Saturday, September 20, 2008

Out of my league

Blonde rascal's first football game is tomorrow afternoon at 5:00. After practice this morning I decided we should go to Academy to buy an "athletic supporter"... giggle. Hubs is out of town but I figured how hard can it be to buy an 8 year old a jock strap?

The Marine played h.s. football but all of that was school issued equipment that I never had to worry about. I was obviously about to enter uncharted territory.

I found the athletic supporters....but they did not have cups in them. There were no cups sold separately that I could find. I was a little perplexed. I mean isn't the purpose of a cup to cushion a blow, from a knee or helmet, to the "boys"? Up until that very moment I had never given a jock strap a moments thought.

We wandered around Academy for a while while I gave the whole equation lots of consideration. I was hoping to run into an unsuspecting friend whom I could drill on the ins and outs of jock straps.

There were 10,000 people in Academy and not one friend in sight. I could have called hubs but did not want to yell out all of my questions into the cell phone! The staff were all running ragged helping customers, not that that mattered because I just did not have it in me ask some 17 year old pimply faced teenage boy employee to clear the air for me on this subject.

So, due to my confusion, no purchases were made in that category. I did however find my favorite style of Nike running shorts IN PINK. Oh yeah baby I bought those. Blonde rascal got a new mouth guard. I know how to protect his teeth thank you very much.

Hubs called when we got home and we had a most colorful Q&A session. I'll spare you the details.

For now, I guess that leaves the "family jewels" hanging (no pun intended) in a lurch for the game tomorrow.

My life raising a boy was so uncomplicated until today.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Tag! I'm it.

The cutie patootie Handmade Housewife tagged me! Go and see her, her blog is fantastic!


Let's see....6 random things about me:

1. Bananas make my stomach hurt. Just within the past 5 years or so. I used to be a regular banana eater! I keep telling myself it is in my head or just a coincidence, so I will eat one every once in a while. Sure enough, feel really pukey within about 30 minutes. Weird.

2. My favorite actor is Martin Lawrence. Well two favorites really, John Cusak too.

3. One time when blonde rascal was a baby I drove away from the gas station with the hose still in the car. Yep. THAT was entertaining! No damage thankfully.

4. My freshman year in college we had these odd girls that lived at the end of the hall. They did not fraternize with the rest of us giggly goof balls, they were way too serious for that. They were weird dungeons and dragons type people. One night they were playing with a Ouija board...which I had always been taught that was not something you want to mess with, it is potentially playing with fire. But we didn't have any beer, all of our over 21 contacts were unavailable, so what else was there to do? (Kidding! Kidding Mom & Dad! I did NOT have a sip of alcohol until I was 21. Not counting of course the sips you LET me take!) Anyway I was laughing at the Ouija board and the freaky girls told me that because of that, the board said I would be hit by a bus on campus! I made it through 4 years with nary a bus incident.

5. I am a morning person. Not a happy sing songy obnoxious morning person. More of a morning person by default. Only because I cannot stay awake past 10:00 most nights. I think I would rather stay up real late and tinker around in the quiet house, but I just get way too sleepy. However there is something really wonderful about getting up early and being the only one awake in the quiet early morning.

6. My most favorite book ever is To Kill A Mockingbird.


There I did it. Now consider yourself tagged!! The only specific person I will tag is Mary because she is new to blog land and needs to be tagged!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Notes from the pick up lane at school

While I patiently wait in my car for school to get out every day, I usually have my nose in a book. Sometimes I cannot help but pause to people watch as some parents park and go into the school to pick up their kids.

I have collected my thoughts and decided on my top 3 disturbing & unforgivable sights from the carpool line:

1. Do not wear your Disney pajama pants into your child's school.

2. On that same note do not wear your slippers into your child's school.

3. Always, ALL~ways wear a bra.

Coming in at a close 4th place would be buy clothes in your size, for crying out loud. I don't care if you buy clothes at K-Mart or Neiman Marcus...it makes no difference. Look in the mirror before you purchase! If your muffin top is hanging out in the breeze for all the world to see, please reconsider your shirt size.

I am not making fun of people with muffin tops...ahem...I just sayin' cover those things up! I don't show you mine, so don't show me yours.

Also I am not judging how people look, because heaven knows I am sitting in my car looking like a Clinton and Stacy project just waiting to happen. However I am not traipsing through a dirty nasty parking lot and sidewalks in my warm, cute, cozy slippers. Eww. Nor any Eeyore pajama bottoms. AND I have on the appropriate undergarments!

I am also all for wearing my pj's for as long as possible on any given day and have even worn them in the car to run somewhere quickly...only if I was 100% positive that I would not have to get out of the car.

On that note if you can get away without wearing a bra with an appropriately thick top and it is not noticeable....then I say have at it.

However if your bewbies look like clock pendulums and you are wearing a thin dingy white t-shirt without a bra...that makes people want to loose their lunch.

So while I am having all these snarky thoughts about people walking by my car...they in turn are wondering why this freak show is taking pictures of herself!!!Because I got all my hair cut off! Yippee

I had grown my hair out fairly long and it seemed to be up in a messy bun 99% of the time......so what is the point of long hair then? I knew it was time to say adios.


Now I am free...whoohoo! And I checked when I got home, I can still get it into a short stubby ponytail.

Look who lost his front tooth at school yesterday....I was sad. That is when kids look bigger, when they lose their front teeth and the permanent ones come in. The "baby" look is gone forever. Sigh. Oh well I guess I am lucky because 8 is on the late side to be losing front teeth.

It rained about 8.5" yesterday. No joke. It was bizarre. There is no record of a rain that big in our city, this was a first. School was cancelled for today because of flooding.

Hooray for no school. I love it!!! I made blueberry muffins this morning and we cuddled up on the couch. Now blonde rascal is outside. Who wants to make a wager on how many loads of muddy laundry I will have to do today?

Blonde rascal is spending the night with a friend tonight and hubs had to go out of town today to see a customer, so he won't be home until late. I am going to rent movies...if I the roads are passable...and curl up with the weenie dog tonight!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Time

The memories of that day are etched into my brain. It is hard to believe it has been 7 years. The shock and horror of seeing all of that on TV was surreal. God bless the families of the brave people who lost their lives on 9/11/01.

It hits home for me this year, especially, since our son is in the Marines now. God bless the soldiers who, despite their personal opinions of the war or politics, made an oath to protect our country and they are doing just that.

When our Marine flew home over Labor Day, he struck up a conversation with the man next to him on the plane. Before they landed the man asked the Marine if he could pray for him. He prayed for my Marine and for all the people serving our country.

Wherever you are sir, thank you. Thank you for showing you care.

Give a soldier some love today! (Or EMS, fire, police...they need love too!) I make a point now to pat any service member I see on the back and tell them I am proud of them or thank them for serving. I should have been doing this all my life, but it is blatantly more obvious to me now the sacrifice they are making , since we have a soldier in the family.

P.S. Happy Birthday Mary, you old gal!
P.S.S The big haircut is today!
P.S.S.S. That is all. Bye!

Monday, September 8, 2008

The List

Do you have a list? The list. A life list or whatever you want to call it. I have two lists. A stuff that would be fun to do and then a things I am going to do.

On my fun list would be ballroom dancing lessons, traveling around the U.S. in a pop-up camper, driving a monster truck, be on The Amazing Race...you know things that I don't necessarily actively pursue but wouldn't pass up if they came my way.

Then there is the list. The things that I will do.

For instance, surfing. I will take surfing lessons. Preferably in Hawaii whilst on a lovely vacay.

Then there is Italy. I will go to Italy. Hubs is not so in to international travel, so I might have to find an accomplice. You see hubs likes to feel in control or have a plan in most every situation. This is natural for his type A personality combined with the fact that he was a police officer for 19 years. Language barriers and cultural differences spell stress for hubs...but sound like the adventure of a lifetime to me.

To him, not being in control of a situation could likely result in peril. On the other hand to me not being in control could very likely result in entertainment...or exciting times!

We were in NYC catching a train at Penn Station and I though hubs was going to fall apart. He was a nervous wreck. I started to think I would need to get him a paper bag with him being on the edge of hyperventilating. We had no idea what we were doing, it was huge like an underground airport and there were people everywhere. But we had planned ahead and were like 2 hours early...so what was the worse thing that could happen? I made him drink a beer to calm down. ("Made" is probably a strong word, he didn't need any encouraging!) He smooth wears me out. I thought it was a blast being all swept up in the NYC hustle. And we made the train with plenty of time to spare.

So while I would love to be dropped in the middle of Rome with my only worry being my next meal of pasta and wine, hubs would be a ball of nerves wanting to know the address of the restaurant. (But despite all of that, he is r-e-a-l-l-y sweet to me and I bet someday he will take me to Italy. I might be old and gray, but I will be in Italy.)

The other item on the list is one that I don't speak out loud too often. It is a huge commitment but it has been floating around in my mind for years. I knew I would do it, but have avoided taking the plunge. I am going to run a marathon.

It is painful to say that because 26.2 miles is a long, long, long ass way.

I can do it. I love running...just not THAT long. However all the things I love about running can be applied to 3 miles or 26.2 miles. It's 90% mental, mind over matter.

I needed a partner, a friend to do it with me. It just so happens that while at book club this weekend we discussed Staci's husband who is training for a triathlon. I said I was jealous.... except for the swimming and bike riding. Swimming is dang HARD work and bike riding hurts my bottom. Which leaves running.

Then the light bulb went off and I realized I had my running mate. I knew Staci ran back in the day before kids came into the picture.

So we said it...we did Staci... we said it out loud. 2010 is our year. We tossed around the Rock-n-Roll Marathon possibly in Seattle where it will not be hot in June. Whatever, 2010 is the year. Incidentally the year I turn 40. I am going to whip 40.

Right Staci? Staci??? She is going to act like she does not know me now!

So tell me, yes even all of you that read and then DON'T leave a comment, what is on your list? Be brave and say it out loud!!!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Things

After church today I went to the grocery store. I have pork chops and asparagus cooking as I type. Hubs and blonde rascal went and played a round of golf while I was shopping.

I have been sewing my fool head off this afternoon. The sewing room is coming along famously and I am close to posting pictures. It's fab. You'll love it!

I am also doing laundry and a little perturbed at the PTA. What is the connection you ask? Well every year the PTA designs a t-shirt to sell and the kids wear them on Fridays. This year the t-shirt is white. Whose idea was that for the love of all things stain free?

The first Friday I scrubbed mud from the playground off the blasted white t-shirt. This week it was strawberry milk. I guess I better sign up to be on the t-shirt committee next year.

Don't get me started on blonde rascal's white football pants. That is about the most asinine thing ever.

Hubs had a few guys over to rope this evening. While I was sewing one of the guys pulled up and unloaded his horse, as I was watching from the bird's eye view of my sewing room window. Josie is in the pasture in the front right by where the visitor horse was being unloaded. It was obviously a boy horse because Josie went into full on show off mode. She started running and bucking and kicking...just vying for the old boys attention.
Reminded me of myself while in high school when I saw a cute boy coming... flipping my feathered hair over my shoulder and applying a little Bonnie Bell lip smacker. Same thing really, just the equine version for Josie.

Speaking of my hair, which I am happy to say has not been feathered in years, it is getting cut off this week. I grew it out and now I am over it. I always repeat this stupid cycle of grow out/cut off. The only good thing about long hair is the ponytail. But that is only because I am lazy. I want the reverse bob or whatever it is called, longer in the front & shorter in back. Which in reality sounds like a reverse mullet, yes? I would love to color the long side pieces say pink, just for a little fun but hubs would probably faint. He is much too type A for that kind of craziness.

Yesterday was book club. This month's book was The Poisonwood Bible. Good so far, I am only about 1/2 way though. As a result of my not finishing I got flogged. You see, I attend a most rigid and academic book club. Bah!

Some of the girls were all worked up over this series:I mean they just went on and on. It was close to a Harry Potter type frenzy. So I ran out and bought the first 2 in the series. I can't wait.

The chops are ready. Bye!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A quickie

I don't have time to lay any of the silly drivel, that I normally post, on you today. Just a quick hello.

We had a good, quick, weekend with our Marine. He seems so mature, in some ways, now. We were really glad to see him and so proud of the punk teenager turned worthy member of society that the USMC turned him into!

Here he comes out of the airport.

"Private McCoolpants"


Blonde rascal was glad to see him.

Yesterday I helped in blonde rascal's class in the morning, ran some errands, worked a little around the house, did homework after school and then off to blonde rascal's first football practice. He loved, l-o-v-e-d it!!!! It was very cute. Those little bodies with big helmets on! He gave it his all and I was very proud of him.

He inhaled 2 grilled cheese sandwiches, cheesy tater tots and a vanilla root beer from Sonic after practice. Football is going to be expensive in more ways than one.


I am still in the middle of the big guest room/sewing room switcheroo of 2008. The furniture has all be moved...and now the huge chaotic mess that follows remains to be dealt with.

I'll give you a sneak preview of my sewing room. Here is the color pallete/fabric I am going with....


Wait for it.....



Taaaa-da!
It is going to be my girlie haven in this house o' testosterone where I reside.
Luscious bubble gum pink, ice-cream parlor colors. No, the paint swatch is NOT the wall color, just a few little accents have been painted. I am not THAT girlie.

The whole laborious, detailed, ridiculous story of the sewing room will unfold with pictures when the job is complete....in a week, or two. I know you can't wait!