Calling the T.F.

If anyone has a connection to the tooth fairy, send her our way tonight! Maya has lost her first tooth. We've been working on this one for probably two weeks, and it has FINALLY come out!Talk about excited, you would have thought we just scored tickets to a meet-n-greet with Hanna Montana or something the way the kids danced around and screamed like banshees. Seriously though, that was simply the best. The proud reaction from Maya....Macy and Nolan's excitement for her was just adorable and really special. They were all so proud and happy, and will be eagerly waiting to see what might be under her pillow in the morning.

Cereal Buffet

There is a very good reason I live in New England, I don't like humidity. I know, I know...shame on me. As much as love summer, I love summer when it's 75 and sunny with a slight breeze. Not a lot to ask, right? Thankfully this summer has been very reasonable in the temperature department...until today. The heat has finally turned up in this neck of the woods, and I'm in the midst of one of the few days a year I wish I had air conditioning. Of course I really shouldn't complain, I work during the day in an icebox of an office and look forward to the end of the workday when I leave the frosty windows behind and warm my hands on the scalding steering wheel of my car.

After a few pathetic hours at home, I am hot and cranky and the very last thing I feel like doing is cooking. Now I will admit, it doesn't take a humid, sticky, icky day to make me not feel like cooking....I feel like this most every day. I don't cook, well...I do, but I don't enjoy it. I would much prefer my husband take charge of the kitchen. I am very content to be is sous chef and dishwasher, I simply don't like to cook.

So for me the best thing about this humid, sticky, icky day was my excuse to declare a cereal buffet for dinner tonight. The kids were beyond thrilled and giggly.

I am beyond thrilled and giggly.

Not only has my meal time been absolutely stress-free, all of the kids ate what was served. We used ridiculous bowls and inappropriate utensils...and laughed.

Nothing like a cereal buffet to make a humid, sticky, icky day meal fun. My cranky mood has now passed, the setting sun is providing some relief from the ick. Many thanks to my dear friends at Post and General Mills for making the perfect meal.

Where did June go?

It's a bit of a blur at this point, the chaos of end-of-the-school-year events followed by a trip to Disney made June fly by in record time!

As busy as it was, it was a FUN month so I just wanted to post a couple pictures of the highlights.

Maya turned six! One of the milestones of turning six in our house is the option to get your ears pierced. She had been a bit wishy-washy and wouldn't give me a commitment either way...which was fine by me. They are her ears, her choice. Really though, I think it's her little way of needing to have the control, and avoid all the hype and hysteria in the pre-piercing days. I may have mentioned this before, but Maya is not a fan of being the center of attention. She prefers to quietly go about her business, unnoticed if possible. So at her request, she and I quietly slipped away one Sunday morning to do the deed. Not a flinch or a whimper from this kid!

Young Readers preschool was overtaken one June morning by superheros. Although the majority of our dress-up collection is made up of tulle & glitter, thankfully Nolan has his own little stash.
On the last day of preschool, we have made it our tradition to have all of the preschool students and their families over for a barbecue. We initially started doing this when Macy was in preschool because we were new on the "parenting" scene, and having never taken the daycare route we didn't have much of a circle of friends with kids our ages. It was such a success we've done it every year since. What I love the most about it is that it is an opportunity for the PARENTS to see the connections the kids have made. We had a fantastic turnout, smores by the fire and some good laughs.

On the evening of her last day of school, Macy performed in the Ninth State Dance Showcase. Her class tapped to "Little Bitty Pretty One" she fit the part perfectly. There was a little bit of "Hoe Down Throw Down" during the final curtain...she loved getting to be a little bit sassy with the big girls.Since we still had 24 hours before leaving for Florida...the next day we attended the first annual gymnastics show. This was the first year the girls had taken gymnastics, and they loved it! I have to say (and I was approached by others that felt the same), that Maya stole the show. She has a drive and determination that really showed this day. She's a smallish six-year old, so I think it was a huge surprise to everyone when she did her bar routine unassisted (unlike just about every other kid). The crowd literally gasped, then cheered for her. Now Macy is equally as good, but I think the crowd was just enamored with Maya because she didn't crack a smile, didn't scan the crowd, didn't wave to the adoring fans...she just did her job, period. Macy on the other hand gets up there, does her thing and would be more than happy to sign autographs upon completion. Some kids crave the spotlight, some done. I've got one of each. I actually had to have Maya re-create this pose. As the finale, each of the gymnasts got up on the podium to receive their medal and allow for pictures. Maya jumped down so quickly I didn't get the shot!In the midst of all our our commitments this month, we managed to skip off to Franconia Notch for an afternoon. They have the most AMAZING bike paths, and there wasn't another soul around. It was a perfect day for taking advantage of the incredible outdoor activities we have right here in NH! I just love this photo, occupational hazard I guess! I can find beauty in a concrete and steel structure, plunked in the middle beautiful country.Nolan thought this was the coolest thing ever!

So that's the not-so-quick update - I'll be back to give a report on my fantastic trip to Disney!

Grocery gripes

I feel silly being so sloooooow with my blog updates, and now that I’m here with a quick one—it’s about grocery shopping. My most important-exciting-getbacktothecomputer-pathetic blog worthy event is regarding grocery shopping? I think this qualifies as a “you know you’re a 30-something mom when…” moment.

Since I’m a 30-something mom with three young children, there are things I really look forward to, such as: hugs & kisses, snuggle time, playground dates, family movie night, swimming at the lake, bedtime, campfires, vacations…the list could go on and on. On of the things that I rarely never look forward to is grocery shopping.

In an effort to make this chore as quick, stress-free and economical as possible I choose to grocery shop in the evening, midweek.

Let me first set the stage, it is 8:30 p.m. and the store is open until 11:00 p.m. The parking lot is nearly empty, and I am thrilled to have the store practically to myself.

Gripe #1 – Why on earth do they put away, wrap up, clean all of the deli items so early in the night? I spent more time at the counter (with a very surly deli associate) watching her unwrap the items that I wanted. Based on her attitude I’m guessing she had just finished putting everything away for the night (2.5 hours prior to store closing). Oh and if you’re wondering, yes the deli does stay open until the store closing time. It certainly wasn’t like breezed in there with one minute to spare. I had 2.5 hours!

Gripe #2 – Cleaning. Now if you know me, you are probably really surprised to hear me complaining about cleaning but why on earth do they do a full cleaning of the meat department at this time? There was not a pound of beef to be had in that store. I am sure they had it stockpiled somewhere, and all I would have to do is ask…but I hate to bother people like that. Silly, I know. So I we’re living off pork & chicken for the next week.

Gripe #3 – Manicures. Huh? I know that is what you are thinking. This is not related to this grocery shopping trip…but it actually happened last week. Picture this: dairy section, you’re at the end of the bread aisle, enveloped in the cool air of the yogurt and whipped cream cooler and you pause to wait for a woman to move…only to realize she is clipping her fingernails. Yea, you got it, clipping her fingernails. Not just one that had broken as she lifted that case of Budweiser into the cart, but every nail. I was dumbfounded, disgusted and simply amazed that this woman was doing this. She was leaning on her cart, I think while waiting for her friend/sister/daughter to pick something out. I think she was probably mid-40’s, certainly old enough to know that this is simply gross, but apparently she didn’t care.

Gripe #4 – Understaffing. I can not be the only person that has figured out that a mid-week evening is the least crowded time to shop? I can roll down the aisles freely, no crowds, no worry of rolling over toes or the all-embarrassing cart bump. So I just went for it, filled my cart until it was overflowing. It felt good to actually pick the things I needed, while having the time to actually read labels and compare prices (tasks simply not possible when you have a child hanging off every edge of the cart). Am I wrong for utilizing this hour of day for my shopping trip? I sure felt it as I waited in line, loading my groceries onto the belt as other customers piled up behind me – most of which had no more than ¼ of the load I did. They had no one manning the express lane, so everyone had to go to one register. Thankfully the couple directly behind me were out shopping as an excuse to get out of the house because their four 20-something children were all home and driving them crazy…so they were in no rush. Not so sure about the other six people behind them, but I did offer a quick apology as I wheeled away...even though I think the manager should be the one out offering apologies.

Gripe #5 – Re-packing the cart. I can totally imagine how difficult it must be to have the job of a grocery bagger. After having the items carefully placed wedged into the cart by the shopper, they have to attempt to quickly re-fill the cart; and you never, ever have as much room in that cart the second time. So the rack at the base of the cart becomes additional storage space for your goods. This is all well and good until you hit the gently sloping pavement of the parking lot. Between the vibration of the cart on the rough pavement, and the slope of the lot I have, on more than one occasion, had things slide off the cart. There is nothing worse than canned goods rolling through a parking lot; you can’t leave the cart because it will roll away, but you gotta get the goods. I am guessing that I have provided many strangers with a good laugh as they witnessed me attempt to restrain a cart, while dodging traffic, to recover my runaway groceries.

Gosh, I feel better already! Although I’m a little embarrassed that
my “quick” updated rambled on endlessly about groceries…such the life as a 30-something mom. Life is good.

Twittered Out

I'm jumping the Twitter ship. Not completely, but for the most part.

I was intrigued by Twitter, but not really up for the challenge. It appeared complicated, and honestly I was not seeing the true value to it. Then add in hash tags and Follow Fridays and it simply is to much for me to get my brain around at this time. I am in awe of those that can follow a thousand people. I can barely keep tabs with the 30+ on my list.

Do people really care about my "quick" updates anyway? I don't lead a glamorous life, and I am sure what I ate for breakfast or what I am wearing is not the first thing weighing on peoples mind each morning. Aside from the fact that it's a little creepy to think that random people can follow my every move...isn't there a security issue here?

So although it's a fun tool I will use when I'm on my Disney adventures...I'm going to leave the mundane musings out of the daily Twitter stream.

Jon & Kate Plus 8

So the world is full of entertainment media these days, a lot has been going on. The death of Michael Jackson seems to have literally sent shock waves around the world. I'm disenchanted. Really, he died years and years ago in my heart. Yes, I was one that had a life size poster in my room, Off the Wall and Thriller were my first two cassettes ever played in my Walkman. I was a huge fan. Note, I said was. I can't help to allow all of the creepiness surrounding his life over the past decade (or two) jade his legacy. I won't take anything away from his talent, he had a gift; it's simply a shame that he was a little weird in the head.

So yes, the King of Pop has died...but I would rather talk about Jon & Kate Plus 8. Nothing says "you're a desperate housewife/mom" better than that. For the record, I am so NOT a desperate housewife. Mom, yes...I wear that one on my sleeve.

About a year ago a friend of ours told me that I reminded him of Kate. Never having watched the show, I didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or a dig. This peaked my interest, so I set my DVR to start recording this reality show.

My first impression, yikes! This is an obsessive, overbearing, control, germ, dirt freak who expresses the most defensive body language during every "interview" session with her husband. This is me? Is this the image that I portray? Good lord!

But I keep watching, and I relate to Kate. Yes, she has eight kids and I only have three but I watch how she runs her roost and I have to imagine that if I were in her situation I would be much like her. I am organized, I dislike clutter, I prefer to be in control, I'm fiscally responsible...organic eating not-so-much but I do like my kids clean and tidy to a point, I believe that kids need to be taught their manners and to respect others; and most obvious I love my kids, fiercely.

I feel for Kate. I admit it. I fully believe that television (especially reality T.V.) has a way to editing and manipulating the content to garner the best ratings. I've always felt sympathy for her, although she comes across as a crazy-obsessed woman I've always believed that she genuinely loves her kids. Her husband? Maybe not-so-much and this is where we vastly differ and I am nothing like her. I love my husband dearly, I respect him, I adore him. I suppose that is easy though, considering he is nothing like Jon. Not to place blame on Jon, because again the magic of crafty editing can make him out to be whomever the media wants him to be...but I don't know if he was ever cut out for this. They admit he never wanted to go forward with the second pregnancy...and to get SIX more kids from it. That's probably not what he signed up for or ever expected, and I'm guessing his resentment towards Kate has been building ever since.

As I watched the episode where they announced their separation, I truly felt sad for Kate. What a heavy heart she must have. It isn't the show that caused their separation, I think it would have happened anyhow. Sadly, when she talked about Jon not considering the future ramifications of his desires now, I think she hit the nail on the head. Fifteen years from now, will he be alone...wishing he had done it differently? She is looking at the big picture, he is living for the moment. So who is right? I would have to side with Kate. It appears as though she would do anything to make it work (that's what you do when you're married), but he left the relationship months (maybe years) ago. So, I am truly bummed for the Gosselins. Divorce is a sad, heartbreaking, life-changing event. Hopefully Kate will find the peace for her family that she is looking for.

So that is my pathetic update. I have so many things that I want to blog about...and I choose to talk about a reality t.v. show.

Life is Good

I truly believe that. So much so, that I purchased a magnet that simply proclaimed "Life is Good" and displayed it on my car.

I received a text message from my husband while I was in Florida, he was wondering if I took it off. Nope, I didn't.

It's gone. Someone had the balls to steal my "Life is Good" magnet. Seriously? Who does that?

I believe in karma. This random act of nonsense has been duly noted, I'm sure of it.