Mothers can brag

With all that we go through, I believe we mothers have a right to brag when one of children does well.
So here goes: Kid Two was inducted into the National Honor Society on Thursday night!
A few weeks ago he was inducted into the Spanish National Honor Society.
I know I wrote about that induction already, but I'm in bragging mode.

Simply put, Kid Two has made me and his father proud.

We call her the folderer

We made up a new word in our family. It wasn't the first time.
My mother is a lifesaver in the laundry department around here.
When she comes over to visit her grandson in the afternoon, one of the things she likes to do is fold clean laundry.
So naturally I make sure to make some available to her. On a daily basis.
She tells me she enjoys freshly folded clothes, sheets and towels.
Her work is appreciated around here. Husband says the crisp fold lines in his T-shirts and undershirts are out-of-the-package amazing.

My mother came up with the name "the folderer," and it fits her!


I knew spell check wouldn't go for that noun, but sometimes you have to make up your own vocabulary, don't you?

Up on the roof

No, I'm not a kill joy.
But what would you do if you saw four young teen-aged boys run through the weeds and bramble in a vacant lot directly across the street from you then jump on a rusty old fire escape that could give way any minute?

I thought I was seeing things. These kids were doing this in broad daylight. Three of them scampered up the rusty fire escape several stories to the roof of an abandoned factory building. The fourth one, who was kinda chubby, followed his friends but didn't bother to do the ladder up to the roof.

Fearing for their safety, I called the cops.
Before the officer arrived, I noticed two of the three roof boys on another roof, down the street a bit. How they got there I don't know. Apparently there is a footbridge, or else the boys are related to Spiderman.
So what did I do? Called the cops again, and was assured an officer was on the way. How did I know the boys weren't thinking of jumping? Unlikely, but who knows? I really didn't want any of them to go splat on the sidewalk or a neighboring rooftop.

The officer arrived, chubby boy came down the rickety fire escape (fortunately it didn't collapse under his weight) and back to the sidewalk to talk to the officer.
Then they walked down the street and next thing I knew the other three were making their way down the fire escape. The officer talked to all four of them, walked back to the patrol car and opened the door. The skinny three slid in back, chubby boy got in the front seat.

I'm guessing no charges against them, but I'm sure their parents weren't too happy when they got a call from the PD to come pick up their sons.

Just for giggles - no offense

I got this in an e-mail from a co-worker today...and thought it would be fun to share.

Thank God For Italian Men

On a recent transatlantic flight, a plane passes through a severe storm..

The turbulence is awful, and things go from bad ! to worse when one wing is struck by lightning. One woman in particular loses it. Screaming, she stands up in the front of the plane. "I'm too young to die," she wails.

Then she yells, "Well, if I'm going to die, I want my last minutes on earth to be memorable!

Is there ANYONE on this plane who can make me feel like a WOMAN?"

For a moment there is silence. Everyone has forgotten their own peril. They all stared, riveted, at the desperate woman in the front of the plane. Then an Italian man stands up in the rear of the plane. He is gorgeous: tall, well built, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He starts to walk slowly up the aisle, unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time.

No one moves.

He removes his shirt.

Muscles ripple across his chest.

She gasps...

He whispers:
"Iron this, and get me something to eat.."

If I only had a maid...

Yep, that's me. Like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz wishing he had a brain, I wish I had a maid.
Spring cleaning time is here. Yay !! (?????)
Well it would be a good idea around this place.
My dust bunnies are getting so big I could give them all names and treat them as pets that I don't have to feed.
Pretty soon the fluffy blobs will be big enough for my cat to play with. Which would be fitting, because they consist of a lot of the fur he sheds all over the place.

The morning sun is streaming brightly through the windows, and it makes all the dusty stuff even easier to see. That's why I sat down to write this as fast as I could type. To make myself feel better and hopefully make someone smile. :-)

Happy Friday all!

Look mom and dad, no CPAP!

As much as I love blogging, and find it oh-so-therapeutic, last night I was just too tired to do so.
The mind was willing, but...

On Tuesday evening I received more photos of Adam that are encouraging!
Here he is without his CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) in and none of that tape hiding his sweet little face.
And I just wanted to share...

~ ~ ~ Adam's first bath ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

These are two of the photos I received today from our niece.
This is her little guy, Adam Michael, allowing the nurse to put him in the bath tub for the very first time.

His proud dad said that Adam enjoyed the water. Another milestone reached.

Go Adam!

Weird stuff out there

I have found that clicking on "next blog" can often be a disturbing exercise. Especially if you are a happily married, middle-aged mother of two teen-agers who doesn't know any people who are, for lack of a better word, scary.
Or maybe some people just strive to portray themselves as such in cyberspace to make themselves feel part of the edgy crowd.

But I suppose it's not a waste of time to see some of these blogs. It's a reminder that, as the saying goes, "it takes all kinds."
I just get the feeling some of these bloggers aren't too kind.

Don't mind me: It's a dreary Monday morning and I am not particularly motivated to do all the things that need to be done today.

A welcome sight

Yesterday morning I saw my first robin, standing right next to one of my garden gnomes when I pulled in the driveway.
My husband informed me he had already seen a robin last week. He forgot to tell me.
Woohoo! Farewell winter.

And more spring comin' at ya: a watercolor painting of purple pansies and other blooms by my friend Cindy Gilbane, a Connecticut artist.

It was all about Adam...

...and rightly so!

I just got home from an emotional baby shower/brunch for his mother, our niece, Suzanne. It was planned long before he was born.
Adam was born Feb. 26, but he wasn't due until May 23...thankfully he is gaining weight and doing well.

Kid One was able to come with me, which I was happy about. We had a great time, hearing about Adam's progress and watching Sue open a pile of gifts for him, including clothes (some of them featuring logos from dad's favorite teams, the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox), a diaper bag, linens, bath items, toys and two car seats.
Sue even got a gift certificate for a massage. She was thrilled, because she has never had one.

Sue is so grateful for everyone's love and support and she expressed it beautifully. We all had tears in our eyes when she opened a blanket made by her cousins. Actually they completed the blanket that had been started by their grandmother, who died in November. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, I daresay.

As for Adam, the doctors have said he could come home as early as April 26. We hope that is the case for mom and dad. They have been through so much.
They are indeed fortunate to be surrounded by a loving family and many friends.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda

I am in the midst of trying to decide how to use my skills in a new career that will be more satisfying (read: something that pays).
I have one skill, and you are experiencing it right now. My writing. I no can do anything else.
Not that I know of.

I need to do something to put these skills to better use.
As a journalist who writes daily, I am used to writing for a potential audience of thousands. (Eek!)
With this blog, I have about three readers who do not know me personally, either by blood, (hi kids!) marriage (hey, Homer! how goes it, Michele?) or friendship.
Ah yes, friends and family. Ever loyal, thank goodness.

It has been an interesting week. My husband's colonscopy to determine cause of a medical problem and my job-related issues (see earlier entry) are big deals, I'd say.
Change is inevitable, but oh, so scary.

Adam is wearing clothes!

Here is little Adam Michael, wearing clothes for the first time in this photo taken last weekend.
His mom said "blue is his color." I agree.

His dad e-mailed us an update filled with good news.
Adam is gaining weight. As of Saturday, St. Patrick's Day, he weighed 3 pounds, 4 ounces.
He said Adam is eating more and his length is now "a shade under 16 inches." Adam was born Feb. 26, three months early.

Daddy also said little guy is more alert and becoming more aware of his surroundings with each new day. Thank goodness he seems to be progressing so well!

I'm not happy :< (

So yesterday afternoon we find out they are going to close our three-person office. Just not sure when.
This does not make me happy.
This office is two miles from my house, and even less than that from my son's school. It couldn't be any more convenient for me.

My husband and I both thought this would eventually happen, the newspaper business being what it is these days.
I don't know too much about what my job future holds and don't want to get into specifics here, at least not at this point.

Just looking for a bit o' sympathy.

Happy Spring to all

Gotta love that vernal equinox!

Just wish it were a bit warmer than 21 degrees Fahrenheit here this morning ...

To celebrate the start of the season, I put a calendar/clock on my blog. Impulsive, aren't I?

Line drawing credit goes to: http://desktoppub.about.com/

The family that eats together...

...washes dishes together. No, that's not how it goes, is it?

A few years ago I got an idea (insert light bulb here) to mix up the routine a little at dinner time.
But for one reason or another we haven't done it yet.
The idea is to have each person in the family move over one seat to the left, so that everyone has a different perspective on the meal.
Our table is oblong, and I thought the four of us would have fun doing this. After a week, we could all move over one place again...

Simple things amuse simple minds, I guess. Whatcha think?

Husband did just fine

My husband's colonoscopy went well today, thanks for asking.
It was his first one, and he said everyone at the hospital was great and made him feel comfortable in a rather awkward situation.

The worst part was yesterday, and the 24 hours of fasting and "cleansing" to prepare.

I won't add an anatomical diagram or photograph of someone's colon here to illustrate this entry, even though the thought crossed my mind.

"He's not my dog"

The title comes from a line delivered by the ever-funny Inspector Clouseau in a "Pink Panther" movie, and it always cracks me and my husband up.

Although I can't exactly remember the scene, it refers to someone who had just gotten bit by a dog.
He says to Clouseau, "I thought you said your dog doesn't bite."
To which Clouseau, in his hysterical French accent replies: "He's not my dog." :-D

The canine depicted here is Max, and that's me holding him minutes after I met him on Christmas Eve. He immediately liked me and liked being held, it seemed. Isn't he a cute little one? He has noticeably long legs for a small dog.
I hope the photo is cropped well enough so that I retain my anonymity.

Max belongs to my sister-in-law Michele, who is - for you regular readers - little Adam Michael's grandmother. She had adopted him from a shelter a few weeks before Christmas, and ended up becoming a volunteer there soon after.

Max is an Affenpinscher, Michele tells me. According to Wikipedia, the Affenpinscher is originally from Germany and often nicknamed "Monkey Dog." Affen means monkey in German.
I don't have a dog, just a cuddly ball of fluffy fur we call "felinus obnoxious." His photos adorn my blog.

Snowed in, almost

So, it snowed yesterday. Then it sleeted. Then apparently it snowed some more, just in time to make St. Patrick's Day celebrations around here a bit on the cold and wet side.

I am watching the St. Patrick's Day Parade marchers going up Fifth Avenue in NYC. They must be a wee bit c-c-c-cold.

My garden gnomes managed to keep their heads above it all, as you can see.

Happy St. Patty's Day from our house to yours ...

Ready for spring

It's snowing here this morning... and I want spring.

It's March 16 and I'm ready.

I want crocuses, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths, even if I have to look at them in someone else's yard.
I want to see a robin hopping by. I want to see the lilac bush come back to life along the fence in our side yard.
I want to browse in garden shops and buy fragrant plants that promise to burst into beautiful colors.
I want to plan how I will design this year's small flower garden in our front yard.
And I want to plant a rose bush in our backyard and learn to care for it so that it blooms and thrives.

I've always loved this painting, Renoir's "Girl with A Watering Can," which he painted in 1876. And I wanted to share it. This sweet-looking jeune fille seems happy to be in the garden on a spring day.

Anyone else ready for spring?

The Ides of March

I cannot let March 15 pass without noting the Ides of March. It's the day Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C. (I had to look up the year).

My father always used to kid me and say "Beware the Ides of March."

So it was ironic that he died on March 11 (many years ago) and was buried on, you guessed it, the Ides of March.

Flying colors

I just got back from the doctor, and apparently I passed my physical and am good to go.

Now for the usual round of blood tests to check for the usual stuff. Just hate that fasting part!

As far as the clicking in my left knee goes, Dr. C. said it was up to me when I want to get the arthroscopic thing done, which I had done on my right knee four years ago.

My right knee started feeling much better the next day! My advice is don't tear a meniscus, if at all possible.

Today's takeaway: Arthroscopic surgery does work. Don't be afraid of it.

Here goes

They call him Daddums

;= )


Maybe I should do another contest

I amuse myself anyway

Shall I reveal this important information about dear old dad in a blog entry or in my comments section?

Decisions, decisions

Decisions, decisions

Is today the day I reveal what our children call their dad?
Or should I run a guessing contest amongst my readers?

Stay tuned...

C'est magnifique!

As any regular reader of this blog knows (all three of you), I love Paris.

This is my favorite of all the photos I took when I was in Paris in '05. I had to show it off.

That's the river Seine, boys and girls, and you can see part of the magnificent gothic cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris, on the left.
I sound like a tour guide! Someday I will return...

Bizzy day

A day without blogging is a day without... Fill in the blank.
Yesterday I took a vacation day, but it was hardly a vacation (except for the 45-minute afternoon nap I squeezed in).

I picked up Kid One at school (49 miles each way) for her week off. In our house spring break does not mean going to some sunny clime for a week of partying!!
She and I had diner food (yay!) for lunch. When we got home, Kid Two was here with a friend. OK, no problem, he's a good kid. But I was tired and wanted a nap because Kid Two had a big event last night. So after an hour I took him home. I think he understood.

Kid Two was inducted along with 25 other classmates into the Spanish Honor Society, followed by a delicious dinner for parents and students in the school cafeteria. Hard to believe, I know, but they go all out for these dinners (we've been through it twice before with Kid One two years ago) and it was great.
Definitely ate too much yesterday.

Got home, consoled the cat (he was home alone for three hours!) and basically stayed up past my bedtime.
At least I got that cat nap...

Jingle Shells

I have already shared my love of the work of Van Gogh and Monet.
Today I give you a Cindy. She is an artist friend of mine. I am just not sure whether she wants me to use her last name.

Cindy lives near the shore and was inspired to create this watercolor painting of iridescent shells she found on the beach. She calls it "Jingle Shells."

They call me mumsie

In yet another stab at revealing myself to the world, I am disclosing this important information.

My children call me mumsie, or mumsy, if you prefer!

It all started a few years back when one of Kid One's girlfriends, in an attempt to sound British, kept referring to her mother as "Mummy."

Wait 'til you hear what our children call their father!

Stay tuned.

No, it's not a weapon

Does anyone know what this is?
Does anyone care?

If you said my hand and wrist with a weird thing on it, you'd be correct.

People have told me the picture looks ominous, like I have some kind of science-fiction style ray gun on my person. Trust me I do not own any weapons of any sort.

Having this attached to me was no joking matter. But I survived. And I have a great story to tell my grandchildren, if I ever have any. ;=)

Phew!

Kid Two said the SATs were not as bad as he had anticipated.
He said the practice book made them seem worse.

I'm feeling relieved about this.
MIT here we come ...

Just kidding.

SAT season

Kid Two is currently taking his SATs.
He has always done well with standardized tests. I don't think he prepared enough as he should have, but he can always re-take them.

On Monday he gets inducted into the Spanish Honor Society!

That's my guy.

He steals our hearts

I knew something felt wrong: I haven't posted since Monday.

I have been thinking so much about this little guy, our niece's son, Adam Michael. This is another photo of him, also taken last Saturday.

I received a progress report today from the proud daddy and thankfully things are going along well. He said they are able to hold him "skin to skin" for one-hour increments, without oxygen assistance.
And the doctor said Adam is acting older than his age!
Thank you all for your concern.

But my hair isn't blue

On a much lighter subject, today I want to share something. I guess it's a confession, of sorts.
A few years ago, I started calling my dear husband "Homer."
It's not his given name. Not even his middle name.

I really don't know how this started. And I somehow use a different voice when I say the name.

Except for "The Simpsons," I don't watch any sitcoms, or TV dramas, or sports, for that matter.
My viewing mainly consists of news, The History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the Food Network, and Turner Movie Classics. Love the black and white movies from the 30s and 40s.

Anyone else want to confess?

Little Adam

We were heartened to see that our niece was able to hold her tiny son for the first time yesterday.
I wanted to share this sweet picture.

Here he is!

This is little Adam. I wrote about him here Monday - Feb. 26 - the day he was born. He weighed in at two pounds, 12 ounces.
Here he is at four days old.

Read Across America

I'm about to leave the house to read to a class of fifth graders at a nearby elementary school in celebration of Read Across America Day...wish me luck, fellow bloggers.

I've done this before and I suppose I can do it again!

Get over it, mom

"Some people are like slinkies. They don't really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs. "
-author unknown

Aarrgghhhh!! My son had this on his instant message thing. Guess it's just sick humor. He is actually a sweet kid.

Ah, teen-agers...Enjoy your children when they are little, all you parents out there.

Having too much fun today

Thought I'd post a detail from "Starry Night,"
which Van Gogh painted in 1889 when he
was in an asylum in France.

The painting is captivating and is the inspiration for Don McLean's song, "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)" from his classic 1972 "American Pie" album.

More Vincent

I am playing around today and looking at more of Van Gogh's work.

I should be doing something else. :(

I got these images of the artist's work from Vangoghgallery.com...check it out!