Monday, February 25, 2008

Gen Y - Not Me

I am not hip enough to be a solid fan of You Tube, but I have seen a select few videos that crack me up. Ed just shared with me the video of Miss South Carolina butchering a question on why Americans can’t find the US on a World Map. Oh, this poor girl!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQdhMSEqhfg

I have decided that Pia needs to read more and watch cartoons less. She will need something to fall back on if her beauty fails her. I am sure that Miss South Carolina would agree!

Over the weekend we went to a SDSU Basketball Game and Pia was dressed in her cheerleading uniform. So cute! She loves this uniform more than I loved my wedding dress. I mean really, she’s just nuts about it. Every time she wears it I crack up laughing and call her “cheerleadah”, based on an Angelah Johnson skit that is on You Tube. Ed had never seen it so I looked it up and shared it with him today. If you’ve ever been to a nail salon and wondered what they were saying about you, you have to watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o

Hope it gives you a laugh, too. Have a great week!

Friday, February 22, 2008

I always say that I am a great parent of toddlers. I am not so crazy about babies, and I am thoroughly afraid of adolescents. I can handle animated movies, finger foods and shoes without laces just fine.

I am, however, slowly coming to the realization that I am not the mother of babies anymore. My sweet Max is quite fascinated by the hair growing on his legs and seems to be more mature every single minute. We had a funny conversation in the car this morning that reminded me that my baby is not a baby anymore, but he can always be my little boy.

“My friend, Jake, started a club. Chick Diggers. You have to work out to get more chicks.”

In my own mind I am screaming, “please God no, I am not prepared for this”. Then I remember that he just turned 6 years old.


”What’s a chick?”

“I dunno”

The tone of the voice in my head changes immediately : ) “How are you going to get more chicks if you don’t know what they are?”
“Well, I just know they’re not the little yellow ones.”


Good enough for me . . .

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Shoulda been a plumber

Who knew that edamame would clog a sink so badly that it wouldn't drain for three days?!?!??! Well, word to the wise - it does! I guess it's the string on the string beans . . . VERY BAD! The plumber just left my house and a 20 minute visit cost me $164. Are you kidding?

Needless to say, I am disgusted. With myself for not throwing the edamame in the trash and with the grumpy plumber who just cost me my hair appointment this month! There are times when I think that renting would be downright charming ; )

I MADE A CAKE!!





I am NOT a baker, and I am really not even a very good cook. I do, however, love my oldest child very much and had to deliver when he asked for a camouflage cake. I did a little searching for a bakery that would do a camouflage cake, but my son doesn't care much for sweets and I don't care much for $100 cakes for children. Sooooo, I tried to talk him into what Albertson's was offering - Spongebob, Spiderman, Scooby Doo, Batman, trucks, baseball, Pirates, soccer, hockey, motorcycles . . . Max is a flexible guy but he was not budging on this. He'd already given in on the invitations because I couldn't figure out how to hand make camouflage sleeves for the Scooter's Jungle flyer/medical release/map and he was not giving up on his cake.
So I set out to figure out how to make a camouflage cake for my #1. If you don't already know, I love google!! I googled camouflage cake and up came this amazing website. http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/. There are some seriously amazing cakes on there and I got instructions on exactly how to make my baby's cake. And it worked! It DID take me all day, but I actually enjoyed it and Max was beside himself. He loved it! We took it to the party, we showed it off and it tasted good. I am sure the pound of chocolate pudding filling with crushed up Oreos didn't hurt!! was thrilled to make my son happy, look at that happy birthday face. That's worth every minute in the kitchen! HAPPY 6th Birthday, Max!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Princess' Tea Party


He! He! Someone shared this with me and I thought it was too great not to share at large. Parenthood is a beautiful, if sometimes painful, journey.

Daddy's Princess - the "other" Version of a Tea Party

One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me and my brother who is four years older than I am. I was maybe 1 and a half years old and had just recovered from an accident in which my arm had been broken among other injuries.

Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a get-well gift and it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news and my brother was
playing nearby in the living room when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom
came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!!'

My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then says, 'Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet??'


Tuesday, February 5, 2008

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!


It’s been 15 years since I’ve been to Mardi Gras, but the debauchery is still fresh in my mind. I knew little back then of the religious significance of the holiday and just enjoyed the excuse to party without reservation. It wasn’t until I was in college and met a friend of a friend, who was from New Orleans. I was blown away by the fact that Mardi Gras and the days leading up to it are true holidays in the area. No school, no work, multiple parades and parties . . . Are you kidding me? Where do I sign up? As an older, wiser (self-proclaimed) Catholic parent I now see beauty in a society that remembers their traditions and holds tight to them.

". . . Carnival became a period of abandon and merriment that preceded the penance of Lent."

I can only imagine what the family who hosted us for Mardi Gras in 1993 thought of my friends and I while they were preparing for High Holy Days. I am certain we were polite when we were in their home, but I don't remember quite how we separated from them at the parades. Safe to say they were the lucky ones! As my own family and I prepare to fast on Ash Wednesday and devote ourselves to the Lenten season I toast my friend, Kellie, in New Orleans and everyone like her. They are native New Orleanians, they do not celebrate just because they can carry drinks down the street, and they deserve the holiday because they are willing to stand up for it and cherish what is theirs.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!




Sunday, February 3, 2008

Simple Pleasures







I've heard the phrase that simple pleasures are the best, and really always thought that was an indication for people who didn't like extravagant things or couldn't afford anything more than simple. As I get older and wiser, I realize that it's just about getting back to basics . . .

My family and I had a warm, friendly, great day together living simply. We went to 9 AM mass, to the bagel shop (Max and Pia's FAVORITE!!), their cousin Aaron's 4th birthday party at the bowling alley and then home. I made dinner, we watched the Super Bowl and wrestled with the dog. Not extravagant, not really even interesting; with the exception of Pia leaving the dinner table to have soap put in her mouth for sticking out her tongue, but that's a different

post! - but simple. And perfect. Simple days with family are what make me normal. They remind me that working too hard doesn't gain me anything and always reaching for the brass ring disallows me to see the beauty of the world at my level.

Simple is talking about Max's upcoming homework project, loading the dishwasher and enjoying the Sunday paper with Ed after everyone is in bed. There are days when simple is just the best that God can give us. May you and your loved ones enjoy simple moments of pleasure this week

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails