Heading Out...

Well, summertime does not cease to slow down at our house.
This week has included: parks, big pools, little pools, a new slip n slide, the library, Gymco mornings, Ms. Gloria mornings, outside runs with Tommy, playing with neighbors, bike rides with Dad, a cancelled garage sale, a neighborly wine night, a book club, and a 10K race for me tomorrow morning.
Yeah...that was just in the past 5 days...
But now we are getting ready to head over to Lake Huron for a week of...NOTHING!
My parents have rented the annual home on the water and we are all excited to spend our week relaxing there. Beach, food, family and laying low.
No cell phone, no emails, no classes, no nothing.
Have a wonderful 4th of July, my peeps!

And So It T'Was a Sunday at Costco...

O.k...the fighting couples at Costco had a LANDSLIDE victory over all other topics so those shall wait for a rainy day. Or for a day I am feeling a discussion about pedophiles..whichever happens first.

I headed out to Costco on Sunday afternoon sans family. It was lovely...quite relaxing, actually. As I enter Costco and start making my way up and down aisles I start to feel it...the tension. The crabbiness....the fury...

One woman to her husband: "John! (waving arm furiously towards her) We are LEAVING!" (eye roll)

Random panicked woman in a wheelchair to her husband at checkout: "They don't take credit here! Do you have your debit card?!!"
Husband: "Uhh...they take CASH don't they? I have CASH!" (again, more eye rolling and head shaking....)

Heaven forbid this woman wants a lovely Liz Claiborne cardigan sweater with NO TAG.
NO TAG YOU SAY???!! HOW DARE SHE!!!
Husband: "Great...now they have to go check on the price."
Wife: "But it's only $14.97! And it's LIZ CLAIBORNE!"
While price check is occuring (and by price check, I mean woman with a limp is running like mad to the back of the store with fire in her eyes), the husband is proceeding to look around at everyone in line like, "Can you get a load of this one? And I'm the lucky bastard stuck with her."

Once I get out of the Liz Claiborne hell, I exit into the parking lot where I think I am home free from the tension that is Costco. But not yet! Oh no!

As I approach my car and start to put items in the trunk, I notice a family staring at me. The have a new baby being held by the mom. The dad is putting items in the car next to me. I got the feeling I walked up on something.
Mom holding baby says something.
Husband: "What's that?"
Woman: "Nothing! I was talking to MY SON!"
Ooooh boy...here we go.

So what's the story? Is this how errand running rolls on a Sunday? Is there something about Costco that takes people to their wit's end?
Perhaps I have never noticed this before because Matt and I have been doing our own tunnel vision sweat-fest at Costco (o.k., I'll admit...with some eye rolling) while managing the kids and grabbing 542 rolls of toilet paper. I don't know...
What do you think?
Is this the norm?
Or do you all head out to run errands with love in your hearts and a twinkle in your eye?

Camping Gets Cancelled....and What Happens?

What a weekend it was...a very, very random weekend at that. Since I have about 50 blog post ideas rambling in my brain, I have decided to allow my whopping 14 readers to vote on what topic of the weekend you'd like to hear about.
Egotistical? Yes...
A little fun? Sure...
So get out there and vote my readers...all, ummm....4 of you who comment and the other annoying 10 who read this and don't ever comment!

Back in Action...

Well, we have a brand new camera...wanted to show before and after the saga. Nice work, team!

And Good Night...

"Goodnight mom (kissing and hugging me)...I can't believe you are my mom."

(My heart beaming with joy and love)

"...but I wish you had long hair."

And goodnight.

Expertise....

Lucy has decided this is the week she shall learn how to...Hoola Hoop!
She was working on it at the gym yesterday and asked me to get her one "at Target tomorrow."
So I did. And it lights up, for god's sake.
So for the past 1.5 hours, she has been working on her skills.
She is up to 5 tummy circles now before the drop.
I enjoy her working on this skill.
Hoola hoops are random and make no sense but I love them in every way.

In other news, Tommy is damn cute and suddenly loves cars and trucks for the first time in his 27 months of life. The end.

Babble and the Birthday...

Tonight, after a particularly tough behavior day for Lucy, I was putting her to bed. I had to run over to Chicago yesterday for a friend's wedding shower and she obviously knew I had been there the previous day.

(While hugging me) "Mom? You will always be my momma."
"And you will always be my Luce."
(Bug eyes and inches from my face) "But mom? I might live here or I might live in Chicago."
"That's o.k. Luce. I will always be your mom and love you no matter where you live."
"O.k."
(Cut to me walking out of her bedroom with tears streaming down my face...)

Strange conversations with her like this happen every now and then and it really kind of freaks me.
Lucy, if you are reading this and happen to be living in Chicago someday, let this be a note that you were already worried about how I'd deal with it when you were 4 years old. And let this be a reminder (to myself) that I acted supportive and reassuring of her decision at that age and I better act like that down the road.
Because down the road, she won't be able to say to me, "You'll always be my momma" but I hope I can still say to her, "No matter where you live or what you do, I will always be your mom and be here for you."
Geez...being a supportive mom is really tough. Even with a 4 year old, I guess.

Here's the crazy 4 year old now...a few pics from her gleeful birthday party. To say she was happy is an understatement. I was proud I was able to make her little birthday dreams come true...

Another Post About Randomness...

1. It feels really good to work on something that I feel I am good at. Maybe better than the average person. I am using my "grown up" brain this week, helping a friend create her website and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I also have a potential part-time gig cropping up by the end of summer. We will see if it happens but I am more intrigued by it than I can honestly say I have been about any work since "da Luce" came into the world.
2. Lucy has a busy summer with two camps that collide together in June and July for three mornings per week. She is handling it like a champ, actually. As for me and the Tomma, we have been enjoying a large amount of what I call "Momma/Tomma time." Although the time is admittedly filled with a few errands (the boy actually LIKED Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday...he is "a differnt"), we are also enjoying library classes, farmer's market, dancing in the driveway without "sissy" barrelling by with her bike/scooter/etc, pool visits, and ticklefests on the family room floor. I think we are both getting a kick out of this time, just the two of us.
3. I better shut the hell up. If I'm going to complain about my muffin top, then I better stop sabotaging my hard core daily workout by eating Cool Ranch Doritos at 10 p.m. I am just sayin'....it's getting me no where.
4. I am on BOOK #3 for me - just in the past two weeks!!! This is HUGE for me. I put down the US Weekly...I picked up another real book. I delete the Real World. I picked up another real book. Things are happening, people...
5. Did anyone see this guy on Oprah yesterday? It was a rerun from October and I had missed it somehow but it had me in tears and is very powerful. I recommend watching it.
6. I am getting my haircut tomorrow. Two sitters and about 12 phone calls later, it is happening. I will never make an appointment at 12 noon on a weekday again. Way too much effort. Even for my ever-so-lovely Mariska Hartigay wanna-be hairstyle.
7. I am sunburn. I have no one but myself to blame for this. Apparently I think I am too cool for SPF 30 when I have blazing white shoulders and thighs. Now they are blazing red. Next thing you know I will start spraying "Sun In" in the hair. You know, for that orange-tinged fried summer hair look. Hotness...

Random Milestone...

How do you know when your kid is getting older?

He eats an entire bowl of tomato soup, with no spills out of the bowl and just a little bit on his chin.
"I'm a big boy, mom!"

On a related note...is it odd that both my kids LOVE tomato soup? They could each slurp down an entire can of it at lunch. Ridic!

Here She Comes...

6:37 a.m. Sunday, June 6, 2004

Dialated to 9. Finally have the epidural. Trying to rest up to start pushing, but too excited to really sleep.
I get to meet her in a couple of hours...
I don't even know she has big, huge brown eyes yet.

6:37 a.m. Friday, June 6, 2008

Big, huge brown eyes about one inch from my face.
"Mom? Are you awake?"

"Yeah...did you remember it's your birthday? You're 4 now!"

"I am? Yeah...I know! I have been dancing in my room all morning!"

Tuesday Thoughts of the Day...

1. In an effort to disengage from "time sucking" t.v. this summer, I am forcing myself to ignore commericals for potential shows I would normally be into. I am committing to reading a few books this summer (Steph, can we be friends now?) and am NOT clicking the DVR timer setting when I see shows I want to watch. These shows may or may not include: Denise Richard's reality show (she really is a bitch, I watched the first one. Whoops! I slipped!), Real World Hollywood (I am 34...that is just plain absurd), Living Lohan (I am just saying I might have watched the first 10 minutes of this show and Dina Lohan? You scare the living daylights out of me), and Last Comic Standing (although I was quite passionate about that show last year). In the meantime, you will hopefully find me tucked in bed at 9:31 p.m., reading a lovely book that is making me a better person (ummm...falling asleep now....).

2. I took my very first Pilates class this morning. In general, I would say it was a pretty interesting class with lots of core strengthening and stretching. As a self-proclaimed "cardio junkie," it is hard to accept the 45 minute class as a true workout. However, I have a pretty good feeling I will be very sore tonight and I have to admit, my muscles were shaking a little after class. This could be a great new one-day a week class for me.

3. Tommy can't stop talking. New words, new phrases. When we were getting out of the car this morning, I heard someone say, "I like your shirt, Mom!"
I stopped, looked at Lucy and Tommy, and seriously had to ask, "Who said that?" Lucy exclaimed, "Tommy!"
I was all..."Ummm...thanks, Tommy!" and he replied, "You're 'elcome..."
4. So far, Summer 2008 has involved a lot of adult beverages for me. I'm not a big "glass of wine with dinner" type of gal. Mostly, that is because a glass of wine doesn't go real well with chicken nuggets and mac and cheese.
I pretty much only drink with friends on a night out or something. The past two weeks? There are never enough reasons for a drink.
Hey, someone broke out a baby pool? I better grab a beer.
What? You want to stop by? Let me make you a vodka tonic!
Have you tried the new Bud Light lime yet? Oh, let's have one!
It's Summer 2008! Whoooo!

5. Lucy has gathered many "isms" of mine over the past few years. Some have been good, some have been not so good. Last night was a goody....
So we bust in at 6:30 p.m. after a long evening at the pool and everyone is tired and hungry. I crack open some guacamole and chips. We are all kind of mowing on them on the kitchen counter. Lucy all of a sudden says, "Let's take this into the family room and have a little chat."
Now I've done it. I think I've taught her the concept of "Happy Hour."

See, Sarah of December 12, 2007? All Better....

Remember the saga that was the crushed water pipes of December 2007?
I can now giggle at the PLG Christmas tree lights, shining through the window in the photo.
I picture myself weeping softly on the couch, staring out at the drama. Fears of never ever being able to pay for children's colleges, any family vacations, and this past year's Christmas gifts were crushed with every swoop of that damn digger in my yard.
The peeing, on day #4 of no water, at the DeKokers. The poo-ing in Elliot and Olivia's bathroom as they got ready for school at 8 a.m.
Absurd...
Well, my friends...we are back. As predicted, with two type-A personalities running this household, the yard is back to what it was. In fact, I would argue it looks even better than years past. If our camera was not on the fritz, I would have posted pics of our luxurious new yard. Sadly, I cannot do that at this time. Just trust me on this...it looks good!
Shout outs to Patrick, Shawn, Darrell, Shelly, and of course, Matt, for all the assistance and sweat put into making it look luxurious again.
Our goal every year is to have our yard looking "summer ready" by Lucy's birthday. She turns four on Friday.
"Bye bye!" creepy, large 10 foot trench and mound of dirt I have been staring at for 5 months.
Welcome back, green lawn.
Oh, and somehow, we were able to pay for Christmas gifts, Disney plane tickets, AND the saga (thank you, refinanced house!).
However, I'm just saying Tomma better keep dribbling that basketball because we are on the lookout for scholarships, people, SCHOLARSHIPS!