This Full House Archive

Category: Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

  • Summer Vacation: Hump Day Diddy Dumbs – And she’s climbing a stairway to 7 minutes in heaven – Day 30

    Though, I don’t know if I believe in angels, I am pretty sure
    there’s a special place – especially, reserved for tired and wigged-out
    old mommies and daddies, like us – and perhaps most parents would
    agree. After years of raising kids and killer dust bunnies, it’s sort
    of, you know, hard to find the magic.

    [wink, wink]

    You know what I’m saying?

    [nudge, nudge]

    Say no more.

    Warninglabel_2

    Are they gone, yet?

    Okay – we don’t want to scare the straights, or anything – but,
    here’s the thing, my husband and I are coming up on our 17th wedding
    anniversary (next month) and, I have to say, intimacy isn’t an issue
    and there are times when we’re both surprised at how, you know,
    enthusiastic we can get.

    Timing, however, has NEVER been on our side and – having four
    rugrats running up and down our nerves, all day – we’ve learned never
    to take a good old fashioned “quickie” for granted, either!

    To hell with seven minutes in heaven…give us at least five…and we’re good.

    But, there are those moments — you know, when kids are in bed, the
    dishes are done, the cats and dog are down and the moon’s alignment
    with the shifting tides coincides with our moods — when time and
    space seems to stop and we have the best gosh-darned meeting of the
    mine and his, EVUH!

    Now, about last night.

    [Just so you know, here’s where you should click away, Mom!]

    Is she gone – can’t say I didn’t warn her, right!?!?

    My SIL was due in, this morning (shhh…she’s upstairs, asleep) and
    Little Man has graciously agreed to give up his room, next to ours, for
    his favorite Aunt and it has been a while since we, you know, did I mention she’d be sleeping in the room…right…next…to ours!?!

    "Are the kids down?"

    [giggle]

    "Yes…FINALLY!"

    I mean, it was well passed 11 and, after having waited a good hour,
    we turned out the lights, climbed the stairway, kicked the cats off the
    bed, shut the door, made sure to lock the dog out and found a little
    piece of heaven.

    Until.

    KNOCK…KNOCK…KNOCK!!!

    [gasping for breath]

    "WHAT…YES…WHO IS IT…WHAT’S WRONG!?!"

    Honest and true, we just replaced the batteries in the fire alarms
    and I really didn’t think the house was hit by lightening, or anything.

    "It’s me, Thing Two…and Mini-me…we couldn’t
    sleep…so, we went to the couch…and heard some really weird
    noises…so, we came upstairs…and…and…all we heard is
    this…OOOOH….UUUUH….OOOOH!"

    Silence.

    KNOCK…KNOCK…KNOCK!!!

    Busted.

    "IS MOMMY ALRIGHT!?!?"

    No, I wasn’t.

    "Duh…um…the air-conditioner…duh…loud…um…the thunder….duh."

    In fact, I was absolutely dumbstruck and shocked beyond words,
    actually and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen my husband so calm,
    collected and get dressed so fast, in all our years together!

    "Yes, she’s fine…I was just tickling her and she was laughing so hard, she almost puked!"

    Silence.

    "You’re scaring us, Mommy!"

    Heaven knows, they are NOT alone.

    "I’ve been on a plane since 10:30 last night and you guys look more tired, than I do!"

    My SIL surprised us early this morning and all I could think about
    was – besides, cleaning the shmootz out of my eyes, opening the front
    door and body slamming the dog – thank goodness I had on clean, you
    know, pajamas!

    "Thing Two and me couldn’t sweep, because Mommy was noisy and woke-did us up wike, ooooh…uuuuh…ooooh!"

    Silence.

    "Soooo…I’m guessing I’ll be sleeping on the living room couch with Doofus-dog, after all and…um…EWWW!?!?"

    [hangs head in shame]

    To think, I thought her playing Led Zeppelin backwards sounded weird!

    [ducks to avoid lightning bolt]

    If anyone needs us, I’ll be upstairs dusting off the child safety
    gates and sound-proofing my room, while my husband reintroduces himself
    to, you know, taking cold showers!

  • Summer Vacation: On bad luck, superstition and being scared half to death, twice – Day 25

    Deathmask

    […exercising a vested interest in spawning fear since 1993]

    Having been raised in a very superstitious household – where spilled
    salt and broken mirrors were considered unfavorable signs of bad things
    to come – and being a very clumsy child, I was a cause of deep concern
    for my family and often times found myself the subject to one of my
    grandmother’s homemade remedies, or lucky charms.

    Did they work?

    Depends on who you ask – especially, whenever things finally went
    right – my grandmother swears it did and growing up, I was scared to
    death that lightening would strike and somehow I would be blamed.

    And then, it did – twice – and now, I’ve got both my husband and poor mother-in-law scared to death!

    You see, she reads my blog – hi mom, how’s it hanging? – and my
    husband is simply horrified by the fact that I might, you know, write
    about something that his mother may NOT necessarily care to know, or
    read about.

    SNORT.

    Like, she raised five children and has babysat ALL four of
    our children on numerous occasions. I mean, my kids can’t wait to tell
    grandma, "Our house almost burned down" and "The car almost broke," or,
    "Guess what Mommy did?" and give me up…all…the…time.

    Trust me, she knows.

    "Are you recovered, yet?"

    My husband got home from work and I had just finished chasing my
    husband into the pool – he was in a terrible mood and needed to soak
    his cranky butt, badly – when my mother-in-law called, as I was
    finishing dinner.

    "Um…from which thing?"

    I mean, seriously.

    "Oh, I’m sorry, the thing with the lightening, losing power and everything."

    See, she knows.

    "Oh, that…yeah, how weird was that?"

    Silence.

    "We want to come over and hear all about it – when would be a good time?"

    Wait a minute.

    "Uh…well, it’s almost seven…and we’re almost ready to have dinner…so, I guess in an hour?"

    My in-laws almost NEVER do anything, without consulting their
    calendar, or calling, well in advance and – since I am considering
    changing my first name to, last minute – this was a most welcome and
    refreshing change of events.

    "We’ll be there in an hour-and-a-half, then."

    Good, just enough time for me to fumigate the house (stupid cat) light some candles (stupid dog) and hide the laundry!

    "How are you feeling, today?"

    Okay, this time, my husband looked just as confused as, you know, I can get.

    [shrugs]

    "Fine…uh, mom…why?"

    Uh-oh.

    "Well, we heard what happened to you…and thought
    we’d call and come right over…and wanted to see if you were, you
    know, okay."

    You smell something?

    "No, I’m fine, lightening either hit the branch, or close enough to fry the circuits and cause it to lose power."

    Because, judging by the way my mother-in-law was looking at me, I swear my hair’s on fire!

    "By the way, how did you know?"

    [shrugs]

    "I read it on HER blog!"

    [biting lower lip]

    "I didn’t say…I mean…I DID say that he came
    home…I guess it sounded, you know, a lot worse, huh?…I mean…did I
    mention I made him Grape Nut Pudding!?!"

    Morale of the story: be careful what you blog, it could get you
    fired – or, scare your mother-in-law half to death and cause you to
    burst into flames and wish you were hit by lightening, twice.

    Lucky for me, technically, I don’t work and we’re not related.

    Stupid blog!

  • Summer Vacation: The last woman to call me a girl, totally rocks my Grape Nuts- Day 23

    It’s 10 p.m. – do you know where your children are?!?

    [shakes head in disgust]

    In bed, hopefully – unlike mine, who are STILL awake! – but, it’s
    been a stormy night and the hubs is holed up at work, because,
    apparently, lightening struck and fried the bank.

    [blank stare]

    Seriously, the tubes in the drive-thru were flying in and out of the
    tube-flinging thing and all h…e…double hockey sticks broke out and
    the kids won’t go to sleep, unless I provide them proof that their
    father is indeed alive and well and not looking like a crispy critter.

    Silence.

    In other news, we spent a lovely day with my good friend, Kate
    and barely made it home, our ownselves – STUPID STORM! – seriously, at
    one point, the rain and lightning got so bad, it made Little Man cry:

    "I’m too young to fry!!!"

    Thankfully, when it got really bad, I was able to pull off the
    highway and get them something to eat, well, because nothing evokes
    comfort, like a double cheeseburger and diet Coke!

    "Would you like fries with that, Mamacita!?!"

    [blank stare]

    "What did you call me?"

    [hesitates, then looks at chest]

    "Uh…oh, no…don’t tell me your a DUDE!?!"

    [smiling]

    "Nope."

    [adjusts bra straps]

    "I guess you’re right…although, I am NO Mamacita…uh, dude…I am ALL Mama!"

    Seriously, birthing four babies, I’ve earned these hips and totally
    enjoy hanging (excuse the pun) with my mommy friends, like Kate, who,
    it just so happens, I had the good fortune to meet, through blogging,
    but thinks I rock, anyway.

    So does Believer in Balance – not only will I have the honor of meeting at BlogHer, this month, I will also have the pleasure of calling her…my roomie – and you know what she called me?

    No – a "Rockin Girl Blogger" – shut up!

    [looks at watch]

    So, the hubs is STILL not home and it’s my turn to give five other rockin’ bloggers a nod.

    [rubs neck]

    Okay, I don’t like to follow rules, so much – because, I’m tired,
    cranky and my hair’s totally flopped – I’ve decided to introduce you to
    five boy bloggers that…um…could totally hang with me and…uh…the girls…and still be man enough to admit…dude, you rock my world!

    Triple Venti
    – LatteMan is a Jersey guy, who’s not afraid to share his thoughts and
    opinions on, basically, everything and manages to make me think twice
    before believing, well, anything. He’s smart, he’s funny and he speaks
    well of his wife – ‘nuf said.

    Silly Old Bear
    – I just want to hug you, squeeze you and call you, "Pooh!" But, don’t
    let that fool you – the man’s got a quick wit and leaves the funniest
    comments – hint, hint!

    Blue Sloth
    – Whenever I visit Philip’s blog, I find myself wanting to reach into
    my laptop and give the man the biggest hug. He’s caring for his three
    children, going through some health issues and still manages to share
    some of the most beautiful posts I’ve ever read. The pictures with
    animals of unusual size, not so much.

    Daddy Detective
    – He’s a new read I found through LatteMan (I think) and I just love
    the way he writes…is like watching an episode of Poopie Busters – SDU
    (special daddy’s unit.)

    Maybe Baby
    – Matt is not a Daddy, yet. They’re trying and I am rooting for him and
    sending all the baby cooties I can muster! But, it’s obvious that he
    and his lovely wife will make great parents, one day, soon! Maybe baby,
    most definitely rocks!

    Speaking of rocks, the hubs is finally home and I need to dish up a
    heaping pile of Grape Nut Pudding – yes, it’s one of his favorites and
    it IS delicious! – he’s had a heck of day.

    Feel free to visit amongst yourselves – clean off a chair and mind
    the laundry – if you need anything, I’ll be upstairs…ASLEEP!

    [Edited to add: If you’re liking the sound of Grape
    Nut Pudding on a stormy night, or anytime, just scroll down and feel
    free to snag the recipe. For those of you who’d sooner eat dirt and
    die, go in peace.]

    ——————————————————————————————————————

    Grape Nut Pudding
    4 cups milk, warmed
    1 cup Grape Nut Cereal
    4 eggs, beaten
    1 cup sugar
    1/4 tsp. salt
    1 tsp. vanilla
    1/2 tsp. cinnamon
    1/4 tsp. nutmeg
    1/4 cup raisins (optional)

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    • In large bowl, soak cereal in milk for 15 minutes
    • Add sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla and spices (and raisins)
    • Mix well
    • Bake for about 60 mins., or until knife inserted in center comes out clean

    Serve warm (or cold) with ginormous dollop of whipped heavy cream and enjoy!

  • Summer Vacation: Hold my head to your ear and you can hear the ocean – Day 21

    Kidscape2

    Some of my most treasured childhood memories are from summers
    vacationing down the shore (a.k.a. going to the beach, to you bennies
    and shoobies) where we’d spend the day jumping thunderous waves, or –
    especially, those times when the tide was just too rough – my brother
    and I would tumble around in the foamy breakwater and search along the
    surf for hours, lost in the hope of finding buried treasure; a cache of
    gold coins and jewels from a sunken ship, the remains of a great white,
    or some hideous skeleton yet unknown to modern scientists, would serve
    as perfect examples of prize-worthy boardwalk fodder!

    I hate to sound old and crusty – yes, years of having sand rubbed in
    places where it ought not be will do that to a person – but, I can’t
    help and think that summertime was so much, you know, easier.

    Then, I had kids.

    Dragging them – not to mention all of their baby paraphernalia – and
    trudging through miles of sand, already crowded and filled to capacity,
    beach umbrella-to-beach-umbrella, just didn’t seem as much fun, anymore.

    Okay, I hated it.

    But, I am a Jersey Girl – trust me…I had good hair, but a
    mouth like a sewer – to hear the ocean and feel the sand in between my
    toes, well, it’s kind of hard to get it out of my head.

    Littlemansurfing

    This year, we accepted an invitation to spend a few days in Cape May
    and I decided to breakdown and buy Little Man a boogie board. I enjoyed
    just sitting on the beach and watching him surf the waves like, well,
    my brother and I used to…um…without all of the cuts and scrapes, of
    course.

    Thingtwosurfing

    Thing Two got one, too and had a blast keeping up with her brother, as well.

    Surfing

    Yep, the surf was definitely UP at This Full House of salt, sand and
    crusty…well…everything and the kids and I didn’t even seem to mind
    the fact that the weather turned a little punk.

    Minimedaddy

    Neither did the hubs. He was more than happy to spend his summer
    vacation with Mini-me’s godparents and not at a resort, or a posh hotel
    on some overcrowded boardwalk.

    Minimeunclejohn

     

    In fact, it was Uncle John who taught the kids how to fish and helped Mini-me catch her first flounder!

    Littlemanshark

     

    And Little Man his first…um…oh…my…doG…is that what I think it is!?!

    Littlemanshark2

    Yep, that’s definitely a sand shark and – though, it may not be a
    great white I’d been looking for – we actually caught two and I wish
    that you could have heard their screams. Okay, mine was probably a lot
    bigger…and louder…but, the look on his face is one that I will
    always treasure!

    We squeezed in A LOT of fun and driving home from our vacation, I
    asked the children each to share their favorite part of the 4 days we
    spent in Cape May.

    [silence]

    Oh, crap.

    I shook my head and regretted the fact that I may have to reconsider
    summer vacations and that my childhood memories as just too old and
    tired for kids, today.

    [whispering]

    "They’re all asleep!"

    Or, maybe not.

  • Summer Vacation: Beneath these child-bearing hips, there lies the fragile mind of a mad woman- Day 11

    After careful consideration – having spent the last 36 hours nursing a severely wounded cat and desperately avoiding any further instances of uncertain death – I believe that my husband may just be, you know, right, maybe.

    Can it be?

    Thinking on it some more – having spent more quality time traveling
    in our minivan, than not – I think I may be driving my children CRAZY!

    I mean, seriously, my kids aren’t all that small, anymore and
    are tall enough to ride the bigger rides, even – well, except perhaps
    Mini-me – but, I say unto you…all ye moms, dads and parent bloggers
    to be…it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier.

    [smiles broadly]

    That’s when bitching about your spousal unit comes in real handy!

    "Where’s the car seat?"

    My parents haven’t been feeling well, lately and the kids and I
    wanted to visit with them, before leaving for Cape May for a few days
    of…well, I don’t know…I’ve learned not to plan ANYTHING…anymore!

    "Um…it’s in my car."

    Silence.

    "Hello?"

    Although, I have to admit, the next part of our conversation is a
    bit fuzzy – my husband claims I hung up on him – understand that I had
    less than 24 hours to visit with my parents, pick up everything my
    11-year-old needed for field hockey, food shop, come home, clean the
    house, wash the clothes, prepare for a sleepover (because, I am a
    DORK!) and pack.

    "Well, that just totally screws up my day!"

    This is the part where he claims I slammed the receiver, but I do seem to remember my replying.

    "THIS SUCKS!!!"

    The phone rang and I asked Thing Two to answer it.

    "He’s probably going to make some stupid suggestion that’s going to make me mad!"

    Yes, I believe that we should always be honest with our children.

    "He STILL wants to talk to you."

    Shit.

    "Look, why don’t you just drive down here, on your way to your parents, and I’ll put it in your car?"

    Uhhhhhh, okay.

    "But, that’s against the law!"

    Okay, but this was kind of a family emergency, sort of, and what I
    really wanted to do was tell my 8-year-old son to STOP being such a boy
    scout.

    Not out loud, anyway.

    "Chill out, sweetie…sometimes mommy’s and daddy’s
    have to bend the rules, a little…besides, it’s not like I’m robbing a
    bank."

    Though, my husband does work for one.

    "That’s right…remember Mini-me…today you ARE 80 lbs!"

    Even though I did appreciate Thing-Two’s attempt at helping
    the situation, I told her that there really wasn’t any reason we needed
    to, you know, lie.

    "That’s wight…wee-membah when we took-did the twain…when mommy told-did me to pwee-tend wike I was 4…’cause it’s cheaper than being 5!"

    Considering the recent rash of bad luck…not to mention, ginormous vet bills…having to take Old Man back, again, this morning…because
    we woke up and found that his stitches were torn open…EWWW…color me
    crazy…but, I’m a little afraid of leaving all of this behind.

    I think that perhaps Mini-me may just have to stay little…a little
    longer…although, there aren’t really any rides in Cape May, to speak
    of.

    "Thank goodness Aunt C. and Uncle J. invited us, or else we’d have to lie about what we really did for summer vacation!"

    Ah, well – at least, we ARE laughing…all the way to Daddy’s bank,
    even – what lies beneath, is the plain truth, that it’s only been 11
    days and we ALL feel a bit like we’re going a little mad, and need a
    vacation, from our summer vacation, big time – when we can ALL start
    feeling a lot less, you know, frah-gee-lee.

    See you in about a week, everyone…

    Minimepeaceout

    …peace-out!

  • Summer Vacation – Mom’s unleashed and dancing with power tools, again – Day 9

    I grew up in a rather industrialized area of Northern New Jersey – I
    know, try not to act so surprised – but, beyond the garden gate, lay a
    tiny oasis of perhaps the brightest hues and most abundant shades of
    green in the entire neighborhood.

    If it weren’t for the smells – at the time, drifting over from the
    fully-functional dumps of Staten Island – you’d think we lived in the
    English countryside.

    Throughout my elementary school years, my father worked for a
    landscaping company and – though, people in the business would say that
    a landscaper’s grass is seldom green – he spent a lot of his off-hours
    outdoors and would bring home the occasional stray shrub, or saved many
    sickly trees from the dumpster and transformed our backyard into one
    giant nursery, literally.

    No matter how pitiful and droopy a plant looked, he just didn’t have the heart to throw anything away.

    Me?

    Well, there’s some sort of tree and weird type of bush – growing
    behind the pool and blocking out some of the much needed sun’s rays –
    I’d sooner take a chainsaw to…aaaaaand…then, whack the
    sucker…DEAD…aaaaand…only then, would I mow it down to the
    ground…into tiny bits of…well, much more manageable pieces of mulch.

    But, I can’t.

    Not that I am unable to – my husband has a chainsaw and I do know how to use it – it’s just that, well, my husband simply won’t allow it.

    "You’re dangerous with power tools – you must know that, by now – just wait until I get home!"

    Yes, I know – I am my father’s daughter – unfortunately, time waits for no mommy and I have been known to, you know,
    break the rules of suburban living – yes, I cut, weed whack AND edge my
    own lawn – and take advantage of every opportunity, where I can unleash
    my…um…more feral side!

    So, yesterday morning, after I watered the front, the back and
    walked the cat – yes, the poor Old Man has been reduced to enduring the
    balance of his years spent outdoors, wearing a leash – having declared war against the wild rabbits, I decided to screen the fencing around my vegetable garden.

    Using my husband’s high-pressured and totally cherry staple gun!

    WHAP!

    "Are you coming into the pool?

    WHAP!

    "Yep, as soon as momma finishes this project and it’s going pretty fast, thanks to daddy’s coolest power tool, ever!"

    WHAP!

    I swear, I zipped through the first panel – made up of several
    remnant laths and framed by some leftover 2 x 4 – in no time flat and
    was nearly done with the second.

    WHAP…MMMZAP…POW!

    When I found myself knocked backwards and flat on my ass!

    "Oh…my…gawd…MOMMMMMEEEEE!"

    What happened?

    Well, suffice it to say that – in the never ending battle of mom vs.
    wild accusations of poolside martinis and drinking play dates – I’d
    consider myself lucky enough to make it through the summer…ALIVE!

    Aaaaand…just what did we learn from all this?

    Well, that metal screening and electric do NOT mix, of
    course…um…aaaaand that my kids can’t be trusted to NOT tell
    daddy…just what did happen to his power tool…lying on top of the garbage…exactly!

    Next week: Further discussion on the joys of
    living an Amish life and how to survive motherhood, without the aid of
    power tools, or having to throw up a lung, in Jersey.

    After I walk the cat, of course – stupid leash!

  • Summer Vacation – Humanizing while under the influence of children – Day 7

    My parents have very close friends – my father and Mr. T. grew up
    together and escaped Hungary in the 50’s – who recently lost their dog,
    unexpectedly. The kids and I were at a family function, yesterday and
    happened to run into them – yes, really, I tripped over air and nearly
    dropped a whole platter of chicken salad sandwiches – so, I took my
    cousin’s advice, put the food down and struck up a conversation with
    Mr. and Mrs. T.

    They asked how our Doofus-dog was doing and after I finished telling
    them all of the Doofus-type things he’s managed to do (and eat) they
    seemed almost as surprised, as I was, to learn that he wasn’t dead, yet.

    "If the chocolate doesn’t kill him, my husband will…he’s lucky to be alive, really…so, you looking for a dog?"

    Mrs. T.’s teared up and she nearly dropped her cigarette.

    "I mean…oh, Jeez…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to make you sad."

    I immediately changed the subject and asked if they knew of a good
    doctor in the neighborhood, who could help surgically remove my size 9
    foot from my even BIGGER mouth!

    "Even though he IS such pinhead, Doofus is an important part of our family and I know how much you must miss Coco."

    Personally, I hated the dog.

    What?

    Okay – so this is where, if I had a penis, I’d ask you to call me an
    insensitive prick – but, it was one of those yip-yip-fru-fru-type high
    maintenance little buggers that had more toys, grooming products and
    hair appointments than, you know, my kids.

    But, Mrs. T.’s children are grown now and ALL of her grandchildren
    live out-of-state and I know how hard it is for her to get used to NOT
    taking care of, well, something.

    Yes, pets and children are very humanizing and we’ve been spending A LOT of time with my parents.

    "I don’t want to go home!"

    Nice.

    "It’s fun staying at mama’s and papa’s house."

    Real nice.

    "Yes…I know…but, we haven’t seen daddy all weekend!"

    I gave my husband a belated Father’s Day gift and – because he
    hasn’t had a weekend to himself in, well, weeks – I told him that he
    and Uncle Steve could go out for, you know, a daddy play date.

    "So, how were the car races?"

    Imagine my surprise to learn that he decided to stay home and build a rabbit fence for my vegetable garden, instead!

    Yes, I hate rabbits, but – short of shooting my neighbor for
    constantly feeding the little suckers – she doesn’t care for my pets
    getting into her yard, either and I trust that the new fence will
    certainly help keep the peace, at least.

    But, then I saw the hole in my cat.

    "Hon, come here…QUICK!"

    It was an ugly, round and about the size of a large bee-bee.

    "Look what the hell happened to Old Man?"

    No, I don’t sit around and imagine my 98 year-old-neighbor shooting
    my cat, but – it sure as hell looked like someone did – I had a hard
    time trying NOT to believe it.

    The vet at the emergency hospital, not so much.

    "It looks more like a bite."

    Nice.

    "In fact, it’s not a new wound…it looks more like
    an abscess…probably been festering for a while…see, how the tissue
    around it is all dead."

    Real nice.

    "Are you sure?"

    [eyes go wide]

    "I mean, how didn’t we notice this?!?"

    Yes, I was very upset.

    "I mean…the poor old man…we’ve been taking really
    good care of him, I swear…and it would be almost easier to take…if
    I believe that it was one of our nutty neighbors!"

    Even though she did laugh, the vet seemed to have a hard time understanding what the big deal was about.

    "Do you have any children at home?"

    [eyes go wide]

    "Um…yes…they’re home…why?…I mean, we have 4
    kids…but, they’re with a babysitter…I mean…my oldest daughter is
    watching them…she’s 13…I mean…until Grandma and Grandpa get
    there…uh…yes, they’re home.

    I buried my face in my hands.

    "No, sweetie, don’t get upset…all I meant
    is…well, these things are sometimes very easy to miss… and you
    already seem to have your hands full."

    Yes, the vet was soooo right – I mean, she is a mom with 3
    kids – but, what I failed to tell her is that my grandmother gave us
    this cat and made me promise that I would take care of Old Man, before
    she died!

    Pumpkincollared

    Yes, he’s fine and – although, they did have to surgically remove a
    rather large portion of his backside – he’s a tough old man! And
    there’s nothing more humanizing than staying up most of the night, with
    your pet, and having your children help take care of, well, in keeping
    a promise.

    Pumpkinbackslide

    Watching the cat walk into things and laughing our asses off, not so much.

  • Summer Vacation – Joy to the sun, surf and mommy swaps – Day 4

    Minimesprinkler

    So, what are you guys doing this summer?

    For us – having spent all my life living on the east coast, where the day can change from sunny to GRAB THE FOOD and RUN FOR THE CAR in a matter of minutes – making definite plans ahead of time really depends upon the weather and having to learn NOT to, you know, make any plans, etc…

    Unless I check my local, regional and…what the heck, because I can!…national weather – gosh, but I love the internet! – and ONLY then, will I probably do what my grandmother always used to do, when I was little.
    Stick my head out the front door and sniff for rain – I mean, I don’t want to waste any time, taking a shower, when I don’t really have to – and then, I call my Dad.

    "How’s your knee feeling?"

    [heavy sigh]

    "My knee’s fine, but my blankety-blank-blank back hurts like…."

    Click.

    "Okay, grab the cooler, don’t forget the umbrella and get in the car…LET’S GO…we can get in a good couple of hours, at least!"

    Not accounting for traffic, of course.

    Littlemanwet


    As most parents already know, keeping kids cool in the summer – while keeping enough money in your bank account for, you know, everything else – well, it isn’t easy!

    Thingtwosprinkles

    Thankfully, I have low-maintenance kids — yes, they get that from their mother — although, they don’t always like it and perhaps even complain to their friends about wanting to, you know, swap moms, they have learned to accept words like, "Not today," and "Maybe next week, when daddy gets paid!"

    But, we still find ways to have lots of fun – like celebrating the last day of school at the local sprayground – and, if nothing else, we can appreciate the fact that a little sprinkle…every now and then…goes a long way at Camp This Full House of sweet and sour laundry.
    .

    .

    Summerswap

    That’s pretty much the reason why I decided to participate in Summer Swap ’07 – brainchild of the very pretty Jay Jenny:

    "When I started this in May, I never expected how much fun I’d have. And by reading many of your posts, you all had a wonderful time too! It truly was more than simply getting and giving gifts to celebrate the summer."

    Although I am a day late — I was supposed to post this yesterday, but it was really sunny, we were at the beach ALL DAY and then I, you know, fell asleep — I received a package of summer goodies from my swap buddy, Renee!

    I can’t tell you how much fun it was gathering items that spelled out the word SUMMER (I did send a package to my buddy, a day late, of course) so, I’m going to let me kids just show you what I got, along with the note that Renee wrote:

    "I hope that the summer in Jersey is treating you well.  I had a blast shopping and hope that you enjoy your Summer Swap goodies!"


    Swapseeds

    S…Something special from my own personal garden!

    Swapsunscreen


    U…UV sun protection for the days you hit the Jersey shore!

    Swapflops

    M…Multi-colored flip flops to show off your summer pedicure!

    Swapreads


    M…Magazines that highlight two of your favorite hobbies (cooking and gardening).

    Swapbag


    E…Everything you need for a quick escape to the beach can be thrown into this adorable tote.

    Swapshower


    R…Relax and unwind with a weekend pamper pack.

    Thanks so much, Renee – as summer swap buddies go, you ARE simply the best – it’s like you know me so well.

    My pedicures, not so much.

    [see flip flops above]

    Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to take my new bag and the kids out for the day.

    [sniff-sniff]

    As soon as I check the weather, give a quick call over to my parents house and, you know, take a shower – Happy Summer!

  • Summer Vacation – quiet little blogging moments in real life, with kids – Day 1

    Not many people know – in real life – that I blog and not many
    bloggers know – except perhaps a few, who I know in real life and are
    kind to stop by, anyway and leave a comment – that this blog is about
    as real as a life can get, with kids.

    Busy one minute, colorless the next and then there are those moments
    – you know, the kid-friendly kind of spontaneous we parents have
    learned to expect – that slowly begin to unfold and reveal their
    beauty, which simply leaves me wordless.

    Okay, the same can be said for days that go on…and on…without
    solace, or any peace in sight…when I can’t seem to make my kids
    happy…and everyone is out to get me…oh yes, they are…and I do NOT
    want to get out of bed.

    Thankfully – although, the kids and I happen to STILL be in our pajamas – today is one of those, you know, better days.

    [stretching and yawning]

    It’s the first day of summer vacation, but – you know, that I know,
    that I’ve got a lot to be happy and blog about – there’s a sort of
    melancholy running through This Full House of bursting backpacks and
    empty cereal boxes.

    Thingtwogradmom

    Okay, so in the last week, we’ve celebrated a graduation…

    Minimegradmom

    …and our fourth and probably last kindergarten celebration…

    Minimecandles

    …moving to the other hand and blowing out six candles, in yet
    another celebration of my husband’s most favorite Father’s Day present,
    can make any mom feel sort of, you know, weary.

    Minimesad

    Although, I have to confess, being surrounded by a gaggle of kids,
    who mostly look like this, well, let’s just say that saying NO can
    prove difficult.

    Littlemanhappy

    Twelve hours into our first day of summer vacation and I have to say
    – even though I really wasn’t expecting to find myself in between jobs,
    so soon – I don’t think I’ve ever felt this, you know, worn out,
    already.

    I guess I’m just surprised to have been hired…and then fired…in
    less time than it takes for most people to, you know, in real life.

    [spitting out sour grapes]

    Ah, well – being a mom with four kids, trust me, I know – there is NO such thing as my ever having too much time on my hands.

    Thanks to all of you – especially, those bloggers who heard the call
    and took the time to take a stand with me – I really do feel lucky to
    be in such good company and I really do feel just as content as my
    Little Man looks, at the moment.

    Thingonehappy

    After all, I do have a teenager – who still likes me, sort of
    – but, she’s not home, right now, because Thing One is celebrating the
    first day home from school and summer vacation, by sleeping over a
    friend’s house.

    What?

    I can’t blame her. Her best friend’s house IS much bigger and her
    mother is WAY more, you know, nicer and it’s probably a whole lot
    quieter there, too!

    [heavy sigh]

    Such is life.

    But, before I go and pick her up from the movie theater – on the way
    to my MIL house to dig in some shrubs and plants I took her to buy,
    yesterday – I just wanted to thank all of you (yes, YOU!) who stopped
    by and participated in This Full House challenge for Sunkist.

    The kids and I will be adding another $22.00 to the proceeds to our lemonade stand to benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America and will post pictures of the sale, as soon as, you know, our lemonade stand is delivered!

    Speaking of which, I placed each of your names into a hat and Mini-Me has picked the following winners of a free lemonade stand:

    Glennia – I’m looking forward to watching your summer unfold with your new digital camera!

    NTE – Yes, it’s Never That Easy, but you blog it so nicely!

    Believer in Balance – A far away hug to you and the kiddies, especially The Super Pooper!

    Katespot – I bet you feel lucky, too, because we live, you know, closer and you can thank Mini-Me in person, next week!

    In the meantime, I hope that everyone enjoys a safe and happy summer.

    [stretching, again]

    Feel free to stop by, anytime during the next 70+ days – just clean
    off a chair and don’t mind the laundry – there’s usually plenty of
    excitement going on here during the summertime and we’re always more
    than happy to share.

    [rubs neck and ignores the hollering]

    Anyway, that’s what blogging is for!

    Enjoy your summer, everyone – may you find many little quiet
    moments, of your own – just be sure to holler (REAL LOUD) if you need
    me.

    I’ll be upstairs, asleep!