The Mom Chronicles

Ready. Set. Hope. The Avon Two Day Walk in Chicago

2009-06-08T10:36:00.004-05:00

This weekend, as most of you probably know, I ventured down to Chicago to walk with a new friend (via Twitter, no less!) to join her team for the Avon Two Day Walk for Breast Cancer. Two days, 39.3 miles. That's a marathon and a half. THAT? It's A LOT.

The walk is set up for a marathon (26.2) the first day and a half (13.1 miles) the second. It may be walking - but it's still extremely hard work.

Throughout the months leading up to this event, my concern had always been for the fundraising portion. Each participant was required to raise $1800 minimum for the walk, and I was concered about whether or not I'd be able to reach that goal. Once I signed up, if I didn't reach the goal, it'd all have to come out of my pocket. While it's an amazing cause, I sure didn't have the extra funds to meet a couple hundred dollars to my goal if that's the way it turned out. It never really even occured to me to panic about walking nearly 40 miles (Honestly, that part should have occured to me far sooner than it did).

With the help of awesome family, friends and assorted peeps who donated to the cause, I easily met my goal and was able to head off to Chicago for the walk.

It was an amazing experience. It truly was. I adore Chicago anyway - being there always makes me happy (Except when I pull a rookie mistake like I did on Friday -- Arriving into town at FIVE P.M. On a Friday, no less. Genius). The hotel was nice enough - even though they gave me the keys to the WRONG ROOM when I arrived, which left me standing in the hallway waiting for someone to come let me in so I wouldn't have to haul all my gear back downstairs.

Saturday morning, the walk started at Soldier Field. There, I met my team for the first time. I was invited to join the team by someone I met on Twitter - so this was truly the first time I MET everyone. Amazing people - so welcoming. Our team was led by a survivor who was walking her ELEVENTH walk for breast cancer - definitely inspiring.

The walk was hard - but it's amazing how well it's put together and how amazing the people are. With staff located at every major intersection to help us get across safely and cheering stations located along the way, it was kind of exhilirating seeing everyone out there - and getting cheered on along the way (I'm already going thru applause withdrawal - need to get my kids going on that). By the end of day one, my right hip flexor was not loving me at all and I had three lovely blisters which were made more huge and ugly thanks to the rain the last two miles of the marathon. Blech.

Everyone had told me Sunday would feel like a cakewalk after Saturday. Wish that had been true. Though I started out feeling alright, after several miles (and lots of rain), I knew that one of the blisters on my left foot had gotten worse, and I was hobbling along. It was starting to feel like the people who set up the mile markers had somehow measured wrong (one mile felt like three), and that we'd never cross the finish line at Solider Field. But we did. We were met with people cheering, lots of music and bottles of ice cold water. And this awesome feeling like we'd just done something pretty amazing. Because we did.

Thursday Ten: I Forgot It Was Thursday Edition

2009-06-04T20:03:00.003-05:00

1. Not having guitar lesson really does a number on my having those anchors in my week so I know what day it is. I was just thinking to myself, "Self, you don't have anything that you can talk about in length for a blog post." Then I told myself that it was Thursday so I could be random. Me and my self were enthused. And, yes, dorktastic.

2. Today was Pumpkin's last day of school until fall. I have been busting my booty all week trying to get her doctor's office to fill out the medical form to enroll her for next year (they lost it - fun times). I turned it in today only to be told, "Since she's due for so many immunizations in July, just get a new form. We're not required to turn these in until September." Then WHY DID YOU SAY I HAD TO HAVE IT IN NOW?!?! (Also, poor kid - turns four and is due for five immunizations... And I don't want to have the immunization debate. I immunize and that is my choice for my fam).

3. The Princess's last day of school is tomorrow. Since Pumpkin was at school today, I took The Princess out to lunch (They had a half day so the staff could have a potluck for someone who is retiring - which I thought was lame - because though it was easy for ME to shift my schedule to accomodate a last minute half day, I imagine it was significantly harder for other families). She chose McDonalds. Most of y'all know, I won't eat MickeyD's. Every parent must have had the same idea - the line for the drive through went ALL THE WAY AROUND the "restaurant". But she insisted that's what she wanted... so I waited. Next time, I'll have to PICK the place so that we can actually sit down and eat the nice lunch I'd envisioned rather than her chowing on a cheeseburger in the back seat and me eating gumdrops for lunch at home.

4. With summer starting, our mother's helper will be returning. The girls are THRILLED that she'll be back, and I'll be thrilled to have that time to get things done.

5. I signed up for NHL texts for the playoffs and it doesn't work. They are supposed to text after every goal and at the end of each period. With a score of 2 - 1 (Detroit) in the second period, I should have received four texts by now. Nothing. NHL.com: FAIL.

6. I need a surefire way to get these kids to stay in bed at bedtime. Tucked in Pumpkin 90 minutes ago, and The Princess nearly an hour ago. They've both come up with 104 reasons to come downstairs. Repeatedly. Gah!

7. Feels so weird to have had a week with no cake-baking after my serial birthday treat baking bonanza last week.

8. I'm reading Nora Ephron's "I Feel Bad About My Neck" and dreading getting older and getting the crepey old-lady turkey gobble neck.

9. The Princess came home from school the other day to tell me she had some special testing done for reading. She's about thirty levels higher than the level the kids should have reached by the end of the school year. I haven't received any information from the school (which is always charming), but I hope they find ways to challenge her in second grade with regards to her reading.

10. Have you voted in the BlogLuxe awards yet? My lovely Rachel (Monkeys & Princesses: A Southern Fairytale) is nominated for Tastiest Blog - and her MouthWatering Mondays are AMAZING. You can vote once per day for awhile (I think the end date is in July). Also there are several other categories... Guilty Pleasure Blog, Blog You Learn the Most From, and Eye Candy (photography). Check it out!

Huh. So That's What the Flower Is For.

2009-06-02T19:43:00.004-05:00

About a month ago, I was reading PARENTS magazine. I had gotten a free one-year subscription with a paint set we'd bought Pumpkin for Christmas, and since I love magazines, I figured WHY NOT?

I'll tell you Why Not.

At this point, my kids aren't babies. Sure, some of their articles are geared towards older kids - but... not enough. Each month when my issue comes, I flip through it and see if there are any easy recipes or random something to read before chucking it in my recycling bin.

BUT.

The last issue I read had an article about how to take pictures of your kids. That article explained some cool camera settings and how to achieve certain photographic looks. Sure, I could probably read a photography magazine and learn some awesome techniques, but make no mistake, I'm not really at that point. I'm just a point-and-shoot kind of photographer who wants to take pictures that aren't horrible.

The article introduced me to the Macro setting. The Macro setting is often identified on your camera with the little flower icon. This enables you to take pictures close up without your flash blowing out everything with massive amounts of light. This is the look I'd (to that point) only been able to replicate using the soft focus photo editing feature, and even that wasn't QUITE right.

The Macro? It lets me take extreme closeups of a water bottle. For no apparent reason. Because I'm all giddy over finally knowing what that stinking flower is for.

Movies, Birthdays and Hockey

2009-05-30T21:58:00.005-05:00

First things first - GAME ONE: RedWings. Awesome, awesome, awesome!

Today, was a crazy day that started with a special screening of the new Disney/Pixar movie, "Up". I've wanted to see this since I first saw the preview because I loved the premise, and even the trailer was visually appealing to me. When my mom was able to snag four free tickets, my daughters and I were happy to join her.

I can take or leave children's movies - when they're well done, I am just as content as either of my daughters to watch them over and over again (Another recent favorite is "Horton Hears A Who" - which I adore). When they crappy? I'm less enthused about them and do my best to get the DVD outta my house as quickly as possible ("Beverly Hills Chihuahua", I'm talkin' to you).

But "Up"? It's one of the good ones.

Carl Frederickson, a recently widowed man, ties a gazillion balloons to his house to fly away to South America - a life long dream he shared with his wife, Ellie. As you might be able to tell from the preview, a wilderness scout named Russell ends up joining him and they definitely encounter adventure.

This was the first movie Pumpkin sat through without fidgeting (much). This was also the first movie where neither of my daughters asked for a bathroom break (which during boring movies breaks the monotony for them and gets them up and around). They were riveted watching the story of Carl and Russell unfold.

There were moments that I thought might upset the girls a bit -- some scenes were even I was a bit tense (I believe the geniuses on the rating advisory committees refer to it as "Mild Peril" (And indeed, I just checked it out and it's rated PG for "Some Peril and Action"). My daughters didn't seem bothered by it, but I wondered if they might be.

Of course, in Disney all's well that ends well... that didn't stop me from crying three times during the movie. (Also, the short film "Partly Cloudy" that preceeds "Up"? Adorable).

From the movies, we ventured home for a birthday party for The Princess. We had about nine kids show up (one of whom hadn't RSVP'd - what is it with parents who don't RSVP? - but she was still absolutely welcome anyway: we were happy to see her!). The kids played, ate cake and ice cream, opened gifts and played with all the new stuff. And SOMEHOW, I got them to go for my "game": Everybody wad up a ball of wrapping paper and throw it in the trash! (Seriously, I thought that NO ONE would go for it. They liked it. Hmmm. I'll have to remember that next year).

But now? I am WIPED out. It's been a long day.

Photo: Disney/Pixar

Thursday Ten On Friday - My Kid Had a Birthday Yesterday so My Lateness is Excused Edition

2009-05-29T12:04:00.002-05:00

1. WHAT a day yesterday! The Princess had an awesome day which got even better when we got home and she found a box left for her by UPS... a pogo stick from my dad. (The Fed Ex box with her new helmet arrived today. Whew). We took her to a restaurant where they loudly made it known it was her birthday. Cupcakes were consumed in school. Family called. (LOTS of family called.).

2. New music this week: "Don't Stop Believin'" from Glee. "Let Me By Myself" Three Doors Down. "I'd Hate to be You When People Find Out What this Song is About" Mayday Parade. And a bunch of random iTunes stuff because it was free.

3. Let's back up to Glee. I missed it when it was on TV and ended up watching it on Hulu over the weekend. That is some good stuff. I'm really looking forward to that show. If you haven't yet watched it, check it out.

4. So, the cake for The Princess's birthday party tomorrow has an aquarium theme. I have the fish figured out - what else is aquarium-ish? It may just be fish. Who knows. What happened to just a plain ol' cake with frosting?

5. As I'm planning my kiddo's birthday party, I realize how badly it annoys me when people don't RSVP. I ran into one of the moms when I was taking cupcakes to school yesterday - and she said she'd see us Saturday, and while I'm glad her daughter is coming, I thought to myself, Were ya gonna let me know?

6. Got The Princess Mario Kart for one of her birthday gifts. We are all hooked already. In fact, I was kicking everyone's butt in it til they went and read the directions. Now, we're all about equal in our MK skillz. Are there any tricks I need to know? Frankly, it makes me kind of dizzy, so I have a feeling it will ultimately end up like all the other Wii games - I'll just watch the kids play.

7. Graduation Open House season is coming. It does nothing but make me feel old.

8. In the course of the chaos of the past week, I completely forgot to wish my friend CASEY a happy birthday. It was several days ago. I tried to dig myself out of the hole and email her, but I got her out of office message, so CASEY: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love you and I'm sorry I missed your special day. I hope it was wonderful and that you got spoiled rotten by people with better memories than me.

9. Currently, I'm reading Denis Leary's "Why We Suck". This is not the book for those who are easily offended, for sure, but I'm only about forty pages in, and there's a section on Anna Nicole Smith that had me laughing so hard I thought I was going to hyperventilate. Good stuff.

10. Am currently on "summer break" from guitar lessons for a few weeks, which stinks. I really missed going yesterday. Instead, I learned "Anything Else But You" by the Moldy Peaches (the song from Juno, in case you think you haven't heard it). Fairly easy song which was nice.

Happy Birthday, Princess

2009-05-28T08:41:00.002-05:00

Dear Princess,

Today, you are seven years old. Seven years ago at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work feeling miserable, trying desperately to get an earlier appointment than the one I had scheduled for after lunch that day. I went to that appointment eventually and the doctor I saw blew off my concerns when I said I was really uncomfortable and not feeling so good - said to me, "Ma'am: You're just tired of being pregnant and you're complaining. But here, I'll write you a note excusing you from work for the duration of your pregnancy."

I got in my car and less than 15 minutes down the road, my water broke. And a few hours later, you were born.

My first thoughts when they placed you in my arms were, "Oh, this is my baby!" and "Oh! Her head is really cone-y. I hope that doesn't stay that way." Within hours, your melon was less cone-like and more the beautiful round perfect little noggin that I look at daily. Whew. (Seriously, why was I not expecting the conehead? I think pregnancy literature downplayed that little tidbit).

I can't believe you are seven. The other day when I said to you, "You are SO old!", your reply was, "Not compared to you, I'm not." Smarty-butt.

You never fail to amaze me, by the way. I often forget that you are still a kid because you have this amazing grasp for words and putting them together and you just don't express yourself like a kid. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that you're a kid - because I adjust my expectations of you to the way you usually behave - and then when you have an age appropriate meltdown, I have to tell myself, "That's what KIDS do."

You write awesome stories - and you use punctuation correctly. It may sound like I'm grasping at straws for praise for you - but I tell you: This is the most exciting thing for me, as a writer, to see. That you have the same passion as I do for writing and exercising that creative part of your mind? I couldn't be happier. You look nothing like me with your blonde hair and blue eyes, and so it's nice to see that little bits of my genetics snuck in somehow.

You are a good friend to your classmates. You are entertaining. I just got home from dropping off cupcakes at your school and your teacher went ON and ON about some of the things you say - you have a self-assurance and confidence that I hope you keep. I hope you never lose that sense of yourself and that feeling within that tells you that you are awesome.

Princess, I wish nothing but the best things for you in your life. I hope somethings take work - I want you to know that not everything will come easily, and I want you to know what it is to work to achieve your goals. I want you to know always that you are loved, and I want you to always know HOW to love.

I'm so lucky to be your mom - and I love you lots and lots of tater tots.

Love you with my whole heart,
Mom

Martha Stewart, I'm Not...

2009-05-24T12:23:00.002-05:00

One of the things I wanted to do for the breast cancer walkathon was to design a tee-shirt to list the names of those who I am walking for (survivors and those who lost their battle with the disease). Along the course of fundraising, I've been touched by those who have donated to the cause because of the people in their lives who have been affected by the disease - and are motivated to donate to the cause that might help others, so that maybe one day there will be a cure for breast cancer.

I have no truly adequate way to honor these people - I mean, I'd come up with something way cooler than a tee-shirt if I could. But, I figured wearing their names would keep them with me on my journey, and it would remind me of their journey. Their journey is what it's all about.

This morning, I went to the craft store. I found a pretty decent bright pink tee. I found an adorable sparkly pink ribbon iron-on patch (whoo hoo!) and I stocked up on far more colors of fabric paint than I care to admit so that I can attempt to write the names on this shirt so that they are still legible. Somehow.

Hours after returning home, all the supplies sit on my kitchen counter because I'm so afraid of messing it up. I'm afraid that I'm going to forget a letter in someone's name - or that I'm going to accidentally fill in an "a" with paint and no one will know what it's supposed to say. I'm probably over thinking it.

At some point today, I'll get this thing started. I'll work slowly and hopefully the end result fits the vision I have in my head.

Thursday Ten: Well HELLO SPRING.FINALLY Edition

2009-05-21T13:44:00.002-05:00

1. I just drove past the bank. Their little sign doohickey said it's 83 degrees out. It's awesome out there. I've got the window open and it's not so hot outside that there's no breeze. The breeze is what makes it perfect. Sad thing is, we have perfect weather in Michigan for such a short time each year. I live in the wrong state.

2. I am still working on Counting Crows in guitar lesson but I kinda sorta maybe didn't really practice at all last week. Yeah. But, it's getting a bit smoother and I'm not mangling the D minor so badly and YAY, the chorus doesn't even HAVE a stupid D minor, so, that's awesome.

3. I'm also learning "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. Just the chorus for now. Apparently Mr. A-Z plays with mostly barre chords and I'm learning a MUCH easier way with open chords, but nothing feels easy yet.

4. One week til The Princess is seven. One week. I haven't started shopping for her birthday yet. She pretty much wants everything, so I have lots of ideas. I also need to brainstorm my cupcake strategy.

5. American Idol... I'm happy with the results. But then again, I've said it before - I'm more of an acoustic-y, mellow music kind of girl. Guyliner isn't so much my thing (I have exceptions to that rule, none of which I can think of offhand). I think the show in general was pretty surprising last night - surprised at some of the acts that performed. Could have lived without hearing that Velveeta train wreck of a song by Kara, though.

6. And because my couch gets lonely if I'm away from it too long - I'm pretty ready for "So You Think You Can Dance". Am I the only one who watches it and wishes my mother forced me to take dance class?

7. New music: New Tori Amos came out on Tuesday. I like Tori.

8. Apparently, I'll be throwing one of my sister's bridal showers. I'm thrilled to do something for her, but can't for the life of me figure out why forty people need to be at one shower. And... I'm not having bridal shower games because they make me crazy.

9. Yesterday, Pumpkin threw her arms around my neck and told me she loved me like crazy. I love the enthusiasm of children. I love always knowing what they are thinking, because they'll tell you so. And when my kids say things like that, it lights me up. (Of course, they also say things like, "I want chocolate milk! With a straw! No! Not that straw! A red one! Not that red one! The OTHER red one!" At those times, I remember that they love me like crazy).

10. Today is the perfect day for a vanilla soft serve ice cream cone eaten outside at a picnic table in the sun.

Someone Else's Kid

2009-05-20T10:06:00.004-05:00

Pumpkin and I just got home from the library. It seems to be a Wednesday thing now, the library visit. While we were browsing the children's books in the play area, a littler dude - probably around two years old - tried to take Pumpkin's book. Then he hit her on the head.

His mother looked MORTIFIED. Immediately, she apologized to me and my daughter, pulled her son aside and sternly told him that hitting was not okay, and then apologized to me again.

And I was okay with it. Pumpkin wasn't hurt (it was a light swat to the noggin with no real force behind it - barely even ruffled her hair), the mom was apologetic, the mom asked her kid to apologize. I mean, she did everything I would have expected a mom to do and I was grateful for that. Kids are kids, and sometimes the young ones hit.

But there's always a sense of "WHEW" when it's not my child acting out. It's funny how when it's my child behaving...not nicely... I want nothing more than to just crawl into a hole, but when I'm on the other side of it, it's different.

A Bedtime Story From THE PRINCESS

2009-05-18T19:57:00.003-05:00

Editor's Note: All spelling errors have been corrected (not that there were many because my kid is wicked smart).

One day there was an elephant who could talk. She went to the store to buy a tutu. "I will buy a lovely pink tutu! My ballet teacher will love it!"

Then she put on the tutu and went into the jungle.

Then she went into the mud. "Oh dear, my lovely tutu!" and she started crying, A-hm, a-hm, a-hm (Editor's Note: I asked, and those are supposed to be crying noises). Then she climbed into a tree. The end (bad ending, I know). But when she climbed into the tree, she got eaten by a giant howler monkey.

Hi there, it's the Editor again. Yes, my child ended the story with a howler monkey eating an elephant wearing a tutu. Have I mentioned lately that she rocks?

Thursday Ten: The OMG I CAN'T BREATHE Edition

2009-05-14T14:08:00.002-05:00

1. It's spring, so my allergies are INSANE. Not only are my allergies insane but it's becoming more and more clear that Pumpkin is going to be nice and allergic to everything, just like me. Sorry, kiddo.

2. My theory DID hold on the whole American Idol/Danny not trending issue. And yes, I'm pretty proud of myself. Mildly embarassed that I even HAD a theory, but proud nonetheless, because who doesn't like being right every now and then?

3. Last night, my BFF and I went walking. We got about five miles in before the rain started and then popped up our umbrellas and went for another mile. By the time we got through the first rainy quarter of a mile (or so), there wasn't much rain left - only occasional sprinkles. We really lucked out. It was awesome to catch up on all that was going on in each other's lives - also, it was fun to go out for dinner afterwards even though we were stunned to discover our powers of invisibility that made it impossible for the wait staff at the restaurant to see us. It's pretty tough to be invisible - also: Hungry.

4. In guitar lesson today, I started learning a Counting Crows song. That makes me so UNBELIEVABLY happy.

5. I'm also still working on the Dave Matthews song, and of course today my teacher taught me a short cut that would have kept the song from kicking my butt over the past week while I was trying to learn it. Thanks. To her credit, there are several ways to indicate the chords and she tells me that people tend to find the way that works best for them. Think we've found my way (AFTER a painfully unproductive week, but such is life).

6. New music this week: Kris Allen's version of "Heartless" and Eminem's "Beautiful" has been on repeat today.

7. Last night, at about 1:50 a.m. (so, I guess that would be this morning...) there was a huge crash of thunder. I sat up in bed - it scared the hell out of me. This huge rumble of thunder. I got up and unplugged all the things I didn't want to get struck by lightning (seriously, have lost a television and a printer to lightning. Despite surge protectors). Went back to bed. No more thunder and lightning. That was it. Just one loud boom. No more storm.

8. Two weeks from today, The Princess turns SEVEN. It blows my mind. I can't believe my kiddo is gonna be seven.

9. Hockey night tonight. I'm SO glad the series is back at the Joe so the game will be at 7 and not TEN. This means I might actually stay awake for it. Which would be a good thing.

10. So, yesterday I was channel surfing and I stopped on Oprah (Shush). Dane Cook was on. I have seen very few Dane Cook movies and you know what? He's just NOT that funny. Which explains why I know VERY LITTLE about Dane Cook. (P.S. I was really scrambling to come up with a tenth thing, that's why y'all get the Dane Cook hooey. Because yeah, I needed ten.).

So, That Wasn't Good.

2009-05-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

Spring is wreaking havoc on my allergies. Or I have a cold. I am not sure, but I am keeping Kleenex in business right now. Last night, I was kicking back watching hockey (Gah. That game. Sigh) and finally around 11:30 decided I just couldn't stand sniffling anymore and took some nighttime cold medicine.

Then promptly fell asleep in the midst of the third period of the hockey game, missing the ONLY goal the RedWings scored. They still lost, but man. I missed a good (bad?) chunk of the game and this morning I have a cold medicine hangover.

Brilliant.

Where I Pick The Final Two In American Idol Via Twitter

2009-05-12T21:51:00.003-05:00

Yeah. As I type this, it's nearly 11 p.m. Eastern. It's intermission following the first period of the RedWings/Ducks game and also the 900 hour Biggest Loser finale is on.

Tonight on American Idol, each of the three guys sang two songs - one picked by the judges, one picked on their own. Danny's song by Paula was alright (I hate when he dances though - it literally makes me uncomfortable to watch). Kris's first song was boring, but I loved his Kanye cover. And Adam... well, I'm not denying that he has skills... but they are yelly skills. It's not the kind of album I'd buy.

BUT, my predictions for the final two are....

Adam and Kris.

Why?

Danny isn't even trending on Twitter and Adam and Kris are...

I don't even know what #jonasparanoid is... but more people are talking about that than Danny.

So, there you have it - a totally useless post, a totally non-scientific experiment. And kind of dorky too. No, wait. Seriously dorky. (Writer's block makes me wax philosophical-ish about reality television).

Off to watch more hockey.

Two in Two

2009-05-12T08:47:00.003-05:00

I have now broken my second pair of ear buds in two days. The first pair somehow shorted out or some such -- the sound blips on and off in the right ear bud. Well, it did before it permanently decided it liked Off best. The second pair has some exposed wire going on now.

Seriously. How did I do this?

Once again, I need new headphones of some sort. I guess maybe I should NOT buy the cheapest pair this time.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T10:16:00.002-05:00

The Princess told me last night, "Mom, when you wake up tomorrow - DON'T EAT ANYTHING. If you get hungry, drink some water, but DO. NOT. EAT." Okay, so at that point, I was clued in... breakfast in bed, six year old style. Awesome, dry toast.

Well, The Princess slept in.

So, Happy Mother's Day to all of you. I'm starving and dying for coffee. I hope everyone has an awesome day!

Thursday Ten: Catch Up Mode Edition

2009-05-07T14:01:00.005-05:00

1. I woke up yesterday, got out of bed, stood up and was immediately so dizzy I had to sit down while brushing my teeth. Got downstairs and was so queasy I couldn't see straight so I plopped down on the couch and basically didn't move all day. All day long, I thought, Oh crap. I'm getting sick. By the end of the day I realized that what I had was a migraine. The symptoms were different than my typical migraine - as my first symptom is usually an extremely high sensitivity to smells - but that symptom didn't hit me until about 6 p.m. and after that I realized what I'd been dealing with all day. I popped several ibuprofen and put an ice pack on the base of my neck as a friend suggested (brrrrr) and by about 8 p.m., I was feeling quite a bit better.

2. Consequently, I didn't get much done yesterday and my to-do list for today? SCARY. I've been chugging through, getting things done though - so it's a little less frantic right now.

3. Finally figured out the new right hand strumming technique I learned last week and as of today, I am up to tempo (WHOOOO) and able to play the whole song (With some obvious goofs here and there because the Dsus4 chord after the G chord sometimes gets muddled. By sometimes I mean A LOT).

4. On Friday, I hit my fundraising goal for my breast cancer walk and I am thrilled. For those of you who donated and offered me words of support and encouragement: THANK YOU. It's an amazing cause that deserves our support and I'm thrilled to be taking part and just amazed at the generousity of people.

5. Started learning "Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band in guitar lesson today. This is not my favorite DMB song. Not by a mile. It vaguely feels like getting stuck playing "Viva la Vida" again.

6. American Idol rock week. Well... Hmph. Not sure how I feel about it. My favorite in the competition is Kris, but I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd gotten the boot. I liked his version of "Come Together" - considering that it's a pretty stupid song (have y'all ever listened to the lyrics?). Surprised to see Alison go, but I think we all figured Guyliner Adam wasn't going anywhere.

7. By the way, Slash is aging surprisingly well. I'm stunned.

8. I had to fill out a learning style survey for The Princess to help the school select a teacher for her for 2nd grade next year. I am really hoping that the school talks to her current teacher to get a better idea of her learning style - she's pretty smart and I am so worried about her getting bored.

9. This week I ordered some stuff from Sephora. I love Sephora. It's not even just the products - I love the free samples too. If you're a products kinda person, please check out Beauty for Babies at the March for Maddie site. This week there are going to be several lots up for bid - and they'll clearly mark the retail price - that you can bid on to benefit the March of Dimes. Awesome, right? Check it out. Note: they can only ship to the US and Canada.

10. In preschool, Pumpkin somehow earned a gift card for free pizza for "reading". (I'm not sure how that happened, because while I think my children are definitely smart kids, I KNOW my three year old isn't REALLY reading). Anyway, tomorrow just me and my little Pumpkin are going out for a pizza lunch and I'm kind of looking forward to having a special lunch with her. And pizza. I'm looking forward to pizza.

Well, That Was Easy

2009-05-05T12:35:00.002-05:00

I love Apple.
I love iTunes.

And even when I knew that the downloads on iTunes was all DRM-y, I didn't care because I loved the ease of use and how everything was all in one place. Before the whole iTunes thing, I had a Sony MP3 player and the Connect/Sound Stage program was no where near as user friendly as I find iTunes to be.

So, even when I knew Amazon was DRM-free, I didn't use it because iTunes was so easy. And even though I knew that most songs were cheaper per song than iTunes, I still didn't use Amazon because iTunes kept all my stuff in a nice neat tidy little bundle and I didn't have to import anything or do anything crazy special - everything JUST HAPPENED easily.

But THEN.

I went looking for an album the other day and it wasn't available on iTunes. It was available on Amazon. I downloaded the nifty little Amazon downloader doohickey and found out that all this time I thought that it was going to be a mess DL'ing music from Amazon, it wasn't. It was easy and all my new music went right into iTunes without me having to import songs or break a sweat.

If I could find where my daughters hid my Staples button, I would press it now: "That was easy."

And if you're wondering what I'm listening to....

The Mechanics of Leaving by Keeley Valentino. Kind of an acoustic-y, singer songwriter from Nashville. And I LOVE it.

I'm Old.

2009-05-02T21:25:00.003-05:00

Tonight, The Princess asked for a quesadilla. She chomped on it for awhile before putting it down. When I saw it on her plate I said to her, "Your quesadilla looks kinda like PacMan!"

Blank stare.

"Huh?" she asked.

"PacMan, your quesadilla kind of looks like PacMan."

"Mom," she said, as though I had horns or three heads, "I don't even KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT."
(You can see it, right? I realize the mouth is a bit too rounded for PacMan... and that PacMan wasn't covered in cheese, as far as I can remember, but it's a resemblance nonetheless - like it could be PacMan's cousin or something).

April Showers Bring April Flowers

2009-05-01T20:52:00.003-05:00

For the bulk of the year, this is basically a plain boring green bush. Right now? It has the awesome purple flowers you see in the last frame of the trio. It requires no gardening knowledge from anyone which is awesome. It's the only reason why it's still around.

This is the only foliage type post you'll see from me. Why? Because THIS is the only landscaping we have. Basically, we have lawn, we have a tree and we have this bush which is supposedly a rhododendron (but if it's not, that's okay too).

Every time I see it, a tiny bit of me wishes I had more flowers around until I realize that I don't want to spend my free time with my hands in the dirt.

Thursday Ten: Just How Much Rain Do We Really Need Edition

2009-04-30T13:50:00.004-05:00

1. If April showers indeed bring May flowers than I expect to see flowers springing out of every possible surface next month because sheesh, there's been a lot of rain. I have a neighbor who usually has three or four sprinklers on at once watering his lawn in the afternoons (I can't even begin to imagine what he must pay for water!) - but I'm thinking April is going to be a pretty cheap month for him. I haven't seen his sprinklers on, not even once.

2. I have decided to drink more water. I do this occasionally when I realize that hydrating solely by way of Coke Zero and Starbucks isn't exactly hydrating. I only like to drink water when it's super cold, and I forgot how quickly water runs through your body. I'm not nearly as productive with work when I'm drinking this much water.

3. Swine Flu. Sooooo, are you worried about it? I have actually avoided reading much of anything about it at all until lately. Though I guess if there is any silver lining in the hysteria it's that maybe more people will wash their hands. THAT? That's AWESOME.

4. Just when I thought I'd finally gotten the song down in guitar class, my teacher added in a new technique. This is good because it will sound more like Matt Nathanson's version. On the downside? Now I have to get my head used to the new technique. I'll get it but I'm gonna have to slooooow waaaaaay doooooown.

5. Greasy pizza, that sounds good.

6. American Idol this week... The Standards. Y'know, I really forgot how much I love the song "Someone to Watch Over Me". Every time I hear it I think, "I loooove that song." Then it pops out of my head. I didn't really care who got voted off. All the people who annoy me are gone. That happened pretty early this year - usually there's one that I can't stand up until the final three or better (Taylor Hicks? Never liked him).

7. Next week in guitar I guess we'll be learning "Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews. Somehow, I'm less than enthusiastic. I like DMB a lot more now having seen them live, but "Crash"? Meh. Oh well.

8. My best friend was so so gracious to loan me her camera when mine bit the dust last week (it only bit it in a minor way, but major enough that I can't fix it on my own and the cost to fix it really makes no sense). Loooove her camera - I have taken a lot of good shots with it and am convinced her Sony is magic to make even the most craptastic photographer seem alright.

9. Gearing up to start planning The Princess's birthday party. She's going to be SEVEN next month. Seven. Dang. Where does the time go? (And OMG, she wants to invite a huge gaggle of girls - I think that's going to be one crazy day).

10. Another week of no new music. Nothing has appealed to me. Maybe next week.

Where A Piece Of Paper Goes on Vacation And We Don't

2009-04-29T11:57:00.002-05:00

When The Princess's teacher said they'd be doing a Flat Stanley project, I put a call out to friends and family to ask if somebody, ANYBODY wanted to take Stanley around, show him a good time, take some pictures, and report back.

Surprisingly? I had a LOT of volunteers. In the end, Stanely ended up going skiing in Utah.

And after a day of chillin' on the slopes, Stanley even got to soak the day away in a hot tub.

That Dishwasher Isn't Gonna Empty Itself

2009-04-28T12:48:00.002-05:00

On Mondays, I typically gather all the laundry that's accumulated in the house all week and basically spend the day washing, drying and folding laundry. Everyone has a basket and I put everyone's stuff in their basket for them to take care of putting in drawers and hanging in their closet (Pumpkin is the exception to the rule as she can't reach some of her drawers, and I figure I'll put her to work soon enough). I tend to get my clothes put away quickly - because having a laundry basket full of clean clothes just sitting there drives me bonkers - I have to get the stuff put away promptly. Hubby usually gets to his about midway in the week. The Princess? Well, last night, I had to tell her AGAIN, that she needed to put away her clothes from LAST week so I would have a basket to put in her clean clothes from THIS week in. She just hates to put her clothes away.

It drives me nuts.

But that's the way I am about the dishwasher.

I know that I should just be relieved to have a dishwasher. Relieved to not have to wash every dish by hand. Instead, I grumble about what a pain it is to put dishes away. As I type, the dishwasher is full of clean dishes that are just sitting there - and I dread getting up to deal with them. I'd rather clean every toilet in our house (and there are four) TWICE than deal with putting the dishes away.

Makes me wish for biodegradable paper plates.

Oops, I Did It Again

2009-04-26T14:47:00.001-05:00

It is never a good idea to rejoice about your child's improved sleeping habits. Guaranteed, any joy you have found in getting a decent night's rest will be STOMPED ON by your child deciding once again that 5:30 is a lovely time to start the day.

Thursday Ten: Ow

2009-04-23T14:07:00.004-05:00

1. Spring weather is coming, so I got a bug up my butt yesterday to do the Turbo Jam Ab Party. Twenty minutes of ab work. And I'm feeling it today.

2. I tried to find a YouTube video of Turbo Jam but could only find a video of someone DOING the video and I can't for the life of me figure out what would make someone post their workout on YouTube. (And her form was atrocious).

3. American Idol... Disco week. Wow. Y'know, there's some disco that I just love - and I'm relieved no one sang that song about leaving the cake out in the rain. But that was too much Donna Summer. I so loved Kris's version of "She Works Hard (For The Money)". But was glad to see Lil go, especially when I got all distracted by her super shiny pants.

4. And then LAST NIGHT'S SHOW? With the medley of faded disco stars long past their prime? Yeah. That was interesting. The women woulda done so much better had they worn something more suitable to their current body types (and maybe not tried to bust out the gold lame' from the 70s), and KC and his "girls"? That was... somethin'.

5. Somehow I manage to miss all previews for nonchild related movies which is how I ended up at "State of Play" on Friday having NO clue what it was about. Actually, you know what? That's the way to do it with movies. No expectations, no clue. It was a decent movie, even though I don't normally like Ben Affleck.

6. Hooray for Albuterol. Pumpkin's sleeping schedule? Oh my god. Amazing. I'm sleeping past 6 a.m. again. And that shouldn't be nearly so exciting - but yay! 6 a.m.!

7. Still working on Matt Nathanson in guitar. Week 3. Getting better - learned the instrumental and the bridge today.

8. Got my nails done last week. Less than a week later, they are all chipped and scruffy looking. Should have gone for a pale neutral instead of a bright OPI shade. Wish I could make a mani last longer, but I'm brutal on my nails.

9. Craving Doritos.

10. I broke my digital camera. Throwing a camera in my purse probably isn't the best idea because the lens cover is now broken. Guess I need to replace it. Do y'all have a point and shoot camera you love? What is it? (I'm not talking SLR - I'm not enough of a photographic genius to require something too fancy).

Let Me Squeeze My Back End Into One of These Little Bitty Chairs

2009-04-22T12:45:00.002-05:00

Last night was parent-teacher conferences for Pumpkin at preschool. I wasn't really expecting much - she's only been in that particular classroom for a few weeks (and during her first week she had a tantrum that involved dumping a full jar of glitter all over the place. Stubborn streak? Not this kid). In conference with her previous teacher, the woman tried to tell me that Pumpkin didn't recognize any letters or numbers - a fact I knew wasn't true. Granted - I knew she didn't know them ALL, but she knew some. Three year olds are tricky that way - if they don't want to do something, they will drag their feet - even if their mom wants to hear from the teacher how their genius kid knows the alphabet forward and backward and how maybe next week she'll be moving on to doing advanced math.

With that in mind, I was prepared to hear the same ol thing. Instead I was pleasantly surprised. My kiddo knows all her shapes (well, she knows ten of the eleven they tested her on - she knew hexagon and octogon... but not rectangle? Huh). Recognizes the letters and numbers - or most of 'em. They were THRILLED beyond belief that she chooses to "read" - that in free time, sometimes she'll grab a book and sit down with it.

And oddly enough, it was surprising to hear them heap all this praise on her because at home she's pretty content to hang out in The Princess's shadow - following her big sis all over and wanting to be like her (though there's no doubt in my mind that that is how she soaked up some of her information. Guess sibling worship CAN come in handy).

The conference went amazingly well.

Well, until I had to try to get up from those itty bitty chairs so close to the floor. It was then I vowed never to do lunges and squats the day before conferences EVER AGAIN. You definitely need your leg muscles to not be all hurty and useless trying to get out of those chairs!