Teacher Appreciation Week

One time, my dear friend asked me what she should get for her son's teacher.  That may have been the easiest question I have ever had to answer.  No brainer, gift cards.  I am a real teacher and I know what it's like to get all sorts of gifts.  I also know, and I am sorry to have to tell some of you this, but a lot of it ends up in the trash.  A gift card never ends up in the trash.  Don't get me wrong there are lots of practical ideas for gifts for teachers, even a plant or cactus would be nice.  But I don't want a figurine of any sort or a box of chocolates.  I don't even like half of the assortment choices.  I also really don't want bath products, unless you know exactly what I use.  And let me tell you something else, if you don't feel like buying something for your child's teacher, we get it times are tough, but at least get a card or handwrite a note thanking that person for spending valuable time with your child every day. 

Aside: Can I tell you something horrifying I heard around the holidays?  Teachers making wish lists for what they wanted......That is just awful, I am sorry.  I can't remember who told me, but I was completely dumbfounded.  I would NEVER do such a thing, mainly because I work with underprivileged children but also because I find that completely despicable.  I don't even understand anything that has to do with that?  Do they post it on the Blackboard page?  Do they send a flyer home to parents?  Do they post a list on their classroom door?  Seriously...........If it means I don't even receive even one note of gratitude, fine.  I would rather be unappreciated than greedy.  

Even as a parent of a preschooler, I am thinking about next week and something cute my son and I could do for his teachers, but when it really comes down to it, I know they will actually use a gift card.  Some appreciated ones that I have gotten in the past are Target (obviously), Starbucks, and American Express.  I even got an Old Navy one one time, score!  I know this probably seems selfish and impersonal for me to even be writing about, but I am just trying to save you guys time and energy but giving you a little inside information.  We gave my son's teaching staff Target gift cards for the holidays, so now I need to think of something else to give them in the next 48 hours for Teacher Appreciation.   

Weekly Photo Challenge: One

Each week I will try to provide a photo for creative inspiration.  I will post them on Last Call  on Fridays (hopefully). 
This weeks theme is "One."  Here's what I came up with:

One Who Watches Over the Garden

Throwback Thursday: Dorney Park

Oh Dorney! Where do I even begin?   The weather is getting warmer and everyone is starting to get out and play!  Warm and breezy weather floods my memory with smells of funnel cake, cotton candy and sounds of games and rides.  Growing up in Allentown, Pennsylvania visiting Dorney Park was just part of life.  Dorney Park is about 5 miles from my home where I grew up.   We started going to 'Dorney' at a very young age.   And when they came out with Season Passes, you HAD to have one.  I think I got one in 5th or 6th grade.  I love, love, loved it so much.  It has changed drastically over the past 30 years!  There wasn't even Wildwater Kingdom at the beginning.  The clown, Alfundo, who is no longer there, scared the crap out of me.  He had these really creepy, long, red fingernails.  I really could go on and on about the rides I loved and memories I have of Dorney Park, but it would be a major research project because I don't remember the names of everything!  I'll try to do a top 5 list favorite rides:

1.  Music Express

2. Thunder Creek Mountain

3.  Sea Dragon

4.  Journey to the Center of the Earth (I am fairly certain this ride was made for making out) 

5.  Thunderhawk

Wow, that was great, with the help of this 1988 pamphlet.  I'd also like to add that my favorite game is by far the horse racing game.  It looks like this.  No need to make a top 5 game list. This is it.  I could sit there for days rolling that little ball making my horse bound across the track to victory!   

I think my son is the perfect age for his first visit to Dorney this year.  Opening day happens to be this weekend!  I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and throwback to a true childhood delight.  TTFN!!

Why Re-Invent the Wheel: Butterfly

Spring is a wonderful time to do a lot of Science in a classroom.  We have a lot of great things going on right now including studying the life cycles of Butterflies and Frogs.  We have live tadpoles and caterpillars that we will watch go through their metamorphosis before our very eyes.  The children are ecstatic!  And, quite frankly, so am I.  Being that this is preschool age, finger paint is a MUST.  So we dipped their hands in the stuff and made two marks on one side of the paper.  Then we simply folded the papers in half, pressed firmly, and Voila!  Butterflies.  We also are going to allow the children to do a second layer in a different color once these dry.  Aren't they adorable?!  We use Lakeshore Washable Fingerpaint and  Lakeshore Fingerpaint Paper which does a wonderful job.  Regular construction paper sometimes gets too soggy.  Also, you can't teach about butterflies without reading Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  

Here is a list of Mr. Carle's other works as well.  He is a most wonderful author.  As promised, these ideas can be implemented in the home or school setting.  Also, don't forget to read with your child for 20 minutes a day for ages 3-5 to build a better reader.  This can be all at once or split into chunks of time.  

TTFN!

Finally

I know this may seem simple to some, but for some reason it has taken me FOR-E-VER to implement this silly little idea in my household.  The foyer (if you can call a 5x5 area that) and accompanying steps are not a storage spot for shoes.  I am no saint, I leave mine there too, but I have had it and put my foot down.  Last night I gave my son a choice to put his shoes in the basket or go to his room.  He dutifully obliged.  I love this basket.  It's Target of course,  Smith and Hawken.  And you can write your own label in chalk.  I plan to go through the basket as it fills up and place the shoes in their respective closets.  My plan is working like butta.  If this is a problem that plagues you as well, just get on it already.  One by one my neurosis are being effortlessly lifted away.  On to the next..........TTFN!

The ABC's of Me

Due to the overwhelming popularity of  25 Things You Might Not Know About Me (with 116 pageviews, whoo hoo!) I am keeping it real and adding some more tidbits about myself, in alphabetical order.  Just like I like it, neat, concise and organized.   
A -Age: 32

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: Emptying the dishwasher

D - Dog's name: No dog right now....And to rub salt in the wound I got her license renewal in the mail last week.  Boo Hoo

E - Essential start your day item: Coffee

F - Favorite color(s): Brown, Pink, Grey

G -Gold or Silver: Silver, White gold

H - Height: 5'6"

I - Instruments you play: None, I can play a little bit of Heart and Soul on the piano

J - Job title: Babysitter Teacher

K- Kids: 2

L - Living arrangements: Townhouse

M - Mom's name: Donna

N - Nicknames: Debbie-B, Debs, Bess

O - Overnight hospital stay: I don't even understand why this is one here! But I'll give it a whirl, Private??

P - Pet Peeve: Unsolicited advice, Yes I know I shouldn't turn my back on my purse in the shopping cart. Did I mention I have a mother? She lives in Pennsylvania.  Thanks and Piss off!  


Q - Quote from a movie: What's your damage?

R - Right or left handed: Left

S - Siblings: 1 sister 2 brothers

T - Time you wake up: 6 

U - Underwear: Boyshort

V - Vegetable you dislike: Radish

W - workout style: Not

X - X-rays you've had: Skull

Y - Yesterday's best moment: Soaking up the glorious rays of the sun

Z - Zoo favorite: Big cats, Lion, Tiger, Panther, etc.....

Instinct

Do you see the way I am palming the roof of the Cozy Coupe pictures above? Well that is what I felt like doing to the little girl's face who is swiping an egg from my sweet, innocent, defenseless son.  You can't really see him because of her unfair age advantage and his poor little arm only made it into the picture.  Basically what happened, at the Egg Hunt we went to on Saturday, was that I saw a pretty egg and I told Oden to come and get it because he wasn't getting that many eggs.  I don't think he was prepared for the rush and chaos involved in the hunt for candy!  Anyway, this little lady came and took it right out from under his reach. It really took everything out of me not to scream in her face and make her cry.  I became like a mother bear protecting her young.
Anyway, this weekend was so busy and so fun.  I'll add some pics to illustrate at the end and I'll keep it to a short concise list of things I loved about this past weekend:
1.  The Egg Hunt was fun
2.  Pruned a lot of the loathed Cherry tree (both days) with the help of my friend and her GIANT pruning shears.  I actually climbed a tree to accomplish this.  Didn't think I had it in me anymore.
3.  The weather was primo
4.  Easter morning was adorable.  Both kids loved their goodies
5.  Started reading James Patterson's Cross Fire.  One more hardcover after this and I am officially going paperless!
6.  Sat on my deck and sunbathed (the absolute highlight of my weekend)
7.  Ate brisket for Sunday (easter? passover?) dinner
8.  Tended to my garden
9.  Read tons on magazines
10.  Spent much needed time with my family
and now for imagery.............

Remember those irises I was telling you about?  Here is one that got knocked off when I chopped down one of the limbs of the tree.

This is what was left after I snipped the fallen stalk....how cool!

My daughter at the egg hunt

My son on this 85 degree day!

Tulip

This is been a glorious Spring Break!  Back to work tomorrow :( But the end IS now is sight!  In fact, if my calculations are correct I have 36 days left with my students! I CAN NOT wait for summer.  TTFN!

If you had to debate a younger version of yourself, who would win?

My Twitter Pic (@harobedsseb)

Hands down, my older, wiser, wittier, more charming self.  

In My Absence

ok, so I have been out of my blogging routine for a few days.  But for good reason.  My husband and I had the forunate opportunity to escape the madness for a few days to The Big Apple.  I grew up approximately 90 miles from NYC and always, always loved going there as a child.  I always wanted to share my love of the city with my husband.  So now we had our chance.  We dropped the kids off at my childhood home, in the loving care of my parents and off we went.  We also have the fortunate luck of being offered nights at the Hilton Club at 53rd and 6th Ave.  Incredible.  We had so much fun.  We walked around Times Square, visited the M & M Store, and FAO Schwartz.  We found a fantastic little restaurant, by pure luck.  We forgot to take a card on our way out, so I can't even tell you what it was called.  R (something) 7.  That is the extent of what I can recall.  It was so delicious, the Calamari was TDF :).  On Wednesday we headed to Madame Toussads Wax Musuem.  Amazing! We had a blast.  Here's one of my favorite pics of some of the fun was figures in the NY museum.  Why did I not know there is a D.C. location??  Did you?

After all this fun it was nap time.  Ahh! Love napping.  Then we geared up to meet up with an old friend at Jay Z's 40/40 Club.  We needed to find a location where my husband could watch the hockey game while my friend and I gabbed.  Much wine was consumed and teh night ended very poorly....for me.  But I won't bore you with the details.  Thursday morning we headed back to PA and resumed life as parents.  It's so nice to get away, but I really do miss the little munchkins while I am away from them. 
I realize I bricked on today's throwback, but the Underoos will have to suffice!    TTFN!

The Patriot

I really love a lot of things that are patriotic.  I don't know why, but red white and blue, stars and stripes, fireworks, etc., they speak to me.  Here are a few items i have purchased recently to show my love for the good ole' U.S. of A.

For me:

Lucky Brand Hope and Love Shirt

Sweaty Bands Lone Star

I also just got a really cute shirt at Target, obviously, but I can't find it online.  I'll keep trying :)

For my daughter:

Carter's Navy Fireworks Tee

Carter's Stars French Terry Shorts

I can't lie. These items might also remind me of my love my my Wonder Woman Underroos I loved so dear as a child.

These things rock.  Seriously, can i get an adult sized pair?  And can we discuss this poor kid in the Spiderman ensemble?   He is so scarred for life that his package is on the display for the world to see.
Check out this commercial.  How exactly did these kids get this job??
So in a nutshell, I love patriotic apparel.  I also enjoy patriotic home decor and CAN NOT wait for these puppies to debut.  

What do you want to accomplish with your blog?

This topic goes Right Along With 25 Things You Don't Know About Me # 19,  I mean obvioulsly I want a book deal. ;) Trust me I have so many ideas as far as reality shows and books it's not even funny.  I also just want to share my ideas and thoughts with others. I also just like venting and spewing what's on my mind.  It makes me feel great to get it out!  I would love for this to be a pathway to making an income equivalent or more than what I make now, but I really just like sharing my ideas; whether or not anybody gives a Sh!@ or not. 
I am enjoying my, about 6th, glass of Maneschewitz as we speak, so it's about time to sign off.  Happy Passover!  TTFN!

If I Could Go Invisible For One Day What Would I Do?

Wow. What a question!  What would I do, if I could go unnoticed for one whole day?  I would absolutely, no questions asked,  100%, sleep.  I would lie in bed, catch up on magazines and other printed materials, i.e. Jay Z's Decoded, which has been sitting untouched since I ordered it I can't even remember when, until I could no longer hold my eyelids open.  I would sleep, glorious sleep.
Where did I get this idea for a post?  The Daily Post.  I'll keep it up as long as I can :)  TTFN!

**And why the HELL does this image come up when I search for "Invisible" on Google Images??**

Pinkberry

Is there a reason why I have been in the dark about this celeb favorite for so long?   I mean, I am so lame that even my kids have tried Pinkberry before me.  Luckily my babysitter who raises takes awesome care of my children found one near the Barnes & Noble she takes them to for Storytime.  And she brought some home for me! Wow, have I been missing out.  I had the Original flavor with fresh blue, raz and strawberries.  TDF!  If you haven't had it yet, go out and treat yourself.  You can find one near you here.  The days of TCBY and I Can't Believe It's Yogurt are so over.  TTFN!!  

Allowance

So we have decided to start giving our son an 'allowance' on a trial basis.  We seem to have gotten to that point where he wants 'stuff' all the time.  Now, my husband and I have really tried hard not to get into the habit of buying him things every time we go somewhere.  We have been pretty consistent with it, but lately, our 4 year old just wants things.  Even when he does get something new, he immediately begins to covet the next thing he wants. Like, hello, Live in the Now!  After having a discussion with a friend yesterday at work, I am not totally convinced that I want to attach these things to monetary value, but I do want to him to begin to realize that we need to save our money up for the things we want to buy.  And we don't just go out and buy new stuff just for fun.  Maybe I should practice what I preach.  Now, you may be wondering why these are the 'chores' we I chose.  Shouldn't he be doing these things already? Aren't these expected behaviors?  Well, we have to start somewhere, peeps.  This is going to be a work in progress, a fluid document.  So let's start with things we want him to be doing and reward him for them.  Then, replace these with more 'chorey' types of things and these items will become part of the daily routine.  Also, I got this supercute Chore Chart  here.  We are going to use a Dot Art Painter (aka bingo blotter) to mark off when he does the chore.  Super fun for him!  

Today also kicks off our Spring Break, woohoo! So now is a great time to start cracking down on his housework and hoarding.  TTFN!

**Piggybacking on Spring Break, I am not sure if I will have daily postings due to our packed schedule, but I will do my best!**

On a School Night!?

As a lot of my nearest and dearest friends and family know, I am not good with change or spontaneous ideas or anything that I have not been able to plan or at least have my hand in a little bit.  I am also not really good with 'evening activities' during the week.  They get in the way of my re-organization of the children's toys, dinner, cleaning up the kitchen, general tidying (for what reason I have yet to know b/c the minute I walk out the door in the morning everything goes back t sh*#), and catching up on DVR'd shows.  Oh, and wine consumption.  Plus my daughter goes to bed EXTREMELY early, like 6 PM, so it's hard to ever do anything for fear of baby breakdown and public embarrassment .  So yesterday when I was talking to my lovely sister on my way home from work, and I informed her that my family was going to eat dinner at Cracker Barrel and then go to Family Jump Time at Pump it Up, she asked cautiously, "On a school night?" Yup, on a school night.  I was actually really excited about it and it worked out very well.  Both kids were well behaved at the restaurant and had a blast running around it P.I.U.  I was also very excited to order my favorite Cracker Barrel offering, Eggs In a Basket (sometimes known as Rocky Mountain Oysters Toast) with a side of Hash Brown Casserole and bacon, as pictured above.  I mean really, does it get any better, minus the fact that is goes straight to the ass and arteries?  My plate was so clean at the end you would have thought I licked it.  I was kind of embarrassed. Anyway the Hash Brown Casserole at Cracker Barrel is T.D.F. (To Die For), a little abbreviation I made up over the weekend. My husband was mortified when I uttered my new term and my mother was elated.
I am really proud of myself for participating in this family event that I would otherwise shy away from.  It was a success!  Yay me.............TTFN!

T.V. Really is The Devil

Today confirms why there are guidelines and recommendations for not allowing children to watch t.v.
My son hears music in the neighborhood and yells "It's the ice cream truck"
My jaw hits the ground.  For 4 years my husband and I had him.;  It's the Music Truck of course! It drives around and plays music for little children.   All if this lying and scheming was to avoid this.  Aside: one of my favorite Eddie Murphy bits of all time.  Anyway, I let this little statement go without responding and revisit later when he is winding down for the night.  Here is how the conversation went:
Me: Hey! Did you hear the Music Truck earlier? (I am so stealth!)
Son: Yeah, but it was an ice cream truck
Me: Hm, how did you know it was an ice cream truck?
Son: Because I saw it was white (??what??)
Me: Oh, but how did you find out it was an ice cream truck?
Son: I saw it on PBS

Thanks a lot! All that hard work and lying right down the drain..........Oh well, now I will just have to lie about not having any money.

I Can Not Tell a Lie

I am about to go all George Washington on the cherry tree in my front postage stamp yard.  I feel like burying a hatchet in it.  Before I go on, my apologies for not writing yesterday,  it was simply a hugely busy day which and I simply could not muster up the strength to be witty or charming.  Just ask my better half.
I have talked about this tree previously (see Cherry Blossoms).  While I love the blooms, that is about all I love about it.  Let's discuss what I don't love.  1.  It needs a trim.  It seriously resembles a weeping willow at this point.  2.  The blooms are starting and it's only a matter of time before the yard and front steps turn pink and I go crazy and try to attach the broom and dustpan to my arm like Inspector Gadget.  Ooh, or maybe some helicopter blades that can pop out when I need to be carried away to my 'Happy Place' literally!  Aside: Did anyone else really want to be Penny or was it just me?  3.  I am pretty sure it brings ants.  I have suspected this in the past and my mother confirmed this yesterday.
It's really hard for me to talk about having ants in my kitchen because for the most part I am a clean person.  And I associate ants and other critters with the opposite of cleanliness.  But in this case, that can't be true.  I would hate for anyone to read this and think "oh my, she has ants! what a sow!"  Serioulsy if you could see me on all fours cleaning up crumbs on an hourly basis, you would know I am a clean freak.  Which brings me to another point.  We really need another dog.  Ahh, this post is going nowhere...........fast.  I have decided if you have kids and they are still of age to drop food on the floor, a family dog is a must for cleaning up.  Luckily I met a really nice man yesterday with the most gorgeous Rottie I have ever seen.  I took it upon myself to ask him where he acquired such a beast and he gave me the name of his breeder.  This particular young fella was 6 mo and already 90 lb's.  This particular breeder breeds for size and temperament.  I am so excited to get in touch with them!  His paws were immense, but he was so sweet and even tried to sit on my lap, literally knocking me over!   Anyway, I have never cleaned the floor so much since November.  Even with all of Lux's shedding, it was nothing compared to what I sweep up now.
Ok, so I spent yesterday the afternoon cleaning out the pantry, spraying with Raid (yup, I am a horrible mom and don't feel like messing around with natural cleansers; we all breathed in Raid as youngsters and turned out pretty decent)   and setting ant traps.  The cleaning was actually a long time coming! It felt great to sort out unneeded items and organize items that go together.
The last thing I want to say, to end on a positive note, is that clippings from the tree make beautiful centerpieces.  I just clipped a few stragglers from the branches and arranged them in tall clear vases.  I also brought one arrangement to school to support our study of trees and flowers.      
So let's recap:  I had a great busy weekend, found a reliable Rottweiler breeder (although rescuing is still not out of the question) and a clean pantry.  If you were wondering what has been happening in my life since Saturday, you are now us to speed.  TTFN!

Blowing Kisses

When I started this blog, I made a rule not to mention my children's names and not to post any pictures of them.  I have to break my rule because this is just too darn cute!  I am surprised she even humored me with food in front of her, because this toddler eats like it's nobody's business.  My daughter is learning so much these days! Blowing kisses is something we have been working on for a few days and she has finally got it!  I can't wait to see what she'll do next.   Maybe add a few words to her vocabulary! I really don't like to compare kids, and i Know I shouldn't, but I have a list of what my son was saying by June 19th (wow I have issues) after his 1st birthday, and it was a lot.  In fact I have it right here.  So, his b-day was in February, so by June he was 16 months old.  Here is what he was saying: bye bye, dada, kitty, look!, whoa, cheese, please, baby, up, car, mama, woof woof :(, no, don't, hello, backpack, uh oh, berry, dog, jersey, cracker, oh my, all done, sit down, quack, okay, keys, argh!, gege, pop pop, puppy, up, bubbles, ball & last but not least, Dora.  So not only words, but 2 word phrases. Yikes little lady, you have A LOT of catching up to do.  In her defense, he never waved, or blew kisses :)

**A little developmental information about why babies/toddlers wave towards themselves is because that is what THEY see when WE wave at them.  They are literally copying exactly what they see.  Just a little tip in case you were wondering and/or thought it was a little off that your child does that, it's a very typical behavior :)** 

The Early Bird Catches the Worm

I have commented on two blogs this week about the importance (at least for me) of getting up before anyone else in my household does.  Let me clarify, this only happens during the week.  On the weekends, I slumber until I hear my name being called or someone playing in their crib.  Let me make this simple, here is what I accomplished today, all before 7 a.m.

1.  Shower and go through the awful process of 'getting ready'
2.  Make coffee
3. Pack lunch for preschool and remember to put Spring pics back in the backpack to be returned to the photographer
4. Write 3 blog postings
5. Check gmail, yahoo, and outlook emails and facebook notifications
6. Pack my bag (breakfast, lunch, water, snacks, things to be mailed, candy)
7. Drink a cup of coffee
8. Dry hair
9.  Run dishwasher
10.  Carry laundry basket of folded clothes upstairs otherwise a certain one year old will tear it up!
11. Pour travel mug of coffee and out the door (7:15 a.m.)
If that is not productive, I don't know what it.
Now not every morning goes so smoothly, especially if one of the kids wakes up early.  But most days this time is sacred to me.  So if you want to feel great about yourself and alleviate some stress for when you get home, go sharpen your beak and catch a big fat slimy one!

I am loving this artist, and I am pretty confident this is what some of my readers are thinking about my topic :)

This Is A Test

 This test is to help determine why the 'f' I can't share posts from Last Call to Facebook with the easy touch of a button.  Sit tight, I WILL figure it out...........

Throwback Thursday: Photo Hunt

Many moons ago my friend, who will remain, nameless and I were seriously professional Photo Hunt players.
The Place:  Our neighborhood haunt
The Drink:  Miller Lite on tap
The Time:  Any night of the week
The Munchies: Cheese fries
The Music: Who knows? Whatever we put on the jukebox, but I can guarantee that Bad Company's Shooting Star was played. Oh! And there was definitely Britney's Lucky played in the car on the ride home with harmonization.  We were so stinkin' good at that game...at first......After the beers began to flow more frequently and hours (I mean literally hours) passed, we would really suck.
Oh, good times!  This habit began shortly after graduating from college and continued on for about a year until my husband, then boyfriend moved out of the apartment we shared with my nameless friend and her then boyfriend, now husband.  If we weren't at home playing A**hole at the dining room table, we were out playing Photo Hunt.  We would literally sit there for hours and drink, only to stand up to go to the bathroom and realize just how inebriated we had gotten. You know that feeling? Those were super-fun times, however now a days when we try to emulate how young and fun we were, you end up playing beer pong with champagne (SMART!) and someone ends up with buffalo chicken dip vomit on their armchair.  Sorry nameless friend, I am just not the girl I used to be.  Actually, I am better :)

Why Re-Invent the Wheel: Crafts

I recently got this Paint Your Own Gnome kit at my favorite store, Target, of course.  Seriously, my love affair with that place is out of control.  This kit is only available in stores and it's only 5 smackers! I picked up one for my 2 1/2 year old niece as well.  My son and I painted this little friend, and when I say little I mean it.  I was all excited about it and the gnome is like 3 inches tall!  Oh well, it was still fun.  Maybe I should retract that, fun? He wanted to paint this little guy one way and I another.  He would start and I would frantically say "oh! why don't you let me help you with that.....' and snatch the little paintbrush before he could get a word in.  Ugh, I am so controlling.  I should have just let him go at it.  Oh well, in the end I did share the task with him and he looks pretty cute.  Plus, when I would add a little detail, my son would praise me for being such a good artist.  Ha. That's hilarious because stick people are hard for me to draw.  Another craft I picked up at Michaels the other day is a Makit & Bakit Suncatcher.  My sister and I made these like they were going out of style back in the 80's.  I can not wait to get started!  Needless to say, my son will not be invited.  I love him dearly, but if he mixes those little crystals I might faint.  

Empty

I've got nothing.  I am so tired and out of it today for some reason, even sitting in front of this computer is pissing me off.  I will try to make up for it with an incredible topic for tomorrow...................

Mommy Guilt

This topic could could so so many ways, but my original thoughts were about how I am ridden with guilt anytime I leave the house alone to do errands, or just have time to myself.  Let me clarify, this means my better half is left at home with the cherubs.  I feel like I have to get everything done as quickly as possible and I rush around like a maniac and forget half of what I supposed to accomplish, which turns into more trips later on, producing more anxiety and guilt.  Anxiously checking my watch, do I have time for one more store, can I make my way back to the other side of store in time because I saw something really cute and on sale!?  Sound familiar? Come on, I know I have some issues, but I KNOW you feel this way too!  Why does this happen?  Why do we feel guilty when we leave the house without our children?  Why shouldn't we be able to do these things alone without feeling like we are doing something wrong? Don't we deserve some uninterrupted me time, or time to stroll the aisles of the grocery store in peace? Somehow this idea brought me to one of my favorite children's books, which led me to this picture and the following caption someone wrote: "So, let me get this straight, the mom goes to run errands and leaves the baby with a Rottweiler?  Good plan.  I think there should be a sequel to this book called Bad Mommy, Joyce where CPS shows up, takes the stick of butter out of the kid's hand and finds a good home for the little fella."
I could not disagree more (I mean not that I would leave my child alone with a dog) but we should all be so lucky to have such a loyal, protective, guardian for our children; and if we could just run out to the store for some milk, that would be great.  
Anyway, back to the topic, mommy guilt, it sucks.  If anyone has a way of repressing these feelings please share.  The rest of of us are anxiously awaiting. :)

Newsworthy

I found two new magazines at Target this morning, Lucky Kids and The Nest, which I am now laughing that I bought because it is totally geared towards newlyweds!  And apparently its not THAT new; I think it was put on newsstands back in July 2010.  New to me anyway.  This seems to be a recurrent theme lately.  Oh well, maybe I will get some ideas for the home nonetheless.  I did not buy Lucky Kids....yet!  I know myself and I will see things I like and start obsessing about where to find the best deal and if my kids even need it, but I want it!  And then I will start filling my internet shopping carts with items that are not destined to be ordered.  It's a vicious cycle really and I chose to stop it before it even started.  I took one look inside that magazine at all the cute clothes and new products and toys and starting having heart palpitations.  Nope, I made a sound, mature choice to put that magazine right back where I it belongs. On the magazine rack.  Now I have more time to devote to learning how to be an effective newlywed, ironing perhaps?  

Tootles!

  

T-Ball

Today was supposed to be my son's first official t-ball game! We had opening ceremonies which began promptly at 9 a.m.  Getting my son suited up for the morning festivities brought such joy to my heart! I know it sounds cheesy, but seeing him in his little cleats and pants and jersey was just so stinkin' cute!  Very reminiscent of myself back when I played softball.  I was able to find two pictures, one from the spring of 85' on the left and the other from 86'.  My husband has always said I look like Tanner from the Bad News Bears (in the left pic).  Coach J. says his t-ball team is kind of similar to this classic movie as well.
Well, imagine the screeching brake sound you hear in cartoons.  The first paragraph was written prior to 3 pm, and soon after we experienced rain and hail.  Hence, our first game was cancelled! Bummer!  At least we got some cute pics of the kids this morning and some vintage softball pics of myself :)  As for future games, Emmie and I will be rocking this Double Chair with Umbrella & Cooler in case of impromptu weather.

Enjoy the following pics!

For My Children

Willow Tree Beautiful Wishes

This is my wish for you: 

Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, 
Rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, 
Hugs when spirits sag, sunsets to warm your heart, 
Friendships to brighten your being, beauty for your eyes to see, 
Faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, 
Patience to accept the truth, courage to know yourself, 
Love to complete your life.
-Anonymous

Enjoy your weekend.  TTFN!