Hello

"It's been such a loong tiime, I really must be going....."

I have a NEW camera! Woohoo! We were in NYC for a couple of days just after Christmas, and my yucky old Canon just sort of went kaput (well, okay, actually the battery died, and I was without a newly charged battery since it was the kind of camera that didn't use regular batteries). One simply cannot be in NYC at Christmas, with one's two young children who have never been to NYC, and NOT HAVE A CAMERA! Even numbnuts like me that usually forget to take their camera to important events.

So, DH bought me a new, very lovely little Nikon Coolpix that I'm oh-so-happy with. Might even get my photobug going. So here's a few to share.

Oh, and we saw 'Mary Poppins' on Broadway! Wonderful, wonderful show. The kids were spellbound the whole 2 hours 45 minutes. Especially M, who was really into the show itself; L, on the other hand, was probably analyzing everything he saw to figure out how they did it.

M and I made our pilgrimage to the American Girl store on 5th Avenue. What a place! Three stories of doll 'stuff'. M just didn't know what to make of the whole thing. She found some cool things she wanted for her 'Elizabeth' (see pic above), including a very nice bed, and we were on our way.

NYC at holiday time is amazing, but mostly just, well, crowded.

Time is a Subjective Matter

So, a long while ago, I agreed to be a wedding coordinator at my church. I've been to a gazillion weddings as a musician, so I thought maybe this would be something right up my alley. Until now, I haven't been able to do one (it's not like we have a ton of weddings at my church), but about a month ago I said I'd do it for this wedding yesterday. The bride and groom (B&G) are not members of my church, and are both recent immigrants from Congo. No problem; the ceremony was a traditional one, that I am familiar with.

However.......

I have come to understand that the concept of time is somewhat, ahem, different in Africa than here in the States. By that I mean that NOTHING, repeat, NOTHING got off on time. The rehearsal Friday night: they arrived an HOUR late. The wedding yesterday: they arrived an HOUR late. WTF?!?!?!?! Never mind how unbelievably RUDE this is to moi and the others involved in the ceremony - what about their guests?! Oh, but here's the kicker - even though they started an hour late, THERE WERE STILL GUESTS ARRIVING AFTER THE WEDDING STARTED!!! This is a cultural weirdness that I just don't understand. When you say you're going to do something at a certain time, do it then. Especially your own wedding, for crikey's sake. And there wasn't a damn thing we could do about it.... we just had to wait around until they arrived, watching our labor day holiday leak away from us.

I don't think I'll be coordinating any weddings anytime soon. I should just stick to playing at them. At least then I get paid if things run overtime.

Gold belt!

Last night, Molly had her karate promotion ceremony from a white belt to a gold belt. It was actually a bit of a surprise, as we only found out on Monday that she was going to be promoted. Her instructor has been out for a while with a broken foot, so when he came back, he evaluated her for promotion (he's the only one that can do that) and gave her the "red stripe" on her belt that means she would be up for promotion at the next monthly ceremony - which happened to be two days later! She did great. I seriously doubt that karate will be her big "thing" in her life, but I am really impressed by the self-defense lessons these kids learn as they stick with it, so I hope she at least stays with it for a few years.

BTW, Luke is also in karate, and has been for about 6 months longer. He's in a younger kids program called "Karate Kids", that have different belt colors. He's been promoted twice and currently has a yellow belt with a black stripe. Once he hits age 7, he'll move up into the regular program, but not as a white belt (the sign of a REAL beginner). He'll have a yellow belt with a white stripe.

Are you as confused as I am? It's taken me the better part of a year to figure out the belt colors of karate. Never mind all the different "degrees" of brown and black belts....

Now, 'wonderful' mom that I am, I FORGOT the frickin' camera, so I don't have any pics to share. You'll just have to trust me that she looked great. :)

FDOS

Day 1: Both of aforementioned goals accomplished! I was up at 6:15, saw E off on his 'last first day' (geesh, Mom, get over it), then did a yoga DVD (featuring, by the way, a very scantily clad young man on the beach; not a bad way to start the day). L was so excited about the FDOS that he was up at 7 am wondering how long until the bus came.

This line of questioning continued at about 2 minute intervals until about 8:30, when we actually left to walk down to the bus. Goodness, that kid can be a nag.

Everyone got off for FDOS school on time, and well-equipped. And I didn't even have any fleeting moments of sadness/mourning/wistfulness/longing for another baby when the school bus picked them up, as I have in prior years. This is an old routine by now; they even have the same bus driver, who btw, was E's bus driver as well when he was in 5th grade seven years ago. I sure hope they get off the bus this afternoon as jazzed as they were this morning. :)

Update to follow.

The Last First Day

Hello, remember me? After a long period of brain dry-rot, I'm back. And this time, I hope for good. My goal(s) for the new school year:

1. Blog every day, even though I know there are about 2 people that MIGHT read it. Oh, and be witty, creative, full of deep meaning, and poetic all the time.
2. Get up at 6:15 every weekday morning to see E off to school, exercise (!), and get showered/dressed before little ones get up, so that I can get to 'work' sooner in the day.
3. Don't set more goals than I can handle.

As for the title of this post, tomorrow is E's LAST FIRST DAY of school. He's a high school senior this year. This little factoid occurred to me while driving home from the bridal show I played at this afternoon. Put in that context, it really makes me sad. E could care less - 'whatever Mom'. He just wants to be done with school forever.... and ever. But how did my first baby get to be a SENIOR?! Graduation, portraits, all that stuff? Did I mention that I am simply NOT old enough to have a kid that's a senior in high school. Uh-uh. No way.

SPEAKING of bridal shows......oh Lordy, why did they invent such a thing?! Thousands of bridezillas-to-be (often with mom in tow) roaming the aisles looking at cakes, invites, dj's, tuxes, mortgage companies (?!), and of course classical musicians that are playing the Pachelbel Canon over.... and over.... and over..... and over.... and over. Yes, it is a pretty piece of music, but WHY does every bride in this nation have to have it played at her wedding? Come on girls, be creative, and do your wedding musicians a favor.

Tagged!

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? Nope, thank goodness.

2. Do you close your eyes on a roller coaster? NO WAY! Except one time when a bug flew in my eye, and I had to keep them closed the rest of the ride. Totally ruined it for me.....

3. When's the last time you've been sledding? So long ago I can't even remember, unfortunately

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? Alone, but don't tell hubby. He snores.

5. Do you believe in ghosts? I think they are possible, but I'll believe it when/if I see one (which, frankly, I hope I never do). But I do believe that angels watch over us, so if they are considered ghosts, then so be it.

6. Do you consider yourself creative? Strangely, no, since I'm a musician, but I can't 'create'. I can only interpret what others have already created.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? Yes. Slimeball.....

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? (silly, I know ... but very "now") Hmmm, I'm a little tired of Jenn's "good girl wronged" act, but Angie Baby is sort of out there. Don't have an answer for this one.

9. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics? Other than the fundamentals, no. And I hope to keep it that way, honestly.

10. Do you know how to play poker? I know the rules, but not how to play. I would frustrate the hell out of anyone who actually knew strategies and such, because I wouldn't follow the expected route.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? No, no, no, no. I love/need sleep and don't think I've ever even gone 24 hours without sleep. Besides, that's really dangerous.

12. What's your favorite commercial? Yowza, don't know. A while back, there was a commercial for a vacuum cleaner that started with a cat on some steps. The cat sneezed, fur went EVERYWHERE, and a very droll voice said "SLIGHT SHEDDING PROBLEM?". For some reason, that one just slayed me. Maybe because I could relate. I hate animal fur all over the place, however I have a dog and a cat.

13. Who was your first love? Kevin, who, it turns out, is gay. But still one of the greatest people I've ever known. I still see him occasionally.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light? No (very boring, I know, but someone once told me "character is how you act when no one is looking", and that's always playing in the back of my mind.)

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? I don't think so, but I'm not sure. I can't keep secrets of my own all that well, so I probably would have told at least hubby by now.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? Neither, go Nats! (Washington Nationals)

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating? Once, in high school. Interestingly, a recurring dream of mine is me ice skating effortlessly around a rink doing all sorts of tricks. Anyone care to interpret?

18. How often do you remember your dreams? Only if I consciously move them into "awake" memory. Then I'll remember them for a very long time.

19. What's the one thing on your mind? Concerns about hubby (won't elaborate) and my house renovation.

20. Do you always wear your seat belt? Absolutely; even across a parking lot.

21. What talent do you wish you had? Athleticism.

22. Do you like Sushi? Bleck.

23. What do you wear to bed? Jammies, never a nightgown 'cuz I hate the way it bunches up.

24. Do you truly hate anyone? Other than Osama bin Laden and the people responsible for 9/11 and other terrorist acts through history, no. There is a person that I once thought I hated, but realized later what was going on and realized that he/she really deserved pity, not hate.

25. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? If you mean "sleep" (wink, wink), I really can't think of anyone I'd admit to that wouldn't make me seem shallow. But I am very partial to brown hair and brown eyes (as has hubby).

26. Do you know anyone in jail? No, thank goodness.

27. What food do you find disgusting? Scrapple, sunny side up eggs (which the rest of my family loves), organs of any kind.

28. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? Sadly, probably yes.

29. Have you ever been punched in the face? I don't think so. And I think I'd remember.

30. Do you believe in angels and demons? Yes. As I mentioned above, I do think angels look out for us, and I think every human being carries around their own personal demons.

Whoa, my brain hurts; too much self-reflection for one day.

Donuts from Heaven

Yah, yah, I know - I haven't posted for over a month. I don't have a good reason; how's that?!

Anyway, we're on our annual vacation down in Southern Maryland, which we do for the first two weeks of every July since I've known hubby. Lots of fun stuff - kayaking, swimming (but NOT in the Chesapeake Bay. Due to the very dry spring, they are the worst I've ever seen; huge, and there a bazillion of them. Yuck), reading lots of books, practicing, making homemade ice cream, and letting the kids be kids. But dial-up Internet access. Boy, how I miss my cable at home.

So, we thought that tonight we'd do something special and take the kids for ice cream. However, apparently people in Calvert County just don't go to ice cream parlors - none exist. We were told, though, of a new Baskin Robbins fairly near here, so we headed down to check it out. Turns out, the Dunkin Donuts/Baskins Robbins store isn't actually open today - tomorrow is the grand opening. BUT, they were doing a thing all day today where they were 'practicing', and were GIVING away the ice cream and donuts. By the time we got there at 8:30 pm, the ice cream part was closed, but the GAVE us a dozen donuts, about a half dozen muffins, and some bagels. There is a God, and he likes donuts, apparently.

Diet? What diet? Free donuts contain absolutely no calories, as anyone who has ever watched the caloric intake knows. ;)

A couple of proud mommy pics

Okay, so I do have four (!) kids, but I'm also mommy to two really cool four-legged kiddos, so I thought I'd share a couple of cute pics I took the other day. Gracie is our chocolate lab, the SWEETEST dog on the planet. I say this, and I'm a die-hard cat person, not a dog person. But Gracie is just the greatest dog. We adopted her about a year and a half ago, and she has blended seamlessly into the family. Not a bad dog-habit in her - she doesn't chew or climb on anything. But any ball she finds outside is automatically hers - basketballs are her favorite. She'll play fetch with a tennis ball until she just can't walk anymore. And she's very good at chasing all the elephants and giraffes off of our property. I challenge you to find even a one.


Mozart is my kitty-baby. He's the biggest people-cat I've ever known. He just has to be around one of us, usually me, whenever he can. He purrs constantly. His only fault has been a minor "not using the litter box properly" problem, and, until we had him declawed, he tore up some very expensive furniture. But personality-wise, he's the greatest cat I've ever known. He has recently taken to laying on this couch in the sun; he loves the warmth, but doesn't like the sun in his eyes.

My Guys

E went to his girlfriend's Senior Prom last night. He's only a junior, and this is his second senior prom! Things were a little iffy as to whether they would still be together to go, but I guess it held together and they had a good time.
















Thursday was L's 6th Birthday! We had family over for cake & ice cream, then we're planning a trip next Sunday to King's Dominion, an amusement park near Richmond. His big gift was this "Green Machine"; sort of a Big Wheel/bike hybrid. He's had a great time running it around our driveways, at least until he jackknifed it last night and fell, thus scraping his hand and knee. All is well, however, and he's decided that he again likes it.

Guess where I am right now?!.....

Yup - sittin' in my NEW kitchen! We moved most of our stuff into it yesterday. Painting still needs to be done, so I'll post a pic when that's done. The painters will be here this coming week to finish up, then probably the next week they'll start demolition of the old kitchen. How many people get to boast that they have TWO functioning kitchens, I ask? If I have my way this week, I will never cook ANYTHING EVER AGAIN in the old one.

For my first meal this morning, I proceded to absolutely incinerate a couple of eggs on my Thermador gas cooktop. I am just so not used to cooking with gas, and I had the flame up too high. Oh well, lesson learned, and truthfully, the eggs didn't taste all that bad. I have an instant hot/cold water dispenser by my sink, which is heaven for making tea in the morning. TWO dishwahers (hubby's over-extravagent, in my opinion, requirement), a monster-size fridge and a double wall oven. I may never leave this room again.....

The yuck part of the whole moving experience was going through all the cabinets and drawers in the old kitchen, many of which have not been thoroughly explored since shortly after we moved in 7 years ago. Simply gross. We filled many, many trash bags. And the best part... I have numerous empty drawers and cabinets in the new kitchen! Room to spare! It'll probably take about a week for me to absentmindedly stuff 'stuff' in them.

But for now, life is good. I promise a pic soon!

The kids' first "rock" concert

So we are big Ralph's World fans at our house, and when I found out he was coming to town, I got tickets for me and the kids to go (hubby just couldn't quite stomach another kiddie concert; he's done his time at a Wiggles concert a few years ago).

We had a blast. It was a very small venue, only about 300 people; 200 or so of whom were under 4 feet tall. The kids actually got to go up on stage when Ralph was singing; M, for the last number, was standing RIGHT NEXT to Ralph. I think she's in love..... Afterwards, we got Ralph to sign a CD for us, and M&L gave him a high five.

If you're not familiar with Ralph's World, he is very cool. It's kids' music, but we, ahem, grownups, can actually tolerate the stuff. For example, at his concert, he threw in a little Hendrix and Freebird (for which we all held up our cell phones - lighters are SO passe), which of course went entirely over the kids' heads. Most all of his stuff is like that; it can be taken on many different levels. We'll definitely go back next time he's here; we had such a good time.

And to top off the whole day, we went for ice cream (in downtown DC in spring - what could be better?), then rode the Metro (aka subway) home. The kids were in heaven.

And if you ever have the opportunity to check out Ralph, please do. He's great. In fact, Disney has just picked him up and he'll be appearing on Playhouse Disney soon. He also has a grownup band, the Bad Examples. I've never heard of them, but supposedly they're pretty good. Sort of a "bar" band.

Wow!

I just got this in an email from my aunt - these are little babies made out of MARZIPAN. Yes, the almond paste gunk that usually is in the shape of a pear or banana. Besides questioning WHY someone would want to make human babies out of almonds, you really have to admire the talent. But frankly, it's a little creepy.

I just hope she's not planning on eating these little cuties......

The light at the end of the tunnel

Well, we're finally starting to see an actual KITCHEN emerge from the dust! As I type, we have an installed slate floor, cabinets, a countertop, and a functioning faucet. The appliances have yet to be installed, but they're sitting in the middle of the kitchen, awaiting their turn. The painters have been here for three days, prepping the area for the eventual color (Benjamin Moore Camouflage). I've been told that by the end of next week, we'll have a fully functioning, if not 100% complete, kitchen. They should start the demo of the existing kitchen in a couple of weeks. The second phase of the project (the dining room and laundry room) shouldn't take nearly as long. I promise pictures when we get nearer to completion. I still worry, as silly as this sounds, that I won't like it. Isn't that dumb? I've never, ever, in my life, had such control over my house to this degree. I usually feel pretty good about my choices, and I do this time, too, but yikes, to spend over $200k and not have it turn out EXACTLY as I wanted it? That scares me to death!

But so far, so good.

A Warning to All Drivers

My teenager, E, got his learner's permit yesterday. Oy. It only took 4 1/2 hours at MVA to do so. Frankly both hubby and I were amazed that he passed the knowledge test on the first try. Test-taking has never been one of E's strong-points. But I suppose if it really, really matters to him, he'll study.

So of course he wanted to drive home from MVA. I was like, "are you joking?!" He, like legions of teenagers before him (including, probably, his mother), thinks he's perfectly capable of driving anywhere he wants now. The idea of gradually working into it doesn't appeal to him at all. I have no problem letting him drive around the local streets, after some practice on how to work the car, but jeesh, take it easy bud.

I am so not ready for this.

Happy Easter!

Belated Happy Easter to everyone! We had a great day here. It started off early with two excited munchlings awaking to find their baskets filled and left in their rooms by good ol' Mr. EB. Unfortunately for me, he also left a big bowl full of mostly chocolate in a bowl in the foyer. Must...work....on...willpower.....

M&L had a great, I repeat great, time with my in-laws at the beach. They did just what I thought they'd do, and spent a lot of time with a little boy that lives just up the road. They even got to go on an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday on the beach. They were worn out when they arrived home! But it was good for them; and as far as I've heard, Grandmom & Granddad didn't have troubles with them.

In other news, I told E, my teenager, that I would take him to get his learner's permit soon. We printed out the driver's manual for him to study and he's been studying it over the weekend (that's probably the most studying he's done his entire life!). I told him I'd take him today, but then realized that the safe that has his birth certificate and other neccessary documents is behind a whole lot of construction junk. So we'll have to wait until later, when we can get to the safe. He's pretty bummed, which I understand, but it isn't like he was going to immediately start driving anyway. We still have to get him enrolled in a driver's ed course.

Wish me luck. Oy, a teenage driver in the house. I can...hardly...contain...my....excitement.

Be Careful What You Ask For

This being Spring Break, my wonderful in-laws offered to take my two youngest for a few days down to their house on the Chesapeake Bay. Hubby & I, of course, thought that was a WONDERFUL idea; and M&L were pretty darn excited about it. They LOVE that place; each of them has been going since they were born, and even though we (our immediate family) only spend two weeks each summer there, plus an oh-too-occasional weekend, they feel like it's their second home.

This is a place that is literally a throw back to when I was a kid. It's a community of older, once-log cabin summer homes that have by and large been modernized, added-onto, air-conditioned (thank God), and otherwise made suitable for modern inhabitance. Most important, however, is that it's the kind of place where kids get to be, well, just kids. Run around with a great degree of freedom; waaaaay more than they get to anywhere else in their universe. Play 'army guys' on the beach; go to the community house to hang with the 'buds'. Go exploring. Get dirty and not have your parents yell at you. Stay outside playing capture the flag way past your bedtime. Stuff kids should do. We are so incredibly lucky to have a place like this available to us.

So they left Tuesday after dinner, and should be home Saturday evening. Here's the thing that I totally didn't expect - I'm bored. Despite my many happy dances when I found out they'd be going, I sort of don't know what to do with myself without them here. I thought I'd revel in my freedom; I don't have to get out of bed until I'm ready; no fighting; no "Mom, I'm bored"; no pbj's to make. I get to do whatever I want to do. 'Cept I don't know what I want to do.

I've been practicing a lot, and hubby and I have had some good alone time, but other than that, I'm kind of hoping they come back soon. I have plenty, in fact too much, going on in my life, but without the centers of my world here, I'm lost.

Oh lordy, what AM I going to do when the empty nesting starts?

"Mommy, are you afraid of dying?"

Oh jeesh, was I not ready for THAT one! After reading one evening, M sorts of rolls over and abruptly tosses that one at me. Yikes.....

"no, I'm not because everyone dies eventually."
"but aren't you afraid it will hurt?"
"well, I hope it doesn't happen in a painful way, but I try not to think about it"
"would you just like to go to sleep and not wake up?"
"that's probably one of the 'best' ways to die. You shouldn't worry about dying; you've got a lot of time left"
"yes, but you don't. You're old and might die soon"

Holy crap.

I....LOVE....New York.......

We're back! We got home late Wednesday night from our too short trip up to NYC. We, along with hubby's business partner and his wife, took the train (THE BEST WAY TO TRAVEL, HANDS DOWN) to Penn Station. Traveling by train is just so cool; very low stress, and you get to look at cool stuff on the way. Granted some of the scenery isn't the most flattering, such as Baltimore, in which you see the backside of the bad part of town, and it's gross, but for the most part, it's really relaxing and sometimes mesmorizing to sit back and watch the scenery go by.

(Footnote to my last post re: things I want to do in my life - I want to do a cross country train trip some day. It takes about 3 days, but I would like to take the rail trip from DC to Seattle, via Montana and the upper Rockies. Not with small children, however.)

So we got to NYC and dumped our stuff at the hotel (The Hotel New Yorker, right across from Madison Square Garden. Clean, convenient, and relatively cheap for NYC). We went and had lunch at the Stage Door Deli next door. Great food, but too much of it! We were stuffed. Then we played tourist and took one of the Gray Line bus tours through the downtown area. I've been to NYC a few times, but have never ventured down past about 30th St. The tour, which is a hop-on, hop-off type of tour, was cheap and had a tour guide. We sat up on the top, exposed level of the bus until we couldn't stand the cold any longer. We went through Chinatown, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, SoHo, past Ground Zero (we didn't get off - there's really not much to see there anymore), past the Brooklyn Bridge, then back up the East Side, past the UN. It took a couple of hours to do that, and we didn't even get off the bus! We went back to the hotel and got ready for the show.

The main purpose of the trip was to go see "The Odd Couple", with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. We had seen them a couple of years ago in "The Producers", and just loved them, so when the opportunity presented itself last summer to get Odd Couple tickets, we jumped. And boy, oh boy, did we have great seats. Fourth row back, dead center stage. The actors could have spit on us, had they the desire. Now, Odd Couple hasn't exactly bowled the critics over; basically Lane and Broderick are rehashing variations of their standard characters; Lane is hyper and messy, Broderick uptight and whiney. But hey, it works. We had a blast.

And can I just say that Broadway theatres are just the coolest?! They aren't very big, and all of them have been lovingly restored at some point over the years. So many details; they just don't make em like that anymore.

After the show, we headed to Times Square, where we got something to eat at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. As far as I'm concerned, I don't ever need to eat there again. It was a perfectly boring meal.

Okay, back to the hotel for a terrible night's sleep (our room was right next to the elevators). We had breakfast at a diner the next morning, then headed out to do the Gray Line tour of Uptown. We got off at Lincoln Center because I wanted to pop in on a flute guy that I bought my piccolo from, Phil Unger at Flute Center of NY. Once we found his place, he was really nice. Even took mine and hubby's picture. I think that's the prize for actually FINDING him; it's not easy. Anyway, my companions were very patient with my one flute-thing that I had to do while I was there. My other trips to NYC have been to take a lesson with my teacher, Bart Feller, who is principal in the NJ Symphony and the NY City Opera. Turns out he lives directly across the street from Phil's shop. I had NO idea, or I would have stopped in sooner.

We hopped back on the bus and toured around the upper West Side (sheesh, the money!), then to Harlem, then down to Museum Mile, where we got off at the Met Museum of Art. We wanted to get some lunch at that point, but guess what? Certain parts of NYC, most notably to us at the point, the exact part WE were in, have NO restaurants. None, zip, nada, zilch. If you want to eat, it's a sidewalk vendor. We really wanted something more substantial, so we walked for a while down Madison Avenue (still no restaurants). Eventually we came to a little place, barely noticable, called Coco Pazzo. It was 2:45 at this point, and their lunch kitchen was closing at 3:00, but they graciously seated us. I have to say that without a doubt, that meal was one of my "Hall of Fame" meals. Simply unbelievable. I had veal scallopini that was sheer perfection. We had some great wine, good company, great desserts (we all shared), and the whole restaurant to ourselves. Our waiter was just great. I truly didn't want the meal to end, it was THAT good. So if you're ever in NYC and looking for a great meal on the East Side, check them out.

We then headed to FAO Schwartz, 'cuz you have to when you're in NYC, even if you don't have kids. We bought a couple of things for M&L (which were big hits, by the way), then caught a cab to Macy's.

NYC has truly got the cab thing down. Those yellow cars are EVERYWHERE. And hailing one is just like on TV; just raise your hand and one appears. It's a real power trip. But then you have to close your eyes when it gets moving, or else you fear your life will end in the next minute. I don't know how they keep from having an accident every 20 seconds; they don't stay in any form of a lane, and sometimes they just go tearing off through this miniscule openings that you think there's no way we're fitting through that! But somehow, you always arrive safe and sound (but a tad grayer) at your destination.

Once at Macy's we decided to see just how many floors there are. It's supposedly the biggest store in the world (or at least was once), but we had no idea HOW big. Can I tell you that that store is NINE, I repeat, NINE, stories tall?!!!! We just kept going up and up, expecting around the fourth floor for each to be the last. Nope. On and on, higher and higher. When we got to the furniture dept on the NINTH floor, we sat down and had to call someone just to tell them that we were on the ninth floor of the NYC Macy's. I know, how dorky can you get? But NINE FLOORS?! And very cool - as you go higher and higher, the escalators get older. By the sixth floor or so, the escalators are wooden. They still work just fine, but I guess they get less wear and tear since fewer people probably venture up to the top floors. Just us touristy geeks that want to see how high we can go.

We rode the elevator back down.

By that time, it was time to collect our luggage and head to the train station. We arrived very tired and with sore feet. When we got home, we found that our new kitchen/family room area had been drywalled, so it's starting to look more like a real room. The kids were safe and happy in bed, and I did the same shortly thereafter.

I love New York.......could NEVER in a gazillion years live there, but I sure love to visit.

Ponderings on Life

For some reason, I've lately been pondering life, and more specifically, MY life. I don't know why; I'm not ill, and am happy, but just thinking about my life in general. Things like: How do I want to be remembered? What would I do differently if given the chance? What would I like to do before I die that I haven't yet? Stuff like that.

Does this mean I'm finally a grown-up? Does wondering about such things qualify one as such? Funny, I really don't feel grown up yet.

Anyway, I don't think I would do anything differently if given a "do-over". Only little things (which, in the end, are big things), like being more patient, having more time for my kids, less judgmental. The biggies are keepers. Even what I would consider my life's two biggest mistakes I wouldn't change. One gave me one of my kids, and the other (changing my college major from music to accounting) allowed me to achieve financial freedom, and led me directly to the path I'm now on. If I had continued on in music, I most likely would have always struggled for money, may not have ever had children, and would not now be able to play just for the love of it. I most definitely wouldn't have met my husband, since I met him on a business trip. I wonder if I'd be as content in my life as I am now. What it boils down to is this: everything in our life, good and bad, leads us to where we are today. If you're happy today, then all the bad was not only necessay to get you there, but part of who you are, and you shouldn't want to change anything.

As for what do I want to do still? Definitely travel more. I want to get to Europe before I'm too old to enjoy it. Australia, Africa, and Russia are also big on my list. I'm still thinking about the rest of my wish list. I always wanted to get my pilot's license. I have an innate love of airplanes and airports (thanks to my Air Force Dad!); since I was very little, I was fascinated by airplanes and have always wanted to learn to fly. I even took a few lessons years ago, but it's expensive, and since I've had kids, the idea sort of fell by the wayside. I may never get to fly them myself, but will always love to be around them. The first time I ever flew on a Boeing 777, I thought I was in airplane-geek heaven.

Kind of deep today; sorry. I guess I sort of had to vent. Tomorrow, hubby and I (along w/ another couple) are off to the Big Apple. Woohoo! We're going to see "The Odd Couple" and play tourist for a couple of days. My wonderful in-laws are watching the kids for us. Be back on Thursday!

Toodles

The joy of Legos and Tchaikovsky

M&L have just, and I mean just, discovered the joy of spending hours building things with Legos. Now, they've had legos since they were itty-bitty (inherited from older brothers), but during the past couple of days, they're spending hours at a time building. L even built a fire engine USING THE DIRECTIONS. I was impressed. Of course, about 5 minutes after he came and showed it to me, he proceeded to drop it on the foyer floor, which sent it into a gazillion pieces. After a few minutes of sobs, and some serious mommy-hugs, he pulled himself together and re-built it. I kept telling him that that's the cool thing about Legos - you can always rebuild anything that falls apart or is, ahem, destroyed by your sister.

Reminds me of when Matt, my 22-year old stepson, was about 10 years old. He would build these amazingly complex and intricate creations, then put them away for what seemed like forever. E, who was about 5 at the time, would find them, and proceed to, egads, cannibalize them for HIS creations. Matt would, without fail, fall into hysterics of mammoth proportions. It was unbelievable the tantrum he would throw about these things. We really just had to sit back and laugh at him, it was just that ridiculous.

The Legos that M&L are now playing with, well, at least some of them, were hubby's when he was a kid. See, Legos are stupidly expensive, but we stick it to the company by holding on to the stupid pieces for 40 years. That'll show em.

Okay, now to the joy of Tchaikovsky part. I just got home from playing a concert as second flute for the Prince Georges Philharmonic. The concert was themed around Shakespeare - music from Othello, The Tempest, Twelth Night, and of course, Romeo & Juliet (that's the one Mr. T wrote). R&J is the very famous tune that most people recognize, whether they listen to classical music or not. Anway, it was a blast. The orchestra played really well tonight, with only some minor intonation problems. But jeesh, everyone seemed to be in a contest to outblow each other! Why is it, that during performances, this orchestra plays louder than they ever do in rehearsals? Which, as a result, makes the pitch go sharp, and causes the intonation problems. Oh well, I guess that's the difference between us and an orchestra where the players actually get paid for their efforts. (I'm not complaining, trust me. I love to play, whether I'm paid or not). And lest I forget, the county executive (in other words, head dude of Prince Georges County) was there. VERY important for a county-funded orchestra. So I'm glad we played well for him.

Happy St Patty's Day!

My daughter told me this morning that today was her favorite day of the year. I asked her about Christmas - "oh yeah, after Christmas". No way was wearing green going to outscore Santa. I'm trying to think of green stuff we can eat for dinner tonight, that the kids will eat. Maybe I'll dye their milk green. Then they probably wouldn't drink it, with my luck.

We're getting very frustrated with the renovation right now. For some reason, we've been getting an inspector that just has a hair up his you-know-what, and fails the project for some stupid little unknown reason. All of our contractors (all well respected) are just baffled; they've never seen this before. To make it worse, the guy goes down his list until he hits the first problem, then stops there. So we fix that problem, then he comes back, and gets to the next problem, fails the project, etc. We've been at this for a couple of weeks. The stuff he's failing us for is just ridiculously stupid; no one we know has ever heard of such things. If it fails again today, our contractor is going straight to the county to get to the bottom of this. We've got all our cabinets sitting still in the boxes, and the appliances were delivered last weekend. We just need a finished space to put them in!

Two sayings spring to mind: 1) Good things come to those who wait, 2) If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

THIS JUST IN - WE PASSED!!!!! WOOHOO!! HAPPY DANCE! The inspector came early this morning (we didn't even know he was here), and passed us. So Monday they start the insulating and then the drywall, and all the other stuff that will make it look like a REAL kitchen. Yay!

Somehow we have to channel this

My 5 1/2 year-old son is, well, a nag. There is simply no other way to put it. This child doesn't let go of an idea, question, comment, complaint, etc - ever. Distraction doesn't work, at least not permanently. He'll go along with the diversion for a while, but then immediately u-turns back to his topic du jour. The other night, he wanted us to do something for him on the computer involving giving him a password. We're having pop-up problems due to the downloads and such being done by the kids, so we told him no. Even as we patiently responded to the "why can't I have a password" pleas, he continued on with it. For, like, an hour. Never gave up, nor even diminished the amplitude of the whines and pleas. I think it finally took bedtime to get it out of his head. Truthfully, I was surprised when he didn't wake up asking the same thing.

This is just one example of the DAILY nags he performs. Somehow, somewhere, there is a good side to this; some sort of positive quality that, if "channeled" properly, will serve him well as an adult. But for the love of you-know-who, I don't know how to do that. For now, he just drives us crazy. I love him like the dickens, but sheesh, learn to take "no" for an answer. How do you teach a kid that?

On another front, I was helping out in M's classroom yesterday when one of the kids had to be removed for a behavior issue. He normally is the sweetest little guy, but he has some kind of issue, that, frankly, I don't know about and it's none of my business. But he's usually off in his own world, and doesn't like to do his work and, in particular, write (we encourage him by us writing a word, then he writes a word). Apparently, his behavior is deteriorating. Yesterday, the teacher simply told him that if he was stuck, he needed to ask for help, rather than just sitting there doing nothing. He wouldn't do it, and he became pretty unpleasant, even calling the teacher some names (nothing horrible, but things like 'meanie'). Since the rest of the class couldn't focus, someone was called from the office to remove him. That's when it really got bad; he had a pretty bad outburst. And the teacher told me that last week he had an even worse episode that really frightened the class, especially M. She hid under a table. So I had a talk with her about it after school, and reassured her that nothing bad was happening to anyone, that they just took the child somewhere where he could calm down. I think she thought that he was being taken to a torture chamber or something. I was surprised she never told me about it last week, but when I brought it up to her last night, she really had a lot to say about it. So I'm glad I was able to talk to her about it. I don't want her to think that going to the "office" is always a terrible thing.

When I was a kid, in about 1st grade (M's age), I was summoned to the principal's office. OMG, what have I done? I was absolutely terrified. I thought for sure that I would be given some sort of beating or something. Turns out they just had a question for me, but by then I was so worked up about it that I dissolved into tears while I was there. Obviously, it traumatized me, since I still remember it so clearly.

Isn't it funny the things we remember from childhood? Lots of stuff our parents forget about almost as soon as it happens, but our little minds retained it forever. As a mom, it really makes me think about what I do; I never know what seemingly insignificant event, statement, or detail will become a lifelong memory for my kids. Even now, they'll surprise me with "mom, do you remember when you/we.....?" Uh, no. They do, and they've been thinking about it, whatever it was, for quite a while.

She Stayed

The Divine Miss M decided that she was just too busy this weekend to run away. "Maybe another time", she said.

On another note, both M & L have discovered this website www.creationsbyyou.com.
This is a site where the kids can author and illustrate their own book, and then get it "published" (actually bound and printed). A friend of mine's daughter has one of these books, and they turned out really neat. This is so up M's alley; she has done nothing else since Saturday when she first found out about it. She loves to write and draw. L is giving it a go, too, and I'm actually rather impressed with what he's coming up with. His first title is "Max and the Magic Car". I don't know what the inspiration for this is, and I hope it's not already taken, but I think it's kind of neat.

Some of you may remember M's Spongebob drawing - a while back she did this totally from memory and it just blew us away:



So I think we have an artist in the family! Well, at least until she runs away......

Cookies, cookies, everywhere

M is a first-year Brownie Girl Scout this year. She was a Daisy last year, but ----

Daisies DON"T sell cookies.

This year, her troop of 11 1st graders sold more cookies than any other Girl Scout troop, of any level, in our local service unit of about 12 troops. Since I'm the troop's cookie mom, I had to organize all the orders and pick up the cookies yesterday. Well, actually Rich and I had to pick them up, and we needed a big truck (including a lift-gate) to do it. Our little girls sold 166 cases (or 1992 boxes) of cookies! That's a LOT of thin mints, samoas, do-si-dos, tagalongs, etc. And they're all in my front yard, in the truck, right now. (I take that back - 4 thin mints, 2 tagalongs, and 1 do-si-do are in my tummy by now ;)

If my neighbors only knew of the prized stash sitting in my yard......

Today I've got to sort all those boxes to give to the girls. That should help work off the ones I ate yesterday. My diet doesn't work real well if I'm pushing cookies into my face..... surprise, surprise.

Oh, and I'll post an update on our runaway as soon as I know what she's doing. She still says she's running away to the back yard, but L is so upset about that that she might reconsider. Or at least take him with her.

She's leaving us

Yesterday evening, M decided to be in her bitchy-princess mood, and decided she was NOT going to do her homework. Uh-uh, no way. Well, since I'm bigger than her, and can talk circles around any kind of kid-logic she throws at me, I eventually got her to sit down and do it. BUT, she announced that she was going to run away. I did my normal, "I'm sorry to hear that", and "we'll miss you", etc, but she stuck to her plan. Even after we kissed and made up, so to speak, she told Daddy at bedtime:

"Uh, Dad, I love you, but I'm still running away Saturday".
"Where are you going, M?"
"Outside"

(we have 10 acres, so "outside" can be quite a ways away)

"Where outside"?
"Out to those trees out there" (about 100 yds out behind the house)
"Well, be careful".
"I will, Dad".

When she got off the school bus today, she again pronounced her intent to run away tomorrow. Something tells me, though, that it will slip her mind. She has cheerleading in the morning, then straight to a friend's house to play, then home in the evening. It will be dark by then, we now have GIRL SCOUT COOKIES, and she'll see how good she's got it. I guarantee it.

But then again, she's a pretty darn stubborn little thing......

Woohoo!

I just got word that my flute choir, "Flutes on the Brink" has been invited to perform at the National Flute Association Convention this summer in Pittsburgh. As geeky as that sounds, trust me, it's a big deal. Over 3000 flutists attend this convention. Not that all of them will hear us, because we are a very small item in a very full convention agenda. But since the choir is only 4 years old and has never done anything of this magnitude, we're very thrilled. We'll be playing a lunchtime concert on Sunday, August 13. Now we have to decide what we're playing, etc; we have to turn in our program by the end of March.

This is really cool!

After the 'big" snow

The view from our front porch this morning.

Saturday was the first big snowstorm for us, after a VERY mild winter so far. The sun was shining all yesterday afternoon, which helped melt a lot of it. This morning, the kids are out of school (why, I don't know), so E went out to explore the icicles that formed overnight. He went to pull one off, and got this big chunk instead.

Remember the Scene from "Marathon Man"...

..... where the dentist is "working" on Dustin Hoffman? Well, that's what I felt like this morning.

Not Dustin, either.
The wacko dentist.

L woke up this morning with a bottom tooth dangling from his mouth by the tiniest little strip of flesh. It was really bothering him; he wouldn't eat, and didn't want to go to school. So dh convinced him that we needed to pull it out, because it would hurt more if we didn't, and what if it came out at school and was lost?! Anyway, at the last minute, L changed his mind and wouldn't let daddy near his mouth. So, we basically had to tag team him, with me holding his arms, dh holding his head, M screaming "don't hurt my brother!", and L screaming bloody murder. It was.....HORRIBLE. If L isn't in therapy later in life over this, I will be. The tooth, however, came out very neatly, and quickly. After about 2 minutes of screaming (and hugs), L got over it and ate his breakfast and was showing off the tooth.

Meanwhile, all the construction guys working on our house probably called social services on us. It really sounded like we were torturing the child.

Super Bowl 2006

The big party was yesterday. (Oh yeah, and there was a football game, too). Since the Redskins weren't playing, I really didn't care who won, but I suppose I had a small preference for the underdog Seahawks to win. But since I think I watched about 5 minutes total of the game, I couldn't tell you anything other than the final score.

We had close to 15o people at the party this year; a good-size turnout. Waay too much food, as usual, and this year marked the return of an overload of tortilla chips. For some reason, we didn't have ANY tortilla chips, this year, just about every other dish brought to the party involved them in some way. Now, I love Tostitos as much as anyone, but, sheesh, a little variety would have been nice. Okay, 'nuff about the stupid chips. I think everyone had a good time; we had about 20,000 (or so it seemed) children running through the house (because they could care less about the game going on in the tent outside - Xbox was what they were after). But for the most part, all of them were well behaved, nothing seems to have been broken or stolen, and they made sure that there we no leftover cookies. Late last night and this morning, hubby and I were picking up, cleaning up, that sort of thing. The tent comes down tomorrow, the floor hopefully a few days after that.

And next year, we'll do it all again. But next year, GO SKINS!!!!!!!

Hi, Remember Me?

It's only been, what, THREE months? Again, I fell prey to the "why would anyone want to hear about my pitiful life?" syndrome. Well, after thinking about it for a while, I decided that this is mostly for me, anyway, and anyone who feels inclined to take a peek once in a while. So, HI MOM & DAD!

On the kid front, everyone is doing great. L got his first-ever report card yesterday and was just beside himself. He gets that way about many things, but this was his very own REPORT CARD! I wasn't surprised. They don't get grades in Kindergarten, but his "marks" were very good. He's very advanced in math and reading. He needs to work on his comprehension a bit, but overall, he's doing great. M had a similarly impressive report card. Both of their teachers had very nice things to say about them. E, my struggling high-schooler, didn't fare so well, but there were definite signs of improvement. I'm afraid Harvard will not be in his future (oh, DARN!, say I in my most lock-jawed, Thurston Howell voice).

Our home is now in shambles as the renovation got going about 3 weeks ago. So far, so good, but of course it's not happening fast enough. I want it NOW! (my alias is Veruca Salt).