Happy Holidays!

This is the photo we used to create our holiday card. It was really fun to make, we went through a half gallon of Egg Nog in 15 minutes. If the dog didn't lick her eggnogstache off, she'd be in the photo too.

Happy Holidays to all my reader!

PS if you're the drinkin kind, I learned a new drink on the Office: Nog A Sake, 1 part eggnog and 3 parts sake!

My Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family tree template - Family history

White Ponies and Unicorns

My 8 year old daughter and her BFF had a sleepover on Saturday. Its awesome because they are so stinking cute and spend a lot of time together and get along so well. This little girl did spend the night one other time and my daughter has spent a few nights at her house, so I didn't give it a second thought that this may not be an easy night. 3:24 am I get a knock on my bedroom door, its BFF, crying hysterically, she misses her mom, it was that type of crying that she couldn't breathe, she was just sobbing. This is very out of character for this girl as she is normally so happy and outgoing.
Hmmmm......
So I took her into the kitchen and we both got a glass of water so we could sit down and discuss this. I really really really didn't want to be driving her home at this hour. I had slept off my wine buzz from earlier, but I was just wanting to sleep.
Did you girls have a fight? no.
Are you scared? a little
Do you feel sick? no, I just want my mommy.
After much discussion I finally concluded that I must take her home, so I told her to gather her belongings and then we'd call her parents to tell them we were on our way. As she started gathering her things, she looked at me and said, "I really do want to stay". So here's how it went down: The 2 girls laid on the trundle bed and I laid on my daughters bed next to them and held BFFs hand.........every few minutes she'd say to my daughter, "I can't sleep" and my daughter would awaken and offer some great piece of advice like, "just close your eyes and try" or my favorite, "just lay here and think about white ponies and unicorns, thats what I do". I have to admit, I giggled out loud at that one. Anyway, I guess we all dozed off because I woke up at 6:15, still holding her hand and snuck back in my room so I could hopefully fall back asleep to dream about hot mysterious vampires white ponies and unicorns.

The Secret is out!

Damn.
They know its me.
Here I thought it was a well kept secret all this time.
I figured it all out this morning when my husband let it slip, he called me the Laundry Fairy. And here I thought they really did think a fairy came in our house and washed, dried, folded and put away all their clothes.
I'm bummed.

I'm a Hot Commodity, oh yeah

I gave blood the other day. Yay me. The American Red Cross comes to my work every 8 weeks. Its a good thing, right? The whole ritual is so funny though. I know they must ensure that they are getting most pristine blood out there, but really........I just gave blood in July and had I somehow had unprotected sexual relations with a Haitian, HIV positive, Hemophiliac, Drug Addict since then......really I think I'd know it, there is no need to ask me that question 5 different ways, tying to trick me into admitting it. Also, if that event had occurred, I think I'd have bigger issues going on and wouldn't necessarily be trying to pawn off my tainted blood. So I go through the whole Q & A thing, and pass with flying colors. Time to prick my finger to see if my iron level is ok to donate. Every time I get this done, they tell me I got the lowest number possible, so I can donate but if it were one thousandth of a point lower, I'd have gotten the big red flag. Now I know that since I have O negative blood, I'm a hot commodity, so I think that they see my iron number and just tell me that I skirted by just so they can have some of my precious blood. I'm surprised they don't suck it from both arms once they hear my blood type. OK, next is the blood pressure test. I normally have very low blood pressure......so the dude straps me up and starts pumping away at me (heehee)......then he releases a bit....pump me back up harder.....release a bit......pump me back up YET AGAIN.....he says "I'm not getting anything" so I said, "Dude, its really low, just be patient and please release my arm a little".......so finally he gets it.......and he looks at me in amazement and says, "yeah, it IS really low". I really think he thought I was dead - he checked my pulse 3 times after that.

OK, I'm all set, here is the part I just hate (but I do it every 8 weeks because its a good thing). Lying on the makeshift bed they put up in a conference room at work, in a room with other co-workers draining into bags. I can't look around, because I'm not crazy about the sight of blood, especially dripping out of people I see every day. So I seriously lie there stare at the ceiling and just pray that one of the Red Cross workers don't get caught on any of my blood tubes hanging down the side of the cot and trip and fall and most importantly don't rip the needle and my arm right from my body, in turn making my blood squirt all over the conference room and my co-workers. THAT, my friends, is what I think about the whole entire time I lie there squeezing and releasing the little stick they gave me as a prize. Then they give me this sheet of paper with a number to call in case I suddenly remember that sexual encounter and want to alert them to not use my blood. Would I put myself through all of this if I wasn't sure I was sparkling clean?

Is anyone else this neurotic?

PS Speaking of blood......since I'm now 2 books deep into the Twilight series and seriously hoping to someday really meet a vampire.......blood donation day is NOT the day I want this to occur. What if one of my co-workers is a vampire? This gives me a whole new neurotic thing to ponder while I lie there at work with no blood pressure, no iron and both arms draining my liquid gold blood.

PPS I also fear that if I get rejected because of my iron level then my co-workers will see me get rejected and they'd all think that I'd just recently had unprotected sexual relations with a Haitian, HIV positive, Hemophiliac, Drug Addict.

Embarassing Mom moment number 456

My oldest son is in fifth grade and they are the Big Kids on Campus this year. I'm on a committee with 4 other women to plan events for the fifth graders at school. One of the tasks is raising money, so I volunteered to spearhead the first big fundraiser, they're selling KidStuff Entertainment coupon books. It is a great fundraiser, we get 50% of the profit and the coupons are really valuable. I volunteered for this because working full time, carting boyscout, cheerleader and spaz to their respective (many) activites, going to the beach on weekends, maintaining the Home and School website, cleaning (or not cleaning) my house, doing laundry, shopping, cooking and everything else just wasn't enough for me to do. Anyway, we gave 3 of these books to each of the 91 fifth graders and told them to sell what they can, if they need more to let me know and return what they can't sell......all in 3 weeks. The sale ends today.

Early one morning last week I quickly typed up a 'reminder' email message and sent it to the entire fifth grade. I reminded them that there was one week left, reminded them of what they need to do, reminded them of the prizes and I thought I'd put a little pep speech at the end.

This is what I wrote at the end to motivate them: "Sell Sell Sell! We want to make this year as awesome as possible f you YOU!"

Yup, I just said 'f you' to the whole fifth grade.

Its been a week and I'm still hearing about it.

PS My son doesn't know about this, as I already embarrassed him twice during the sale. Once when I went in the classes to promote the sale and left my purse in one of the classrooms; and then the second time when I accidentally sent my car keys home with the coupon books for one of the other students. I should just stop.

Nothing to say

A Journey Through Time

What is it about the band Journey that makes every guy who graduated high school in the early 80's want to break out their 1981 acid-washed Jeans with the boner bump, their tight sleveless t-shirts and revisit the mullet? Now, I'll admit, I listened to Journey back in the day, but they are no where near the top 10 or even 20 bands that I'd choose to listen to today.

I'm speaking from experience. My husband who graduated HS in 1982, self-taught himself Open Arms on the piano a few years ago. In order to self teach it, and by self-teach I mean play by ear, he must play the same thing over and over and over and over again. I never said anything as I was glad he had the interest in the piano he talked me into purchasing. One day he said to me, 'I bet you're getting sick of hearing Open Arms' and I quickly replied, 'Well, I was sick of hearing it in 1982, but thats just me'. On his last birthday, I got him 4 bar stools, 2 tickets to a Flyers game and one cheesy Journey concert DVD. He actually jumped a little with excitement upon opening the DVD. Since then, we've watched that DVD about 31676343616 times and the other day it was actually playing in the TV section of Walmart (choice of a 40-sumthin male employee, no doubt) and my 4 year old son screamed, "Mom, they're playing Dad's movie".

My husband took the kids to the shore last week while I was away on business. I think he either took his DVD or infiltrated their MP3 players with Journey. I keep catching the kids singing Journey songs. My 8 year old daughter was humming "Don't Stop Believing" last week. Just yesterday, the 4 year old was walking around the house singing, "Any way you want it thats the way you need it, any way you want it."

I know that they just hired a new Steve Perry-like singer from the Phillipenes who was discovered on You Tube, so I'm expecting a huge comeback. I have to wonder......will the fashion come back with them? I'm sure that the next birthday gift I get my husband will be tickets to their world tour and a pair of acid-washed jeans, and it shall be the bestest birthday gift ever.

50 Things......plus a few more

I’ve seen a lot of bloggers writing “50 things I like about myself” and I thought that was too difficult to do, so I just compiled a list of 50 things in general about myself, like them or not. It took a few weeks to come up with this list, but it was actually pretty therapeutic. Sometimes you need to see that there is more inside you.

50 things about Irishmama

1. I can't drive stick shift

2. I can still recite the Budweiser label. “This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other………”

3. I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue.

4. I don’t drink coffee. I do like tea, but only when cold, with lots of ice and no sweeteners. Green tea is the best.

5. I love a good Old Vine Zinfandel. (Old Vine Zinfandel is NOT pink.)

6. I could visit Ireland every year.

7. Talents I wish I had: photography, decorating, writing and singing.

8. I will learn the words to Me and Bobby Magee, someday. Hopefully before the next time I attempt it at karaoke so that I know more than “na na na na na na na………”

9. I know that Miss American Pie is 8.5 minutes long and can sing every word IF the song is playing. If it’s being played by my husband on the guitar, I get all the verses mixed up.

10. I’m afraid of heights.

11. I’m afraid of rodents.

12. I was attacked by a 40 lb. sewer rat in the subway in Philadelphia. (ok, not 40 lbs, but about the size of a cat)

13. I have an escalator phobia, as if it is going to open up and eat me. I think it’s that green light at the bottom that scares me – not to mention it really looks as if it has teeth. I’m told I look like a freak when I actually get on one because I have a hard time getting on and off, and I hold on for dear life.

14. I can’t open Pillsbury Pop n Fresh crescent rolls without holding it at arms length and turning my head squinting my eyes. With all that preparation, I still jump when it pops.

15. I don’t sneeze just once. Usually it’s about eight times. My record is 13. My family counts when I start sneezing.

16. I was pregnant 5 times and I have 3 healthy children. I recovered from the losses easily because I knew that they didn't occur from anything I did or could have prevented. I'm also sure that God just wanted me to have only the perfect babies.

17. I fell in love with my children way before they were born.

18. I loved being pregnant, from growing the baby bump, to feeling the movement, even labor and delivery. I also love the infant stage. I'll forever miss that. I won't miss cleaning a high chair, washing bottles or potty training.

19. I can’t stand seeing a child walking and using a pacifier. At that point, the child doesn’t need the pacifier; it’s the parent who apparently needs it. Lose the binky, Mom.

20. I took my kids off bottles on their first birthday.

21. My kids slept in their own room, in their crib from the first night home from the hospital. It was one of the best parenting tips ever given to us. Thanks Michelle.

22. I think its possible to have a favorite child. I do….of course it varies moment to moment. If 2 children are fighting with one another and the other is helping me around the house…….guess which one is my favorite at that moment.

23. I really do think its amazing that 3 children from the same 2 parents can have such unique personalities and traits.

24. My son’s little league team won the championship. It was the best sporting event I ever attended.

25. My children have heard me say bad words. They know the words are bad and that they’re not allowed to repeat them. At least 2 of them know that. I’m working on controlling my language in front of them. Really, I am.

26. When I come home from trips that I take alone, I see 4 very happy faces, which in turn makes me very happy as well.

27. I love spending time with my extended family – parents, siblings, nieces, nephews etc. My parents are so happy when they are surrounded by their family and I enjoy seeing my children interact with my parents. The best times are when we’re all together.

28. If something were to happen where I would never speak to one or both of my parents again, I have no regrets about my relationship with them. Every time I leave them, I make sure this stays in tact.

29. My family has thrown a surprise birthday party or event for my parents every 5th year after age 60………and my parents continue to act surprised each time.

30. I have 38 nieces and nephews (both sides of the family, including great-nieces and great-nephews). That’s a lot to remember.

31. I’m extremely proud of my adult nieces and nephews and who they have become and all that they accomplish. I always look forward to hearing what is new in their lives.

32. I like my in-laws. My mother in law, in particular, rocks.

33. I have a lot of friends from various stages of my life. I think it’s very possible to have more than one best friend and I have about 15, including my husband and sister.

34. I’ve lied for a friend, when asked.

35. I get sad when I think of friendships that have ended or when we just lose touch.

36. I’ve met friends on the internet. I used to think this was weird, but I posted and read an online bulletin board religiously when I was expecting my 3rd child. I quickly bonded with other women who were also expecting a baby at the same time. About 20 of us from all over the country and Canada branched off and created a private online community where we share stories, photos and other things. I’ve met several of these women (and their families) in person and they are some of the most amazing friends I could have.

37. I can't say that I hate anyone; there are some people I'd rather avoid, but I could never say I hate them.

38. I usually can’t go anywhere without bumping into someone I know.

39. I always make the bed, even in a hotel. If for some reason the bed wasn’t made and I’m ready to go to bed, I will make it and then unmake it.

40. I make a bed like I was in the military. My husband says that the reason I had plantar faciitis 2 years ago is because I make the bed so tightly that I couldn’t flex my feet. (I think I got plantar faciitis from going to Curves).

41. I don't smoke cigarettes. I will occasionally puff on a cigar.

42. I stopped drinking soda when I read the book Skinny Bitch. I was never a fan of allowing my children to drink soda, but now that I stopped I'm even more adamant about their soda intake.

43. My kids think I can be a meanie when I tell them no soda.

44. I read that book with intentions of changing all my eating habits, the soda one is the only one that really stuck. I plan to read it again.

45. I never had a real hangover until I was in my mid-twenties.

46. I’ll never drink Sambuca again. Ever!

47. I used to be able to drink until I puked and then start drinking again.

48. I never personally knew or heard of anyone dying from alcohol poisoning when I was younger.

49. I can't do shots. Oh, wait, I can, and will, if one is placed in front of me, but I just can't handle it. I usually have to end my night after doing a shot or my evil twin will appear.

50. Some people think my evil twin is fun. I don't usually agree.

51. I plan to teach my children to drink responsibly. I don’t know how or when I’ll do this, but its in my plan. I saw too many kids come to college and have their first drinking experiences go bad.......as well as their college career.

52. I thoroughly enjoyed my college years. I think everyone should go live away at college not just for the education but for the life experiences and friendships.

53. I don't think there is anything wrong with smoking marijuana, if that’s what you’re into. I think it should be legalized.

54. I fed 3 children for the first few months of their life with my breasts. Now they are strictly ornamental. If I thought for one second that there may be something growing inside one of them that could leave my children motherless, I'd have them both removed in a heartbeat.


55. When I lost my job after 17 years with the same company, it only took approximately one day for me to realize it was one of the best things that could have happened to me. I was right.

56. I tried contracting for a year. Even though I loved the income, I always had the fear of my contract ending. I’m much better cut out to be a salaried employee.

57. I can't stand that my house is always cluttered. I have come to realize that it’s going to be that way for a long time and I just have to live with it.

58. I love the beach. I love sitting and relaxing on the beach, the sound of the ocean, watching the kids play. I despise sand.

59. I realize that in a few months I will no longer be just 40, but “in my forties”. I will not concede to old age. I take care of my skin, dye my hair and I'm on a quest for the reappearance of my flat belly.

60. I still have a pouch in the area where my kids once lived. I am so happy that the babydoll tops are now in style, but I know that styles go out quickly.

61. I grind my teeth at night and it gives me headaches.

62. I am my dogs favorite person.

63. I sometimes wish I was born earlier so that I could have gone to Woodstock.

64. Classic Rock is still my favorite music.

65. John Lennon was my favorite Beatle.

66. I believe in God. I don’t go to church every week, but I am raising my children in the Catholic Church by sending them to religious education and we speak about God regularly. I also believe in the power of prayer.

67. I think that Catholic priests should be able to marry. I think the Catholic Church would have a much better reputation when it comes to priests if they didn’t force only celibate males to run the church. I also think there would be a better pool of candidates if it weren’t limited.

68. I remember dates well. If I once knew your birthday, chances are I still do. Even if I don’t send a card or call, you can bet that I thought about you on your birthday.

69. I love to cook when I have time to do it right. I love to entertain at my home. I make awesome guacamole; pasta salad and sangria. I can’t cook a baked potato to save my life. I actually gave up on trying.

70. I love thunderstorms. I get disappointed when we get a false thunderstorm warning.

71. I am a list maker. I have lists of lists. At any given time you can look in my bag and find at least 2 lists. I even have spreadsheet lists. Some of them are the same lists written different ways. In fact, this is a list, is it not?

72. I was supposed to stop at 50, right?

No room at the inn

OK, so we all probably know the story (Luke 2:7), tired travelers, Mary and Joseph are looking for a place to stay while they await the birth of their baby Jesus. Many renditions of the story conjure up images of the couple going from inn to inn only to have the owner barking at them to go away and slamming the door. And then they arrived at one single inn owner, his inn was full, but he offered them what he had: the stable.

Well, in the past few years, this seems to be a common theme in my life. It all started one Christmas Eve. I was 7 months pregnant with my 3rd child and we just wanted to go to Christmas eve mass at church as a family. (The other two children were 6 and 3). We got there early enough, so it seemed, but every pew we saw with space, had someone sitting there probably for the past 3 hours 'saving' seats for his/her family. It actually got quite comical as our neighbors who were sitting in the back of church were watching a pregnant lady and her family looking for a place to rest only to have the occupants barking at us and slamming the virtual door in our faces.

I honestly can't remember where we ended up sitting for mass, but ironically the sermon was about........"no room at the Inn". Our priest likes to drive home his point, so the entire congregation had to recite that phrase over and over during that mass. Later that evening we laughed with our friends over the fact that our situation in looking for a seat was very similar to the situation that Mary and Joseph were in that night long ago.

Fast forward to last month......we rented a home in Florida, right near Disney World. We rented it directly from the owner and had all of our arrangements made. We drove from our home in Pennsylvania to Kissimmee, Florida, the 5 of us, plus my mother-in-law and her sister; it took 2 days (with stops) and was over 1000 miles. The very tired travelers pull up to the home that we rented only to see that the other family who also rented it were already moved in. I phoned the owner only to discover that he neglected to tell the realtor that helps him with rentals that he had rented the home to us. With much conversation and negotiation, the realtor and owner found us another home (stable, if you will) to live in for the week. We were a bit inconvenienced, but it worked out for us and the rest of the week went well. Once we were settled in, I texted a message to our neighbors (the ones from church), it simply said: "No room at the Inn".

Now, come last Friday. My neighbor (same one from church and that I texted) and I had our pre purchased tickets to the Sex and the City movie since Tuesday of last week. We were so excited, as we were talking about this night since the date of the movie release was announced. We arrive at the movie theater only to realize that it was so crazy crowded that we could not get two seats next to each other. Now, we weren't tired travelers, nor was either of us pregnant, we just wanted to enjoy our movie with our smuggled-in Cosmopolitans, so we looked at each other and said.........you guessed it: "no room at the Inn". She said she isn't going to hang out with me anymore as it has become a common theme in my life.


As it turned out, on Friday, as we searched for 2 seats kinda near each other, the theater announced that another screen was showing it and there were plenty of seats, so we did get 2 seats mid-theater where we enjoyed our cosmos and our movie.

I am Pluto

Today's entry is my 11 yo sons A+ essay. I think he is clever.

Hi, I am Pluto. I live in space. I have eight neighbors. Their names are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. We are called planets.

We planets circle the sun. It keeps us warm and gives us light. The loudest planet is Earth. Mars told me that Earth has something on him called life and he is the only planet with it. I think it is a disease.

Some of us planets are known for certain things. I am the coldest planet. Mercury is the hottest planet. Saturn has the most rings around it. Jupiter is the largest planet. I am the smallest planet as well as the furthest from the sun.

There is also a thing that goes around planets. It looks like a baseball with holes. Jupiter brags because he has the most of these. I have only one of these. I call it Charon. Venus says he saw the first object to land on Earth’s thing coming from Earth. Saturn said it is called a Neil Armstrong.

There are also these bright things surrounding us that are lots of colors. All of them blow up. I think Venus told me that the Sun is one of them. There are billions of these things. Some of them shoot leaving a trail of light. They are made of gases.

There are also these things that I don’t like. Whenever they land on me, it burns me. When they are flying, they lose parts. Sometimes they blow up. They always come from that loud mouth Earth.

Another annoying thing that comes from Earth is this thing that takes pictures. I am mad because I am never ready for the picture. Mercury said that they can be as big as a bus or as small as a beach ball, whatever they are.

So you can see that space is a very busy place to live. There is lots of stuff going on out here. Luckily, I have my eight friends to keep me company. That’s all about me and space. I hope you liked my story.

Well, I Never........

Things I've once said:

I'll never drive a minivan
I have never dyed my hair
I'll never purchase a brand new car
I plan to never go back to work full-time
I'm not going to give my kids 'choices', they get one kind of cookie, one color cup and will wear what I tell them
Meeting friends on the internet is absolutely insane
I'm not into any Reality TV shows
I can't believe I lost 12 pounds without trying
I'll never drink again
I'm not having kids; I don't even think I want to get married

Anyone who really knows me......you're laughing right now, aren't you.

Got Squirrels?

On Wednesday, my oldest son was playing ball outside and he came upon 2 baby squirrels on our lawn lying by parts of a nest. We figure the nasty winds had knocked their nest out of the tree.......so he comes in to get my husband and they got a box, put in the heating pad and parts of the nest and other stuff from the ground and lay the box by the tree so that the mother can come and find them. Once it got dark and colder out they brought the box into our garage and put a light on it to keep them warm - along with the heating pad, then yesterday the box went out by the tree again, because my husband spotted a squirrel looking for them (and it looked like the squirrel had a broken leg). So we have this box sitting by our tree, with an extension cord going to the house for the heating pad - all day. They also put peanuts on the ground all around the area where the box is, hoping to attract mama squirrel. We came home after work/school and the babies were still there. The peanuts were gone. We wondered if she rejected them.

Of course we looked on line and it said not to give them cow milk or soy milk and that if you give them water to be careful not to get the water near the nose, which was hard because of their size - even with a dropper. My husband called around and found a rescue place that was open about 30 minutes away. So off they went to the squirrel rescue to deliver the babies. The man at the rescue told them that they were about 2 weeks old and dehydrated and that if the mother did have a broken leg, she wouldn't have been able to care for them, he immediately sprayed them for fleas, put them in an incubator and got them some hydration.......so now we have a case number where my son can call to check on them. Once they are 11 weeks old, they will be set free in the woods so they can be the nasty rodents that they are meant to be.

One thing my son brought back with him is that the center is run by volunteers and of course we gave a nice donation last night, but my son, who is almost 11 knows that in the next few years he will have community hours to serve for service projects for church and for boy scouts, so he is already planning on volunteering at one of these wild animal rescue centers. Also, when he bridged over to Boy Scouts last weekend, he promised to do a good turn daily. I think this counts for a weeks worth (but don't tell him that).

I'm a Cheesesteak?

OK, so I don't think I have an accent. So I take this quiz. Below are my results. Hmmm.......I have lived my whole life in Philadelphia suburbs, I guess I can't hide that fact. Hey, you....want a hoagie?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia   Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Northeast
The Midland
The Inland North
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

We entertain a lot!

OK, so please don’t judge me too harshly, but I like beer. I like to drink beer socially on the weekends and have an occasional one or two during the week. I grew up with beer drinking parents and siblings, and I've been drinking beer since highschool college. My husband likes beer too, as do most of our friends. We have a bar, out on our patio, with a keg refrigerator and a TV for whatever sporting event may be on. Our house is where all the neighbors come to watch a sport and have a drink or two. OK, so the point of this story is that last year when I was not working, I’d fit my beer store run in on my Friday errands. Sometimes if I don’t like what kind of beer is in the current keg, I like to have a case on hand of another kind of beer. I would go to the same store where my husband buys his kegs. I got to know the owners of the store from my Friday visits, and they would dote over my son and give him a lollypop. So one day my husband and I went into the store together………the owner stared at me, stared at him, back to me, back to him and then he exclaimed “you two together?” (Asian accent). He was apparently amazed at the amount of beer we purchase. Real matter of factly, my husband replied………"We entertain a lot".
So that’s it, we explained ourselves. I haven’t been in the store in a while as the entertaining at home slows down in the winter. My husband went in the other night to get a case of beer for the snow storm. (don’t ask) The store owner’s eyes lit up and he pulled out a shirt all wrapped up in plastic……….”Here, this is for your wife”, it was advertising one of my favorite beer brands. So, knowing the owner does have some perks, even if he does think I’m a load.

PS I like wine too.

He was in stitches

Well, for the first time in almost 11 years as a mom, I had to hold my son down while getting 3 stitches in his head. It was a freak accident, he was chasing the dog, fell and banged his head on the wall........nothing that hasn't happened several thousand times before, but this time, it bled......and remained open. So we took him to the near by Urgent Care (we were at our shore house at the time), thinking they'd ............ I don't know what we were thinking they'd do, but the next thing you know we were holding him down so she could numb the area and sew it up. As you can see, they didn't even shave his head, which part of me was glad, because he just got this cool haircut. I just hope they didn't stitch any of the hair INTO the wound. Poor little guy. He screamed, I cried, the doctor was shaking (DT's?) I think because she was nervous he would move, but he didn't. He did, however, proclaim "I don't like doctors anymore".

So now, I'm so afraid when he runs. How do you tell an almost 4 yr old not to run? He will see his regular doctor tomorrow - I hope he doesn't remember his proclamation about not liking doctors - the stitches may or may not come out.

If anyone is reading and knows........does it hurt to have them taken out???? Please let me know.



Anyway, we all know the cure all......................ICE CREAM! Yup, he got some, his sister and brother got some, his parents...........well, we needed something stronger than ice cream. We were all happy.

OK, he doesn't look very happy, but he has a mouth full of Cookies n' cream with extra Oreos on top.

40 Tips for a Powerful New Year

Again, this was sent to me.....not my words, but some real good advice for all of us.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to ___________ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

6. Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Forgive everyone everything.

28. What other people think of you is none of your business.

29. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your friends will. Stay in touch.

32. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

33. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

34. The best is yet to come.

35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

36. Do the right thing!

37. Call your mother and father often.

38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: 'I am thankful for __________.' Today I accomplished _________.

39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

40. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

I just can't do it

So, something new.........I'm trying to lose 10 lbs by the end of Feb. I'm in a challenge here at work, we don't have to post our weight, just what we gained/lost....every Tuesday. People, Tuesday is waytooclose to the weekend, I need my weigh in on Friday morning. I am so good during the week, eating lots of fruit, drinking only water and lots of it, no cheese, no sweets, no snacking........but I must tell you, there is definitely NOT enough chocolate in apples. Then Friday hits. OK, its pizza night, one slice of plain won't pack on too many fat cells right? Well, ok, you must drink beer on Friday nights with your pizza......ok, see a pattern? Saturday comes, I try to be good all day because I usually have some sort of social event to attend on Saturday night and what will be there? FOOD and DRINK. My new thing is to always be the designated driver, that way I'll only have one or two drinks. Sunday comes, I'm not gonna eat much or drink today..........football is on. Need I say more. I really thought I did well this past weekend. I really monitored my intake. I even took the kids to the ice cream birthday party on Sat and only had a little teeny taste of my son's ice cream. Didn't order one for myself. Damn. I'm gonna see some lower numbers on Tuesday.........So here it is Tuesday, I did good, I even exercised, where is my scale..........drumroll please........................I gained 2/10 of a pound.

So now I started reading Skinny Bitch. I'm not too far into it, but I can definitely hope that it will scare me away from some foods. We shall see........