Everybody's Fourth of July

I'm loving stories of everyone's Fourths of July. The picnics, the "must-have" foods like corn-on-the-cob and watermelon, the fireworks.

For us, it was a perfect weekend. Friday afternoon, we swam at a friend's house in water that was cool and refreshing (unlike our condo's 85-degree pool from vacation week!), grilled hot dogs and chased kids around the yard.

Saturday, we relaxed with some other friends, let the kids play in their backyard where KT climbed the ladder and slid down the plastic slide with NO FEAR, and ... grilled hot dogs. And burgers. And brats. (Our must-have foods included baked beans, potato salad, and watermelon, for those of you playing along at home.)

Then we drove to a most unspectacular place, a nearby office park, where we had a most spectacular time! The kids ran around throwing a football (AJ tried really hard to throw it -- he's used to a smaller ball -- but he got in a couple of very good catches), and then they enjoyed sparklers and cupcakes while someone's iPod kept us entertained. "Jack and Diane," which I normally dislike, just sounds RIGHT on 4th of July, you know?

When the fireworks began, AJ hightailed it to the car with his Daddy -- poor little guy, the noise was too much for him -- but he still got to enjoy the amazing show. He and Daddy "COOOOOL!!!"ed and "AWESOME!"d every blast together. :) We were RIGHT underneath the display. I mean, it was directly above my eyes - I was almost worried the sparks would fall ON us. Beautiful. Loud. Smile-inducing. KT fell asleep on my chest as I sat in a lawn chair, next to neighbors and strangers, under an almost full moon.

In all my summers, this July 4th was undoubtedly one of my most contented and happy.

Swimsuits, smiles

Grateful, refreshed

1. For the first time in a long while, I think, I returned to work feeling truly refreshed after our vacation. Even though keeping up with the two kids -- not to mention managing my guilt over leaving them with the grandparents all the time -- makes for a BUSY vacation, I feel like we still got some down-time. I read 2 books, drank some adult beverages, ate well, and somehow feel really good this Monday morning.

2. I'm grateful for nice co-workers who invited me to a welcome-back lunch today.

3. I'm grateful for my wonderful family. Cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, and spouse. Here's hoping they, too, feel refreshed and happy after our reunion.

4. We actually got most of the laundry done! (And by "we" I mean "DH.") Thank you, honey!

5. My two little munchkins both give me such joy. KT, with her explosion of language over this past week ("da wa-wa?" [the water?], "dohhhhh!" [Joe, her Papa Joe], and all her other new words!) -- and AJ, growing by leaps and bounds and growing my heart with him, even in the trying moments... I am so, so grateful for having them in my life and for being "Mommy."

Hot by thirty-five?

So. I have made it to (almost) Beach Week. I have also recently made it to age 35. Back in February or so, I declared I was going on a diet, and would BE at goal weight by these two milestones.

Well... I'm not.

I'm not too far off, but in the last month I just gave out. Not that I was so exhausted from only eating broiled fish and almonds, by any means, but I quit measuring and Fit-Day-ing... and exercising. I told you my company has this cool program where anyone could do a walking video from 11:30 - 12, right? And I had been doing that, but then we had our national sales meeting and so the walking room became, instead, a conference room for a week, and that was the end of that.

So anyway. Did you know my company also makes swimwear? I just scored a free bathing suit, in fact. It looks... okay. I'm not exactly svelte but I just read something at Some Pig --which I have not been reading very faithfully because I don't think it had an RSS feed! But now it does, and praise heaven! I love Caroline's style!!-- Click over. I think it sums up my feelings at this moment.

I'm fine. I have the perspective of a 35-year-old, and it tells me that a glass of wine or a chips and fresh salsa snack are not forever verboten. If I don't look like a bronzed, taut teenager this year at the beach, it's because I AM NOT A TEENAGER. There's still the little matter of getting my BMI into the "healthy" range and I'm determined to do that. I want to retest my cholesterol and see if it's improved any. We'll tackle those after we get back.

But for this week? I'm good. I'll definitely be hot... temps are in the 90s and that sand reflects the sun, after all. Pass the chilled vino and the crab dip.

Lunch and other sundries

Today I get to have lunch on the corporate AmEx at a Mexican restaurant. I will say, one of the lovely things about this job has been lunches on the corporate AmEx. I'd say at least once every 3 weeks, and probably more than that, I get a free lunch.

It's the little things, you know?

----------

I found a bag I love. It's a black "work-tote," with hot pink interior. It's Ha-Yuge. Opens up all the way to the bottom and has a padded pocket if I wanted to carry my laptop in it. I've got room for my small purse, plus room for a file folder if I needed one, diapers and wipes if I needed those... it's perfect. I got it at Target, naturally, and although I kinda wanted something a little more name-brand and sophisticated, I adore this bag. Got a new wallet, too. Total score.

----------

Spanx.

----------

KT is 16 months old! This amazes me. TWO WHOLE years ago, we arrived at the beach with news that I was pregnant with her! I'm happy that I'll get to remember that arrival every summer for the rest of my life - it's an anniversary now, as well as a vacation. :) But, OHHHH, are we going to have fun this year with her. Last night in the bathtub, she was just babbling to herself, picking up squirty dolphins and pouring out water onto them and just talking away -- so busy. I just can't wait to add sunglasses and a floppy hat to that scene. (Well, and a swimsuit.)

Make My Happy Face

Yatt is moving!! Not out of town, but we're re-org'ing the office layout and she and her team are being shifted way out of earshot. There goes my entertaining blog fodder! But I can stop being so mean, which is probably a good thing. Anyway, I'll try to store up some good tidbits this week and then we will officially close this delightful story arc.

No, what I really want to talk about today is Age Four. Four is trying to kill me dead, with one re-usable phrase, and one alone:

"Make my happy face come baaaack!"

It's all my fault, too. I... maybe during one of AJ's early four-year-old tantrums, I was feeling bold and asked him, "Aww, buddy, where did your happy face go?" To try to get him out of his funk.

EPIC BACKFIRE. EP-IC. Now he turns that damn phrase back on me every time he feels the least bit dissatisfied. What he wants, usually, is for me to "fix it" by telling him a knock-knock joke. Because I tried THAT one time, too. Always with the deflecting techniques. Perhaps I should immediately say TIME OUT. I can be a real idiot, I guess. But I swear to pants, when he is pitching a fit and screaming/whining to "please tellllll me a joke or sumthin'! PLEEEEEASE MOMMY..." the very LAST thing I feel like doing is telling jokes. Rrrrrr! I've tried to explain to him that he is responsible for his own attitude, not me, but he doesn't get it. I've tried to ignore him. I've tried Time Out. (Time Out is, lately, actually the only threat that gets his attention.) I just... sigh. I am really tired of hearing "Make My Happy Face Come Back." I feel like it's one of those ultimate manipulative things kids do. He's the one pitching the fit, and I'm the one getting blamed for making his face go sad. GAH. Did your rotten four-year-olds ... I mean, darling cherubs ... ever pull this crap on you?

Calm, Pleasant, and Relaxed

I saw this today at Parenting by Trial and Error, in a list of 10 ways to make time with your kids meaningful:

6. Try to keep in mind what sort of childhood you’re creating for your kids. Is it calm, pleasant, relaxed? Or is it stressful, rushed and upsetting? Make sure that they’re getting those doses of CPR (calm, pleasant and relaxed) every day. You want them to enjoy being in their home.

An excellent thing to strive for. I really HOPE my kids don't feel rushed, stressed, or upset when we're home!

We had a great weekend. Saturday AJ and I bought his school uniforms for Kindergarten. What fun (for me) to go to the uniform store and see all those different plaids lined up on the racks! (I kinda can't wait for KT to start school now! The boy uniforms are slightly boring in comparison!) Then we had lunch at McDonald's, and he played in the play area, climbing all the way to the very top-top of a big curvy slide (not usually his deal - he's often too afraid).

Sunday the DH overexerted himself doing yardwork (cutting down branches, yikes), and made me nervous, but thank God for him, once again. I am (sort-of) looking forward to a time when KT's a little older, and I can safely leave her playing to help him with that stuff again. And the kids and I fingerpainted, played outside, played inside, folded laundry, and ate popcorn for a snack.

Those are my favorite kinds of days.

Please don't read this post.

This will sound like bragging, and so it's not meant for an audience. It's just for me, to go back to sometime when I need a little pick-me-up. My manager told me this morning that my 2 press releases received compliments from our new Public Relations firm. They said that "of all the press releases they've ever read, those were 2 of the very best," most well-written, etc etc. It is so nice to get an A+ sometimes. I just want to remember it.

Spending and Listening and Counting down, oh my!

I've been spending money. Birthday money, specifically, at TJ Maxx and Marshall's. I still have about $200 left (my parents and in-laws are so generous!) but so far I've bought 4 tops I can wear to work, 1 pair of capris, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 swimsuit, 1 pair of striped flip-flops, and some new underthings. I have held out on spending money for a long time, it seems, so this is fun, not to mention I'm doing it with our BEACH TRIP in mind, so that makes me very happy. (10 days until! I've been trying to withhold the annual COUNTDOWN for your reading benefit, but heck -- half the people who read will be there with me or were just there last month, so wheee! Vacation!)

By the way, the drink of choice this year wants to be a Mojito. I've found recipes that use raw sugar, and others that suggest powdered. I'm leaning towards powdered because it's handy.

--------

I am trying so hard to NOT say anything at work, or even to my husband, about Yatt. Because if you can't say anything nice... you know. BUT ZZZOMMMMMGGGGGG!!! Using Constance the First's logic, I may say how she is making me crazy right here on my blog. So let us begin. Yesterday:

--She spent, ohidontknow, about 3 hours cumulative, during the day, telling her team about her recent skin biopsy results. They're pre-cancerous. Now, I am not going to be completely rude about a cancer diagnosis -- I'll allow her that is a scary thing to hear, and I don't wish it on anyone nor begrudge her telling her story about it (loudly), but

-- She then had to SHOW her team (also loudly) all of her previous terrible biopsy scars. ......um..... Seriously? I peeked over and she was leaning down into a cubemate's desk area, pulling her shirt sleeves down off her shoulder, to show them some of the scar tissue where she'd had stitches. Number one, NO. We don't pull our clothes down in any way during work hours, and Number two, COME ON. Little scars from little biopsies? Not that INTERESTING to people, Yatt, hate to tell ya. All the while she's yak yak yakking. It's just too much, you know? I mean, sure, tell your friends about an ailment. Okay. But she never just TELLS -- she INSTRUCTS everyone about it. And somehow she never quite ENDS the sentences. She finishes a thought, then, "Ummms..." until the next thought begins. And keeps adding more and more information. Did I mention? ...Loud. Ly.
-- Right now she's saying to a co-worker, "Now, you have a right-hand desk, which means all your workspace is to your left. You see what I mean? But I am left-handed..." AS IF THIS LADY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND the concept.

I do wonder how her cube-mates deal with her. But none of them is terribly quiet (like I would be -- I would just have to shut my mouth completely if I sat over there and she was talking in and around me); and none of them snips back at her with the things I would WANT to say, like, "Okay, Yatt, do we really have to talk about your personal body again today? I'm kind-of trying to concentrate."

-------

It really is perfectly fine to complain, on my blog, with like-minded friends who understand.

------

I am looking to spend the rest of my birthday money on either a stylish laptop bag/briefcase, or a new, larger, structured purse. The line is blurred -- both of those things might actually be the same, which makes is REALLY hard for a non-decision-maker like me. I could get by with my current purse selection (I have a smaller spring bag that I adore) if I had a bigger, more professional-looking bag to put it in. Because I could keep all the myriad PAPERS I carry around in the big bag, freeing up the purse for essentials: wallet, phone, pen, lipstick, gum, and unused coupons. I ALSO want a pretty but small "portfolio" thing that I can use for a wallet. One that kinda opens up like a book, you know? Holds business cards and all? My manager uses one and it looks so grown-up. Haven't found the right thing yet.

-----

Wow, this whole post is completely shallow, isn't it?! Well, Book Club is tonight -- maybe I'll have some intellectual thoughts one of these days soon. But... don't hold your breath.

Friday Quick Takes

1. I am feeling "meh" about work. On the one hand, I am finally – finally! – feeling like I've got my feet under me, like I know the basic tenets of my responsibilities and when they show up on the calendar, and how to accomplish them. This is a GOOD feeling – these last three months have been, to say the least, a bit wobbly as far as me knowing what the heck I'm doing. And now, to know that on Mondays I need to update the location database for website #1, and that when I need a Flash element, I email Such-and-Such in our Raubling office, and to make edits I need to use the "X" Spreadsheet and include screen shots – all of these bits of knowledge are very comforting and make me much less wobbly than I was before. I also have been doing some writing for work and getting good reviews on that, so, SCORE! Press releases, woo! HOWEVER. There are still many things that I don't feel authorized to do, and it makes me feel small and kind-of stupid for always having to ask permission, and my boss… well, my boss. I like her, and I think she's ambitious and young and single so good for her, but it makes it hard for me, who just wants to DO a job and then GO HOME.

And it's weird to me that every morning in the shower, I think about work. And I think about it at other times, too. Work is ALWAYS in my mind.

That's the job update.

2. I wrote a great press release!

3. I had a peach margarita with my birthday dinner. Actually it was mostly a glass of peach margarita mix. Which was kind-of disappointing. Especially because AJ whined the ENTIRE TIME we were at dinner.

4. He made up for it. This morning we were having our morning snuggle-time before his breakfast, and he said, "Mommy? I was kinda sad because I didn't get you a present for your birthday." Isn't that the saddest/sweetest thing you've ever heard??

5. This weekend is almost totally free and clear of commitments, and I'm so glad. We have some things to do, but I'm hoping that one thing can be a mani/pedi for me.

6. A dear friend of mine is moving into a brand-new beautiful house, and now I REALLY WANT one, too. One with a nice fenced, flat backyard so I can let the kids loose and sit on the deck with my iced tea and a book while they play. I feel like we may NEVER have another house besides this one, and I know that's another first-world whine, but DH and I tend to take the "do we NEED it?" approach to small purchases – like new bath towels and mats – and therefore we are using VERY OLD TOWELS. And that worries me, as far as bigger purchases like ever having a new house are concerned.

7. People are whispering in the office behind me. I'd better go so I can more effectively eavesdrop.

More quick takes here!