Tik-Spock!

If you've ever enjoyed an episode of Star Trek, you HAVE to watch this:

Snow in August?

From weather.com yesterday:

Cloudy

Temperature:

72°F

Feels Like: 72°

Details:

Cooler than yesterday at this time.

Past 24-hr:

Precip: 0.01 in (est.)
Snow: 0 in

SNOW???!! Really? Come on now, it's AUGUST. It's been over 100 degrees recently. And yes, the temps have dropped, but it's still AUGUST.

Thomas the Tank Engine!

Seems the Thomas addiction has struck yet another member of our family:

And so it begins.

The Napmeister Strikes Again!

One of these days Ian is going to find out I've been posting pictures of him over the years sleeping. And he's not going to be happy about it. hopefully he'll be old enough to think that it's cute, but until then let's keep it between you and me. ;)

Camp Pics

When I asked the boys what they wanted to do this summer, one said "I want to play tennis." A second said "I want to play golf." Yeah. Tennis and golf camp? Not likely. But hey, the boys got their wish and spent a week in Tennis and Putt Putt Camp - the perfect combination of tennis and golf for the shorter set.

But it was hot, so they were wrapped in their karate style ice dipped cloths. And they had a TON of fun every day, worn out at the end and happy as clams. Good camp choice boys!

Swim lessons

So very proud

Today I took all four kids to the mall (no cracks or sanity checks - we were rained out again today from outside stuff). You know, the dreaded big huge mall with all of the great (cool, neat, whatever) stores to buy stuff from. And today, my kids made me proud. They took their allowances, made smart purchases, and didn't whine or complain about what they ended up with (or in one case didn't end up with).

Max has a ton of money (by his standards) from his birthday, but he chose to buy things he really wanted and spent that money wisely. He considered saving up to buy a big ticket item, but realized that he really wanted something in particular, so he bought it. He also went in on a deal with Ian that saved them both some money - buying in bulk will do that for you.

Ian, on the other hand, had limited funds. He was the one that initially asked to go to the mall - for Silly Bandz. He heard rumor of a store there JUST for Silly Bandz. Well, turned out that it was a kiosk not a store, but still - very cool in 7 year old terms. But Ian only had $9 or so, not really enough to get the good deal on all of the packs he wanted. So, Ian picked out the one pack that he really wanted, spent some of his money (going in with max to get a better deal) and he was set. He got the exact bands that he was looking for in the first place, so he was quite pleased with himself.

Now, Sam, well, Sam had no money. Actually, he had a little under $2. It wasn't enough to buy a pack of Silly Bandz ($2.50), not enough for the Puffle ($14.99), and certainly not enough to get the Lego Star Wars ship he really wants ($54 ish). But instead of pouting and feeling defeated, Sam soldiered on, enjoying the trip and enjoying trading Silly Bandz with his brothers. He was surprised by how much things cost, and after a quick pull aside where I explained that $2 was really NOT enough to buy anything that we were looking at today, he got it, and he moved on. He stopped looking at prices and began looking at the actual items. He stopped being frantic about not getting something, and relaxed into the trip itself. He enjoyed helping Lucy pick out some Silly Bandz, and he watched as his brothers bought theirs - not complaining once.

So, today I was once again proud of my kids, which after all these years shouldn't surprise me, but it still does. They continue to grow and learn and they are really turning into cool little men.

Stepping out of the job market and being punished for it

Apparently when I took leave form my career just over 10 years ago, I permanently damaged not only my chance for re-entry, but also my earnings potential. And apparently the longer I stay out, the worse it gets. Not sure how I feel about that now, but certainly time off from work to raise children, whether it's your decision or you are forced to do so by family circumstances, should NOT be a punishment. I should NOT take a hit in earnings, I should NOT have doors closed because I have not worked in X number of years. And for me it gets worse. I now have TEN YEARS on my resume that are blank.

But in those ten years I've stepped up and grown. I've become a better employee. I've matured and am more confident. I've learned how to play politics and how to deal with pretty much anyone. I've learned how to manage expectations - mine and those around me. And I've got nothing to fill in the blank on my resume. PTA this and MOMS Club that doesn't cut it anymore. Women today who walk away from careers, for even brief periods of time are told that they are not welcome back in the same capacity as before. Funny part is, I'm guessing I'd be a significantly better employee than I was ten years ago fresh out of grad school, and I was a damn good employee then.

So thanks again Elena Kagan for stepping up and joining one of the oldest boys's clubs in the county. But one of these days a mom will follow in your footsteps and we'll all be prouder.

OOPS.

The one thing that absolutely terrifies my husband is having a daughter. OOOPS. Too late for that. I guess the second thing that absolutely terrifies him is my hippy bippy upbringing. OOOPS. Too late for that too. While my dad says that I wasn't raised as a hippy, enough of my mom rubbed off on me that I can't shed my flower-child ways. And so, my daughter goes into the pool with a swim diaper. Hey, it was a swim diaper, after all, and she was in the baby pool. But yeah, that's the third thing that terrifies him - mostly nekkid kids running around out in public. Seems that it doesn't bother me at all, nor does it bother any of my young 'ens. ;) Sorry hunny.

Free to be you and me!

I absolutely LOVE this song, and now Target, of all corporations, is using it an ad!

Thanks for the flashback Target!

Reflection on turning 38

Actually, not many reflections. My 38th birthday was just like any other day, but with cake. And what a cake it was! A mango heaven type cake - you know - the kind that gives you a sugar rush AS you are eating it. That, and the wishes of all kinds of friend on Facebook. Hugs and kisses from the family, and a great day was had. Turning 38 isn't so bad after all (that's the one reflection that I have to offer) and I can't complain about much of anything. I guess with age really does come wisdom.

The death of a dragonfly

We are mourning the loss of a family friend - the giant dragonfly that Max made in Second Grade. Not a real dragonfly, mind you, but he's going in to fifth grade, so the dragonfly has been with us for almost three years now. This dragonfly was magnificent. It was larger than life, brightly colored, and it was made by Max. He kept that dragonfly in his room for several years, never wanting to toss it. Until today.

Max came into my room this morning at 7:15am (yes, AM - silly boy waking me up like that!), crying. He told me that Ian left some Tic-Tacs near his dragonfly and the bugs were all over his dragonfly because of the Tic-Tacs. At 7:15 in the AM not much gets me out of bed, but this did - bugs in the house will do that to me. Anyway, went in there to discover that not only were there little bugs in there, but there had been for a while and it appeared that they were EATING his dragonfly. It was a veritable feast for those little bugs.

Well, I haven't yet shared what Max made this big old dragonfly out of, but at this point in the story I'm sure you can guess. His dragonfly was paper mache. You know - paper mache - made out of flour and water paste? (Are you getting the gist here yet?) Yeah, apparently little bugs decided that Max's dragonfly was dinner (and breakfast and lunch for a while) and had moved in. So, Max and I had a quick discussion, and we lost a valuable insect member of the family. The dragonfly has left the building, as have all of it's occupants. And let's all say it together - ewwww.

If you click on the image and look closely you'll see HUNDREDS of little white dots. Those were all the little bug holes left by the paper mache eating bugs that we just kicked out of the house. Ewwww again. Yeah, just ewwwwww.

Yeah, now go wash your hands and shake out your clothes - all the little bugs have left the building.

It's about time - Good riddance Prop. 8

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... from Jack Black

Thanks goodness for maternity leave

Because of maternity leave, Mila's mom has the time to do this:

You can see more pictures on her blog too: http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

Ten Years Ago Today

Ten Years ago yesterday...

...I was well over 200 pounds.

...I had no idea how to change a diaper on a live baby.

...I was fed up with being pregnant.

...I had no idea what I was in for.

Ten Years ago yesterday...

...I wasn't a mommy.

Ten Years ago today I gave birth to you, my first. Suddenly, I didn't care about the weight, the diapers, the pregnancy, or the journey. I got to meet you, and that was incredible. You were gigantic, slightly pink, squishy, and I was overcome with joy. And the journey, well, it's been a fantastic ten years, and I'm looking forward to the next ten. Happy Birthday Max!

Lucy's Smile

Thanks Debbie for this beautiful picture!