NaBloPoMo 2007

I've signed up to participate in NaBloPoMo '07, which requires me to post every single day for the entire month of November. If you've read here, you know I have a tendency to kind of forget about my ol' bloggy friend here and I go MIA for awhile.

If all goes as planned, you'll be seeing a whole lot of me for the next 30 days.

I figured I should set up some sort of 'format' to follow along with, otherwise I'll get writer's block and be staring at my computer screen until I go blind.

So, I've come up with a weekly calendar to follow and a brief explanation of what each day will be.

Menu Monday (A recipe of course! I will try to keep them to dishes I've already prepared, but I can be culinarily (is that a word?) challenged, so I may just post things I'd like to make)

True Confession Tuesday (Hold onto your hats, folks! Learn more things about me than you've ever liked to have known.)

Wisdom Wednesday (This will actually consist of the "Ponder This" category I have already been brainstorming about and will consist of a question that I'll answer, and expect your answers in my comments (hey, it's a two-way street you know, start spilling!)

Thankful Thursday (What a more perfect topic for the month of November, as we stroll along towards Thanksgiving)

Foto Friday (Pictures of course!)

Snarkalicious Saturday (A free-for-all of anything goes, from Ms. Snarky herself)

Stargazing Sunday (Daydreaming, desires, or maybe just a fictional tale.)

Black Friday

Where will you be the day after Thanksgiving?

I likely won't have the flexibility to take the day off work, so if I want to do any butt-crack of dawn shopping this year, I'll need to do it and then head off to the office so I can be there at 8am. I've done it that way before - being a die-hard shopper and all.

Whether or not I'll be dragging myself out of bed at 4am will all depend on the Black Friday ads this year.

I've already started my Christmas shopping, and I'm actually late with it this year. But I've started brainstorming and getting ideas on what to buy everyone, in hopes of having my shopping completed by December 1st.

So tell me .... will you be out bright and early bargain hunting? Or still hunkered down in your bed snoring blissfully?

Where's my pole?

Life is so unfair

I'm sure you all recall my post about my friend Katrina's friend, Dana, being murdered not too long ago, right?

Well, with deep and utter sadness that I write this ... Katrina's father passed away this morning.

All was normal this morning, and I was busy with the normal Monday routine at work when my cell phone bleeped that I had a text message. I flip open my phone and see that it's from Katrina, and I'm thinking she's just going to be sending a Monday Morning greeting. Until I open it and read these simple words:

"My dad died this a.m."

How can I just send a text message back to that? I immediately called her back, the tears already springing to my eyes and when I heard her voice, I lost it. The tears fell quickly, I could no longer hold them back. My heart was breaking apart for her, and I still feel an ache, knowing just what she must be going through right now.

I thought back to how unfair I thought it was that my husband at almost 30 lost his mother. How much more unfair that my good friend lost her father when she was just 28? I'm pretty sure her folks are younger than mine - maybe not by a tremendous amount, but my folks are not quite 60 yet. There's still a couple years until the big 6-0.

I feel helpless....like I should be doing something more for her. I told her how sorry I was, and that if she needed anything, to call me. I guess that's all I can do at this point, while she grieves with her family and helps to make the arrangements.

My heart is hurting.

Pumpkin Heads

Tonight was pumpkin carving night. The kids kept picking the 'challenging' stencils, and I had to decline. I'm not willing to have a throbbing arm for days just for pumpkin carving. It's fun and all, but not thatfun.

So, we settled on a ghost. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. This year we also picked up a Mr. Potato Head set (or in this case, Mrs.) that you just stick into the pumpkin and viola! ... instead festive pumpkin, no guts necessary!

The Things Kids Say

So a few evenings ago we're sitting down and eating some leftover pizza for dinner.

Braeden reaches over to grab some of Grandpa's cheese (apparently when it's on someone else's plate it's different from what you have sitting in front of you).

The conversation goes something like this:

Grandpa: Hey! You've got your own cheese, leave mine alone!

Braeden: It's just cheese, Grandpa. Not the end of the world.

Yeah, much laughter proceeded that line.

What kind of ice cream flavor are you?

Hey man, that's about right! :)

What kind of cookie are you?

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives

Fall is officially here, and Christmas is quickly approaching. This time of year always amazes me because it goes by so fast. Before we know it, we'll be putting out milk and cookies for Santa and then we'll be ringing in 2008.

How is it possible that we're almost in the year 2008? Twenty oh-eight. Wow. 2008; I'll turn 28, and be 10 years out of high school. In 2008 my children will turn 4 and 7. And I'll celebrate my 10 year anniversary with my company.

Everyone warned me that if I thought time went fast before, to just wait until I had kids. Boy they weren't kidding. Since my first was born nearly 6 years ago, time has flashed by.

My first born is in kindergarten, starting his school "career" and my youngest is taking ballet classes, excited to start preschool next fall. I'm amazed at how quickly we went from diaper changes and middle of the night feedings to real underwear and homework. Sometimes I miss the days of wrinkled baby skin and gummy grins, but I more so look forward to what they'll learn and what they will become.

I don't want to rush time by any means, but I look forward to them gaining even more independence, being confident in themselves, finding their niche and doing what they love. We've hit so many monumental firsts, but there are still so many more to come. No matter how old they are, there's always some other first to wait for. First loose tooth (and first visit from the tooth fairy!), first day of school (at least for my daughter), first date, first real friendship drama, first day with their driver's license, first school dance......to eventually marriage and the first child (me, a grandma! -- now that's looking WAAAAAY into the future!!!).

Every day brings something new, every day we get closer to the next day, and before I know it, these kids are going to be all grown up.

The Things Kids Say

So the kids and I are sitting at the table at lunch. Braeden mentions something about not calling anyone in the house fat, and that he'd never say that.

I agreed and said that it wasn't nice to call anyone fat, and that he shouldn't.

This is how the following conversation ensued (name has been changed to protect the true identity of spoken individual):

B: Well, remember that time when Kaelynn called "Timmy" fat?

Me: Yes, but let's hush now.

K: "Timmy" is fat. He has a really big tummy. (all said while nodding at me)

Me: That's not nice. We don't talk like that about other people.

B: Well... (pause) He is really kind of round.

Children for Sale .... 2 For 1

That's right! Come and get 'em!

It's one of those days. It all started when the youngest got up to use the potty at 12:35am. I had just been slumbering for a little over an hour at this point, so I was groggy. When she came in an hour later to use the potty again, I was even more groggy and irritated. At this point I realized that I was having an 'attack', or at least showing the signs of one starting. Fantastic! This is how I love to spend time in the middle of the night.

So, I dozed and woke on what seemed to be an hourly basis throughout the night. All the while I had that awful sensation in my gut; that something was not sitting well, that mild 'on fire' feeling, knowing full well that eventually it would land me in the bathroom.

Finally at 6am, it woke me and I spent the next hour in the bathroom, all the while scanning for something to use in the event that I needed to hork. I was not feeling well, and of course the children graced us with their wide-eyed, ready to start the day expressions by 7:10 in the morning. I layed back down in the bed, my stomach rolling and I dozed for a bit until Mike let me know that he was leaving for work and that the kids were at the kitchen table having breakfast. I knew I couldn't just leave them there, so I had to suck it up and supervise.

No sooner were the cereal bowls empty that I led them back up the stairs to find activities to busy themselves with in their rooms. While I found my way back into my bed, under the covers, with my nose buried in a book.

I only had to get up to check on the loud bang, or find out why one was shrieking, or to put a stop the bickering about 307 times, but who's counting?

Finally at noon I headed down stairs to make lunch. Buttered noodles with grated parmesan cheese - I got compliments that it was "the best food ever!", which was nice, but not enough to stop me from wanting to lock them up in the closet, bound and gagged until their father returns home from work.

Don't get me wrong, I love them dearly. But when I'm functioning on minimal sleep, and dealing with a very off stomach -- a little cooperation would go a long way.

Heartache

As always, Cubs fans are experiencing heartache.

I had a short cry last night .... out of frustration and for the sheer pain of being put through this. Traveling to Cincinnati to cheer them on just a week ago, to turn around and have a stake driven through my heart.

The Diamondbacks took all 3 games to advance to the NLDS. They are that much closer to the World Series.

But for the Cubs, and all of us loyal fans....we're back to hoping for Next Year and trying to nurse our wounds.

Cubby Blue, Baby!

2007 National League Central Division Champs! You got it, baby ... the Cubs are in the playoffs!

I'm excited and hopeful and scared .... and well, if you're a fellow Cubs fan, you too probably know these emotions very well.

We had a chance at the series back in 2003 .... I remember this season distinctly. It was going so well, we just had to make it to the Series and then, just as quickly, it turned and we lost.

The dreaded curse, and Bartman, and a goat and blah blah blah. I remember about a year later, Mike and I were watching a documentary about that season. I couldn't watch...it was like pouring salt into an open wound. All the pain was quickly returning, I was angry and depressed, so I had to stop watching.

I've already teared up twice now; once was during the game a couple weeks ago where they came back in the 9th inning to win the game. It was a huge win for them, and the players were so excited -- I teared up and said to Mike that if they make the Series, I'll cry for sure.

Then last night in the car by myself, a song is on the radio about wanting something and going after it, and all that -- I find myself with tears in my eyes again, thinking about how it's speaking about the Cubs.

I know, pathetic to get emotional about a baseball game - but this is MY team. A team that my family has loved and supported for years, a team I have grown to adore. And while the team has changed -- players have come and gone -- I still bleed Cubby blue and my heart aches as we say "Next Year".

I pray that THIS year is the Next Year we've been speaking about. 2007, baby....this is it!

Totally Pawsome!

My son has been in kindergarten just shy of a month now. He's needed to turn his card to yellow a few times, and just last week, he had to turn to red. This warranted the second phone call home this school year.

It wasn't that he his misbehaved so badly that he needed to turn his card to red, it was that he talked out of turn (didn't raise his hand) and when the teacher asked him to turn his card to yellow, he wouldn't. He didn't want to, and was upset that he needed to. She explained that if he didn't turn it to yellow like she asked, then he'd have to turn to red, which upset him even further so that he stuck his tongue out at her.

Needless to say, the next day he was instructed to go to school, and to apologize for misbehaving AND for sticking his tongue out at his teacher. He did this, and was behaved enough that he came home that next day with a Pawsome card.

Being a Wildcat (school mascot), this was their way of using 'paw' and 'awesome' together.

He did well the rest of the week, and imagine my surprise today when he came home with TWO Pawsome cards in his backpack.

I just hope he can continue to improve and keep enjoying school. Despite flipping cards or having the teacher call home, he's always very anxious and excited to go back to school the next day. And when the weekend rolls around, he's asking when it's time to go to school again. I know that won't last forever, but it's nice now!