It can't possibly be happening...

junior high registration

my 'lil one

my mia

there's no way she's old enough

wait...there's no way I'M old enough

yet the proof is in the purple

the purple registration form that I signed

the one at the top that read,

Highland Junior High School Student Registration

Pass the kleenex

It's really happening

(sigh)



Whining and Wine

Today was a day.

It was a whining kind of day.

And it was a wine"ing" kind of day.

When Life Gives You Lemons

Pick em...

Pick every last one on that tree with your granny.

Giggle and laugh.

And talk about everything you'll make with 'em.

Because lemons, just like life, can be tart

and unbelievably sweet all at the same time.

The Next Mr. Trump

 

My kid loves money.
The smell of it.
The feel of it.

What you can do with it.

He likes the orange kind more than green and used it wisely.

He used it to buy Boardwalk, Park Place and both utilities.

And he kicked all of our bankrupt booties.

St. Anthony

Thanks to the sweet little neighbor from down our street,

my kitchen has the most heavenly glow.

It smells dang delicious, too.
Thanks to St. Anthony and oranges.
I plan to let good ol' Tony keep a watch over us this weekend.
It makes Monday not seem so daunting.
Happy Weekend.

28 days (it's not what you think)

The oven broke 28 days ago.

28 DAYS!

It took at least 42 calls. More than a few emails. And one visit to Sears.

The warranty company finally called.

After 24 days, the new oven was ready to be delivered

and four days later, it was.

I couldn't be happier. We couldn't be happier.

First order of business, cinnamon chocolate chip cookies.

And viola just like that, after a few cookies anyway,

our hearts are warm - just like the new oven!

Flipping for Fortunes

What's better than a fortune cookie?

If you ask Mia, she'll say the message inside.

The Furious and Fresh

6:47 a.m.

Yelling. Screaming. Crying.

Door slamming. Name calling.

Biggest Fight.

Ever.

One clean freak. One not so clean freak.

One sister mad at one brother for a gooey spill.  

One mess.

One not so awesome morning.

On a positive note, more than one fresh-breathed kid.

Let GO(D)

Frankie has his "call" next Monday morning.

His company plans on cutting more than 25 percent of its sales force.

So Monday, he'll know his fate. He might or might not have a job.

It stinks. There's nothing lovely about it.

My belly sorta hurts....a lot.

You know that feeling when it's hard to swallow?

I have that.

And as strong as my Frankie is and how much he says he's "okay,"

I know he has it too.

So, today I didn't take a "picture" of the "A" Trey got on his test, or at the pool when Mia mastered her inward dive.

Instead, I post a reminder.

I suppose we all need one once in while.

And today I'm in my "while."  

Sunday

It was dreary today. No sun. Lots of clouds. Yuck.

The silver lining was lots of time to cuddle while watching a 'lil football.

We went to Mass last night and finished our to-do lists which meant today was a no-agenda kind of day.  Just time. Just together. Just perfect.

Comedian, too.

Remember I asked you to bear with me concerning the photography?

Now would be the time.

Especially after I've come to find that wine doesn't enhance my skill.

We had an awesome time tonight. Friends, food and Frank.

He makes me, and everyone we know, laugh.

Among the things on the lists and lists of things I love about Frank,

his humor ranks very close to the top.

And really what could be funnier than when a chill guy like Frank talks

about campfires, clams, Right Guard, beards and the

French-American war?

There's Something In The Way...

Every now and then the things I lean on lose their meaning,
And I find myself careening
Into places where I should not let me go.
She has the power to go where no one else can find me,
Yes, and to silently remind me
Of the happiness and good times that I know.
It isn't what she's got to say
Or how she thinks or where she's been.
To me, the words are nice, just the way they sound.
I like to hear them best that way -
It doesn't much matter what they mean,
And she says them mostly just to calm me down.

Seeking Grace

On my knees, I find strength and grace.

Gastrocnemius Equals Insanity

It takes a lot to make me grumpy. Really, it does.

Helping the kiddos with their studies brings me joy - most of the time.

Tonight was an exception.

We practiced, Pierre, Bismarck, Des Moines and other capitals west and north of the Rockies. 

Then we needed to ace rectus abdominus, sartorius and gastrocnemius among other muscles he can spell but can't say.

The student is in fifth grade.

And his mom is grumpy.



Yours Truly

I asked Trey if he wanted to take a picture WITH me for the blog.

I said, "let's take a picture together, we had your favorite dinner!"

He said, "No Mom, I'll take one of you with my I-touch then I can send it to your email." I actually thought to myself that it could be nice to be on the other side of the lens, until I opened my email.

It doesn't get much more real than this...and believe it or not I wouldn't change my kiddo's humor for anything in the whole world (except maybe a better pic).

Hangin with Mia

If Mia had it her way, she'd spend every waking minute outdoors.

She's happiest riding bikes, swimming, playing any sport and

as I found her this afternoon - just hanging out.

The date with Bounce

I can't concoct an amusing anecdote to make today sound even a tad bit glamorous. So here's the truth...

 The hampers were full and now they're not.

The end.

What if?

What if you dared to dream you could make a difference?

I spent the morning with my JL girls and, as always, came home INSPIRED.

One amazing girl had a thought. She saw a need and asked a few of her fellow Junior Leaguers to join in and donate a few items

benefiting a local no-kill animal shelter. 

And they did.

Friday Night With My Favorites

There's nothing better than ending a long week than with girls that make your heart happy. I'm blessed to call them friends.

A likely souvenir

A souvenir all the way from NYC,  

with love from a Dad who shares the same humor as his son.  

I'm happy to report Mia received a snow globe with Lady Liberty inside.

Sleepyheads

Junior League had me out late tonight. I handed the duties over.

Frankie was in charge of Mia and Trey.

Mia was picked up from dive, the kiddos were fed, homework completed. The dishes were even done and the house nice and tidy.

Daddy did good.

I hate when I don't see my kids before they go to bed and tonight looked like I'd miss kissing them goodnight.  So to my happy surprise as I came up the stairs to peek in on the wee ones, I heard a hushed voice,

"Mom, come here I waited for you."

And there she was...

Tuesday Newsday...

I communicate for a living. I get paid for taking words and crafting messages - specifically so employees understand why what they do is important to the business, why them come to work everyday and what we "give" them for doing so. 

 Some folks work with numbers, others work with tools.

I work with words.

Every now and then, I get sick of words. It doesn't happen often but tonight, words have wore me out!

My darling Trey, just came bounding out of his room with a stack, a very discombobulated stack of what he called, news.

"Here Mom, read this!"

26 papers filled with words.

Score: Me - 0  ~ Words - 1 bazilion!

The words won.

Bowling, Bravo and Bachelor Ben

Mondays mean Bowling, Bravo and a Bachelor

Frankie bowls with his brother and their dad so little lucky me gets the remote, more than a quater of the couch, Bravo and Bachelor Ben.

The house is quiet after the kids are in bed and for 

a couple of hours all is right in TV Land.

It's mindless. It's shallow. And very entertaining.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. 

I hereby commit to everything clean, calm and clever.

I heart Sundays

Church. Laundry. Groceries. Pay Bills. Sunday Supper. Lunch-packing.

Wine. Book. Fire.

Check.

One Saturday-Two Games

First Game

Trey had an awesome game today. Mia was proud...

Second Game

Papa and Trey have always shared a love for hockey...As a congrats to Trey for making honor roll, he treated his pal to tickets to a game. They had a blast cheering on their favorite team.  Go Coyotes!  

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Friday = Happy Hour

Happy Hour - Kid-Style 

Since the kiddos were little, I've always worked from my home office on Fridays.

I love being able to send the kids off in the morning. I also love how much I get done without the office interuptions. But the thing I love the most is getting to pick up my kiddos from school and the tradition that we've had for as long as I can remember.

Fridays mean "juvie happy hour."  After a week of spelling, social studies and math tests we've not found anything better than a Cherry Coke or Sprite with extra ice. Did someone mention fries? TGIF.

Homemade Magic

Today wasn't Trey's day. He forgot how to spell Tallahasee and that the capital of Wisconsin is Madison.  He couldn't find his football practice jersey, stubbed his toe and was reminded every five minutes by his loving sister that his "half" of the dishwasher was waiting to be unloaded.  It wasn't Mom's day either, she had to stay late at work, traffic was lousy and the only thing the mailbox presented were two bills and carpet cleaning coupon. Between Mom and Trey there were a few tears, several huffs and one yelp. So when all else fails, Mom has a secret weapon - homemade noodley soup and turkey and raspberry jam sammies. Easy, yummy and simply magical! It's the simple things that make us happiest...

House Rule

Within the B household there are two dog beds, a crate and several "Buster" blankies - all for one twelve pound pup. One of our house rules reads "human beds are not for furry friends." Most nights, not really to my dismay, I find these two happy boys cuddled under the coziness....So much for house rules.

Mama's New View

I left my sleepy heads in their beds this morning. They looked warm and cozy and perfectly peaceful. On the first day back to work after a nice long break, I rushed downtown, uninspired. I pushed the new number on the elevator (it's no longer my lucky #4) walked to my new spot, plopped my briefcase down on my new desk where I'll work with my new group. It's a new opportunity, a new role in a new department. I'm not always a fan of "new."  I settled in, grabbed a hot cup of tea and opened the blinds to see my new view.

Sunny. Beautiful. Inspiring. Maybe new isn't so bad...

Girls being girls

Silly-hearted girls make for a fun day! It seems like just yesterday these two girlies were carrying their pink "backypacks" into kindergarten. This fall, they'll reunite and carry their bags into junior high - but those pictures will come later.

Happy New Year. Here we go...

Happy New Year!

At the stroke of midnight, the new year starts with hope and promise. Bring it on 2012, we've been waiting for you. Let the adventures begin...