7 years ago this morning

After laboring all night in denial that my baby was on the way (2 weeks early). My beautiful daughter was born. 8lbs (I knew all along they had my due date wrong).

We didn't know what we were having. The pregnancy was so different, I assumed she was a boy. Moments before walking down to the operating room for a C-section, my sister in law grabbed my hand and said "you are having a girl for your mom." (My mom had passed away months before). At that moment, I knew she was right.

About a half hour later, she came screaming into the world. And low and behold, she looked exactly like my mom. It was as if she was sent to me to heal my very broken heart.

Unlike my older daughter who wanted to explore every face that came to my hospital room, she kept her eyes slammed shut and would curl right into me. She had red skin, dark hair and enormous brown eyes. Although she didn't mind other people holding her, she was from that day on a mumma's girl. She was very content snuggling in the nook of my neck or the crook of my elbow completely bundled up.

It was such a happy, quiet Spring day.

Happy Birthday Cal

~T

TV Turnoff Week-I am not Drinking this Kool-Aid

Ok

So I moved to the new school 3 years ago. The week after Spring Break, the children pledge to turn off TV for a week. This is to encourage kids to do things other than watch television or play video games.

Alright, alright...I get it. Lets read, play games and bond as a family. Well, that went out the window already. Its pouring rain outside and trying to play a game with a 10 year old and 6 year old can be just a bit challenging considering the differences in reading and attention skills.

I work full time, so my kids are in an after school program with no TV or video games. We get home, cook dinner, go over homework and read stories before bed. Should be easier for me right? I should be able to cope right? Well, I have no brain left by the end of the day and all my kids want to do is "veg out." Don't you think they should be able to? Not tonight, we colored, cooked dinner...talked...then....they started karate chopping everything in the house.

I have donated to the classroom, I voted for the override that got passed last year, I am sending in a non food item for Cal's birthday (cupcakes have been banned from our uberschool), I am sending in cash donations and scrapbook pages for teacher appreciation day....is it too much to ask to let my kids watch 20 minutes of i-Carly so I can get dinner on the table?

~T

23 too old? Boston Marathon and Mommy outfits

Reuters reports "Harry Potter" heroine Emma Watson is attached to star in the period romance "Napoleon and Betsy," replacing Scarlett Johansson who was deemed too old for the role. Ok, Emma Watson is 18, Scarlett Johansson is 23. Yikes, I could see perhaps Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts not taking the role. But 23 too old. Wowsa! Being on the cusp of 40...I feel like 23 isn't too old to do anything. Remember 23?...I do...good times.

Monday is Marathon Day in Boston. It may sound lame to cheer on thousands and thousands of people running in the same direction, but I LOVE IT. I have been going to the marathon since I was a child. Now the hubster and I bring the girls. We go for a picnic in Natick and do a little fishing, then head on to Wellesley College to cheer on the runners. By the 13th mile the runners are pretty thirsty so my kids come armed with oranges and water bottles and are thrilled when runners grab them. Kudos to my co-worker and friend Steve Walker who will be running his 7th marathon. He has a great website if you are a runner.

My sneakers are wearing out quickly. Although I no longer run, I do walk on my lunchbreaks at work. I caved in and went to my local sporting goods store to pick up some new sneakers. My younger daughter, Cal, noticed some capri workout pants with a matching t-shirt. She insisted I try them on. They fit and were comfy, Cal perked up and said "oh mom, now you look like the other mommies." I was not sure how to take that. I did buy the outfit, it seemed like a good outfit to wear out on Saturdays to Cat's softball games etc... I don't have a ton of casual clothes. My work out clothes consist of old t-shirts and cut off sweat pants...not pretty. The "outfit" makes me feel totally uncomfortable, yet it made my hubster and kids feel more comfortable. So I think to myself...am I a totally deluded ass trying to hang on to my youth, just wear the freakin "Talbot, uberworkout, wannabe, minivan, caprisweatpant, matching yellow shirt nightmare."

It's still in my bureau......

~T

It's Friday...time to ramble on

First of all

Michael Johns? Say it isn't so? I mean he wasn't very good this week....but look at him just look at him.....

I think its the curse of the bad outfit. Are ascots the new rage? Or was that a scarf on his neck?....What gives? I am convinced Ramiele performances went down hill once they started putting her in high wasted baby clothes. Put a pair of mommy jeans or stirrup pants on David Achuletta and I guarantee he will be gone next.

Kudos to my daughter, Cat on her magic sand science project which she presented with one of her peeps at the science fair last night. It was a hit. Now after trying to make our own magic sand like real scientists (baking 5 lbs of sand in my oven and spending a week and about $20 on scotch guard), we decided to order some backup magic sand. Turned out this was a cheaper alternative and so I highly recommend the following website.

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/

Very cool stuff. Fun for gifts as well if you are sick of giving webkinz and Hannah Montana paraphernalia at birthday parties.

On a more disturbing note, how horrific was the "beating" video with the Florida teenagers. Having a preteen daughter, it just gives me chills to think of what kids are capable of. You Tube and My Space aside, what bothers me is the "ganging up" idea. This is not new. I thought back to my junior HS days and although I was a relatively "mild" kid, I clearly remember helping write and send a note to a "friend" who was on the "outs" with us. It was absolutely vicious. At least 5 of my friends signed it. Not to compare a dangerous case of battery to what we did, but it is frightening what a bunch of kids (in this and in my case girls) can do when the "bravery in numbers" mentality is at work. Did the 8th grade girl that we turned on get beaten... no. Did we send her into a crying frenzy and mental anguish...yes. I still feel badly about it to this day. Luckily in the jr high school playground justice system, the tables were turned on us pretty quickly. The victim in our case was taken in by a group of girls in a much more popular clique than ours and we were ostracized for the remainder of the year....

Lastly

There is a new movie with Patrick Dempsey as the Maid of Honor, called my "Best Friend's Wedding" oops I mean"Made of Honor". Ok... as many of my readers know I personally think Julia Roberts and I were separated at birth so take this with a HUGE grain of salt.....

Huh? What?...you say?

Patrick Dempsey's best friend who happens to be a hot chick announces she is getting married and Patrick decides "she's the one for me" and is going to break up the wedding. GENIUS... I tell you GENIUS. Are they going to sing karaoke? Will he devise some wacky way to break up the wedding? Will there be a touching scene between the two of them where they almost cross the line between friends and lovers...

Will I see the move? But of course......

not digging the side part on Patrick on the Made of Honor website

Have a great weekend

~T

Am I Ready for This?

So I was getting ready for work this morning and asked Cat to throw her pj's in the hamper since I was going to try to tackle some laundry before the weekend.

She threw a big lump of stuff in the hamper, way too heavy for just flannel pj bottoms and a T-shirt. I pulled out 2 rejected, rolled up outfits that rather than hanging back up in her closet, she decided to throw in the laundry and let me deal with it. Funny thing, I used to do the EXACT same thing to my mom.

I pulled the clothes out and gave the bedroom door a quick knock and walked in (not respecting her privacy but I had laundry on the brain). She was in her jeans and holding her sweatshirt up over her body. I noticed she was finally wearing one of her bras that I bought her ages ago. She is definitely showing signs of pre-teen hood. After agreeing to hang up the outfit rejects and throwing me out of her bedroom, I started to mourn the passing of time.

As corny as it sounds, I can clearly remember pacing the floor at 3 am with her screaming in my arms (fed, changed, burped, but still crying), thinking "I can't wait for these days to be over." Or the day she stuck a bead in her ear by accident pretending it was an earring and rushing her to the doctor in hysterics thinking "I cannot wait for her to get out of this phase."

It goes by so fast

I am thinking about conversations that I never thought I would have and wonder how I am handling them:

"Becky's mom limps because she has an illness making it hard for her to walk (MS), but don't worry, she will be ok"

"Samantha's mom and dad are getting divorced, but you don't need to worry about mum and dad, we are fine."

"Papa can't stay up as late and play with you like he used to, he's getting older, but don't worry, he's fine"

"Don't worry about how Mark is treating you, boys start acting different at this age."

Don't worry

Don't worry

I always worry. I hope she doesn't wind up like me.

Ok, time to pull out my Literature background on your asses

To a young child

Margaret, are you grieving

Over Goldengrove unleaving?

Leaves, like the things of man, you

With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?

Ah! as the heart grows older

It will come to such sights colder

By and by, nor spare a sigh

Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;

And yet you will weep know why.

Now no matter, child, the name:

Sorrow's springs are the same.

Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed

What heart heard of, ghost guessed:

It is the blight man was born for,

It is Margaret you mourn for.

Gerard Manly Hopkins 1880

~T