google, blog, facebook, text, twitter, tweeting......lingo.

i've always been a pretty good communicator.  my biggest problem, growing up, was that my mom told me  that no matter what i was thinking, she could read it on my face.  she used to laugh........even if the words were coming out out one way, my face told the real story.  i've also always been pretty good at reading people....not mind read....just notice some of the "cues".

for example, in my teens, i was out with my mother.....we were out and about and stopped at the gas station, back in the old days when gas stations had english speaking attendants, who wore shirts with their names embroidered and took cash.....just cash.......my mom and i were waiting for "ned" (i still remember his name....he owned the mobil station!) to fill up the tank.  while we were waiting, i noticed that my mom seemed to have a very serious, kind of bothered look on her face.   i asked, "what's the matter mom?"  she answered....nothing was the matter....i persisted...."are you sure?"........she was truly perplexed.  i told her about the impression i got......from my visual.....i continued, "so you're really fine?"........."oh....then it just must be your gas station face!"   we got hysterical! it became code.

the "gas station face" lives on.....and it isn't necessarily used only in the gas station....that same pained look may show up anywhere....unknowingly!  thankfully, my husband also found the term to be kind of helpful and a bit endearing.....rather than saying, "hey!  what's wrong with you?  that's a horrible face you're making!"  a simple reminder...."ahemm, gas station face!"....is way more subtle and always seems a quick reminder and it ends in laughter.

my kids also use "gas station face"....just as a kind reminder,,,to perk up....or question my state of mind.  it's funny....i guess, teenagers pretty much have a mad face, a sad face, a happy face and an exhausted face......it's so much more clear cut........they have way more emotional swinging to do, so they help us adapt by spelling it out for us....on their face.

as an adult, we have alot of stuff to think about.......stuff, like taking care of everyone else........and their swingsand their faces.......or at least, living through them without a gas station face!  as the parents, we try to keep a few notes on their faces....just so we are prepared for what may occur next......it's all there, on their faces.

they do trick us though.  now, because of texting, they don't ever really have to look up.  they can walk and text, eat and text, go online and text on their phone and the computer.  the other night i was texting on facebook......i thought it would be nice to talk to my daughter about it......not because she would care or God forbid, think i was cool.....but because i thought i might be able to impart some motherly goodness, in a "teachable moment", as they say....whoever "they" are.....you know, the ones who put "teachable moment" into our sensitive, new age vocabulary.

my "teachable moment" was just beginning,..... telling an account of the friends i had "texted" on facebook. i was telling my 14 year old about the friends, from high school and college, who i had been "talking to" on facebook "texting".   my husband and i always try these teachable moments......they can smell them a mile away.....i must have a "teachable moment" face....because i can hear them yawning and rolling their eyes......and yet, because we are taking the sensitive new age teachable moment route, we are proud of ourselves....because,  that means we're not "lecturing".....because "they" say that we shouldn't lecture because kids wont listen!  well, i've got news for "them"......they don't listen anyway!

teenagers won't have to worry about losing their hearing when they get old.......they won't need their hearing....because they'll all be typing....and on facebook, i'm told, it's "chatting"......my teachable moment was out the window, simply because i said that i was on facebook, "texting"......i couldn't even hear my teachable moment.....about how great it is to stay friendly with lots of the kids you know, because throughout the years you never know when you'll meet again.....more laughter.

like when i went to college, the first day, i saw my best kindergarten friend.....who knew..... that when i was sharing a swing in kindergarten with a friend, that i would meet that same friend years later.   when i left one job and interviewed for another, who knew that the guy interviewing me would be a great acquaintance from the old job. my teachable moment was kind of a don't" burn your bridges" theme.....the old brownie song, "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold"kinda story........it got lost in the loud laughter.....laughing at my "lingo".......actually, teenagers won't have to worry about keeping in touch or burning bridges......they'll have millions of friends on facebook....and all they have to do is click a button and "POOF"....they are friended......i suppose, with the click of a button, there will be millions "unfriended" too........my story is lost..... usually because of my lingo.

some time ago, when my daughter was 13.....she was having a bad day....her life was miserable and bad and i wouldn't understand.....she told me that i wouldn't understand, ever, since i had a nice mom growing u[and i couldn't know how bad life is with the parents she has.......i felt her pain....i wanted to help.....she told me i wouldn't and couldn't help.  finally, i said, emphatically, "grace, sometimes, when you're 13, life just sucks!"  i thought, for sure, the word that i really did not like, would catch her attention....she would finally hear me and know i understood.  she looked at me with great pain and regret, she said, "mom, just because you used that word  to be cool.......and you're trying to be cool......

don't even think you can help.....because, YOU ARE NOT COOL!" lingo problem, again.

last night, my son, 13, informed me that he found a picture of our sweet golden retriever on google.....he said that he google'd or google'ed "funny animal images".......and up popped our dog!  i couldn't believe it!  i said, "t.j.!  someone got that form my blog"....he mimicked me and he informed me, "no one reads your blog, mom!  that picture is not from your blog!".......i insisted...i knew it was my picture...."well, t.j., then someone got the picture from my facebook!".........."oh mom, this is too wierd......google,  blog, facebook.....nest you'll be on twitter and you'll be tweeting.......mom, you're embarassing!"  i told him that i did have a twitter account because i opened it when i started my blog....i assured him that i hadn't used it yet.  lingo.

then, while all of the family was together, i asked, "does anyone have an idea for my online business name?".........."mom, you don't have an online business...why do you need a name?"........i answered, "because i'm going to sell my beaded jewelry and vintage things on line.....on "etsy".....i just need a name........should i use littlemarymixup?"......my son fell to the floor, moaning!  my husband asked him to be supportive....."you know mom can do anything, t.j.".......my husband mentioned, to me, that it might not be such a great idea to call a business, "littlemarymixup"....since, people might not want to buy handmade jewelry from a business named "littlemarymixup".....point well taken.

while discussing ideas, for my business name on "etsy", with my husband.....my son handed me a yellow sticky note.........he said he had a name for me.......on the yellow sticky note.....it said, "IF I'M GOING TO MAKE A STORE, I WON"T TORTURE MY FAMILY WITH BAD NAME IDEAS"

i wonder if that's too long a name....being a sensitive new age parent, wanting to create teachable moments, i wouldn't want to "squash" his ideas or "discourage his honesty"........i wonder if i had a gas station face?.....lingo.

a true friend

 "maaaaaaaaaaaaaaary!" i squeaked slowly........"maaaaaaaaaaaary from davenporrrrrrrrrrrrt, iowa!"  "llllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-eeeeeeeeeeeez" she said with her flat midwestern tone.  my roommate from freshman year in college called.
 tonight to let us know she got our christmas card.  she was amazed at how our children had grown......so much since last year.....since the last christmas card!  she's one of my greatest friends of all time.....considering she  didn't really speak to me, unless desperately driven to it, from the first week of school in september through thanksgiving weekend,,,,,,when she came to my house at thanksgiving.  once again, she didn't really have much choice, since she was a long way from davenport, iiiiiiiiiiiiiowa.  


and being the not so quiet roommate, we noticed within minutes that  the only thing we had in common was that i was the only girl in my family and she was the only girl in her family.  i had two older brothers....alot older.   she had 7 brothers, mostly all younger!  i was very excited to be away at school and overwhelmes with all of the possibilties.....especially having so many people available to play with at all hours....day or night.   maaaaaaaary was pretty much far away from main street, iowa and a bit home sick   and kind of freaked out by so many "sisters".  she was a bit homesick.....the only time i called home, by a payphone down the hall, was to tell my mom that my roommate didn't talk and maybe get some advice.  it was my mission everyday to just try to make her talk to me!  i met lots of other friends .....but, maaaaaaaary was my roomie.....we were supposed to be friends.....we were supposed to stay up all night talking....telling stories.....


that was not the case.  mary was happy to have time in her room alone.  she was sweet but quiet.  others thought she was a bit standoffish.....a bit aloof.   i perservered.....when it came to talking, it's no wonder she was quiet.  i probably rambled on and on......nervously....just to get some kind of feedback!  anything.  she did tell me that her terrarium was kinda special....one of her favorite brothers had given it to her as a gift a year earlier, when she had her appendix removed.  she cared for it enough to bring it half way across the country to her new home in college.  she was very thoughtful and added some great touches to our new home....10 feet by 10 feet.  we worked together, quietly, to decorate our new home.  we found out that we both loved sweaters.  that was enough to start our  friendship.....for me.  maaaaaary may not have been so sure.


one day, the first week of  school, mary announced that she had real iowa popcorn.....and a popcorn popper. and that spelled popcorn.....party.  "corny" (sorry, i couldn't resist.....all these years later....i just thought of it!)  but a great start to have some fun at our new abode!  that was great....everyone knew maaaaaary now.......just a little tricky to get her to talk!


the same week, as maaaaaaaaary was beginning to come out of her shell, she took a walk to town with lots of others.....to look around and get aquainted with the town and the kids.  i decided to clean up our room....i thought that would be a nice roommate thing to do......mary was neat, orderly and organized......i could help to do my share.....dusting, vacuuming and windexing, singing along with the record player (really dated!)....it was the extra windex effort that did me in.....i gave a spritz to the terrarium, the exterior glass......tripped and CRASH....oh dear God...i actually prayed......it was then i heard a voice call out, "was that liz?".........it wasn't God, it was a new friend down the hall....what a reputation.....already.......and now it's her prized possession!  my quiet roommate....i was just making some headway!  this was horrible....i was terrified.....i "broke" (sorry!) ot to her very slowly....she was kind of sad, but understood.  we replaced the glass...it wasn't quite the same, but she seemed to deal with it and me rather well.


she was even more quiet.....it took some time....lots of time....she came home for thanksgiving.....thank goodness for my brothers....they helped her to feel right at home...


we made it through the first semester.....with lots more mix ups....mine.....she continued to adapt.  we were working it out....slowly.  we left for christmas break....a month.  since i would be driving home and she would be flying, she asked if i would please take her terrarium home....it wouldn't last without a little upkeep.   this was my chance to make it up to maaaaaaaaary, my almost, not quite, friend......maybe.


in the christmas  rush, i turned to check the room, and locked the door.  i drove home.  i noticed i was missing something....maaaary's terraaaaarium .......i was panicked!  i called the school.  i called the head of the "washie sinkies"....little ladies, who cleaned the sinks in our rooms.....they would knock and say, in broken english, "washie sinkie, washie sinkie!".....no luck.....they were home for christmas too.  my heart sank.


we came back after break....i poured my heart out to mary...i thought this would be the straw that broke the camel's back....it wasn't......maaaaaaaary laughed and said, "liiiiieeeeeeeeezzzz, it's o.k.....it's not that big of a deeeeeeeaaaaLLLL"


 we were friends....we have been friends, through thick and thin......my mom loved maryyyyyyyy.....everyone got to know her quiet, funny, thoughtful personality.

"whats the deal with texting.....what's the deal with facebook....what's the deal with blackberries.....with digital cameras uploading to the computer....what's the deal with blogs" she asked me tonight.....we laughed because she had been the ultimate wall street woman of the 80's and early 90's....and she was asking me about technology! 


   

 she always askes me about the kids she always loves to hear about the kids....genuinely....we laugh and laugh just because she tells me she thinks i'm a good mom.......i laugh, but i'm grateful to hear kind words from a good, quiet friend  of course i tell her about the kids and  the techno world they live in........what's the deal with your blog..... i said, "read mine, you'll understand....of all people, you will recognize little mary mixup"!

mary lives in the country.....with her husband....in the country....in california....they are mellow...together....and happy......together.....and quiet together......and laugh....together......she and her husband own a business....together......they share one computer......they have a beautiful dog.....the dog wears pearls....fancy.  maaaaaaaary loves all things beautiful .....she likes simple beauty.....one great thing rather than 12 mediocre things....she wears hats....doesn't get sunburn....she is one of the most thoughtful, sweet, beautiful friends i have....she's a great listener.....she's a great sister, aunt and daughter.


imagine..... all that i could have missed...... friendships mean so much to me.....it's christmas time and i'm grateful for great friends....loud and boisterous, quiet and thoughtful, near and far away.........and with lots of patience!






....maaaaaaary loves pearls. she sent them to my baby girl when she was born.....everyone of our college friends thought pearls to be a mandatory accessory......her note wit the sweet pearls said, "every girl should have some pearls....welcome".......i'm glad she sent pearls instead of a terrarium.


tonight, she asked if grace still wore her pearls....."yes," i said, "and they're not even broken!"  we laughed some more.....she's a true friend!

"oops!"...................

today flew by....i just had some cleanup to do around the house...why is it messier on monday after i've had all of this help?...anyway, i had stuff....christmas run a round to do.....friends to call to get some gift ideas .

why is it that christmas was so much fun when we could surprise them with a little tykes kitchen, a fire engine, tricycles, barbies or legos! i remember when things started to change......as kids get bigger and start to question the guy in the red suit, we get more desperate.......we want to keep creating that same christmas morning awe and wonder.  it was crazy from the moment we heard the pitter patter of little feet!  we had to create a rule that grace and t.j. wait at the top of the stairs until we were ready to go downstairs too......or they would have ripped through the presents like a cyclone had passed through.......and we would have missed it all!  they would sit with their christmas pajamas, tapping their elmo slippers (or character of choice as they got older)......they would chatter incessantly about jolly old santa.....and wait....moments....that, to them, seemed like hours!  and then,  the whirl of red and white and green pajamas and speedy little feet......and next.....ripping paper and squeals of joy and excitement.  every little stocking stuffer was acknowledged with an invisible exclamation point. 

 a few years ago, just when the kids started getting suspicious, grace and t.j. tried to rig some kind of trap for santa...just to see if there really was a santa.......they were convinced that they had the camera set in a way that would surprise santa and they would really know the truth.......they were on the edge......we managed to snap a picture of just a blur of red and had them convinced that he must have been in a hurry and in the rush, the photo blurred!

we did everything that we could to keep the dream alive.... we used to sprinkle some reindeer dust, made of oatmeal and glitter, all over the lawn to let the reindeer know where to land....then i would spit carrots all over the yard as proof that the reindeer ate their carrot snack....that's when my husband thought i might be going over the edge.......but, if anything could help to have them believe just another year.....
.
i used to laugh at a friends story of her dad.....growing up, at easter, he used to put "bunny prints" hopping all through the house....putting fingers in baby powder and printing them on the carpet......everywhere!  here he was, this grown man, a wall street tycoon, printing bunny prints all through the house..... finally, his wife.....the girls' mom, said,"honey, i think it's time to stop the peter cottontail bunny prints......the girls are in college now!"


i think like he does.....if i just keep playing the game.....they'll keep believing!  i was in denial....not the kids.  i wanted that santa believing to go on forever.  i believed in santa intensely.  when i was about four, i learned the song"better watch out, better not pout...........he SEES you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake".....well, that's all it took....i really thought i saw him looking in my window, so i quick, closed my eyes....hoping he wouldn't see me awake!  i told our kids that story....that was true, to me, when i was four........i would tell grace and t.j., "i don't know....people may say there's no santa, but i know that i saw him.....so i still believe!"  that kept them going for a little while.


the doubting became too much. it was time to see the old movie "miracle on 34th street", a classic, an old family favorite.  finally, it was time.....for the speech about how we believe in the spirit of christmas......that's the magical part of christmas......i don't think they buy it....i think they humor us.....just so they don't blow the whole present gig.


their turn has come to spread the magic of christmas to little ones.....the littleboy down the street, their little cousin.....they continue to share and the spirit.....and to me, that's part of my magic at christmastime.


so, tonight, i had some errands to run....we still keep our ideas under wraps, hopefully surprising them.....and still trying to keep it simple......but, hopefully with one little something that takes them by surprise......for them, we say............i kinda think that's for us....hopefully, to get that reaction....the "wow".....









tonight, i got my own "wow!"........i finished some of our last minute shopping.  feeling relieved, i drove up the driveway and dashed in the house.  i kissed my husband, said good night to the grace and t.j. and sat down to take a breath and return a couple of e-mails, have a little pomegranite seltzer (my favorite).....just before i joined my husband.....he had started up the stairs......
just as i was hitting "send" and ready to go up and get ready for bed, my husband appeared........he looked at me and smiled...he said, "i was ready to fall into bed, when i realized there were no sheets.....no comforter....no quilt....no pillowcases!" he smiled...... thank God he loves me....  all i could say was "oops!" .......................

almost christmas!

i am as tired as daisy tonight.....it's been a long day....so beautiful with our first big sonow of the year! about one foot.....we are blanketed in snow.....i love when it's so snowy that the world just has to slow down....everybody stays put.....nowhere to run.....fire in the fireplace......snoozzzzzzzzz.......i'm about to fade......can't believe it's almost christmas!

we're waiting for snow to arrive....our family get together has been canceled due to long distance travelers and snow advisory for later today......just some winter wonderland photos....hoping for our snow.....and cozy fire in the fireplace.....chili cooking on the stove....peaceful...warm....family.......

i'm dreaming of all of the christmas crazies to melt away once we're blanketed by snow......we need to slow down, be thankful and enjoy the simple moments of the christmas season with family and friends!

how did this happen? it's no surprise....time flies....it's almost christmas! it's not the date that surprises me...i pretty much have this christmas thing figured out. i shop throughout the year....i love to pick special gifts for the people we love....i store them away in my little secret hiding spots...i have a running list, it's in my head. tis better to give than receive...it's true. it's also nice to play hide and seek. this is hereditary....my mom did this too...she, too loved to give and really enjoyed the pursuit of something special.... she sometimes spontaneously found that special something...in april. she would tuck it away, like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter.....only she sometimes had a little trouble finding her hiding spot...that's where the hide and seek comes in.i have inherited the hide of the hide and seek routine....only, i have yet to figure out the seek part.

my mom loved to wrap each gift beautifully....a special ribbon, with wrapping paper and a tag that coordinated, an ornament that would be appropriate for the recipient....lovely touches...and joy wrapping....even if she lost the scissors or tape in the middle of the process.
she wrapped into the wee hours with christmas music playing. i have beautiful memories of wrapping with my mom.

she also planned out when she would have to mail her long distance gifts....plan her trip to the post office....buy her christmas stamps for her christmas cards, always with mary and Jesus on the cover......

somewhere, in all of this jolly elfing, i missed that organizational chromosome......i love to shop, buy, hide and give. did i mention that i have a little disconnect with the seeking and the wrapping and the perfect ribbon and the mailing. i'm still working on that.

this is one case, where i have to say that i've just never been quite the same since i had kids! it all started our first christmas with a baby.....and then the next christmas...with another baby.

anyway, here we are, years later...the kids are early teens and ........well, i'm still blaming them for my mailing mixups when i can.....come on, just once in awhile. no one believes me anyway!

so, my problem is that i hurry and put all of the packages away, so no one will happen upon them....usually, they won't.... and truth be told......either will i. once i find the gifts, my husband is enlisted to help me get them wrapped and ready to deliver or take to the post office. when i have trouble finding some of the hidden gifties, he pleads ignorance and i wander around for hours...sometimes days....looking for the presents. usually, we find them before christmas. occasionally, we have them wrapped before christmas. and rarely, do we get all of them mailed before christmas! last year, our record year, we were able to get our friends little gifts, for the family, to them in may! they were delighted...they don't usually open gifts on memorial day, so it was a real treat. they loved it. they said it was even better than christmas day because sometimes it gets to overwhelming...everything at once! we may have to take advantage of that spirit again this year!

we have a wrapping frenzy somewhere in the vicinity of christmas eve.....lots of colorful paper, bags and ribbons....only, when we're on the road to spend time with family, we barely use the ribbons anymore. we wrap the gifts and pack them in rubbermaid tubs to travel in the car...different tubs for different destinations....it's not quite as christmas romantic as the way my mother did it....but we get it to the right people ....with lots of love and laughter...just minus the ribbons, the wrapping perfection and sometimes the tags.

over the years, we've really created some special traditions for our christmas season.....we used to go and visit the mangers outside many of the different churches. we would explain the story of christmas to our little children...and we cherished those sweet moments...standing in hay, out in the december cold. it was wonderful then and sweet to remember.

we had many kodak moments of our children visiting santa and whispering requests in his ear...we had some very exciting christmas eve nights sprinkling reindeer dust all over the lawn, so the reindeer would be able to spot us and know where to land. we've left cookies and milk for santa. we've called santa on the phone to talk and tell him hopes and dreams. we had christmas parades in our village with santa and mrs. clause and even reindeer and candy galore.
we've read christmas stories throughout the month of december.

it's all a little different now. our young teens don't have the same twinkle in their eyes when we talk about santa! their eyes are rolling more than twinkling. oh, it's exciting for them...they enjoy giving ideas and wrapping and surprising....christmas is different as our little people grow and grow.....thank goodness we can share some of the christmas joy with other little ones....it's very fun to see our kids with little kids....sharing some of the oohs and ahs of christmas and santa stories.

today, just for fun, we planned to make our gingerbread houses....our friends and all of the kids are older and humor the tradition....they can tolerate anything with sugar involved! you could say the enthusiasm was dwindling and everyone was exhausted from the busy week. plans got just a bit complicated, with different activities planned.......we postponed til monday. i think this may be the last hurrah!

the love of christmas and the spirit of christmas is still there.....and the love of giving...and now, some of the joy of the christmas season comes from random acts of kindness and spreading the joy to the oldest and youngest of believers....and thinking of others who might be lonely at this time of year.

we'll always love santa and christmas and family and that special giving feeling....it's just different.

my husband and i will probably still go outside on christmas eve and spit little pieces of carrot all over the lawn.....since those reindeers get kind of messy when they eat their treats! and there will still be some bites taken out of santa's cookies....all we can hope is that throughout these years, that have flown by so quickly, we've been  able help make some very
 sweet memories with our children.
and, on christmas morning, when they notice the carrot bits all over the lawn, they'll laugh and roll their eyes....and we'll give them more memories of christmas with teens.


the photos are those kodak moments.....the memories are forever...

believe

"........and to all a good night!"

last night, i had an appointment to go to the apple store.....for one on one tutorial...i think it's about 20 or 25 years too late.....better late than sorry....or better late than have  kids continue to make fun of my lack of computer skills.  it was in my best interest...it was in my family's best interest....it was in my blog's best interest....most important, it was a necessity, just to better myself and my skills.....it was finally time.....i felt like i was entering the twilight zone.  gee, wonder why my husband signed me up for a year of tutorials?  i guess because we love each other and even like each other, it was for our own good.......and i would go to the class at the MALL!

i was required to take a computer class in college.  oh, that seemed so exciting!  i love buttons...computer, typewriter, cash register, calculator, elevator.....

it's true.  at one point, i landed a great job as a mortgage broker......the first thing i heard from my enthusiastic college cohorts, "wow!   that's great!  you're gonna love using those calculator buttons every day!"  sharing the joy, they cheered for my love of buttons ....more, actually than for putting my college major, economics, to use.  besides being in sales and using the calculator, i really had no clue about the economy.....i guess those economics classes took a back seat to my computer buttons classes.  i mean, computer classes!

in college, my introduction to the cyber world began with a teacher who worked at the nearby  i.b.m. company.  the class was scheduled right at the dinner hour.....a major social concern.  the class was small, the teacher was small with a "small" voice too.....no computers in the class.....a separate computer lab.....in addition to the class....another social concern.   the greatest concern, at the time, was the teacher spoke to the class........ with one eye looking at the class and one eye looking out the window ......toward the cafeteria.....   hard time concentrating?  ya think?  just a bit distracted?  just me? i was scarred and traumatized........terribly bored and hungry....

then, i took off for  the mall (the 2nd MALL in one week! yikes!).......it was in my best interest...it was in my family's best interest....it was in my blog's best interest....most important, it was a necessity, just to better myself and my skills.....it was finally time.....i felt like i was entering a new world.  gee, wonder why my husband signed me up for a year of tutorials?  i guess because we love each other and even like each other, it was for our own good.......and i would go to the class at the MALL!

i had no one in the car with me....i had no teens to beg for their tunes....i had no husband to beg to use his g.p.s....with the blabbering woman who tells me what to do and the map, that only confuses me.  i put on my favorite station and began belting out my best ......la, ...la, la, la, mmmmm, mmmmmm, deee, la, la,di,, doo, doo, da, da!  none of that tsss, tssss, sh,sh,sh, boom, boom, ch, ch, ch, ch....rap stuff.  i can handle that stuff... and talk about it with the kids..... but, WOW!...... it's great to sing my heart out....pop, showtunes, rock, gospel, country. 

i arrived at the MALL....after taking the wrong route (distracted by my own music!)....i was in MALL traffic....i had to run into the MALL to get to my class.....just like college, i was late for class.  but, i made it.....through the honking merry christmas monsters in myriad automobiles at the MALL!

i sat with my instructor and had a ball.....when i arrived , the store was so frenetic with frenzied, frantic shoppers, i  thought i wouldn't be able to concentrate.....the exact opposite of my draggy, drudgery class from.... hellllllo apple store!  wow...an hour and a half and a cup of starbucks and i was high on computer vibrations!  i had to call that man of mine to thank him....i was so excited and over stimulated, he could barely understand me!

and the best part...i learned all kinds of stuff that i wanted to learn.......blog, blog and more blog pieces of the puzzle.....it was so exciting to learn and be able to implement everything right away!

i enjoyed strolling through the mall on my way out...people hustling and bustling, babies visiting santa at eight o'clock at night, stopped in stores alone, just me, not wanting or needing anything.....no one with me to want anything or plead for anything!  i stopped, i looked, i even had my camera with me for my apple visit....i played tourist in the MALL and i had a BALL!

i put down my camera for a moment to try on some gloves.....i meandered all the way to the car....outside in the half empty parking lot....meandered to the car.......started to put my key in the ignition and realized i left my camera in one of the stores......the adrenaline was pumping....how could i stand to lose the camera when i had a blog with a purpose,  if only for me!  i waved to the security guard in the jeep.....he "radio'd" the store for me and "10-4".....no luck.....i had to run and run and run, up escalators, through bunches of late night fried shoppers and workers....i ran and ran through food courts and gift stalls.....i ran and ran past aromas of pretzels and pizzas and soapy stores and musky stores and music stores....i finally arrived at the store my intuition sent me to.....the doors were closed....the doors were....locked!  i knocked incessantly...i knocked and knocked...and klinked and klinked with my rings....one woman looked up.....we made eye contact and....i waved...i waved and waved frantically.....she came to the glass door....i begged in a loud voice.  rather loud for the end of a long MALL day.  while quiet workers, wearing ipods and headphones,

swept and swept with brushes and brooms, the store clerk scrambled among the racks and slowly sorted through the gloves and accessories and she looked over at me....sadly.  she was exhausted....she hadn't really even tried...i felt my heart sink.  she approached me at the glass doors....she took her keys, unlocked the door and let me in to rummage through the chaotic table, where i had been standing, just an hour before......anad then, i found it!  .i found my camera!

i screamed,  "thank you! thank you! thank you!"........i offered them a reward, they all smiled and refused.....i ran to the door and shouted, "thankyou! thank you! thank you!..........merrrrrry chrrristmas!  they laughed.

i ran and ran....back to the car relieved and rejuvenated!  joy to the world!  life is good.  the mall was closed and i was exhausted....i started up the car and began my way to home sweet home.....excited to implement some new computer tricks and cartwheels.  i got on the highway and piped in the tunes and began singing in the car, to my hearts content......la, la, la, adee, dee, da, ho, ho, ho,mmmmm....mmm.......dee, dee, la,la la......WHoosh.... whooosh....it flew right over the hood.... and up on the rooftop..... click, click, click and down off the bumper..... nice and slick! ....and i had to exclaim as it flew out of sight, "merry christmas wreath to all and to all a good night!"

smile and say cheese

"yeah....that was back when life was simple."

while out christmas shopping, earlier this month, i walked down the pet aisle......with two dogs, two cats, two fish, it seems we always need something.   we have soft beds for the dogs that seem to be a two for one special......the cats use them....the dogs don't seem to feel territorial about their beds...it's funny to see our two golden retrievers back down for the cats....i remember seeing a needlepoint pillow that said, "if you want the best seat in the house, move the cat".....it seems to be true in our house.  the goldens are pretty gentle and sweet natured.....it's kinda funny though, daisy and fitzy  are very protective with thte kitties.

when daisy was a small puppy, grace adopted her kitten and named him "tic tac"......when tic tac would scoot out the door, we would say to daisy, "daisy, get the kitten!" and she would chase this tiny kitten and put her fornt paws on either side of him, put her chin on top and then, gently put the kitty in her mouth and wait for me to come collect tic tac.....daisy has been that way with every kitten that has strutted through these doors to make our house his home.  it's a very funny relatiionship.

while out christmas shopping, earlier this month, i walked down the pet aisle......with two dogs, two cats, two fish, it seems we always need something.   we have soft beds for the dogs that seem to be a two for one special......the cats use them....the dogs don't seem to feel territorial about their beds...it's funny to see our two golden retrievers back down for the cats....i remember seeing a needlepoint pillow that said, "if you want the best seat in the house, move the cat".....it seems to be true in our house.  the goldens are pretty gentle and sweet natured.....it's kinda funny though, daisy and fitzy  are very protective with thte kitties.

when daisy was a small puppy, grace adopted her kitten and named him "tic tac"......when tic tac would scoot out the door, we would say to daisy, "daisy, get the kitten!" and she would chase this tiny kitten and put her fornt paws on either side of him, put her chin on top and then, gently put the kitty in her mouth and wait for me to come collect tic tac.....daisy has been that way with every kitten that has strutted through these doors to make our house his home.  it's a very funny relatiionship.

so, it doesn't surprise me to see happy and jinx, t.j.'s cat, sprawled out on the dog beds, lounging away as though they're at a day spa.....and the dogs are driven to the hardwood floor.   i always laugh when i see the dogs have to forfeit their warm, cozy bed.....they seem defeated.  the kitties seem smug....but that's just typical"cattitude"....what else can we expect from cats.....we, apprently are here, just to serve them and their needs.

when my son arrived home from school, he noticed fitzy, the three year old golden, chewing on a new  plush dog toy.  immediately, he questioned me, "didn't you buy that for the dogs' christmas present?  i thought we couldn't give that to them til NEXT week?"  yes, that's what i said when i brought the toys home.....but, today, i decided to take them out for them to enjoy.   t.j. is like my resident observer, always noticing how i discipline the dogs....since he turned thirteen, he is especially critical of my dog training skills.  actually, i think i have done rather well....except for when it comes to fitzy with food!

while having his afterschool snack, he look over at me......he said, "mom.".......and pointed to the floor.....the toy was in shreds with the stuffing all over the room, looking like a winter snow.  he is like the doggie discipline police....maybe he'll have a career in animal control.  he has told me several times that i am just not assertive enough with the dogs....and not consistent either.......i quiet him down by mentioning that's where i may have failed my children too!   it works.  score for the parents!

after his disappointment in my "instant gratification gift giving" skills, we reminisced about daisy when she was fitzy's age......"remember, daisy always ate sticks while she and i waited  for you and grace at the bus stop?  fitzy never really learned that.....she seems to enjoy the toys more than daisy."

that's when he said, "yeah, that was back when life was simple.".........i think he may have been imitating me  going on about what life was like when i was a kid...."back when we were kids.....blah, blah, blah..."

blog or christmas card?

sometimes, it seems that i just can't get my hands on the computer....literally. it has taken me quite a while to finally sit down at this computer...it's the newer one in the family...and it is the most desired. i try to get my time on the computer when i can have it all to myself...when everyone is out of the house!

i had a few moments this morning to try to download or upload or whatever my most recent photos from my camera....simple you say...just a few minutes. i found the camera cord in the car, where we had it stored from a weekend trip where we thought we might need it....like we couldn't wait til sunday night to put the pics on our computer. instant gratification generation. i plugged in the camera and the computer.... i found the file...where i was hoping for the pics to magically travel....thinking i would quick make a cup of coffee while i leisurely waited.....and waited and waited. i put the coffee down....i looked at the computer and nothing....nothing.

i picked up my cell phone...it was my son, t.j.....he was waiting for me to deliver his history paper that had been printed out earlier this morning...but, it took too long and he had to run out the door to the bus.....pleading, as he ran down the "school bus path" to the bus....."PLEASE DROP IT OFF BEFORE LUNCH! THANKS!".....please and thank you! on the run! i would have done anything he asked...just hearing those magical words....on the fly! so, by picking up the phone, my whole agenda changed....i put my computer confusion on hold, put the dogs in the car, started up the car, put it in reverse and.....i had to put it back in park so that i could run back into the house....to get the history print out! i dropped it off at the school, where the wonderful receptionist was waiting for t.j.'s paper to arrive....as though i was a medic delivering a kidney!

i had a quick chat with the principal... wanted to thank him for something....via e-mail....until i had a technical glitch...so, i used the spoken word to say "thanks".....like the old days.

i began driving, with the dogs, down to town.....to get a HOT cup of coffee. as i began my drive, i realized that i had missed a "tweens" meeting that had a woman scheduled to speak about.....organization! i guess that's an indication of how much i needed to be there!

i got my coffee and it was hot! i took the dogs to the beach....the coffee got cold...but the day was beautiful!

i came home to get "organized".....i sat at the computer to try again...before my daughter arrived home on the schoolbus....and would no doubt be hovering to get her time on the computer. the phone rang...it was my daughter....she had walked to her middle school with some friends to visit their old teachers....she needed a ride home. i went to pick her up....tried to call her brother, who was on his bus ride home.....my cell phone battery was dead.

my daughter and i arrived home. i let her get going on the computer. i took care of some stuff around the house...non techno. when grace finished up, i gave it another go....i could not even get to the file....when i realized that my computer genius children couldn't even save me, i finally called my husband, on his cell phone...i pleaded for help...he tried....it was painful for both of us. he said he was at the hotel, dropping off his boss....he would be home shortly to help. a real computer crisis intervention!

after dinner, with my husband in the room, i began another attempt to get the pictures on the computer. things happened.... so out of control. my husband, laughing, told me that when i called him earlier.....his boss had to get up and walk away for a minute.....not because the phone call was a problem.....but, because it reminded him of the same conversations he and his kids have with his wife.....computer coaching over the phone is like trying to land a plane from a control tower in the wrong airport!

after everyone went to bed...in the wee hours....in the peace and quiet....it happened....i circled the plane around and around....found the right airport....and landed my airplane. the pictures were in. the eagle had landed.

now, why did i want them in so badly? was it for my blog or for our christmas card? too bad i didn't get to that organizational meeting.

my trickle down theory

"mirror, mirror, on the wall, i am my mother after all!".....that's what my needlepoint pillow says! and if it's on the pillow, it must be true. thankfully, i loved my mom very much...although she died almost 2 years ago, she is with me everyday and i'm sure she's laughing at me.....especially if she is overseeing any of the random moments of me and motherhood. it seems like yesterday that my mom was laughing when i told her that grace, at 3 years old, insisted on wearing her floral printed heavy cotton tights to the beach on cape cod....i remember telling my mom about my headstrong children....as any daughter knows, her mother will just smile knowingly because history is repeating itself. i remember how sweet she thought my little grace was....she shared none of my frustration....just joy because her adorable little grandchild was behaving in a manner very familiar to my mom...she had lived all of this with me.

a million years ago, when i was four years old, i was in a fashion show at a saks fifth avenue women's luncheon....i can still remember my mother's frustration, when i would not, could not, wear the newfangled polyester/cotton socks.....o.k., a prepster from the get go, it was almost impossible for me to put my little four year old feet into anything but 100% cotton!.....until my mother gritted her teeth....then i knew that woman meant business....after putting up quite a stubborn battle, i wore the icky feeling socks and i had to be happy wearing them, "or else". i don't really use the "or else"....maybe i should grit my teeth and try it....i think my kids would laugh and smell my fear..."OR ELSE!"....maybe i'll give it a go, anyway...it's just that it seems so much like a threat....

today, i give everyone their list of "to do's" and expect them to be done in a timely manner...apparently, mom timing and teen timing are just a tad different. also, as soon as our kids turned teen on us, they seem to use "sure, in a minute" to tide us, the parents, over. sometimes, if we are distracted by life and one of the many things going on in a household, "in a minute" may turn into hours....the a.d.d. parents and follow through is a big issue.....mostly, because it backfires on our parenting code....we try to be consistent....we are consistent with most big stuff....homework, bedtimes, morning schedules....but sometimes we fall short on the little chores of life...like empty the dishwasher, take out the garbage....little chores but big when they back up.

and that's where our kids get my version of "or else!"....it goes like this....."daisy stop barking at fitzy...fitzy! get out of the garbage....now the garbage is all over the floor ...we have to make sure that there is no food out to set fitzy up for failure! (apparently, since we adopted her, she is way beyond curing of this piggy food behavior)......when fitzy gets into the garbage, daisy barks at her, either because she wants fitzy to share or because she's warning us, like lassie, that there's trouble......when daisy barks, grace shreiks,"fitz..y!"....then t.j. yells at his sister to calm down....she screams at her brother...i intervene while stopping fitzy...when i stop fitzgerald, daisy stops barking!....then, i call the kids to pick up the garbage and carry it out to the garbage pails in the garage....and put a new hefty in the pail.

after the garbage scenario is complete, that's when i begin my "trickle down theory" rant....i think, by now, they cringe!....you'd think that they would be so sick of that routine that they would get the whole process down in a robotic fashion, just to keep me and my "trickle down theory" quiet.

and don't even get me started on the dishwasher "trickle down" ......not emptied? then, the sink is full...i like having a clean sink....blah, blah, blah.

i should have known that my day had come....minutes after our first baby was born, i begged the nurse for a ginger ale.....my mom had a glass of ginger ale every night. that was just the beginning...

i know i'm not perfect...i come from a long line of imperfect people.....lotsa love, just not perfect.....i guess, i'd much rather have the love!

i've been malled....

so, friday after the kids came home from school, grace begins updating me on her plans for the weekend...this is not something new with our first child....she was born with an appointment book in her hands...social scheduling is her life...and, at 14, it is all about her schedule and her life.

so, friday, as her bus arrival time was quickly approaching, i called my husband and demanded, "quick, think fast...what are we doing for the weekend...i need to know our plans before grace gets home. she'll have an agenda and we have to be prepared...with our plans...for us!"
i know, who's in charge here anyway? it's just that we, as parents, have to plan our offensive strategy before it becomes defensive....that's when the trouble begins. huh? yes, this is true...in the life of our fourteen year old daughter, everything is urgent....everything.

as a baby, she woke up at 7:16 every day....when she began talking, she would sit in her crib and point to her hats, hanging on hooks in her room...."hat!...hat!...hat!", she would say. yes, it was our little social butterfly, wanting to be "dressed" for her morning meal.
when she was about four years old, she would wake up, rush into our room, like there was an emergency and say,"can we bake cupcakes?....now?"

basically, we could have been running like firemen on their way to a fire, since she was born. we are pretty relaxed parents...we like to have a good time....we enjoy our children....we love our children. it's just that our sense of timing and there sense of timing are in two different time zones.

we make plans..we follow through...we don't make promises that can be broken...we always try to be honest....we don't always say yes to our kids. apparently, all of the other parents say yes....all of the time....no matter what the situation...money...yes.....disney world....yes....ipod...yes....television in your bedroom...yes.....laptop computer...yes.......events...yes......anywhere.....yes.....anytime....yes!

well, they sound like dream parents. why didn't we have parents like that? our children always seem to find the kids in this world with parents in that world! every other parent!....but we're not their parents, we say!...."we have to say no because we love you"....they just don't buy it.

we are the worst parents in the world.....and, once in awhile, we're o.k.! back when the kids were small and wanted every flag, balloon, horn on our fourth of july parade route..... sold by people, who have an evil plot to separate young parents from their money, for something overpriced...... that might not last til naptime. a good friend, with grown children, told us to prepare ourselves.....because, even if we take them to a parade, with marching bands, rollerskaters, monkeys doing cartwheels, gorillas driving cars, and more.....children will still say, "but, i didn't get a lollipop!"

and today, with two tweens, everything we do seems to leave them feeling they are missing out on the lollipop......and, "all of the other parents get their kids the lollipops!"

in some cases, that seems to be true.....and at this moment in time, it seems like it would be so much easier to be the fun parents.... the parents who say yes to the lollipops.... yes to the junk from the street vendors at the parades.... yes to the concert tickets... yes to the sleepovers... yes to the invitations to kids' houses with NO parents home, because THEY trust THEIR children....yes to the television in their bedrooms......on and on and on. "wouldn't it be nice", as the beach boys sang. unfortunately, for our children, we are parenting with a more rolling stones type style,"you can't always get what you want".....and that's true for us, the parents, too..... other parents, who give everything to their kids... because it's easier than dealing with a disappointed, angry, hysterical child, make our lives miserable too!

my husband and i always dream of kids' friends who have parents that know "the code", you know, "the parent code".....kind of looking out for each other, standing tall, braced together as a giant parenting team.....all with the same set of game rules. and sadly, it's only a dream. while sitting with a friend, discussing the different styles of parenting tweens, at school orientation this year......she suggested i look around the room at all of the other parents....i did...she said, "just think, they all were in high school once.....do you remember the different types of kids that you went to your high school?.......they're all parents now...think about that." that put it all in perspective...of course, we can't have a "parent code".

so, on friday night, i took my daughter and her friend to the mall....despite the fact that it was the absolute last place in the world i wanted to be. as it turned out, as happy as they were to go to the mall, i brought them to the "wrong mall"....some of their friends were at the other mall. they survived. i survived....nevertheless, i've been malled enough for a good long time.

and saturday night, we were "the worst parents in the world"....we wouldn't let our daughter go to a friends house, with parents out at a christmas party....even though, everyone else was allowed to go....
'

little susie sunshine

yesterday, i had some facebook fun...while online, an old college friend and i made plans to get together for coffee. we planned on meeting at starbucks after i finished walking the dogs at the beach....she declined my dog walking invitation because it was the coldest weather we've had this winter. maybe she declined the beach walk because the last time we walked at the beach, i lost my ray ban sunglasses...a present from my kids....i held my friend hostage while we paced back and forth retracing our footsteps on an early fall day. every phone call after that day started with,"did you find your sunglasses yet?"....since she's a college friend, she is well versed in my little mary mix up adventures!......and we're friends anyway!

the best part about old friends is that they know all of my peccadillos and they forge ahead in our crazy friendships anyway.....with one mix up after another, these friends have stood the true test of time. of course, that includes all of their peccadillos!

i am a loyal friend. i've been blessed to have friends like sisters.....yup! having two brothers, i've always made up for that sister thing with really great friends..... through ups and downs, boyfriends, jobs, weddings, wakes and funerals (wait...that's my irish family)....babies, divorces, life dramas, big and small........we're always there to support each other.

that's why, when my good old college friend said she would take a peek at my blog, i knew she'd follow through....and she'd be very familiar with life with liz! i was happy to hear that she and some other friends had been reading but had not yet signed in as a follower....a follower....sounds cultish..but, i'm a leo and love being the leader!

as the saying goes, "birds of a feather stick together." i guess it's true. tara called this morning to let me know that she had been reading my blog, when another college friend began instant messaging her while on line....she was busy trying to read, sign on as a follower, talk to our mutual friend and mention the blog, also managing a phone call from her son's school.....she managed her way through the technological world, an a.d.d. world for us, and dashed out of the house to run her morning errands. she was out and about...all over town...while checking out at the grocery store, she was feeling a chill...the temperature outdoors was very cold....she questioned the quality of her pants and looked down to see.....she was wearing her pajamas! she managed to have a jacket covering her top and even thought to accessorize with a scarf, but in her scattered attempt to handle techno worlds of e-mails, phone calls, instant messaging and my blog!

and to think, earlier this morning, i was concerned with my pajama get up i got on to take the dogs outside in the yard....yoga pants, t-shirt, my husband's sweatshirt, my uggs that one of the dogs ate as a puppy, and a big white fluffy blanket! i was styling quite the look! as long as the kids had gotten on their bus for school, i was safe from judgement....maybe.

my phone rang mid morning....it was tara. she was hysterical, screaming into the phone, "o.k. little mary mix up or whoever the hey you are....i was out this morning....
blah, blah, blah.....i was in the middle of reading your blog....it's your fault...i am so embarrassed....i had to call....i told my husband i was reading little susie sunshine or some damn thing and i ran out the door in my p.j.s!....are ya happy...i told everyone you're blogging and i forgot to get dressed!"

birds of a feather...little susie sunshine and little mary mix up!

silent night.

tonight's the night...it's the christmas concert. our 14 year old daughter loves to sing! loves singing in the car....in the shower...in her bedroom....singing to the car radio, her ipod.....even with her earphones on, she's got the voice....it's a gift. she has the ear....the rythym...the attitude....the style! she also has a brother.

we all agree that she has a beautiful voice.....even her brother can recognize her talent...although that's not what he calls it when he has reached his limit.....

we take alot of road trips...our kids have been road warriors since birth....we have packed them up in the car with road toys, road cheerios, road books and of course road tunes! we've sung up and down the east coast....and then they became teenagers.

on a roadtrip, singing in the car has been good family fun....until our kids became teenagers....they suddenly did not care for our choice of music or our singing! i'm the mom who sang to them everynight....we're the parents who had kitchen dancing every night after dinner with random music from chopin to the grateful dead to tony bennett....to....raffi and fred penner. we are even guilty of playing music to them while still inside...me! they attended a pre school at the conservatory of music... we have been to mom and me music classes, throwing colorful scarves through the air....."mummies and daddies mustn't be uncomfortable dancing and tossing the scarves....mummies and daddies must be free and allow the babies to feel free to flow with the music.....".......we've done the hokey pokey, we've mimicked the itsy bitsy spider, we've opened the doors to see all of the people.....we have even stooped so low as to sing the barney song while picking up toys with our kids...you get the picture!

now, our roadtrips are more challenging due to the electronic and technological advances in our lives....it's all fun until grace starts singing in the car to her own ipod music while wearing her headphones...she keeps on key, miraculously.....however, it gets a little uncomfortable, a tad unpleasant for t.j., wearing his ipod with his earphones, sitting in the car next to her.....and he can't hear his own music! this involves parental intervention....which never ends well. "well, if you don't like my singing, just tell me! "i know you don't think i'm a good singer and i'll never be a good singer.......", she rants. her brother eggs her on....us, the parents, we're just hopeful that everyone will beat to their own drummer so that we may have a front seat date..... while attempting to just hear about each other's lives...you know, some of the things we may have missed about each other in the last 14 years....just trying to make the most of our time to get reaquainted!

early this evening, while i was wrapping christmas presents by the christmas tree, t.j. was doing homework on the computer..... grace was upstairs in her room....you guessed it...singing, singing, singing. finally, t.j., distracted by the broadway showtunes being belted out by his older sister, went to the bottom of the stairs and begged grace to stop! "do you hear what i hear?" it was grace, highly insulted, "i knew you hated my singing....i'm not even LOUD....NEVERMIND...IT'S TIME TO GO TO THE CONCERT ANYWAY!"

"joy to the world!"... NOT. "silent night"... NOT. the boy stayed home....the girl left in a huff...the husband arrived in the midst of it all.....the mom kissed the boy goodbye...his homework undone....we drove off to the concert......

the sweetness of the singing was lovely....and, it was joyful! music to our ears! peace on earth, goodwill to all....except brothers....and sometimes, sisters.

vroom, vroom!

i'm not meant to be perfect.....and that's that. i have just spent the morning trying to pick up some excess christmas needles that have been on the family room rug since we brought the tree in on saturday.....yes saturday! i vacuumed before the tree arrived....when all intentions were to do it right this year...which to me means, maybe i can be like those perfect people. now i know there is no such possibility...and deep down, i know there are no perfect people....they may appear perfect....but somewhere, something has to go imperfect. also, the higher the standards of perfection, the less likely we are to reach perfection.....and that's something i've had to learn....i just can't be perfect, so i just had to lower my standards! as an old professor once told me, "lower your expectations and serenity will follow".....and it's kind of true....but that's especially true about my expectations of others.....that's another story!

the christmas tree is one of those "lower your expectation........."kind of moments....now, that i expect the tree we cut down to have one quirk or another....it becomes a sweet christmas memory rather than a christmas nightmare! and we do have lots of christmas memories of our different trees throughout the year....look back at the blog about defrosting the tree.....

anyway, today is the day meant to clean up and get some work around the house done....i even had a neighbor, who just graduated from college, in to help me get organized with some of my christmas chaos cleaning....she just keeps me on track....kind of.

so, as she sweeps the kitchen floor, i pick up some excess decorations to put away.....i bring up the 2 week old vacuum cleaner to the kitchen and start to do my own work in the family room, christmas central. like a cruel joke, i am notified within minutes that this new million dollar vacuum is not picking up the 2000 pound of sand brought in from the beach by the dogs, daily dog,cat hair, crumbs and stuff......

i have purchased about 5 vacuums plus a rug steam cleaners and a floor steam cleaner in just 2 years time....don't i sound like i'm perfexct......i think i should at least accumulate some perfection points for money spent and effort! well, i have been through 3 good vacuums and had to resort to daily vacuuming chores with the wet-vac! yes, that's me......a lovely sight.
friends laugh. i never realized how much vacuuming enters a conversation. that's a crazy story right there....my life today....who ever knew that a vacuum could be so important.

i spent an hour this morning with screwdrivers, barbeque skewers, mop handles and a flashlight....with tears in my eyes (o.k.....tears weren't really from the drama, they were from the dust bunnies!).....trying to make the vacuum pick up from the big piece that rolls on the floor.....our friendly college grad used the straight tubey part to vaccum.....not really as effective......after literally unscrewing pieces of the vaccuum, i was desperate... i called my husband at his office to talk me off the ledge or at least, help me to get the vacuum running again.....he told me how to pull a piece apart and look inside and POOF....a POOF of dust bunnies and duct tape came out.....vroom, vroom!....it started.....i'll never be perfect!

"you're a hippie!"

o.k..........last night, our family was having a nice dinner together....actually, having some lively conversation about current events,telling stories and laughing TOGETHER! then, it happened.....just my husband and i, with our 13 year old son, at the dinner table. we were having some fun with him and his jovial mood.....he has a great, quick wit! i began telling a story about antics in college, maybe toned down for his sake.....griff told some funny stories about some old friends and then everything changed....in an instant!! with a smirk, he said, "why are you two laughing.....you're not even funny....i can't believe you're my parents!".....that made us laugh harder! he continued, "really, you both have to grow up!"

well, maybe....but, not likely. it's our twisted sense of humor that's getting us through the beginning of these teen years.....if we didn't laugh, we'd cry. we know that everything we do is embarrassing....and we're kind of normal...we do like to have fun....they (the teen opposing team in our house) used to think we were great...they loved us and loved the times we had together! and, overnight, we, the parents have disappointed them in every regard!

as we talked a little more, i was talking with him and mentioned something about feelings, i think......it was then that he said, "oh mom...you're a hippie!" "what? why do you say that?....uncle tom and uncle tim were hippies....i wasn't even in the hippie generation!", i continued.....he laughed and said, "mom, come on, you're always painting and doing craft things, you talk about feelings and the universe...you're a hippie!"

and i thought i was just being a good parent!

whirlwind!

the jetsons

oh boy! i'm getting my blogs mixed up...i hope i can find them all in cyberspace...and put them all together...help....lizzybits...littlemarymixup....liznextdoor....life wth liz...madison,ct. walking the dogs.....lizzytish, lizandbif......all i wanted was a little blog and it seems they've taken on a life of there own. i feel like i'm spinning into the world of jane jetson....i'll be back ....if i can find my own blog again!

just another mono monday

monday after thanksgiving....our mono girl is still home sleeping....call in to the doctor for another appointment. it 's amazing to think it was just a week ago that we found out the diagnosis mono.....and almost a week since our trip to the emergency room with grace barely able to swallow.

once again, murphy's law with mr. murphy out of town. very scary for me....it does amaze me to think of how graceful i can be under stress... all for the sake of children. i'm the first to get on a roll and tell a story about how our life goes.....but when it's time for business it gets done.

throughout our journey, this last week, we all feel grateful that the sickness taking it's toll on grace is just a passing sickness and we can move through it. as we sat at the children's hospital last week, in the quiet hours of early morning in the emergency room, i had to pause and be thankful for all of our blessings and good health...despite the pain of our daughter at this moment.

i've stopped myself many times in the last week to think about the gift of health that we may take for granted....until something shakes us up enough to appreciate how amazing our bodies are...how much we are able to do without even thinking. the emergency room at children's hospital really helps to put things in perspective. especially at thanksgiving. i've sent lots of prayers to families with more troubles than mono....and more than a thanksgiving turkey to think about.

throughout the last week, still exhausted and run down, we've all had alot to think about.....not just the family thanksgiving dinner that we missed....but our nutrition, our sleep, our quiet, our exercise....and the balance of our lives. this has been a warning sign for us all to listen to our bodies and take care of them and take care by treating our bodies with respect.

for me, i know it's time to live on more than a bowl of cereal and coffee for breakfast.... and a peanut butter and jelly or yogurt for lunch.....and who knows what for dinner. it's time to really work at the balance.....moderation.....and peace.

o.k. this morning, i've chosen to just sit....drink my coffee...write a little....and get started with the phone calls, making doctor appointments, cancelling dentist appointments (really, what dentist wants a girl with mono, tonsillitis and strept throat in his chair....especially to poke around in her mouth....YUK) ....put away laundry, vacuum, empty the dishwasher, walk the dogs, administer some medicine. i think i'm so grateful, starting the week out with a girl who's on her way back to her blessed good health, that i'll have a little bounce in my step. did i mention that i'm grateful.

this week, we may get back to normal.....whatever our normal is....and we know, our normal is just being a little kooky! and that's our normal. so, whatever your normal is....enjoy it!


by the way, i'm tired....but, i don't have mono.....i'm just a mom.