Concert

I've always been one to think about what my kids will remember from childhood.  I don't want them to look back and wish it were too different, although I know there will be times like that.  But for the most part, I try to conciously balance between the good and the bad.  There is disclipline, but there is also fun.  And that's something that I try to really maintain.

Since it's summer, I work from home and have pretty much disrespected any form of schedule that believed it belonged in my house ... my kids are enjoying the time they've been spending with their neighborhood friends.   And I'm happy to oblige. 

My philosophy: "They're only young once."

Right?

They balance their days and nights between my house and their friends' houses that are each within walking distance from our home.  Their friends have great parents and I can certainly trust that they are being taken care of.

Back to the story.


We've started a new tradition this summer, and I have to tell you, as obnoxious as it may seem, every time we do it, it makes me think of how I really hope my kids remember these moments when they are grown.

I've spent a great deal of the summer with my kids and their two friends.  Count 'em folks... FOUR kids.

Thank goodness they are good kids.  :)

So, we roll all the windows down on Francine (my car) and turn the CD up literally as loud as it will go.

Bekah usually plays air guitar, her friend Jordan sits in the back with her singing and laughing.  Chas and Nick will sing along too, dancing and doing arm motions to accompany their infamous moves.

We call it the "car concert".

Alright, don't grade me on creativity, because after spending the summer with 4+ kids every day, my intelligence, maturity and creativity are lacking.

Don't judge.

So, back to the concert.  My favorite part comes at the end of the song, where as the song volume dereases with the final notes, we all start screaming and clapping like we're at a concert.

Some would argue that our actions are insane.

..and i'd have to agree.

but it's fun.  And that's what memories are made of, right?


So tonight, all four kids crashed at the "five oh eight" (that's what i call my house, due to the numericals in my address for those that don't understand).  I had recorded the CMT top 20 video countdown earlier this morning and decided I wanted to watch it.

That simple act turned into a a wild event that included numeous clothing changes and in one case, the boys dressed in dresses and cowboy hats.

I won't expand on that one.

The best part was that we only had 1 cowboy hat.  That's kind of a problem with 4 kids.

Thankfully their creativity came into play rather quickly and devised a plan of improvision where they would be able to wear 'any' hat in the house to the concert.  We had a pink and blue sombrero, a full pink and blue indian headdress and then the old faithful pink cowboy hat.

The fast songs would include dancing, jumping around, clapping, and just overall concert-ish moves that you would expect at a full country concert. 

Not in my living room.

but whatever.  My sanity was already gone.

We spent a good hour or more laughing, singing and having a really fun time.   The kids were all happy and playing together perfectly.

Although my kids are still young, I know the days are numbered and the opportunity to make fun memories like that will dissipate in the future.  I won't lie there are certainly days when I want to find some island far, far away where there are only good friends, good food and a good man (only when I want him! hah!)... but tonight was a night where I realized....

...there's no place like home.

...there's no sound greater than children laughing.

...there's no where else I'd rather have been.

Life is good.

Cheater

After working at JCPenney in high school and college and then working there for several years when I thought I was going to get laid off from HP several years ago, I kinda grew to love the JCP. 

Mostly beacuse they were always so good to me.  They paid me well (for part time work) - were ready to invest in me from a growth perspective when I was worried my future with HP was limited and most of all, always worked around my schedule, especially when it came to my school functions, my kids and my 'real' job.

JCP was like an outlet.  I hated working at HP all day and then heading to JCP at night, but it was a different kind of work and I liked it.  I was able to see and talk to many different people, help out with their shopping, give them good deals on sales and just generally work with the public.

When my career stabilized again after many workforce transformations and my photography hobby picked up, I was able to let go of JCP from a financial provider perspective and depend on them only to shop.

...and maybe when my JCP bill was equal to the money I was making there during work, I might have realized that I didn't really depend on the money for anything other than to support a really, really bad habit I had picked up....

Clearance Shopping.

But nonetheless, JCP was always good to me and at times, I still miss working for her.

But I'm a grown up.  With kids.  I don't need to be working retail hours unless I absolutely have to.

I've always shopped there though.  Probably because I knew the floor plan inside and out.  And maybe because I just 'knew' how to work the sales to my advantage. 

Here lately, I've been feeling really guilty because  - - - -





... I've been cheating on JCP with Kohl's.



I know, it might sound trivial.  Because Kohl's is pretty much JCP's biggest competition from a product and sales perspective.  But it's a stupidly big deal to me.

I guess it all started when I moved to my house and was about 10 minutes from Kohl's.  Or maybe I ran across a really good deal on something there and decided to go back again.

And again

and again

and...

you get the drift.

So whatever.

This weekend, I finally reached a point in the proverbial relationship with Kohl's that it was time to come out and just admit it.

What prompted this turning point?

Hold on to your hat, because this is pretty absurd good.

If any of you (ladies ... I know there are a couple of men that read this) - so any of you ladies are big busted, you will know that strapless bras are absolutely NOT our friends.

Don't even try to ACT like a strapless bra fits you like it did in high school because I am here to tell you that it doesn't.  It just doesn't. 

One of two things happens:

1. - whatever outfit you are wearing that requires a strapless bra literally drums up vocal chords and says, "hello world... the GIRLS HAVE ARRIVED!"  and you end up looking like a ridiculous hooker that's trying to show off her assets.

2. - the strapless bra itself grows vocal chords and says, "look, it's just too much, we can't support all of this."  And it ends up stupidly uncomfortable to the point where you just wish you would've worn a sweatshirt and called it a day.


So, back to the story.

I was wandering around Kohl's and saw what appeared to be some letters on the tag of a brassier that appeared to have a heavenly glow around it as though God himself sent this brassier to directly to me.

(oh, how He answers prayers...)

"strapless minimizer"

What?  A strapless minimizer.  Because of comfortability (certainly not style, but definitely comfortability), I always purchase minimizers.

But now... a strapless minimizer.

That sealed the deal.

Kohl's was my new love.

And away I went.... minimizer in tow.

... and we are living happily ever after.

What the World is Missing...

What the world is missing is good old-fashioned letters.

Yep, the kind that you write to people you care about to say hello, update them on what's going on in your life and just take a moment out of your day to generally sit down and "pen" a note to someone.

I don't know about you, but getting the mail every day is so ho-hum.  Which bill will I get?  What piece of junk mail will come today?

My sweet girl's cousin just took a vacation to Pigeon Forge and promised to send her a postcard or letter.

...and we have been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for the letter to arrive.

Every day, she's at the mailbox waiting.

And I think that innocence is just so sweet, and genuine.

Sometimes I wonder what it must've been like back when people had loved ones overseas at war and the only mechanism for communication was via letter.  How sweet that would've been to receive a letter from your son, husband, nephew, brother, etc.

So, I wonder ... fellow blog readers... should we start a little letter campaign!?  Just for funsies!?!

My Life as a Sitcom

I always dreamed of the fairy tale life... boy meets girl, they get married, have 4 kids, a nice big house and live happily ever after.

And you know, if a couple of screenwriters were looking for a sweet gig, they could certainly document my life... I mean, it's definitely a tale of boy meets girl, they have a kid and life goes on.

...except my version has a few extra episodes.

Let's just look back from a 'love life' perspective.  And honestly, laugh with me if you will.

So, it's te classic tale of a girl and a boy dating in high school, he goes off to college, parties too much for the prudish girl to handle and she moves on.

And meets another boy, they date for a year she comes home from college on Christmas break and a month later learns about the sweetest Christmas gift that would keep on giving for years and years and years.  9 months later, the baby was born and life went on.

The next episode features the girl moving out on her own with the toddler boy because things in the relationship couldn't continue. 

A couple of years later girl meets another boy, makes a not so smart decision and ends up with a baby girl.

Just the kind of romantic comedy you were dreaming of, eh!?

So fast forward about eight years.

Same sweet girl, raising those sweet little children.

Fast forward to yesterday.

I'm trying to teach my almost-11-year-old-son to mow the yard.  Not only to help me out, but also because it could certainly earn him some money, mowing for family and potentially older neighbors in the neighborhood.  

Lucky for me, he has been hanging around a slightly older 12 year old friend who understands the importance of helping out and encourages him to do his part.

So, yesterday he decided he was going to help me by push mowing the yard.  We have a riding mower, but he doesn't quite weigh enough to keep it running, so he pushes the other mower.

And because he was trying to be extremely helpful, he went ahead and lowered the mower deck to the 1st notch.

I'm not quite  sure if he mowed the lawn or the actual Earth below it, but my grass is definitely shorter.  God love him.  and the area around my landscaping is still the old height.  Not only because we don't own a weed-eater, but also because he wasn't exactly the most precise in his route around the yard.

But hey, the grass is mowed, right?

...annnnnnnd I probably won't have to mow again until next year :)


Just kidding, kinda.


By last night, he and his friend Nick were worn out from mowing and swimming all afternoon and evening and decided to go to Nick's house down the street for a bonfire.  The plan was for both boys to return to my house and spend the night.

...they rolled in around about 11pm, when the bonfire at Nick's was over... cell phone in hand.

Now, I have to tell you...

I am having a hard time with my son growing up.

Hard time like... searching for body hair in hopes of not finding any and knowing that when I do, undoubtedly, a tear will be shed.

Because that will be confirmation that my sweet, sweet baby is growing up.

(so far, no body hair yet).

I try to play it cool when it comes to chicks ladies hotties girls... because I want him to feel like he can talk to me about stuff. 


..even though we all know that when some chick girl breaks his heart, imma make sure she knows who da boss is I am there to help mend his little broken heart.

To the point, the boys roll in to the five-oh-eight about 11 last night, cell phone in hand. 

..texting  the enemy girls.

Apparently, one of the little girls said she likes "guys with long hair".  Naturally,  since my son's hair is shaggy.... he went in the bathroom, got his teeth all brushed, his hair all combed to the side like it is supposed to look, got his phiton necklace on and was ready for his cellular photo debut to some hormone filled girl that was about to view my son like a piece of meat.

Oh hell no!

But I played along.  I acted like it didn't break my heart that he was trying to impress another girl.

I didn't let him out of my room without telling him that he's absolutely not allowed to kiss girls until he's 30.  And i'm pretty sure the look he gave me was one that would say, "Don't go there, mom."

But regardless, I played it cool, asking what the girls wrote back.   To be honest i was torn.  I didn't necessarily want them to say he was "hot", because seriously, that's my baby.

But if they said he was ugly.... I'd have to put the smack down, because seriously, that's MY baby.

Luckily, Nick's phone died before they were able to ask much more than how old my baby he was.

Not really sure how I'm going to handle it when boys start talking to my little girl.

It just might be enough to drive me to drink.

...and I don't drink.

CoinStar

Remeber the times back in High School when we used to do stupid stuff and laugh for days about it? 

..some of the same stuff you find yourself reminiscing about years later.

Lately, I've had some super cool flashbacks to high school fun-times and have really enjoyed the opportunity to let-loose and be the old, crazy, obnoxious me.

I'll take you on flashback for a few moments to set the proverbial "stage" for a moment so you can appreciate the story that I'm about to tell.

So, in High School (as many of you readers know), I had a steady boyfriend.  Despite the fact that he had what woud have been considered really nice cars, inevitably, we would always end up driving around town like total fools in a hooptie.  And by hooptie, I mean an old red 4-door sunbird that his dad drove to work.  Or sometimes an old white caprice (the box style) police car that his dad had bought really cheap.  Once, when we went to Las Vegas together, we had an old grey Corsica as a rental car and it was fun too.

But nonetheless - we were always doing the stupidest stuff, and just laughing about it for ever.

Those are some of THE best memories in my life.

Recently, I found myself buying a new (to me) car.

Why?  Because my sweet ride needed about $2k worth of work to make it drive properly, and since my family was outgrowing it anyway, I decided to upgrade to the full-fledged Soccer Mom Mobile.

Now, before you jump to conclusions, there are no bumper stickers indicating that my child is smarter than yours.... there are no decals on the back window with stick figures of me, my kids and their pets.... and there's most certainly not a magnet to show that my son is #48 on the football team.

So don't worry - i'm not there...

yet.

But anyway - for those of you who know me (all too well) and love me anyway, you can only imagine the condition of the inside of my old car.

To make a long story short, I met an old friend for dinner and then we went to the dealership to clean out my car.  He insisted that we retrieve every single piece of change (coins) that was in there. 

I maintained my arguement that whomever cleaned out my car deserved that kind of a tip for having to deal with all the crap.

But he won.

So, all of my change went into his pocket.

After we were done cleaning out my car, he suggested we go over to the CoinStar machine at Kroger to cash in my coins. 

I laughed.

But quickly realized he was serious... so away we went. 

It was one of those moments where I didn't have my kids with me, I was able to be 'me'... and just have a good time. 

So, we followed eachother to the CoinStar, where he proudly unloaded his pockets and dumped my change into the little tray.

Because i'd never done this before, I was laughing.

Laughing at the fact that this poor friend just got every ounce of change that was available from my car and is now standing in the CoinStar machine cashing it in for me.

Laughing at the fact that, as we stand at the CoinStar machine listenin to the change drop one-by-one; we just might look like people who are cashing in the money we found in our couch so we can buy milk.

Laughing at the fact that there was over $15 in change randomly laying around my car.

But most of all, I was thankful for the fact that I was able to spend time with a sweet friend who makes me laugh and gives me an opportunity to be myself.

Life isn't so bad :)