Wednesday, September 30, 2009

road rage

i was talking to someone on the phone while driving the other day, and stopped the conversation to rant about people who DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE TRAFFIC CIRCLES. we took our honeymoon in england so we learned very quickly how to use traffic circles. well, as i approached the circle, someone who was ALREADY IN THE CIRCLE stopped DEAD to let me in. very very big mistake. but she was smoking and i was on the phone so you know neither of us had our full attention on the road. (that's tongue-in-cheek, btw.)

and let me just put in an aside here - i have a headset, and if i'm on the phone in the car, i use it. there's still a risk, but one i'm willing to incur, as i truly believe an experienced driver is in no more danger talking on the phone than they are talking to a passenger, which is still legal, i believe.

the situation reminded me of our expedition to West Point last year for nephew's graduation. (nephew was recently deployed to the Iraq/Afghanistan zone, can't tell us where exactly! so please keep him in your prayers.) while in New York State, and WP is only an hour from NYC, give or take, we witnessed extreme road rage. we pulled up to a red light at a big intersection; there were 2 left turn lanes and 3 continuing lanes. we were in the left-hand continuing lane, when someone pulled up in the far left turn lane, GOT OUT OF HIS CAR, and proceeded to run to the car in front of him, and began CURSING the driver and HITTING the driver because he'd "nearly killed him back there."

fortunately at this point the light turned green and we were able to get the heck outta there. i'm a good samaritan and would like to help but not if it puts me or my kids in danger. and i didn't know the area well enough to call the cops and get them out there. this man was freaking nuts! and the little guy in the car in front of him was in such shock he couldn't even defend himself! the weather was nice and his window was down, and he was suddenly accosted and beaten right through the driver's window!

this reminiscence reminds me WHY I LOVE LIVING IN THE SOUTH. there were many fine things about the philadelphia area that i loved and i do miss sometimes. but people tend to be more laid-back and calm instead of aggressive and violent in such situations. i would beep the horn (in an appropriate situation) in philadelphia and my friends would panic and tell me someone was liable to shoot me for honking the horn! and i replied i refuse to live my life in fear of some idiot. but at least that's rarer here!

moving

sucks. that is all.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

grace

A "There but for the Grace of God go I" post.

i type medical reports for a living. some make me laugh, some make me swear, and every now and then, they will make me cry.

A 3-month-old baby hospitalized with seizures, brain bleed, broken ribs, broken leg, and diagnosed with "nonaccidental trauma" will make me cry.

hug your kids and be glad they're healthy. i'm fierce about protecting my kids, but we can't protect them 24/7/365 for life. and this breaks my heart.

Friday, September 18, 2009

tastykake!

LaLa just discovered butterscotch krimpets. we found them at the store last night, and she went nuts on them.

this morning, i let her have them for breakfast because i'm the best mommy (also she's not feeling well). inhaled the first one, then ate JUST THE FROSTING off the second. because that's just how she rolls.

she makes me smile.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

25 firsts

1. Who was your first prom date?
didn't go to prom. did later go to a frat formal, which i decided was as close as i was getting so it was good enough. and that was kent.

2. Do you still talk to your first love?
no

3. What was your first alcoholic drink?
jungle juice probably

4. What was your first job?
paper carrier

5. What was your first car?
1978 Datsun F10, which i lurved

6. Who was the first person to text you today?
no texts. :( but most of my texts are between #1 son and me

7. Who was the first person you thought of this morning?
the last person who made me smile

8. Who was your first grade teacher?
Mrs. Lott

9. Where did you go on your first flight in a plane?
Washington DC

10. Who was your first best friend and do you still talk?
it took me a long time to have a BFF and i don't talk to my first one but i talk to lanalana all the time now!

11. Where was your first sleepover?
my aunt Tam's house

12. Who was the first person you talked to today?
DH? or #2 son?

13. Whose wedding were you in for the first time?
my own, lol

14. What was the first thing you did this morning?
hit the snooze for 30 extra minutes

15. What was the first concert you went to?
u2 with ryan!

16. First tattoo?
i'm planning a pixie

17. First piercing?
ears, age 8

18. First foreign country you went to?
France, Feb. 1992

19. First movie you remember seeing?
Mary Poppins, and i always fell asleep during the STUPID lullaby in the middle!

20. What state did you first live in?
Arizona

21. Who was your first room mate?
my big sister

22. When was your first detention?
middle school, for not getting something signed (so many people didn't that they told us we'd get detention the next day if it wasn't signed, and a lot of us then went to detention) - but that was my ONLY detention. ever.

24. What is one thing you would learn, given the chance?
i love learning languages, i'd love to study italian, or german, or japanese, or all of those and then some. and i really want to sky dive before i die, it's the first thing i put on my bucket list

25. Who will be the next person to post this?
Lana!

Monday, September 14, 2009

ahem

excuse me. had to take a break to COLOR tinkerbell in the color wonder coloring book.

LaLa wants ALL the pens open, all the time, so she can color when the whim strikes her with whichever color she likes, without having to go to the bother of uncapping/capping them.

i got tired of fighting the battle after weeks on end, and left the damn things open. today she tried to color with the dried-up one, and i said, "THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T PUT THE LIDS ON YOUR PENS!" so she hopped up and found the box and got out a new one.

does she get it? i don't know. but those things take a LONG time to dry up - as they should, given their high cost.

tinkerbell

somebody is wearing panties without any diapers for the first time today. they have tinkerbell on them, so that's a motive. also i was painting my nails saturday and when LaLa wanted some, i told her only big girls who don't wear diapers get their nails painted. she has been using the potty (except naps and at night) since then.

yes, i'm excited!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

cake wrecks

ALWAYS a joy to read, highlighting stupid mistakes "wreck-erators" make (usually look like grocery store bakery level cakes). BUT - on Sundays, they show gorgeous cakes, like the food network level stuff.

today's spotlight: wedding cakes with string work. you will plotz.

the best story

how could i have forgotten this one?

i went in my room and locked the door 2 days ago, then headed to the bathroom to do my business. LaLa HATES when we go in another room without her, and started yelling. a minute later, a little red head peeked around the corner with the BIGGEST smile you ever saw! "i DID it!"

my 2-year-old has learned to UNLOCK doors. they're the kind of locks you can undo with a penny or a thumbnail. she used a craft popsicle stick/tongue depressor.

when i came out, she showed me how to _lock_ the door with the popsicle stick, too.

i'm doomed.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

princess diaries

since i have THE CUTEST 2-year-old on earth, i've been saving up a list of LaLa-isms to share.

*******

can you guess what "teenabudr" is? (peanut butter) her loves herm teenabudr.

*******

Diego came on TV yesterday. she started shouting EGGO!

*******

woke up just in a great mood yesterday. changed the diaper and she hopped up, headed for the kitchen, saying "i get chippies!" i said WHAT? sure i hadn't heard her right. and she said, "i have some chippies PLEASE?" who could tell that child no? i usually only prompt her manners, but she's learning this from how i correct her brothers!

*******

she was taking a nap in the car not long ago, woke up, blinked, and said "i happy!"

*******

last road trip we took, she asked what are you doing mommy? and i said, I'm Driving, What Are YOU Doing? reply: "I Happy!"

*******

i took princess to the grocery store a couple of days ago. she always insists on pushing the bitty carts, and she always has to open the bread to get a snack. so she was pushing her cart and eating her bread - which wasn't easy for her - i'm training her to multi-task early!

*******

the stubborn thing has potty-trained herself twice since 16 months of age, looked around and decided this wasn't enough fun for the fuss, and quit. she's starting again to be interested in using the potty. hoping this time sticks! won't wear pull-ups, only wants diapers - she can get them off more easily. i'm going to invest in some sticker rewards, since she's mad for stickers lately.

*******

we went early to carpool line one day because we were already out and about. she did NOT like the wait and begged to get brother NOW and go swinging. for 15 minutes straight, she wanted to get OUT and go SWING. we will NOT be going to carpool early in future.

*******

and a newish thing she does ALL THE TIME - that's (brother), ALL RIGHT! that's my purse, all right! etc. only it comes out ah-wight.

*******

and a mom-ism: i've been using my spray gel again because my hair looks better, and i was thinking of this as a styling product exclusively. then i'd get up the next day and be astonished at how nice my hair looked in the morning.

that might be because it's GEL and it's meant to HOLD the style, not just create it. i don't want to tell you how long it took me to catch on. *blush*