Snippets of Saturday

Today we drove up to my BIL's house. We were celebrating my hubby's birthday! Here are a few little things that happened during the day.

---

After lunch we headed over to the GAP so my hubby could use a gift card he'd received. We had both kids walking so they could burn some energy after being in the car for 2 hours. I told the kids to "Stay with Daddy & no running." I was going to look at some jeans. Next thing you know they're with me. I said "Go over to Daddy please." The Princess hightails it over to my hubby at break-neck speed with the Bear close behind her. Then there's the fall and SPLAT. He gets up doing the hard crying. I know he's injured himself. I pick him up and hold him tight and walk out of the store. I take a look at him after a minute and he's got blood on his lips. OY! He cut his upper inside lip once again. Those darn slippery floors! What's amazing is that my hubby didn't hear the Bear crying. Talk about selective hearing!

---

My hubby's cousin has two girls (6 and 4) and they were at my BILs house too. All the kids want to play in one of the bedrooms. My BILs girlfriend supervises the kids. My MIL says "She would be a great mother. She's so good with kids." Later my SIL supervises the kids. My MIL says "She would be a great mother. She's always been so good with kids." Uh...what am I chopped liver? I've never heard that I'm a good mother. Aren't my kids intelligent and polite (well at least the Princess is). The lady has never complimented me on my mothering skills. I get quite offended (and I keep it to myself) when my MIL makes these comments. How can my SIL take care of a child 24/7? She can't even take care of her dog very well... or herself for that matter!

---

We end up getting into the pool in the back. My BILs girlfriend supervised the Princess in the water, while I had the Bear. We get into the pool and the water is chilly! We're in there for about 15 minutes before my BIL goes outside. He asks his girlfriend "Is the water cold?" She says "Yes, it's cold!" He's like "If she's cold then the water is definitely cold" He finally got into the water about 30 minutes later -- took over with the Bear so I could take the Princess. He jumped in and when he surfaced he said "OH! The water IS cold!" Duh!

---

It was the Bear's first real experience in the water since he was 6 months old. He really took to it easily. I let him play on the first step for 10 minutes then I took him around the pool. I held him firmly under his armpits and pulled him around. His bottom naturally floated up and he was relaxed. It was great! After about 30 minutes, they blew up a duck floaty and we put the Bear in it. He didn't feel so secure on the duck. I think he'd gotten accustomed to my firm grip on him. He clung to the duck's neck really tightly for about 15 minutes before he started to relax. It was cute watching him sit on the duck and seeing his legs move under water.

---

The Princess is making advances in the water. She didn't want to be held when she got into the water. She had her arm floaties on and she was comfortable by herself in them. She just moved her arms and her legs and got around the pool on her own. Some say not to let kids get used to using floaties. Well, my girl is very edgey when it comes to the pool. She enjoys the concept of the pool -- being in there and swimming but she's terrified at the same time. She doesn't enjoy having water all over her face -- bathtimes can be a scene. Anyway, to see her relaxed in the pool was terrific. I'm going to continue to let her wear those things because she's becoming more relaxed in the environment. I'm also going to go out and look for some goggles for her. Maybe that'll also help since she freaks when water gets in her eyes. I'll hopefully be able to get her in swim lessons in the spring. By then she should be fine in a pool situation.

---

My Bear is a lover-boy. I've mentioned that before haven't I? He loves females...especially older ones. Today he officially met his second cousins and fell in love with the younger one. She's a year older than the Princess but the same height. What's funny is that she came up to the Bear to say "hi" to him and he went in for a hug. Once she'd wrapped her arms around him, he lifted his feet and wrapped his legs around her. He wouldn't let go either! He stayed there for about a minute. Throughout the party he'd follow her around and hug her. It was priceless!

---

I'm sure there were more interesting tidbits of the day but I can't recall them. We'll be up at my BILs again in a few weeks to celebrate the Princess' 4th birthday. So more pool time! Woohoo!

kids' observations

My hubby was taking a shower late this afternoon. The kids were hanging around him since he was gone until about 12:30pm today. They kept on running into the master bath and back to me in the master bedroom (I was reading a book). Well, my hubby finished his shower and was drying off. The Princess looks at him and here's their conversation.

Princess: "Daddy, why is your penis red?"

Hubby: "Because I took a shower."

Princess: "Daddy is it always red?"

Hubby: "It's red because I took a hot shower."

Of course, my hubby was thoroughly getting embarrassed and was trying to hide behind the towel. Princess had this intent look of concern for him on her face. It was totally funny!

====================================

Then there's the obsession the Bear has. Sometimes he'll be in the room when I'm getting dressed for the day. When I take off my shirt/bra he's right next to me. His hand is poised and reaching. For what? For my nipple! He's got a nipple fixation. It's not just any nipple either. It's just MY nipples! Oy!

You just have to laugh

Do I have a crazy child or what?

I'm sitting here minding my own business surfing all the blogs. I've got a Blues' Clues tape on for the kids so they can relax -- it's a stay at home day. Anyway... in comes in the Bear. He stops near my door. I can hear him but I can't see him. Next thing you know he's walking in here with a smug look on his face as if to say "Check me out Mom!" I look at him and notice something on his foot. He's got a little sample tube of toothpaste stuck to the bottom of his foot. He's running around the place with it stuck to his foot. He's quite pleased and amused with himself.

You just gotta laugh at the small things that'll make these kids happy!

Happy Birthday Sweetie

Happy Birthday to my Sweetie!

Yes, today is my dear hubby's birthday. Where is he right now at 8:35pm in the evening? He's about two hours away from us watching a football game at his alma mater. What? Yes, he went to work this morning at the crack of dawn -- the rest of us were sleeping like usual. He worked until about 3pm and then drove up to meet his younger brother before the game at 7pm.

The kids and I dropped by his work at about 11am. His co-workers knew we'd be doing this. We'd arranged with them to get sandwiches and a cake. So while he opened his "gifts" from the kiddos, the gals set up the conference room with lunch. He certainly was surprised that we'd organized this without his knowledge.

What did the kids get him? Each child made him a present. I had the Bear just color away on a sheet of paper. I had my Princess write "I LOVE DADDY" & then draw a picture of the two of them on the same sheet (her rendition had the two of them holding hands). I bought a couple simple matching frames and put their artwork in them.

He'll be driving back home tomorrow morning. Hopefully he'll be back in time for lunch. What we have planned is that he'll pick the Princess up from preschool. He's never been able to do this since he's at work, so it'll be a nice surprise for her when she finishes up her day. I'm hoping he'll take her out to lunch -- just the two of them. That would be a nice treat for her. This afternoon about the time he usually comes home, she looked at me and said "I miss my Daddy."

The gift I got him is waiting in our closet. No....it's not anything raunchy or sexy. I got him a new white dress shirt (it's a no-wrinkle one too!) and a nice conversative blue tie. Let me tell you...I HATE 95% of the ties he owns. They might all be 100% silk but I think they all look too busy (the patterns). What's even more of a fashion don't is that he'll mix the patterned ties with patterned shirts. The shirts don't have simple patterns either. He's got a ton of button down shirts that are plaid in pattern. Picture these things with a patterned tie. My eyes just go all squigly just thinking about it! HA! Anyway, I got him some simple stuff because that's what he likes to get.

I love you Sweetie (even though you're a fashion geek)!!!!

Throwing Sand

I picked up the Princess from preschool this afternoon. She stayed an hour longer than usual since it was Lunch Bunch day. When I saw her in the playground she was standing next to the sandbox. I called her name. She turned around with a frown on her face. A frown? What's that all about? Plus, she didn't have a hop, skip, & jump in her step as she came over to me. Hmmm....something is definitely not right with this picture. After talking a little in the car about what she did in class today, she started to circle around what prompted her not-so-happy face.

Princess: "Mom, I need to take a rinse when we get home so I can wash my face and legs."

I'm thinking to myself that it would be fine since I saw her next to the sandbox and she probably has residue all over her.

Me: "Well, I guess you got sand on you because you were making castles again, huh?"

Princess: "No, Alysia threw sand at my face and legs."

Me: "What happened after that?"

Princess: "I looked at her with a frowny face."

Me: "Did she say anything to you?"

Princess: "She didn't say anything to me."

She said it with such a sad voice! Broke my heart! Who the heck is this Alysia girl and what the heck is she doing throwing sand at my kid? Turns out that Alysia is one of the girls in that clique that's known each other forever. I guess she and her crew were playing in the sandbox and Alysia didn't want the Princess near them. I have this intense urge to go up to Alysia's mom (I don't think I've ever seen this lady either) and asking her if her kid has any manners! Oy! Where was the sorry?

I did end up calling the preschool and speaking to the director. I see her ever time I drop off the Princess because her office is right off the Princess' classroom. I told her what happened. I explained to the director that this is the first time something like this has happened so I was unsure how to handle it. She said that she'd speak to the teacher who was watching the kids to see if she had witnessed the incident. She'd have that teacher speak with me on Friday morning.

You see, the kids we used to play with had hands on Mommies. We'd known each other for so long that we wouldn't hesitate to tell each other's child if they were doing something not nice. We knew each other's rules and they were in line with our own so it wasn't a big deal. Now this girl Alysia? I don't know her mother. I don't know how this child has been brought up. So that's why I'm getting the school involved. If they can speak to Alysia's Mom and mention that she wasn't being nice, then the Mom will hopefully deal with her child. I don't want this type of thing happening to my girl. She's not even FOUR! She shouldn't have to defend herself against a clique, yet...right????!!!!

It was a great Saturday!

Seems like AGES ago already!

We all got up about 7am. Hubby got some bagels. I got ready for the day. I left at 7:45am for my color appointment at 8am. I got a partial highlight done. I actually didn't have to go through the double process business this time. I've got dark brown/black hair so in the past they've totally bleached the strands and then put a toner over it to get it to the color I want. Well, this place just used one process. The new highlights are a reddish gold and blend really well into the old highlights. Now I don't have hairs that have two inches of natural dark color at the roots and the gold highlights at the end! I think I'll be going to this place to get my color from now on (until we move to the other end of town at the beginning of the year that is). They didn't charge me an outrageous amount and it wasn't too busy in there either. I'm really satisfied with what I ended up with.

I went home to an empty house. Not a soul in sight! My next appt wasn't until noon so I had time to burn. You know what I did? I did 4 loads of laundry! I kid you not! I was able to get those things done -- bamm, bamm, bamm! While the wash was getting done, I was able to vacuum, clean both bathrooms, and detail clean the kitchen. It's amazing what a person can accomplish when there's no one to entertain, or to fix a snack for, or any fight to break up!

Got to my noon appointment and met my new stylist. I didn't even have to sit and wait. She was at the reception desk looking at her schedule. She's a nice girl. We had a good conversation while she trimmed up my hair. She actually complimented me on my color too! She didn't do as much texturizing on the top as I wanted, but I'll have that fixed up the next time I go in. By 1:30pm, I was totally beautified! Yahoo!

What did I do next? I went to the video store and picked up a DVD -- "View From the Top" with Gwyneth Paltrow. Then, I went to the library! I went up and down the aisles so slowly and picked up five books. I immediately started reading when I got home. I checked on-line to see what movies were playing near my house. I decided on "The Day After Tomorrow" because it started at a good time and it was only going to cost $3. Plus, it's a movie that I know my hubby doesn't want to watch. There's wasn't a good "chick" flick at this theater but I wanted to see an action flick anyway.

I got home about 10:45pm and continued reading until I finished the book. I didn't get to sleep until 12:30am! What's crazy is that I woke up at 7am even though I could have slept in! It was a great day alone though.

What books did I check out? (1) "The King of Torts" by John Grisham (2) "Bleachers" by John Grisham (3) "The Nine Month Plan" by Wendy Markham and (4) "The Ladies Auxiliary" by Tova Mirvis and (5) "Breakfast at Stephanie's" by Sue Margolis

Out & About...and back home again

We've been out and about today and already back home again (accomplished that by 10:45am).

What did we do? We visited Old Navy to check out the fall selection (plus they open at 9am). I really wanted to get the Princess something for when it gets cold. She's got some light jackets but I wanted something other than a typical zip-up sweatshirt thing. I saw the cutest jacket, but thought it might be too heavy for Tucson.

I ended up buying her the crocheted poncho instead. I got it in the pale pink instead of the burgundy that's in the photo though. This'll be easy for her to get on and off at preschool. No zippers to deal with! Just over the head and run!

Guess what's available at Old Navy as of today? Halloween costumes! One of the gals came from the back and told the other girls the shipment had come in. She had the cutest little "chick" costume in her hand -- baby/toddler sized costume. So if you're a planner & want to buy it now...then GO, Go, Go!

We then headed out to Play It Again Sports and bought a swim vest for the Bear. Yes, summer is almost over but the swim gear was 50% off! I bought one that'll fit the rest of this year and still fit next year. It's got one of those collars around his neck so he can keep his head up.

We then walked over to the Starbucks and got me a Tall Caramel Macchiato with a pumpkin scone. Oh, I LOVE that combination! I thought we'd stay and we found some of the comfy chairs. There were two older guys in the place. One guy was writing in a journal. The other guy (at a different table) had earphones on and was typing away on a laptop. My Bear decided to use the practically empty coffee house as a place to "practice" vocalizing. He was LOUD! I could tell that the one guy with headphones was amused because I saw his shoulders shake in laughter as I told my Bear to use his "inside voice". I'm pretty sure the other gentleman was annoyed though. He hunkered down over his journal and continued to write with an intense frown on his face. I was fully amused. It's not like we were in a library!

The last place we've visited today is the local Blockbuster Video. It's Tuesday! New release day! Guess what's out? The Passion of the Christ! Yes, that movie is already available out on DVD. I got it because I wasn't able to see it at the theater. I've not spoken to anyone about the movie or really listened to all the hype surrounding it. I tend to do this when I want to watch a movie without any preconceived impression of it. So I'll be viewing that tonight or tomorrow night-- after the kiddos are both asleep.

Did I have a busy morning? How about you? What have you accomplished today? If you're a Mom who got all your kids out the door in time for school/preschool/daycare -- I bow to you!!! That's a HUGE job already.

Is it about the purse?

Cast of Characters -- Older Sister: Second /// Older Sister Hubby: BIL /// Oldest Sister: First /// Younger Sister: Fourth

You know how it is when you get together with siblings you're close to. You talk about the past, right? When Second and her family visited me last, we chatted about First. Second, BIL, and I sat together one evening discussing the various qualities of First. How totally different she was than us (the other 3 sisters). How detached she is from us. How she doesn't communicate like the rest of us do. It's amazing how when we start talking about First we always go back to the time when First ran away from home when she was 16.

I always seem to come back to the fact that she took my purse. My purse? For those of you who grew up in the late 70's, it was one of those black parachute shoulder bags. I thought it was the coolest thing. I was wanting it for months and I finally got it for Christmas. I was so stoked to use it, but never got to. But guess what Second reminded of? First had given me that purse for Christmas! I couldn't believe that I'd forgotten that! She bought it for me and took it with her when she ran off. It's like she had it all planned out.

BIL mentioned that when we talk about First that I always get back to that purse story. I've never understood why I do that. But last night I put some thought to it as I lay in bed.

It was such a horrible time for me. The fallout from First running away was traumatic for everyone she left behind. My Dad was totally pissed. My Mom ended up going into a depression. Second threw herself into her sports to escape. Fourth was a baby so she doesn't remember it. There was so much tension and sadness in our house.

At that time I was in the 8th grade. What no one knew was that I had a boyfriend. Yes, I had a secret boyfriend. Of course, everyone in school knew we were an item, but my family had no clue. He was the first love of my life. We had a crush on each other since we met the first time in the 7th grade. But we didn't get together until the beginning of 8th grade.

You know what I did? Two days after First ran away, I broke up with my boyfriend. What? I broke it off with him. I saw how pissed off my Dad was about First. I knew that if he found out about my having a boyfriend he'd start giving me crap about it. I also wanted my boyfriend to have a girlfriend who didn't have to hide the relationship. My heart broke to do it but I wanted him to be free. There were so many girls at our school who adored my boyfriend, so I knew he wouldn't have any trouble getting another girlfriend. I wanted my boyfriend to be happy! I felt that he deserved someone better than me. That's why I broke it off with him.

He ended up treating me horribly after this. What sucked was that he was in a class with me. I recall on one day that he and another guy were saying unkind things about me and laughing. They weren't saying it loud but loud enough so I could hear them. I ended up asking the teacher if I could go to the bathroom. I quietly walked out the door, down between the bungalows, and into the girls bathroom. Once I was in the bathroom, I cried and cried. This was the boy that I still loved with all my heart. I couldn't believe how intentionally cruel he was being to me! I remember looking in the mirror and saying "ENOUGH" to myself. I totally remember saying to myself that I wasn't ever going to let anyone see me cry. At that moment, I learned how to turn myself off. Turn myself off? Yup! I learned to turn off my emotions. I learned how to cut people out of my life.

From that point on I was a different person. That's the moment when I learned to be a hard-ass bitch. Since that time, no one has seen me break due to their cruel nature. I wasn't a softie anymore. I had a hard edge to me. No one get through the barrier I'd decided to build around me. Oh...I was gentle and joyous with all my friends, but if someone was not nice then I didn't need them in my life. I was never mean to anyone. I just ignored those who weren't kind. What's funny is that because I wasn't involved in the cliques and gossipy nature of high school, the other kids interpreted that as my being mature. I knew everyone but was loyal only to my closest friends.

That moment of First leaving was the precursor of me changing. My family-life was a wreck and it's not a period of time in my life that I like to recall. I sacrificed my happiness -- I sacrified the love of my life. I wasn't a happy-go-lucky adolescent anymore. I knew that life wasn't always fun. I knew that life could be cruel. I knew people could be unkind and malicious. I knew I was no longer a child. I had to grow up. Maybe that's why I focus on the purse....