Time Flies

It's been a bit nuts around here lately. 2 Birthday parties for Domino, Easter and spring break for both the boys, vacation for Tonester, leaving me with little downtime. We've been to San Francisco, Concord, Vacaville, Discovery Kingdom, Children's Wonderland and back to Discovery Kingdom. We've bowled, we've scootered, we've hit Baskin Robbins and played with friends. And what little downtime I've had, I've been squeezing in work and getting myself increasingly frustrated with my computer (and myself)...

I just got a copy of Photoshop through my work for about $10. Couldn't pass that up! I should have. I haven't felt this totally un-computer savvy in years. I have wasted so much time fooling around with photos only to get myself aggravated - taking it out on everyone within house radius. I have followed what seem to be "spoon fed" tutorials online and still can't accomplish anything other than raising my blood pressure and future therapy bills for the kids. If my kids start swearing like sailors, I blame Photoshop for pushing me over the edge this week.

So here's an untouched photo that just sums up how I've been feeling on what is supposed to be a fun week of "vacation"....

For My Son's 6th Birthday...

... I gave him the flu.


"Mother of the Year"!

Sent him to school this morning, under questionable health status, but because I knew how much he wanted to be there for his big day I sent him anyway. He seemed fine at school pick up so we then we all went up to the mall for dinner with family. We had just entered Old Navy when he started barfing all over their floor.

Happy Birthday sweet Domino. I hope you feel better soon.

xoxo,
Mom

Sick Time

Everyone knows that Moms don't get sick time. We just can't get sick or the world will collapse around us, right?

I discovered today that's not true. And that my beloved Tonester is a superhero allstar rockstar kickass husband and dad. And I'm not exaggerating in the least.

I woke up around 2am Sunday morning violently shivering. Shivering like I have never shivered before. Even with the down comforter and blankets on I couldn't stop shaking in bed. I attempted to take my temperature but my teeth were chattering so bad that I couldn't hold the thermometer in - and I wasn't about to take it "the old fashioned way". Best reading I could come up with was 98.1 - hardly a violent shiver inducing number. I hunkered in bed in sweatpants, sweatshirt, socks and extra blankets and shook for about an hour. I was reawakened with single jolting shivers every 20 minutes or so for the rest of the night. And still no fever.

I consulted my dear friend Dr. Google on Sunday morning and found I have a terrible case of malaria. Or so the search string "severe chills without fever" would lead Dr. Google to have me believe. Soon, the body aches and the raging sore throat and deep chest cough developed and here I am with what appears to be the flu.

Tonester went to work at 4am today, which means he was up at 2:45am getting ready to go. He called me at 8:30 after I dropped off Domino at kindergarten and asked me how I was feeling. "Like total crap". I think that was when he put on his superhero cape and made some phone calls.

Shortly after arriving home with Rascal from kindergarten drop off, Tonester's sister came by and took Rascal off my hands FOR THE DAY. I had the house TO MY SELF FOR 8 HOURS.

Superhero Tonester, the man who got about 3 hours of sleep, picked kids up at school, took them and the family pooch to the dog park, went grocery shopping, got me Starbucks, rented movies and even managed to pick up the fluoride tablets I have neglected to pick up at the pharmacy since well before Christmas. And never once complained.

I dozed, I coughed, I took a bath, I cried while watching Oprah, and I even pay-per-viewed "Nancy Drew". And what my body is lacking in energy from this flu bug, my soul is overjoyed with the love from my family. The boys immediately climbed on top of me when they got home and cuddled with me "to make me feel better". And I do.

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other

Here's the photo I brought to the "hairstylist" (and I use that word loosely)

And here's what I got...

Tonester was very cute and had the kids all prepped with the praise before I walked in the door. He's learning. I had over 10 inches of hair cut off the back. There's some pieces of hair around the top of my head that are about 4 inches long.

Tony swears it's the same haircut from the photo I brought - but who are we kidding?! When the wind blows just right, I'm sporting the Carol Brady mushroom haircut.

At least my white hairs are covered for a couple of weeks... and so is my forehead from where she glopped dye all over me and left it. I'm the poster child for "what can go wrong will go wrong" as far as hairstyles go. Someday I'll relive the terrible "Valentines Day Surprise Gone Awry Hair" via this blog. For now, it's too painful to remember and I'm currently living the "Reasons Why You Should Just Leave Your Hair In A Ponytail (Which I Can No Longer Do) Instead Of Getting It Cut Hair"...

If Only All Graffiti Looked Like This...

An unsolicited love note written by Domino on the backyard fence.

No matter what way it happened - IT IS BAD!

So here's the story - the story as told by Rascal.

Tony came home from lunch with his family and we're chatting in the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Rascal comes into the kitchen and says "Here Mom, the man brought a package."
"A man brought a package?"
"Uh huh."
"What man?!"
"Um, I don't know. The man put this package on our dryer."
"A man put a package on our dryer??"
"Uh huh."
"Inside our house???"
"Uh huh."
"He was inside our house????"
"He opened the door and put this on the dryer."
"A man, we don't know, opened the door to our house and you saw him put this package on our dryer".
"Uh huh. Then he got into his UPS truck and drove away."

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! The UPS guy walked IN AND THROUGH my garage and OPENED THE DOOR TO MY HOME, LET HIMSELF INSIDE AND LEFT A PACKAGE. WHILE SPEAKING TO MY FOUR YEAR OLD WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE.

I'm freaked the f out! I'd complain to UPS but I have this massive paranoia about retaliation that I am too afraid for my family/house/car/life to complain. I've seen those Lifetime TV movies and know the hazards!

Thank god the guy was just dropping off a package and not kidnapping small children. Or attacking unsuspecting women in their kitchens.

Now, I've tried to play around in my head with more innocent scenarios. Rascal likes to play in the garage sometimes so he might have been out there when the UPS guy drove up, the UPS guy handed him the package, and then he left - and even that is not acceptable. However, Rascal has been completely consistent about the guy putting the package on the dryer and at this point I believe him.

If this doesn't teach Tonester to shut the damn garage, I don't know what will.

A Silly Post

Now, I’m not one to “bag on Barbie”. I spent hours and hours of my youth playing with an assortment of wonderful flea market and garage sale Barbies that my parents picked up here and there. I know I can't claim any serious self-esteem issues that I can directly correlate to those dolls. Of course, my 1970’s Barbies were dressed in glittery bell bottoms, puffy faux fur jackets, and beautiful hand knit baby blue full length dresses and lavender lace and satin ball gowns (don’t worry Bzee - Diana has them all today!) not the mid-drift baring dolls on the market today.

I just saw a commercial for the new Barbie living quarters Barbie® Totally Real House™” and I now have an issue with Barbie and her marketing. It has nothing to do with what she wears – but how she washes what she wears. A stacking front loading washer and dryer?! Are you kidding me? I guess I should be thankful there’s not a plasma tv there too.

So today's girls not only will compare themselves with Barbie's body, they get to compare their washer and dryer to her flashy high end appliances, too.

Now I have Barbie related self-esteem issues…