This Full House Archive

Category: So, You From Joisey?

The Seven Years of Mommyblogging and Happy Everything!

Almost 3 years ago, I watched my oldest daughter leave the house, for the first time, as a freshman in high school and I thought to myself…PHEW!…1 down and 3 to go!

Heather's 8th Grade Formal

This year, Heather (she's my middle girl) celebrated her last year of middle school by attending the 8th grade formal.

Glen's 5th Grade Graduation

Glen (my only son) graduated 5th grade and is officially now the 3rd Thompson to hit the middle school…in 5 years.

Happy 9th Birthday, Hopey

Aaaand, my youngest daughter just celebrated her last year, before hitting double-digits and was SO excited during her 4th grade orientation, knowing that her sisters and brother attended the same school, and happily admitted to her future new principal, "Nope, I'm the LAST one!"

What? I forgot to get the candle and 8 + 1 = 9, right?

The cake was supposed to say, "Happy Everything!" but, I didn't bust my husband's chops about it (see caption) honestly, I was just too busy stumbling around…feeling all dazed and confused…okay, it's been like that for the last 7 years…but, I am STILL blogging…there, I said it, can I go home now?

As you can see, it is written all over my face (the years, since I started blogging, I mean) still, I can't help but feel that with all these changes (the aforementioned happening ALL in the same week, btw) I have reached a milestone, of my own.

No, it hasn't gotten any easier (nuh-uh, sorry!) but, at least now my kids are now old enough to realize that…nope…life isn't always perfect (I know, act surprised anyway!) however, as their mother (yes, they are ALL mine) I have also learned to embrace those imperfections (mostly) and I truly believe we are ALL stronger for it.

At least, they seem to be more than okay with it.

[hands behind back, crosses fingers and grins]

Happy Everything!!!

© 2010 This Full House Blog

June 25, 2010
You Know You’re From Jersey When…
On the 174th day of our school daze my true love sent to me…an email that had absolutely NOTHING to do with the our 10th grader's finals, 8th grader's graduation, 5th and 3rd grade promotions, or the fact that Hope is turning 9 years-old on Wednesday (i.e. my youngest's last year in single digits) oh, and the fact that my camera AND my beloved HP laptop are fubar…YO!

[inhales deeply, exhales in total denial]

So, how DO you know if a person (like me) is REALLy from Jersey? Besides, the fact that I know how to order a pork roll (with cheese, duh!) I mean? Easy…you recognize or can relate to at least 10 of these:
- You've been seriously injured at Action Park. [Banged my head on a waterslide!]
- You know that the only people who call it "Joisey" are from New York (usually The Bronx) or Texas. [waves to Jenn!]
- You don't think of citrus when people mention "The Oranges." [Nope.]
- You know that it's called "Great Adventure," not "Six Flags." [Yep, and JayMonster knows it, too!]
- You've ordered a hard roll with butter for breakfast. [Not in a while, but, YUM!]
- You've known the way to Seaside Heights since you were seven. [My kids do, too!]
- You've eaten at a diner, when you were stoned or drunk, at 3 am. [No, NOT this mommy…um…but, ask me again at BlogHer!]
- Whenever you park, there's a Camaro within three spots of you. [Nah, I live in a minivan world, my friend.]
- You remember that the "Two Guys" were from Harrison. [Ohhhhh, yeah *snicker* nevermind!]
- You know that the state isn't one big oil refinery. [Yep, been blogging it for years!]
- At least three people in your family still love Bruce Springsteen, and you know what town Jon Bon Jovi is from. [Yep, I even showed Dana his house…okay…the front gate, but close enough, right?]
- You know what a "jug handle" is. [Yeah, and they're STOOPID!]
- You know that a WaWa is a convenience store. [Aaaaand, they make THE BEST coffee, or cawfee, if you're from Jersey!]
- You know that the state isn't all farmland. [Not if they keep building those McMansions…dangit!]
- You know that there are no "beaches" in New Jersey – there's "The Shore," and you don't go "to the shore," you go "down the shore." and when you are there, you're not "at the shore," you are "down the shore." [I'm down with dat!]
- You know that "Piney" isn't referring to a tree. [Well, sort of.]
- Even your school cafeteria made good Italian subs, and, you call it a "sub" not a "submarine sandwich" or worse yet, a "hoagy" or a "hero." [We can be heeeeeeeroooooes, just for one day, we can beeeeeeeeeee…sorry, teenagers are on a Moulin Rouge kick, lately!]
- You remember the song from the Palisades Park commercials. [Actually, I honestly don't remember this commercial, does anyone else?]
- You know how to properly negotiate a Circle. [Yes, see jungle handle.]
- You knew that the last question had to do with driving. [Yep, also STOOPID!]
- You know that this is the only "New…" state that doesn't require "New" to identify it (like, try …Mexico, …York, …Hampshire (doesn't work, does it?). [See title of post!]
- You only go to New York City for day trips, and you only call it "The City." [Unless, you're attending BlogHer, like me, WHOOT, then I'll see you in the "cit-tay!"]
- You know that a "White Castle" is the name of BOTH a fast food chain AND a fast food sandwich. [a.k.a. rat burgers and/or sliders!]
- You consider a corned beef sandwich with lettuce and mayo a sacrilege. [Mustard and sauerkraut, baby!]
- In the 80's you wore your hair REALLY high. [Aaaand, curly…even…see?]
- You don't think "What exit" (do you live near?) is very funny. [Still, the easiest way to explain where you live…in Jersey.]
- You know that people from 609 area code are "a little different." [Yeah, got a few relatives that live there, too :)]
- You know that no respectable New Jerseyan goes to Princeton – that's for out-of-staters. [Unless, it's for a really cool blogging event…of course.]
- The Jets-Giants game has started fights at your school or local bar. [Stoopid, Jets…psych!…just kidding…mostly!]
- You live within 20 minutes of at least three different malls. [Freehold, Monmouth AND Woodbridge!]
- You can see the Manhattan skyline from some part of your town. [waves to NYCityMama!]
- You refer to all highways and interstates by their numbers. [Take 36 to 35 to 440 to 9 to 139 to 78 to get to Mom-101's house, I think!]
- Every year, you had at least one kid in your class named Tony. [Yo, Tone, so, how you doin'?]
- You know where every "clip" shown in the Sopranos opening credits is. [Yeah, but I would NEVER drive there…especially, at night….psych!…just kidding…mostly!]
- You've gotten on the wrong highway trying to get out of Willowbrook Mall. [Stoopid, jughandles!]
- You've eaten a Boardwalk cheesesteak with vinegar fries. [Midway Cheesesteaks rawk!]
- You have a favorite Atlantic City casino. [Specifically, the Blue Mercury Spa at the Tropicana would make a GREAT 20th Anniversary getaway — hint, hint, GARTH (not his real name) are you listening?!? ]
- You start planning for Memorial Day weekend in February. [January would be better, just sayin'!]
- And finally… You've never pumped your own gas. [Not in Jersey….anyways!]
Wake me up when September comes…YO!

© 2010 This Full House Blog
June 14, 2010
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun AND Maybe Peeps!

Me and my girls

I don't have a sister, so I can't say that I know what they are going through, but raising daughters is, well, sort of like what I would imagine boot camp would be like…for parents.

After a while, stuff tends to get a little sweaty, a bit sticky and, sometimes, very, very, painful, but in a good way (although, sweating, especially in certain places where a person ought not, you know, stick together, is NEVER a good thing) and then it's weigh in time.

"What do you mean I gained 320 pounds!?!?"

The estrogen levels, in our house, alone are enough to scare my husband, Garth [not his real name] into thinking, you know, maybe he and the boy should move into the shed.

Glen and my brother, Steve [yes, it's his REAL name

Because, there's just NO MORE ROOM in our garage — or, something.

"I HATE MY *insert body part here, or family member here*!!!"

No, they don't always like each other (or, me) and that's okay (sort of) but, every now and again, I need to remind myself, you know, it isn't easy being a girl.

Unless, it is a really hot day.

Aaaand, there is a sprinkler nearby.

Throw in a couple of teenagers.

Well, it's pretty easy to see that there is this tiniest spark of a woman inside, just waiting to burst out.

Aaaaand, for a brief moment, I'm allowed into their world and then, suddenly, the girls are okay with the fact that, you know, I'm their mom.

Me, too!

Like my youngest daughter's favorite pair of sneakers, I really do hope it lasts.

Them liking me, I mean, 'cawse, one day, they're going to find someone ELSE to love (maybe, even more than me) and that's okay (sort of) but, for now, they are MY peeps and I am totally keeping them!

© 2010 This Full House

June 2, 2010
Wordless Wendesday: Welcome to Cape May Light House

I love how Hope is using one of her flip flops as the steering wheel – here are some more photos from our weekend away at Cape May – yes, this IS New Jersey.

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Tag, you're it: Wordless Wednesday

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

May 26, 2010
Lost and Found

To think, this mommy/daughter mugging for the camera moment was nearly lost, forever!

Last week, I wrote about how we hit the road and drove to Cape May for the weekend (yes, even the Doofus-Dawg seemed excited about his first road trip) and I did promise you pictures, to prove that Jersey is NOT all what you see outside your window, flying over Newark Airport (seriously, dude, we ARE called the garden state) but, my middle girl hid her camera from me, because I broke mine and, you know, she's smart like that.

"You can't use my camera."

Gosh, but some 14 year-olds can get very touchy about using their stuff, right?

"Why not?"

Sheesh, I only wanted to grab the memory card and already promised NOT to touch anything else.

"Because, I lost it."

Now, I could've reprimanded Heather for being forgetful, or acting irresponsibly with her stuff, but, well, it would be sort of like talking to myself, really.

"Lost what?"

Gosh, but some almost 9 year-olds can get very nosey about stuff, right?

"Never mind."

Now that ALL the laundry from the trip is done (almost) STILL no camera.

"Quick…take MY picture next!"

I was telling someone at school how upset Heather was (about losing her camera, I mean) and…wait a minute…what the?

"Who's camera is that?"

Long story short (you're welcome!) my youngest daughter found Heather's camera shoved into the pocket behind the driver's seat in the minivan and, well, thank goodness for nosey little almost 9 year-olds!

"Hey, I found it FIRST!"

Wanna see other moments nearly lost?

(more…)

May 24, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Ocean’s Eleven

Photograph courtesy of my 11 year-old son, who FINALLY aced his last math test and has a penchant for blue.

What? It was either a $9.00 bottle of color, or a new cell phone — yes, I am also ONE OF THOSE parents!

Check out the Official Wordless Wednesday HQ
Tag, you're it: Wordless Wednesday

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

May 12, 2010
You Say Garbage, I Say, “GAH-BIDGE!”

I just love garbage men. Okay, trash men. Wait, waste collectors? Oh, I know, sanitation engineers. Or, maybe they're refuse removal technicians?

Whatever.

My guys ALWAYS take a moment to place (not throw) my cans
back onto the sidewalk (not my next door neighbor's lawn) and move out
of the way, so that I can get passed them and into my driveway, on my
way home from dropping the kids at school.

Okay, let me repeat…THE GARBAGE TRUCK PULLS OVER TO ALLOW ME TO GET INTO MY DRIVEWAY…I love that!

The dude driving in the sparkly new Mercedes SUV, while STILL talking on his cellphone, this morning, not so much.

Or, maybe it was a Crossover (IDK) and he could have been just too busy discussing a very important business deal (I bet Donald Trump would pull over – if he drove his own car, I mean) either way, I guess expecting him to be nice would have been considered a luxury.

[slams on breaks]

"Move that piece of garbage!"

A few hours (not to mention, about a thousand expletives) later and I'm still at a loss as to what would provoke such an extremely well tailored young man to act like a snot-nosed little booger.

"UP YAWS, YUH BASSTED!!!"

MY trash guys, however, are like the cream in my McCafe and they obviously don't take very kindly to acts of random assness, either (thanks, Trash Guy!) and, well, I am very happy to report that chivalry is NOT dead!

"Yuh buhleeve that [expletive] guy?"

[cringe]

A little stinky…a bit crude, perhaps…but, then again, a little gah-bidge never hurt nobody, you know what I'm sayin?

"Man, he's got a potty mouth!"

[one beat, two beats]

"But, our garbage man is real nice…right mommy?"

There's a lesson in there, somewhere.

"He's a sanitation engineer, Sweetie."

Aaaaand, if you happen to find it, just throw it up on the curb, next to the cans, up there, okay?

[beep]

"UP YOURS!"

Since, I'm probably STILL trying to make a left turn!

"It's…UP YAWS…Sweetie!"

Aaaand, teaching my kids proper diction…Jersey style!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

May 7, 2010
NWF Mom Update: The Local Impact of Climate Change – Now, With More Itch!
You know Emily McKhann, right? Well, you should, because she and Cooper Monroe founded TheMotherhood.com and, yes, they ARE very, very smart.

How do I know?

Well, personally, I've been working very closely with The Motherhood Creative for a long time, now (in Gemini years, anyway) and, quite frankly, I feel way smarter, already.

[sound of crickets chirping]

Aaaaanyway, Emily attended a lunch for DC bloggers (Amie Adams, Gayle Weiswasser, Diane MacEaachern), hosted by Jaime Matyas and her great team at the National Wildlife Federation to help them learn a little more about a few NWF programs.

Here's what Emily said:

"The conversation came around to global warming
and climate change and Jaime's staff talked about the local impact of
global warming, and how we tend to think of it as being outside our
day-to-day lives (it is global after all!), but that really, we're seeing big changes all around us."

Then, her email made me itch:

"Poison ivy, deer ticks, fire ants are all getting much worse, and
we can expect the yucky, biting Asian mosquito to arrive some day soon."

Awwwwwwwesome, right?

[scratch…scratch…scratch]

Thanks for that, Emily. Still. I was very interested in learning simple little ways in which my family can help cut our global warming pollution and, hopefully, become more energy efficient…yes…from right here in Jersey.

Here's a quick recap of what I found out, thanks to Emily's post, without the itch (you're welcome!):
- Plant shade trees: The Department of Energy says planting three trees strategically around your home to block the sun in summer and wind in winter can reduce your annual heating and cooling costs by an average of 40 percent. [TFH: DONE!]
- Become a Green Tag subscriber: Many states now offer options for homeowners to buy electricity from clean, renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass that produce little or no global warming pollution. Green energy can also be purchased through the National Wildlife Federation by visiting www.nwf.org/energy. [TFH: My husband, Garth (not his real name) is looking into renewable energy incentive programs in New Jersey and ways in which to help us find a way to decrease the initial amount of $$$$ required, upfront…PHEW!]
- Act locally: Contact your mayor and ask that (s)he sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, committing your city or town to meet or beat the global warming pollution reductions outlined in the Kyoto Protocol. [TFH: On the "honey do list," too!]
Aaaaand, if that ain't enough for ya's (I'm goin' all Joisey on ya's…YO!) here's a link to NWF's global warming page: http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming.aspx

Here's their page listing the impact of climate change by state: http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/In-Your-State.aspx

Aaaaand Emily's post – http://beenthere.typepad.com/been_there/2010/04/the-closetohome-impact-of-global-warming.html

Rock on with your bad itchy-self, Emily…YO!

[FWIW: Emily and I are Founding Mothers of NWF's Be Out There program
– just helping families (like mine) get their kids outside and enjoy
nature, more – no payment was received for this blog post.]

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.
April 28, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Just Imagine

Momma, momma, what do you see? A free spirit calling out to the inner-child…in me.

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© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

April 21, 2010
Trash to Treasure

Today is my best friend's birthday. Actually, she's not really my best friend. Not anymore, anyway. In fact, I can't even remember the last time we spoke.

Wait, yes I can.

[glances at calendar]

It will be 28 years, this coming June.

You see, Shirley and I fought our way out of grew up in the same neighborhood and, if I think real hard, I could probably even remember the street she lived on.

[frowns]

Okay, I give up. I can, however, tell you that her family lived a few blocks closer to the Arthur Kill, which afforded their house a better view of the Staten Island dump.

Then again, even the "uptown" folks had no choice but to acknowledge our neighbors from across the river….especially, in the summertime.

After a while, you sort of grew used to the smells, I guess and, well, quite frankly, we were too busy having fun, just being kids, to even notice, anything other than which street lights to watch for (hint: NOT the ones with the smashed bulbs) a clear signal that it was, you know, time to go home.

"Why don't you go and get some fresh air?"

My youngest is 8 and, well, not only do my parents insist that Hopey is as…ahem…active and rambunctious as I was (especially, at that age) she is also, part monkey (see picture above) I think.

"What are you doing?"

Still, a lot has changed since I was a kid. The dumps aren't visible any longer (there's a new project refreshingly referred to as the Fresh Kills Park) today, I'm missing the old neighborhood (sort of) and my best friend, Shirley (Happy Birthday, wherever you are!) and, well, there's a teeny-tiny part of me that will always be partial to the smell of garbage.

"Allllllll…most…GOT IT — I'm trying to help keep the Earth clean!"

Disrespecting where you live…no matter where you live…not so much.

"Can you buh-leeve some big, fat jerk left garbage on OUR playground!"

What can I say? She's got a mouth, like her muh-thuh!

© 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

April 19, 2010