The Smell of Summer...

I forgot over the winter (which is practically nine months long in Michigan) about a smell I love. It's what I call "summery, chubby little toddler smell." It's a mix of sunscreen and sweat and being outside. The two kids are so chubby and cute and tan already. They both get great blond highlights in their brown hair, too. I just love it. Summertime...for it's fleeting three months...totally rules.
Tomorrow is Lucy's 3rd birthday party. It's "My Little Pony" themed and let me tell you - this girl is psyched! Secretly, I think I am as excited as her. I love to host parties. Not so much the house cleaning portion, but I really like the planning, food shopping and decorating part! We made 45 pastel sprinkled cupcakes this morning. Weather says hot and sunny and the sprinkler will be out...get ready to party!

The Week in Pics...

I am so sure, Mom...you didn't want to take THIS adorable face to Lucy's school picnic? Naughty but damn cute...





















The moment that made it all worth it...Lucy (BUTT happy) being swung by Ms. Gloria!





















Opening afternoon of sprinkler season...and one happy chic!





















My beauty loving the golf cart...





















Handsome guy on Memorial Day...





















Four generations of maternal genes...Lucy's Great Aunt Francis and cousin Rena visited from Toronto!

It Was Just a Mission Statement....

Remember that scene in Jerry McGuire when he is staring into the fishbowl? That's kind of how I felt this morning. Today was the day of Lucy's end-of-school year picnic that I coordinated for her classmates, parents and teachers. The one I mentioned was a saga to reserve because of the Park Natzi and the reservation policies, etc. I had been working on a potential sitter for Tommy for the past 3 weeks because I really wanted to spend some one-on-one time with Lucy and totally focus on her for her big day. Alas, it wasn't written in the cards for me today...
My friend Karen had a stomach bug and Tommy was supposed to share a sitter at her house. I didn't want him to be exposed to it and it would have been 4 children for the sitter to take on instead of 2 little ones...a bit much.
So off we headed to the picnic with both kids and I tried not to feel too sorry for myself about it. But I was so frustrated by it. I feel like I never do anything with JUST Lucy these days. But whatever...moving on...
Get a call from my friend Erin at 10:45 (picnic starts at 11 a.m.) that she's in the hospital with her youngest son. Now I'm worried about her son and realizing that she was in charge of bringing all paper products to this picnic! I immediately start looking in the small town where the picnic was being held, for a store that sells paper plates and silverware. Finally find the one grocery store in town. One potty break by Lucy with Tommy in my arms later, I have stolen paper towels in my purse, forks from Starbucks and $20 in fancy paper plates from the gifty shop store. It's 10:55 a.m. Off we go...
When we arrive at the park, I pack up the kids and the stroller with the 500 things I brought and head to the Gazebo I rented. Well, Park Natzi failed to mention the Gazebo is NO where close to the kid's playground. It's clear across the park actually. After walking all that way (Lucy is so over this and wonders when she can just get on a swing for god's sake!), I repack us all up and go to the bigger Gazebo we didn't reserve. No one is around so I figure, if they kick us out than they kick us out. Thank the sweet lord above, no one kicked us out. Or I might have kicked their ass at this point.
In conclusion...it was a nice time and everyone enjoyed themselves. I tried not to feel too sorry for myself when I would have to leave Lucy on a swing while I chased down Tommy. And she would sit patiently and wait for me to come back. Or she had to play in the sand with her friend Allie and her Dad because I was chasing Tommy in the other direction. And that I really didn't have much conversation with anyone more than 3 minutes long. And that I lost Tommy for 5 minutes and had a "heart in your stomach" moment that I hated.
On our way home, I looked in the back seat at the kiddos. They were both tanned and smiling with sunscreen greased on their faces. We sang "Put Your Happy Face On." Lucy said she had so much fun. Ms. Gloria pushed her on the swing and that's all she really wanted, anyway. We survived...fires were fought and it wasn't exactly ideal...but it was all good.

Another Edition of "Oh the Things They Say..."

Last night at bedtime with Lucy, while she washed her hands with blue hand soap:

Me: Lucy - that's enough soap.
Lucy: Actually, Mom, this soap turns to orange in my hand! Can you believe it?

And as we left the bathroom...

Lucy: Oops..I burped mom. Sorry, I burped.

and yesterday's classic "first":

Lucy: Mom? Can you do me a favor?
Me: And what have I been doing the past 3 years? Ha ha....

This morning on my run...

Lucy: Are you working hard, mom? You are exercising and so healthy and strong! Good job!

and after lunch as I wiped her face...

Lucy: Mom! I was missing you since you were in the other room! Now you are in my face!

This morning when Scout was licking and being annoying, Tommy let out a very loud "sentence" while pointing at her with some serious gusto. It was so funny...it sounded like this...

"Scout! Mama mama ubba ba ba tru Scout!"

I am also enjoying his current early morning routine of slowly facing the day and hanging out in his crib practicing saying things. So cute!

The Addiction...

So the running thing...haven't mentioned it lately but I think I am catching what they call "The Addiction." Which, of course, totally cracks me up because if you had told me 2 years ago I would have "The Addiction" I would have laughed in your face. However, here we sit and I am starting to "get" what people talk about. It's the one thing I do just for me almost every day and it truly keeps me sane.
I just purchased new shoes last week. After getting "assessed" by the guy at Gazelle Sports, I found out I am an Asics 2120 kind of gal. Great shoes. I feel like I am 11 years old again when I really thought my new shoes would make me jump higher and run faster.
I ran 25+ miles last week. That was my biggest week to date. I don't usually get the chance to run that often with the kids, but for some reason I had opportunities or woke up really early to do it.
I am doing this race at the end of June. If all goes well, I am doing this race at the end of the summer. The Crim Road Race holds a special place in my heart. My Dad ran it for years when I was young, and I was always intrigued by the whole thing. I passed out water to runners a couple of times, or at least went over to "The Bradley Hills" to cheer the runners on. So it is only fit that I celebrate my hard work over the past year and run the race that I thought was "The Ultimate" back in the day.
Now if only I could update my ipod with something less lame than The Dixie Chicks' "Ready to Run." How embarassing....

Pulling it Up From the Boot Straps This Week...

Lots of deep breathing. Lots of trying not to sweat the small stuff. Lots of "positive thinking" time outs in my brain at 5:42 p.m. when I have just about had it...
Instead of being Little Miss Sunshine, I am going to wrap up the week by venting about the "total party" I call my life in list formation....
1. Trying to get Tommy to transfer to sippy cups full time. Not going well...not enjoying him throwing it across the room. Today, he actually took a sip of lovely warm milk in my lap when he was extremely hungry, and proceeded to open his mouth and let the milk slowly flow out of this mouth and look at me in pure disgust. Real cute...
2. Tommy has also decided he is done being a good shopper. He is 14 months old and all he wants to do is run and run and definately not let Mom buy that cute jean skirt for sister in Nordtrom Rack or everyone in the store will deal with the wrath of the pissed off Tomma Shomma Ding Dong. And in Target. And in the stroller on our run that 99.9% of the time he sleeps through. And at the grocery store. Party....
3. Matt's leaving on his second fishing trip in 5 weeks tomorrow morning. 3 nights and 4 days gone. Super dupe...
4. I am eating like a hog this week and can't stop. Not sure what my deal is. Oh yeah, I am an emotional eater. I forgot for a minute while I was stuffing Kruncher potato chips in my mouth at 10 p.m...coping with Melinda being voted out...
5. I decided to plan a little end-of-year picnic for Lucy's preschool next week and it's turned into a headache because the location had to change. And the woman who I am reserving the pavillion from is a pavillion natzi. And the process has a lot of rules and regs. Apparently you don't mess around when it comes to something totally serious and earth-shattering like a $15 pavillion reservation on a Thursday morning. But it will be cute and fun and totally worth it...let us pray...
6. I am dealing with Lucy officially done with naps (I instituted "quiet time" in our new basement last week). Sometimes it goes well and I can shower and get 30 minutes of a Tivo'd "View" while laying horizontal. Other days, I am up 50 times to get her a water, snack, tuck her back in, get out an art project, etc. Those days aren't my favorite. I just need an hour to recharge the battery. That's all I ask.
7. As my running partner/therapist/good friend Erin said this morning, perhaps I am trying to take too much on at once. She makes a good point. My new goal for May is to get Lucy set and comfortable in her new "quiet time" routine. June will be official sippy cup month (although I am going to still keep offering). July, we tackle Tommy's pacifier (although I am starting to lay off of it more often) going buh-bye. Much better...less stressful...I do well with goals.
So there's my latest purge of issues at the moment. Everyone have a GREAT WEEKEND!!

The Marketer in Me is Cringing....

So I noticed that McDonalds has a new Santa Fe chicken salad. Obviously they are marketing to women. How do I know this, you ask? Because this is the phrase they use next to the photo of the new salad:

"Kinda Sassy...just like you..."

Come on...so painful. I can see the marketing execs in the boardroom with that one...

Stuffy suit named Mike: "Let's see...what describes our demographic of women, age 22 to 38 years old?"
Stuffy suit named Sheila: "Hmm...let's imagine a fun mom...she's got a lot going on...she's grabbing lunch for her kids...she's...hmm...not "crazy"...not "jazzy"..."
Stuffy suit named Barb: "I've got it! She's sassy!"
Stuffy suit named Mike: "Barb! You're brilliant! Throw some black beans on that salad and we'll call it sassy too!"

I also feel this way when I see Wendy's advertising "late night drive thru" with some rap-style music and black people dancing in the street. Oh, and when Taco Bell advertises their 465 grams of fat stuffed burrito as their "FOURTH MEAL" of the day. Great idea.

So in conclusion, I do not enjoy the marketing of fast food products. So there.

I guess it's true what they say...hot nights out and motherhood just don't mix well. Your wake up time remains the same, no matter how late you are out.
A group of girlfriends and I went to this last night. I was front and center for most of the show. Lots of mosh pitting, thrashing of hands, sweating, vodka tonic drinking, and yelling to speak to others. I had to giggle when I went to get a drink and checked my watch. 1:40 a.m. Normally I have been asleep for 4 hours by now.
Then, I got up at 7:52 a.m. and headed out for a Mother's Day brunch with the fam. And no one knew that just 8 hours earlier, I had teetered with the thought of throwing my bra up on stage. And eaten a ridiculous vendor hot dog in about 3 bites.
Yeah...I've totally still got it...

She is SO never getting a BRATZ doll....

As Lucy's third birthday nears closer (only 3 weeks away!) I am noticing she is getting more observant. In a bad way. And I don't enjoy it. I am trying to take it in stride and call it developmental and realize that a comment that gives me a heart attack really means nothing to her. Because it doesn't. She's just testing the waters and watching my reaction and paying more attention to people.
However, she has likened to telling me she doesn't like me "in your exercise clothes." So much so she started crying this morning when I got her out of bed. I said, "That is absurd! I am beautiful today and you are beautiful in your jammies! Now let's go downstairs." She cried for another minute and came down.
Last week she asked me to "put makeup on, Mom." I tell her, "You don't wear makeup and you are beautful and so am I!"
She tells me she likes certain teachers in her class because they are "pretty" or "have long hair." A teacher she loved the first 6 months of preschool she now calls "a boy" because she has short hair. Yeah...I know...totally annoying.
Once again, trying not to get my panties in a bundle over it. I mean, I didn't raise such a girl with those values for god's sake! Anyway...so that's her latest and it aint pretty but it's bugging me so I am sharing. Advice from an experienced and friendly blogger is welcome!

Poor Little Guy...

We have an acronym we use in my family. It's "PLG." It stands for "Poor Little Guy" or "Girl." It is truly a useful phrase that I pretty much say daily. It's kind of like "Bless her heart" but a tinge different. When would you use it?
1. When a person is sitting at a restaurant alone (preferably a family style place)...mowing on a belgium waffle, strawberries and whipped cream, and really happy about it. He's probably totally content...doesn't matter, to me it's totally PLG.
2. When Lucy asks me, "Who's going to take care of me?" or "Thanks for taking care of me, Meema..." So PLG.
3. When any child falls and hurts themselves...but brushes it off and keeps on hauling it. PLG.
4. People who work in the mall and take their break on a bench while eating a Sam's pretzel and checking their watch occasionally. Oh wait..that was me in 1994...oh yeah, I worked at the Disney Store...please don't stop reading my blog because of that information....PLG....
5. People who are butt happy about something really simple. This could include a person with an ice cream cone...an older lady walking her dog...people returning cans at Meijers for their refund (yeah, I'm in Michigan)...PLG....
6. Anyone who's having a hard time doing something. Like sometimes when my 80-year-old neighbor is trying to get his lawn mower going. And he's usually not around in the spring but his wife died at Christmas so he didn't get to go to Florida this year. Ugh...soo PLG....
7. People who think something not so cute is a super nice shirt. Like the ladies who wear holiday puffy painted sweatshirts with winter scenes on them the entire month of December. Or teachers who wear a lot of denim overall dresses and neclaces with wooden animals on them. Some of these people might have raised my husband...I'm just sayin'...it's PLG.

So there you have it...enjoy it....incorporate it into your life if you'd like. It's really a goody.

Quite the Week I Guess...

It's been a while since I posted last...the week got away from me! In a nutshell...
1. Preparation and time spent this week selling and working and managing kids at garage sale...$120 made. Was it worth it? At least we got junk out of our house, the weather was fab, and Lucy had a blast playing with her cousin.
2. Parks, parks, walks and neighborhood exploring. I love this weather. For a stay at home mom, it gives us something "to do" every morning for free. If the weather's good, the day is our oyster! Even walking around the block with strollers is an event.
3. Spent a great morning at the zoo with my Dad....good times and good conversation. The animals weren't even out too much and lots of work is being done on it (great!), but the kiddos didn't care.
4. Sad Phil Stacy left Idol...and didn't really enjoy the Grey's Anatomy 2 hour "Addison-pilot" episode show. Her other actors/characters aren't likable. Even she is borderline likable. Wonder why they picked her to go solo on a show? Off choice if you ask me. I'd stare at McSteamy all day long on his own show...I'm just sayin'...
5. Matt's mom visited this weekend and it was really nice! Lucy was soooo happy to see her. When she put Lucy to bed and was walking out of her bedroom, Lucy spontaneously proclaimed, "I love you in my heart, Grammy."
6. We headed out for dinner/drinks downtown last night with friends and it was super fun. I had a chocolate martini with Starbucks coffee in it. Sounded odd but sooo luxurious!

Bless My 6th Grade Heart....

Last night, my Mom and Dad delivered my box of grade school/high school/college stuff. Inside were some real treasures, to say the least. Art projects from 3rd grade, a few stories I wrote, pictures of becoming a girl scout, playing basketball, sorority formals, old boyfriends, school dance photos, awards, certificates, diplomas, etc. But perhaps the greatest treasure of all was the diary I found from 6th grade. Here are just a few excerpts....

"I love Bryan!!!! I think he might like me. It's iffy. He did ask me to dance at Gina's house but I'm not sure he likes me or he just felt sorry for me..."
(Let's bear in mind I am 5'9". In 6th grade, I was at least 5' 6". NO boys would dance with me. I chose to have a crush on the shortest kid in my class: Bryan Roach. Go figure).

"Oh my gosh...I got my period yesterday! My mom got me a pin from an antique store as a present. I am shocked! No cramps or anything! It's no big deal though..."
(Right...totally not obsessed at all...)

And a classic from 1985...
"I really like Sydney. I hope he likes me. All I know is I am going to look pretty SHARP in my new jean jacket and Swatch watch!"