What time is it?

This morning,I saw my first patient at 8:00am. When I looked at my watch to check the time, it said 8:30. I knew it wasn't 8:30 yet. That's when I realized my battery was dead.

You'd think I would've taken the watch off since it didn't help me at all. You'd be wrong. I left it on and looked at it all day. It never moved past 8:30. I knew it wasn't going to move but I still checked it.

Did you ever do anything weird like that or is it just me?

Lilly Day

I was going to write about Lilly Day but Lillianna wrote about it on her own blog.
You can read it here.

Today is Lilly Day!

Lillianna and I are going on a shopping trip today. She has gift cards to Limited Too and The Children's Place and I have to exchange her dance pants at Target and her leggings at Kohl's. Today it's all about her.

Of course,since she's an only child,isn't every day Lilly Day?

Coffee anyone?

Kara and Peter bought me this for Christmas! They have one at home and I use it whenever I'm there. For me,this is such an extravagant gift and I'd never buy it for myself.

A few weeks ago,Kara told me my gift was Peter's idea so I was thinking this might be the gift but I wasn't sure. I was so excited when I saw it. Peter hugged me and said it was a thank you for all the work I do for them in the office. I only worked in the office when they were on their honeymoon and I occasionally answer their calls on my cell phone if they have to do something during the day. I was stunned.

The beauty of this gift is that Lillianna loves making hot beverages for the family: coffee for me,tea for Rich and cocoa for Lil. She has so much fun making our drinks and I like feeling as if I am on vacation!

Come on over for coffee anytime! There's plenty to go around.

The last shopping day

These past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind. I have "A" 3 days a week which is a total joy for all our family. I have taken her to Target,CVS and one other store to do some holiday shopping. She sat patiently for 45 minutes on Wednesday waiting for our Christmas cards to be made at CVS. They said it would take 15 minutes so I figured I'd wait. There was only one woman working in that department so even though the cards were ready,she was too busy doing other things for other people to let me have them. "A" was wonderful as she laughed and smiled at me. Thank goodness she is a sweet baby.

Today is my first and only day off this week. I have to get EVERYTHING done because I work all weekend. I finally realized I had to ask Rich for help so he will be baking all the cookies on Sunday for 2 platters:one for Christmas Eve and one for Christmas Day. I can't do them today....no time. I also told him he will have to take Lillianna shoe shopping on Saturday because her black dress shoes don't fit anymore. There is just not enough time in my day today to do it all.

In one hour,I will head out to the bank and then to the mall that has just about everything for the last few gifts that I need. I also have to finish Kara's second scrapbook which is my gift to her and Peter. Their wedding/honeymoon book is done,now I am working on their "baby",Cody,my chocolate lab nephew! That reminds me,I have to go to the scrapbook store for more supplies.

I'll do the food shopping after I get Lillianna from school today then....oh crap!...I'd better call Rich and tell him not to eat pizza for lunch today...that's my plan for dinner. Who has time to cook? Not me.

Before Lillianna left for school I said I had to write a list of things to do since this is my one and only shot at getting it all done. She said,"Add breathe to your list,Mom!" She's such a smart child.

Everybody has a Gretchen

This morning,Lillianna was wondering whether she should wear ankle socks,peds or no socks with her furry clogs. I told her to wear whatever she felt more comfortable in. She thought someone might say something in school about her choice. I shrugged and said,"Well,everybody has a Gretchen." She said,"Ya....there's a Gretchen in Are you there God,it's me Margaret."

I laughed and said,"I didn't mean that everyone actually knows a Gretchen. I just meant there is always a Gretchen-like person in everyone's life."
Her next question was no surprise."Who is Gretchen,Mom?"

I explained that Gretchen was a girl who was friends with my best friend,Liane from 7th grade until we graduated. Liane was kind and sweet so she could tolerate Gretchen better than I could but she still got on her nerves.

If you got your hair cut,her usual comment was,"Ohhhhh.....you cut your hair.................Why did you do that? It looked better before." If you wore a new outfit to school,you might hear,"Wow! That's really interesting. I saw that in the store but there was no way I was going to buy it. You're really brave."

Lillianna just nodded her head. She knows. We all know. There's always one girl who tries to make others just feel bad. I didn't have the patience that Liane had so my response was usually snippy.

In 10th grade,I started dating a boy from another town. Gretchen's first question was,"What kind of car does he drive?" I told her I didn't know. I barely know what kind of car I drive now! She said,"Well,Mike drives a Trans-Am!" I went to school with Mike and yes,he had a nice car but he wasn't exactly boyfriend material. I said,"Well,I'd rather have a great boyfriend with an unknown car than have a mediocre boyfriend with a nice car!" She turned around in her chair and made a "Hmmmmph!" sound. I don't remember hearing any comments from her after that.

I don't think she was a bad person but she did like to put others down. I don't have much tolerance for that type of person. I like people to feel good about themselves and to be happy. Life is short. We should be kind to others just like we hope they'll be kind to us. Still,there is always that one girl...........

Who was your Gretchen?

Coffee filters....not just for coffee anymore!

For years,I had a box of coffee filters in the cabinet that I used whenever I brewed coffee.Since I am the only one in this house who drinks coffee,the filters lasted a long time. A few months ago,I finally used the last one so I bought new filters that just came wrapped in plastic. For some reason,I put them in the closet that has the dishes,Tupperware and snacks.

I don't know if Rich and Lillianna think that because the filters are in with the dishes that the filters actually are dishes but they keep using them as plates and bowls. It's not like we don't have clean dishes in the closet,because we do,but the filters are their first choice for snacks.

I first noticed this when my mom sent us a crate of oranges from Florida. Every time Rich peeled an orange,he put the peel in the coffee filter. Lillianna began to copy him. When I questioned Rich about this odd habit he thought for a minute and said,"I think I remember that my dad used to do this." I just shook my head and walked away.

Every now and then I'll notice a coffee filter on the table with remnants of some snack in it and it makes me laugh. Last night I made a cup of tea and took out 4 sugar free peanut butter cookies from the package. I opened the closet and grabbed a coffee filter. It was a handy flexible bowl for my cookies.

Do you use coffee filters for something other than coffee?

Lillianna's first and last day of basketball

When I signed Lillianna up for basketball in November,we were told her practices and games would be on Fridays. That suited us just fine since it was the only night other than Monday that she didn't have an activity and I didn't work.

Last week,her coach called to say her first practice would be on Thursday at 6pm. When I said it was supposed to be on Friday she said it was never offered on Friday. Rich and I heard them tell us it would be Friday but I didn't argue.

Basketball on Thursday would make it tough since Lillianna has Brownies from 3:45pm-5:00pm. That means a quick dash home with a fast dinner and then out the door in 30 minutes. We decided we would try to make a go of it since she has been waiting two years to play on a basketball team. She had to wait until 3rd grade to start.

She looked so good at her practice. I was really proud of her. I liked this so much better than when she tried soccer 4 years ago. I wouldn't mind being a basketball mom. After practice,as the girls were trying on their new t-shirt,the coach passed out the schedules. I was stunned!

She has games and practices at times that conflict with her other activities and we were assured that Friday would be her day for both. She can't make a practice at 5:00pm on Wednesday since she is in dance from 4:00pm-5:30pm. She can't go at 5:00pm on Thursday since that is when Brownies gets out and we'd be 10 minutes late and she wouldn't have dinner until 7:00pm or 8:00pm. That is completely unreasonable. The practices on Tuesday are out of the question since I am at work and Lillianna has a babysitter!

I was absolutely pissed! My child has waited two damn years to play this sport and now she can't even do it! I went and spoke to the director and he said the times were changed by the church where they practice and there is nothing he can do. I tried to tell him how upsetting this was but he didn't seem to care as he refunded my $40. Lillianna took off her team t-shirt and returned it to her coach. I waited until I was in the car to burst into tears. I cried all the way home.

I feel like I let Lillianna down and I know she is disappointed with this turn of events. There is nothing that can be done....nothing.

I still can't believe it

Tomorrow will be the first Thursday of my babysitting job. I won't have to get up at 5am,drive 30 minutes to a job I hate and then listen to people complain for 4 hours.

Instead,I will wake up at 6:30am,get Lillianna up at 7am,get her ready for school and wait patiently until "A" arrives at 8:00am. When "A" arrives she will smile at me because after 2 days she already loves me. We'll snuggle and play and spend a lovely day together. She is a total joy.

Wednesday nights are always tough for me because there is so much to do after we get home from Lillianna's dance lesson:dinner,homework,clean up and anything else that needs to be done. I also try to make myself go to sleep early since 5am sneaks up pretty quickly in the morning. I can never fall asleep before 9:30pm.

Usually I can't sleep through the night because I am so stressed about going to work. I wonder how I'll sleep tonight since I'll have "A" instead of cranky patients all day tomorrow.

Have I mentioned that I really love this new job??

My best decision

I am so happy that I decided to babysit for "A". It is the best decision I could've made. Today was the first day and it was amazing. She is a happy and amusing child. In other words,she is exactly like Lillianna was at that age.....and still is. Speaking of my wonderful child,she is so good with "A". She said she feels like the older sister and in a way,she is,if only temporarily.

I ended the day being peed on in the doctor's office during Lillianna's well visit. (I never liked Huggies diapers..... because they leak!! I think I proved that point.) When "A" stood on my lap,Lillianna pointed out the wet spot on "A's" pants and on my pants. Then after I fed her dinner,she turned to hug me and got chicken,broccoli and carrots on my shirt. It was wonderful.

After she used me as a napkin,she stood on my legs and bounced. I made a funny face at her and bounced her too. This produced a huge belly laugh from "A". Her laugh caused me and Lillianna to burst out laughing. We repeated this cycle many,many times. It was so good or us all to laugh like that.

I can't wait to see her again tomorrow.

Lillianna's dream

Last night,Lillianna slept with me which Rich often lets her do on the weekends since I work the whole time. Around 2am,she started to cry in her sleep. I rubbed her head until she quieted down.

This morning,when I called home on my break,I told her what had happened and wondered what she had been dreaming about.

"Oh....that was because there was an ant on my cantaloupe."

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. Wouldn't you?

Of course I want a cookie!

I drove into Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru at 6am this morning. When I got up to the little speaker,the voice asked,"Would you like to try a cookie?"
I was stunned....A COOKIE????.....I LOVE cookies!!! Of course I want a cookie!!!!

Trying to speak as calmly as possible,I said,"Yes!Yes!!Yes!!! I will have one of every kind of cookie you have." I became so overjoyed at the thought of eating so many cookies,I forgot about my diabetes and continued with my order. "I would also like one of every kind of donut and munchkin and one of every kind of bagel with chive cheese on the side. Don't give me any of that low fat cheese either. I want all the fat possible!" Who cares about possibly getting pancreatitis again? Not me!

I just wanted to eat all the sweets and carbs that I had been missing in my life. I didn't care what happened to me.

"Would you like to try a cookie?" the voice asked me.
"No,thank you," I replied. "I'll have a medium iced coffee,black,no sugar,please."
I had packed my low fat cream and Splenda in my lunch box so that I could mix this myself when I got to work.

I really wanted the cookie,though.

In just a few days

Yesterday,I told my coordinator at work that it was my last Thursday until further notice,due to my new babysitting job. I'll still be there on Saturday but I'll be babysitting on Thursday so I can't work. He asked me to try to add in Friday instead.I told him I'd see how the first week went with babysitting and then I'd let him know. I could use the money but what price am I paying to be so stressed out?

I am really looking forward to meeting this sweet little girl. I found out today that at the very least,she will be living here with her grandmother until August so I will have her for 9 months. By the time her parents see her again,she and her 2 year old brother will be totally different children.

The 2 year old will be in my friend's home day care and the baby will be with me. We're going to take pictures of the children and I'll scrapbook them for the parents so that they won't miss out on everything. I could never leave my child for such a long time but I thank G-d every day that there are people in this country willing to fight for our rights and freedom. It takes a special kind of person to be in the military and sacrifice so much of their life for others. The least I can do is to take care of their baby while they are fighting for our country.

In just a few days,I will receive a little bundle of joy. I just can't wait.

I'm sick of child abuse!

I thought I would throw up when I read this.
I don't understand people and quite frankly,I hope I never do. There are some damn sick people in this world and the majority of them are abusing children in some way. STOP IT!!!!

I don't care if these kids had behavioral problems. Why were they all adopted then if 11 kids is too many? Stop at 1 or 2 and just help those kids.

I am sorry that people have difficult lives but don't pass it on to the next generation. Leave innocent children alone! They come into this world as a blank slate and we do the writing that nurtures their soul. The problem is that there are too many emotional illiterates out there and they are destroying the very essence of these children.

If I had an endless supply of money,I would try to adopt all the abused children in the world. My heart breaks when I hear about an abused child. I know adults who were abused children and their life has not been easy at all. It has been one hurdle after the next and it's not fair....not fair at all.

A dream job

It's no secret that I am not thrilled with being an ophthalmic technician anymore. After 16 years of doing eye exams,I'm tired and burned out. I have stayed at this job because the money is good and the hours are so flexible. I can add in days if I need to or let them know Lillianna is on vacation and I can't come in that week. It has worked for me all these years but I've wanted a change.

Yesterday,an opportunity came up that I couldn't pass up. A neighbor that I had met this summer at the pool,asked me if I could watch her 9 month old granddaughter 3 days a week. A baby!! Oooooooh......I love babies and especially girls.(Nothing against boys.)

Mom and Kara thought this was a horrible idea. "You'll be tired!" Mom said.(Uhmmm....ya...with all the hours I add in to my job, I already AM tired!)
"You'll get too attached," Kara said. (My neighbor's grandchildren are coming to our state to live with her because her son and daughter-in-law are both in the military and as I understand it,they are both being deployed.) Of course I'll get attached. But it's not like I'm the foster mom and think there's a chance of adopting the baby. I'm the babysitter. I know this child will go home to her parents along with her 2 year old brother when one of their parents returns. That's fine. I just want to love and teach this child while I have her.

Rich has been very supportive. I asked him last night if I could give up my one morning during the week at the ophthalmology office so that I wouldn't be run down. The money I'll make taking care of the baby will make up for that day and one more day if I had picked it up. The plus side is,I won't have to commute 30 minutes each way and I'll be doing something I love as opposed to something I hate but forced to do. I am so very excited.

No one knows how long this will be for but for the time that I can do it,I'll be very grateful. For the first time in a long time,I'm looking forward to working!

Are all holiday greetings created equal?

This post is over at DotMoms. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

A magic marker "high"

Lillianna was sick over the weekend with a stuffy nose. While I was at work yesterday Rich said she just wasn't right. That was confirmed when she took a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. I decided to keep her home from school today.

On the way home from work,I stopped to get her some Sudafed,which I had to show my license in order to buy at CVS and I had to sign my name to the Sudafed sheet. Apparently kids are making drugs from this. Who knew?

I was going to buy Lillianna new magic markers when I saw the white board that she has been asking for. She is constantly writing or copying recipes and since her chalk board broke from over use,I decided to buy the white board and the new markers.

She jumped for joy and thanked me a billion times when she saw her present. Then she wrote for about 3 hours straight while babbling,"IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!" every now and then. It's nice to have a grateful child.

I was just about to hop into the shower this morning when I went to hug her. She was writing on her board again curled up on the couch.I got a whiff of the markers and nearly became disoriented. I looked at Lillianna in horror and said,"Are they making you dizzy? The smell is overwhelming! I could get high off that stuff!"

My congested daughter looked at me in a curious way and said,"But Mom...I can't smell!" Then we both burst out laughing since that is the reason she is home sick today. The poor child can't breathe through her nose!

She can't get high off the markers if she can't breathe.....can she?

10 does not have to be the new 15

I was quite disturbed by this article. I'm well aware that kids of 2006 are more advanced than my generation in the 1970's were but I don't believe it has to be as bad as it is.

Modern technology has introduced many new things since I was a child:

Cable t.v.: I had channels 2,4,5,7,10,12,27,38 and 56...and that was it and that was more than enough. The only "kid shows" were on channel 2 which was PBS. I watched Zoom and occasionally, The Electric Company. Channel 27 had Willie Whistle which drove me insane. Nothing is worse than a squeaky voiced clown! Channel 56 showed re-runs of some 1960's classics like Bewitched and That Girl and they also had The Banana Splits on at 3:00pm when we got out of school. Hooray for cartoons!

With cable,Lillianna has so many channels I can't even count them all. I do check to see what she is watching and happily,her favorite shows are on Disney or Nick Jr. They are kid friendly shows.

What about the kids who are watching programs that are too adult for their child mentality? Are we so busy that we don't care what they are watching as long as they are quiet and not bothering mom and dad? Is that how 6 year olds get so grown up?

The internet: Our children have the entire world at their fingertips. They have access to kids and pedophiles everywhere. They can have MySpace accounts. They can IM each other and strangers. The list of horrors is endless. Is anyone monitoring what their kids are doing online?
Does anyone write letters or just call up a friend instead of IM-ing them? If not,why not?

Clothing: I think my mother bought my clothes until I was 14 or 15. She always chose what I liked so I never had a problem. As I got older,I went shopping on my own and surprisingly,picked out the same clothes my mom would've picked out for me. Even at 43,when my mom buys me clothes for a present,they're always just perfect.

I let Lillianna have some say in her clothing although I know what she likes: jeans with sparkles,anything that has Cheetah fur on it and anything that is snuggly feeling. She doesn't ask for short skirts,belly shirts or tight pants. She has told me,"Those are inappropriate for a girl my age,Mom." I completely agree but more important,at 9,she already knows that.

I get a pain in my chest when I hear young girls talk about being "sexy." What do they know about such things........and why???

When Lillianna came home and told me about a conversation some girls were having in school about a boy being sexy,I sat her down and had a long talk. I explained that at this age,the word sexy,was not a word I wanted her to use.It was not a "bad" word but it was something she could save until she was much older....like 21. At this age,kids are just kids and if you want to compliment them, they can be funny,smart,energetic,pretty,handsome or kind but sexy was not an appropriate word. She already sensed that and she was glad we talked about it.

Cell phones: Young kids are getting cell phones way before they are old enough to understand that this is a tool for an emergency and not a fun toy for their pleasure and their parents' check book.

I understand that if a child has an after school activity and needs to call home for a ride,then a cell phone can be a life saver but I know teens who have cell phones who are not using them for that reason. They call their friends all day long instead of using their home phone which isn't charged by the minute! Parents allow this to happen so kids will continue to take advantage.

The problem and solution lies with us,the parents. We have to set the rules and stick to them. Just because our child wants to wear Daisy Dukes and a belly shirt,doesn't mean they are going to be allowed to do it. The reason that our 10 year olds are becoming the new 15 is because we are not doing anything to prevent it.

Kids are only kids for a short time. They will have plenty of time to be an adult when the time is right. That time,is not now.

How do you handle this with your children? Do you let them do whatever they want or do you set age appropriate limits?

Celebrity liars!

First it was Mel Gibson with his anti-Semitic remarks who claimed he was not prejudice. Then it was Michael Richards with his "N" word who claimed he was not a racist. Now it's Kelly Ripa attacking Clay Aiken and claiming she is not a homophobe.

I listened to the exchange between Kelly and Clay and I don't care what she says,that was a gay attack. Rosie O'Donnell said it was clear to her that it was about Clay being gay but Kelly said that when he covered her mouth and she said something about not knowing where his hand had been, it was just a reference to him shaking hands with people and possibly contracting the flu and then giving her the germs. Oh please! If that were the case,she would've said that! I never liked Kelly Ripa to begin with and now she has just confirmed that she's a petty,shallow bitch.

I'm really tired of these celebrities lashing out in anger at a particular group and then backtracking when they get negative feedback. I'm not perfect,but even in a fit of rage,I wouldn't say the things these celebrities have said because I don't feel that way. A person doesn't say the "N" word unless it's already in his head and he looks upon African-Americans as the "N" word.

I'd have more respect for these people if they'd just stop lying.....wouldn't you?
Their pitiful explanations are just lies and we all see right through them. I don't think I can listen to one more outburst followed by a lame apology. I'm just sick of it!

A beautiful beginning

Most love stories have such a beautiful beginning,"I saw her across a crowded room and our eyes met," or "There was an electricity between us...." or something romantic like that. Today I heard the most interesting beginning to a love story and I wanted to share it.

Today's episode of Judge Hatchett was about a paternity test. What else could it be about? Every court show or talk show is about,"I ain't that baby's daddy!" Use a condom,people...ok?

Anyway,Judge Hatchett asked the daddy in question how he met his ex-girlfriend. I think this is the most magical and romantic thing I have ever heard. He said,"Well,Judge,I was fresh out of prison when I went to my cousin's house and that's where I met her."

Confess,you're all jealous that your own love story doesn't start that way,aren't you? Don't be sad....it's only normal to be jealous!

Run to your nearest grocery store!

Today I discovered the most delicious Jello-O snack. It's called vanilla caramel sundae. It's sugar free and it only has one gram of fat. I also bought mint chocolate sugar free pudding. I sampled that one in the store. Deeeeeeelicious!

Thank you,Jello-O! Now I don't have to feel sad at dessert time. I have a tasty and healthy alternative!

Gay penguins.....who cares?

I would love to go around the world and just smack stupid people on the head. It would be a time consuming job but I think it would be worth it.

I have made my stand on homosexuality pretty clear. I don't care if someone is gay.
I also don't care what religion someone is. It has nothing to do with me. Nothing at all. I don't listen to people who say that being gay is a sin and that every gay person will be on a one way voyage to hell. If G-d loves everyone and He created man in His image,then wouldn't He love homosexuals too?

I was outraged when SpongeBob SquarePants was "outed." He's a cartoon.....and a sponge! Get a life,people.

Today I read an article about a children's book that stirred me up. It's a book,based on a true story about 2 male penguins at the zoo who adopt a baby penguin and raise it as their own. Parents are outraged. What else is new? Apparently there are gay penguins in the world but I can't help but wonder why this is a crisis.

The thing is,it's about creating a family from love. It doesn't talk about the 2 male penguins having sex. What the hell is wrong with a loving family? In this day and age where kids are basically raising themselves,it's nice to know that there are families out there.

I loved the book Heather Has Two Mommies. Lillianna and I read it together when she was 6 or 7. It explains how families may look different but they are all made up of love. Love....isn't that the most important thing? Well,isn't it?

Would you let your child read And Tango Makes Three?

If OJ did it?...ya right!

Of course he did it! I don't know about you,but I wouldn't be able to "make up" a scenario to a brutal murder unless I actually did it or I was a brilliant writer. Apparently,OJ has such a creative imagination that he is going to enlighten the world with his "what if" version of his ex-wife's murder.

Isn't he clever? He can confess,basically,and never be tried for this murder again.
I'm hoping karma takes care of him one of these days.

Soup for breakfast

Well,I don't know how it happened,but I'm sick. I started to feel congested on Friday but I thought it would pass. I went to work Saturday and Sunday but I just felt worse. I probably drank 10 cups of tea on each shift because my throat was bothering me so much but the tea didn't help much.

The past two nights,I have slept sitting up. Last night I ended up going on the couch at 1:30am because my post nasal drip kept making me choke. At 2:00am I heated up a pot of homemade chicken soup that I made for dinner. At 5:00am,I finally fell asleep for an hour.

I checked my blood sugar at 7:00am which is supposed to be a fasting blood sugar but the best I could do was to not have eaten for 5 hours. I had another bowl of soup at 8:00am after Rich brought Lillianna to school.

Rich gave me a funny look as I sat curled up on the couch with my big bowl of soup. "Soup for breakfast?" he asked. I gave him a dirty look as I said in a raspy voice,"Ya...do you have a problem with that?....... It's the only thing that I can eat!"

I hate being sick and cranky.

R U kidding me?

I understand that there is a need for abbreviations in chat rooms and when text messaging but this ridiculous laziness is spilling into other aspects of life.
We are all stunned when we realize there are teenagers and adults who don't know how to read and spell but what should we expect? Children take writing and spelling short cuts every day. After a while,I wonder if these kids really know the correct spelling of anything.

As I drove to work this morning,I noticed the sign in front of a little antique store that read, WEBKINZ R IN.

Lillianna loves Webkinz but I wonder why the store had to use R instead of are. Were they missing the A and E? Was it too taxing to use 3 letters instead of the one?
Is it because they are trying to appeal to kids who only know the letter R and couldn't read the word ARE? Are we raising a generation of illiterates?

Does anyone know what is going on?? Is anyone surprised that kids can't read? Sadly,I'm not surprised at all.

The cousin connection

When I was 6 years old,my Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Barney came to visit us in Massachusetts from California. Uncle Barney was my Papa's brother. One day,he said to me,"My granddaughter Becky is your age. You should write to her." I thought that was a fun idea so I wrote the following informative note.

Dear Becky,
Hi.I am your cousin,Robin. Please write.
Love,
Robin

It must have been my great communication skills that won her over because we were pen-pals for 7 years.

When I turned 13 in 1976,my Nana and Papa took me out to California that summer.That was the first time that Becky and I met. We were instantly friends. My grandparents and I stayed with Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Barney for 11 days and then they went home. I bounced around from their house to Becky's house for the 10 days I was there without my grandparents. Becky and I had so much fun.

When I turned 15,Becky came east to stay with my family for 3 weeks in the summer. It was like we had never been separated. We fell into an easy relationship right away. I didn't want her to go home when her trip was over because being a pen-pal was very different from having her in my life every day.

We kept in touch over the years until we were in our early twenties. Then we just stopped writing and calling due to hectic schedules and life changes. Over the years,I have thought of her often and wondered what she was doing. Uncle Barney died in 1998 and he was my last connection to California. I didn't know how to even reach Becky and being lazy,I didn't try.

This past week,Becky emailed me. It was a total shock and a wonderful surprise. She found me on classmates.com but when she realized I wasn't a gold member and couldn't open her email unless one of us paid $30,she decided to Google me.

Lo and behold,her Google search led her to DotMoms and she found my email address on my blog. Thank you,Internet! After a few email exchanges,we decided to schedule a time to talk. This morning,at 5:30am,her time,I called her and we chatted for 2 1/2 hours. She had to go out but promised to call me later today to finish catching up.

When I told my mom how long Becky and I talked for,she laughed and said,"You always liked Becky." I sure did. My whole family did. I guess I didn't realize how much I missed her until I heard from her. Thank goodness she is resourceful enough to find me.

The funny thing is,even though we had 20 years of catching up to do,it wasn't awkward talking to her. It was like I had spoken to her last week instead of 20 years ago. I guess when cousins are friends,the connection is never really broken!

Where did Nana say she was??

Yesterday Lillianna wanted to call my mom so I told her to try the house first. No answer. I told her to try my mom's cell. Now that she's in Florida for 6 months,she is up and out pretty early on most days. Lillianna's end of the conversation sounded like this,"Hi Nana....uh huh...uh huh....okay...bye."

My mom is known for not being on the phone with us for any long period of time. She'd rather have 3 short talks with us per day as opposed to one long one. I don't know why. Even this was unrealistically short for my mother so I asked Lillianna what she said.

With a perplexed look on her face she said,"Uhm.....I think she's boating!" I thought about that for a moment but it didn't sound right. Mom and John live right on the water but I didn't remember Mom saying she was going boating or who might have had a boat. I kept saying it in my head,"Boating....boating...." Then it hit me.

I looked at Lillianna and tried not to laugh as I asked,"Did she say she was boating or voting?"
Lillianna looked even more confused when she asked,"Why would she be voting?" I said,"Because it's Election Day."

Lillianna thought for a moment before she said,"Oh.....maybe she was voting and not boating." Then she just walked away.

If you don't have a child somewhere in your life....get one. They are so darn funny. Lillianna makes me laugh every single day.

Twelve years?

November 5,1994........It was an Indian summer in Massachusetts on the day we got married. Everything was perfect. I look back on that day and think,"We had no clue!" We were so sure that life would be wonderful and carefree because we were in love.
Anyone who says that marriage is easy is either single or a big fat liar pants! Marriage is many things.....easy is not one of them.

Over the years, we have survived the death of family members,loss of jobs,moving 3 times,a six month separation,2 different marriage counselors,my pancreatitis attack in Disney and the every day stresses that life brings to unsuspecting couples who think that love conquers all.

After 12 years I have decided that a good marriage is a work in progress. I know that with all life's ups and downs,I wouldn't want to share them with anyone but Rich. Even the times when I threaten to kill him while he's sleeping,he knows I'm joking. He's darn lucky that I fight like a girl. Otherwise,I could be typing this from prison.

At this point,after all we've been through,I think it's safe to say we won't give up now. This marriage is forever......for better or for worse.

Happy anniversary,honey. I love you.

Last year at this time......

.....we had already arrived in Disney World and we were enjoying our first day in the Magic Kingdom. This was the start of our dream vacation.

I know I have to move past this event but today was really difficult for me. I have been on the edge of an anxiety attack all day. I've tried taking deep calming breaths or thinking pleasant thoughts but nothing has worked.

I'm sad for the trip that was ruined. I'm sad for the fact that my illness ruined the trip. I'm sad that Lillianna recently warned her friend who was heading south,"Well,I hope your mother doesn't have pancreatitis and almost die on your Disney trip!" Most people just say,"Have a nice vacation."

It's been one year since I got sick and believe me,I don't want to whine,but life sure has changed. I'm grateful to be alive and healthier than I was but I am still a long way from where I need to be in many ways.

I hope this year will be a better year for all of us.

Let's pretend Halloween doesn't exist?

On the drive home from school today,Lillianna said,"Mrs.W said we have to pretend that Halloween doesn't exist tomorrow." Doesn't exist? Are we going straight from October 30th to November 1st? Does that mean I have the night off from work tomorrow if October 31st doesn't exist?

I asked her why and she said the teacher said it would be too distracting. Let's flash back to my days in 3rd grade.......

When I was 9 years old back in 1972,we looked forward to this spooky holiday the minute school started in September. (We never started school in August before Labor Day. It was unheard of!!) By the end of September,kids were already thinking about their costume and asking their parents to buy their favorite candies to give out.

There were planned parties in school.Every mom sent in creative baked treats and candy. Yes,they actually encouraged us to bring in some candy to school. Can you imagine such a thing? (Lillianna's school has banned candy all year since it's not a healthy snack.)

Sometimes,in my elementary school,we got to go into different classrooms to show them our costumes and then they'd come into ours. It was exciting and fun. We all had butterflies in our stomach anticipating the thrill of going trick-or-treating at night.

Were we distracted because of Halloween when I was in 3rd grade? Probably. We were distracted with being kids who were filled with excitement and joy. I will never understand how that is a bad thing.

Will one day of distraction ruin my child's learning ability? I can't see how it possibly could. Am I going to ask her to pretend Halloween doesn't exist tomorrow?
Hell no! She can still wear her pumpkin shirt,black pants and pumpkin earrings to school. She has worn that at least once a week this month to celebrate Halloween.

I talked to my friend,Sheri, about this today since our daughters are in the same school. She said some parents believe Halloween is all about satan. I said,"If you think sugar is the devil then maybe you have a point!" We both laughed. We think Halloween is a fun holiday and it's a shame that kids can't go to school in costume or have parties anymore.

Is Halloween banned in your child's school?

Just say no to underpants!

When I read this article,I rolled my eyes. I am so sick and tired of stupid school rules. Isn't it bad enough they've banned tag in elementary schools because it's too violent?

The article states that the 3 teens were not at all naked. They were in tan body suits which revealed nothing! How is that different from all the years of wearing a black body suit and dressing up as a mouse or bat or any other character that requires a body suit? Was it the offensive underpants??

Raise your hand if you have never ever seen someone dress up as baby new year? I've seen it a million times and I can assure you that the guy in the costume was not wearing a body suit of any kind!!....just a hat and a big old diaper. No one was ever booted out of school because it's freakin' Halloween,people!!!
Lighten the hell up,already!

All the fun I had as a child and teen has been sucked out of the atmosphere. Someone is always "Johnny on the spot" and ready to point an accusing finger at something that is now deemed wrong!

Anyone old enough to remember streakers in the 70's? If anyone did that now they'd probably be put on death row! I'm not an advocate of streaking but come on! Almost every kid is reading Captain Underpants in Lillianna's school. I don't love the book and she is more interested in The Magic Tree House but still,for some kids,it's their motivation to read.

As Susan Powter always said,"STOP THE INSANITY!"

The typo police

Well,I guess you can't really call it a typo since it's just the incorrect usage of a word,but I found another sign that irritated me.

A huge sign in front of a hairdressing salon states:

(name of salon)welcomes Jane Doe formally of Joe's Barber Shop.

Formally? Is it a black tie affair or is it just a formal welcome?

Did they mean formerly as in she used to work at Joe's Barber Shop?

Is being a sign checker a job? I could totally do that!

I used to be so hot!

It's true. I guess you could call me a real hottie. It's not that I'm sexier than most women,it's just that I'm always so freakin' HOT!
It's not menopause because I have been this way for as long as I can remember. When everyone is freezing,I'm in short sleeves and wondering if I can turn the heat down before I pass out!

I usually wear short sleeves even in blizzard weather because once I go indoors, I'M HOT! I am cold when I'm outside, it's just being inside that makes me sweat.

In the past two days,I've been cold....cold to the bone.No matter what I do,I can't seem to get warm.This morning after my shower,I turned on the heat lamp and warmed up for 5 minutes so that I could stop shaking. Since it's so odd for me to ever be cold,I tend to worry when this happens.

Last year,right before I went into the hospital,Lillianna and I were swimming in a heated pool in Florida and I was shivering. I couldn't get warm no matter what I did. I swam and jumped and ran in place and my insides were like ice cubes. I would rather be hot than cold so that feeling is really horrible for me. I hate it.

I've been wearing my one and only pair of long sleeved jammies in the past few nights but I put them in the wash yesterday and tonight,I was freezing.FREEZING! I rarely wear warm jammies because in the middle of the night,I get so hot,I have to change into something with short sleeves. Tonight,I needed something warm.

I went through Rich's drawers and closet and found his Mr.Bubble cotton pants and a nice snuggly ribbed shirt. Ya,I could win Bag Lady of the year with this outfit but it's really warm and that's all I care about. So now I am heading into bed and I hope I keep warm. I really have to get myself a new pair of pajamas tomorrow!

Cutie-pie pet names

I'll be the first to admit that Rich and I have several dozen pet names that we call Lillianna. We go through phases of using one or two names for a while then we suddenly come up with a new one and the old ones are history. Every now and then we'll fall back on an old name and sigh when we remember when we used to use that name all the time.

Our first name for her was Moon Pie. Her face looked like a cute little round moon on my ultra sound and that name stuck for quite a while after she was born.
I won't bore you with the long list of names we have used over the past 9 years but they've all been loving and sweet:Pumpkin Wumpkin,Lilly-pop,Rosebud,Poozle,Boo-boo and many,many more. For the past year,I have taken to calling her Noodle. I'm not sure if that has a lot to do with my pasta addiction or not but one day,the name just popped out.

That being said,when I read this article,I wanted to puke.
I realize that Michael Jackson is a complete psychopath but who the hell calls his precious daughter "Blanket"??? How is blanket a nick name? It's a warm covering....something to snuggle in.

Yuck!! I didn't mean to but I just made myself sick!! Who knows why this pedophile calls his daughter Blanket? If anyone has the answer,please don't tell me!!!!

The reluctant entertainer

My post about Lillianna's birthday party is finally up at DotMoms. Go check it out!

What's so "new" about cheating?

I was watching a talk show last week and the topic was,"The new monogamy." If you go to that link and read some of the rules,you have to wonder,"How is this not cheating?"

The couples on the show tried to spin this many ways but no matter what they said,I still considered this to be cheating. Is consensual cheating better than sneaking around? Isn't cheating just cheating no matter what name you call it?

When I told Rich about this show,he asked,"Uhm,doesn't mono mean one?"

Here is the definition of monogamy:

mo nog a my (m-ng-m)
n.
The practice or condition of having a single sexual partner during a period of time.

The practice or condition of being married to only one person at a time.
The practice of marrying only once in a lifetime.
Zoology. The condition of having only one mate during a breeding season or during the breeding life of a pair.

I guess it doesn't matter what mono means if you feel like making it into something else.
I believe that if you don't believe in being faithful then you shouldn't be married.
It's pretty cut and dry for me. Even though there can be problems in a marriage,that isn't a reason to find another partner unless you are legally divorced.

The argument that having sex with other partners is not about love it's just about sex sounds stupid and shallow to me.

I think "the new monogamy" is just a clever way to give cheaters an excuse to cheat.
What do you think?

Sometimes.......

.......no matter how hard you wish,things just don't turn out the way you want them to.

Is this really romantic?

Yesterday,I was reading a magazine article about spicing up your love life. Rich and I agree that we have lost the romance over the years and we try to do little things to show how much we love and appreciate one another. These days,I fall in love with him time and time again when he cleans the kitchen for me. That is true romance to me.

I know we need to try to be "really" romantic so I read this article with interest.
It suggested that I write a list with items such as chocolate sauce,whipped cream,cherries and other delectable items and give it to my husband to go shopping. While he is in the supermarket,I am supposed to call him and tell him what sexy plan I have for these items.

I don't know where you people shop but the two supermarkets I shop in have about a 5% chance of getting cell phone reception in there. I laughed when I thought of what Rich's end of the conversation might sound like as he yelled into his cell phone.

"Hi,Honey........what?....What?....What about the chocolate sauce?.......You're planning on pouring it on some guy?......what guy?....... not a guy?..........whose thigh?......Chocolate sauce on someone's thigh?.....When did this happen?.....Was it an accident?.....What?.....Forget about the chocolate sauce?.....Ok,I'll cross it off the list.

.......What?......what about pickles?.....I don't have pickles on the list.......I don't understand why you're yelling "pickles"......I can hear you,Honey,"pickles,pickles,pickles,pickles,"....Fine I'll get you pickles.

.....pickles and whipped cream?.....Now that's just gross!....I have seen you eat some odd foods before but this takes the cake........You're not saying pickles?......You're saying nickels?......Do you need me to cash in some nickels at Coin Star?......I have enough money.....Now you're chanting "nickels,nickels,nickels"....why are you doing that?

.....Why are you yelling at me?.....Stop screaming!.....You're not saying nickels?

......nipples?....Why are you saying that?......Listen,Honey,clearly you are confused and hysterical. I'm going to grab a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.All this talk of food has made me hungry.
Can I pick you up anything?.....Hello?.....Honey?.....Where did ya go?

One more activity

Lillianna has been asking to play basketball for the past 2 years. In our town,they start basketball in 3rd grade unless you belong to the YMCA and play on their team. We don't belong to the Y so we had to wait.

When Lillianna got the newsletter about sign ups she was so excited. I was worried that it would conflict with my work on Tuesday nights, her dance class on Wednesdays or her Brownie troop meeting on Thursdays. We were kind of limited and we just hoped for the best.

Tonight,at sign ups they said she could do either Wednesday or Friday. It's only once a week. Hooray! We don't have plans on Fridays so we signed her up. Basketball begins in December and we are all thrilled. Lillianna loves basketball and she will finally learn the skills she needs to be on a team. She practically gets the ball in the basket every time she shoots. I hope she likes being a part of a team.

Soup can labels, anyone?

Lillianna's school collects BoxTops. My aunt collects them for her along with Campbell's soup can labels which Lillianna's school does not collect.
My aunt is very kind and loving and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year. I didn't want to tell her that we can't use the soup can labels because she might stop collecting the BoxTops. Sometimes she gets confused and she might stop saving everything.

So,if your child's school collects Campbell's soup can labels,please let me know and I will send you all of ours. There are quite a lot of them and I hate to see them go to waste.
Thanks.

Falling back on a bad habit

This post is over at The Lighter Side.

Coining a new phrase

Rich and I were watching the news this morning which is always a big mistake. Every time there is a story about child abuse or a parent doing something stupid with their child,Rich calls me into the living room,"Honey....honey....quick come here. This will make you crazy." He's right. These stories drive me insane.

I told him that I'm not overly paranoid but I do take precautions with Lillianna. I don't leave her alone in the car or at home.(I recently read a story in Reader's Digest where both parents had to run in the house "for a minute" and left their 2 small children alone in the suv parked in the driveway. Hmmmm....what could possibly happen? Oh...I know....the suv was CARJACKED!!The parents are lucky that the kids are alive and ok!)

I don't let Lillianna cook by herself. I still supervise her Easy Bake Oven just in case that light bulb gets out of hand. It is electricity afterall and I had a hair dryer catch on fire in college.I didn't heed the warning:"Don't leave it plugged in when not in use!" Thank goodness I was in the room at the time.

My point is,I try not to be a crazed, over protective mother but I am a mom with common sense and I don't believe in taking unnecessary chances with my daughter's life.

Rich made me laugh when he said,"You're not paranoid.
You're parent-noid!"
I like that phrase! I think I'll start using it.

Are you parent-noid?

All day on the couch

Sometime at the end of last week,I got sick. My nose was congested and I felt really run down. I guess working for Kara for 1 1/2 weeks,still working last weekend at one of my jobs, celebrating Lillianna's birthday at my mom's on Tuesday,participating in Walk Your Child To School Day on Wednesday at 7am and throwing Lillianna's sleep over party on Friday,just got the best of me.

All the children got picked up by 11:30am yesterday and I got to work at 1:00pm as scheduled. I was exhausted and more congested than the day before. Talking non-stop on the phone for 6 hours wore me down. The people I was speaking to had a hard time hearing me when my voice cracked and no amount of hot tea relieved my throat.

By the end of my shift,I knew there was no way I could go in for 8 hours today. My throat couldn't take it and I knew I had to rest. Unfortunately,I always feel guilty when I have to call in sick to a job. I feel like I've let everyone down especially if we are short staffed,which we are.

My doctor always tells me to be careful with my health since my diabetes diagnosis last year. I do try to take care of myself so I decided not to push it and just relax today.

I slept until 8:40am which was better than if I had gone to work and had to wake up at 4:30am. I spent the whole day in my jammies and lying on the couch. I alternated between watching a marathon of The A-Team on TV Land and napping. I also had to endure the painful teasing of my husband who mocked me for watching The A-Team.

I finally got off the couch at 4:30pm and started making my cure for everything...home made chicken soup! Tomorrow is Columbus Day and Lillianna is home from school so it will be another resting day for both of us. I really need it!

In just 20 minutes.....

......14 little 8 and 9 year olds will be coming to Lillianna's sleep over party.
Did I mention we live in a 2 bedroom apartment?

Some have called me brave. Others have called me insane. I'll let you know which is the best description tomorrow morning if I survive it all.

We have 6 Papa Ginos pizzas,fried ravioli and cinnamon sticks arriving at 6:45pm.
Lillianna picked out Brother Bear 2 and Chicken Little for tonight's entertainment.
Each child will decorate 2 Funfetti cupcakes:one to eat here and one to take home.
It's kind of a cake and a craft all in one. Every time I plan a craft we run out of time. Everyone loves a craft you can eat,right? So this is the perfect thing to do.

I bought a ton of microwave popcorn to go along with the movies and a pound of butter since many of them love their popcorn dripping in fat. I'm not their nutritionist or their mom so I let them have what they want. Hey,it's a party!

Tomorrow morning,I have cinnamon buns planned for breakfast with plain,vanilla,chocolate or strawberry milk. I made out little lists with everyone's name on it so that Lillianna and one of her friends can play waitress and tell me what kind of milk everyone wants. They get to serve it too! Somehow,they think that is lots of fun.

I'm down to 13 minutes! They'll be here any minute.
Wish me luck.

(This is Lillianna's 4 birthday sleep over and if I must confess,I love these parties. If there is anything more sweet or innocent than little giggling girls,I don't know what it is!)

Happy Birhday??

I'm known for being a spelling fanatic. I know it's not a big deal in the scheme of life but spelling mistakes annoy me.

This morning,Rich and I decorated the apartment for Lillianna's party tonight. After Rich went to work,I looked around to see how beautiful it all looked and that's when I noticed it. The HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner was missing a "T". What the heck was
HAPPY BIRHDAY???

It's too late to buy a new one but I wasn't too pleased with that banner. I wonder if anyone will notice or care about it but me.

Walk Your Child To School Day

Yesterday,was Walk Your Child To School Day. In the good weather,I usually try to walk Lillianna to school. It's only a 15 minute walk each way and it gives me and Lillianna time to chat. We both enjoy it. We leave the house at 7:45am and get there 5 minutes before the bell rings. It works out perfectly.

So,you can see why Rich was perplexed when I told him on Tuesday night that he had to drop me and Lillianna off at the fire station at 7am Wednesday morning.
"Why am I driving you a mile in the opposite direction from school so that you can walk to school at 7am?" he asked. It even sounded dumb to me when I responded,"It's Walk Your Child To School Day." I don't know why it was such a production but Lillianna wanted to do it and I figured,"Who needs sleep? I'll just get up at 5am instead of 6:30am and walk to school with her."

Rich's best bet is just not to question me when it comes to things I do for Lillianna. The school made a huge deal out of walking to school but we do that as often as we can without prompting from the school. I know a lot of parents work and maybe just put their kid on the bus so to them,it was a novelty. I'm for anything that brings parents closer to their children....even if it's just for a few minutes.

Lillianna and I arrived at 7am and she joined her friends,Carly and Hannah so that they could walk together. Hannah's dad,John, and I were the last in line for group #1 which left the fire station at 7:15am. Group #2 would be leaving at 7:30am.
Since we were at the end,John and I got to carry signs to warn drivers that there were children walking. Remember in the good old days when kids just walked to and from school without the aide of signs? It seems like a million years ago.

When we got to school,there was a booth outside where you could take oranges,apples and bottled water. Just as I was peeling Lillianna's stubborn orange,my cell phone rang from Kara's office. With juice dripping down my arm,I answered the phone. It wasn't even 8am yet! Who needed a mortgage at that hour?

At 8am,Rich called and asked if I wanted him to pick me up. I was sticky and congested and had already walked a mile so I gratefully agreed to have him pick me up.

By the time I got home from work,picked Lillianna up at dancing school and made dinner,I was exhausted. I fell asleep at 8:30pm.

Did you have Walk Your Child To School Day in your child's school?

Happy 9th Birthday Lillianna Rose!

Today,my baby is 9 years old......nine......It's hard to believe that so many years have passed since the day she was born.

This morning I woke up at 5am and jumped in the shower. After I was dressed and just about to do my hair,I heard Lillianna's little voice speaking from the darkness of her room,"In case you were wondering.....I'm UP!"

She brought her birthday basket and presents into our bedroom and we attempted to wake Rich up for the big opening event of the century. She got lots of fun stuff.
I think her favorite presents were the 4 pair of dangle earrings I bought her and her pink winter coat with Cheetah fur on it. She is a big fan of The Cheetah Girls.

I'm hoping she'll write about this sometime this week. I love when she writes.

So,to my precious little daughter who I love more than anything in this entire world.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

The night before Lillianna's birthday

I got home from work at 6:15pm. Mom made us a delicious chicken dinner so me,Rich and Lil sat down as a family and ate a meal together. This doesn't happen very often.

At 7:15pm,I started baking Funfetti cupcakes and wrapping birthday presents.
I finished at 10:00pm and then it was time to frost 36 cupcakes for school tomorrow.(27 classmates plus the principal,Lillianna's college student book buddy, teachers and probably the school nurse.)

It is now 11pm and I am going to sleep. I have to be up at 5am.
Birthdays are exhausting!

Why this day is important

October 2nd......What an interesting date.

When I went for my first ob/gyn check up in February 1997,Nannette,my midwife,told me that my baby would be due on October 2nd. I nearly fell out of the stirrups and onto the floor. How could this be? How could two important events happen on the exact same date?

She asked me why I looked so stunned and I said,"I met my husband on October 2nd in 1993. I can't believe our baby is due on the same day. What are the odds?"
(Ok,clearly the odds were 1 in 365 but still....it was still amazing.)

October 2, 1993 is the date that Rich and I have inscribed in our wedding bands.We were married on November 5th of the following year but the way that we looked at it was the wedding was the date of our really big party but October 2nd was the truly important day....the day we met and our lives changed forever.

October 2,1997 also changed our lives forever. It was exactly on my 40 week due date that I went into labor. On October 3rd at 4:59am,Lillianna made her appearance into our lives and our world has never been the same.

Happy 13th anniversary to my dear husband who has put up with a lot of my bitchiness lately. There is no one else in this entire universe that I would want to be married to in spite of my recent threat to take the child and leave the country and go back to Israel.

Happy almost birthday to our precious daughter,Lillianna Rose. This is your very last day of being 8! Wait 'til you see what Daddy and I bought you.......Just one more day!

Candy issues

Lillianna is having candy issues. You can read about it at Lillianna's Place.

Learning to be assertive

This post was published over at DotMoms today.

Nineteen years ago today....

It's just too unbelievable to admit that my dad has been gone for nineteen years. Kara has been without him longer than she was with him since he died right before her 13th birthday. I was 24 and still felt I was too young to lose a parent.

Kara emailed me last night from her honeymoon and said she couldn't believe it was nineteen years. That amount of time seems like forever. Things have never been the same since he died. We've never been the same.

I felt like I really needed to write about that day,today. I don't have too much to add to this,which really tells the complete story but here is what I remember.

It was a Tuesday morning around 11:00am. The phone rang and it was my Uncle Robert,Daddy's brother. He worked side by side with my father in the bakery where Dad was the manager. Uncle Robert asked to talk to my mother but I said she was out shopping. Later,I learned that Mom was shopping for a black skirt for no reason at all. Kind of creepy.

Anyway,Uncle Robert said to tell Mom to get to Boston City Hospital as soon as she could because my dad was sick. He didn't say more.
A while later,Mom came home and I gave her the message. We weren't really worried because "sick" doesn't mean "dead." I don't even remember what we were thinking was wrong with him.

A few minutes later,Uncle Robert called and all he said was,"Let me talk to your mother." I asked him what was wrong. He wouldn't tell me. I wouldn't give Mom the phone until he did. He said he wouldn't. I guess I thought it was going to be bad news and by then,I suppose I knew what the news was. By not giving Mom the phone,we'd never have to hear it,right?

Tears were already streaming down my face when I handed her the receiver. I don't remember how she reacted or what she said or did next but I remember walking out of the kitchen and into the living room and screaming! Just screaming. Then I fell on the living room rug and my teal shoe went sailing across the room as it slipped off my foot.

Eventually,Papa came home from work and I sat at the kitchen table talking to him,trying to make sense out of all of this. That's when I had my very first anxiety attack and I couldn't breathe. Papa took me outside with a brown paper bag and helped me to breathe again. The tears never stopped.

Mom's friend,Rozie,took me aside and told me to "stop it" because I was upsetting my mother. I just stayed by Papa's side for a very long time and tried to stop crying but I couldn't.

At some point,Mom said people had to be notified and she gave me the phone book and told me who to call. Since it was a Tuesday,most people were at work so I got to leave a cheery message like this:
"Hi Bev and Sherm.This is Robin. I just wanted to let you know that my father just died. Okay....talk to you soon.Bye"

I went into some psychotic robot-like state and made all the calls in a sing-songy voice. I didn't even cry until all the calls were made. Then I went back to snuggle Papa.

Meanwhile,my 12 year old sister,was in school,completely oblivious to all of this. Mom sent her brother,Louis,to pick Kara up and tell her the news. He was,afterall,a high school guidance counselor and could handle this. According to Kara who says we totally did the wrong thing that day,this meeting did not go well.

Uncle Louis pulled the car over a block from our house and said something like,"Kara,your father is very sick. Your father is dead." Kara just glared at him and said,"Take me home!"

When I saw her walk in the door I ran to her and hugged her. She pulled away and through clenched teeth said,"Don't touch me!"

I don't remember much after that. People came to visit. Everyone said they were sorry. Of course they should be sorry. MY FATHER DIED!! I hated everyone and resented their very presence in my house.

Somehow we all survived and I suppose we came out stronger than ever before. To tell you the truth,I'd rather be weaker and still have my father here with us. I think we all would.

Tired of being a bitch

You wouldn't think I'd be tired of being a bitchy,disgruntled and petty wife since it comes so easily to me, but I am. I'm really tired of it. It takes so much energy away from the things I want to enjoy and it thoroughly exhausts me. I'm sure it hasn't made Rich's life a bowl of cherries,either. Wait....he hates cherries.....ok,let's say I haven't made his life a bag of circus peanuts.

I try not to nag and be a huge bitch because who wants to live with that? I sure don't. I'm thrilled that Rich isn't that way. The past week and a half has been worse than usual and I wonder how long I can use PMS as an excuse.

If I could just stop worrying about money and everything else that is on my mind,maybe I wouldn't be such a bitch.....It's just a theory.

Hot delivery guys

Kara and Peter's office is right in the center of town. It is on a fairly small but unbelievably busy street where cars,buses,trucks and ambulances are constantly in motion. There are tons of businesses on this street which means there are many UPS,Fed-Ex and Poland Springs deliveries.

For some reason,these guys are always hot looking. Is it from lifting heavy packages and gallons of water all day long?

I know that "Doug" the IPS driver on King Of Queens is no stud muffin but "Deacon" sure is.

I wonder what the screening process is to get hired at one of these places. Do they all have to be "hot?"

My temporary new job

Well,here I am....day one at Kara and Peter's mortgage company. They flew off to their honeymoon this morning and I am in charge....whatever that entails.

I like it here,I really do. The callers are either people looking to purchase a home or re-finance or they are calling from a bank,lawyer's office or some other type of financial institution. They are all professional and so far,no one has been rude.

I am here for 8 work days and I am hoping I can handle anything that comes in. I will be emailing Peter at the end of every day if there are things he has to address. Other than that,Kara has trained me to do various things that may come up and I promised to do my best. They are just grateful to have me here so that they didn't have to close the office,which would be very bad for business.

Even though the commute here is horrible....way too much traffic.....I managed to arrive in 35 minutes which is only 5 more minutes than it takes to get to my other 2 jobs.

I hope I don't get too attached to this job. I may never want to leave it.

The Brownie update

After all of this craziness,I finally got a call today that Lillianna is in the troop that I wanted to get her into. Three of her good friends are in this troop and apparently,they go on all kinds of fun trips.

I got an email from the troop leader today explaining about this huge trip to New York in June. It said each girl has to sell an average of 400 boxes of cookies! Whatever we don't sell,we have to pay out of pocket for the trip which is $400 per mom and daughter. Where the heck am I gonna come up with that kind of money? We have never come close to selling that amount of cookies.

If you live in my area,please,oh please by a box of cookies from my child who is desperate to go on this trip.....400 boxes......are they serious?

How many boxes of cookies does your Brownie have to sell?

What I wish I had said

I am really burnt out of ophthalmology. The writing was really on the wall this past Thursday when I had one bitchy,obnoxious,whining patient after the next. I wanted to run out the front door and never look back. Sixteen years at one job is way too long.

Here are the comments I got from patients and what I wish I had said to them.

1. I'm not really good at this kind of thing.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to keep your eyes open and read a chart!

2. Can you tell if my eyes have changed?

What am I,psychic? Why don't I wait until the exam is actually done before I give you an answer.

3. No,I'm not diabetic. I take pills for that.

If you take diabetes pills,guess what dipstick? You are diabetic!!

4. I didn't wear my hearing aide. Can you speak up?

No,I won't speak up. Stop living in denial that you are deaf as a haddock and just wear your hearing aide!

5. I don't really like people near my eyes!

That's too freakin' bad. You're at an EYE doctor's office for your own health. Suck it up.
I don't like people near my vagina but I have an annual check up with my gynecologist! Stop whining!

I really need to quit this job!

My faithful husband

The other night,Rich surprised me and took me out to dinner while Lillianna was at a sleep over. We had a lovely meal and I appreciated the effort that he made. We're really trying to add some romance back in our relationship.

After dinner,I mentioned that I had watched an episode of Dr.Phil earlier in the day and a husband cheated on his wife because she didn't clean the house. My loving husband declared,"I'd never cheat on you. I don't have the energy."

I looked at this man who I have been married to for almost 12 years and my mouth dropped open. In my most disbelieving voice I asked,"You mean you wouldn't cheat on me because you're too damn lazy? That's the reason?.....You're supposed to say you wouldn't cheat because I am the love of your life!"

Shocked by his own stupidity,Rich said,"No no! It came out wrong. That's not what I meant!"

Well,there's the key to a happy marriage.....a husband who is too damn lazy to cheat!

Try to remember my name

Writing the post about Kara and her new name reminded of this story.

About a year after I was married,Kara called me at work and left a message with one of the secretaries for me to call her back. The secretary gave me the message and said,"By the way,I thought you'd want to know that she asked for Robin G____."
I laughed. I hadn't been Robin G_____ for a year.

I called Kara back and got her answering machine. I left the following message.

Hi Kara.
This is your sister,Robin P____.
I'm not sure if you remember this but last November,Rich and I had a really big party and we invited our friends and family.
There was lots of food and dancing.

I wore a long,poofy white dress with a veil and Rich was in a snappy black ensemble.
You and some of my friends wore aqua and black velvet gowns. Sound familiar?

Well,during this ceremony,Rich and I said some mushy stuff to each other and gold jewelry was exchanged. At this time,I had a name change. I am no longer Robin G____.
Please try to remember that the next time you call.
Thank you.
Your sister,
Robin P_____.

When she called me back she was laughing and said,"Ya,ya. I get it!"

I just love that girl!

My funny sister

I went for my last training in Kara and Peter's office today. They will be off on their honeymoon next week and I will be handling things on my own. Kara had me fill out a form for her and it asked the loan officer's name so I put her name on it. Her new name.

When I was finished,she wanted to check it to make sure I didn't miss anything. When she looked at the sheet she gasped this horrible sounding breath. I couldn't imagine what I had done. I hesitantly asked,"What's wrong? What did I do?"

She looked at the first line I had filled in for her.....her name.
"You wrote Kara T____," she shrieked. I frowned at her and said,"Ya. Isn't that what you're going by?" She looked up at me in confusion and surprise and asked,"So soon?" I laughed and said,"You've been married for four days!" She didn't seem to be able to process that information.

New brides......ya gotta love them.

All talk and no action

I guess that's the best way to describe me. There are so many things that I want to do and yet,I haven't done them. Why? What is stopping me? Asking myself that question is too revealing because it means I have to admit the truth....Again. I'm scared to death of failure. I am and always have been my own worst enemy.

Even as a child,if I got anything less than an A+,I'd be depressed. Mom and Dad were always pleased with my achievements but not me. I always thought I could've done better.I expect a lot from myself.

My dream is to be a writer. Everyone always tells me,"You are a writer. Just writing makes you a writer." I don't really agree with that. I've written one book and have tons of other ideas in my head but sending anything to a publisher means I have to face rejection. Am I up for that? I'm so sensitive. I cry at dog food commercials. How will I handle the "you suck" letter?

I'm not making any promises to myself but I'm hoping I get brave enough to take the next step...any step,very soon.

Should being a Brownie,be this difficult?

Two years ago,after several phone calls to the Girl Scouts of America in our area which resulted in leaving 5 voice mail messages for people who would not call me back, I gave up trying to get Lillianna into a Brownie troop in our town. The website referred me to the phone number,"If you know your party's extension....." Ya, well....I DIDN'T! I couldn't get a live person on the line.

The Boy Scouts had a recruiting table at Lillianna's open house at school but nothing for the girls. I approached the leader and he referred me to the Girl Scout number that I had already called. Everywhere I went was a dead end. Maybe if I had known the secret handshake.....?

In the end,I signed her up for a troop 2 towns away. My friend,Janet was one of the troop leaders and her daughter,Emily was in that troop. Lillianna loved Brownies these past two years but now,Emily is a Girl Scout and Janet stopped being a troop leader. I decided to try to get Lillianna in a troop in our town.....Again.

I sent in the application with the $10 fee back in May. A few weeks ago,I got an email saying she was in a Wednesday troop at 6:00pm. On the application I specifically said she could not meet on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. I work Tuesday nights and Lillianna dances from 4:00pm-5:30pm on Wednesdays. If she joined that troop there would be no time to eat dinner or do her homework.

I emailed back and asked for Monday or Thursday. The reply came that she could be in the Monday troop. This morning,my friend,Sheri told me that she got word that Lillianna was in her troop with her daughter. I breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't even register in my brain when she said it was 1st and 2nd graders. I forgot Lillianna was in 3rd grade.

Sheri checked her roster for me this afternoon and said ALL the girls are 1st graders except the one second grader,her daughter,and the one and only 3rd grader,Lillianna. I was not happy. Lillianna will be nine in 2 weeks. The next oldest is Sheri's daughter who just turned seven. All the others must be 5 and 6.

Of course I sent another email today and the reply said that if enough people sign up tomorrow night,they may start another troop. I think it sucks.
This is ridiculous. Lillianna doesn't want to be with 1st graders and I don't blame her. She should be able to be with girls her own age.

I hate Brownies. It's too damn frustrating!

My sister's wedding!

Well she did it! Kara is officially married.
The celebration started Thursday night with the rehearsal dinner which was wonderful.
I got to catch up with two of her high school friends who are married to two of her bridesmaids. All the bridesmaids except one,grew up in our house. They didn't actually live with us but they hung out at our house all the time. I loved them all like little sisters. Both of the husbands,were partying teenage boys the last time I saw them. I hadn't seen them in about 14 years because I really don't see the girls that much. It was so fascinating to catch up.

The meal was delicious . The tables were set up in a square so that everyone could be seen. We all got up, one at a time, and said a few words after dinner. There was a lot of laughter and love.

Friday,Lillianna and I met Mom and Kara at 11am for manicures. Then we went to the florist for a look at the flowers. They were gorgeous. After that,we headed over to Bugaboo Creek for a delicious lunch. By that time,we were all exhausted and ready to check into the hotel for a nap.

By 4:00pm,Kara and I were snuggled up in bed watching t.v. with Lillianna in the middle. We fell asleep for a couple of hours and then got ready for dinner. At 7:00pm,Kara's friend/bridesmaid, Jessica met us at the hotel and joined us for dinner. We had a great dinner at T.G.I.Friday's at 8:30pm,which is late for me but right on time for Kara. By the end of the meal,Lillianna was almost asleep.

The whole week before the wedding,the weather forecast predicted rain,no rain,rain,no rain.....it made us crazy. It was an outside wedding!
Taking the situation into my own hands,I prayed to Daddy,Nana and Papa. "Your baby is getting married. PLEASE do not let it rain." I prayed every day.
The weather was warm,sunny and absolutely lovely.

Kara looked gorgeous. She is always beautiful but yesterday.....wow....I can't even describe how she looked. As she walked down the aisle,Peter's eyes lit up and I think I saw him drooling. He almost ran down the aisle to get her to come to him even faster.

Even though I had seen her all morning long,I started to cry when she walked down the aisle. Our baby was getting married.
The day that Mom brought her home,she said to me,"This is your baby too. She's a share baby." I have always been part mom/part sister to Kara and the mom part really took over yesterday.

During the ceremony,T.C.(the best man) and I signed the marriage certificate,which is a Jewish tradition. I remembered when Kara signed mine 12 years ago as my maid of honor. Time sure does fly.

All things considered,I kept my crying to a minimum,although Peter laughed and said,"You did? Every time I looked at you,you were crying!" Mom backed me up on that. I really did hold it together quite well,thank you very much.

The wedding speech turned out great. I didn't write it until the night before the wedding. Peter and I have been going back and forth on how long it could be. He said 30 seconds or less. Ya,ok!! He knew that was never going to happen.

Whenever I did something that Peter liked during the past 10 months,he'd say,"Go ahead and add an extra minute on to your speech." When he irritated me,I'd say,"That'll cost ya. I'm adding another 3 minutes." I put this part in the speech and added,"So,technically speaking,I am entitled to talk for 6 hours. I should also be able to have a slide show presentation on how much I love my sister and a parade in her honor. Since we all want to dance,I'll try to cut it down." Everyone laughed. I got so many compliments on how I am a natural at public speaking:very funny and relaxed. Ahhhhh,if they only knew how uncomfortable I am when I do things like that. It's a good thing that I fooled them all. Even Peter said he loved my speech.
Of course Kara did too. She knows how much I love her and that everything I say is from my heart.

Before the dinner,Lillianna and I said the blessing over the challah in Hebrew. That was cool doing that with her. She looked so precious in her white flower girl dress with her spiral curls and rhinestones in her hair.

We danced until 10:30pm(the wedding started at 3:30pm)and then Kara and Peter headed off in a limo to a hotel in Boston,while me,Rich and Lillianna,Mom and John,went back to the hotel that just the 4 of us had stayed in the night before. We had a suite the first night when it was me,Lillianna,Mom and Kara. Last night,we had an adjoining room to Mom and John's suite. We stayed up talking til midnight with 3 of Mom and John's friends who got a room near ours. Then we went off to bed.

This morning Mom hosted a wedding breakfast for Kara and Peter. It was all Mom's friends and some family. It was beautiful and a nice ending to a spectacular 4 days!

Well,that's enough excitement for me. I have to take some more ibuprofen because my hips and calves are screaming in pain from a whole night of non stop dancing.

Congratulations to my dearest sister and my fabulous new brother in law!!

Welcome to Bawstin

I received this as an email today but I thought it was funny enough to share it with the blog world.

For those of you who have never been to "Bawstin", this is a good guideline. I hope you will consider coming to "Beantown" in the near future. For those who call New England home, this is just plain great!

Information on Boston and the surrounding area:

There's no school on School Street, no court on Court Street, no dock on Dock Square, no water on Water Street.

Back Bay streets are in alphabetical "oddah": Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, etc.

So are South Boston streets: A, B, C, D, etc.

If the streets are named after trees (e.g. Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar), you're on Beacon Hill.

If they're named after poets, you're in Wellesley.

Massachusetts Ave is Mass Ave; Commonwealth Ave is Comm Ave; South Boston is Southie.

The South End is the South End. East Boston is Eastie. The North End is east of the former West End. Roxbury is The Burry, Jamaica Plain is J.P.

How to say these Massachusetts city names correctly: **Say it wrong, be shunned**

Worcester: Wuhsta (or Wistah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester: Lesta
Woburn: Wooban
Charlestown: Char-less-town
Dedham : Dedim (like denim w/ a D in the N pace)
Revere: Re-vee-ah
Quincy: Quinzee
Peabody: Peabuddy
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham: Chattum

Definitions:
Frappes have ice cream, milkshakes don't.
If it is fizzy and flavored, it's tonic.
Soda is CLUB SODA.
Pop is Dad.
When we want Tonic WATER, we will ask for Tonic WATER.
The smallest beer is a pint.
Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually fish. If you paid less than $6/pound, you got scrod.

It's not a water fountain; it's a bubblah.
It's not a trashcan; it's a barrel.
It's not a spucky; it's a sub.
It's not a shopping cart; it's a carriage.
It's not a purse; it's a pocketbook.
They're not franks; they're haht dahgs.
Franks are money in France.

Police don't drive patrol units or black and whites they drive a "crooza".
If you take the bus, you're on the "looza crooza".
It's not a rubber band, it's an elastic.
It's not a traffic circle, it's a rotary.
"Going to the islands" means Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
If something's good, it's "pissa". If something's really good, it's "wicked pissa".

The Pats = The Patriots
The Sox = The Red Sox
The C's = The Celtics
The B's = The Bruins

Things not to do:
Don't pahk your cah in Hahvid Yahd .... they'll tow it to Meffa (Medford) or Slumaville (Somerville).
Don't sleep in the Common. (Boston Common)
Don't wear Orange in Southie on St. Patrick's Day.

The underground train is not a subway. It's the "T", and it doesn't run all night (fah chrysakes, this ain't Noo Yawk).

Bostonians think that it's their G-d given right to cut off someone in traffic. Bostonians think that there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R's). Bostonians think that three straight days of 90+ temperatures is a heat wave. Bostonians refer to six inches of snow as a "dusting."

For those of you who have never been to "Bawstin", this is a good guideline. I hope you will consider coming to "Beantown" in the near future.

Big poofy hair!

Karen,my hairdresser,colored my hair as usual today and then she styled it just like she will be doing it on Saturday,for Kara's wedding. I love it but I look ridiculous for every day. Of course,I have to work tonight and I feel goofy. I have big poofy hair which will look great when I'm in my gown with dangling earrings and make-up but since I am wearing pants and a top for work,I'm going to be self conscious. I feel like a Minnesota pageant mom with this high hair.

When the phone rings at midnight

Nothing good has ever come from a call in the middle of the night. I am usually afraid to answer the phone after 9:00pm because everyone knows I am asleep by then. Who would be calling me unless someone is dead or injured? That's what the late night calls are all about.

I got home from work around 8:15pm last night and Rich ended up going out at 9:00pm to help his friend at the radio station with some fantasy football game they were setting up. Lillianna had gone to her friend's house for a birthday sleep over at 6:00pm.
I had asked her to call me before my bedtime,not hers.

Many times when she is at a sleep over,she forgets to call us,so when I was ready for bed at 9:30pm,I didn't worry about not hearing from her.
I had been asleep for over two hours when the phone rang at midnight!

Too sleepy and confused to read the caller I.D.,I hesitantly picked up the phone.

"Hi,Mom," my cheery child chirped. Without waiting for a response from me she continued,"We're watching our third video! I'm having a lot of fun. I'm not even tired yet!"

I yawned and laughed,"I told you to call me before my bedtime. I've been asleep for 2 hours. I have to be up at 4:00am,Noodle."

That really didn't have any impact on my child. She continued to tell me about what Joey the cat was doing and asked me to hold on a minute. The things a mom will do for the love of her child. She finally finished catching me up and I told her to get some sleep. She said she would try.

So,if your phone rings at midnight,it might be your child announcing,"I'm still up!!" even if she had to wake you up to tell you that news.

WWKD? That's the question!

I have seen the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)bumper stickers and jewelry everywhere.
This morning,I had to ask myself a very different question,"WWKD?" (What Would Kris Do?)

If you read our DotMoms post from the other day,you would know that Kris had an incident with her coffee and some linty paper towels on the day that we met. She was very calm,cool and collected in spite of her brown coffee stains. She didn't let that interfere with the fun filled day that we had planned.

This morning,as I was driving to work at 6:00am,the straw from my ice coffee drizzled down my white shirt. For a moment,I seriously thought of turning around and going home to change but I didn't want to be late for work. I wanted to scream because nothing looks worse on a white shirt than brown stains.I looked like a cow.

Okay,maybe blood stains on white would be worse but since I wasn't shot or stabbed,the coffee stain seemed quite overwhelming to me. I sighed and thought,"What Would Kris Do?" Of course,I knew exactly what she would do. She would just take a deep breath,enjoy the rest of the drive and take care of it when she got to work.

I didn't cry,whine or throw my coffee out the window. I took a deep breath,listened to my country CD and waited until I got to work. Guess what? The coffee stains came out after I washed them. It was a miracle.

So,if you're ever in a situation that requires a cool head,just ask yourself,"WWKD?" I know that's what helped me!

Connecting the dots in DotMoms

You can read this post over at DotMoms.

Kris and I had a fun time shopping a few weeks ago. We can't wait to meet up again.

You can read Kris' post about our DotMoms post here.

She totally cracks me up. I love that we both write posts about reading posts that are posted elsewhere.

Welcome to my delicious smelling bathroom!

Ever since I was a child,whenever I came home from playing at a friend's house,my mother always asked me how their bathroom was. I always made sure to check it out because I knew there would be a quiz when I walked in the door. If,G-d forbid,I came home and told her the bathroom was not clean,I was never allowed back to that house. If it was a good friend,I prayed they had a maid or a mom who really loved to clean!

Mom kept our bathroom sparkling clean. It was always immaculate.I get so frustrated when I realize I am not my mom and will never have that kind of bathroom.
Oh,Rich and I clean it on a regular basis but it doesn't have that just cleaned,paper banner across the toilet seat, stamp of approval that you get in a nice hotel. That's the kind of bathroom I grew up with.

I guess that's why I am obsessed with air fresheners and candles:not to mask the smell of an unclean bathroom but to enhance the clean smell that tells the world that I am a caring person because my bathroom is so inviting.

I have tried so many air freshners in the past and I have been quite disappointed. A recent purchase was one of the plug ins that is supposed to add a lovely scent to the room for 30 days. Try 30 minutes......or less. Even pulling out the gel pack and inhaling deeply didn't release any apple blossom smell. I was quite unhappy. My bathroom smelled.....empty,except for the minty freshness of our toothpaste. That wasn't quite the scent I was going for.

The other day,I was in the supermarket,looking at all the air fresheners.....again! As I was reading the back of one of them,a woman came by and put 5 of these air fresheners in her cart. I asked her if they really worked. "Oh yes," she said. "I use these all the time in my office bathroom at work. I get lots of compliments on how wonderful the bathroom smells......and it lasts a long time." I thanked her and bought this.

Now my bathroom smells of tropical fruity goodness. It's a pleasure to just walk in there for no reason at all. My bathroom tells you a lot about me. It shows I love my family enough to give them a tropical atmosphere in which to pee and poop. I am such a good mom and wife.

Where can I get an Oompa Loompa?

Willy Wonka really had it easy. He had those Oompa Loompas doing all the hard work.
I've been making chocolates for Kara's wedding for the past 3 hours and I've still got quite a ways to go.

I've made all the bride and groom chocolates,most of the pink hearts and some of the chocolate ovals that say "celebrating love."I may not finish them all today but I have the rest of the week to make them and bag them before we put them in individual heart boxes and tie them up with pink and brown ribbon on Sunday.

So,if you hear of anywhere that I can get an Oompa Loompa,please let me know. I could use the help.

A surprise reunion

When Lillianna was around 2 years old,I used to go into a women only chat room where I "met" the most wonderful people. We eventually let a few guys in there but they weren't pervs or anything so it was ok. I chatted with these people several times a day while she was napping or playing quietly next to me.

We used to have these sound waves that we could play in the chat so that everyone could hear them. Sometimes someone would type,"This one is for Lillianna," and Lil's favorite wiggle wave would play. It always made her laugh. She would try to type to my friends but it always came out like afdskurpoewihqaifahkdhrakjh;fkadh;i.
Somehow,they always understood and they always answered her.

After two years of chatting,we were over run by "bots" who would come into our room and take it over before we got there. In the end,I figured it was hopeless and I just stopped going in there.

Last Wednesday night,while Lillianna was on the computer,she noticed my messenger that said,"T has signed in." She asked,"Mom,who is 'T'?" I had seen that several times over the past few weeks but I didn't IM her because it had been 6 years since the last time I chatted with her and I wasn't sure if she remembered me. I thought for a moment and then asked Lillianna to scoot out of the chair so that I could IM "T".

I immediately got the response,"Hey CC!" It made my heart stop. No one has called me CC in 6 years. It took me right back to the chat room days. T told me that our chat room was still up and running and had been for all these years. I was stunned. Apparently they moved the room away from the evil bots and continued on. I never knew. I guess they just thought I had moved on.

After a few minutes of chatting with T, it said,"S has entered the chat." All I could type was,"S!!!! OMG....how are you?????" Then the 3 of us went back and forth trying to catch up. "M has entered the chat." M????? M from Alaska????? I couldn't believe it. I couldn't stop asking questions in an attempt to make up for the past 6 years. "J has entered the chat."
J????J????? OMG!!!!! J was a huge Beanie Baby collector and she insisted on sending Lillianna her Beanie twin which is a dog who was "born" on the same day as Lillianna. She frequently sleeps with Bernie the dog but she never remembered that J from my chat room sent it to her. While Lillianna watched the screen zip by with messages, I explained that J was the one who sent her Bernie. Lillianna's filled up as she said,"I think I'm going to cry." (Ya,she's my daughter!)

"R has entered the chat." R....wow. R will always have a special place in my heart. The first day I entered the chat room I was so confused. I didn't know what anything meant: LOL,ROFLMAO,BRB,OMG. The screen was zipping by so fast I got dizzy and my eyes dried out because I was afraid that if I blinked,I'd miss something important. R took me under her wing and explained things to me. She was so sweet and understanding. I would never have been able to figure it out without her.

When we last chatted,all those years ago,she was thinking of having a baby. Last Wednesday,I found out she has a 2 year old daughter. I was so happy for her.
Everyone asked me about Lillianna and they guessed her age as 4 or 5. Then someone typed,"Please don't tell me she is 5 already." I typed,"Uhm,well....she'll be 9 next month." M didn't believe it. "I thought she was a few years younger than my daughter." I asked how old her daughter was. She answered,"Eleven." I had to give her an LOL because Lillianna is 2 years younger but it must not have seemed young enough to M. Poor J was bumming out and claimed to be popping Xanax to relax herself since her daughter Little J was 16 and out on a date...in a car....with a boy!!
OY! I don't want to be worrying about that yet. We all sympathized with her.

I chatted with all my old friends for about an hour and then sadly,I had to go to bed because I had to be up at 5am. We made sure that we added each other onto our messenger so that we can chat again soon. I saved the link to our old chat room because I definitely want to talk to the people who weren't in our little messenger chat room last week. That was really so cool.

Have you ever belonged to a chat room?