Clinching the Division!

Hey there all you Mommy Red Sox fans....

WAAAAAAAAAAAAA HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Can it be that we might possibly be on the road to another title??? Is it way too early to think that way??

Well I will live in the moment and celebrate a win for the Sox and a loss for the Yankees that allowed the Red Sox to win the division last night!

Go Red Sox!

Not to Sound Negative or Anything.....but

Can I just vent?

The following blog entry may contain language not suitable for young children...

Rachel Ray can kiss my ass. I can't do anything in my life in 30 minutes except nuke leftovers or go through the McDonald's drivethru. Also, when was the last time you gave your children "Beet Risotto?" and how did they react? I know, I know maybe these 30 minute meals are not geared towards people with kids. But, if you didn't have kids why would you be trying to cook something in 30 minutes? Take your time...relax you have no one pulling on your leg to fix their polly pocket outfit...

My period. Okay, now that we have a more sterile environment in the house, (hubster had the big V 4 years ago) I no longer take the birth control pill. Why oh why am I getting periods that are lasting hmmm 7 days with 3 of them crampy and heavy? If I am going to show physical atributes of my teenage years, can't it be firm breasts, nice hair or a flat stomach???

Suite Life of Zach and Cody (which is playing in the other room while I type this). Those 2 kids are obnoxious and not not not cute....and the mom...ok..stop the singing and dancing. If you were talented you wouldn't be on a Disney kids show.

New England weather. Ah yes, the leaves are turning, mums in the hood and football on the TV time for some sweaters...uh oohh oh oh...nope...its freakin 91 degrees out with high humidity.

Math homework....why they hell can't kids just "carry" when adding numbers. Why do I have to learn math again just to teach my children... I was dumb enough the first time. Now I am just tired, old and dumb.

Barry Bonds record home run ball...never gave two shits about it...never will...

New fall trends...

Flat Shoes (you know the ballet type) and skinny jeans. Thank goodness...just what I was waiting for...now I can look like the hippopautomus in Fantasia. Skinny jeans...fabulous...Jessica Simpson look out here I come... when are stirrup pants coming back??

~T

Photo Friday with the CHBM

My friends at the Crazy Hip Blog Mama's are interested in photos, writings or poems about land. Visit their site, they have some great mom writings....

This is a picture of my girls on a tour Franconia State Park, heading to the Flume Gorge

We went late spring and what was most amazing was parts of the gorge still had ice formations even though it was 85 degrees out.

It is a spectacular example of the interest geographic mix you can find in New England. Of course I am biased.

The Flume is a natural granite gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty. Towering granite walls rise to a spectacular height of 90 feet .

Too Good to Resist

Somebody Get Me a Cosmopolitan

As many of you fans of Sex and the City know, the cast has agreed to a film based on the series due to release sometime in the Spring of 2008.

They are releasing photos and plot hints already from the set.

I am the only one who is a bit nervous about "jumping the shark" on this one?

The self indulgent side of me who wants more more more is psyched. The self indulgent side of me also could not wait to see "Bridget Jones II the Edge of Reason" and was first in line to see "Godfather Part III." The self indulgent side of me also never leaves a glass of wine left in a bottle (why put the cork back in when I can just guzzle it down) and will never leave 2 or 3 cookies in the bag..."I will just finish it off, what's the harm?"

The rational side of me was a bit relieved when the series went off the air on what I would consider a high note on the last season (season 5 was not great) and saw the reuniting of Carrie and Mr Big. And although I was disappointed that the season was ending, I was thrilled that all four character's story lines wrapped up neatly in a nice Tiffany bow. If I remember correctly, the idea of turning the series into a film was quickly dashed by actress Kim Cattrall. And at the time, I thought, well if its not good enough for Samantha, its not good enough for me (Although I think of myself as more "Carrie-like"). Like the little snickers bar that I will sneak out of my daughter's Halloween candy after they go to bed (a little over a month from now), I think "do I really need this?"

Then I saw the following picture

Its....Carrie....its Mr Big........I am feeling the rush.

Will I be first in line to see the movie you ask?

You bet your Manolo Blahniks I will!!!!

~T

"Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous. " (Carrie played by Sarah Jessica Parker)

V is for Victory

Kudos to my daughter Cat and her team the Diamonds on their Victory yesterday. It was thrilling to watch Cat score her first goal, make 2 assists and success as goalie in the second half of the game.

Victory got me thinking of the other words in our language that begin with the letter V.


Vociferous--I was overly vociferous in my support of the team and my daughter. Why is it that I lose all sense of reason when I see my children succeed at a sport. Am I really turning into "that kind of mom?" Is it merely positive reinforcement to a slightly psychotic level. Is it different when she does poorly? Will I scream at the top of my lungs "That's OK next time try to kick it in the opponent's net, I still support you!!" as I clutch onto the hubsters arm hard enough to cause bruising

Videotaping--for those of us who are huge sports fans and follow the New England Patriots, I can't quite get my brain around this videotaping scandal. "Everyone does it" yes, I can imagine. But what are the other things in life are we going to explain to our kids that everyone else "does" and to just turn the other cheek. (sex before marriage, drinking before the age of 21, trying pot....)

Virtue--As a mother of 2 young children, its easy to imagine the kind of virtues I am going to try to instill on my girls as they become young women (don't do drugs, don't drink and drive blah blah). In "sports terms"-that's a "layup" correct? What are the virtues we are introducing without realizing it? Its OK to gossip about the other mom's in the neighborhood, its OK to skip church or work because we simply don't feel like going, is it OK to tell little white lies ..."tell Nana I am in the shower and can't talk right now!" Do these little indiscretions creep up on us eventually?

Value--Would my reaction been different had the Diamonds lost yesterday. Had Cat's goal, 2 assists, numerous saves while in goal been erased by the mere fact that they lost? I hope not. I hope that Cat realizes that doing her personal best regardless of the outcome is what we value and not necessarily winning. I hope that all of us "sports parents" keep that in check this season.

Volunteering--Yes, Very proud of Cat again. She volunteered to play goalie in the second half. What made me proud was the fact that I was such a shy and mousy kid, I never volunteered to do anything. Makes me wonder, is that 9 year old mouse still in me that makes me not want to volunteer for anything else in life and I have simply disguised the lack of volunteerism with being busy?

Valor--Defined means "strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness : personal bravery." Great word-in fact my favorite in the bunch. When I think of valor, I think of knights in shining armor slaying the enemy. In modern times in the suburbs, who or what is the enemy and how do we define personal bravery?

~T

My New Favorite Nickelodeon Show

iCarly

Very Funny-watch it!!!

ABOUT

From TV Guide.com

Carly is a teenager who lives with her twenty-six year old brother and guardian Spencer, and produces her own web casts from a studio she constructed in the attic of her home. She does this because she isn't looking for fame or fortune, but just because she wants to be a good role model for kids and teens. iCarly makes TV history as the first series to incorporate kid-generated original content into its script.

I actually laughed out loud a couple of times while watching it with my kids, which I rarely do when I watch a grown up show these days. The premise of the show was interesting, the characters were funny (in particular Carly's best friend Sam) and the theme song didn't make me want to run myself over with the van. All in all 2 thumbs way up.

Watch it!

~T

I Just Can't Resist--Britney, Vanessa Hudgens and Phil Simms

Oh my word....

What do Britney, Vanessa Hudgens and Phil Simms have in common? Nothing, just something I want to blog about this morning....

(that backup dancer to the right looks as confused as I was)

First off, Britney Spears... what can I say. I thought to myself, "this is either going to be an opportunity for the comeback of all time or a train wreck..." Unfortunately it was the latter. I am not a huge Britney fan, but am a fan of these train wrecks that seem to be happening over and over in twenty something pop culture bracket. She looked about as uncomfortable performing as I felt watching it. She looked like a tired stripper. Does she not have a good manager or publicist or even a friend who could have told her..."hey this isn't a good idea?" Don't we all have one of those friends who can say to us "Trish, those lime green crocs make you look like an idiot" or "you may want to re-think wearing leggings now that you are in your late 30's"?

Secondly, Vanessa Hudgens.... For those of us who have tween children, High School Musical 2 has become a staple in the household. A nice squeaky clean movie that has been watched in my house at least 10 times since its premier last month. And now, we have nude photos of Miss Hudgens all over the internet....say it isn't so Gabriella?

Kudos for joining the 20something train wreck team.... Just kidding. What do I think? I think it was a very timely and calculated move to get out of a Disney contract. Ready to move on to bigger and better things. She apologized....I will move on. But I am happy to note that the painful brazilian waxes seem to be on the way out.... time to grow the landing strips back in ladies.

Lasty

The Patriots...way to go on their first win of the season. But let me tell you, I am sick to death of Phil Simms and his blatent negativity against the Patriots, in particular, Tom Brady. Whenever CBS is broadcasting a game, I get to hear this goofball making negative remarks about the Pats. I understand that no one likes a DYNASTY and I am sure that there are folks out there ready for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to fall, but come on...the Patriots are AWESOME.

Couldn't ya just bite him.....

RANDY MOSS..impressive

~T

It's Time for HOCKEY!

Okay....so as predicted, I am writing about hockey.

Today is our first game of the season.

I have volunteered to be the Team Mom again this year....but now the BOD has decided to call us Team Managers....very official sounding.

I am in charge of all the social aspects of team. We will go to a Bruins game....have a Holiday Party....go out to breakfast after 6am practices (which we have tomorrow).....providing snacks after each game....

.

Get the picture?

Many people back up and keep a safe distance when someone mentions that they are a hockey parent. Rumor has it that we are all crazy. As Trish can tell you, I am not crazy. But I am passionate......BIG difference!

I know you have seen reports on the news about 'incidents' at the rink between parents or players....but the truth is....those people who give the sport a bad name, are in the minority.

I compare it to flying in an airplane. Thousands & thousands of flights all over the world fly day after day....without anyone really noticing. When there is a tragedy with one of these planes, it is reported for days!

Understandably so.......

Same with hockey......

When one of these idiotic parents becomes out of control.....it's all over the news. The fact of the matter is, there are thousands of youth hockey players and parents, playing in and attending games, all over the country and in many other countries, day after day and are able to do so without a problem. There are many, many of us that behave as adults should behave and we teach our little hockey players the same.

It's been quite the opposite, of those reported incidents, in many situations....I've had parents from other teams come over to our team parents after a game and compliment a goalie's efforts & such. There are many of us that just want to see the kids have fun!

If my son ever behaved in a disrespectful or violent manner before, during or after a game or practice, it could quite possibly be the end of his skating days!

Hockey is a wonderful sport that keeps kids is great physical shape (as it is reported that so many kids are overweight in this country). My son has high cholesterol is it is an essential part of maintaining good health for him. Hockey teaches kids invaluable lessons about team work, respect, self control and it gives them a feeling of self-worth so they become more confident in other aspects of their life. My son shocked us this week.....he is campaigning for Student Council VP!!!!! Now, that's not something he got from either one of his parents...LOL!

So all I am asking is to keep and open mind and try to think of all us hockey parents as individuals and not one big mob of crazed parents.

Ask Trish.....she has met so many of my hockey friends and they are a really fun bunch!

Happy Fall Sports to Everyone!!!! ...whether you are heading to a hockey rink, soccer field, football field or gymnasium for volleyball......teach the kids how to behave & treat others by being their example.

Stay positive!

HBO Tell Me You Love Me

So after the mourning period after Rome was cancelled, Sex and the City went off the air and The Sopranos wrapped up....I have been searching for a reason to keep HBO. After an ill fated attempt to get into John from Cincinnati (which I liked but.....never quite understood), I found a new show, Tell Me You Love Me .

Holy Smokes

3 different couples dealing with one kind of sexual identity crisis or another, all going to a sex therapist (well it looks like that is the direction this show is going in). The 60 something therapist has quite the sex life herself as well. Not a comedy, not a reality show...a drama.

OK, can we talk?

Can we say full frontal MALE nudity? All couples are in committed relationships which makes it seem less dirty. And it truly wasn't dirty at all. It was more about intimacy...but

Wow

It was kind of like porn for women.

In the course of 55 minutes

I saw the following:
2 full frontal men (one of the guys showed it twice)
2 full frontal women
a rather large set of .....(cough cough) balls
a 60 year old giving her husband....well you know
a 30 something giving her husband another kind of job plus the "output of the job"
6 sex scenes which made the show average, a sex scene every 9 minutes.

I actually blushed... and I am not a prude....

Very intriguing.

You can watch it "On Demand," they actually have not officially aired the show. The premier is Sept 9th.

Will I watch it next weekend you ask?

And you can bet your balls I will

~T

Tales from "The Hood"

The Hood was hoppin' this weekend!

Trish hosted a get together for the 3 families that hang together....plus one honorary member.

In case Trish didn't mention it in an earlier post...she is a FABULOUS cook!

We had a pile of steamers last night that were delicious!

The air was cool, the kids were occupied and the drinks were flowing.

Trish & I compared notes this morning during our walk and discovered that "Lightning Lemonade" (lemonade & Absolut) keeps you hydrated enough so you are not hungover in the morning...even if you drink gallons of it.

This sounds good in theory. But somehow, I think we will push this theory to the point of disproving it. It'll be ugly, I'm sure.

I hope all of you were able to have a relaxing & fun Labor Day weekend!