

P is for people you were with today: RockStar, HandsomeBoy, CutiePie, the three cats and now I'm at work.

Q is for what you do with your quiet time: Hike, walk, surf the net, bike, read, housework, take photos

R is for biggest regret: Rushing back from Israel in '93 to get back for my next semester of law school -- I should have stayed and spent time on the kibbutz I'd fallen in love with.

S is for status: Married, awake, upright, employed, Independent.... what else are you looking for?????

T is for time you woke up today: 7am -- about 30 minutes behind schedule, but it all worked out okay.

U is for what you consider unique about yourself: Hmmmmmmm...... no idea what to say for this one.

V is for vegetable you love: Most of them!!! Especially grilled or roasted!

W is for worst habit: Chewing on pens (doing it right now) and procrastination (doing it right now),

X is for x-rays you’ve had: Dental, legs (born with bad legs that got worse in adolesence) and chest (walking pneumonia last year)

Y is for yummy food you ate today: homemade turkey fried rice

Z is for zodiac: Cancer --- yes, Perky is a crab!!!

Guess who said it?

2009-05-19T10:33:00.003-04:00

* A woman should be home with the children, building that home and making sure there's a secure family atmosphere.

* I’ve been married a long time...and I’m just starting to scratch the surface of what women really want. I don’t know, but the answer probably lies somewhere between chocolate and conversation.

* My family means more to me than the artificial trappings of my career. If ever I had to choose between my career and my family, the wife and kids would definitely come out on top.

Any guesses????

None other than Mr. Morality, Mel "Holier than thou" Gibson, who recently announced that he had left his wife and 7 kids and now it comes to light that his mistress is pregnant with his child.

Love-ly. Just love-ly.

I'll leave you with two other quotes from this paragon of virtue:

* Fucking Jews... Jews are responsible for all wars in the world.

* What are you looking at sugartits?

Those last two statements were, of course, made to police officers when he was pulled over for speeding and drunk driving in July, 2006.

The Travel Bug is biting........ hard!

2009-05-18T11:47:00.002-04:00

I had the rare pleasure of travelling by myself this weekend. I love a good, long car trip with only my book on tape and the radio for company! When Big Red was alive, I enjoyed his quiet company, too.

On Friday, I indulged the pleasure by stopping at few stores that looked interesting and I made a couple of side trips. One to a picturesque bay-side town with a pretty beach and another to a bird refuge with a great visitors center and hiking trails.

The weather yesterday did not cooperate, so I didn't do much else other than drive, but even that was pleasant.

On the drive, I first finished reading Eclipse - the third book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Although I really don't like the series very much, the occasional descriptions of the Northwest Pacific forests entranced me. Next, I "read" a few discs of one of the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency books and enjoyed the descriptions of hot, dry Botswana -- as different from Forks, WA as you can get! After awhile, I needed a change from Precious Ramotswe because the reader was wonderful, but her gentle voice was not what I needed on the long drive. So, I put in Krakatoa, a non-fiction book about the violent volcanic eruption in 1873 that affected the entire world. The descriptions of life in the South Pacific islands and Southeast Asia totally captivated me.

While listening to each of these books, I found myself imagining travelling there. Just me and my camera. I could see myself wandering around, taking photos, soaking up the local flavor, eating native foods and drinking the local coffee or tea, all while watching people and getting in touch with the rhythm of life in that particular corner of the world.

As you can tell, I love to travel. It's not even that I find it merely enjoyable. It's that I feel actually ALIVE when I'm travelling, especially in a new place. I feel more like ME at those times than any others. Without all the trappings and anchors of the life I've built around me, I can be the person I really am. Like moss on a stone or barnacles on a pier, the inertia attempts to overtake me and I find that only by breaking out of my normal routine can I really appreciate the world around me.

Right now, we are studiously paying down our debt, so there is little chance that I'll be setting off for any very exotic ports of call in the near future. Maybe next year, when all we'll have is mortgage debt; maybe then I'll be able to slip away to somewhere foreign and exotic and new. Until then, I'm going to have to make the best of the small opportunities I have -- a new park, a few stolen hours in the city, my neighborhood in the early morning hours.

And....... I can read and dream and plan.

Half full? Half empty?

2009-05-16T22:14:00.002-04:00

So, I'm sitting here trying to decide whether I'm a believer in the inherent goodness of people or whether I think we are, as a society, heading to hell in a handbasket. I just can't figure it out. Here's the evidence (in no particular order):

* A kid who tends to treat his family rather poorly gives a beautiful, meaningful, yet age-appropriate speech clearly in his own words in which he says heartwarming things about his mother and brings people to tears with words spoken about the importance of his step-father in their lives.

* A young kid of about 10 years old finishes his snack in a public park and casually tosses the plate over his shoulder into the bushes. No one in his family moves to pick it up or instructs him not to litter, despite the fact that they all saw it happen.

* Girls going to a morning religious service dressed as if they were heading to a nightclub.

* Motorists driving down crowded highways as if they were the only ones, careless of the danger they are putting other people in.

* Friendly volunteers at a nature center who actually ran around the facility to gather up visitors and guide them to the viewing window to show them first the beautiful and entertaining blue grosbeak and then, a few minutes later, the wild turkey.

* People who value things and fashion and appearances more than relationships, appropriate behavior and future financial security.

* People who are sour and depressing and negative despite multiple blessings in their lives.

* A sweet little baby is sleeping safe and sound in her new home right now while her new parents are overwhelmed with the joy of finally having a daughter to call their own. Against all odds and previous experiences, the baby's birthmother made the series of choices that created this family. Amazing.

* A recent conversation with a teen in which they were able to easily rattle off a list of drug dealers, drug users, child abusers and various other deadbeats in their community.

* People unable to partake in the joy of the life around them at a given moment.

* People in dire circumstances who make few attempts to improve their situation, preferring instead to perpetuate the excuses of why they "can't" change their lives. No one expects instant change, but continuing to dig your hole deeper should never be an option.

* There is no excuse for not looking for employment when you are young, single, childless and able-bodied.

* There are some people who, despite all reasons not to, continue to look at life as something precious and wonderful and full of potential. Part of me admires this line of thought. Part of me wants to shout, "Aren't you paying attention!!!!!".

* People who think that they get a vote on other people's decisions. What's up with that? I've heard at least three totally different stories in the past few days about people thinking that it was appropriate for them to tell someone else what they were doing wrong. Seriously, people -- live and let live! Get over yourselves!

I know none of this makes sense, but I've just been getting so frustrated lately. It seems like almost everyone has totally given up on trying to be good people, trying to make the world a better place, trying to get along with others and be responsible for themselves. Maybe I'm noticing all this because the end is nigh or maybe it's just because I've been trying so hard lately to live a good life and "do the right thing". Am I just overreacting and being unnecesarily hard on others? Even the mom yelling at her kid in public and saying very hurtful words in a sarcastic voice must also hug the child and whisper lovingly how proud she is of them. Right? Just because I see someone at their worst doesn't automatically mean that there isn't a better side?

I sometimes wonder how drastically the world would be improved if everyone decided to try just a bit harder to be a better citizen of the planet and member of our human society. What if, even just for a day, we all stopped littering, spoke gently to each other, smiled, gave others the right of way and benefit of the doubt. What if we paid our bills, worked to our best ability, treated people with respect, obeyed the laws of the road, and gave a dollar to a charity. Can you imagine? Such small steps - such big changes!

Update of sorts

2009-05-14T15:27:00.003-04:00

Yeah, I suck. Totally. I abandoned you completely while I went off and lived my little life. Took care of my business and all but forgot about you, my pretty little blog.

Get over it.

I've always said that this blog is mainly just a place for me to speak my mind and write things down that I don't want to forget. BUT, I'd like to see it become something better than that. What does that mean? I have no idea.

So, what's kept me away from here and what have I been doing and thinking and dreaming while I haven't been here? Fasten your seatbelts, this may be a fast ride......

* Working. Still can't get my hours up past 35 hours a week, but I'm going to try harder to do so. The money would be great.
* The money would be great because I've totally committed to getting us out of debt. We're not in danger of bankruptcy or losing our house, but we are definitely carrying too much debt in the form of credit cards. In the first third of this year, I've paid off 3 credit cards and a Home Depot loan. The plan for the rest of this year is to pay off another credit card, my student loan and the van. In 2010, the final credit card falls. Yay!
* Refinancing our mortgage -- yes, again with the money stuff. 15 years at 4.5% will save us a FORTUNE in the long run!
* The boys are doing great overall. Big progress in schoolwork for both of them this year. They are both in reading intervention and it seems to be working. I expect both of them will still go to summer school this summer, but at least they're improving all the time!
* Adderall -- CutiePie is soooooooooo much better now that he takes it. If you're not in favor of it, then don't give it to your kids, but I can see that it's helped him so much!
* Facial Tic -- a bit before Spring Break, we noticed that HandsomeBoy was showing signs of a facial tic. Specifically, he's squinting, rolling his eyes and looking to the side quickly. Then repeats it. And repeats it. We've seen the neurologist and it's not a big deal and will most likely go away. Still. This we needed?
* Of course, in light of what some of my other friends are going through, a little ADHD and facial tics really don't seem so bad right now.
* We are a site host for a local CSA and the deliveries started last week. I'm so happy to have a fridge full of delicious organic produce and I've already upped my cooking quotient considerably because of it!
* Loving the warm weather! Spring seemed like it would never arrive and then it was suddenly here! Although the 90 degree weather in April was a bit odd. I'll take it, but odd all the same!
* We lost BigRed (aka The Best Dog in the World) back in September to bladder cancer. I'm still heartbroken and occasionally burst into tears when looking at his photos, but I think I'm ready to contact the rescue and submit our application for our next Golden. No one can take his place, but I have enough room in my heart for another great dog, too!
* Since my last post, a few more of my friends have lost their parents. The deaths weren't sudden or unexpected, but it's still been very sad. I see my friends more often now at parent's funerals than at happy hours. Getting older sucks.
* We adopted a new kitten in November who turned out to be very sweet but also a "Dr. Destructo". In March, friends found a young stray cat that they couldn't keep and we (read: I) offered to keep it while we found its family. I honestly thought we'd find the family in a few days. No such luck. Then, on top of that, the new cat broke it's hip in early April so now we can't even GIVE it away! So, we're currently a 3-cat house looking to expand to a 3-cat and 1-dog house. Yes, I'm crazy, why do you ask?
* Summer plans? Virginia (beach and camping) and Niagara Falls are the planned trips. Lots of other fun little things also. Never a dull moment around here, y'know!

Okay, that's the really quick summary of my life. You'l notice I left out all the really boring stuff involving the constant chores of life (cleaning, cooking, organizing, etc.....) I figure you probably have enough of that in your own life and you really don't need to hear about that stuff in my life. Right? Right.

So, if there's anyone out there actually reading this, are you going to place bets on how long it'll be before I post again???? LOL!

test

2009-03-31T18:52:00.001-04:00

This is a test to see if I can post from the Crackberry. Did it work?

test

2009-03-31T18:52:00.000-04:00

This is a test to see if I can post from the Crackberry. Did it work?

WOW!

2008-09-09T11:59:00.002-04:00

What a great vacation! I fully intended to blog while I in Disney, but two things got in the way --- first, it turns out that even though the hotel had highspeed access, you had to pay for it. And, we were so busy while we were there that I really didn't have much of a chance to blog!

As soon as we got home, we were thrown right back into the back to school mode, so I'll have to catch up this week!

I promise -- Disney photos AND back to school photos are coming!

The countdown continues......

2008-08-19T09:52:00.002-04:00

Not much time now until our big trip. Am I ready? Am I packed? Are the healthy snacks purchased? Is the TripTik picked up? Is the GPS programmed? Are our reservations confirmed?

HELL TO THE NO!!!!

The dog is at the groomer today, which is good and I'm working on emptying out the fridge, which is always fun. And the laundry is done. Other than that? Yeah, we're in trouble! We leave Friday morning and I do NOT want to get a late start! So, that means I'll probably run around like a crazy woman for the next three nights while RockStar lazes around on the couch saying encouraging things like, "Why are you worrying, there's still another day?" or "Come here and cuddle me" or "I need a rest, I put 2 pairs of shorts, 3 t-shirts and some underwear in a bag and now my work is done!" Yeah, going on vacation always brings out the crazy in me and the lazy in him.

His penance is usually to drive the first leg of the trip! If I can pack for 1 adult, 2 growing children and a large dog, then he can drive a few miles! Seems fair to me!

Another win!

2008-08-18T13:33:00.002-04:00

This morning I added another win to my growing list of contest wins -- a family four pack to a local amusement park and a $250 American Express gift card!!!!!

I luv me some contests!!!!!

I've been winning contests for many many years now! When I was a kid, I would listen to the radio at night, mostly when I was supposed to be asleep. I would cradle my Bell Princess phone (just an "extension" -- do you remember those?) and wait for the evening contest to be announced. Sometimes it was a trivia question, usually it was just be the Xth caller. I would dial furiously -- remember, there was no "redial" function in those days -- and put on my best adult voice if I was lucky enough to get through. I won movie tickets, t-shirts, record albums, memorabilia and once I won a ham. Yep, the good little Jewish girl won a HAM!!! My dad is a great cook, so he took it on as an experimental project. He figured it was the only time he'd EVER cook a ham, so he did it right! Slow-baked with a sweet glaze and decorated with pineapple rings and cherries. I don't think we took a photo of it (evidence, you know....), but I wish we had. He outdid himself!

As I got older, I drifted away from contests, but a few years ago, I discovered how easy it is to enter on the Internet. These days, stamps cost too much to waste them on contest entries. A few clicks on the net is free!

In the past couple years, I've won a theatre subscription, theatre tickets, movie tickets, CDs, lots of amusement park tickets, rodeo tickets, cash, lottery tickets, Aquarium tickets, behind-the-scenes tour and tickets to the zoo, a pinball machine, cleaning products, posters, arts and crafts supplies, restaurant gift cards and 4 laps in a NASCAR at a real racetrack. I'm going to be using that last one later this week when we start our vacation -- keep watching for that post!!!!

If you're thinking about contesting yourself, here's my suggestions:

* Start by finding the websites of your local radio stations and newspapers and magazines. They run very good contests and fewer people enter compared to the national contests, so your chances are much better!
* Create a file in your bookmarks for the contest pages of those sites you've just found. I try to keep the radio and TV stations together at the top and next the local newspapers and magazines. Most contests will let you enter daily, so do it!
* Enter, enter, enter!!!! Don't give up -- it may take awhile, but I guarantee that if you enter regularly, you'll win something eventually!
* If you're reading this, you're obvioulsy a blog reader. Many blogs run contests for their readers. Because of the relatively small number of entries in the average blog contest, you've got a really good chance of winning something!
* Keep a list of your winnings. It's really inspirational to look at when you're having a dry spell!

Good luck!!!

HandsomeBoy is a sensitive, new age guy!!!!

2008-08-18T13:18:00.002-04:00

10 points to first person who accurately identifies the reference in the title!!!!

Because we're going to Disney next week, I borrowed a bag of Disney movies from a friend this weekend and plan to watch at least one each day this week with the boys as our "homework" for our trip! Last night was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The boys were enjoying it and laughing at the dwarves (who, I have to add at this point, bear a striking vocal resemblance to every 50+ year old man from RockStar's hometown!!!!!). They thought the Evil Queen was all sorts of mean, but they were fine. Up until Snow White eats the apple and "dies". At that moment, HandsomeBoy began to cry.

I don't mean tear up or wimper or get sad. I mean CRY!!! Huge, gasping sobs with his face buried in the pillows. He was completely destroyed by Snow White's apparent death. So much so that he couldn't even compose himself enough to watch the Prince save her with a kiss. Yep, that's my boy. When he feels something, he really FEELS it!!! He absolutely cannot watch anything sad. Scary is fine. In fact, he likes scary. It doesn't bother him at all. No bad dreams, no nightmares, no nothing. But sad???? This is the same kid who devolved into sobs when AirBud's human friend tries to send him away so he'll be safe and not be dognapped by the evil clown. It took about 15 minutes to calm him down after that!

Someone gave us a copy of Old Yeller a few years ago. Needless to say, it still has the wrapper on it. Every once in a while, CutiePie pulls it out and asks to watch the dog movie. And every time I tell him no. I don't think HandsomeBoy would SURVIVE that movie!

It could have been me .......

2008-08-17T19:16:00.003-04:00

This afternoon we took our bikes and went biking on a fantastic trail created by Rails to Trails, an organization I wholeheartedly support, by the way. We were having a great ride but were only a short distance along the trail when I made the mistake of looking back to see how the kids were doing. They've only started riding two-wheelers this summer, so I still worry about them when we're on a linear trail that doesn't give them much room to wobble. Of course, because I looked back and took my eyes off the trail, I edged off the paved part and onto the gravel. I stupidly tried to bump my bike back up on the paved part, which immediately became apparent was a BAD idea. I went down, the pavement came up and we met with a crash. Luckily, I hadn't been going very fast and I have a little padding on my hips, which is the part of me that took the brunt of the fall.

I wasn't hurt badly, although it did (and does) sting. My left hip has a little road rash and is bruised and tender. My right shin is bruised and has a teenytiny cut. My palms got just a bit scraped. On the whole, not so bad. My pride was hurt more than anything else! It's been a looooooooong time since I've fallen off my bike and I wasn't thrilled that the kids saw it. I think HandsomeBoy just about jumped out of his skin! He was at my side in a flash!

Anyway, I got back on my bike and was fine. We bike for about another half hour and were on our way back to the car when a biker passed us. We were crawling along because HandsomeBoy was tired, so she couldn't have been going faster than 12 mph. Maybe even a little less. To my shock and horror, SHE DID THE SAME THING I'D DONE!!!! Her tire went off the path and then bumped up against paved part and she went down to the ground. Unfortunately, she wasn't as lucky as I'd been.

Where I'd tipped over to the side, she seemed to go forward. She hit the pavement face-first and lay there with her arms at her side, next to her toppled bike. I raced toward her and tried to assess her injuries. She didn't move for a minute and seemed stunned. When she finally raised her head, I could see that her cheek was shockingly red and very swollen. I carefully took her helmet off (thank goodness she was wearing one!) and started to see what else could be wrong. Her left elbow was also red and swelling fast. I suspect that she fractured her cheekbone and arm. Her husband came up a minute later -- he must have been biking ahead and turned back to find her. She was saying she didn't need 911, but I could tell otherwise. I called 911 and they were there within minutes! There are so many stories about 911 failing to respond that it was reassuring to see them show up so quickly, especially considering we were on a bike path in an otherwise non-accessible section of a national park!

We didn't stay much longer because we didn't want to be in the way. The boys were very upset by it. Especially considering HandsomeBoy's bike accident earlier this summer. CutiePie asked me why I called 911 for the woman but not for HandsomeBoy. I had to assure him that it was only because we didn't need 911 for HandsomeBoy. Close, but not quite.

Anyway, all afternoon I've been thinking about why things happen to some people and not to others and why even when the same thing happens to different people, the results may still vary. We both were going slowly on the same path and made the same stupid mistake. I ended up with wounded pride and she probably spent the afternoon in the ER. I've always felt fortunate in life. Even the bad things that happen to me have never been as bad as they could be or they've had a silver lining or they've led me somewhere I might not have ended up if not for the unplanned event.

It's something to think about........

Saturday!!!!

2008-08-16T13:15:00.002-04:00

Whoo hoooo!!!! I made it through another week! Of course, I AM at the office right now, trying to catch up and get ahead! With my boss (dad) out of town last week and this upcoming week and also with me gone to Florida the following week, I'm drowning in work! It doesn't help that I spent a good part of this past week running CutiePie around to his doctors and taking care of MIL!!! But I digress....

MIL is now on her way home. I really hope she can continue to progress she's made while she's been here. I was hoping she'd stay another week, but she really wanted to go home. Short of holding her hostage, I didn't think we could/should stop her. I'm just really concerned that she's going to overdo it and not follow her medication schedule and that no one else there is going to help her. On top of that, I think the doctors out there are witch doctors!!! Keep your fingers crossed.

It's hard to believe that a week from now, we'll be driving down to Disney! I can't wait! I've been looking over my books and I can tell that we're really going to have a great time! We haven't told the boys yet, because we wanted to keep the surprise going. They know we're going somewhere, but they don't know where yet. I think their heads are going to explode when they find out!

If anyone has any good Disney advice, I'm happy to hear it! Lady Doc -- I'm looking at YOU!!!!

Have a great weekend!

I (as in me, yo, ya, ani and ich!)

2008-08-15T13:57:00.002-04:00

I AM ... slowly becoming ther person I want to be.

I WANT... to have an organized, peaceful, happy life full of family, friends, happy surprises, great adventures and small moments of beauty.

I HAVE ... been very lucky in my life -- adopted into a wonderful family, married to an awesome guy, adopted the two greatest kids I've ever met and also been blessed with good health, a good education and a functioning brain (when I choose to use it, of course!)

I WISH I COULD ... sing. Really. I like to sing. I enjoy singing. I desire to serenade people and perform songs that move them. Unfortunately, my singing moves people OUT OF EARSHOT!!!!!

I HATE ... people who seek to limit others based on their own beliefs and ideals. Live your own life and let others live theirs!!!!

I FEAR ... becoming sick and frail and alone one day.

I HEAR ... myself echoed back to me when my children scold or threaten each other (i.e., HandsomeBoy saying "CutiePie, that's it. That was your last chance. You've lost your privileges. No surprise for you. Now go sit on the steps!")

I SEARCH ... for ways to save money and time.

I DON'T THINK ...

I REGRET ... only a few things in my life. One of which is allowing friends to drift out of my life. Another is squandering opportunies because of procrastination or disorganization or sheer laziness.

I LOVE ... my children more than I ever dreamed I could.

I ACHE FOR ... a little girl, but at this point, I can't imagine juggling another child. Especially if she had any "needs" above normal. CutiePie is pretty close to fine, but his various specialists that we are seeing to ensure that he reaches his full potential are draining me, financially and energy-wise!

I ALWAYS CRY ... when I least expect it. I don't cry often, but sometimes I'll find myself tearing up at a surprising time.

I AM NOT ... concerned about what other people think about me or my family. We're just fine, thankyouverymuch.

I DANCE ... while I do housework.

I SING ... whenever I'm alone.

I NEVER ... want to work 80 hours a week again.

I RARELY ... say never!

I CRY WHEN I WATCH ... the referral video from Russia in which we first saw HandsomeBoy. He was soooooo perfect. It was uncanny! When you adopt from Russia, you're usually told to not pay too much attention to the referral video (if you're lucky enough to get one) and just use it as a medical review tool. In our case, HandsomeBoy was playing, singing, counting, trying to play piano, laughing, entertaining the adults and looking tall, strong and handsome! The first time we saw it, we could hardly believe that we would be meeting that adorable little boy in a few weeks and then he would be our son soon thereafter! Incredible! Whenever we watch the video now, it all comes rushing back to me and I start to tear up! Because we didn't receive CutiePie's referral until we got to Russia, we didn't get a referral video of him. I'm sure I'd be crying at his video also!

I AM NOT ALWAYS ... as liberal and generous in spirit toward my fellow humans as I'd like to be. I can be very judgmental and form unfair opinions of people that can be hard for me to rise above.

I HATE THAT ... people litter in public places -- especially cigarette butts thrown out the window of cars or thrown onto the sidewalk instead of placed into the ashcan at someone's feet!!!! GAH! That burns me up just thinking about it!!!!

I'M CONFUSED ABOUT ... so many many things!!!

I NEED ... to get a lot of sleep very soon. We're leaving for Disney next week and I'm so so soooooo tired right now that I just don't know how I'm going to survive it!

I SHOULD ... remind you that you are more than welcome to steal this from me and do it on your blog. After all, I did. (And though I can't remember who I stole it from - I "thank you" nonetheless.)

My continuing life as a sandwich.....

2008-08-14T20:22:00.002-04:00

My mother in law has been here since Sunday and is doing better in some ways. The swelling in her feet is definitely much reduced and she has a little more appetite and better energy. However, last night, she had a lot of trouble breathing and felt a lot of pressure on her chest when she laid down. Plus, she hasn't lost any weight since she's been here and we were expecting more of the water weight to flush out of her body.

So, this morning we called her family physician. She ordered blood work and a chest x-ray, so off to the local hospital we went. I took the morning off work to be with her and then my husband met us after the hospital and he took off the afternoon. So, I still managed to get some work done today.

I'm worried about her. She wants to go back home this weekend and I'm REALLY worried about that. She doesn't have anyone there who's going to take as good care of her as we do. Because we are going on vacation at the end of next week, it'll be two weeks more before we can bring her back here. I'm really worried that she's going to end up back in the hospital before we can get her!

Meanwhile, we're looking into putting CutiePie on ADHD medication. I say "we" but I mean "I". RockStar is really against medicating him. Of course, RockStar never saw CutiePie in the classroom setting and doesn't do homework with him. I don't think he understands how disruptive and distracted and crazy CutiePie is in an academic setting. I've seen it. I saw how hard Kindergarten was for him. I really don't want first grade to be such a struggle. I want him to LIKE school. I want him to be PROUD of himself and comfortable with the other kids. I want him to be ABLE to keep the "goofies" inside himself until recess time. I'm hoping that medication may be able to help him do that.

I'm still exploring other therapies and treatments. He's currently in Behavior Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Developmental Vision Therapy and we'll soon be seeing a Psychologist who specialized in Post-Institutional kids. Whew! I get tired just typing all that, much less doing all the footwork to get him around to everything!

Before we can start the meds, we have to get him an EKG, so that's first thing on my schedule for tomorrow. Wheeeeeeeeeee!!! When will all the fun end???

On the other hand.......

2008-08-14T15:36:00.002-04:00

As I was driving home last night, it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe..... I might not be a good 1930's wife, but maybe I wouldn't be so bad as a husband. So, the envelope please..........

146

As a 1930s husband, I am
Very Superior

Take the test!

Yep! How about that! Looks like I could have made some woman very happy back then!!!

Should I be upset???

2008-08-13T13:03:00.004-04:00

Wow. A test that says I'm a failure and I'm not even that upset about it. That's a switch!!! LOL!

-4

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Poor (Failure)

Take the test!

If you're keeping score, RockStar rated an 85 (Very Superior) as a 1930's husband!!!

Olympic event of the evening? Declutter-a-thon!!!!

2008-08-09T20:34:00.002-04:00

Since my mother in law is coming tomorrow, I'm trying to really get the house fixed up. I'd like it to be fixed up no matter what, but it seems that I work better with an imposed goal and a deadline. So, here I am, doing my FlyLady Crisis Cleaning. I think she'd be proud of me -- I'm letting go of stuff that I don't need and is only cluttering up my home. I'd rather have the space -- space to breath, live, love.....

Our house isn't a disaster area. It used to be, but it's not now. That's mostly thanks to FlyLady. Now, the house is just somewhat messy and unattractive. I think what may bother me the most is that we have a GREAT house with a LOT of potential, but we're only just scratching the surface of how great a home this could be! I want us to have a home not just a house. I want to be able to open our hearts and home to friends and family without having to do a crisis cleaning session!

I don't care that our living room couch is old. I care that it's covered in stuff. I don't care that our kitchen table is too big for the kitchen, I care that our centerpiece for the past two months has been a hermit crab cage (and yes, there is a hermit crab in the cage -- lovely dinner companion, no?). I don't care that the computer desk is in the living room. I care that our files are stuffed randomly into open bankers boxes rather than filed in an organized filing cabinet.

I was at a friend's house the other night. Her house is smaller and older than mine and it was lovely! I know she also had clutter, but she cleaned it up before we got there and we walked into a beautiful, warm, inviting home with a happy mom, happy kids and happy dogs. That's what I want! I don't want a "better" or "nicer" or bigger house -- I want this house and I want it to feel like a home, not just a storage unit for our stuff.

Ooops -- I just heard my timer go off. Time to get back to my home-making project.

.... but I'd rather have a Ruben!!!

2008-08-09T10:53:00.002-04:00

So, it seems that I'm now an official member of the "sandwich generation". RockStar's mom has been sick lately and even spent a week in the hospital with congestive heart failure secondary to stage 3 kidney disease. Yeah - good times!!!!

We convinced her to come stay with us for awhile. I know she has a life back home, but we're hoping that, at our house, she can relax, take it easy, follow the prescribed diet and start to feel better. RockStar and the boys left this morning to go get her and I'm going to spend the weekend straightening up the house and fixing up the guest room. We both have our work cut out for us! Wish us luck!

A New Day Has Begun.......

2008-08-08T10:23:00.002-04:00

with a bang, as usual! Wake up, dress self, dress kids, walk two pugs I'm dogsitting, walk Big Red, feed children, feed 3 dogs, feed cat, go back upstairs to feed fish I'd neglected in my rush to get downstairs, run to basement to switch and start laundry, carry finished load upstairs, feed self, make lunches for boys, turn off crockpot that cooked beef barley soup overnight and portion out into individual plastic serving containers, kiss husband goodbye, give morning meds/vitamins to Big Red, both boys and self, grab bags and force children out the door. Drive to camp, drop them off, go back to car and

TAKE A DEEP CLEANSING BREATH!!!!!!!!!

It was only 9:00 am at that point. Yes, RockStar did help with the animals this morning, but still..... Is it any wonder that I'm so tired all the time?????

Here's the up side to all that, however:

I love my husband, RockStar.
I love my boys, HandsomeBoy and CutiePie.
I love my big red dog, Big Red.
I love my cat, NitNit.
I don't mind the fish or the hermit crab (who I just realized was totally overlooked this morning!)
I think the visiting dogs are quite cute and funny and enjoy their antics.
I like cooking.
I'm very thankful to have devices such as washing machines and dishwashers and crockpots to make my life easier.
I'm so happy that the boys enjoy camp and are active and entertained and safe while they're there.

So, now it's 10:30am and I'm sitting here at work, taking more deep cleansing breaths. Time to get on with the madness that is my paid employment!!!

At least until 3:30 when I leave here, get gas, drive 40 minutes back home, pick the boys up at camp, take them 30 minutes away, drop HandsomeBoy off with my mother to walk around a mall while I take CutiePie to his ADHD doctor to discuss Behavior Modification, then pickup HandsomeBoy, drive 30 minutes home, make dinner, eat dinner, cleanup dinner, pack the boys' things for the weekend (RockStar is taking them 'back home' with him -- story to follow in another post), walk all three doggies, do evening meds/vitamins, get boys in bed, take deep cleansing breath and then CRASH INTO MY BED!!!!

See, it's not so bad -- there's a happy ending!!! Wish me luck!

Uh, hello? Anyone here????

2008-08-07T10:50:00.002-04:00

So it was pointed out to me rather bluntly last night that I've been neglecting you. That I've abandoned you. That I never visit anymore. Aside from the fact that it sounds like the beginning (and middle and end, for that matter) of a conversation with a Jewish mother, I have to admit that it's true.

Why DON'T I post more? Seriously? I don't know. I read blogs faithfully every day and I'm quick to add them to my Bloglines list. I hang on every word and look forward to hearing about the minutiae of my fellow bloggers' lives. So, why don't I update my blog more often? Maybe I feel like what I have to say isn't interesting. Maybe I'm being a perfectionist in the FlyLady sense and I'm unwilling to post unless I've crafted a beautifully well-written, articulate and meaningful diatribe about a subject of critical social relevance? Maybe I feel that I can't compete with her, her, him or her? Maybe I'm just lazy?

Probably a little bit of all those!

So, what do I need to do to convince myself to blog more? Here's my thoughts:

* Believe that blogging is a two-way relationship -- if I'm looking into the lives and thoughts of others, I need to be willing to open up my own thoughts and life, too!

* Remember how much FUN it is! I love getting feedback through comments and links!

* Enjoy expressing myself in my own way!

* Most of all, remember that this blog is what I make of it -- it can be anything I want it to be!

Okay, ladies -- you've convinced me to be a better (read: more diligent) blogger. Be careful what you wish for!

Just because I'm on vacation..........

2008-06-17T22:23:00.003-04:00

it doesn't mean that the world is, also!

While I'm here enjoying myself (have I mentioned that recently?), the outside world has continued to revolve and go on without me. Shocking, I know!

Today, in between trips downstairs to the ocean and down the hall to the indoor pool and to the kitchen for lunch, I've also had to navigate mundane-but-necessary things such as:

* Big Red's stitches -- Last week, before we left, Big Red had to have a cyst removed from over his eye. Not a huge deal, but it did require sedation and stitches. When I picked him up, I asked the doctor if he needed a funnel and she said no. Even though that seemed odd to me, because it was the FIFTH time I'd been in a doctor's office that day (for only 3 family members, no less), I took the decision gratefully and left. Big mistake. My friends who are caring for him while we're away called today to tell me that he had ripped out ALL the stitches and the incision was WIDE open. They took him to their vet who said "OF COURSE he needs a funnel!!!!!" So, as of this afternoon, he's a funnel-headed doggy and as of tomorrow, he'll have the stitches back in. I'm NOT happy about this. The first surgery cost me an arm and a leg and I'm very mad that I have to do it again. My vet will be getting a call from me early tomorrow morning!

* Summer school for the boys -- we knew a few weeks ago that CutiePie was going to receive an "invitation" to the district's summer program, but I was quite shocked to open the envelope at the beginning of June and see HandsomeBoy's name. I called the school the following business day and was informed that HB's teacher thought a little extra reading practice this summer. That's fine, but they really need to tell people more than THREE DAYS BEFORE THE END OF SCHOOL!!!!!! I mean, seriously, are they on drugs???? So, then I had to ask about CutiePie. They told me that they didn't understand how his name was left off the list, yada yada....... Anyway, they took another few days getting me the "invitation" and then I submitted their forms with a check AND a letter telling them that I was going on vacation and could they please call me on my cell to confirm. Afterall -- I need to know where to take them the morning after we return home. Plus, I have to notify the daycamp that they will NOT be there in the mornings like I signed up for (and PAID for, might I add!). Whew! So, of course, as of this afternoon, I still hadn't heard anything, so I emailed the principal. Long story short - they're both enrolled, but I had to light some fires to get any official confirmation of it.

* I tried to log into work because I know there's a few things they need me to do. Unfortunately, I'm locked out of my own network and my IT guy isn't returning our phone calls right now. Grrrrrrrr........... There went about an hour of RockStar and my time!!!!

I'm really truly honestly having a great time, but today was a harder day to be truly away from it all!

Yep, I'm still here in Paradise and No, I'm NOT coming home and you CAN'T make me!

2008-06-17T09:35:00.002-04:00

How was that for a long title??

But you know what? I don't care. So there. Try to make me. Nyah nyah.......!

Can you tell I'm totally in vacation mode. I. Just. Don't. Care. About anything. So there.

Seriously, we're having such a good time.

Although Myrtle Beach has a million and one things to do, we've pretty much confined our activities to the beach and the pool. Inside, we're playing games, doing art, working on our summer homework (just 15 minutes a day) and enjoying each other's company. Really, the kids don't even know there's amusement parks, aquariums, Ripley's Believe It Or Not and all the other places just dying to take our money. We're having so much fun doing what we're doing that I don't care about all the OTHER things we could be doing! So unlike me!

Because we have a full kitchen and because I was trying to save money, we've been eating all our meals (after the first night) in our timeshare. Here's what our menus have been so far:

Friday night: Delivery Pizza
Saturday breakfast: Cereal, toast, juice, fruit, coffee, tea
Saturday lunch: Homemade deli sandwiches, fruit, Doritos, jello w/whipped cream
Saturday dinner: Pasta, garlic bread, green beans, ice cream
Sunday breakfast: Bacon, eggs, toast, fruit, juice, coffee, tea, blueberry muffins
Sunday lunch: Deli sandwiches, fruit, goldfish
Sunday dinner: Roasted chicken, noodles, gravy, coleslaw, Oreo pie
Monday breakfast: Cereal, toast, juice, fruit, coffee, tea
Monday lunch: Deli sandwiches, fruit, doritos
Monday dinner: Hamburgers, french fries, coleslaw, Oreo pie

Not bad, huh? We've got snacks, too -- snack bars, fruit, popcorn, etc....

We're really having a great time. And, after I broke down in tears yesterday (for real), my husband started helping out a bit more. Until then, the kids had done more to help get ready for the vacation and also helping while we were here. Long story there. Suffice to say, it's all better now.

Anyway, CutiePie has already been in the indoor pool this morning. Now, we're finishing up breakfast and getting ready to hit the beach!

I seriously recommend this vacation for everyone who wants to relax, have fun and be with their families. We're very comfortable here!

Vacation --- Day uhmmmm..... day...... whatever...!

2008-06-16T14:40:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am still on vacation and loving it! Right now, I'm typing by the side of the indoor pool. I'm watching the boys while RockStar makes the sandwiches. Life is good -- really good!

We had a pretty nasty storm roll through last evening, but other than that, the weather is great.

I can't believe how well the boys are doing in the water -- I guess all those swimming lessons are finally paying off. CutiePie especially - he's doing bellyflops and cannonballs into water over his head and then swimming back to the wall. He NEVER would have done that a week ago!

Oh - the sandwiches are here. Gotta go!

Ahhhhhhh........ that's better.......

2008-06-15T07:28:00.002-04:00

After months of craziness, illness, running around, organizing, calling, filing, planning, driving, cleaning, disciplining, and all-around manic behavior (on my part and that of others), I am writing to you right now from the brink of paradise.

All thoughts of appointments, therapies, customers, bills, responsibilities, and my house are distant from my mind.

Yes, my friends -- at this very exact moment, life is GOOD!!!!

Earlier this year, friends of ours offered us a week timeshare anywhere we wanted, so we chose Myrtle Beach, SC. It's 7:30am and I'm drinking a cup of coffee on our balcony, watching the ocean roll in and out, in and out, and typing on my laptop (that arrived through work 3 days before we left!!!!). The weather is great. The place we're staying is perfect for us. The kids are happy. RockStar and I are relaxed. AND...... we still have 5 more days here and then a weekend at my cousin's house before we go home!

CutiePie likes it too -- yesterday, while we were building a sand volcano, he looked at me and said, "Congratulations, Mom -- you made a good choice. Myrtle Beach was a very good choice." And then went back to the construction of Krakatoa. Too cute!

Those of you who know me IRL know that I'm really not one for relaxing. I like to be on the go. In fact, I've never actually taken a relaxing vacation before. My idea of vacation is to hike the Grand Canyon or zip through the canopy of the rain forest or cross-country ski the White Mountains or..... well, you get the picture. Here, I'm still in motion, but I'm doing things like going to the grocery store and CVS (we have a full kitchen and we're taking advantage of it to save money), walking on the beach, building aforementioned sand volcanoes, cooking yummy meals for my family, doing "homework" with the boys, etc...... No real running around, no big accomplishments, just "taking care of business". RockStar would, of course, sleep all week if I let him, but fat chance that will happen. Because it's Father's Day today, I'll give him a little leeway, but not too much!

So, in case you never hear from me again, you can be assured it's because I've become a beach bum in Myrtle Beach! I really don't know how I'm going to make myself leave at the end of the week!!!!

What a week!

2008-05-03T09:18:00.002-04:00

I'm exhausted!

Last weekend, in addition to all the usual activities, we squeezed in a trip to the circus. My parents were supposed to go with us, but they cancelled at the very last moment, leaving us with two tickets. I got the call as I was picking up the boys at Sunday School, so I turned to a friend there and offered to take her daughters with us and give her a break (in addition to the 6 and 7 year old daughters, she has a 10-month old daughter and a 12 year old boy). The kids were thrilled and we became a family of 6 for a few hours! Luckily, all four of the kids were on perfect behavior the entire time! I wish I could say as much for the adults at the show! I was shocked and appalled at the number of people who were pushing, shoving, cutting in line, taking "shortcuts" through areas that were closed to the public, people were cursing and leaving trash all around them. Moments like that really make me hate people. I don't want to a misanthrope, but it's pretty hard not to. Especially when you remember that every one of those adults had at least one child with them. Nice messages to send the kids, huh????? Ugh!!

We really got into our new routine of therapies, vitamins and allergy meds, extra homework, and other enrichment activities this week. I hope we can keep up the pace for another six weeks until the end of school! I was exhausted every night! But, CutiePie is sleeping better, reading better, writing better and acting better. Can't argue with results, can you??

I also started attending a class at the boys' school called Love and Logic Parenting. I enjoyed the first class. We already do a lot of what they recommend, but it was a good reminder that there are many ways to handle each situation and it's nice to have some help knowing what is the best response to each situation. I left there feeling like I DO know how to be a good mom; I just need to make sure that I'm always making the correct choice with my response. I have to admit, sometimes out of sheer exhaustion or frustration or what I perceive to be a lack of time, I will take the shortcut and yell. Since the class, I've had a few opportunities to use the Love and Logic program and I think I handled each situation very well.

For example, we fought traffic to drive to swimming lessons on Thursday. We got there just in time and I sent the boys into the locker room to change. TEN MINUTES later, they came out. Handsome Boy was wearing his shorts from school, but no shirt or shoes. CutiePie hadn't changed at all -- he was still in jeans, t-shirt and sneakers! HandsomeBoy said he wanted to swim in the shorts because they were "like a bathing suit". CutiePie said he was suddenly afraid of swimming lessons and thought that the instructor was going to make him jump into the deep end and then would let him drown. Why do they have to do these things at the same time??????? Okay, I'll tackle HB first -- WHEN you put your bathing suit on, THEN you'll be ready to swim. Done. Move on. I tried to tell CutiePie that no one was going to let him drown and that his instructor only teaches him things he's ready to do. He was not convinced and then pointed out to me that I sit up in the bleachers reading a book while he swims so I wouldn't even noticed that the teacher "drownded" him. . Eventually, we ended up doing 30 minutes of homework and writing practice. Don't you know, he was great! He did the best work he's ever done! I guess I need to tell his teacher to install a big pit of water in the classroom and threaten to throw him into it whenever he stops paying attention! He'll be the top of his class in no time!

Okay, on to the weekend now. I've got to get dressed and get on with the day. An old high school friend is having a housewarming party tonight and one of our other old friends is spending the night here since she lives in DC. That means a major room rescue on the guest room! Not to mention a whole house tidyup!!! Better get started!

Wow! I'm a finalist!!!!

2008-05-03T09:15:00.002-04:00

My photo of CutiePie made the finals of 5 Minutes for Mom's Picture of Motherhood contest! Please go check out the amazing photos and vote for your favorite. I have to say -- they're all fantastic and looking at all 20 really does summarize the many sides of being a mother. Some of the photos are sweet, some lovely, some are pretty, some are funny and some tug at the heartstrings. All accurately capture "motherhood"!

Go vote this week!

The Picture of Motherhood......

2008-04-25T20:51:00.003-04:00

The lovely ladies at Five Minutes for Mom are running another great contest -- how do they keep coming up with them???? This time, in honor of Mothers Day, they're looking for the photo that best captures "Motherhood".

There are so many many photos I've taken of the boys that shout out the theme to me, but there is one in particular that I can't get out of my mind. I took this photo about two years ago when CutiePie was four years old. I'd taken him to a local Greek Festival and he begged me to go on one of the rides. I have to admit, I was suspicious of the safety of the ride and really didn't think it was going to be a good way to spend my limited money that day. In the end, CutiePie's pleas wore me down and I bought the overpriced slips of colored paper that let him on the ride. When the carney measured him at the gate and he justbarelymadetheheightcutoff, he looked back at me and smiled one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen from him. Then, I watched as a stranger strapped my precious baby into a plastic swing and the ride lifted him into the air. As he spun around, faster and faster, the wind lifted his hair and his expression changed from one of joy to ecstasy!

When we first met CutiePie in his Siberian orphanage, he didn't smile. Not at all. He was sad and scared and timid. He couldn't even imagine a world where kids can fly through the air while loving parents shower them with waves and shouts and laughs and the flash of cameras. Just a year and a half later, he was able to experience this moment of true happiness - and through him, so did I.

I was watching over him, but he was flying in his own blissful world, off on his own adventure in the sky, while Mom stayed safely on the ground. And isn't that really what being a Mother is about????

Frugal Friday

2008-04-25T11:40:00.002-04:00

Since I've been making such a concerted effort to save money this year, I've really gotten into reading blogs dedicated to finances and frugality. When I discovered the Frugal Friday meme, it just seemed natural for me to join in, so here goes......

I had to fill a prescription today. In the past, I'd just drive down to my local CVS and fill it there. We've got a pretty good health plan, so even "expensive" prescriptions cost us no more than $15. In this case, CutiePie's doctor was pretty sure that our insurance wouldn't cover this particular drug unless "medically necessary", which it's not -- the doctor just prefers it over the other options. So, he gave us a coupon for a free month's prescription, so we can debate with the insurance company during that time. Anyway, instead of just doing what I've always done, thoughtlessly, without a plan, this time, I called all the local pharmacies to see who was having a special this week. I found that Target had a coupon in their flyer that offered a $10 gift card with every new prescription!!!! So, I went to Target this morning and walked out with a FREE months' prescription AND a $10 gift card!!!! I didn't pay a thing!

I'm going to go back before this deal ends on May 5th and fill the prescription for the other med the doctor prescribed!!!!

I think that's pretty frugal, don't you??????

Friday's Feast

2008-04-25T10:42:00.002-04:00

Brought to you by Friday Feast........

Appetizer
Name something you would categorize as weird.
How some families choose children's names --- either using a single letter as the first letter of ALL the names or assigning names based on a theme (alphabetically or all cities or all flowers or all foods, etc....). I'd never tell anyone what to name their child, but still....... there's some strange names out there!

Soup
What color was the last piece of food you ate?
Beige and red --- it was Matzo Pizza. Yummmmmmm!

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?
8. I really like being alone for the most part. I also like being with people, but I do enjoy solitude! I usually feel very comfortable when I'm alone and I've even gone on vacation by myself and had a fabulous time! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Main Course
Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.
I will ABSOLUTELY vote for THE DEMOCRAT in NOVEMBER.

Dessert
Describe your sleeping habits.
Love it. I love to sleep. I spent many many years as an insomniac, so I think I'm just catching up for lost time (and lost sleep) now! Of course, I can't stay up as late as I used to anymore. I'm usually asleep by 11pm and up around 7:30am. Before the kids, I would fall asleep on the couch very often -- now, I make a point to go to sleep in my bed. I'll still occasionally drift off on the couch while trying to watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but usually I do the bulk of my sleeping in my bed!

Good news!

2008-04-24T11:24:00.002-04:00

I got an email from the OT department at the children's hospital last night and CutiePie will begin his OT in two weeks! Yay! I'm not sure that we're going to notice a HUGE difference due to the therapy, but any little bit is a good thing!

In the meantime, he's had three good days in a row at school! They weren't perfect, but they were good enough to get him a sticker each day. When he gets five stickers, the whole class will get an extra playtime. So, his classmates are encouraging him to be good because they will benefit also. Keep your fingers crossed!

The contents of CutiePie's bookbag......

2008-04-23T22:53:00.003-04:00

When I opened CutiePie's bookbag tonight to review his work, here's what I found:

Notebook
Homework folder
Extended Day folder
Scrap paper
Three art projects
and........... (drumroll please)................................

a three-day old squished banana all over the inside bottom.

EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate surprises!

Just because you asked!!!!

2008-04-23T13:34:00.002-04:00

Okay, here it is....... an actual, real, honest-to-goodness post from me! Where has Perky's perspective been focused lately???? Well, for starters (in no particular order).......

* Passover. I love this holiday. Really, I do! It's just that it's a lot of work. A LOT. And I'm not even really observant! We didn't even hold a seder at home this year, so I don't know why I'm complaining. We went to a friend's house for the first seder and had a very nice time. Then, I co-coordinated a Community Seder at my synagogue for the second night, which was a lot of work, but very rewarding! Now, for the rest of the week, I'm just trying to stay on top of the minimal dietary requirements I observe during this holiday. I don't keep Kosher in general, but I do try to observe Passover by not eating any Chametz (items made from wheat and such that are not a product of Matzo). By this point in the week, I'm getting just a little tired of packing full lunches and snacks for me and the boys every day. Since all the cafeteria lunches and school snacks are off limits this week, I have to be sure to give the boys lots of choices so they have something yummy to eat at each point during the day.

* Spring. Loving it!!!! I don't mind winter, but I love me some spring weather! I feel so much more energetic already! My flowers are blooming and I even have a bouquet of purple Money Plant flowers on my desk that I picked from my front yard this morning. Love it!

* The Election. I'm glad the primary is over, but I don't think it got us any closer to resolution. For years, I've been waiting for a candidate that I can get excited about and now I've got two of them, which of course, keeps me from getting overly excited about either one. It's not fair!

* CutiePie. Since the beginning of the year, we've been focusing on what is going on with CutiePie. He started having serious problems in kindergarten last fall and they didn't get better with time. Everyone around us started throwing around "ADHD" so we got a referral for the local children's hospital's ADHD clinic and started our paperwork. We submitted it in January and got ready to wait. And wait. And wait. And we did. And have. In the meantime, we contacted the developmental pediatrician who saw him when he first got here. She wasn't ready to diagnose ADHD, but rather, she was seeing developmental issues. So, she sent us to a developmental optometrist. Apparently, CutiePie sees clearly, but is having a hard time tracking with both eyes together and cannot hold focus as he moves his eyes. This may be a large part of what is making classwork hard and then he responds to the pressure by acting goofy. Interesting. So now, CutiePie is sporting some oh-so-fashionable frames and the glasses are supposed to help train his eyes. He also goes to vision therapy for an hour each week. We expect this to go on for about a year. In the meantime, he's also been seen by an allergist who prescribed meds to help him breathe better, which may help him sleep better, which may help him focus better during the day. Sounds good. And then we'll be starting to see an occupational therapist soon to help him with some eye-hand coordination stuff. Which seems odd because this kid has GREAT eye-hand coordination, so maybe I just didn't fully understand what they're going to work on.

After all that, of course, the ADHD clinic calls to schedule an appointment. Which naturally isn't until the day before school ends!!!!! Great timing, guys! That's really helpful! Anyway, at least by the time we see them, we'll be able to say if any of this other stuff has been helpful at all.

HandsomeBoy? He's fine.

* My company. We recently moved from our original location to a great new location. I'm so much happier here! My office space is great (relatively speaking), the neighborhood is fantastic and everything just seems so much better! Of course, with the new network, I'm unable to log in from home right now, so I've had to actually DRIVE IN TO WORK each day!!! What's with that? It's so 90's!!!!! Just kidding! But I do miss the ability to work from home. I should be set up to do it again next week and I'll be a very happy camper when that happens!

* Israel trip. Didn't happen. I was all set to go and finally getting REALLY excited about it. That's when RockStar realized I was really serious about it and he freaked out. Totally freaked out. Not because I was going away. Not because I was leaving him with the kids for 10 days. Not because it's not fair that I was going to spend money that we didn't have to go on a vacation I shouldn't be taking. No -- he freaked out because he was worried for my safety. He was certain that if I went, I'd be a terrorism statistic within 48 hours. I totally disagreed and tried to explain to him that I've been before, even when the situation was worse, and I felt completely safe the entire time. He wouldn't listen. After two days of this, I had to choose -- really great awesome trip to Israel or my marriage. Yeah, I chose RockStar. There'll be other trips. I'm still disappointed, but it's nice to know that he loves me enough to freak out over the (slim) chance of losing me!

* Money. This year is the year I get our finances in shape. Yeah, I know I've said that before, but I mean it this time. And I've been doing great. I'll blog more about this topic separately (really - I will! I promise!), but I'm proud of myself for the changes I've been making in our budget (wow - did I really use the "b" word????) and priorities. We have a whole bunch of debt that we shouldn't have and I'm going to put a huge dent in it this year!

* Me. I'm doing well, thankyouverymuch. I have a whole post brewing over my goals for this year. Before you remind me that we're already nearly a third of the way through the year, let me say that I've actually been working on and achieving many of my goals, so I'm off to a pretty good start!

* You. By "you" I mean of course the bloggyworld and my bloggyfriends. Even though I don't post much (uh, at all lately), I faithfully read your blogs and can't wait to hear what everyone is up to. I really look forward to each post. I find it hard to believe that anyone feels that way about my blog, but I'll pretend it's true and try to treat you to a little of my Perspective more often. Deal?????

Sounds good to me......

2008-04-20T08:08:00.000-04:00

Take the Quiz here!

Win an Orek!!!!

2008-02-07T13:29:00.000-05:00

Wow! The ladies over at Five Minutes for Mom are at it again -- this time, you can win an Orek Vacuum Cleaner! I don't know about you, but I could sure use one of those babies! Check it out and see for yourself!

Me speak good!

2008-02-05T14:01:00.001-05:00

Your Vocabulary Score: A-

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!You must be quite an erudite person.

How's" Your Vocabulary?

Hair update.....

2008-01-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

By the way, I'm still loving the new hair! I played with it a little yesterday and washed it today. It even looks pretty good when I let it drip dry! That's awesome! I'm sooooooo glad I cut it!

Iron Chef, anyone????

2008-01-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

So, we're sitting there at the dinner table tonight. HandsomeBoy was eating my homemade chicken salad and he was telling me that he didn't like chicken salad the last time he had it, but he liked it tonight. I explained to him how different people have different recipes for it. As an example, I told him how when RockStar makes it, he purees it until it is very smooth, plus he uses hard-boiled eggs in it. I make mine slightly chunkier and use lots of finely diced veggies. I mentioned that other people make it very chunky and may put in grapes, raisins or walnuts.

HandsomeBoy thought about it and then said the following:

"You and Daddy should have a contest. Daddy makes chicken salad and you make chicken salad. I'll taste both and tell you whose is best."

That was cute. Then he added this:

"And the winner gets to sleep with me -- ALL NIGHT! Isn't that great?"

I just hope he doesn't try to run a contest like this in his high school home ec class!

Wow - I've got perky hair!!!!!

2008-01-24T16:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, to start with, I've been working on this big post about my goals for 2008. Instead of waiting until I finished the post, I decided to start jumping right into achieving some of my goals. First up --- new hairstyle!!!

I've been wearing the same long, blunt cut back, blunt cut bangs for awhile now. It was, as Randy Jackson would say, "aw'ight". Meaning -- it was presentable, but not much better than that. Plus, I was really really REALLY overdue for at least a trim. Look and see if you don't agree......... .

Plus, just for added effect, you get to see me in my standard daily "uniform" -- mom jeans, a dark solid tneck, a fleece zip-up and Lands End slide in mocs. Yep, that's me -- what a fashion plate, huh???? I've been needing a change for awhile now, but never had the guts to actually do it. As part of my New Year New Me plan, I went to a new stylist today, explained it ALL to her and let her do her thing.

She listened to me and then told me exactly what she thought I needed and what she would do. I took the plunge and told her to go ahead. The first few minutes were the worst -- my hair was falling to the salon floor in long thick piles. I just kept talking and thinking about how much I WANT to change my hair, my life, my future, my thinking. I'm sure she was sick of me talking, but I really needed to do that to stay calm. She kept taking off more and more and more hair. Just when I thought she was finished, she'd find another section that needed to be addressed.

It was hard, I'll admit it, but........ I LOVE THE RESULTS!!!!! I LOVE MY HAIR!!!!! Can you believe it? I don't know if I've said those words in over a decade! It's far and away the best haircut I've EVER gotten! I'm so excited about it. What do you think????

Okay, those of you who are looking closely and paying attention will also notice that, just like all the before & after shots you see on latenight infomercials, I've also changed into cooler clothes and put on some makeup! Sorry the photo quality isn't better, but I did the best I could.

One more step closer to achieving all my 2008 goals!

Oh, you want to know what the rest of them are? Silly me. Well, you'll have to wait a few more days probably for the list. BUT, I promise to blog them because then they'll be real and I'll be accountable to them!

Five on Friday!

2008-01-04T13:16:00.000-05:00

1. Do you make New Year's resolutions or personal goals?

Yes, I have to admit that I do. Of course, I make resolutions and goals at other times of the year, too, especially around the change of seasons and holidays such as Rosh Hashana (my other New Years).

2. Have you ever kept a New Year's resolution? Achieved a personal goal?

Not completely, but I've made progress toward them. My 2002/03 goal was to have a family -- done (in 2004). A 2004 goal was to lose weight (lost a lot in 2004, but have put a little back on -- still not back to where I was, though!). Another 2002 goal was to "get organized". This is actually a perpetual goal of mine, but in 2002, I found FlyLady and started to creep ever closer to my goal. I'm still not where I'd like to be, but I'm SOOOOOOOOO much closer than I was!

3. What things are you always resolving to do but never actually do?

Get organized, lose weight, get back in touch with old friends, stay in better touch with current friends, exercise more, talk less, waste less time, be more patient.

4. Why do you think most people fail to uphold their New Year's resolutions?

Change is hard. You have to really want it and want it for a long time. It's just too easy to fall back into bad habits!

5. Share the thing you most want to do this year and describe five steps you will take to make it happen.

Hmmmm..... what I want most? What I want most this year is to reach a decision with my husband to pursue adoption of a daughter. How do I get there?
Beg, beg, beg, beg, and sexual favors!!!! Just kidding (sort of). Here's my vague plan:
1). Research the current state of international adoption. 2). Research the current situation with hosting programs. 3). Research the current situation with foster/adopt programs. 4). Compare the programs with our budget, desired timeline, family needs and comfort zone and make a decision. 5). Start the chosen process. Of course, that makes it sound easy. We all know it's not that easy. Especially since RockStar is pretty comfy being the dad of only two kids. But, I really want a girl. There are many reasons I want a girl, and ironically, none of them are traditional "girly" reasons (princesses, pink, dressup, Barbies, etc....).

Will it happen (i.e. begin) in 2008? You'll have to keep checking back to find out!

Friday Feast!

2008-01-04T13:10:00.000-05:00

Appetizer
When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?

Hmmmmm...... it was probably the pinball machine I won last summer. Well, actually, I won the game last winter, but they didn't ship it until the summer. Of course, I didn't even know I'd won until I got notice of a package that was going to be delivered that I had to be home to sign for. The pinball machine is currently living in my living room, which is NOT where I'd like to have a pinball machine, but it's the only place it'll fit! I seriously need to reorganize my house!

Soup
If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?

I'd love to have a winter home on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica! We were there in February of 2000 and absolutely fell in love with the area! So nice, pretty and peaceful!

Salad
Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.

Cherry. Definitely.

Main CourseDescribe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.

Uhhhhh...... uhhhhhh..... I have no idea. My wedding dress? A gown I wore to a friend's wedding? I have a few very nice suits from my former life as an attorney, but they're out of style now and don't fit me so well anymore.

Dessert
If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?

Since I can't think of anything, I have a feeling I've ALREADY forgotten it!

WIIIIIIIIII - I'm back again!

2007-12-21T15:49:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know I've been neglecting you, my poor sweet bloggyworld friends. But, I just had to take a minute to link you to let you all know about this great contest to WIN A WII!!!!! How great would that be?

The contest is sponsored by CellForCash.com, which is a site that will help you recycle your used cell phones. What a great idea! I hate the idea of throwing them away, even if broken -- I'd much rather know that it's being recycled! Check it out!

I'm post more about what's happening in my real world soon!

NaBloPoMo Day #4.2 - National Adoption Awareness Month

2007-11-04T07:26:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? Two posts in a day! Amazing!

Anyway, you may have noticed that my blog looks a little different today. I've changed most of the background colors to shades of purple in honor of National Adoption Awareness Month! Yay!

In my world, every month has ALWAYS been Adoption Awareness Month, but it's nice to see some slightly more formal recognition. I was blessed to have been adopted at birth and doubly blessed to have adopted my boys at ages "almost 4" and 2.5 just over three years ago. Over the years, I've always looked at my adoption as something that was positive and wonderful, never something to be hidden or embarassed about. When people look at short, not-skinny me and then look at my tall, very skinny mom and ask how we can look so different, I simply tell them that I'm adopted. Same with my boys..... HandsomeBoy, the older son, looks quite a bit like me and EXACTLY like my husband - no one ever looks at him and thinks adoption. CutiePie, the younger son, however, is ethnically Roma (Gypsy to you) and we get comments and looks all the time. To American eyes, he looks South American or Indian. The most common question I hear is "Are they brothers?" Which I suppose is a safe way of asking "what's the deal?" because it could also mean "is the little one a family friend who happens to be here with you today?"

Anyway, that's just a long way of saying how proud and happy I am to have been touched so personally by adoption! If you have any questions about adoption or my experience of being adoption or adopting my children, please feel free to ask me! If you have any thoughts about adopting a child yourself, take the opportunity of National Adoption Awareness Month to get more information about adoption! You never know-- it may be the best thing you ever do!

Perky
Proud Adoptee and Adopted Mom

NaBloPoMo Day #4 - I Know I'm Getting Old!

2007-11-04T07:05:00.000-05:00

How do I know I'm getting old? I look forward to setting my clocks back NOT because it means that the bars stay open for an extra hour, but rather because I get an extra hour of sleep! The bonus is that when I wake up (early) the sun is up or on it's way up! Pathetic! Old! Embarassing!

I'm definitely NOT a kid any more!!!

NaBloPoMo Day # 3!!!!!

2007-11-03T21:47:00.000-04:00

Wow! Three posts from me in three days! You know it's GOTTA be NaBloPoMo!!! LOL!

Today was a pretty typical day. Woke up, got the kids up, cut the coupons out of the weekend paper, started the first of three loads of laundry, fed said children, organized the things I needed to do today and then took the kids to Ikea. Ikea? Why Ikea? Glad you asked! Because they have a play area where you can actually drop the kids off and then come back and get them a while later! I know they intend for me to spend that time shopping the multitudinous good stuff that they sell, but I prefer to use the time to buy a cup of coffee (and occasionally an open-faced shrimp salad sandwich) in their awesome cafeteria and spread out with my bills, coupons and selected recipes and spend the precious time getting some important stuff done!

Last time, I got lucky and they gave me 90 minutes; today was the usual 60, but it was still great!

After Ikea, we came home and I started on some home chores while CutiePie watched Spiderman 3 and HandsomeBoy visited his friend next door.

When RockStar got home from work, we piled back into the van and off we went to a hayride sponsored by the children's youth group that HandsomeBoy recently joined. I don't want to actually say the name of the group, but for those of you who like sophisticated word games, we'll just call it "Rhymes-With-Pub Rhymes-With-Sprouts). I was rather hesitant to get involved with the organization for reasons I'll expand upon at length at a later time, but HB reallyreallyreally wanted to join and has been very enthusiastic. Personally, I was involved in a co-ed program that organization used to oversee for teens and young adults which was called "Rhymes-With-FlExplorers" when I was in high school. As a family, we love hiking and outdoors activities, so most of the activities will be right up our line!

Anyway, we had a great time at the hayride and party. Although most of the day was cloudy, windy and cold, the evening was clear, still and beautiful!

One of my favorite quotes of the day: as we were leaving, RockStar wanted the boys to go potty before getting back in the car and told them to go use the PortaPotties. As we walked over there, CP started fussing and saying he didn't want to go in there because it was scary. HB told him, "It's okay, you can come in the PartyPotty with me!" That just cracked me up!!!

Have a good night and don't forget to turn your clocks back!

Perky

It's not much......

2007-11-02T23:51:00.001-04:00

but it IS a post. Blogger ate the last one I tried, so this one's going to be VERY short.

More tomorrow!

NaBloPoMo!!!!!

2007-11-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

Yeah, so I've been very lax about my blog lately. So sue me!!!

Actually, I really miss posting here and have had sooooooo many posts cluttering up my head. That's why NaBloPoMo couldn't come at a better time!

This is going to be a very short post today, but hold onto your hats -- there's a very good chance you may be very sick of my posts soon if I actually start to spit out the various posts I've been mulling over!

No real surprises here!

2007-10-04T14:02:00.000-04:00

I got this from Nancy's blog. And I really can't argue with it!

Friday's Feast 9.21.07

2007-09-21T12:52:00.000-04:00

From the Friday's Feast meme:

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?

I have to admit.... I'm not really "into" art. It's not that I don't like it. More like I just don't "get" it! I guess I'll have to pick dance.

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?

My mother took me and the boys out to dinner a few weeks ago.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?

This is tough. I range anywhere from 3 to 7, depending upon the circumstances, the issue, the people involved and how my day was going up until then. I will say that I tend to be more "emotional" about things that don't matter as much. I'm much cooler about the big things in life.

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?

I only spend about 20-30 minutes in a normal day responding to email. I spend much more time reading emails and blogs and cruising the 'net!

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?

In the summer, I try to keep it set at about 77 degrees and in the winter, I keep it set to about 68 degrees. When I'm going to be out of the house for awhile, I'll adjust it up or down to save money and energy. Of course, I also try to keep the windows open as much as possible!

Record to beat -- five days!

2007-09-12T13:33:00.000-04:00

CutiePie's first five days of Kindergarten/Extended Care at the Elementary School were great! Everyone told me how cute he is, how smart he is, how funny he is.... Each day, he ran to me, excited to shout the good news that he'd had a good day! I knew it wouldn't last. Knew it couldn't last! It didn't.

Yesterday, CutiePie came home from school with a letter from the Extended Care Class addressed to "Parents of CutiePie". I knew it wouldn't be good.

It actually wasn't as bad as I'd feared, but still..... on his SIXTH day, he was in time out for a). not listening, b). using inappropriate language and c). looking under the bathroom stall at another student. (BTW, that was NOT a multiple choice quiz -- he did all THREE of those in ONE afternoon!)

Sigh.

Why do I have to be the mother of the class clown? Class Clowns are born, not made. I may not have given birth to CutiePie, but he's mine now and he was definitely born to be the class clown! I'm starting to realize that I'm going to be on very close relations with ALL the teachers in his schools for the rest of his academic career!

Who knows, though -- maybe we could channel this energy into something good? Perhaps he'll grow up and be the Nittany Lion mascot at Penn State or maybe a rich and famous comedian like Jack Black or John Belushi (but without the drugs and early death, please!) or maybe he'll be a teacher that inspires difficult children. I'm not sure what he'll end up doing, but I am sure that it will involve making people laugh.

I just hope I survive the next 12 years in order to appreciate his humor when it takes a more productive path in the future!

HandsomeBoy strikes to the heart - again!

2007-09-12T11:07:00.001-04:00

How is it that HandsomeBoy can say things that just strike me right to the heart? Twice in the past 24 hours, HandsomeBoy has said things that made me absolutely stop in my tracks and catch my breath.

During dinner last night, we were talking about various friends of our family. HB asked about my friend Cingana. He wanted to know if she had any kids. When I told him that she didn't, he authoritatively said that she should get married to a big boy and have kids. I reminded him that she IS married (to Mr. Mike). Once he remembered that, he wanted to know WHY she didn't have kids YET!!! He was really outraged! He told me that she NEEDS to have kids -- NOW!

What he doesn't know is that Cingana is 43. She's been trying for three years to get pregnant. She found out in early May that they had finally succeeded, only to miscarry in June. My heart greived for her and her husband. After two miscarriages, I have an idea of how she felt. Luckily, however, her OB/GYN insisted that she have a complete physical workup before trying to get pregnant again. She did and was shocked when her doctor found that she has an AORTIC ANEURISM!!!! She was a walking time bomb and would have died if she hadn't miscarried (or if, post-miscarriage, her doctor hadn't been so agressive in her testing!)! Right now, she is scheduling the open heart surgery that will save her life.

I didn't know what to say to HandsomeBoy, other than to say that I think she'll be a great mother some day and that I, too, think that she should have kids.

Then, this morning, RockStar and I were talking about our Passports -- he's going to be out of the country for a few days later this year on a business trip. HB asked what a Passport is and we told him that it was a little book with your name and address and photograph that proves who you are and where you live and you use it when you go to visit a different country. We told him that most people only have one, but that he has TWO (meaning his American and Russian passports). I asked him if he knew why he had two and he said very simply, "Because I'm Jewish?".

Stab. An icy cold stab. Maybe this hit me so hard because I'm currently rereading "Night," Elie Wiesel's gutwrenching memoir about the Holocaust. Of course, HB hasn't experienced anti-semitism in his young life; in fact, he probably doesn't even know that anyone could hate someone for being Jewish. He doesn't know that there have been many times and places where Jews were not considered citizens of the countries they lived in, that they had separate passports and fewer rights, if any.

Right now, he knows only good things about being Jewish --
* he knows that we celebrate Shabbat every Friday night with candles, wine, a challah and a delicious family meal...
* he knows that tonight and tomorrow, we will dip fresh sweet apples into honey to celebrate the new year and that we will apologize sincerely to each other for the bad things we've done and then forgive each other for the bad things done to us....
* he knows that at Hanukkah, we will light candles and eat latkes and celebrate the miracle in our lives....
* he knows that at Passover, we will be thankful for the freedoms in our lives...
* he knows that we give tzedukkah to help others who are not as fortunate as we are...

And, somehow, he also has a sliver of vague knowledge that we are somehow a little... different... apart.... that there is or has been or will be or could be a less joyful, less positive, potentially negative aspect to our Jewishness.

I'm sure if I'd asked him why he'd guessed "because I'm Jewish" he wouldn't have been able to tell me why. I'm sure he doesn't actually fear a prejudice that he is unaware exists.

Still, it makes me sad to think that, in even a dark hazy corner of his young mind, there lurks a seed of vague information that will one day develop into an acute awareness of the true horrors of this world -- past, present, but hopefully not future.

Tick tock.... tick tock.....

2007-09-04T00:31:00.000-04:00

It's almost time!!!!!

The bookbags are packed and sitting by the door.

The forms are filled out and signed. The check for dining services is written and in its envelope.

Lunches are made and in the fridge.

The cute new clothes are nicely folded and laid out on the boys' dressers.

The brand spankin' new alarm clock was early set to lull them to sleep with the sound of the ocean and will wake them at precisely 7am to the sounds of birds chirping happily in a meadow.

Oh, yeah, baby ---- BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!!!!!

I'm finding it very hard to believe that, in just a few short hours, I'm going to be the mother of a Kindergartener and a First Grader!!!! How is that possible? It was three years ago today that we flew off toward Russia, eagerly anticipating meeting our children for the first time. Actually, we were anticipating meeting HandsomeBoy and were crossing our fingers that we would receive a referral for a second child while we were there. Luckily, we did and that little surprise turned out to be CutiePie!

I hope that they are HALF as excited as I am about the start of school! It's a big deal for both of them. They've been attending a local daycare for the past two and a half years (since January 2005) and HandsomeBoy went to Kindergarten there last year. We really liked it and I would have sent CutiePie there, too, but it just seemed pointless to have the boys in two schools needlessly. Besides, the elementary school they'll be going to is RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE! And by that I mean that the crossing guard stands in my driveway! You just can't get much closer than that! It's just too darn easy to have them both going there. Plus, it's a nationally recognized school and they have an Extended Day program to supplement the half-day Kindergarten. So perfect!

So, by the time you read this, my boys will probably be in school, meeting their teachers and new friends, learning where everything is and celebrating the end of mandated afternoon "nap/quiet time"! Oh, and the fact that the playground is HUGE! It's the best playground of any of the elementary schools in our district. The school itself is a little aesthetically dated (it's the same age I am -- gulp!), but it's in good shape and has great teachers!

As Troy and Gabriella (and CutiePie about a thousand times a day) say, "This could be the start of something new"!!!!!

Not really a shock, is it?

2007-09-01T13:02:00.001-04:00

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Social Justice Crusader, also known as a rights activist. You believe in equality, fairness, and preventing neo-Confederate conservative troglodytes from rolling back fifty years of civil rights gains.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Printer contest

2007-08-28T13:58:00.000-04:00

The lovely ladies at Five Minutes for Mom are giving away a cool printer! Stop by and take a look and enter the contest!

Friday's Feast

2007-08-24T11:44:00.000-04:00

And here's this week's serving from Friday's Feast:

Appetizer
Say there’s a book written about your life. Who would you want to narrate the audio version?

Hmmmmmm...... Maybe Jodie Foster? She's got a good voice - strong, clear but able to convey softness, humor and passion. Also, she does a good slight southern accent. I have just the tiniest touch of a southern accent thanks to the fact that my parents still had some of theirs when they were teaching me to talk. It's not much, but it shows up in a few words.

Or maybe Jim Dale, who read the Harry Potter series on audiobook. He's so good at doing voices and characters. I'd be very curious to discover what my "voice" and those of my friends and family "sound" like to him!

Soup
Take the letters from your favorite kind of nut and write a sentence. (Example: Perhaps every avenue needs understanding today.)

Could anyone see her endless worth?

Salad
If you could go back in time and spend one week in another decade, which decade would you choose?

Geez. No idea. Not a clue. I'd be fascinated by any decade, I just wouldn't want to be anywhere a war was going on!

Main Course
Name a song that brings back memories for you.

So many. So many. Hmmmmmm..... I remember heading to a camping trip in high school late on a Friday Night and being crammed into the back of a car with my friends and Major Tom coming on the radio. I think it was the first time I'd heard it all the way through and thinking it was really cool. Yes, I'm showing my age here!

Dessert
Do you prefer to wash your hands in cold water or warm water?

Warm water. Unless it's REALLY hot weather, in which case, I'll wash with warm water and then rinse with cold water.

Toothy questions for Five on Fridays

2007-08-24T11:21:00.001-04:00

Here's my responses to this weeks questions from Five on Fridays:

1. How do you feel about going to the dentist?

Pretty good, actually. I've always taken care of my teeth, so I really don't have anything to be scared of. Also, I always figure that even though sitting in the chair and having a stranger stick their hands and pointy instruments into my mouth isn't exactly what I'd call "fun", it DOES prevent worse torture from happening in my future! I've heard such horror stories about root canals and reconstructions that I REALLY want to avoid that in the future!

2. Describe your worst dental experience.

When I was a kid, instead of seeing dentist in our local area, we would see my Uncle, who was a dentist in my dad's hometown. Since we made the 6-7 hour trip a few times a year, all we'd have to do is tell him in advance when we'd be there and then we'd get Saturday morning appointments for the whole family.

When I was about 5 or 6 years old, I was so excited because I had my first loose tooth just before we went to see my Uncle. It was just barely loose -- not even enough play to call it a "wiggle" yet, but still - it was my first one, so it was exciting to me. When we got to his office, I proudly opened my mouth and presented my ever-so-slightly tilting tooth. He said, "well, look at that" and reached in to wiggle it himself. Or so I assumed. Instead of merely giving it a curious poke and wiggle, he grasped my tiny little front tooth in his massive meaty fingers and YANKED IT OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!

I'm surprised I haven't needed therapy considering the shock, pain and dismay it caused me to suffer the demise of my first loose tooth in such a violent, unsatisfying and shocking way!

3. Describe your best dental experience.

When I got all four wisdom teeth removed the summer before I went to college, it was much easier than I'd expected. Again, not to say it was fun, but I was expecting so much worse that it was actually a pleasant surprise to find that the swelling and pain were very manageable!

4. Do you floss?

Of course!

5. Would you consider wearing braces as an adult?

As a matter of fact, I'm seriously considering doing just that! I had braces as a pre-teen and over the years, my teeth have started to migrate slightly from their assigned places. It's not bad right now, but I'd like to do something about it while it's still an easy (and relatively painless) fix. One of these days, I'll get around to making the appointment for an orthodontic consultation, so don't be surprised to hear that I've got braces or a retainer!

Thursday 13

2007-08-23T12:20:00.000-04:00

Well, the Powerball jackpot is up to an estimated unbelievable $300 million for this Saturday, which got me to thinking........ what would I do with the money if I won?

Thirteen Things I'd Do with the Powerball Jackpot (not necessarily in chronological order)

1. Take the cash option.

2. Hire a very good lawyer and accountant to help me set up accounts to handle the money. I imagine I'd have a variety of short-term and long-term storage solutions for the funds.

3. Pay off all our debts -- credit cards, house, car, student loan, home improvement loan.

4. Renovate our existing home. I love where we live. The actual house is alright, but our location is GREAT! Our neighbors are GREAT! Plus, I really don't need to live in a mansion with acres and acres of lawn to keep tidy and neat and green. What I would like would be a new kitchen, a sun room, a balcony and sky lights for the bedroom, a finished basement, a garage and just a little more space. On our current budget, it's going to be a long time before all those things happen; with a Powerball jackpot, we'd just move into the house up for rent a few houses down while all the construction was going on and then move back into our old, yet new, home when it's beautiful and done!

5. Take care of our families. My parents are pretty secure, but RockStar's family could certainly use a little financial help. We'd finally be in the position to do that!

6. Fund HandsomeBoy and CutiePie's college fund.

7. Adopt TWO daughters. Maybe from Russia, maybe Ukraine, maybe Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam, heck... maybe even the good ol' USA! All I know is that I'd start on a homestudy and start getting ready to expand our family!

8. Through our adoption agency, WACAP, I'd send money to the boys' orphanages that cared so well for them in their early years. I'd also make a large donation to the agency to help them in their quest to find families for children all over the world.

9. Set up scholarships. I'm not sure if I'd do this locally, for my college, my high school or what, but I'd definitely do this!

10. Donate a large sum to the Rescue from which we adopted BigRed. They do such good work and take remarkable care of the dogs. I've always been very impressed with their committment and results. As they've grown bigger over the years and have reached out to help more dogs, their expenses have also increased.

11. Help my synagogue. We are a smaller suburban shul that does not have a very rich membership base. In our current expansion plans, there is so much that we cannot do because the money is just not there. I'd definitely contribute a sack of sheckels to help make the place more inviting and a great place for the community to grow, learn, worship and celebrate together!

12. Take some really great family vacations -- an African safari, tour the Costa Rican rainforest, RV around the Western US national parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches, Grand Canyon, etc....), skiing at Killington, etc..... We'd also travel back to Russia so the boys could start to understand how their lives might have been. They're too young to fully understand, but I think it would create a good foundation for them.

13. Invest my money in good places. I'd like to support business and causes I believe in and that could make the world a better place. Also, I'd give money to Cancer and Diabetes Research.

Wow, that was fun. I'd love to have the chance to actually do those things. Honestly, I wouldn't be the type to blow through the money or spend it on ridiculous things. Sure, I'd enjoy myself and so would my family, but we'd still be real people. I'd really want to share the gift with my friends, family and the world at large. I have to say - I think I'd be a model lottery winner. So many people are ruined by large wins, but I think I'm up to the burden! I'd sure like to try!

Friday Feast

2007-08-17T14:48:00.000-04:00

And here's my answers to this week's Friday Feast:

Appetizer
Describe your laundry routine. Do you have a certain day when you do it all, or do you just wash whatever you need for the next day?

I try to follow FlyLady's advice and do a load every day, or at least as soon as I've accumulated a full load, which is never more than two days! I will admit that on the rare occasion that I really let the laudry get out of control, I'll pick a complete outfit or two out of the pile and wash that first, buying myself at least a day or two until I'm in crisis situation!

Soup
In your opinion, what age will you be when you’ll consider yourself to truly be old?

Who says I EVER have to consider myself old???? Honestly, I don't think I'll feel old until/unless I reach the point where I can't do things I want to do.

Salad
What is one of your goals? Is it short-term, long-term, or both?

Adopt a daughter to complete our family. I'd like this to be a short-term goal (i.e. less than a year), but it's going to be a mid-range goal (2-4 years) if it happens at all.

Main Course
Name something unbelievable you’ve seen or read lately.

Well, it's something I heard, not read, but still...... One of my co-workers was telling me that out of the 20 kids she graduated high school with, SEVEN of them have died in the ten years since graduation. That's 35% of her graduating class!!!! Apparently, a lot of them lived in a "rough" section of town and have fallen prey to violence. Tragic, just tragic!

Dessert
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how happy are you today?

About an 8, thankyouverymuch!

Dog Days

2007-08-17T14:41:00.000-04:00

Here's this weeks meme from Five on Friday.......

1. Are you a dog or cat person?

Both, actually. I currently have 1 large dog and two cats. I love them all and they each give me a different kind of furry love in return.

2. Do you have a dog? Have you ever had a dog?

I had a dog (crazy mutt) when I was a baby, another dog (mean runted mini schnauzer) during my teen years and have had a wonderful, happy, well-behaved, loving Golden Retriever for just over six years now. I can't imagine NOT having a dog in my life now.

3. What is your favorite breed of dog?

I'll have to go with Golden Retrievers. They suit me well. They are, on average, fun, friendly, active, not hyper, smart but not too smart, well-behaved, easy to train, soft to pet, attractive to look at and very good with children. Of course, the personality of the individual dog is more important that their actual breed, but there are some breeds that I tend to like more than others and Goldens are the top!

4. Do you believe that dogs truly are man's best friend?

Works for me!

5. If you could come back to life as a dog, would you? Why or why not?

Sure! Especially if I could live with a fun family who would give me lots of belly rubs, treats and walks!

You MUST read this!

2007-08-16T23:43:00.000-04:00

I haven't laughed this much in ages!!! You absolutely must go read this blog right NOW!

http://buggydoo.blogspot.com/2007/06/contest-humiliating-moments-in.html

Just make sure you are not drinking or eating anything and that you are seated in a comfortable chair. Be sure to read the many comments -- it's worth every moment!

Drumroll, please..........

2007-08-14T18:27:00.000-04:00

Here is what I was hoping was in the box.......

And here is what was ACTUALLY in the box.......

And here's what my boys were the most excited about.......

Yep, that's right --- the cardboard shipping box! They spent about 15 seconds oooohing and aaaaahing over the Pirates of the Carribean Pinball machine and have been decorating and building with the cardboard box for at least 15 minutes already. Maybe for Hanukkah, I'll save some money and make them happy by giving them balled-up tin foil each night!!!! It works for the cats - maybe it'll work for them!

So, the moral of this story, folks, is of course "don't get your hopes up"!!!! I was really really really hoping there would be an HDTV in the box! The pinball machine is pretty cool and the boys will love it (after they tire of the cardboard box), but I was really hoping for the HDTV! The funny thing is, this contest was sponsored by Disney for Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest -- that's not even the most recent movie! The contest ended back in JANUARY! They just sent my prize now, 7 months later!

I'm not upset, because this gives me hope that maybe one of these times, I'll win the BIG prize! I won second prize in this contest, so statistically, I was pretty darn close to the grand prize. Remember - you can't win if you don't enter!

Waiting for FedEx.........

2007-08-13T08:12:00.000-04:00

So, we get home on Saturday afternoon to find a note on the door that FedEx had tried to drop a package, but couldn't because no one was home to sign for it. Hmmmm..... that's strange - I don't remember ordering anything lately. RockStar decides to try to track the package backwards using the door tag number (this is why I keep him around -- he thinks of things like this!) and we discover that the package weighs 65 pounds and was shipped from Rockford, MN. Nope, still not ringing any bells with me.

Then I get the bright idea to Google Rockford, MN --- it turns out the mailing addresses for many many many sweepstakes are based out Rockford, MN. Now, I'm getting really interested! RockStar asked me what contests I've entered lately (yes, he actually did it with a straight face, apparently expecting me to be able to list five or fewer). I looked at him in astonishment - I've entered HUNDREDS!!!! I can hardly even remember them all. The daily entries that I try to enter a few times a week I might remember, but the "one shot" entries??? Fugettaboutit!!!

We started trying to figure out what might weigh 65 pounds. I remember entering quite a few contests about a month ago that were giving away 42" Plasma HDTVs. RockStar said, "No way - they don't weigh that much!" I had no idea, but just to check I started comparison shopping 42" plasma tvs. Guess how much the average weight is???? C'mon.... guess!!!

YES!!!! 65 POUNDS!!!!!

Of course, I very well may have won a two year supply of cat food! There's absolutely no evidence that I actually won anything particularly good. Well..... other than the fact that it weighs 65 pounds. And FedEx couldn't leave it without a signature.

So, I'm working from home this morning, anxiously awaiting my new HDTV. Or pantry full of cat food. Whatever.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE: I called FedEx to see if they could give me a better estimate of the delivery time and the woman I spoke to this time informed me that FedEx Home Delivery (as opposed to FedEx Ground, FedEx Air, FedEx Frieght, etc....) doesn't deliver on Mondays!!! They're freaking CLOSED ON MONDAYS!!!!! The guy I spoke to FOUR FREAKING HOURS ago must have had his head up his you-know-what, which would explain why he has you-know-what for brains!!!!! WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!!!!! At least they told me that the driver screwed up and had checked the wrong box on the tag -- contrary to what the driver noted on the tag, I DO have to sign in person for the package! What kind of crappy international company is closed on Mondays????? Hello? American work ethic? Business day? People paying good money for your service and people (like me) LOSING good money to sit around and wait for you sorry excuses for a common carrier to deliver my important (I hope) package?????? GRRRRRRRRRRRRR...........

I suggest that no one (NO ONE!) get in Perky's way for the rest of the day today!

Also, if that box if full of a two-year supply of cat food or some other junky prize, Perky is going to be one pissed-off little winner!!!!

Perky doesn't like it when stupid people waste her time!

Okay, I'm heading back under my rock now.

Wow! What a contest!

2007-08-08T13:46:00.000-04:00

The ladies over at Five Minutes for Mom are doing it again! This time the prize is a fancy shmancy new TV!!! Check it out!

Here I go again!!!

2007-07-12T11:50:00.000-04:00

As you may recall from yesterday's blog post, I have a "thing" about spelling and grammatical errors when they occur in "official" locations. I don't care if you spell "arugula" correctly on your shopping list and I don't care if you dangle a participle in a personal email. However, if you are running a professional website and are holding yourself out to be a reputable news organization, I expect you to spell check and copy edit for glaring errors!

After yesterday's "samari" mess, I returned to my local news station's website this morning only to find the headline that read "Cell phone camera records choas after stabbing." Sigh. Choas. Well, thank goodness there wasn't any "chaos" after the stabbing -- that would have been bad! I suppose "choas," whatever that is, is preferable to "chaos"!!!

As a footnote, about 20 minutes after I emailed yesterday, the headline and the story were corrected. And yes, I just sent another email about today's gaffe.

Am I a be-yotch or what????

Grrrrrr.... I hate people!!!

2007-07-11T12:33:00.001-04:00

While driving to work today, I noticed that there were two kids in the back seat of the car in front of me and neither were wearing seatbelts. How could I be sure? Well, they were taking turns climbing over each other, sticking their heads out the windows and doing sommersaults. I'm pretty darn sure there were no seatbelts in use!!!

As mad as I was at seeing that, the next thing I noticed is what put me over the top ---- while the kids were busy being unrestrained projectiles, their mom was wearing HER seatbelt!!!!! WTF???? So, she understands the importance of seatbelts, but chooses not to give her kids their benefit? Was she secretly hoping for a serious accident that she would somehow walk away from unscathed and unburdened by her little ones????

Outrageous!!!!

Wooo-Hooo!!!! My 100th!

2007-07-11T11:14:00.000-04:00

Wow! This is actually my 100th post! I understand that in the bloggy-world it's traditional that this event is celebrated with a post listing 100 things about me. Hmmmmm...... this may take some time and I'll probably have to come back to finish, but I'll try to list as many as I can! Here goes.........

100 things about me

Today is my birthday! Really! I turn 39 today! How the heck did that happen?
I really don't like people in general.

I don't wear sunscreen as much as I should, but I'm very careful not to burn.

I put myself through college by working at a subshop.

I met my husband while working at that sub shop.

He was my supervisor when we met!

We didn't date until four years AFTER I'd left the sub shop, though!

When I went to law school, I thought I was going to become a famous Civil Rights attorney or represent battered women or work for Rails to Trails.

I love to take photos.

If I hit a ginormous lottery, I wouldn't move. I'd just build onto the house I have now.

I don't just love my kids -- I'm completely head over heels IN LOVE with them!

In late 2005, I sent in an audition video to the producers of the show "Ms. Adventure" when I discovered that Animal Planet was casting the host of the new show. I didn't even get a callback, but I didn't think I was too bad! It was sort of a "Rachel Ray" meets the "Croc Hunter" type of feel to it. Oh well. Their loss!
I bought my tickets to the opening night performance of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix online just a few minutes after they went on sale at Fandango to be SURE I'd see it opening night.
Other than the first three weeks of my life, I've always lived in the same state.
There's almost nowhere in the world that I wouldn't travel to!
My dog is 11.5, my older cat is turning 16 and my "little" cat is 8. I worry constantly about the fact that two of them probably don't have many more years left. I'm already missing them!
Today is the 8th anniversary of the day I brought the little cat home. She was five weeks old and absolutely ADORABLE!!! My husband was mad at the time, but the cute kitten soon won him over!
I really don't care about purses or shoes. As long as the one(s) I'm using looks decent and feels comfortable and suits my needs, I'm happy. I simply can't imagine spending hundreds of dollars (or more!) on shoes or purses!
All summer, HandsomeBoy and I have been working our way through Hooked On Phonics - Kindergarten and I can't believe his progress! He's learned more in the past month than he learned all year in Kindergarten! I've already ordered the First Grade kit!
It wouldn't surprise me at all if CutiePie grows up to be a famous rockstar and/or comedian. Think Jack Black. Think John Belushi (without the drugs, please). That's my CutiePie's kind of humor and style of performance!
HandsomeBoy is totally a mommy's boy and I LOVE IT!!!!
Waking up this morning with RockStar, CutiePie and HandsomeBoy all in my bed and BigRed (the dog) in his bed on the floor next to us was the best present I could have wished for!
The next-best present was the camera case/backpack they gave me. I really needed something like this, so I'm very excited and can't wait to put it to use this weekend!
Exactly three years ago today I hit rock bottom on our adoption wait. I was so sure we were never going to ever get kids, I hated Russia, I hated our agency, I hated not knowing what was going on and I felt completely taken advantage of. Little did I know, we were just two weeks away from a surprise referral!!!
I still want a daughter and I'm working on plans to make it happen.
I recently ran into one of my high school boyfriends at a party. While my two boys played with his two boys, we caught up on the last 20 years. I didn't know he was going to be there, so it was a shock seeing him, but I have to say that I really enjoyed myself! He was a great guy and he seems to have turned into a good man.
In August, RockStar and I will celebrate our 9th anniversary. When we were on our honeymoon in Aruba, we decided that we would return there to renew our vows on our 10th anniversary. Now, between our finances and, hopefully, another adoption in the future, we might just celebrate in the back yard! Still, it's been a great marriage and I love him more every day!
I used to hike a lot and I loved it. I'd really like to get back to doing more of it, especially now that the boys are big enough to come with me on shorter hikes!
I win things. A lot of things. Like movie tickets, DVDs, gift cards, concert tickets, theatre subscriptions, etc.... I've won Wiggles tickets 3 times, including a meet and greet with Anthony, Sam, Murray and Jeff at the grand opening of Wiggles World at our local Six Flags park. People ask me what my trick is. No trick - you just have to enter the contests!
I love FlyLady! My house and home and life was a shambles before I found her system. It's so easy and simple and makes so much sense!
I've been using the Hooked on Phonics system this summer to improve HandsomeBoy's reading skills and, at the risk of sounding like the old commercial, Hooked on Phonics worked for us!!!!! It's amazing how much he's learned and how fast! It really is a great system!
I love the beach AND the mountains!
I'm excited about school starting again soon. Both of the boys will be in the school district and going to the "big boy" school, so it's going to be exciting for all of us!
My younger son, CutiePie, is ethnically Roma, a group of people better known in America as Gypsy. Back in my college days, one summer I spent a lot of time at the Renaissance Faire where one of the story lines involved a group of Gypsies. I learned a little about the Roma people from that summer and, over the years, would always perk up my ears a little when I heard anything about the Roma mentioned. So, imagine my surprise when our coordinator presented me with CutiePie's file and informed me, almost apologetically, that he was Roma!!! The Roma have faced discrimination and genocide in Europe and Central Asia and few Americans know anything about them, so our coordinator was surprised to discover that I knew exactly what she meant when she told me he was Roma.
I have 1 dog (Big Red), who is the best dog ever in the history of the world (really!) and two cats, both of whom think they run this place! They're probably right!

Okay, that's it for now. Check back for more later!

Could I BE more nitpicky?????

2007-07-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

Of course, you must say the title of this blog out loud and use your best Chandler Bing voice while doing it!

So, I'm reading the headlines on my local news station's website this morning and see the following headline:

"Local Teen Stabbed, Samari Found Near Body"

It looked strange. It looked wrong. But, to my credit, before I jumped into a copyediting rage, I took the time to Google the word "samari". Who knows -- maybe a "samari" is a small furry creature with sharp teeth that is known to turn on careless owners while they sleep and sink their long pointy teeth into their hearts. I'm just saying........ So, after a fruitless Google attempt, I had no choice but to reach the conclusion that they really meant to say that a "Samurai" was found near the body. However, that's still not right! A "Samurai" is the person who wields a sword and not the sword itself!!!!

Being that it was early in the morning, I hadn't had my coffee yet, the temperature was already rising beyond my comfort level and because I was just feeling a little bitchy, I simply HAD to email the station and politely inform them about their little error. Um, yeah, I also slipped in a suggestion that perhaps they should hire a copy editor!!!

Oh, one final thing --- this is far from the first time I've emailed them about glaring errors on their site! They have a history of sloppy spell checking and grammar checking on their live broadcasts and their website.

2007-07-09T12:23:00.001-04:00

The Monday Melee

The Monday Melee

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.

How inconsiderate people are to each other, both in person and anonymously.

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.
President George W. Bush. 'nuff said.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
My lack of all ambition lately.

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
Handsome Boy has become very considerate of CutiePie lately. This morning, he covered his brother with a blanket, told him he loved him and, later, comforted him when CutiePie was upset because I made him stay at school rather than let him come to work with me. We must have had so much fun this weekend that he couldn't stand to let me out of his sight, which is very unusual for CutiePie! HandsomeBoy was also very accommodating of CutiePie's wishes all weekend and shared very nicely with him. I think he really likes being a big brother and does a very good job of it!

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I make my children's lives fun, happy, full, nutritious and educational. I think I'm raising them pretty darn well, if you ask me!

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
A daughter.

Play along with Monday Melee and create your own list!

2007-07-09T10:51:00.001-04:00

You know you're top is too revealing when.....

Your son's five year old friend can't look you in the eye!!!!

Geez Louise! I didn't realize exactly how low my top was until this little kids' eyes just about popped out of his head!

Sigh. Just can't win! Normally, I feel like I'm walking around looking like the Russian "svim vear" model in the old Wendy's commercial. Today, I'm apparently chanelling my inner Anna Nicole Smith!

BTW, it's going up to nearly 100 degrees today, so I'm just going to keep flaunting my tatas and keeping my cool!!! So there!

p.s. Still can't get the darn Title bar to work!!!

2007-07-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why I couldn't get letters to appear in the Title line, but I'm not going to obsess about that right now.

I've been thinking all afternoon about why I'm so bothered about my friend, her pregnancy, the birth of her child, our friendship and everything else right now.

I really think that it's truly a combination of many things swirling together into a big yucky emotional mess for me. So many emotions that I don't quite know what to do with:

* Jealousy that she, the woman who didn't think she even wanted kids, could get pregnant easily and carry to term. This is, of course, balanced against the fact that I had always planned to adopt and was ambivalent about pregnancy -- it's just the fact that I COULDN'T do it right that really hurt. Even if I didn't WANT to bear children, part of me still stings that I CAN'T do it. Does that make sense?

* Pain for my friend Cigana, who recently suffered an early miscarriage at age 43 -- quite possibly her first and last pregancy.

* Unresolved issues about being left for dead by a person I thought was my friend.

* Petty bitchyness a la The Breakfast Club stemming from my life on the outside of the popular circle toward her, a pretty, smart, athletic member of the inner circle of society.

* Resentment toward myself that I haven't kept in touch as well as I'd like to, so maybe some of the blame for the lack of communication lies with me.

Okay, that's enough analysis for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll wake up just fine and send flowers or something. I'll buy the baby a cute Penn State outfit when I'm in State College next weekend and I'll oooh and aaah over him when I finally meet him. It'll all be fine. I'm just a little surprised at my reaction to the news and needed to vent a bit!

Unresolved issues.......

2007-07-06T14:16:00.000-04:00

So, here I am, trying to blog about something I'm not even sure what I think about it.

Here's the very short story:

I have a friend. We've been friends for about 12 years. We're different in many ways, but similar in others. In high school, we NEVER would have been friends. She was popular - me, not so much.

Anyway, we've stayed friends even though she moved away about 8 years ago. She was in my wedding. I was in her wedding. The four of us have travelled together to various national parks and spent weekends at each other's houses.

She and her husband always said they didn't want kids, but she started backpedalling a little about a year ago. Sure enough, they got pregnant last year while we were all away on a long weekend together. I was happy for them - really, I was. I was a bit upset, however, that she didn't tell me until FEBRUARY, long after she'd told other friends (I know this because at her baby shower, all her other friends took turns telling us their reactions when she called them with the good news back in DECEMBER!!!).

Now, I just got an email that she had the baby (two weeks early). Again, I'm happy for her. Really, I am. But, even in the email, it said "I guess most of you have already heard, but .......". Nope. Not me. Hadn't heard a thing!

So, you may read all of that and think that I'm being too sensitive. Maybe she didn't tell me because she didn't want to make me feel bad (as if her pregnancy has anything to do with my failed ones!!!). Perhaps sleepy new parents really don't have time to call everyone with the good news.

I don't know -- am I being too sensitive?

Oh - a footnote to our history together that I should probably mention here -- she left me at the bottom of the Grand Canyon when I was too sick to hike out on our scheduled day. Seriously. The story is not any more complicated than that. No extenuating circumstances. I was took sick to hike with the other four, so they went on without me. I stayed down there by myself, met some really great people and THEY helped me hike out the following day.

But I'm not bitter.........

Thoughts?

Awesome contest!!!

2007-07-06T14:04:00.000-04:00

Five Minutes for Mom is running yet another great contest! How do they do it?

This time, the prize is a Neat Receipts scanner. If you haven't heard of this nifty gadget, follow the links to their website and check it out.

I've never actually used it, but I've seen it demonstrated at the mall kiosk and one of my friends has one and LOVES it!

I'd finally get organized and find out EXACTLY where my money is going! It would also help me at work since I handle the incoming bills and outgoing vendor payments!

July = Harry Potter month!!!!

2007-07-06T13:22:00.000-04:00

At least, at our house it does!!!

I've been a Harry Potter fan ever since I bought the first three books for a young friend of mine in late '99 or early '00. My husband picked up the habit with the movies and I introduced my boys to the wonderful world of Harry Potter soon after bringing them home from Russia two and a half years ago. They were immediately entranced by the movies. Recently, we read the first book at bedtimes and have since started the second one. Me, I've read all the books multiple times, desperately trying to glean clues about future books. My boys can now pretty much quote their way through the movies, especially Goblet of Fire, which is their favorite one so far.

So, next Wednesday (opening day), we will all see the new movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at our local IMAX theatre. I bought the tickets online literally within minutes after they'd gone on sale. Can you tell I'm excited?

And, as if that's not good enough, the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes out just over a week later on Saturday, July 21st. I'll be away at a family reunion that weekend, but when I ordered the book from Amazon, I put the hotel as my shipping address! I can't wait to sit on the beach and read the final Harry Potter book!!!!

And she returns to the bloggyworld!!!!!

2007-07-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

No, I don't have a good excuse for my absence (other than the busyness of life in general).

Yes, I missed you all.

Yes, I'll try to post more often in the future.

No, nothing incredibly fascinating has happened while I haven't been posting.

Yes, there's the possibility that more interesting things may happen in the future.

No, I'm not going to tell you about them right now.

Yes, I WILL tell you if I have anything to tell.

Anyway, getting back to the business at hand..... it's Friday so here's a Friday meme from Five on Friday (well, actually, it's NOT this week's meme, but I'm going to use it in honor of the rainy week we've had here!)

1. Does the rain make you feel blue?

No, not blue. Contemplative, perhaps, which can occasionally get me thinking about things that may make me blue, but it's not the rain itself that does it. In fact, as long as I didn't have really great plans scheduled for outside, I really like the rain!

2. Do you find that rain ruins or improves your day?

It depends upon what I had planned for the day. If I'd planned a big hike and a campout, then the rain pretty much ruins those plans. However, I LOVE sitting around on a rainy day with the windows open so I can hear the rain, feel the breeze and smell the rich outdoors while I read a really good book.
3. Have you ever danced/splashed/ran in the rain?

4. What do you like to do on rainy days?

Oops. I guess I just answered that one!

5. Do you save for "rainy days"?

Sigh. No, but I keep meaning to!!!

Cute T-shirt contest!

2007-06-28T15:16:00.000-04:00

Five Minutes for Mom just added ANOTHER cool contest to their July 4th contest offerings! Go check out these adorable T-shirts and enter to win one!

And then we wonder what went wrong with kids today......

2007-06-26T14:17:00.000-04:00

Here's the current headlines on my local news site:

* 10 Year Old Fondled Waiting In Line For Boardwalk Ride

* Investigators Learn More About Abandoned Baby's Father

* Officials Say Funeral Director Stored Babies' Bodies

* Former Guard Kept Runaway Student in Basement for 10 years

* 12 Children Injured In School Bus Crash

* Kids Discover Decomposed Body

* Girl Dies On Ride at Disneyland Paris Ride

* Wrestler Strangles Wife, Smothers Son

What is happening to our world??? ALL of the top news stories involve children being hurt, killed, traumatized, victimized and wronged!!!! I'm going to hug my kids even more tightly than usual when I see them. What a depressing news cycle!

Another contest to enter.....

2007-06-25T21:18:00.000-04:00

I promise I'll post an actual, real-life, honest-to-goodness bloggy post soon, but in the meantime, here's a link to a great contest over at Five Minutes for Mom.

I LOVE Lands End and I especially love their bathing suits which are stylish, comfortable and actually swimmable!!!! The lovely ladies at FMM are giving away a gift certificate for a custom-made Lands End swimsuit!!! Wouldn't that just perk up your summer???

Click on over and check it out!

Do you LOVE movies?

2007-06-08T00:43:00.000-04:00

Five Minutes for Mom is running another great contest! Hop over there to enter for a chance to win a 6-month subscription to Netflix.

In honor of that contest, and the fact that it is (or at least was until about 45 minutes ago) Thursday, I'll list 13 of my favorite movies as a Thursday Thirteen:

In no particular order:

1. Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell. I love this movie!!! It never ceases to make me laugh and cheer for Auntie Mame. I discovered this movie when I was in college and one of my friends called me Mame for years after she decided that I was a lot like the main character. At the time, and to this day, I take that as high praise!!!!

2. The Shawshank Redemption. A nearly perfect movie! The casting, writing, directing, editing, music and sets are all perfect. I've seen it so many times and still go back and watch it again. I always tear up at the very end when the camera pulls back from the reunion on the beach.

3. and 4. The Godfather I and The Godfather II. Also nearly perfect movies. So quotable! So exciting! Just make sure you NEVER EVER EVER watch Godfather III -- a movie so bad that everyone associated with it should be ashamed of themselves!

5., 6. and 7. The Lord of the Rings series -- The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, Return of the King. When I first heard that someone was making a live-action version of Tolkein's epic story, I was upset. I thought that they would screw it up for sure. In my mind, there was no way to do it justice. I've never been happier to be wrong!!! Peter Jackson edited out some of my least favorite story lines (Tom Bombadil, anyone????) and concentrated on the important parts (Frodo's struggle with the power of the Ring, Sam's dedication to his friend, Gandalf's regret for burdening the innocent Hobbit with the dreaded task of destroying the Ring, Aragorn's ambivalence in accepting his destiny, Gollum's sliver of humanity (Hobbitity?) which makes his story so compelling, etc...

8. The Blues Brothers. Great music, wild actors, funny lines, car chases, neo-Nazis looking like idiots, get-up-off-your-chair-and-dance choreography -- it's got it all! Everytime I watch this movie, I see something new in it or find a new joke that I'd missed before.

9. The Breakfast Club. The funny thing is, I saw this movie when it first came out and I was the same age as the characters. I think that it was too close to my daily life, so I didn't have enough perspective on it to appreciate it. I enjoyed it, but it didn't really get to me. Now, 20 years later, this movie really hits home. After all those years, I have friends who were in each of the groups represented by the five kids in detention in the movie. My older son is on his way to becoming a jock. One of my best friends was the "popular girl" in her high school. I guess I always though that, after high school, I wouldn't have to associate with the "other" types of people. What I've found out is that high school may be the only time in your life where you can sucessfully separate yourself from "other" people. It's harder to do so when you get older and the lines aren't as clearly drawn and you just can't get away with isolating yourself. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I associated most with Anthony Michael Hall's geeky character.

10. Anything with Danny Kaye, but especially The Court Jester and The Inspector General. I can't tell you how many bad moods these movies have pulled me out of! Danny Kaye was a genius!

11. Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan. Yes, I'm a geek. This is one of the touchstone Sci-Fi movies of all time! Perhaps Trek's single greatest accomplishment, except perhaps for.......

12. Star Trek IV:The Voyage Home (aka "The one where they go back to the 1980's and find whales to bring to the future"). This movie contains what may be my all-time favorite movie line:

Dr. Gillian Taylor: Don't tell me, you're from outer space.

Kirk: No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space.

Well, it's funny in the movie, anyway!

13. I'm blanking on a Thirteenth right now, so I'll have to come back and fill this in at another time. Sorry!

I'm a Spark Person!

2007-05-21T10:45:00.001-04:00

Rachel recommended the website Spark People in her blog recently, so I went over to check it out and I LOVE IT!!!! It's a lot like Weight Watchers Online for those of you who are familiar with that! I did WW online a few years ago and had very good success with it, but I just don't have it in the budget to sign back up again right now. Spark People is at least as good, so I'm very excited!!! My daily goals for this week are to drink my water (something I always try to do but don't always remember to do), take a walk and tell someone about Spark People. So, consider yourselves told! One of the really great things about it is that it's not just for people looking to lose weight! It's also for people trying to live a healthy lifestyle! Go check it out!

Boxes and boxes of bandages!!!

2007-05-18T12:31:00.000-04:00

If your kids are like mine (oh heck -- if YOU are like ME), then you simply can't have enough BandAids and bandages around, right???? Five Minutes for Mom is running a contest giving away 45 boxes of bandages. If you could use them, head on over to their site and enter!

Perky's Perspective ...... the Major Motion Picture!!!!

2007-05-16T13:42:00.000-04:00

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few.
But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky.

Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

I agree that the movie of my life probably WOULD be a cult classic, but Showgirls??? Ewwwwwwww!!!!!! I can assure you with 100% certainty that I've NEVER licked a stripper pole!!!!

However, this raises new questions, such as..... who would play the part of Perky in the movie? Off the top of my head, I'd have to hope for either

Jodi Foster

or Gillian Anderson (Scully from The X-Files)

Of course, this is a bit of wishful thinking on my part! About the only thing I really have in common with those two noted actresses is that we're all short and have had red hair at some point in our lives!

Those of you who know me in real life, who would you suggest? And who would play the part of YOU in the movie of your life????

Contest to enter!

2007-05-16T11:40:00.003-04:00

My Ideal Careers

2007-05-16T10:52:00.000-04:00

Your Career Personality: Idealistic, Service-Oriented, and Future-Oriented

Your Ideal Careers:

Alternative health practitioner
Architect
Environmental lawyer
Librarian
Magazine editor
Museum curator
Novelist
Nutritionist
Photo journalist
Playwright

The Quick and Dirty Career Test

This is actually pretty funny! Of the careers listed above, I've considered becoming a massage therapist (alt. health practitioner), I am a lawyer and for awhile considered doing something like working for Rails to Trails or similar organization, I've always dreamed about being a Park Ranger (which is similar to a museum curator in a way), and I love to take photos of events (photo journalist). Hmmmm..... novelist or playwright....????? Yeah, I could see that! Now, if only I had some really good ideas for a book!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-05-16T00:35:00.000-04:00

Is this the happiest, most content dog in the world, or what????? BigRed really enjoyed the little hike I took with my boys this past Saturday! Life doesn't get much better for a Golden Retriever than to lay down in running water and smell the fresh spring air while being surrounded by affectionate little boys!

Monday's a B!t@% Meme

2007-05-14T13:59:00.000-04:00

Here's the questions from, and my answers to, the weekly meme at Monday's a Bitch....

mood | weird ]
[ music | The Doors ]

Faces Come Out of the Rain, When You're Strange

1. What's the strangest thing you've ridden in or on?

Definitely a camel!!! I was 20 years old on my first trip to Israel and we were travelling across the desert to have dinner in a Bedoin tent. It sounds very exotic and adventurous, but really it was rather touristy!!!

2. What's the strangest thing in your home?

Um........ Probably me!

3. What's the strangest nickname anyone has ever given you? What's the explanation behind it?

"Ninja Girl". One day in high school gym class, a very strange boy with "issues" decided to attack me with a hockey stick to prove that he was a "real man" or something like that. Bear in mind that this kid was probably 5'8" and weighed about 200 pounds and I was not even 5' and weighed in at about 102 pounds (ah! those were the days!). Yeah. That's really going to show how tough you are, dude! When he came at me with his stick, I automatically raised my hockey stick to block him. I had to defend myself my holding my stick up over my head with both hands and preventing him from splitting my head open. He actually looked a lot like the Star Wars Kid of internet video fame! Of course, the other jerks in the class just watched! It must have been quite a show to them -- the crazy fat kid attacking the little nerd girl! After it was all over, a few of them starting calling me Ninja Girl because I'd actually managed to successfully protect myself! Don't worry - it didn't last long - they went back to calling me "brainiac" and "geek" pretty fast!

4. Where's the strangest place you've ever slept?

Hmmmm.... on a beach in Eilat, Israel, or in a scientific research facility in the Cloud Forest in Costa Rica or on my friend Cigana's bathroom floor (using a hand towel for a sheet, no less!).

5. Who's your strangest family member?

Ummmmm..... again, me?????

Friday Feast

2007-05-11T10:55:00.000-04:00

This week's questions brought to you by Friday's Feast:

Appetizer
Tell about a time when you had to be brave.

A decade ago, I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a friend and we stayed over at Phantom Ranch. During the night, I became extremely ill and in the morning, after we met up with our other friends who'd rafted down the Colorado River from Page, AZ, I found that I was unable to even think about hiking out that day. My friends decided to hike out anyway and left me at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. THIS IS A TRUE STORY!!!!! Now, I wasn't dying or anything, but I was pretty ill. I made some new friends while I was recouperating that afternoon and evening at Phantom Ranch and I hiked out with them the following day. At the time, I just did what I had to do to get back up to the South Rim. In retrospect, however, I think it took a lot of bravery to actually do it and not let my illness or my extreme disappointment in and anger at my friends ruin the experience for me.

Soup
Which upcoming movie are you excited about seeing?

I'm anxiously awaiting Harry Potter 5: The Order of the Phoenix!!! The trailers that have been released look great! Also excited about Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End. We're going to see at least a couple movies this summer at a drive-in, so that will make them even more fun!

Salad
Name an item you try to always have on hand.

A cup of coffee and a water bottle! Also, pen and paper!

Main Course
Imagine the most relaxing room you can think of. Now describe it!

A cabana-style room on a tropical beach, with the gauzy white curtains blowing in the warm breeze. There's not much in the room except maybe a few hanging plants and a massage table in the middle. Soft music is playing from speakers hidden in the ceiling and I can hear the gentle lapping of the waves. Tropical birds are chirping and singing amongst the rustling fronds of the palm trees. Ahhhhhhh......

Dessert
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest), how spiritual or religious are you?

Hmmmm...... This is a tricky question for me. My affiliation is Reform Judaism. I was brought up in a synagogue affiliated with the Conservative Movement, but in a non-religious, very assimilated household. My husband is Roman Catholic, but the children are Reform Jews like me. I light Friday night Shabbat candles, attend services occasionally and observe the holidays. I cook traditionally Ashkenazic Jewish foods (like kugel, borscht, teiglach, hamentashen, matzo brei, kneidlach, etc....). I have made it a point to give my children a good early education in Judaism by sending them to Sunday School as soon as they were old enough (age 4 at our synagogue) and also sending them to a Jewish Nursery School three mornings a week. So far, you would think that I would score a very high number on that question, wouldn't you?

Despite all of the above, however, I don't consider myself particularly "religious", per se. I know that there can be very many definitions of "religious" or "spiritual", but under my personal definitions of those terms, I don't really feel that they apply to me. I have to admit to not believing in G-d or a "higher power". When I am at services, I'm not actually "praying". I feel more like I'm reaffirming my commitment to being a good person and leading a good life and trying to make the world a better place.

So, where does that leave me? I suppose I'd best describe myself as a Humanist Jew. I guess I should take the average of the two side of my personal religious coin and just say that I'm a FIVE and let the pieces fall where they may.

Win a great Mothers Day gift!

2007-05-11T10:44:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to enter the Mothers Day contests at Five Minutes for Mom while there's still time! You could win an iPod or another great gift!!!

Thursday Thirteen

2007-05-10T22:52:00.000-04:00

13 things I'm thinking about or need to do:

1. Board meetings - why do that have to be so gosh-darn boring and unproductive?

2. I really need to go back to the optometrist to check out the killer eyestrain I've been experiencing.

3. ADD - a teacher who works (occasionally) with CutiePie thinks he's ADD. We're having a parent/teacher conference next week to discuss it, so before then, I need to do my homework and learn more about diagnosing it. I'm not convinced yet.

4. Interrogatories - need to finish these for work ASAP!!!!

5. Emails I need to return -- very many of them!

6. I'm so happy that I'm going to scrapbook with a friend this weekend!

7. CoffeeFest - a group of my friends are all getting together at one of our houses on Saturday morning to have coffee, talk, laugh and let the kids all play together. This very well may be the best part of my week.

8. I'm very thankful that RockStar has a good job that he loves, but I'm sick of his late hours! He's been getting home around midnight more nights than not for the last month or so. It's very tiring! I told him that maybe he should find a girlfriend instead of working so much! I'm not thrilled about the idea of him cheating on me, but I bet he'd be home a lot earlier!!!!! (Totally just kidding about the girlfriend idea!)

9. BigRed is getting old. He's 11 now and really showing his age. Like most older Golden Retrievers, he's going white. It started on his muzzle and is now spreading over his whole body. When we met him nearly 6 years ago, he was dark red all over. Now, it looks like he's been standing out in the snow for a few minutes! He's still the best dog EVER and I'm crazy about him, but I just can't get over how old he looks.

10. Mothers Day. I still haven't gotten cards or gifts for my mom or my mother in law. Better get busy!

11. The state of the house. It's a mess. Worse than it's been in a long while. I really need to spend a little time on it this weekend.

12. Library. I've got a lot of books and CDs to return. I'll do it Saturday.

13. Summer Activities. We're not going on a big vacation this summer, but we do have a lot of fun things planned. Lots of outdoor concerts, parties, daytrips, and visiting friends and family. I can't wait! Plus, I just love the warm weather and the long days!

Couldn't I be a rich girl?????

2007-05-07T12:38:00.001-04:00

This was pretty funny! The choices are limited, but I guess that's part of the humor!

I am Tzeitel!

Take the Fiddler on the Roof quiz at ChaiSpace.com

8 Random things about me!

2007-05-07T11:41:00.000-04:00

Nancy tagged me with this. Thanks, Nancy!

Here Are The Rules

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. I chew pens. I don't mean nibble or roll them around in my mouth. I mean CHEW them. My favorites are Bic Round stics because they're soft enough that they don't splinter (like a Papermate Ballpoint) and the cap doesn't pop out immediately. It is a horrible, disgusting, dirty habit, but I don't even know that I'm doing it most of the time! It's so bad that my kids YELL at me to get the pen out of my mouth. Before CutiePie could even talk, he'd point at my mouth and grunt in a VERY disapproving manner!

2. My secret dream job is to be a Park Ranger. I love being outside, I love talking, I love meeting people for very short periods of time, I love being an expert on something and I love introducing people to nature. Perfect, huh?

3. I'm going grey. Wah! It doesn't matter tooooo much, I suppose, because I've colored my hair since college. But it just seems different to be coloring it for fun and coloring it because I "have" to.

4. At the end of last week, I miscalculated and thought that my period was a week late. For about two days, the possibility that I was pregnant followed me everywhere. I didn't really think it was, but it was enough to make me wonder. Finally, at some point on Saturday, I had a few moments to think clearly about it and realized that I had somehow inserted an extra week into the month of April and that I wouldn't be late until today. Sure enough, Sunday morning, right on schedule..... well, you know!

5. When I was a child, I had a pretty serious speech impediment. After years and years of speech therapy, we finally found the right program for me and it stuck. I actually still have the problem, but I've been trained to speak correctly, so I don't screw up much. However, when I'm really tired I'll sometimes start slipping.

6. I love to mow the lawn. I have a standard push mower that is nothing fancy. I just like being outside, moving around, surrounded by white noise and not being bothered for 45 minutes. I also love to be able to immediately see the difference I've made in the lawn and I LOVE the way it looks when I'm done. I actually fight my husband for the lawnmower! Last week, I mowed my neighbors' lawn for them. They'd just had a baby and were out of town and their lawn was OUT OF CONTROL, so I mowed for them. They thought it was such a big sacrifice on my part. Little did they know that RockStar had beat me to mowing our lawn, so I was just looking for a lawn to mow!

7. I need more time alone. I like people. Really I do. I love my family - honestly. BUT, I really need more time with ME! Just to hang out, read, walk, think, etc... I'm very independent and don't mind doing anything by myself (going out to eat, movies, hiking, travelling, shopping) and I actually enjoy it. I've gone on vacation by myself and had a wonderful time! I just feel like, except for commuting to work in my car, I'm always surrounded by people. Even though I'm usually having a good time with all those people, I need a little more room!

8. At this point in my life, I'm a pretty optimistic person. I haven't always been, but right now, I'm comfortable enough with my life and my surroundings that I'm usually able to see the "silver linings" of life and of people. The little things that used to get me down and stick with me just don't anymore! I'm happy most of the time.

Hmmmm..... who to tag? Let's see...... how about ChaoticMom, Trace, ChipmunkMomma, Laura, Melissa, the lovely folks waiting for Buttercup, Greg Fishbone, and MommyBrain! TAG guys! You're it!!!

Who knew?

2007-05-04T13:39:00.000-04:00

So, HandsomeBoy and I were cuddled up in bed watching Iron Chef last night. When the secret ingredient is revealed with a florish to be tofu, HandsomeBoy breathlessly says to me, "Mommy! Tofu! I loooooooove tofu! Can we pleeeeaaase make it sometime? It's my favorite!"

We've had tofu. I cook with it occasionally. Never, however, has HB ever expressed a particular opinion of it, much less drooling on my covers as he watched Iron Chef Morimoto and the challenger construct various creative dishes from blocks of the stuff! Who knew?

Boy, kids can really be surprising!

Five on Friday

2007-05-04T13:27:00.000-04:00

This week's questions from Five on Friday:

If you were throwing an 80s themed slumber party...

1. What movies would you show?
Oh wow! Let's see.... in no particular order..... Ferris Bueler's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, The Road Warrior, Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan, Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Aliens and Ghostbusters!

2. What kind of food would you serve?
Pizza, M&Ms and cookie dough (eaten right out of the plastic wrapping, of course!)

3. Which childhood friends and crushes would you reminisce about?
Ideally, some of those childhood friends and crushes would be WITH me! I guess my husband counts - I met him in 1988!!!

4. Which trends and fads would you lament most?
Three words ---- PERMED BIG HAIR!!!!!

5. What board or card games would you incorporate?
Back in high school, there was always a game of Risk going on in the kitchen at EVERY party, so I think I'd be duty-bound to dig one up and set it out for any takers!

Thursday Thirteen

2007-05-03T11:19:00.000-04:00

13 things I thought about blogging about recently but never got around to:

1. A review of Dreamgirls, which I just rented the other night.
2. A review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which I saw with HandsomeBoy recently.
3. A review of Life of Galileo which I saw last week
4. Parenting and family behavior in our house compared to others
5. The 4th anniversary of my last miscarriage and the fact that I didn't realized it had passed.
6. My internal dialog about whether I should think about adopting another child and, if so, how old a child am I willing to consider and when should we do it.
7. Discussions I've had with people that make me so glad to be an American.
8. Running into the woman with whom my high school boyfriend cheated on me.
9. Meeting a Russian woman who also adopted from Russia and seeing her beautiful daughter who will be in school with HandsomeBoy and CutiePie next year.
10. RockStar's boss's retirement.
11. Mealplanning as the answer to so many of my personal issues!
12. ummmmmm....... American Idol and Dancing With the Stars???
13. An infinite number of cute things that the boys have done lately.

Here I am

2007-05-03T11:13:00.000-04:00

Wow. Look at this. I'm actually writing something in my blog! How about that?

Why don't I write more? It's not that I don't have anything to say! Of course, I'm busy, but aren't we all? I need to make the time to actually do it! There's certainly no shortage of cute kids stories, interesting things going on around me, interactions with other people that have left impressions on me and other potential topics that I could write about. I just need to sit down and do it.

I remember when I was in High School and again in Law School, I engaged in a bit of "self-therapy" by keeping a notebook with me at all times in which I could just write anything as it came to me. Now, I'm sure I'd cringe if I read what I wrote about, but at the time, it really helped to just be able to write it all down. My life today is nowhere as stressful as my life was back then, but I think keeping my blog could still help.

There are so many other bloggers out there who put so much effort into each post. I'm so impressed with them, but I know that if I try to publish an essay in each post, I'll probably never post again! Maybe I just need to jump on and scribble down a few thoughts and then move on with my day????

If there's anyone reading this and you keep a blog, do you have a way of doing it? A particular time of day or a schedule for blogging? Do you have a goal for each post? Or do you just wing it and not worry about it? I'm just curious.

Another contest!

2007-05-02T16:42:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to the new contest at 5 Minutes for Mom. Good luck!