A Day of Spinning

The family and I went out to an amusement park today. We had a lot of fun. My kids love everything that spins. Their dad isn't in to spinning rides so I get to ride everything they want--assuming it's not an undersized kiddie ride.

Both of them are sleeping now. Earliest they've both been asleep in months. I'm relishing in the peace and quiet. About two hours ago I took this picture of the future pilot.
I mostly ran out to the couch because I knew he was asleep. While he was asleep he let out a very cute giggle. It tickled me that he was having happy dreams. It means he was having a good sleep. I still did wonder though. What was he doing in that dream? What he reliving the events of the day? Or was he tormenting his sister? The dog? Me???!!! Nah, it had to be the day. It WAS a good one.

Space Invaders

So today started out pretty good. I went to work and afterwards picked up Brownie gear for my daughter and then went home. Tonight we were taking the kids to the fair. Just a good night out with the kids and my husband. Nice normal stuff.

Well, have you ever run into someone you that you haven't thought about in some time? Someone that you have not allowed to invade your mind in years? And then suddenly the evening that was so perfectly normal turns into a not so normal night. That is what happened to me. There we were watching the events and having a grand time and this little girl pops up and of course you want to see who the parents are and then you see them. That beautiful little girl belongs to them and she's not the baby she was when you last saw her.

We had been friends for years but for almost six now we haven't been. But because you run into this person, that should no longer come into play, suddenly your life doesn't seem normal. You are too fat, your hair is overly frizzy and out of order, your clothes are frumpy, and you are checking your kids over to see if they are slicked down and shining bright. Or at least that was how I reacted. I don't even know if they noticed me and my family. I just knew that I was torn. Did I want them to notice me? Didn't they look charming and perfect? More perfect than me. And suddenly just because you saw them your night was consumed not by flashing carnival lights or the smells of farm animals but instead of them.

I regret that I let moments like this get to me like they do. The fact that I just allow myself to dwell on them like I do. I'm sure there must be some sort of therapy for me. Something that will remind me that my family is perfectly wonderfully normal for me. It's just that right now...well I just wish they hadn't invaded the evening.

Am I the only one this happens to?

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. She's a really special woman. She was at the end of the drive waiting for my daughter to get off the bus when I got home from work today. She's always there for me when I need her. I wished her a happy birthday. She informed me a (upscale nursery/florist) truck had arrived earlier at her house (she lives behind me). I commented that it must have been the work of my little brother, and his wife and silently prayed to God that I would not be jealous at their clever scheme to brighten Mom's day. Now it's not that I forgot my mom's b-day or anything that drastic. It's just that the present I chose has not arrived yet. Therefore she will not delight in it on her actual birthday. Just in case any of you were thinking I was horrible enough to forget such a special occasion.

We gathered my little girl and walked to my house. She chatted for a bit and skipped on home. She called me about fifteen minutes later. I figure that was about long enough to take in every bloom on this...

but it wasn't from whom I had expected. Worse!! It was from my far far far away sister! The one so many miles away I don't even think Michael Phelps could make it there without stopping first--I don't think he could anyway. I mean but he's fast so maybe. No, no. Even he couldn't.

So I was instructed to make my way down there lickity split to lay my eyes on the beauties. (Actually I was instructed to e-mail lil sis immediately and let her know they were lovely) I thought what better way to let her know then to post it here.

Aren't they lovely?

I mean look really close...
I just love daisies. Every color of daisies. I think lil sis did this to rub it in. Well, maybe not. I mean my mom is a special person. And she loves flowers. EVERY flower. My life is better because of her and she deserves all the treasures anyone wants to bestow upon her.

My mom. Not a day over...well...let's just say. She's very young for her age. Happy Birthday Mom! (I'd post a picture but I'm an amateur blogger. It creeps me out a bit--even if I do enjoy looking at everybody else's nice families) Trust me though. She's beautiful. And young. For her age.

After the Storm...Thankful

So whenever there are hurricanes and other people suffer from a lot of damage not much happens in my part of the world. I am thankful for that. Sometimes we suffer an extended period without electricity and while I whine and complain I know that is a small small inconvenience considering what others have to deal with.

Nevertheless my family and I secured the patio furniture--thank you to my husband who came to my rescue before I had to lug the patio umbrella out of the center of the table while it was pouring down rain. Not only did the drenched feeling scare me sometimes ooky stinkbugs like to crawl inside that thing and I don't like those things. AT ALL!

After that was all taken care of I came inside and defrosted a delicious blueberry muffin and began to decide whether anything at the store was indeed exciting enough for me to venture out for. Again, my husband, rescued me and went out instead taking the future pilot!! A true treat indeed. It gave me plenty of time to catch up on blogs, sort some papers, and do some laundry.

The worst part of the storm was supposed to hit our area between noon and 6pm. We did get a bit of rain. At 5pm this was the state of things to the north...
to the east...

to the northwest...and to the west at 7pm.
Oh and the power? It flicked off then on one time. That was it. Thank you God.

Be Gone You Micro Pests!

My sister made me promise that I would post a poem I wrote over the summer on my blog. I was really hesitant to do it until Jennifer admitted fighting the same battle we had. The battle was headlice and for about a month I really thought we would not win. Everyone in the house was checked on a daily basis and sometimes more often.

We really did feel like a bunch of monkeys.



I tend to write poetry when I'm extremely emotional. This pretty much sums up the trauma.


Itchy itchy scratchy scratchy bugs are in my head.
I've washed and picked and picked and washed and still they are not dead.
Crummy, dirty, ooky, angry, this is how I feel.
Pinch me, poke me, hit me, wake me, tell me it's not real.
I can't take it anymore I swear I want to die.
Washing, picking, itching, scratching; all I do is cry.
Get these things out of my head I can't take it anymore.
Itchy, bumpy, swollen red, my head oh my so sore!"

So, if you ever, God forbid, have a bout with these and need some emotional comfort, drop me a line. I'll send you e-mails filled with sympathetic support.

My Favorite Room

So it was mentioned that I gave up my favorite room in the house to give my kids a playroom. It used to be MY sun room. MY office. My quiet little sanctuary. The place I could peer outside in any season and see nature's beauty.

I guess the thrill wore off when it got too hard to get out of the papasan chair really quick if the kids stopped playing nicely (a better sounding way of saying beating each other up). I found myself not going out there much. So I figured maybe I could get them to keep their toys out of the family room if they had a room of their own. "Maybe this will work!", I said to myself. So I moved all of my stuff out and their stuff in. Voila playroom.

As you may have seen in yesterday's post though, their toys don't always stay in THEIR playroom. Sometimes they travel here...

and of course sometimes here...
and even, strangely enough, here...
but rarely, if ever, do they travel here...
because this is "Mommy's room".
Mommy keeps this one room pristine. Oh don't get me wrong. It's not "just for company". It's not just a "looking at" room aka the living room. Why do they call in a living room by the way if you don't really "LIVE" in it? I mean you have the family room where you can be messy and eat and really LIVE. Then you have the living room where, well...you relegate it to just hoity toity company. We don't have one of those. No, "Mommy's room" is where Mommy goes to read, do homework, pay bills, and to get away from the ever present tv. It's also where Mommy goes to read to the kids and I'm not the only one who likes the quietness I can assure you.

Just ask my pillow flattener...
My pillow squasher likes me to think she's hiding from the kids but I know deep down she just wants to squash my pillows because she likes to watch me waste time re-fluffing.
Because she just simply CAN NOT REST until they are sufficiently...
SQUASHED!

Oh I Love Saturdays!

Mmmmm. Saturda-aaays. Is there anything better? The day when you get to sleep in two hours later--sometimes. The day when you aren't rushing off somewhere. Can you see the beauty? So my husband just left to go to the warehouse store and here I sit. With time on my hands. Safe in my comfy chair that is mine and mine alone. Really. As long as I sit here I can pretend I don't have anything to do.

I mean, afterall, I don't have back-to-back parties to attend. Grocery shopping can wait. I have no external lunch plans. I can stay home all day long and...

straighten the bookshelf...

or maybe pick up some clothes or put away a few airplanes.

Hmm, or maybe I should just...

straighten

the playroom? Or well, maybe the kitchen table?

Wow, all of this and there are three loads of laundry left to wash, dry and fold. Does anyone else feel as tired as me? But hey! See the waffle in that last picture? I told you people eat here sometimes!!! Happy Saturday to everyone. Off to make the house livable again.