Hi Mom, Chris, Nancy and the other 98% of my family (and a few of my best friends who aren’t on Facebook)! You know how you never check my blog anymore because I NEVER post anything anymore? And how I always say it’s because I’m so busy and that’s only 50% true because the other half of the reason is that so many of what would have once been great blog posts ended up as Facebook one-liners instead? Well this is for you. And also for me so I can still call myself a blogger.
For further explanation, click HERE.
Heeeere’s May and June!
May 1
8:20 a.m.
The twins are watching the Disney Channel and something regarding a hot air balloon race must be happening on TV…
Eleanor: That’s not true!
Me: What?
Eleanor: George said that when people go on a honeymoon they get into a balloon and float into space.
Me: Daddy and I went to Spain.
George: OR Greenland! You could go to Greenland.
Me: Well, that’s another option…
6:30 p.m.
Exactly who decided that “dinner” has to be a thing? If I could just have wine and cheese every night, I’d be so happy…
May 3
3:30 p.m.
I think I just replaced about 80% of the light bulbs in our house. It was getting very Little House on the Prairie around here… On the upside, I have now decided that I may survive an additional 3 weeks in a post apocalyptic world.
May 5
3:00 p.m.
Thankfully, it didn’t break. [Note: they were wearing helmets because they were riding bikes at the time – NOT for the horse.]
May 6
5:50 p.m.
This may be my favorite picture anyone has taken of me EVER. And yes I did notice that it’s not a close up. I’m 41 yo. Thank you Amanda!
May 7
11:30 p.m.
I love it when a “regular guy” gets to be the hero. Just hanging out, eatin’ his McDonald’s and BAM! – suddenly he’s saving women being held captive in his neighbor’s house. LOVE IT.
May 9
7:25 a.m.
I think Eleanor has a Man Cold. Is that even possible?
5:15 p.m.
Oliver does this stuttering thing a lot, and every time he says, “because, because, because,” I want to sing, “because, BECAUSE! Because of the wonderful things he does!” But I don’t because (because, because, because, BECAUSE) none of my kids have seen The Wizard of Oz yet (scary flying monkeys) and my husband hates musicals. So no one would get it. And the dog would attack me because she can’t handle singing and dancing. YAY – life is fun! By the way, I’m drinking wine – CHEERS!
May 10
8:00 a.m.
George: Is it Mother’s Day on Sunday?
Me: YES! And Daddy is going to clean the whole house as my present!
Eleanor: [SNORT!]
I love my daughter.
May 12
11:00 a.m.
Because everyone should have a picture of her daughter on a stripper pole. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
12:50 p.m.
My friend Diane and I are getting Mother’s Day pedicures. Our color choices say a lot about our personalities…
May 14
6:50 p.m.
Every night we have a variation of this conversation:
Oliver: Mom, can I have some ice cream?
Me: No honey – it’s a little early for dessert. We’ll do that in 15 minutes.
George: I’M SOOOOO HUNGRY for ice cream!
Me: There is no such thing as being “hungry” for ice cream – just “wanting” ice cream, and you can wait 15 minutes.
Eleanor: But that’s a LONG time.
George: I’m SOOOOO HUNGRY!
Oliver: Can I have some ice cream?
Me: If you are hungry, I’m happy to to whip up some vegetables. And THEN, after you eat them, you can have some ice cream. Or you can wait 15 minutes.
And every night they make the same decision.
May 18
11:35 a.m.
Apparently, there is no direction, explanation, or threat that will make Oliver understand that he may NOT point to people with gray or balding hair and say, “Look! An old man!” (or when applicable “An old woman!”)
This is a huge source of embarrassment for me lately and I have to be vigilant about who he interacts with when we are out in public.
Unfortunately, I sometimes lose him in a crowd. As we left Costco five minutes ago, I saw him chatting with someone “not young;” and when I caught up with him, he delightedly pointed and said, “Look mom! An old man!” The best part? It was an old woman.
Awesome.
May 20
3:00 p.m.
First dripping ice cream cone seems like an official start of summer.
May 22
10:20 a.m.
If you are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic and Oh What a Night comes on the radio, do you sing along at the top of your lungs without any regard for what the other drivers think? Keep in mind that you get extra points for posting about it on FB…
11:05 a.m.
So first it was Oh What a Night. Then it was Glamorous Life and THEN it was You Are the Sun, You Are the Rain. And THAT is why I listen to the radio.
2:50 p.m.
Just drove down M street in G-town traffic ON PURPOSE so I could see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same (a lot and not much) and miss living in DC (’cause I’m a masochist like that).
5:40 p.m.
“Go get your underwear, and then we’re going home.” I just said that to one of my children. At the playground.
6:20 p.m.
I was so happy with my chin length haircut until it got humid. Now I just look like one of Marge Simpson’s sisters…
May 23
12:00 p.m.
So if you are me, and you’re in need of a totally humiliating experience, I highly recommend trying on skinny jeans. Trust me – it will NOT disappoint.
May 25
3:45 p.m.
Went shopping today and my kids BEGGED for Trix in the cereal aisle (because they’re “for kids” of course – the obsession with commercials continues…) Then at home, they BEGGED to try some since they’ve NEVER had it before. They HAD to see what that silly rabbit was going on about. Eleanor popped one in her mouth and then huffed, “they just taste like Fruit Loops.” Very disappointing moment. So young and so unimpressed. Sad to see my worldly daughter peak at the tender age of six.
May 26
7:45 p.m.
Anyone else get one of those sponsored posts about a pharmaceutical lawsuit including a drug called YAZ, and immediately think “looking from the window above, it’s like a story of love…” ?
May 27
1:00 p.m.
70 degrees, overcast and a freezing-cold, just-opened-for-the-season pool. These two are in it to win it. George and I are conscientious objectors.
2:50 p.m.
Me: Eleanor, you have the best eyelashes.
Eleanor: I do?
Me: Yes! They’re so long, and they actually curl.
Eleanor: Don’t all eyelashes curl?
Me: Mine don’t.
Eleanor: [looking at me] You’re right, they don’t…and they’re really short.
Me: Thanks.
Eleanor: Do you cut them?
There is such a thing as too much honesty…
May 29
9:30 a.m.
After catching an unwelcome glimpse upper arm skin “jiggle” a moment ago, it occurred to me that getting old is much like mountain climbing: as a general rule of thumb, it’s always best to not look down.
June 4
5:00 p.m.
I took Alice to the vet today and was informed that she is overweight. Then I ate an entire Toblerone in indignation on her behalf.
June 6
8:50 a.m.
This morning, George crawled into bed with me. We talked about this and that and suddenly, it was long past time to get up. I said to him, “okay buddy – we need to go get our day started.” So he hopped down, and in his odd little George patois, said, “that’s what what I gon’ do.” Then he purposefully walked out the door muttering, “gon’ go get my day started.” I wish I could start every day like that.
June 9
3:20 p.m.
So Justin Timberlake just came on the radio, and George says, “this is Alvin and the Chipmunks!” Did the Chipmunks do a JT cover? So out of touch with the rock scene…
June 12
9:30 a.m.
Guess we won’t be hauling that broken grill to the dump this summer…
June 13
2:05 p.m.
Exactly when did I become the “go to” person for things people can’t find around here? They don’t even LOOK – they just ask, “where is my…?”
I swear if the dog could talk, she’d be all, “where is my bone? No, the RAWHIDE bone. No, not THAT rawhide bone – the one that’s half chewed. No, the one that’s HALF chewed – not the one that’s 3/4 chewed. I DID check my room [lie] – it isn’t there...”
Then I have to acknowledge that I did bring this upon myself by always knowing where everything is. Even the bones.
June 14
9:40 a.m.
Just found out that my 2012 Listen to Your Mother DC reading, “Stupid” was featured on Upworthy.com yesterday! This kind of thing NEVER happens to me – so I’m just a teeny tiny (!!) bit excited about that.
June 15
10:10 a.m.
So I no longer have to worry about losing Oliver at Target. Now when we get separated, he just has me paged.
4:30 p.m.
Post “pool” party
June 16
10:25 a.m.
Father’s Day at our house means that Dad gets to sleep as long as he likes, get served breakfast in bed with presents, and then spend the day relaxing – which generally involves a nap or two. So basically, it’s like any other Sunday with breakfast in bed and presents.
2:55 p.m.
Just heard Chris say something to Eleanor in Spanish and then explain what it means. Which is weird since he likes to speak to me in Spanish when he doesn’t want the kids to know what he’s saying – like it’s our secret code language. Which is also weird since I don’t speak Spanish…
8:00 p.m.
Patchwork pants and a Sonny Bono mustache…the quintessential ’70s man. Thinking about that Dad of mine on Father’s Day. And now thinking about that dress my Mom is wearing and questioning WHY she did not save it for me!
June 17
9:00 a.m.
Me: Eleanor, do you want a doughnut?
E: No thanks.
Me: Really?
E: Yeah…I’m just not wild about doughnuts lately.
To be filed under “When 6 year old girls sound like their 41 year old mothers.”
June 18
8:30 p.m.
Today, Oliver and George commemorated the last day of school by giving each other Sharpie mustaches five minutes before we left to meet the bus. Luckily I saw this early enough to erase most of the damage with turpentine. KIDDING about the turpentine (we didn’t have any).
June 20
4:50 p.m.
What is more fun than cleaning? (I know AS IF!) Trying to clean while your dog viciously attacks the vacuum cleaner. YAY PETS!
June 21
8:20 a.m.
At the dermatologist for a weird rash on my ankle. But I really just want to talk about wrinkles.
June 22
4:40 p.m.
“I’m almost 7.” Why the rush? You certainly won’t hear, “I’m almost 42,” from me next spring…
June 23
2:50 p.m.
Switched Oliver from adapted soccer (which he loved) 20 minutes away to adapted basketball FIVE minutes away. How does he feel about this change? “Um, Mom…I think you’re fired.”
June 25
11:00 a.m.
You know when you take your family to one of those kids’ movie showings, and there is that one little boy who is SO LOUD and won’t stop talking and yelling out the “funny” lines he really likes, and you really don’t know if you can make it to the end of the movie without screaming SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP! …?
That would be George.
And we only just finished watching the previews.
June 26
8:30 p.m.
Chris: You always hide things!
Me: You mean put things away?
This explains so much about us…
June 27
4:10 p.m.
The vet put Alice on a pretty strict diet, and the weight has been melting off. Everyone keeps telling me how slim she looks. So I can now cross “feeling envious of my dog” off the bucket list…
June 28
8:00 a.m.
Alert to my neighbors: It is 8:00 a.m. and George is dressed and ready to start knocking on doors. Told him no way due to the early hour and the fact that WE DON’T knock on doors looking for play dates. So he’s just going outside to “check the weather.” Yeah right…
UPDATE: G just came in and I asked if anyone was outside. He said, “just a daddy was outside and he was NOT late for work.” Better sprint to the car this morning – or you may get caught in George’s web of questions and important information to impart.
4:20 p.m.
Of all of my friends, only Diane would (possibly) break her foot “doing a fan kick” while choreographing a routine for a pole dancing competition.
June 29
10:20 a.m.
Just made a New Year’s resolution (what? You don’t make these in June?) to go back to putting birthdays on my calendar. I can no longer rely on Facebook to remind me about birthdays, 1. because I don’t always remember to check for birthdays, and 2. because approximately 2% of my family members are on Facebook. Now I just need to develop a system for remembering if I remembered to wish people a happy birthday when I saw it on the calendar. Birthdays are complicated. Think Jehovah’s Witnesses may have the right idea about this one…
11:40 a.m.
For me, THIS is summer. Which may greatly contribute to the 10 lbs I usually gain by fall…
June 30
10:00 a.m.
Swim instructor told me that when she said, “Hi Handsome!” to Oliver, he countered, “I’m not Handsome, I’m Crazy Pants.” I’d say more like “Crazy Handsome,” but Crazy Pants suits him well enough.
Ha Ha! Love these glimpses into family life!
anna see recently posted..Under the Yucatan Sky
Many laughs and other pleasures, but keep scrolling back up to look at your groovy, stylin’ seventies parents. Yes, your mom looks beautiful in the dress she didn’t save for you, but your dad is wearing pastel patchwork flares and is (very nearly) pulling it off. Impressive.
K A B L O O E Y recently posted..Trust The Suniverse, Not Hasselhoff, and Save a Life
That is a GREAT picture of you. And I am still here, still reading. I do miss the old days of blogging, I must say! Don’t go away, okay? xo
Hope you’re enjoying summer so far!
Loukia recently posted..Summer Hours
I remember a lot of these, but still love them. Glad you’re still a blogger. ;-)
PS Birds beat bats any say.
Lady Jennie recently posted..Life in the Trenches – Chapter 26
What??!! I missed that your reading was on Upworthy. So very cool, Kate! I’m not on FB that day and I miss everything.
I miss you. I love, love these updates of your family.
heidi recently posted..fancy feet: turning my tragedy into hope