Hey, it made me giggle. Not a lot of time to write again today.  We just got back from the girls’ very first Girl Scout meeting.  Man, holding those three fingers up and doing that hand-hold-squeeze-the-next-hand thing sure brought back some memories.  Memories that were from a very, very long time ago.  So, they need to memorize the little Girl Scout thingie, and prepare yourselves…’cuz there will be nuts, magazines and cookies to sell

Don’t worry…I’ll set it up so you can pay me via paypal.  Easy peasy.

Have a great night!

And eat ice cream twice in one day. That’s what my kids remind me to do

I think we all are getting on each others’ nerves.

Don’t get me wrong…the girls have been getting along pretty well.  They still have their moments.  Usually they end up fighting over some toy, or the dog.  But they’ve become, like I said, good friends.  But we have been hanging out and doing stuff together EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Yesterday my patience ran pretty thin.

I was headed to the craft store with the girls.  I’m making the family room look a little more “grown up.” The new, non-stinky, leather sectional was delivered on Friday.  I got new curtains and pillows, and a couple of pieces of artwork.  I’m loving it.  Just a few more touches and it will be complete.  As we were in the craft store, I thought it would be a good idea to get something for the girls to do.  Something they could do BY THEMSELVES.  Away from each other.  In their rooms.

I reached back into my memories and tried to think about what I used to do as a kid.  I remember doing those latch hook rugs.  I have no idea how old I was, but I’m thinking I was under ten.  I tried to sell them on a mini-latch hook project.

They had no interest.

Paint was out.  I don’t trust them enough to do that on their own.  They had some necklace kits, but that would take up a whopping ten minutes.  Then I remembered about friendship bracelets.  Hey, they could make some for their friends.  It was totally on the cheap.  It was pretty easy (and I think they made something using a similar technique at summer rec last week).  So, I bought up a bunch of embroidery floss, the supplies for my projects and two $1 toys to keep them quiet, and we headed home.

First I had to remember how do make a friendship bracelet.  I searched online, found the basic instructions, and started making one for Becca.  I sounded super enthusiastic and said “Hey, Becca…Wanna learn how to make a friendship bracelet?”

“Nope.”

Ugh.  I knotted and knotted and got a good two inches done.  I tried again. “Look, Becca.  You can pick the colors and make them for all of your friends.”

“Not right now.  I just want to wear the one you’re making.”

Ugh, again.  So, I finished Becca’s bracelet and now I owe one to Chloe.  I guess I’ll try to talk them into it again.  They can only play on the swings, swim and watch movies for so long.  Becca has started reading OCCASIONALLY, but she poops out after about ten minutes.

Does anybody have any good ideas on stuff they can do on their own?  (Quiet stuff?)

Today?  We’re heading out to see “Despicable Me.”  They’re excited to see it.  I figured we’ll shove in a bunch of movies over the summer, because once school starts there just won’t be enough time!  Enjoy your day!

So, Kerri actually left the bartender life to become a pilot.  But now, here she is, at home with her little one.  What does she do?  She starts her own at-home business (becomes a MOMtrepreneur).  She started making hair clips and bows.  They’re so cute! And definitely something you can’t find just anywhere.  As they say,  a picture is worth 1,000 words:

Aren’t they cute? I’m a little jealous, though.  Why?  Well first off, I’m not that crafty.  Not in real life, anyway.  I can be crafty on my handy dandy laptop, but not with actual MATERIALS.  Look:  I made this ninja over the weekend:

Cute, huh?  But I digress……

So, I’m jealous that she’s crafty.  And I’m jealous that her daughter will actually wear hair clips.  Not mine.  Not for longer than 30 minutes, anyway.  But, I’m not very much into accessories, so I guess I can’t expect my kids to be into them.

But I think it’s awesome that she started a business.  So, you should check out her blog, Elle Belle’s Bows! And us moms?  We’re like that.  I’ve been a virtual assistant, hocked my t-shirts online (still do that), and done all the boring paperwork gobbidy-gook for the restaurant from home.  Oh, and gone back to school.  My friend watches kids for extra cash.  One of our waitresses also bakes cookies on the side.  You can’t keep a mom back.  The internet has opened up all sorts of opportunities for moms, and I love to see a mom start something new.  Or finish something they started.  Or go back to school.  Or keep on working outside the house.  Anything but that whole stereotypical fifties mom wearing an apron and having a martini and dinner ready for her husband as he walks through the door.

Nothing against the boys.  They’ve been starting businesses forever.  But to juggle the kids, a business, the house, the laundry…you get the idea.  Moms really DO rock.

And that’s all I have to say about that

Next stop?  Grocery shopping.  They wanted to go into the Eagle’s Nest (which is a little child care facility inside of Giant Eagle).  Fine with me…more alone time.  I was so happy with their behavior, I bought them some silly bands to split.  We came home, they played more.  There was NO FIGHTING.  They agreed on what they wanted for dinner.  They ate nicely.

Would you like to know what they are doing right now?  They are doing their Summer school work.  Without complaining.  Dare I even say, enjoying it?

If I was transported into another dimension, I’d like to stay here, please.  Next I’m going to see if they clean up like they said they would.  Then it’s our favorite summertime show…Wipeout. (Oh my gosh, as I type this they just shared their candy!!!!!!!!!!!)

My neighbor had a little bit of a problem.  Well, not really a problem, but here’s the deal.  Her brother-in-law (married to her husband’s sister) is in the band GWAR.  Now, her husband had seen the band plenty of times.  But her?  She just never got around to seeing a show.  She had been backstage, taken the kids to see their aunt and uncle.  But their show is not exactly kid friendly.  Not even close.  So, she would then take the kids home to the safety of  our little suburban-ville.  Have you heard of GWAR?  I mean, they’re really not kid friendly.  Wanna see?

And that’s just a video.

Anywhoo, my friend decided that it was finally time to see a show.  And she decided to make a party out of it.  She got three other couples (including us), and one stray husband (whose wife just, well, wasn’t interested).  We were all in.  Did I remember GWAR?  Well, not really.  There was a vague, cloudy memory of them being on Beavis and Butthead.

We were all excited to have a grown up night out. We were headed to Mr. Smalls in Millvale, which just so happens to be a converted church. The church that my mother had her baptism, communion, confirmation and wedding. Really.  Now, I had been forewarned.  I watched one video on youtube (that you can see above) and was told that they like to squirt fake blood and other gooey stuff on the crowd.  Um, okay.  I knew that we had VIP seats up in the balcony (I’m guessing that was where the organ once stood…now it has a bar) and we had a bar tab.  Bonus.  As we pile out of the cars and walk to Mr. Smalls, we meet Brad, who is in the band.  He was very polite and, well, normal.  We head up to the entrance and get enough wristbands to last me for quite a while (one for admission, one for VIP and one saying that I was over 21 (eww…almost twice 21…anyway…..).  The second opening band was already playing.  Typical heavy, death metal.  Loud, but fine.  They looked normal.  Jeans.  Tees.  Long hair.  We made our way up to the VIP area and enjoyed the band.  Just before GWAR was about to start, my neighbor told all us ‘ladies’ that if we had to use the restroom, better do it now.  The restroom was downstairs, through the crazy, crazy crowd and out a door.  We looked at each other and were getting ready to go.  Just then,  a video started, and the crowd went crazy.  We decided…um…we didn’t need to go that badly.

As the music started, the crowd went nuts.  There was, of course, a mosh pit. But they were all very respectful of each other.  There wasn’t any fighting…it was more like organized pushing.  I noticed that everybody close to the stage had plain white t shirts on.  Hmmm…I figured maybe they were hoping to get squirted with some goo and have a souvenir. Well, “squirted with some goo” was an understatement.

They came out with these huge water cannon thingies.  Filled with fake blood and such.  IT WAS EVERYWHERE!!! (I was slightly clued in when, before the band took the stage, every surface but the floor was covered with plastic).  So, so, so glad I was up in the balcony.  We were enjoying the show…there were a lot of theatrics.  I compared it to X-rated performance art.

Eventually, however, our bladders were calling.  I asked the bartender if there was an employee restroom I could buy my way into.  No such luck. They had to use the restroom that was downstairs, too. We HAD to go down onto the floor. I’m all for going with the flow, but I didn’t want to be drenched in fake blood.  Really not my style.  Tony led the way downstairs (with me and three other girls following) and through the crowd.  We made it to the restroom.  And we got a slight taste of fresh air.  It was SO INCREDIBLY HOT IN THERE!  Imagine…650 people, no air conditioning in an old church.  And to top it all off, it was getting damn steamy with all the fake bodily fluids and real sweat.  After using the restroom (and seeing a poor girl with her eyebrow cut open – old stitches had come out – but she was OK), I HAD to go outside.  I just needed some air.  Badly.  Tony and I went out and it felt HEAVENLY!  The other girls went back upstairs, and we followed a few minutes after.

By this time, the concert was just about over.  We got our t-shirts (because, well, I wanted a t-shirt), and Tony bought some “nightgowns” for the girls (junior tees, size medium).  It was an awesome night out with friends.  Brad came up to the VIP area about ten minutes after the show, looking no worse for the wear.  I could only imagine how crazy hot it had to be in that costume.  Nuts.

I would go see them again.  Mostly because it was a great night out, there were no kids around, and not everybody has seen GWAR.

Too bad it wasn’t on the bucket list.  Oh well.  It was an adventure, and I’m glad it happened.  I am nicking at that bucket list, though.  You know the one where I’m supposed to replace everything my kids have stained?  I’m starting with the (icky) couch…new leather one is coming in a week!

Have a great holiday!

Here’s the link to the general info:

http://classifieds.triblive.com/listing/328959/OAKDALE_Summerfield_Estates_Community_Sale_Sat_.html

Everybody in the neighborhood has the ability to accept credit cards, too!  (Thanks to an extra credit card machine from Downey’s House!)  If you’re the garage sale type (or hey, even if you’re not and you have small children), here’s the link to the Google Map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Summerfield%20Estates%20Drive,%20PA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.099308,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Summerfield%20Estates%20Dr,%20Oakdale,%20Allegheny,%20Pennsylvania%2015071&t=h&z=16

The one thing this garage sale has helped me with is cleaning.  I’ve gathered bags of garbage along the way.  I am amazed at the amount of small toys the girls have gathered.  McDonalds toys, gumball machine toys, and just crap.

OK, I have work to do!  Talk to you all soon!

Chloe’s graduation ceremony was very cute (her teacher has always done a great job!).  It will be strange not driving to the preschool…I’ve been driving there for four years.  Here’s a little clip of Chloe.  She must have still been on vacation mode, too.  She yawned through the entire thing.

And here’s a little clip of her getting her preschool diploma:

I am ALMOST back into the swing of things.  However, after a very fun pool party at our friends’ home, I was a bit sluggish today.  Those frozen concoctions were going down way too easily!  So, now that Memorial Day Weekend is almost over, we’re gearing up for summer.  I think we’re all ready for later bedtimes and a bit of sleeping in.  Talk to you all soon!

Yesterday I had our day all planned out.  The weather was crappy.  Windy, cold and rainy.  And I knew it was going to be like that.  So, the plan was to do our little Saturday morning routine at the restaurant and then hang in the house.  I had the girls all prepped for an afternoon of jammies, movies and the Wii.  Perfect.  And while they were doing that, I was planning on catching up on some housework (you know, clean a couple of bathrooms, vacuum, laundry) and some internet work.  But wait…there was more.  After putting them to bed, I planned on reading my new book from Charlaine Harris (Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 10)) for a couple of hours before watching Betty White host Saturday Night Live.

It all started out great.  The girls (after a little, um, “discussion” about what they were going to watch) settled in to watch Goosebumps and All Grown Up.  I chatted with Tony for a bit, got some work done, and we all decided to have a snack of ice cream about 3:30.  That is the time of day that my energy hits that gigantic dip.  I brewed coffee and sat on the couch with the kids, enjoying Rugrats:  All Grown Up.  Well, I think I was actually enjoying the inside of my eyelids.  Then it happened.

The power went out.

Thank God the coffee had already brewed!  We sat and waited for a couple of minutes to see if it was just a flicker (because that happens more often than a long stretch of no power).  No go.  The kids continued to play, but I was sort of stuck.  Couldn’t do laundry.  Couldn’t vacuum.  The bathrooms that needed cleaned were the ones without windows, so that was out.  No internet.  So, I started reading my book.

And that’s what I did until the power came back on around 6:00.

It put me in a great mood.  I happily made dinner.  I set the kids up in Chloe’s room for their quasi-sleepover.  I kept on reading.  I surrendered my to-do list for a day of doing what I wanted to do. I mean, I had to diffuse some fights.  I had to freak out when they wouldn’t just LAY DOWN AND GO TO BED AT 10:00.  But I finished my book.

Just in time to watch Saturday Night Live, which was awesome! This was probably my favorite:

And guess what?  I DID vacuum this morning.  And do some laundry.  Oh, and I got breakfast in bed!  (Watermelon , a fiber bar and iced tea from Chloe.  Iced tea and a salami sandwich with a broken up string cheese on it from Becca.  Awesome.)

Have a great Mothers’ Day!!!!

OK, now on with the complaining:

The other day, while Chloe was at preschool, I was tackling the dreaded ‘to-do’ list.  It was about an hour before I had to leave to get her, and I still had to shower.  Next on the list?  Mopping the kitchen floor.  No problem.  I can sweep and mop the floor in about twenty minutes.  I sweep.  I decide that I’ll have a smoke while the bucket is filling with water.  I get the Spic-and-Span, the mop and…and…where the hell is the bucket?

I usually keep it in the laundry room.  With the mop.  Mops and buckets should go together, right?  The laundry room is not all that big, but I rifle through it…searching.  Not there.  I vaguely remembered that Tony had it in his hand over the weekend.  I believe he was feeding his plants.  OK, fine.  I go to the garage.  I see gardening stuff, but no bucket.  I look all around.  Nothing.  I go outside.  Search the backyard.  Nothing.

Now I’m pissed.  We have ONE bucket for this household.  (I’m assuming that the other bucket we USED to have is now property of Downey’s House).  I start slamming doors.  Tony was at work until 3 am, so he’s not awake.  I have to sneak into the bedroom anyway, because I need to get out of the clothes that I wore the entire day before, and kept on to take the kids to school.  So, I slam some drawers.

Me: “Oh, are you up?”

Tony:  ”uuhhhhhhhhhh.”

Me:  ”Well, since you’re up, do you happen to know where the bucket is?”

Tony:  ”What do you need the bucket for?”

Me:  ”Um, I mop the floor every two weeks.  Who do you think does it?  The Floor Fairy?”

Tony:  ”It’s in the garage.  In the extra garbage can.  In a box.  Under the car seats.”

Yeah, I didn’t happen to look THERE!  So, now I’m running late.  But I get the floor done and myself showered.  Everything is good again.  But it made me feel like he has absolutely NO IDEA what I do in this house.  Maybe he does.  He was in a dead sleep, so I guess I have to cut him a little slack.

Speaking of mopping, I think that I’ve caused a problem.  Every time I mop, SOMEBODY spills SOMETHING on the floor THE VERY DAY I MOP IT.  This time?  Becca spilled her can of Coke during dinner.  I really expect it to happen every time.  And that’s why I think it’s happening.  Because I expect it.  How about you?

P.S.  I love you, Tony  <3