the time is now!

i know, i know!
you have all been waiting
and patiently i might add!

here is your chance!
ask.me.anything!
well, you know,
just about anything!
i doubt you need
or want
to know
things like...
how often i shower...
what toothpaste i use,
or if i can parallel park.
{for the record...daily, crest, yes!}

fire away!
surprise me!
leave me some questions
so that upon my return
i can get back with ya'll!

go on now...ask already!

give a girl a break!

REPOSTED: enjoy this past post
and think of me as i am cut off
from the world for a few days!

ORIGINAL POST:
{warning: my one male follower
might want to stop reading now
just sayin'!}

what is with spanx?
you know...the lovely modern day corset?
the only thing missing is the laces!
i have two pair
one original
one knock off
i hate them both
i generally do not wear them,
unless i am feeling more bloated
than my normal bloatedness!
so i slipped a pair on for our date night
what the hell was i thinking?!
the rage came rushing back
like seeing a bad picture from high school,
i was brought right back to why this was
such a bad decision.
first, there is no slipping into them
let's be honest,
they are best donned in the absence
of the person you love as
it might scare them off!
hell, it almost scares me off!
then you get them on, and you're like,
"okay, i dig these"
and that lasts for about 9 seconds.
when you go to put your fave pants on
you feel no less fat,you just cling to your clothes more!
okay, still thinking they might
be worth the pain and discomfort,
you go about getting ready
you look in the mirror and think,
damn, i look puffy in places i don't normally look puffy!
'cause let's face it, your fat is just being moved around!
then it happens...you start to sweat...
because who needs this extra layer!?
they are hotter than hades at high noon!
and now you're getting pissed...
as that bead of sweat rolls down you back, you are
wondering why in the hell you wasted the energy
at least you might have burned
a few calories shoving your bod into them!
and you finally make the decision...
these things are coming off!
and when you do this in front of the one you love,
they look at you like,
what the hell is that layer you are taking off?
'cause they didn't see you put it on!
and then you see the hole
you know the one i speak of
what the hell is that for???
are we supposed to be able to use that?
is it an evacuation exit?
'cause i could barely get in the entrance!
what skinny person invented these?
i have heard skinny people profess
their love for them!
lordy.
so they are back in the drawer
back where they belong
until the next time
when i forget about why they are such a bad decision.
so, guess i'll just suck it in!

more odds than ends...

we had a great weekend

the only problem?

went by way too quickly!

friday night was our school's

family fun night

lots of families and lots of fun!

the kids were in heaven...

and once i got home

and put my feet up,

so was i!

long day!

saturday brought beautiful weather

and what a better way to spend it

than to clean out the garage and attic

in preparation for a garage sale???

this proved harder than i thought!

we pulled down 6 large rubbermaid tubs

3-4 of which were filled to the brim with

baby/toddler clothing.

what an attachment i had to them!

but i was also not happy that they

were not being used

so the decision to get rid of them

was easier!

oiy

i sorted through and chose some

keepers

the rest will find a good home

just not ours!

today, the big girl

had a tea party to attend

so we painted her toes and curled her hair

and she chose one of her fave dresses...

is it really possible that she is this big???

while she was having tea and, well, snacks,

i treated myself to a movie

the soloist

very good

but i think i am still processing it

staggering to me that there are over

90,000 homeless in la

and really, we could all be considered

only a few bad steps away from that reality,

scary.

this post is it for me for the week...

i leave on tuesday to attend

outdoor ed with my students

yes, you read that correctly

my class of 30 6th graders

overnight from tues through fri.

let's just say i have a gift cert

for a massage and facial

that may be promptly

cashed in on sat!

i thought of having some guest

bloggers fill in for me

but, um, too much thought and work...

in their stead,

you might be seeing some

repostings here...

let's just call it the best of mommy's take!

until the weekend...

{dot com!}

{sing the above to the
annoying expedia tune}

so this should come as
no surprise to me,
as she is the daughter
of a computer lover,
but today, the big girl
said something so funny
and very telling of the
generation she is growing
up in!

not sure why, but we were
discussing the nutritional value,
or lack thereof,
of goldfish,
quite possibly her fave
crunchy snack.

when she asked what else
they were made of
besides cheese,
i told her i would have to look
on the box...
to which she said,
"just look on how goldfish are made dot com!"

she is in the first grade...
is this really how her mind
is thinking?
i think a trip to an
old school
library
is in order...
card catalog and encyclopedia style!

{a week in reverse!}

yes, i said reverse...
we are going to review
our spring break in reverse!
for no other reason than
that is what is freshest in my mind
don't laugh,
you know you can't remember 7 days ago
just like i can't!

saturday, april 18:
happy birthday dad!
we were heading back
to cali on this day.
after visiting with
some more friends
we hit the skies for flight
one of two for the day,
and took what might have been
the worst flight ever!
you know, like
student-driver kind of bad!
i hope i never experience
40 minutes of that hell again!
the rest of the eve, uneventful...
except for the tailgate incident...
poor fella!

friday, april 17:
who doesn't like a good partay?!
in celebration of mom and dad's

60th birthdays,
we invited some friends and fam
and partied!
in the garage i might add
cuz that is how we do it in
the midwest!
but before any partying could happen
the grass needed cut

and the food needed prepped

oh, and the kids needed
reminding every 10 min
what time the party started
they are their mother's kids
they can't resist a good party!


once the festivities got under way
there was much cornhole to be played
{did i mention that earlier in the week
i actually suffered cornhole calf?
it is not yet a diagnosis on web md,
but wait for it, it'll get there!}

and what's a party without
a pinata???
no funniest home video
worthy clips, but funny
nonetheless!

and the guests of honor
had some fun party gear to sport!
and what good sports they were!

it was so good to see
friends and family
and everyone had
a great time!

instead of the traditional
nightcap
we topped the night off with:

which always prompts me to yell out
"saaaaaaw-rrrry!"

and i am not sure anyone
partied harder than this little guy:

he literally passed out on the couch!

it was such a fun ending to
a great week long visit back home!

happy birthday mom and dad!
love you!

updated: i forgot to mention:
i met a blogger friend too!
kim over at, i know, right?!
lives in my hometown
so we met up at my parents party...
she is also irl friends with my sister.
the best part was that
my brother was in disbelief
that i would meet up with a
blogger friend, and at the house no less,
and wondered if she was a murder!
so we played a joke on him and
had her walk out of the house wielding
a LARGE knife!
not sure he knew what to think!
so good to meet you kim, you sweet gal!

i'm here...barely

i took a week off from
my beloved blog
whilst we traveled
east for our spring break.

i have so much to post and
good pics to share,
but, ummm,
not tonight!
we got home late last night,
or, well, early this morning,
and i am still in tired travel mode!
i got very little done today
in between laying down
and catnapping all day!

but i will share this:
the kiddos did a fantastic job
traveling yesterday!
it was a long flight
but they were excellent!
and then...we got home...
oh my...
it was 1 am
something spooked the little big guy
as he was heading to the front door
so he turns and runs back over to the driveway
not knowing daddy had dropped
the tailgate on the truck!
he smacked his face on it,
so hard that it SHOOK the truck
and of course knocked him down!
hubs and i both had visions
of heading to the ER at that late hour.
we were shocked to find
no broken skin
and wondered if his nose was broken,
but he quickly fell asleep with
an ice pack on his face!
this morning, thinking i would find
a black and blue little boy in bed,
i found that he has only a small bruise on
the bridge of his nose...thankfully!
our proof that he really is hard headed!

{packing}

i used to love to pack
like when i would spend the night
at nana and baba's
i'd throw the essentials
{undies, jammies, toothbrush}
into this little diddy




and be ready to roll
i even packed it once
to run away!
i got to the corner.
but i had what i needed
in case my feet carried me farther!

as a mom
packing has taken on
a whole new meaning
and since the airlines
are imposing fees for
just about everything
but wiping your @$$,
it has become a strategic
game:
how much
stuff can i stuff
into one bag
without going over 50 lbs?
and how can i keep
the number of bags
to a minimum
and keep my hands free
for most of the trip?


so that is what i am doing tonight...
playing the packing game!


we are headed east for our
spring break
visiting family and friends
and look forward to every minute of it...
just not the packing!

{milestones}

life with kids
presents so many milestones
you know how it starts...
first their weight,
then sleeping through the night,
rolling over,
eating some solids,
walking...
you get the idea...
all exciting
and all reminders
that our kids grow up!

then there are the milestones
that are not so much
documented in their baby books,
or even as celebrated,
but milestones nonetheless...

for example,
no longer being able to
spell out words you don't
want your kids to hear.
reaching that milestone s-u-c-k-s!

oh, and how about this one,
met today,
and equally as s-u-c-k-y!
no longer being able to snicker
behind the kids' back when they
put their middle finger up,
not knowing this could be offensive!
{you know, like look at this boo boo, which just happens to be on the middle finger}

the little big girl asks today if this meant a bad word,
while sporting it happily!
i.was.not.prepared!
i paused
like, for many seconds,
not because i didn't know what to say,
i just dreaded the question
that would follow
my confirmation
that yes,
it does mean a bad word...
and true to form,
she asks...
"what word does it mean?"

after much begging
she finally accepted my response
that it means a word we do not say...
and i got confirmation that the child
who introduced her to this
did not know the word either...
at least we still have that secret!
{for the time being}

{blow out}

i can count on one hand
the number of times
the big girl's hair
has been allowed to
air dry...
{besides swimming}
she is seven.
that is a lot of
blow outs!
she has my hair:
straighter than straight
and thick
it is not a pretty sight
without a blow out.
so every night
after shower or bath
we make the trek to the bathroom
we assume our positions
and start the process...
we blow dry
we sing
we talk
we act silly
we make faces
we connect
and i love it!
i have never once thought
"ugh, i have to blow dry her hair"
it just never gets old!
{maybe i have missed my calling!}
{i guess if my pink slip is not rescinded i'll head to beauty school!}
so tonight...she sensed i was
in a funk
i told her it was a combo
of a bad mood
and being tired
i noticed her trying to lift my spirits
we go in to dry her hair
and immediately
i am lifted
we talk
we goofed off
and i asked her...
"do you like when mommy dries your hair?"
she lit up and nodded, saying,
"i like it because it is me and you!"

her blow out saved me from a blow out!