You'll never know it

I am the next GREAT Laurie Berkner. That's right. Too bad you'll never hear any of my hits. There's the ever fabulous Pee-Pee Song. The long standing Love You Lullaby. My personal favorite came by divine inspiration yesterday at dinner. My son looked at me, picked up a piece of ham and looked at me (shocked), "Mama! Ham!" So, I started singing theHam on My Plate song. It's rather genuis, really ... my son was even singing it, after awhile. I just made up those titles. They've never had titles before. Cool. I rock. But you'll never know it ...





<------- that's a flying pig ... I didn't think it appropriate to show the monkeys ...

errands and rainbows

As I write this, I'm sitting watching Barbie: Swan Lake, with my children. Now there's quality entertainment...At least it's from the library, and in a week, I won't have to look at it anymore. --Until the next time my daughter sees it sitting onj the shelf, calling her name ... sigh. The plus side? It's 11:50am, and this is the first time I've been left alone, and experienced peace, since 5:45. (I'm not including the 2 times my son woke me up by crying, during the night.)

We dropped my husband off at the train station, this morning, so we could run errands and go to dance class. So ... away we went. Wal-Mart (joy), Hobby Lobby, and the library. My son destroyed anything happy that may have resided inside of me. I currently feel like a stressed out, tired shell of a being. Of course, after the library, I gave in to temptation and stopped at the culvers drive-through, instead of being good and getting lunch at home. I just don't care. I can't wait until nap time. I can either read, watch a movie, or sleep. I can drink coffee and have yummy brownies my husband made for me; Nobody is going to cry, scream, give me attitude, complain, or anything else. Hopefully, all will be well after my son gets some rest and my daughter gets her quiet time. Maybe then we can enjoy each other for a bit, before I drop him off at a friends and take her to dance class. If not ... well ... I may have hide until tomorrow.

On a good note, I downloaded pictures from my camera. I love this one! I can't believe it even turned out ... I was sticking my head out the window of a moving car!!

more from other people

The following is an excerpt from another blog, Suburban Bliss, that I was reading. It made me laugh, and really puts things into perspective ...

"To say I was in a bad mood was an understatement. I'm sure my friends love when they see me and the first thing out of my mouth is, "BLAH BLAH BLAH MY LIFE SUCKS!!!!" (I know my therapist loves it.)

But then something happened.

As I sat having epileptic seizures from all the flashing lights and the music and the screaming children: I saw the guy dressed as Chuck E Cheese.

There he was, crouched down to greet all the kids, all the wired, hyper children coated in pizza grease. It must be hot in that full fur outfit, I thought, because it's kind of warm not in a full fur suit what with all the manic energy in this room.

And I watched him crouched down with kids lurching themselves at him and he almost fell over. Then I watched my friend's little girl trying to shove her tickets in Chuck E Cheese's mouth, thinking he was a ride? And the arms on his costume were too short so he couldn't block the tickets from being rammed into his mouth.

I watched him struggle and I thought, with a sinister laugh, "That guy hates his life way more than I will ever hate mine."

And for a moment, I felt a lot better."

better than I could say it

Mom to the Screaming Masses recently wrote a blog that says all I have to say, and more ... Amen, sister ... amen

taking a page from an old friend ...

I was just reading a blog and thought I'd take a page from her book, and be critical of something that has really been bothering me... (I do have a compulsive need to state that I am normally nicer-than-nice and anyone who knows me well would be likely to testify that one of my most dire wishes is for everybody to love each other and get along. PHEW! I feel better. Yes, I'm aware that is so disgusting it's like a beauty pageant response.)

please do

*if you hand wash your dishes, please fill the sink with water and your soap of choice. Please Do not leave the hot water running while you grab a sponge that you continually squirt soap on while washing/rinsing each dish individually. I feel it is unneccesarily wastful of your resources and also icky. Sponges do not get washed and are rarely disinfected. They do not usually dry out properly, either. They are a breeding ground for bacteria. Please use a dishcloth and wash it, in the washing machine, frequently. (or throw boiling water over it.) Thank you. --Also, if this is what you do, please do not come to my house, and instruct me in this manner of dishwashing, stating that it is a much easier and better way of doing things. (however, I do appreciate your ... uh ... helpfulness.)

Please Don't

THANK YOU

dance classes and halloween - Fall is Here!

I'm being boring today, I know, but I've not been doing well with my blogging, so I wanted to just do a quick catch-up of family life ...

My daughter started her dance class again, last night. Last year she started taking ballet and tap. (The Park District offers a combined class, once a week, for her age group.) This year they've added jazz dance to the mix. They have a total of 45 minutes to touch upon all three dance categories, once a week. I don't know how much she'll learn, but I know I know she has fun. At 5 years of age, that's really all I care about. (Although, I was impressed with her at her last recital. She did a good job, far better than what any of were expecting out of a 4 year old on a big stage for the very first time!!) Two of the girls that she became friends with last year are in her class again. They were all very excited, and there's already talk of playdates galore. How nice it is for her to have friends that are girls. (At church the kids her age are mostly boys, and she plays with them pretty well ... unfortunately, they're starting to get to the age when the boys don't always want to play with her.) I was in awe of all the estrogen in the waiting room ... there are no less than 3 [obviously] pregnant women, one 5 month old, and two 2 year olds. Yikes. I was suprised my husband didn't go running from the room. (It was unusual that he was there, though, and maybe that's what led him to stay!?)

Halloween is coming up, and what do you think my children want to sress up as!??? Who else but Harry Potter. --They ARE their mother's children. I found a neat wizard's robes pattern, and thought it would be neat to make those for them to wear. Then, the other day we were at Target and my daughter saw the Harry Potter costume, complete with glasses. Now she wants that. I told her I'd talk to Daddy (meaning, I need daddy to back me up, here), and Daddy said he'd think about it. The whole reason we're hesitating is that I've always made the Halloween costumes. It's a pain. It's stressful. But the purpose of it is that the kids get to be individuals. Nobody else has a costume like their's. They'll also be able to look back and remember the neat (I hope) thinngs Mama did for them. We also try to buy items for the costumes that they can wear in other ways, for a good long while. Costumes cost money, and we feel it's a more justified buy if there are multiple uses. Are we weird?? Maybe we're being ridiculous, and stressing our selves out for no real reason.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall

Have you ever looked in the mirror and not recognized the person looking back at you? I’m at the airport, tired and bored, a little cranky because the flight has been grounded due to weather in Chicago (our destination). As I was washing my hands, I glanced up and thought, “Who’s that!?” Looking back at me was a young (ish) composed looking business-woman. The woman had nice hair, nice face, and nice clothing. –The kind of woman I see at airports as well as a myriad of other places, and think, “She looks like I wish I did. She looks like she’s smart, successful and talented. I wish …” And then, there she is in the mirror.

That’s not me, though. At least I don’t think it is. I didn’t recognize that person in the mirror. Today I’m all cleaned up because I just finished up two days of meetings, for a volunteer committee I’m on. I’ve got on a nice outfit, and I’m wearing my glasses. There’s make-up on my face and my hair has been blown dry. Not the norm. I’m really a bedraggled, unsuccessful, not so smart or talented, stay-at-home mother of two. That’s the truth. Ripped jeans, not-so-great shirts, hair in a sloppy falling-out-everywhere half-bun/half-ponytail are my uniform. I like to pretend I’m one of those women I see … no I wonder if they may be pretending too

No troops, nukes (!?)

I’m driving down Route 14, yesterday, on my way to the train station. At the corner of 14 and Main I see what looks to be a protest of the War. Y’know, the usual “send the troops home” “Support the troops, not the War” (note: capital “W”)

I’m ready to honk my horn and give them a thumb up when I notice this sign:

no troops, nukes.

I looked at the signs again, and realized that none of them said anything about peace. I must assume that the sign in question meant no troops, but send nukes!? (rather than no troops, no nukes) Is there actually a group of people out there that feel we should simply nuke our enemies and this would solve our problems!? Whhaaaa?

As a faithful Christian, I could mention the bible and maybe even thou shalt not kill or love your neighbor as yourself; maybe throw in a few coments about living as Jesus did, for good measure. There's alot I could say regarding respect for all life, human kindness and compassion, tolerance, and love... but I won't. People have a right to believe as they want, even if I disagree with it. They can say what they want, think what they want, do what they choose. That's the beauty of this country, isn't it? I don't have to agree with them.

What I will say is that it makes me sad to realize (not for the first time, not for the last time) that there are those out there who are perfectly sane, highly intelligent beings who do not seem to have the same respect and compassion for life that I do. I will say that my heart hurts to think of those people out there that believe that any type of killing can be justified. But that's just my opinion. Just call me another bleeding heart, tree-hugging liberal. (That's what some mebers of my extended family would say.) I say I'm just another mom for peace. I'm just another mom who wants love to prevail. What's so wrong with that?