Take a real close look and you'll see: there's a bird up there on top of our chimney, getting a steam bath and a facial, I don't blame him/her.
Linky Love Bytes: Wordless Wednesday HQ
Tag: new jersey
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Super-Nor’Easter-Winterstorm-Pain-in-the-Ass-Juno
Big doings here in Jersey. We've got our first major snow event (a.k.a. ROYAL PAIN IN THE ASS, if you're from Jersey) creeping up our coast. The kids had an early dismissal (they've already canceled school for tomorrow), my husband's work closed early and, well, now we wait.
The snow started blowing sideways at lunchtime, but the blizzard doesn't really get here until sometime in the middle of the night, because who needs sleep, right?!?
[raises hand]
I have anxiety issues with snow — especially major P.I.T.A. snow events and most especially driving in it, here in Jersey, home of Asshats On Wheels!
Middle girl: Don't worry Mom, Holly's taking me to work!
Now that we have a kid driving (and two more driving, this spring/summer) the panic that sets in…whenever I hear the words…"major…"snow"…and…"event"…used in the same sentence…goes way beyond the fact that I do NOT do snow…very well…and, well, Eastern-European-types are not very good at keeping a straight face…AND…we pretty much suck at poker, too.
Oldest girl: But driving in the snow doesn't bother me…as much as it does you… Mom!
Truth. Which is why she is driving her sister to work and…you know…I'm not…sooooo, if it's gonna snow, I'm the one who's usually hoping Mother Nature drops a sh&tload of it, right on top of us!
Mother Nature: A'ightden…BAM!!!
So, I'm sorry…New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine…Super-Nor'Easter-Winterstorm-Pain-in-the-Ass-Juno is ALL my fault!
The boy: I'm sooooo nervous about this storm!!!
And I seemed to have transferred my fears, onto my 16 year-old son.
Me: Bah, we slept through worse storms, it's gonna be okay!
And by we, I mean my son — the boy can sleep through almost anything, seriously.
The boy: Nooooo, WHAT IF IT DOESN'T SNOW and WE HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL?!?!
[GASP!]
Me: Oh, the hor-ruh!
He's got mid-terms, this week. Enough said.
[sound of crickets, laughing, from all the way in Flah-rid-duh]
Stupid #snowmaggedon15, dumbass Juno.
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Wordless Wednesday: Under the Boardwalk
Before my claustrophobia and nyctophobia set it or the terribly weak walls of my bladder, you know, gave out — you're welcome!
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©2003 -2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!
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Wordless Wednesday: Goodnight (and good job!) Sun
I love it, whenever I get the chance to introduce folks to a few of my favorite things, here in Jersey — sharing them with the ones I love most…priceless.
Sunset Beach — Cape May, NJ
Thanks so much for indulging this Jersey Girl and sharing in some spectacular seaside moments, Melisa. And good job, sun.
Linky Love Bytes: Wordless Wednesday HQ
©2003 -2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!
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Cape Cod or Bust[ed] Arm!
I used to be an excellent planner. Also, very, very organized and a bit of clean freak…with borderline germaphobe tendencies…especially, during the holidays or whenever we'd have company over.
Seriously, my husband's favorite parlor trick was to take a glass from off of a coaster, slide it onto the living room table and then countdown…5…4…3…2… [whispering] …watch this!
I'd come into the room, place the glass back onto the coaster, wipe the table off with my apron, and then place the cheese platter in the center of the table, alongside a nice pile of coordinated cloth napkins, of course.
Heh. Just kidding. I never wore an apron. And too much cheese gives me gas (you're welcome!). Also, doing the laundry was NEVER my favorite thing…soooooo, yeah…NO CLOTH NAPKINS, EVER!
Aaaaaanyway, then we had kids. Then a couple more kids came along and, well, nothing gets you over being a bit of a clean freak…with borderline germ-a-phobe tendencies…like your baby throwing up…in your mouth.
On the other hand, being a mom HAS helped me get over OTHER stuff, like my:
- Fear of needles — having spent nearly 3 years of my life pregnant and having gone through roughly 32 prenatal visits, 24 of them with children in tow, there were plenty of OTHER things to obsess about.
- The sight of blood — AND NEEDLES!!!
- The sight of any bodily fluid, really — because, BABIES and… [hurl] …NEEDLES!!!
- Running out of bandaids — got hair thingies and a tissue, you'll live.
- Running late, again — 4 teenagers, 3 of them girls, enough said.
- Running out of clean clothes — see previous bullets, above.
- Having the house define me — meh, it could be messier…ME TOO!!!
- Flatulence during yoga class — been there, done that, yoga is stupid.
Just to name a few, but the one thing my husband and I have BOTH learned to live with is: NOT planning stuff until…the…very…last… [picks up cell phone, checks time] …possible…minute.
Which drives some other people crazy, I'm certain of it — especially, hardcore planning-types (sickos!).
For example: Garth (not his real name), our two oldest girls and I had Labor Day off, so we thought it would be GREAT if we could try…and I mean try, really, really hard…to get away for the weekend…you know…together…at the same time and everything.
"Do you know where we are going, yet?"
So, by that Friday, the younger kids were getting a little excited (and curious) about where we were actually going to try…really, really hard…to spend our mini-vacation.
"Not sure, yet."
Me, too!!!
"But, I can tell you, we'll be travelling either North or South."
[cue house phone]
"Don't freak out or anything Mom, but…."
Typically, whenever one of my children begins a sentence with…Don't freak out…it's really code for…Ya' better pop a pod into the Keurig…because, it's probably not going to be good-ish news.
"I'm in the E.R."
See what I mean?!?!
[fires up Keurig]
Long story, short (on the day we were going to try really, really hard to leave): our oldest daughter was finishing up her shift at work, slipped, fell and broke her arm and…well…good thing they finished wrapping it by the time I got there, because…believe it or not…this was our first broken bone, ever… [knocking on wood, until knuckles bleed] … and HURL!!!
"Will I be able to travel?"
Even longer story, shorter: she broke her elbow, so the hospital wrapped her arm with a temporary cast and instructed us to see an Orthopedist in a couple of days; traveling with it would be fine, as long as she kept it elevated and iced…the ENTIRE 6 HOURS to Cape Cod…while there…and then back, again.
remember that time when holly broke her arm and we went to the cape, anyway?What?!? We take our vacation time very, very seriously…YO!…and it turns out this kid has a very high pain tolerance (yes, totally unlike her mother!), she was an absolute trooper throughout the entire weekend!
remember how mommy kept asking her if she was alright and how it made holly absolutely crazy?!?What?!? It was my first time taking care of a kid with a broken bone, a'ight?!? And her baby sister was much worse, if you ask me, always getting in between us, so I wouldn't bump her arm.
remember how much fun we had visiting some of our favorite spots and…hey…where IS holly, anyway?!?Holly DID manage to get in A LOT of quality time…with her dad…and the other three kids didn't seem to mind, sort of.
Flash-forward, this past Tuesday: my husband took Holly to the Orthopedist (heh, yeah, we ALL thought it best HE take her) and I'm NOT going to lie to you, I was a little nervous for her…okay, A LOT!!!…and I prepared myself for the absolute worst news…like, surgery… [HURL!] … and had my game face on…when they got home.
"Ummm…soooo…how'd it go?!?"
She shook her head.
"You're not going to like this."
She started pulling her arm out of the sling…and…OMG!!!…like, I really didn't want to see it…and….
"TA-DAH!!!!"
I winced.
"Wait, no cast? No bandages? No nothing?"
Turns out, you don't want to immobilize a broken radial bone.
"It's the part that allows your arm to turn from side-to-side."
With exercise and using the sling when out and about in public, her elbow should heal itself within 6 months. YAY!!!!
"Oh, but there's a bunch of blood pooled in between the break…mom…MOM?!?"
Apparently, I still have issues with blood…and flatulence.
The End.
©2003 -2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!
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S.O.S. The Jersey Shore is Open!
National news crews were very good at bringing the rest of the country (if not, the world) to our doorsteps, when broadcasting heart-breaking images of devistation along our ENTIRE Jersey shoreline (all 130 miles of it) in an effort to record the storm that changed the topography of our state, forever….aaaaand then they left.
We spent many staycation afternoons hanging out in Belford, NJ: I taught my kids how to fish at the pier here.It's been 5 months since Hurricane Sandy made landfall here in New Jersey (I blogged about our experience, once we got power back) so, some folks may be growing tired or even a little weary of hearing yet another #Sandy story.
The beach and the pier today, as well as many of the businesses here in the small fishing town of Belford, gone.I'm going to take this moment to share yet ANOTHER story with you, but it's a good one: the Jersey shore is OPEN!!!
My husband, Garth (not his real name) is a member of the NJ Chamber of Commerce (Northern Monmouth County…represent!) and he and his collegues have organized Shop our Shores: the BIGGEST shop local movement EVER to help businesses recover from Hurricane Sandy (the witch!) and it's happening this weekend!
So, what does that mean to those of you who do not live in Jersey?!?
Well, there's an awesome list of local shops participating in Shop Our Shores and many of these small business owner's have links to their store's website, as well.
So, grab yourself a beverage or a light snack (or both) and help support our recovery efforts here in New Jersey; with a little virtual window shopping, perhaps?
We may be down a couple miles of coastline, but don't count us out when planning your spring and summer vacations…either 🙂
Oh…and All the rest of the stuff you may or may not have heard from OTHER folks about Jersey…FUHGHETABOUTIT!…they wish their armpits looked so good.
Come on ova, we'd love to have yuhs!
© 2003 – 2013 This Full House
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The Afterglow of Giving Back: Helping Us Get Past Hurricane Sandy
It's been a month since Hurricane Sandy made landfall here in New Jersey (I blogged about our experience, once we got power back) and although the news crews and Weather Channel folks have since moved on to other more immediate and pressing matters (sadly, there is bad stuff happening in the world, all the time) reminders of just how cataclysmic this storm really was remain and, well, the devistation isn't going away anytime soon.
I realize that some folks may be growing tired or even a little weary of hearing about yet another Sandy story (I'm looking at you, dude on my Facebook stream who insisted that Jersey should just get over it already) trust me, we get it.
On the other hand, a large percentage of my husband's customers are small business owners who lost both their homes AND their livelihood, excuse my Jersey when I tell you: he hears it ALL friggin' day. In fact, there are people STILL living it, every day.
Either way, the sense of helplessness is incredibly overwhelming.
So, when my good friend, and fellow NJ Digital Mom, Elizabeth Norton (that's her up there with one of her adorable sons!) suggested we get together and help give back by volunteering to serve dinner to the good folks of Samaritan's Purse (a non-denominational Christian organization providing relief to victims of war, poverty and natural disaster) I was all, like, FRIGGIN'YAH!I got to share the experience with my oldest daughter and, honestly, she and I were a little nervous about how the evening would play out.
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Hurricane Sandy Can #SuckIt.
Well, hello!
It's me, Melisa. I'm guest-posting for Liz today on account of the fact that she's not sure when she'll have internet again, and she wanted everyone to know that she and her family are fine.
Let me back up a bit, first.
As you are well aware if you are a regular reader of This Full House, Liz lives in New Jersey. In fact, it won't surprise you–due to the fact that she has been experiencing some, shall we say, not-so-good fortune this year–that Hurricane Sandy was heading right for her town. (Probably her house: let's be honest.)
In our phone conversations last week (There were many: we talk all the time.), Liz was getting a little nervous about the storm but was totally into hurricane preparedness: she was purchasing supplies, cooking the food she had in the freezer, and doing laundry so she might possibly escape what happened when they had no water earlier this year.
Garth (NHRN) was even up on the roof with his caulk gun (ahem), sealing everything up in preparation for the storm. Liz and I often discuss how awesome it is to be married to "manly men", and you can call us traditional in this regard if you want, but we think it is totally HAWT to see our guys fixing stuff and taking care of things around the house. HAWT.
Wait…where was I?
Oh yeah. The storm. ANYWAY…
Liz and I got in one last phone call before the heavy winds started to blow, and resorted to texting after that. I tried to make her laugh because I knew she was freaking out a bit while trying to keep it together for the kids. This exchange was a personal favorite:
Me: "Take cleansing breaths as if you were in labor. Hee hee HOO. Hee hee HOO. (Not to be confused with HOO-HA, which is a different thing altogether.) By the way, tell Garth (NHRN) 'NO HURRICANE BABIES.'"
Liz: "Hurricane babies, now I'm cry-laughing and throwing up in my mouth a little bit."
That's what I was going for, actually.
Anyway, after eventually receiving some terrifying texts about how badly the house was shaking and that transformers were blowing up in her town and lighting up the night sky, I was sufficiently worried. Then the texts stopped coming. Though I was clearly in a more comfortable situation here in the Chicago suburbs, what with electricity and cell phone service and such, as a control freak it was driving me batty, not knowing what was going on and if they were okay.
It was also driving me batty, not being able to talk to her on the phone. WITH her, I should actually say, because I started leaving her voicemail messages every couple of hours. Some were funny, some were just checking in, and one was panicky. That last one was early this morning, when I suddenly realized that Liz might not have access to her caw-fee during this ordeal, and I was struck with a weird sort of terror on her behalf. About coffee. I know: shut up.
Naturally, when I went upstairs this morning for FOUR MINUTES so I could get dressed, I missed a call from Liz.
I WAS GONE FOR FOUR MINUTES. Her timing was impeccable.
I called her back and it went right to voicemail, and I thought I would lose my mind until she tried me again just a couple of minutes later. When I picked up, we shrieked together for a full ten seconds, completely giddy that we finally connected after a really, really, REALLY long time (okay, it was just a few days but in internet time it was practically FOREVER.).
Long story short (You're welcome!) (I get it from Liz.), Liz and family are doing just fine. After days without power, cell phone service, and internet (yikes!), everyone is getting along and they haven't killed each other. Liz's parents and in-laws are fine, too. Garth's (NHRN) work on the roof with that caulk gun of his gave the house the extra protection it needed and it only sustained minor damage that Liz says is cosmetic in nature. They aren't sure when the lights will be back on, but as we were talking on the phone an electric company truck pulled up. It wasn't there long but I'm guessing they were assessing the area and will be back to start work soon.
So there's your update, This Full House readers! Liz is missing the blog and all of you, and will be back just as soon as she can.
And Hurricane Sandy? You can #suckit.
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Perhaps Miyans Just Had Trouble Grasping the Concept of Menopause?
View outside my bedroom window this time last year.I love this time of year — especially, how the peaceful tones cast by wintertime hues of soft whites and grays make everything look so much more sparkly and bright.
Until the snow starts to melt and the world begins to look like, you know, my living room carpet. Still, this time last year? Snowmaggedon had dropped nearly 3 feet of snow and, well, that's just too danged much sparkly even for my taste.
New Year's Eve on Higbees Beach in Cape May, NJThis year? This was us. At the beach. In December. Here, in Jersey. Seems Muh-thuh Nay-chuh is going through some hot flashes, her ownself.
Speaking of which, is it hot in here, or is it just me?
Aaaanyway, winter is back (I think) so, yesterday we popped by my folks' house for a quick visit (code for: make sure they remember to, you know, turn the heat on) and tried to teach my dad the concept of American football for the eleventy-hundredth time.
Note to self: grown men tackling each other over a ball is "stew-peed," stop trying!
I've invited my in-laws over for dinner (code for: it's really, really hot at their house) and, considering we're probably going to get nailed with, like, eleventy-hundred inches of snow in March — tonight, I'm serving corned beef and cabbage, just in case.
Happy ValenSaintPatrickSpringter, everyone.
(P.S. GO GIANTS!!!!)
© 2003 – 2012 This Full House
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Sundays in My City:
Springtime at the Jersey Shore
I love this time of year, here in on the Jersey coast, when my kids and I feel very lucky to have quick access to some of the prettiest beaches, like our favorite at the Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, NJ.
The parking lot fills up pretty quick in the summer. Friday, however, was the perfect day to celebrate all the good things that living in a shore town has to offer.
Like, exploring the jetty.
Or, playing chicken with the breakwater.
Getting lost, for hours, hunting for sea glass and mermaid toe nails.
Having the beach, all to ourselves, is a luxury and a perfect time for private contemplation.
Aaaand, much silliness.
Yes, Friday was a good day. In fact, seeing how this weekend is going, I'm still there…lalalalalalalalala!
Happy Sunday!!!
To see other scenes from around the world, check out Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City.
Oh, and feel free to clean off a chair, sit down and visit my Flickr photostream.
© 2003 – 2011 This Full House
Freshly-Brewed Review & Also Sharing: Staples MiniMate Shredder