Retirement Living

In hopes of a minute of peace today I locked myself in the hall bathroom with an Our State magazine. A couple of days trapped inside due to snow actually made this sound entertaining. Shortly thereafter the door knob shook.

"I'll be out in a minute," I said.

Silence, good he went back to watching cartoons. I proceeded to skim another advertisement for an upscale resthome. Would they let me live there? I like Scrabble and sweat tea.

Clonk, clonk, clonk. Shake, rattle, shake, giggle. He was back and wearing a pair of my heels.

"I said, I'll be out in a minute." I bet retirement living is quiet.

Dylan replied, "Mom, you wanna go on a date?"

I opened the door and there he stood in my black pointy toe shoes paired with his pajamas. A wide grin had taken over his sweet face.

Looking Forward

After my mini-pity party (last blog post) I decided to be thankful instead of Debbie Downer. Here are some events I'm looking forward to...

1. Girl Scout cookies (yes, Thin Mints can be considered an event)

2. sledding (hopefully it'll snow this weekend!)

3. American Idol's Hollywood episodes

4. Girls Night Out (I just may break out the heels:)

5. no more diapers or pull-ups (one day, right?)

6. Dylan helping with more household chores. He's now learning to take out the trash and putting his dirty clothes in the hamper (he calls it his "hampster").

7. summer beach trip

8. visiting my mom and good friend in a couple of weeks

9. Mama Mia! - Sunday at DPAC (yay!)

10. Did I mention Girl Scout cookies?

Time Out

Ever feel like yelling, "Time out!" with the hopes of everything stopping?

No spam, junk mail or Facebook would be a nice start but if eliminating time-sucks isn't a likely option we should be able to push a slow motion button. Growth spurts are crazy as my little boy went from a toddler to a Sasquatch in less than a month. And I do not like going weeks without talking to my best friend or missing Izzy's return on Grey's Anatomy but I'm guilty of both.

Why is it difficult to remember that I have hobbies? Why have I stopped sending birthday cards to my loved ones? Why do I avoid rush hour traffic (in my tiny town) and no longer feel comfortable in heels?

I don't want life to pass me by. I want to be present and witness growth and blog about some of it.

What do you do to slow down and feel real?

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Recently at a post Christmas soup and sandwich party I accompanied my three year old to the restroom. I buttoned his jeans for the sixth time that day while he flushed the potty. At the end of a heavy sigh he said, "What a beautiful sound," and smiled like he was in love.

I paused for a minute to see if I could hear our aunts and uncles singing or someone strumming a guitar. Nope, he was talking about the flush.

After I picked myself up from the floor and managed to compose a straight face he had another goofy smile. He knew we were on to something and whispered, "Go tell the people what I said."

So I did and the house bellowed with laughter.

Shenanagins

Ever wonder what your significant other really does when they leave on a "guy trip?"

My husband has gone Phishing again but this time in NYC. When he goes on these hippy excursions I'm usually not too worried about him being tempted by the opposite sex. However, being in the Big Apple is another story. More koi in the pond than his average 1:5 concert crowd if you know what I mean.

Come to find out my jealousy was not to be taken lightly. Just look at the shenanigans he's been up to...





Dayum, Dora! First you win the affection of my children? And now my man? I'm calling Swiper. Watch your backpack, homewrecker!

Ta Daaaa!

When I first snapped this photo I was oh-so-proud of myself. Now, after just tossing six day old gravy and sloshing cranberry sauce in the trash my turkey portfolio gives me "the feeling." What is "the feeling?" Well, it can be used to describe a situation that leaves you with the hibby jivies, creepy crawlies, or any other sense of uncomfortableness.

"The feeling" was started by a college roommate to characterize everything from the cafeteria smell to the 30 year old frat boy. Try it a couple of times and you'll begin to understand it's vast appropriateness.

Anything over the holidays give you "the feeling?"

Thanksgiving List

Turkey...check.
Canned cranberry sauce...check.
Sweet potatoes and marshmallows...check.
Stuffing stuff...check.

What else do you need, really?

Oh, wine! Duh! Check. Um, I mean, er, I'll get some more.