Archive for life
Don’t Worry. It Will Grow Back.
Posted by: | CommentsI’m hoping that there’s no more snow this year. Spring starts in just two weeks. I can handle a flurry or two. But please, nothing we can measure in inches. I’ve had enough. Do you wanna hear my story about the first snow of the year? Sure you do.
It was New Years Day. There was some fresh snow on the ground. I actually cooked. I made a pork roast, kraut and mashed potatoes. We were having a pretty lazy day and the kids were being good. Great way to start off the year. We ate dinner a little early (smelling it all day can do that to ya!), and the kids asked if they could go out sled riding.
Let me interject a little something here. Back before Tony and I got married, I had one condition. Not about the marriage, but about kids. I told him that if and when we had kids, he would have to be in charge of any of the snow related activities. I hate the snow. Don’t like being in it, feeling it, smelling it or looking at it. That was the deal. And I’ve held him to it. I’m not quite sure why we live HERE, where it SNOWS. But, whatever.
So, back to January first. Sled riding. Fine. The day before I had just bought new snow pants for the girls. We get them all bundled up like Randy from A Christmas Story, and out they go.
So, off they go to the backyard. We have a gigantic sled riding hill just past the yard. It’s not actually OURS, but belongs to the homeowners association. Anywho, there were some older boys sled riding earlier in the day, and the temptation just sucked the girls in. And I had the house to myself for a while. Bonus. I even took a picture of them out in the snow:
Not a lot of snow, but enough for a few rides. Well, here’s the next picture I took:
Yup, that’s Chloe in the emergency room. Earlier in the day the boys had built a little ramp in the snow. Tony was steering the kids clear of the ramp. But as the kids got braver and braver, they went higher and higher up the hill. As Chloe went down, she hit a little divet and headed straight for the jump. And landed. On her shoulder. And broke her collar bone.
I didn’t realize at first that she had broken her collar bone. Nothing was sticking out. But her cries. They went straight through my heart. That’s how I could tell that something was REALLY wrong. So, we packed it up and headed to the Emergency room. When we told her that we were going to the hospital, the cries stopped. I think she was happy to be going so that she could get some relief from the pain.
She was a total trooper. Calm and collected the entire way. Polite with the doctor. Not complaining a bit. Here’s the next picture I took:
We had a few rough nights with her sleeping, but all in all she was a great patient. And because I waited so long to tell you this little story, I can tell you the ending. Which rocks. She had to wear the sling for about four weeks. We went to the orthopedic doctor on that last day, they took another x-ray and decided that she could officially remove the sling. In the doctor’s office, after the doctor left, I handed her the sling and asked if she waned to put it in the trash. She gladly grabbed the sling and slam dunked that thing.
We headed outside of the doctor’s office, sunlight on our faces. Chloe looked at me, raised both arms over her head (which she hadn’t done in exactly four weeks) and exclaimed “This is the best day of my life!!!!”
She just cracks me up.
OK…I’ll catch you up on some more stuff soon!
Let’s Pretend It’s December
Posted by: | CommentsOK, we’re just gonna pretend that it’s December. Looks like December outside. Except for the Christmas decorations. Anyway….
***note: If this were a movie, the screen would get all wiggly, ‘cuz we’re going back in time…***
The Christmas buzz was in the air. The kids were ready to be done with school and score some loot. But here’s the thing. Becca REALLY wanted one of those darn zhu-zhu pets. Along with every other kid on the face of this Earth. A few weeks before the Christmas break began, my niece-in-law (who we’ll just say is my niece, because it’s easier) asked me if I had bought Chloe a zhu-zhu pet for Christmas. Nope. Hadn’t done it. Chloe wasn’t really asking for one all that much. She went through a few days around Thanksgiving saying that she wanted one. But then it changed to something else…and something else…and something else…
You get the idea.
Well my niece found some zhu-zhu’s online for a good price and got one for Chloe. Which was great. As I thought about this situation, a vision of loving sisters danced in my head. And I thought it would be a little experiment. They had been getting along great (I’m sure it had something to do with my Santa-Cams-in-every-lightbulb-ever-made story). So, I had this vision of them sharing this gift. Really.
I did consider getting one for Becca. My sister in law called me the Friday before Christmas (as I had three children in my car on the way to school). She was at Wal-Mart and they had seven more left. They were only letting customers purchase one. She got one for her daughter. Could I get there in time? I still had to drop off these darn kids!!! Needless to say, I didn’t make it.
We open our gifts on the morning of Christmas Eve. (Yup…maybe I’ll tell that story later. Maybe I already have. I dunno). We would see Tony’s family (and aforementioned zhu-zhu pet) at Tony’s sister’s house that night. We get there, see everybody, chow down on some fantastic Christmas dinner, and get to the gifts. The kids tear in. I’m watching Chloe with excitement and anticipation. She opens the zhu-zhu, smiles a gigantic smile, runs up to Becca and says “Becca, WE got a zhu-zhu pet!!!”
My heart about exploded. I was so proud. They were so happy. Christmas is beautiful.
Really? Did you think it was gonna end there? Nope. After about an hour, Chloe wasn’t so excited about the sharing. Becca wasn’t complaining (which is not exactly like her). She just sat on the couch very quietly. I did the correct mom thing. We talked about it. She presented her case in a very lady-like, calm manner. Which also made me proud. I told her that the best I could do was to try on the day after Christmas. I would call the stores.
Well, I called. Nothing. So, we head to Amazon and find a zhu-zhu pet with a couple of accessories. But, even with the super-duper-fast-and-expensive shipping, it wouldn’t come until Tuesday. She was OK with that, and started counting down the days. I wasn’t about to spend fifty bucks on this toy and shipping, so I took the offer that Amazon always has for the $40 credit if you open a credit card. Like I need another credit card. But I digress…
That Monday, as I was headed off to work, the UPS man walked up to my car. There it was. Becca’s zhu-zhu.
I ran it up to her. I was the hero. I was better than Santa because SHE got to pick out her zhu-zhu. Mom saved the day! She rocks! Mom can always make it better.
I think the last day they played with zhu-zhu’s was December 30. Which will lead us into New Years Day. And this one goes down in history…
Old Men in Hats
Posted by: | CommentsToday we had the first little round of REAL snow flurries around here. The kids were excited, and chased them around trying to catch them on their tongues.
Me?
I knew I had to drive to the North Side, while the Pitt game was happening (crappy loss) in this ‘first snow.’ I was pleasantly surprised, though. It wasn’t too bad driving. Usually those first flakes just freak people out. Seems that us Pittsburghers don’t really get used to driving in the snow until maybe February. I’m guessing that all the bad drivers were going to the mall. I’ve come to this conclusion after driving on Black Friday.
Maybe it was due to lack of sleep, or the sheer excitement of ‘getting the deal.’ But there were many drivers (I hate to say it, but many WOMEN drivers) who either forgot how to drive or never learned. There wasn’t a mass amount of traffic. But still, there were problems merging onto the highway. I merged in behind a white minivan who then continued to drive 45 miles per hour on the highway.
It’s a good thing my patience is one of my greatest traits.
My father, because he was a cop on the streets for so many years, has his own theories about drivers. And the older I get, the more they turn out to be true. These are the two that have stuck with me (although I’m sure there are more, right Dad?)
- All the bad drivers come out on Sunday. It’s a fact. When I used to work at the airport, I worked every Sunday. I would start at all different times of the day, from 6:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. EVERY SUNDAY I would have problems with other drivers. Usually they were going to slow, or were afraid to do things like merge. Or they would stop for green lights. Maybe they thought they were about to turn yellow. Who knows.
- Never drive behind an old man in a hat. They are terrible, slow drivers. Over my past 23 years of driving I’ve put this one to the test. I get behind old men in hats just to test the theory. I’ve never gotten behind an old man in a hat who is a good driver. Never. I’m not sure if it has something to do with the hat or not.
You may have already known these things. But we sometimes forget to tell our children, nieces and nephews who are new drivers. So, consider this a public service message. Tell all the newer drivers in your life to remember these two things.
And please, please….don’t become an old man in a hat.
Oh So Thankful
Posted by: | CommentsWell, lots of things are just going just peachy here. It’s been two weeks since I’ve had a cigarette. Do I still want one? Yes, every day. In fact, I want one right now at this exact moment. Being at the restaurant is the hardest…everybody here smokes.
I’ve also been very good about going to the gym and exercising. And even though I couldn’t go to the gym yesterday, I still exercised. I did some disco abs thingie on Comcast OnDemand. Chloe did it with me. It was quite comical.
I don’t want to gain any weight because of the whole no smoking thing. I know that if I stepped on a scale and saw that I GAINED five pounds, I would get my fat ass in the car and drive down to the convenience store for cigarettes. Plain and simple. So, I’ve also joined Weight Watchers online (just for three months…then I’m going to cancel. In fact, ‘cancel Weight Watchers’ is already in my to-do list for February). I didn’t realize how much CRAP (well, not crap in the literal sense. But crappy food.) I shove in my mouth. Especially after getting those two bags of Halloween candy for half off. The Heath bars? Long gone. But I still have the Mounds. I’m thinking I should just finish off the bag and delay Weight Watchers for a few days. 
Because my timing is always so perfect, it just so happens that Thanksgiving falls this week. So, I’ll be eating a ton of food that day. Oh well. At least I don’t really have to cook anything. I still have my sister in laws convinced that I can’t cook. Which is just fine with me. My assignment for Thanksgiving dinner? Celery stuffed with cream cheese and peanut butter. I almost got found out a couple of months ago, and my sister in law Anita found out that I make a mean ham. I have since sworn her to secrecy. Since she’s not actual Downey blood, I think I’ll be OK. I’ll probably get found out right now…but hopefully they think that I’m lying right now and that I really can’t cook.
Kristina – you just roll with me here. Don’t tell your aunts. But that’s why you got stuck making pies. Because they know you can.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Crazies, They Are A Comin'
Posted by: | CommentsYou know the crazies are coming, don’t you?
I mean, they’re coming for me. I’m assuming that they’re coming for every other person (or at least every other mother) in the world, too.
It’s that month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s one month of slightly controlled chaos, enormous amounts of pressure and lots of extra calories.
I don’t mean to sound like a Scrooge, but I’ve NEVER been big on Christmas. I take that back. I was never really big on Christmas once I had to be the grown up (even before I had kids). I don’t like deadlines, I stress about whether or not I bought something for all the people on ‘the list,’ should I have joined that cookie exchange and did I send cards out to everybody that I got a card from?
Ugh.
So, because Thanksgiving is not until next week, I’m sticking with the whole “Let’s make a better Heather” theme. Smoking habit? Kicked. (Don’t get me wrong…I still want to smoke. A lot. But I won’t). Exercise? Check – five times a week at the gym. Weight? Working on it with the exercise and some bland tasting, low calorie foods. Except for the bag of Heath bars I bought that were on sale after Halloween. But they’re very small 
I’m doing all the crap my doctor wants me to do. I just need a check up at the dentist, AND I need to get my hair done.
So, tomorrow I’m going to get my hair cut and colored. Let’s see…I’m going to look back at some old posts…The last time I got my hair cut and colored would be August 13th. More than three months. Which explains the roots that are over an inch long. And the greys.
Oh, the greys.
So, tomorrow will be it for a while. The last thing I do for me until after Christmas. Then I’ll be officially diving in. Present buying, cookie making, wrapping, cards, decorating, attending concerts, making treat bags for school…the list will go on forever. I’m gonna slap a smile on my face and enjoy it, damn it! Really, I am.
I just hope I don’t come out on the other side of Christmas as a smoking, lazy, 50 pound overweight mom with a crushed sense of self and a crushed sense of humor.
But hey, then at least I won’t have a hard time picking out some resolutions for 2010.
