Saturday, February 26, 2005

If you're not in the movie then stop saying the lines!!

I want to start off by saying I love Rich and Lillianna more than anything else in the world. That being said,they are two peas in a pod and they have the ability to drive me insane!!!!

When Rich and I first got together 11 years ago,I realized he had an amazing memory. He could watch a movie once and then recite many of the lines when it was over. But it never ended there.If we ever watch a movie that he has already seen,he talks along with the actors.It was cute at first but then it annoyed me!
Goodfellas is a nightmare to watch with him.The movie is long and I beg Rich not to talk along with it.Sometimes he takes a break and actually lets me enjoy it. Well, as much as I am able to enjoy a movie about the mafia.

Lillianna has her Daddy's special talent for remembering movies too. Last week I took her to see ARE WE THERE YET? As we drove out of the theater parking lot,Lillianna was already quoting the movie. "Here we go," I thought. I have listened to her recite her favorite lines all week!

This morning I went into work a little later than usual.I wasn't acutally on the schedule but I had planned to go in anyway. As I raced around doing last minute things,Rich and Lillianna sat side by side on the couch watching WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. The two of them talked right along with the movie. When it came time for each child to get an everlasting gobbstopper,Rich actually made the noise the machine makes. I was impressed and annoyed. I laughed and said,"I can't wait to get out of this house! You're driving me nuts!!"
I left them singing the oompa loompa song when Violet is being rolled down to the juicer to be squeezed.It was a relief to go to work.

Do you know anyone with the talent to memorize an entire movie? Does it drive you insane?

Thursday, February 24, 2005

I got my refund!

After last night's little computer fiasco,I wasn't sure if I would get my $40 back.
I just called the corporate office and explained the situation and without hesitation I was told my account would be credited! Yay for me!!

Stars without make-up

If I hear one more commercial for this show I am going to scream so loud you will hear me,no matter where you may be!!
This show is going to give us a glimpse of famous people without make-up! Oh my! How exciting! So, like,you know,without make-up these glamorous people will look like hags? This is definitely good tv viewing to be sure.

Is this the best the tv industry can do? Who doesn't know women look frazzled and blotchy without make-up? If I had a personal make-up artist I could look glamorous too. I look half way decent when I do my own make-up and I look worse without any on at all. Do I need a tv show to give me this information? Big deal.

Are we so insecure that we need to look at these actresses without their make-up,point our fingers and laugh because they are just regular people? Is that what it takes to boost our own ego?
I,for one,will not be watching this ridiculous show.

How about you?

Sometimes "thank you" breaks my heart

I love a polite child.I feel that if a child is rude it's because the parents haven't taught their child the correct behavior and in my mind there is no excuse for that. Oh,I know kids slip up now and then and that is perfectly normal but you know what I mean. That being said,there are times when I feel Lillianna is too polite.

Yesterday,Lillianna wanted home-made soup for lunch. She is keeping a food diary because we suspect she might be lactose intolerant and we are trying to see if there is a pattern. She handed me a bag of noodles and asked if I could make some soup. It wasn't my wonderful soup where the broth is actually made from a chicken. It was canned broth with some carrots thrown in for texture and then some noodles were added. I set the bowl on the table and Lillianna said,"Thanks for making me lunch,Mom.I love you."
Maybe I am too sensitive but that always makes me cry.I am happy she is polite but to thank me for just feeding her breaks my heart. As if I wouldn't feed her?

This past weekend Lillianna had a swimming pool birthday party at the local Y.M.C.A (no singing,please!)There was pizza and cake first then swimming. Before the pizza was even served,Lillianna ran over to me and whispered,"I have to go to the bathroom." Unfortunately the one and only bathroom that was open was way on the other side of the building. We walked as fast as we could.Lillianna hugged me and said,"Thank you for taking me to the bathroom,Mom." I laughed and said,"You're welcome but you don't have to thank me. I am your mother and it's my pleasure to take you to the bathroom." She had to make 2 more trips before she even ate her pizza.Each one was followed by a thank you and an apology. "I'm so sorry I have to keep going to the bathroom,Mom." This kills me because I have never ever been mad that she has had to go to the bathroom in her entire life! I am always there for her in every way and I wonder why she feels the need to apologize for something like this.

Do your children thank you for everything you do? Do they apologize for things but you don't know why?

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Does anyone speak English anymore?

At 9:00pm I decided to check my email before American Idol came on. When I clicked on internet explorer,my Comcast page couldn't be displayed. I immediately called Comcast who told me my memory card had somehow been erased and I had to call Hewlett Packard to have them walk me through reinstalling it. Do I hear a WTF????? I decided to wait until after AI was over. At 10:00pm I made the next call.

My already pounding head began to throb even more.I spoke to a non English speaking person for 30 minutes. I still don't know if this person was male or female. There was no way to tell. He kept repeating the same things to me: What model is computer?
What Window you use? How old computer? Is under warranty? What serial number?
Ok for this one,Rich had to crawl under the computer desk,pull out the hard drive (?),turn it around which was no easy task since the wires and cables don't leave much room for pulling and then read the serial number with a flashlight.
Finally,after telling me this would be a $40 charge and giving my VISA number, I was transfered to the tech who could help me.

Just then my cordless beeped and I knew it was going dead. I grabbed the non-cordless phone and waited 5 minutes until another non-English speaking person picked up. I could barely understand him at all. Rich stayed on that phone while I picked up the cordless again and tried to follow the tech's instructions. A minute later my phone went completely dead and Rich proceded to yell instructions to me from the dining room. The tech said to unscrew the cable from the modem. Rich came to do it since I must have been too weak for this.

The tech had put us on hold but we had questions. Rich yelled out,"What's this white cord for?" How the hell do I know? I don't know how to hook up a computer. I waited another minute,then hung up.Rich restarted the computer and voila! it was fine. Somehow this cord became disconnected.I am calling HP back in the morning!

Since the tech never did anything for me, can I get my $40 back?

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Don't get the steak and cheese bagel

Ok, I know Dunkin' Donuts is no steak house but somehow I believed that this luscious steak,egg and cheese bagel sandwich they advertised on t.v. was a winner. I ordered it last week on my way to work and it sure smelled good. I took one bite and almost gagged.Steak is not supposed to be spongy!! What the hell was this abomination they were boldly passing off as "steak?" I opened my sandwich hesitantly and tried not to pass out. I couldn't have been more shocked if I saw a human head in there! The steak was like salisbury steak....all squishy and wiggly! I pulled the offensive meat off of my breakfast and tossed it in the trash with disgust!!

Have you ever eaten this stomach churning morning meal? If so,how did you survive it?

What a bunch of losers

A chat about husbands prompted me to think about the losers I dated before I met Rich. I suppose in hindsight,the stories are kind of funny but believe me,while I was going through it I was less than amused!

Alan: I met Alan in Israel. I was 23.He was 19. I guess I've always had a thing for younger guys.He was blonde,cute and had a sexy English accent.He was also a wild child and I was a sweet and innocent flower.We lived together for 3 months which in "real life" as we called the world outside the kibbutz, would've been the equivalent of 3 years! At some point I suspected he was cheating on me so I confronted him.

His most memorable line was:"But I couldn't enjoy it because I knew you'd kill me if you found out!" Ah,poor boy!! My heart just broke for him,you know?
*************************************************************************************

Ari: My other love affair in Israel. Ari was the typical Israeli guy:opinionated,arrogant and condescending. We dated for 5 months.I was thin when I dated him but somehow he thought I was fat.He kept telling me I was gaining weight.
I stood in front of him with my hands of my hips (arms akimbo if you read romance novels...they always say that instead of hands on hips.Don't ask me why!)and I demanded he point out where this supposed fat was. He looked at me and said,"I do not know where......I just know it is there!"

His most memorable line was,"There was a man selling roses on my way to see you.I thought of buying some for you. But I didn't!" If you're going to be a thoughtless clod,keep it to yourself. Why hurt my feelings?????
*************************************************************************************

Rick: This was a really sad and pathetic story.My mom actually met him on a plane and she told him all about me. She gave him my phone number and one year later he called me! Ya,one year!!!! He called me at work. At that time I worked for an optical shop. He said he wanted to take me out after work for ice cream. He was one hour late. We went out and he was nice. He happened to mention that while in Boston where he worked,he saw one of our other offices and looked in the window where he saw an awesome eyeglass frame. Long story short:he used me to get a discount on glasses! That was our one and only date. After he picked up his glasses,I never heard from him again.
No memorable line! We only had that one date!!
*************************************************************************************

Brent: He was basically an experiment. I wanted to know if I could have a relationship with a guy I didn't actually love.Ya,well,I could but it wasn't very fun.I was 26 and he was 33.I should've known I was dating a loser when he admitted that his mom told him,"I pity the woman who marries you!" If your own mother thinks you're a dip-sh**,you pretty much are!!

His most memorable line was:"You should have a bag packed with a change of clothes at all times in case I want you to stay overnight!" (Ya,get real!)
*************************************************************************************

Brian: Ah,Brian. He was my biggest disappointment.We were both 30. We dated for a couple of months and had so much fun. I had never laughed so much in all my life.We liked all the same things. He was Jewish. Our families were similar.We just seemed to be going in the right direction.
After one particularly fun date I invited him to my sister's high school graduation party that we were having at our house in 2 weeks.He was going away on business but he'd be back in time. He said he wouldn't miss it. He never showed up.After 3 Pearl Harbors I got the nerve to call him. Yay,alcohol! After much hemming and hawing about why he didn't show up he finally said I was too easy to be with.Why couldn't he just tell the truth? This was clearly a lie!
His most memorable line was: I'm glad you called because I realized, in order to be happy,I really need a woman who plays golf."
*************************************************************************************

Stu: I was just about to end this post when I realized I forgot to add this psychotic moron to the mix. Wow,I must be good at repressing bad memories! Stu was the ugliest human I ever dated. My dear sweet mother fixed me up with him. She bumped into his parents who she knew from days gone by and next thing you know,I had a blind date with this guy!! When I met him,I was wishing my eye sight wasn't as good as it was. Eeeegads! What a mess! His teeth were all crammed into his ugly face.
I dated him for a month or two (no kissing,no nothing!!)and he played such head games. For such a loser he thought he was quite a catch! *gag* Why did I continue to date him? Sheer boredom,that's why!
I was really sick and tired of him and I knew this relationship,if you could be so bold as to call what we had a relationship,was heading nowhere. Who would want it to?
I asked him what the hell he wanted from me.

His most memorable line: "Just help me move into my new condo and then this can be over."
*************************************************************************************

After surviving all these unbelievably horrific relationships, I finally got my reward and met Rich. I suppose you can't appreciate a great guy until you date a lot of bad guys but I think I had more than my fair share. Thankfully,Rich was everything and more that these losers were not! I finally got my reward!

What is the worst romantic relationship you ever had?

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Young love

You can read today's post at DotMoms.

Monday, February 14, 2005

The vanishing head-set

The other day I wrote that I had lost something. Well what I didn't want to say was that the "something" was a head-set for my cell phone that Kara bought me for Chanukah. I remember stuffing it into my pocket book as I got out of the car Thursday night after work.I haven't seen it since.

Since that time,I have pulled my car apart twice but I couldn't find it anywhere.I was really mad and frustrated because I knew Kara would be upset if I told her and plus, I love that head-set! Today I took another look in my car and still no head-set.

I went upstairs and made ice cream cone cupcakes for Lillianna.I will make walnut brownies for Rich after Lillianna's Brownie troop meeting. I wanted to make them something delicious for a Valentine's Day surprise. At 2:10pm I opened the back door of my car to put a tub of chocolate frosting in Lillianna's booster seat. That way she would know something was going on but not exactly what. I took one last look for my head-set and.....there it was! It was out in the open in between the front and back seat. I know it wasn't there the other 3 times I looked.{Now that I have found it,Rich wanted me to apologize for being in a grumpy mood the other night and taking it out on him so....Sorry Rich!!}

I hugged the head-set,looked up to the sky and said,"thank you." When I started the car, the radio came on and "Cross My Heart" by George Strait was playing. That was our wedding song! Hmmmm, someone was trying to tell me something. When I called Rich on his cell phone to tell him,all he said was,"And you're surprised?"
I don't know who is responsible for returning the head-set to me,but I am grateful that we always have help from "beyond."

Has this ever happened to you?

Mix it up?

This morning I made Rich a sandwich to bring for lunch.He's pretty much a potato chip kind of guy but I asked him if he would like tortilla chips with his lunch instead of potato chips. He said,"Ya,mix it up." I grabbed a Ziploc bag and threw in some tortilla chips and then some of his favorite potato chips. I left everything on the counter for him to pack and I went in our bedroom to check my email.

A few minutes later,Rich entered the bedroom holding the bag of chips.
"What kind of chips are these?"he asked curiously.
"Tortilla chips and potato chips,"I replied.
He gave me his head shake and squinty eye look that asks,"Why?"as he held out the offensive bag for me to look at.
"Well, you said to mix it up so I did;a little bit of tortilla chips and a little bit of potato chips." I looked at him wondering what the heck his problem was.
"When I said mix it up I meant ya,change it up.I'll have tortilla chips instead of potato chips today. I didn't mean mix them up together."

He left the room with a huff and a puff and an eye roll. I heard him changing the chips around before he packed his lunch up.Once again I marveled at the realization that Rich and I speak a totally different language.

What would you have done if you were in my situation? What would you think mix it up meant?

Sunday, February 13, 2005

I wouldn't have picked me for a wife

I guess there are days when I am not sure why Rich married me. I hate cleaning. I do the basics because I would hate to have our apartment condemned by The Board of Health. Do they condemn apartments or only houses? Would I just be evicted by the rental office? Anyway,right now the t.v. in our bedroom has close to 5 inches of dust on it. I occasionally blow on the screen to clear it and that seems to work until I can find the energy to actually dust it. I wonder when that will be.

I also hate to cook. I mean, I do cook but I don't enjoy it. There are only a few meals that all three of us will eat so it just isn't fun to prepare a meal.Luckily Rich isn't fussy. Worst case scenario,he will pour himself a big bowl of cereal and happily munch on that for dinner. On the nights that I am home,I do provide some type of proper meal,even if it is only hotdogs or BLTs.

Last night I came home from work tired and grumpy and if I had a cat I probably would've kicked it.(No hateful comments from animal lovers,please.It's just a figure of speech!) Instead I yelled at Rich because *I* lost something and couldn't find it! Rationally I know he had nothing to do with it but his lack of hysteria over my lost object was pissing me off. I was fueled with fury and his response was,"Well,if it's lost,it's lost." UGH!!!!!!! It can't be lost!!!!!!! That was the whole point!!! I have to find it!

Rich realized my nerves were frazzled beyond belief so he told me to lie on the couch while he rubbed my feet. It was hard to focus my anger on him while he was trying to make me feel better. It's a nice trick and it worked. He's clever like that. Don't get me wrong,Rich is not perfect (sorry honey!) but he doesn't get as grumpy and irrational as I do at times. Since he clearly didn't marry me for my cleaning skills or cooking ability and most definitely not my even tempered personality,I wonder why the heck he did marry me.

Are you a good spouse?

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Spell check is stupid!

I am really getting sick of spell check. It doesn't know a darn thing. When I wrote my last post I decided to check the spelling which I almost never do because,basically,spell check can't spell!! Even when I ask it to "learn" a word,it doesn't retain that information for the next time.

So listen up you moronic spell check,Kristy is the name of my very dear friend.I am sorry you can not readily recognize this name when I write it but do not, I repeat, do not offer me crusty as a substitution!!She is not crusty!!!! Her name is Kristy....K-R-I-S-T-Y!! Get it right next time!!

A very unpleasant dream

Last night I had a very frightening dream.I was back home in the house that I grew up in and my friend Kristy and I were standing in the living room. One of her cats was outside on the lawn and we were looking outside from the bay window.Suddenly,an enormous snake,I mean HUGE,came out from underneath the grass. The ground was breaking apart to let the snake come out. I was horrified.I called for Rich to hurry up and come see this.I was in a panic!He never left the kitchen where he was just standing.

Then I noticed that the snake was looking at Kristy's cat who was now playing with a neighbor's cat.
The snake gobbled up Kristy's cat and then the other cat jumped out of the way and ran across the street to it's house.When it got there,it jumped about 10 feet in the air and it's owner caught it. Then the snake looked at my house.
Horrified,I noticed a huge gap in the side of the front door and before I could get there to close the door,the snake was coming through!!

I ran to my old bedroom and locked the door and forced myself to wake up.I got up,went to the bathroom and tried to go back to sleep. Every time I fell asleep,the dream picked up where I left off! It took about an hour to make the snake stop bothering me in my dream.

I decided to check out dream interpretation online and looked up snake,cat and running since I ran into my room. I am not sure how accurate this is but here's what I found.


Snake
1. An ancient symbol of transmutation. The dreamer will soon undergo a vast inner change that will be reflected in her outer life. If the dream is a positive and uplifting one, then good times are ahead. If the dream is a scary one, the times ahead may still be good ones, but the dreamer needs to be very careful of pitfalls along the way.
2. An even more ancient symbol for the Great Goddess. If the dreamer is a woman, then she will soon come into realization of her power as a woman. If the dreamer is a man, especially if he is single, a very powerful and exciting woman will soon come into his life - though she may not be a potential love partner.
Astrological parallels: Scorpio, Pluto.
Tarot parallels: The Tower, The Empress.

Cat
1. Love, loyalty, beauty.
2. Fierce defense of loved ones or pursuit of something desperately desired.
3. Royalty; godliness; a keeper of hidden knowledge.
Astrological parallels: Venus, Taurus.

Running (away from something)
Something in the dreamer's life is difficult to face, and the dreamer would rather run away from it than face it. If such a situation is not readily recognized by the dreamer, looking to the other symbols in the dream should give the answer.
Astrological parallel: Pisces.


Ok, so what is this all about?I have been putting off a dream because,damn it,I am afraid I might fail. Ya,ya,how can I succeed if I don't try? Don't think that thought hasn't crossed my mind a million times. I have written a few childrens' books and I have been afraid to send them to a publisher since I am terrified of rejection.Suzanne said she is rejected lots of times but it doesn't bother her anymore.How can it not bother her? I would be crying in a box of tissues with each rejection letter. What if I'm not thick skinned enough for this?

I know I have to put my fears aside and get my ideas out there because maybe,just maybe I could be a published author one of these days. I always encourage people to follow their dreams. I suppose it's only fair that I take my own advice.

How do you overcome your fears?

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Prince Charles and Camilla.....what a joke!

Come on now! Charles is marrying the woman he was cheating on Diana with and the world is giving him a thumbs up? I don't buy it. William and Harry are happy for their father? Why? He is a lying,cheating,back stabbing piece of royal rubbish. If he loved Camilla he should've married her before he married Diana. If Camilla had really and truly loved Charles she would've waited for him,not married the first man with 2 last names who walked her way.

My Dad and his friends used to have an expression for morons. They would've called Charles "a shmock with ear flaps!" Yup, that name seems to fit.
I was a huge Diana admirer and I think Camilla is a hag and I am happy she will never be loved as much as Diana was and always will be.

Do you have any opinion on the upcoming royal nuptials?

BLTs are more complicated than you think

The other night I was feeling lazy so I figured I would whip up some BLTs for dinner. Lillianna is a fussy eater but she has been trying new foods lately. She agreed to try it so that the three of us could eat the same meal for once.
While I fixed our meal I realized that for a sandwich with just 3 ingredients (4 if you count the mayo)it was rather complicated. There were so many ways to eat it.

Rich likes his sandwich with a little lettuce,2 slices of tomato and lots of bacon, no mayonnaise! Lillianna decided that she preferred a BL with lots of lettuce,a little bit of bacon,no tomato and no mayonnaise.I gag at the thought of no mayonnaise. I would rather lick the desert.Wouldn't it be the same thing?
I like my BLT with lots of lettuce,2 slices of bacon,2 fat slices of tomato and tons of mayo on each piece of toast.

How do you like your BLT?

My birthday surprise

My Mom has missed by birthday many times due to being in Florida.I wasn't surprised a few weeks ago when she said she'd be coming home on February 10th for a 10 day visit. Ahhh,so close. She would arrive one day after my birthday.
"I tried to get home for the 9th but there were no available flights,"she explained.
I just sighed. I should be used to it by now.

On a Sunday in January 1981,I arrived home at 7:30pm to find my friends yelling, "Surprise!!!!" I was stunned. My Mom ran across the living room to hug me. "Are you surprised?" she asked breathlessly. "Uhm,ya,since my birthday is in FEBRUARY!" I laughed. Mom explained,"But I'll be in Florida on your birthday so I threw the party now." Yup,that sure surprised me.

As of February 8th,my birthday plans consisted of me,Rich and Lillianna going out for Chinese food and then home to have strawberry whipped cream cake which I make every year. Kara said it was too "rushy" to come all this way after work and my friends Kristy and Jerry are in a group that meets every Wednesday night so they couldn't make it. I wasn't mad at anyone but I was disappointed.

Yesterday morning at 6:30am the phone rang. I figured it was someone wishing me a happy birthday and knowing I had to leave for work before 7am. It was Mom. She was at the airport in Florida and waiting for her flight. She would be home by 11am. Due to the snow storm warnings she changed her flight!Yay! My Mom would be here for my birthday! Suddenly I changed my plans.

As it turned out,after work I went to Kristy's house and we had lunch. She surprised me with cake and a plant.We had a lovely time chatting together.At dinner time I picked up Chinese food and brought it to my Mom's house and Kara met us there.We were together for my birthday after all! It was wonderful.

It's funny because the snow ended up being just rain.The warning was a false alarm but it got my Mom home for my birthday. I wonder if my Dad had a hand in this? If so, thanks,Daddy!! I got just what I wanted for my birthday this year!! My whole family was together.

What do you like to do on your birthday?

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

I'm getting 8-16 inches on my birthday!

Well it's that time of year again. Tomorrow,February 9th is my birthday which means I can expect snow! Sometimes it's only a flurry,other times it's a full blown blizzrd. My 15th birthday was The Blizzard of '78. We were house bound for a week. My sister,Kara was 4 years old and the snow drift in front of our house was way over her head.

In 1986,I celebrated my 23rd birthday in Israel. A week before,I warned everyone that it would snow on my birthday.Everyone laughed at me. "Robin,you are in Israel. It does not snow here,"all my Israeli friends explained to me.
"Yes,I know where I am but I always have snow on my birthday. As far back as I can remember it has always snowed for me!" No one believed me.

On the morning of my birthday,from 8:00am-8:15am there was a sudden hail storm. Everyone was surprised. Some of the teenage children said they had never seen hail before. I stood outside and laughed as the hail stones bounced around me. Maybe it didn't snow where I was but I felt like G-d wanted to wish me a happy birthday so he made it hail.

The weather forecast is saying that snow will begin tomorrow night and continue through to Friday. The prediction is 8-16 inches.When we heard that on the news this morning,Rich asked,"Does snow just follow you on your birthday?" All I could say was, "Yes it does!"

Honeybells

Yesterday,my mailman rang my bell and told me I had a package. When I got downstairs he said,"Looks like someone sent you some fruit." I was thrilled. I had never received fruit before. It was from Mom. I brought the box upstairs and Lillianna and I opened it.(She was home sick from school.)

The box contained beautiful orange honeybells. I had never heard of honeybells but we love oranges so I peeled one for Lillianna. It was like trying to peel orange juice. The juice dripped all over my hand and the kitchen counter. Lillianna managed to eat what was left of the fruit although she would've gotten more vitamin c if she had just licked the counter.I learned that slicing the honeybells instead of peeling them worked out much better.

These honeybells are simply delicious. They are only around in the month of January,so once they are gone,I have to wait until next year. I hope Mom sends them again. I am going to miss these delectable fruits. If you have never had the pleasure of eating a honeybell,I suggest you try one. Your life will never be the same.
Have you ever had a honeybell?

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Me and my big jug!

I try to bring my 48 ounce water jug with me whenever I go to work. Sometimes people laugh when they see me walking down the hall carrying this thing.More than once I have heard the comment,"Is that the water supply for the whole office?" I try to drink at least 2 of these a day but you do have to figure in that I fill it with ice cubes and they take up a lot of space. What can I say? I love water. For me,it's the only true thirst quencher. On the rare occasion when I drink soda,I usually need a glass of water to chase it down.

This morning I heard a local doctor on a talk show say that it is very important to stay hydrated,especially in the winter.When your nasal passages become dry,you become sick. I hate when that happens so I was proud of my daily intake of water.
Then she said, to determine how much water you should be drinking,divide your weight in half. If you weigh 120 pounds then you should be drinking 60 ounces of water per day!

I have no intention of revealing my weight to anyone but let me just say this,
I AM NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER!!!!

How much water do you drink every day?

Friday, February 04, 2005

It's not a crime to be addicted

We all have our obsessions:some more than others. Some people drink alcohol excessively. I can't do that because after 2 drinks,I am asleep. Some people over eat. Ya,ok,I guess we know I have to confess to that one. Others gamble with money they need to pay their bills. I have never done that. I'm too responsible for that one.
So what is my addiction?
Lean in closer and I will whisper it to you....closer....closer....ok,I am totally addicted to Build-A-Bear Workshop(BABW).

Last year I took Lillianna to BABW and she built a dog that she named Kayleigh.Since we live in an apartment,Kayleigh is the best dog for our family.She never barks after hours and she doesn't shed at all.

There are so many outfits and accessories to choose from at BABW. I love them all, I mean Lillianna loves them all. Ya, that's what I meant.I let her pick out 2 new outfits last week:a diva outfit complete with headset and a red and white cheerleading outfit with pennant,megaphone and matching bows for Kayleigh's ears.Then I fell in love with a pink furry dog bed that I had to buy. Lillianna thinks she talked me into it but I didn't need much coaxing.

Friday I was shopping with my friend, Cheryl and we ended up at The Plaza which is the BABW that we go to. I had to go in and buy Kayleigh a Brownie Uniform to match Lillianna's Brownie sash. She was so surprised when she saw Kayleigh sitting in the back seat of the car wearing her Brownie uniform when I picked her up at school.

I just love Build-A-Bear. Have you taken your kids there yet?

The surprise in my mailbox

Ok, well I knew it was on it's way to me but I was still surprised when I opened my mailbox and there it was; a little package.Suzanne McMinn is a romance author but she is also a writer for DotMoms. We had been emailing back and forth and I ended up going to her website and reading the first chapter of HER MAN TO REMEMBER. I loved it! Who doesn't like a good Silhouette romance book? I just enjoyed her writing,descriptive without being so boring I had to skip around for dialogue because I was falling asleep. I hate those kind of books but we have all read them.

I remember reading a book one time and for 3 pages the author decribed the scene. After one paragraph, I got it!I had been in the woods before. I knew what that entailed. I didn't need a description of each rock,flower and babbling brook. I have an imagination. Let me use it! The next few pages I had to skim over because my eyes began to roll in my head. Thank goodness, Suzanne doesn't write boring crap like that!

So, a few days ago, Suzanne said she had an extra book that she would send me. I was absolutely thrilled!! This wonderful book was my surprise today. Best of all, she autographed it! I wanted to ask her to autograph it but I didn't want to be a pain. I was happy just to have the book.What a great surprise for me especially since my day hadn't been too fantastic up to that point.

Go check out Suzanne's website by clicking on the links above and read the first chapter of HER MAN TO REMEMBER.

Thank you Suzanne!

Speak up and be heard

Today's post is over at DotMoms.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Punxsutawney Phil.....whatever!

Ok, let me get this straight....college educated meteorologists predict the weather incorrectly on a daily basis but a furry groundhog without any type of formal education is going to accurately predict if we have 6 more weeks of winter?
How is this possible? They're just guessing that he saw his shadow. Did you actually hear him say those words? Even if he did,what the heck does that mean? I see my shadow all the time. Why aren't I famous?

If we do have 6 more weeks of winter I am pretty sure it's cuz we live in Massachusetts.It's pretty darn wintery here. I don't think it's because of good old Punxsutawney Phil!!

Do you?

Being grateful for whatever they do

I kind of left the house in a huff this morning. It's no secret I don't like working on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings,but today I was even more frustrated with the early morning rushing around.I was running late and Lillianna had finally let me do her hair after the daily struggle with snarls. I gave Rich the 5 minute warning as he lay in bed,"I'm outta here. You have to get up," I told him. Rich staggered out of bed,dazed and confused.

I looked around the living room. Lillianna's Yu-Gi-Oh cards had been sitting on the living room rug for 3 days.Oh sure I had asked her to pick them up since Sunday but she always responded with, "I'm still playing with them,Mom." I'm no neat freak so I let it slide. This morning I told Lillianna that anything of hers that she didn't put away would be thrown out when I got home. I told Rich and Lillianna that I expected both beds to made too. I said good-bye and off to work I went.

When I got home at 1:00pm I checked the rooms. The living room was free of Lillianna's cards and pajamas and she had made her bed. It was a little bumpy,(I suspect there is a pair of socks under her blankets) but she did much better than Rich.When I saw our bed I had to laugh. He put the comforter on sideways! The green border is hanging off of my side instead of at the top with the pillows.
I'll just keep my mouth zipped and be grateful they both did what I asked.

Do you get upset when your spouse or children don't clean the way you do?

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

My mom is on vacation

In case it's not bad enough that my mom lives in Florida for 6 months, now she is on a vacation from her vacation. Mom and John are on a cruise and they won't be home until Saturday. For those of you asking, "So what?" you have to understand that my sister,Kara and I talk to our mom between one and three times a day. It depends what is going on. Lillianna called my mother during her week off from school (5 snow days!)because she wanted to watch THE PRICE IS RIGHT with her Nana! Thank goodness for my long distance calling plan.

Today Kara called me on my way home from work.She complained how much she misses mom and I agreed. It's weird not talking to her every day. She is probably glad for a break from us since she worries about everything. The snow storm here caused her to worry because Kara and I had to get to work. The cruise will do her good but Kara and I can't wait to talk to her on Saturday.

When I got into the apartment I went through the mail. There was an early birthday card from Mom just when I was missing her the most. The card made me cry and I thought about leaving a teary message on her answering machine but with my luck,she'll think something bad happened and she'll panic!

She will be in Massachusetts in 9 days for a 10 day visit.We are very excited for this visit. It will be hard to say good-bye when she has to leave but that will mean she will be home 2 months later. I can deal with 2 months.....I think.

Are you close to your parents?