Operators are standing by...

I had to pull out all the stops and CALL SANTA CLAUS on the telephone this morning, to stop the whine-fest AJ was having. It's been 3 mornings in a row that he's writhed on the carpet bemoaning the horrible state of his LIFE and how we never let him do ANYTHING FUN, instead of letting us dress him for school, and Husband and I had Had It. So I looked that kid right in the eye and said, "If you kick me again, I am going to CALL SANTA." And he flat-out kicked me. Toddlers, I swear.

beep-beep-beep-beep beep beep beep.

"It's ringing...." (pause for effect)

"Hello, may I speak to Santa Claus please? Thank you." (pause. hmm, 'magine that, AJ's quit fussing)

"Hi, Santa, this is AJ's Mommy. Yes, nice to talk to you. We're all fine. How are you doing?"

(pause)

"Mmm-hmm. Well... I'm calling with some bad news I'm afraid... AJ is being pretty Naughty this morning. Yes, I know. Mm-hmm, he IS usually a very good boy... I know. I hate having to tell you this, but you may want to consider skipping our house this year."

(pause as Santa protests)

(Meanwhile, Hubby's behind me looking at AJ clucking his tongue, "Oh, man... Oh, man, AJ...." All I could do not to burst out laughing. But, STAY IN CHARACTER.)

"Do you think so? Well, maybe he can try to be Nice until Christmas." (looking pointedly at AJ, who's gone silent and wide-eyed) "I don't know. But okay, we'll see. Yes, that's good advice. Okay, Thank you, Santa."

"You have a Merry Christmas, too. Bye-bye."

And then I told AJ that Santa was very disappointed.

He was still looking a bit glum when I dropped him off at daycare. Am I the meanest mommy, or what??! I have exploited Santa a lot this month ("You'd better not pout"), but that was an Oscar-worthy performance, if I do say so myself. Put the fear a'God in him. (Don't worry, we'll call him again tonight -- there's an 800#, did you know? 1-800-972-6242 -- and I'll let AJ listen to the happy recording.)

Tactics. It's all about tactics.

Gloom into Gratitude

...But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.

I just read this as the opening passage of Isaiah 9. I don't think I've ever heard that verse before, but wow, I really like it. It's from the English Standard Version, and the use of the adjective "her" is different to my ears. (Guess we don't read it in any of the regular Scripture cycles at Mass.)

I can think of several "hers," some bloggers, some not, who are experiencing a bit of anguish right here in the Christmas season. And last night, I got myself into a bit of a gloomy mood too. Sometimes reading all those 2-page Christmas letters about "Susie-Q, who made partner in her marketing firm in oh-six," and "our dear Johnny, whose self-designed business really took off this year," and "his wife, Mary, who's got her hands full with the 3 kids she's teaching at home," makes me a little depressed. I got 3 of those letters yesterday.

So I'm praying with HOPE that the gloom will be replaced, for myself (my selfish envious self) and especially for my friends. These next parts of the Isaiah chapter supply the familiar words:

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined... (vs. 2)
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (vs. 6)

Some of my favorite words in all the Bible. I love that it ENDS WITH -- punctuates -- emphasizes -- PEACE. He will bring us Peace above all the other things.

Man, that is some good news.

Be grateful today for that Hope, and for the many blessings of this life.

Confusion

My son seems a bit confused about this whole "someone comes into my house and leaves presents" deal. We were talking last night about what's going to happen IN ONE WEEK, and I said, "Who's going to visit you on Christmas?"

"Lanta Caus," he replied.


"...and Tigger?"

Thursday Thirteen #4

13 Questions from an End-of-Year Meme

I've been wanting to do the whole questionnaire, but it seems that a portion is all I'm going to manage. That's okay.

1. Was 2006 a good year for you? Wellll... yes, overall "in the grand scheme of things," a phrase I use entirely too often, it was a good year. We are all healthy and have much to be thankful for. Work has been hard for both of us, and I'm trying really hard not to define 2006 as "the year of the funeral." Few too many of those for my taste. Few too many wonderful people we miss a great deal. But I think that's something to acknowledge; as we get older, we attend more funerals, that's just the facts.

2. What was your favorite moment of the year? I'm not sure. I'm thinking my favorite moment is going to be Christmas morning, because for the first time, AJ's going to be curious and excited about Santa Claus and PRESENTS.

3. Where were you when 2006 began? I believe I was face-down on my couch. I believe my husband tried desperately to wake me up for a mignight kiss, and I believe I mrrrffffled my way through it and went right back to sleep. (sorry, honey)

4. Did you keep your new years resolutions of 2006? Ha, ha, I WIN on this question. I refused to ennumerate my resolutions, but I did mention them briefly. Blessing my circumstances and yoga -- yeah, I think I did okay on those. Especially yoga. I did much more of that in '06 than in '05.

5. Did you make any new friends in 2006? If blog-friends count, then yes, I believe I did. I love blog-friends. :)

6. How many different states did you travel to in 2006? Oh, wow. Let's see... Oklahoma, by way of Arkansas and Tennessee. North Carolina. Florida, of course. New Hampshire (first time). Virginia. Louisiana. Sadly, I didn't travel to Minnesota like I'd wanted to. But I'd say 8 is pretty impressive.

7. Did you travel outside of the US in 2006? Nope.

8. What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2006? Did I see any movies in 2006? I remember the most recent one, "Stranger Than Fiction." Other than that, it was Cars, and Toy Story 1 and 2 about eleventy-million times. Of those I'd have to say Toy Story is my favorite.

9. What was your favorite song from 2006? Oh, hahaha. Like I know the current songs? I did love the new Keane album, so "Is It Any Wonder" would qualify. I listen to the "dave" station, dudes. OLD people music from the '80s and '90s.

10. How many people did you sleep with in 2006? (Hee hee. This meme must have come from MySpace.) Um, TWO. On a couple of our road trips, AJ shared the hotel bed with me and hubby. Heaven help my ribs those days.

11. Did you treat somebody badly in 2006? No, I don't think I intentionally treated anyone badly as a regular course of action. I will say, sometimes in the morning first thing, when I arrive at the office, I blatantly continue walking straight to my desk even when people begin to try and hold full-on conversations with me. (While my bag's still slung over my shoulder and keys in hand!) So that's probably not very nice.

12. How much money did you spend in 2006? Ouch. We spent a lot, actually. Bought a large furniture item, a couple plane tickets, too many restaurant lunches, a lot of EXTRA-EXPENSIVE GAS (remember that, 2006??), a new stove, and here at Christmas we've kinda gone hog-wild (for AJ!). *Sheepish grin*

13. What was your favorite book you read this year? I have to say The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, because I had built it up in my mind so much for years, and it actually lived up to all that; even went beyond what I expected. I LEARNED from it, I was entertained, I was thrilled by it. In second place? Wickett's Remedy, by Myla Goldberg. Weird little interesting, delectable book.

That was fun! Happy Thursday 13! :)

An Open Letter to Harry Connick, Jr.

Dear Harry,

You're hot.

Wait, that just popped out accidentally... Let me start again. Dear Harry,

I want to thank you for recording your Christmas CD, "When My Heart Finds Christmas," long ago in 1993. That was back when you had kinda weird hair and before you started wearing your button-down silk shirts half open, but I liked you then anyway. This morning, like turned to love. Real, for-true, I HEART YOU love, and it's based not just on your looks (I swear), but on our mutual appreciation of excellent music.

You see, yesterday after a grump-inducing day at the office, I could not rebound from a very bad mood, for the life of me. Not even my darling son -- whom I know you would love, as he's got a thing for Red Beans & Rice, and the only beignets to ever have touched his lips were authentic Cafe du Monde ones during a New Orleans summer thunderstorm -- not even that perfect, precious boy could make me completely forget my stupid work aggravations last night. I went to bed dreading the wash-rinse-repeat that would become today.

But this morning.... oh, this morning! I thought that "I Pray on Christmas" was my favorite so I tried it first. But after that, I casually clicked my iPod to "Must Have Been Ol' Santa Claus," and I. ROCKED. OUT. in the car. All the way to work. Or, maybe I JAZZED OUT. Whatever car-dance style your song is intended for, I adopted it. In fact, I think I was possessed by it. HELLO, RHYTHM! It's really incredible the way you and your band can swing a syncopation. Bomp, bomp, bomp... a-BOMPBOMP. That rousing, happy I-V-I bass line. See? I'm a MUSICIAN, not just a little fan-girl. Man, my stereo was thumping. (I didn't even know Toyota Highlanders could thump.) I repeated it two or maybe even three times. I couldn't stop. Singing at the top of my lungs, sharing the beat with you guys. It turned me around.

So in this season of giving, I want you to know that I GIVE YOU a double thumbs-up. A super high-five. A big wet kiss on the neck. I mean, uhm... a hearty round of applause for your musical talents and your ability to change really bad moods. And maybe lives.

Happy Ho-Ho-Ho to you, too! My heart found Christmas for the day.

XOXOXO...xoxo,
(really.)
el-e-e

Hope upon hope

Yesterday AJ and I were sitting in the kitchen floor -- I love that expression, don't you? "In" the floor? It sounds like a playland -- paging through all of his artwork from November. Usually his wonderful teacher sends it home once a week, but I guess she's been busy. (Of course she has! I can't imagine being a daycare teacher. It blows my mind, what she does in one day.) There were orange pumpkins, and a spider made of two handprints pasted together with the fingers pointed outward (some October stuff, too), and a pilgrim that was colored all BROWN in long, swipey scribbles, and several letters and numbers which I will paste onto the dishwasher so we can look at them at eye level every day for a week or two.

AJ *loves* artwork. He calls it that, too. He actually seemed proud to be showing me all these things. At home, we have watercolor paints, a plastic smock, and an easel, and that has fast become his favorite activity other than watching videos. I just love watching him choose a color (always in succession, brown, purple, then green or blue, then yellow/orange/red, then black - the order they sit in the tray), then carefully choose a spot to paint (he always paints a character's eyes first), then he kind-of bounces while dipping his paintbrush in the water, dripping on the way back up to the paper -- it's so messy, and yet so purposeful. And magical.

Anyway, as we were sitting there and I watched him thumb through his pictures, I started to really hope that I am doing enough for him. Not in a down-in-the-dumps way, just because he is such a precious little person. Growing up so fast. I want to do everything, give everything, be everything that a child -- THIS particular child -- needs to grow and thrive.

I hope that sitting in the floor with you is good enough. I hope that canned vegetables are sometimes good enough. I hope that going to Publix after school is okay with you, and even fun sometimes. I hope that quiet weekends at home -- rather than family trips to children's adventure museums or the proverbial playdates -- are good enough. I hope that *I* -- me, the little person that I am, the nothing-more than my own small brain and my own heart -- am doing right by you.

Visions of sugarplums... poof!

A quick follow-up to my worry about my brother-in-law sleeping 'til 10:00am on Christmas morning. I shared this fear with Husband, who said, "Oh HELL, no, that guy will get up at SIX." Evidently the nine-year age difference between them meant my husband (the elder brother) was awakened repeatedly and unjustly on the Christmas mornings of his teen years. Four a.m. happened at least once, in his memory. Revenge is kinda sweet. :)

Shop with me, people

Please help me.

I'm flailing on husband's Christmas gift. Thankfully, he's fooled: two items sit wrapped under our tree with his name on them. Only I know that they are socks and t-shirts, and not "The" gift. It's come down to these two options:

1. Three 600-count CD binders that we saw at Best Buy when we completed all our other Christmas shopping last Friday. Now, while these are not exciting, he has been contemplating them for quite a while, and I'll admit, it'd be kinda nice to rid ourselves of the 1800 jewel cases which are DISPLAYED (yes, all of them) on the bachelor-esque TV stand in our living room. I'm torn, though, because I'd hate for it to seem like a self-serving gift... "Yay, now you have binders! Let's get new pretty furniture." But he did SAY he wanted them.

2. Nintendo's Wii. Now, he's only once said he might want this, but if I know my husband, I know that a brand-spanking-new game system is going to get high marks from him. And he hasn't had a Nintendo since the late '80s. (GameBoy and DS don't count. And would ya look at me, throwing out terminology like I have a clue!) He's a loyal fan of both Xbox360 and PlayStation, but I know for a fact he doesn't want (is not spending $600 for) their new PS3. So the Wii is the other latest and greatest out this season, and Nintendo is touting its motion-sensitive controller; you can flail it about like a tennis racket or a sword if you're serving or slashing, respectively. Even I think that's pretty cool. I think he'd like it, even if it's just to keep up with the current electronic goods.

The tough thing there is, when he wants a game system, he usually makes it very clear -- like, asks his mom for it outright. Or buys it himself. And he hasn't done either of those things. Second: His birthday is in January. So either gift is good; if I get the binders for Xmas and find out he really wanted the Wii... no problem. Birthday shopping done. But third, his Father's Day gift this year got completely botched and I feel like I owe him a good surprise. A watch or a bag o' socks just ain't going to cut it.

What say you??

Love Thursday

Love is sharing Mr. Potato Head with your cousins.

Get your Love Thursday on.

The Grandness of Imperfection

Work is kicking my tail end this week. This is probably a good thing. I'm sure I could use a kick or two. Lots on my mind, though.

I'm really enjoying the Advent/Christmas season so far, despite the fact that my first batch of cookies was a bust (don't substitute margarine for butter; it's Christmas for heaven's sake. Just... Butter.)... and despite that I haven't done my cards yet, or even begun to wrap/ship any presents. My house looks pretty with all its decoration -- I love thinking about why we decorate, by the way -- the old custom of decking the halls, preparing our homes for the coming of the Lord is so quiet and forgotten among the Clark-Griswoldness of modern decorating superfluousness (my neighborhood even has a contest) -- but it makes me happy to think about that kind of preparation, and try to focus on welcoming the Christ-child.

In fact, we're welcoming my in-laws, who are definitely coming. (Would be good if I could think about welcoming Jesus in each of them... *trying*) This means two things: 1) We don't have to travel! Hooray! AJ gets to have Santa come down his very own chim-a-nee, and 2) I'm going to stress out about Christmas dinner and have to practice patience when there are more than one of us bumping around MY kitchen using MY new oven. Heh. Let's see... there were Three Wise Men; maybe they all tripped over each other to give THEIR OWN gifts first. But all three gifts were important, yes? They each got a verse in the song. :) Perhaps a good metaphor to keep in mind.

I'll also have to fight the urge to orchestrate Christmas day. The thing is, I want it to be somewhat MY -- MINE and HUBBY'S and AJ'S -- new brand of Christmas, with our traditions and special things. Not just their usual Savannah Christmas moved to within my Atlanta walls. Ya know? My BIL and his girlfriend will be here for instance, and I'm sure that means the events of Christmas morning can't start immediately upon waking with AJ at 6:00am. At least not the "perfect matchy-pajamas Kodak moment all together with everyone," the way I'd like it. BUT. I'm hopeful that I won't let that bother me too much. The imperfection of family is what makes it family, what makes it REAL. So if AJ opens all his presents at 6:00, and then the others wander downstairs at 10:09, so be it. We'll wait and do their presents then. And if Pa-in-law turns on the (gulp) TV -- The Weather Channel like he always does -- then I'll have to just suck it up and change the channel when I get a chance to the Christmas music station. Then we'll all have breakfast (Second Breakfast no doubt, for some of us), and it will be warm and wonderful somehow.

Watch out. It's gettin' crazy over here.

Today I will be blogging working from a post on my pretty red sofa, facing the lighted Christmas tree, rather than my usual spot at the kitchen table (see right). Because it's Pretty and I Wanna.

If I were a normal person working from home, this wouldn't merit announcing. But I am a corporate drone who feels extreme guilt (and worries that OSHA might reprimand me) when I don't sit at some form of a DESK, with my hands and feet at 90-degree angles.

Nyah, nyah, I say today. And happy holidays. :)

P.S. From the sofa, I can see clearly the lower right-hand quadrant of our tree, heaviest of all with 14 "oh-na-mets" dangling precariously from the tippy-tips of their 6 saggy branches. (Yes, do the math.) Hee. So cute.

Easy, Breezy Recipe Monday

Look, diet or not, I like the cream sauces. Alfredo. Hollandaise. Bernaise. Mayonnaise.

Here's one I made the other night, using lo-fat versions of everything. It makes for a delicious chicken dish, with about half the guilt. ;)

Celery-Wine Baked Chicken see? right there, it's Celery. Healthy.

1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp butter/margarine
1 (10.75-oz) can 98% fat-free cream of celery soup
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1/4 c. diced celery
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. lite sour cream
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
pinch paprika
pinch garlic powder
pinch black pepper
1 add'l tbsp butter/marg

First you sautee the mushrooms in 1 tbsp butter (or cheat like I do and open up a little can of B&Bs). Add them to a large bowl, along with the soup, vegetables, wine, and sour cream. Pour into a 9x13" dish. Top with chicken breasts. Sprinkle chicken with the spices, and dot with butter. Cover.

Bake in preheated 325° oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Serve over pasta or rice (egg noodles are great; whole wheat pasta works, too).

...That Radio Song!

I just have to post this because it is hilarious and SPOT-ON. My favorite Thursday 13 list from A Flyover Blog:

13 Christmas Songs I Never Want To Hear Again (HA!!)

1. My Favorite Things by Rod Stewart. This is just wrong. Rod Stewart bears no resemblance to Julie Andrews.

2. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree by Jessica Simpson. Why is this girl still around? She can't sing, act or talk, yet she's everywhere! Go away... and take your sister with you!

3. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon. The most pathetic holiday tune ever penned. (Emphasis mine.) Guaranteed to induce severe depression. Makes me want to fill my pockets with heavy rocks and wade into the river...

4. I Wonder As I Wander by anybody. Just plain odd. Gives my a tiny chest pain every time I hear it.

5. The Gift by Aselin Debison. Can't sing. Can't sing. Can't sing. (never heard this one but I'm sure she's right)

6. The Christmas Shoes by Newsong. I detest this wretched song! Emotional manipulation on an unparalled scale. Whoever wrote this convoluted piece of Christmas drivel should be brought to the town square and flogged! There, I feel better now.

...click for more! It's worth it, I swear.

In response, and to shake those awful tunes out of our heads, I will list here my FIVE FAVORITE, pleasant-to-hear, happy-inducing Christmas songs.

1. "Sleigh Ride" by Johnny Mathis, Any Grant, or the classic orchestral version. I can't decide; I like 'em all.

2. "God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen" (choral). The poetry of the lyrics, the harmonies of voice, the minor-to-major resolution at the end...? PERFECT Christmas tune.

3. "Here Comes Santa Claus" (by I don't know who)... AJ's favorite, apparently. "Come Here, Santa Claus," he says. This cute-ism, I know, will live forever in our family lore. I'm trying to learn all the lyrics. I love the end, "So let's sing praise to the Lord above, for Santa Claus comes tonight." :)

4. In Dulci Jubilo. You're not going to hear this on 94.9 Lite FM. Too bad, because it's so upbeat and LATIN. Was my favorite performance in my college chorus (possibly because I had a small part in the special quartet).

5. I Pray On Christmas, by Harry Connick Jr. Not a traditional carol, but it's one of the 4 or 5 albums that I drag out every year.

"I pray on Christmas (Oh, sweet Jesus)
that the sick will soon be strong,
I pray on Christmas, the Lord will hear my song,
I pray on Christmas that God will lead the way...
and I pray on Christmas He'll get me through another day."

About all we can ask, right? :) (Boy, is it hard to just choose FIVE!) Oh wait. I have to put this one:

"Jingle Bells," by Herb Alpert. HA! What am I DOING with this album?? I don't know, but I love it. I wish I could attach a clip because it's so funny and loungey but I don't really know how to do that.

Anyway, happy holiday listening!

Thursday Thirteen #3

13 Good Things that happened yesterday 1. I found something to wear that fit, and matched (sometimes hard when you haven't done laundry yet after a road trip)! 2. Even though we woke up 15 minutes late (neither of us remembered to set our alarms), we made it out the door at our normal time. Thank you, ready-made lunch items like Starkist to Go and bananas! 3. I promised myself a Non-Fat Peppermint Mocha for the commute and ....oh, sorry, got lost for a minute in that fluffy cozy memory.... mmmmm.... 4. I had one scheduled conference call with a client at 2:30, and it ended by 2:50. No complications, logical progress on their project, kind people. 5. AJ saw Santa Claus at school, and for the first time, didn't cry when put into his lap! In fact... 6. AJ TALKED to Santa Claus. I know this because he told us ALL about it later, at dinner. "AJ, what did you tell Santa you want for Christmas?" I asked. "I tell him I want TAN-DY. Ayy NEWWWWW Pay-Doh! Ayyy.... Buzz, ay Woody, ay Yesse (Jesse)..." He went on and on, and was so excited about talking to "Lanta." Apparently he finished his visit with, "Bye-bye, Lanta." This conversation was without a doubt the highlight of mine and my husband's day. 7. I made a delicious dinner in the new stove -- celery/wine baked chicken breasts. I used 98% fat-free cream of celery soup and light sour cream, which achieved "delicious" yet remained not too sinful. Served it over whole wheat pasta, with a salad on the side. YUM! 8. AJ helped with the salad. 9. AJ also managed to play by himself for about 10 minutes. Can I get an AMEN!! 10. Bedtime was a breeze. (I have a friend who's having a lot of trouble with his 2-year-old at bedtime. Poor things. They're all losing sleep, and not agreeing on how to tackle it, and it just sounds very unpleasant. I'm not immune to future bedtime struggles, I'm sure -- AJ already knows how to stall for time -- but so far, we've got a system that works and I'M GRATEFUL.) 11. Despite a headache and general post-8:00 laziness, husband and I put lights on the Christmas tree. (Without any bitching!) 12. We discovered one of our 5 strings of lights is half-dead. This is good why? Because I get to go to TARGET today to replace it! Mwhahaaa-ha-ha-ha. 13. I fell asleep on DH's chest, comfy cozy in our pillow-top, perfect bed. We love our bed. :) And remembered to set an alarm for today. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. http://www.mommy-inc.com/ 2. http://www.danno.org/blogs/ 3. http://dibookblogetc.typepad.com/my_weblog/ 4. http://westofmars.blogspot.com/ 5. http://karlascrazylife.blogspot.com/ 6. http://joelysueburkhart.com/blog/ 7. http://addiesramblings.com/ 8. http://greggdigressions.blogspot.com/ 9.... (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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You needed me

We returned from my parents' house on Monday evening, whiny toddler in tow. He'd been unusually fussy about "wann' go bye-bye" when we left Florida that morning, then when we pulled into our garage 6 hours later, it was all tears and "go bye-bye?" again. I think he was confused. We're definitely having a whining stage. And traveling is hard. (Hi: I've mastered the obvious.) I can deal with that.

It didn't stop us from having a good vacation. Six days! I didn't realize it was going to be six full days, but man, was that nice. Time with the family, lounge-around days, no plans whatsoever... it was heaven.

Except.... along with the whiny, I get the clingy. Do you? Man, does my kid NEED ME. After a few days of it -- don't get me wrong, I love vacation and getting to be with him, but! -- I was about ready to jump out of my skin if I had to let him "help me" do dishes, or go to the bathroom, or clean out my closets, or go to the store one more time. He's so funny. I'll say, "AJ, I'm going to the potty, I'll be Right Back." And he immediately pops up and declares, "I come, Mama," as he runs to catch me. My Mom was kind enough to encourage me, saying that even though I get "a break" when I go to the office, once I leave there and pick him up (on typical days), it's all-him all-the-time. She made me feel normal about being tired of him, is what I'm trying to say. Even though I'm not a SAHM. And I needed to hear that. So thanks, Mom. :)

Mom also told me that parents can't play with their kids too much. I worry sometimes that I'm making myself more of a playmate for AJ than a responsible (disciplinarian?) capital-P Parent. But she said don't worry.

It was our first Thanksgiving without my Grandmother, and I didn't realize that it was Mom's first dinner party since the funeral in August. We got teary about that, and of course it was strange not to serve Grandmother's one pretty glass of wine, or take her home after the evening was over. Husband very keenly observed that my Mom's having to adjust to not being needed as much as when Grandmother was with us. She absolutely took care of everything for Grandmother -- she was Relied Upon. And now that's missing from her daily round. Ironically, that was one of the things Grandmother talked about in her recent years -- she wanted to feel appreciated and necessary, and often didn't. So I'm thinking of you, Mom, and want you to know how much *I* need you. (See above.)

Interesting that the same theme drifted in and around and through the holiday for both of us.

We had some great moments at the piano. AJ was truly in awe of my cousin Tom, who plays. He would sit on the bench with him and wiggle his little bottom in time to "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Come Here, Santa Claus." Maybe you know it as "Here Comes." A musician in the making, perhaps? Or at least some to-be-treasured musical memories (and videos) of holiday time, which every kid definitely needs.

Good bye... and... hellooooooo!

(anyone get the Broadway musical reference? (one of my favorites) ...anyone?)

I have to admit I got a teensy bit wistful as they wheeled the Old Craptastic out the back door. It was the oven that baked my very first turkey as a wife and mother. Awww. The one where I boiled baby's bottles. (Once.) Other than that? ...nothin'. Take it away, boys!

The new stove rests peacefully, stainlessly, in its new home. I'm sure you're all THRILLED (that this story arc is ending). It will be used, I'm sure, on many a Thanksgiving to come. But for now, it has 5 days to sit and prepare itself for maximum daily use, while we escape to my mother's house. Oh, get this: I now have a broiler pan! (Yah, didn't have one.) I have an Oven Light! Pretty dings (instead of limp-sounding '80s beeps). A quiet fan! Okay, I'll shut up. It's just so exciting!

Step 1 on the path to holiness

Today I hopped over to one of the first blogs I ever discovered -- everyone say hello to the darling Summa Mamas -- Hello! -- and took a quick run down their long and distinguished blogroll. Catholic blogroll, y'understand. This is where I often go when I need a good dose of canonical instruction via the Internet. Lo! (to use a Biblical term) There I appeared, ON the list!

And then my face turned a little bit red.

I am so NOT devout. I'm honored to be on their list, but a little embarrassed if any of their other regulars come here and read me... literally, ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ad nauseum. (At least I do know a little Latin, heh.) Some of my favorite posts certainly happen when I get really inspired by the love of the Holy Spirit, which can come into your life and just positively SURROUND you, if you let it.... but there's been precious little of that here lately. I haven't taken any time to look or listen for it. I guess my excuse is that there has been a lot going on. And when you set weight-loss goals like I have this last month or so, a lot of times that trumps all other endeavors because it REQUIRES so much time and energy. I'm not trying to become a diet-blog, just trying to share my feelings about it... Not to mention work, household nonsense, and those all important MEMES! But when isn't there "a lot going on?" Like Gilda said, "It's always something."

Anyway, there is more to me than counting calories and making wish-lists. In the spirit of being more open to the Divine Uplift, I've claimed this blog for kindness. (See it down there on the right? I'm a big kid now, I have a badge!) I also hope to share more goodness here. To seek it out, and witness it. It's there, in the world... you just have to make it your business to see it. I haven't combed the archives so I can't promise that everything I've ever written here has been kind... but going forward it will be. It's the right way to be. It's a start.

(Thankfully, a bit of snark is still allowed. I looked it up. Hee.)

I Love Potluck.

For all my big talk about dieting.... I sure am cavorting around here irresponsibly with Tres Leches cake in my hot little hand.

It's just a TASTE, I swear. A nibble.

And there's fruit on top. Virtuous!

Thank you, appliance gods

Saturday, I was fully expecting a day of driving all over town, comparison shopping (one of my least favorite activities of all time), and general malaise at having to spend That Much Money.

Instead, we arrived at the first appliance store, walked in, saw it, On Closeout, for $1200 less than what I had seen online as starting prices. !!! Holy DEAL, Batman. The 19-year-old sales girl was pleasant and surprisingly knowledgable. Our stove was just sitting there, EXACTLY the model we wanted: JennAir, downdraft, slide-in, 30-inch, ceramic cooktop, black-and-stainless (which is awesome because I couldn't decide between them). Dingdingdingding! We have a winner. The end.

My family will welcome the return of actual meals on Wednesday morning between 9 and 12. Christmas comes early for me! I never knew how much I'd miss cooking. Even my harried-mother facsimile brand of cooking. :)

Bullets

• I keep sneezing. I bet my coworkers are fed up with "Bless you."
• DUDES. I just got really nervous thinking about Turkey Day, which really should be called "Side Items Day" because who cares about the turkey when there is sausage dressing, green bean salad, sweet potato cass., pecan pie, WINE & cetera??! I think the health plan is doomed.
• Perhaps a nice, long walk sometime that day will help.
• Perhaps suspending all calorie-counting in honor of our ancestors.
• Hrmph.
• When I want to Get Something Done (esp. for work), I want to DO it and be done with it. Not wait on others. Rrgh. CALL ME BACK.

He could handle it.

I was talking with my nurse a couple days ago -- the CNP is who I usually see -- and she was asking about our plans for a second child. Of course she told me about *her* 3 kids, and how the spacing worked for her: 3 and change years apart and hers weren't necessarily close, she said, as kids... but it was fine. AJ would be old enough, she postulated, to want to help with a baby and not be overly jealous.

Welllll... she obviously doesn't KNOW AJ (wink), but I think she's mostly right: He'll be fine. I thought more about it afterwards and said to myself, if anyone can handle it, he can.

And that in itself, was a neat thought -- his overall spirit is pretty darn strong. He knows he's loved. He knows what's what. I watch him at school and, yeah, some of the other snot-nosed punks kids pull on him and take his toys, but that's just kids. He may whine but all it takes is an "AJ, it's Joe's turn now," and he's fine. One girl was hugging on him this morning -- for 5 full minutes. I could tell by the way he looked up at me that he was kind-of thinking, "Mom, couldya get her off me?" But he stood there and played along. "Whatever" seems to be an attitude he can embrace, and that is a good thing.

We're so blessed that he's a good kid. Looking back over the past few months I'm surprised to report we haven't had very many breakdowns or time-outs (we've definitely had a few, don't get me wrong). No public moments of humiliation or interrupted meals. Wait... Church is a different story -- he DID have to be removed from Church once. But he knew he'd gotten in trouble. He feels that -- he seems to genuinely respect us and want us happy with him. I think we're doing an okay job showing "disappointment," not "angry," at the tough times. He's still missing all of his canine teeth which means there is definitely some grumpy-bear yet to endure. But he's generally willing to listen to reason, when he needs to be Talked To. "AJ, I know you want that candy right now, but it's bedtime... let's save it and have it tomorrow, okay?" "Otay, Mama." I think he GETS IT. That's pretty cool for a toddler.

I'd better quit while I'm ahead. No need to blatantly call down the wrath of the Universe. Just suffice it to say it's been a good run here lately.

Sister Love

I've been calling my sister out this week, since she went to Malaysia and didn't tell me. :) But she is not rotten. She is my favorite. :) She and I can be separated by miles and many miles, but still feel as close as when we shared bedtime stories and giggles. I love to remember that for many years, she and I wouldn't sleep apart -- we'd go kind-of in phases -- three or four weeks in her queen bed, and then 3 or 4 in mine. Something comforting about having your best friend there with you in the deep dark quiet of night.

And OH, did we have fun! And by that I mean, argued. ;) Before we fell asleep, I "breathed too hard" and annoyed her, and when she'd tell me that, I'd make her feel pretty bad by saying "WELL I HAVE TO BREATHE." Then *huff off and turn over.* It's funny now because I've grown overly sensitive in my adulthood, even to my own breathing, and especially at bedtime. If, for instance, I feel my own exhaling hit my bare shoulder? I FREAK OUT. Must cover up shoulder with sheet immediately.

It's special to have someone you'll tell your dreams to. Who'll trade back scratches with you. Who doesn't kick the covers off, unless you're conspiring to kick them together. Who'll turn off your lamp after you've fallen asleep with the book still open on your chest.

Sister love is one of the very best kinds. Happy Love Thursday, Beansy! And safe travels!

More Love Thursday here, here, and here. Spread it! Tell someone you love 'em.

138.5

One of my new daily reads, Mel, calls this "dieting naked." Putting the ACTUAL NUMBER out there for all to see. You'll notice, perhaps, that it has gone down again, from the last time I gave an official count. This is slow-going, but nevertheless, a victory. Begone, 1.5 more pounds!

I was about ready to give up 2 days ago. Was sick of the Halloween sabotage -- because we STILL have a Ziploc's worth of mini chocolate bars -- was sick of the feeling of failure as the scale stayed firmly at 139.5 -- was sick of logging calories and having to log "chips and salsa" AGAIN, because I sometimes just can't resist 'em... But a loss of even 1 pound can make you feel better again. Motivated.

I'll tell you something: I am not very fat. Thanks to having a husband who knows what to say when I'm looking in the mirror with my head cocked to the side, wondering, I know I don't HAVE to be doing this. However, with a height of 5'1", my position on this chart could certainly be improved. So that's what I'm working toward. Better habits. More control. I think a lot about society, and the kinds of jobs we all have now, versus the kinds of jobs people had up until this modern age, and how we've got to MOVE ON PURPOSE since we don't by default anymore. It must be funny to the ancestors looking down on us from heaven. Washing clothes with a washboard, hanging them on a line, rolling out pie crust dough, carrying cast-iron pots to the well water spigot, walking over to the shed to get a few onions... all that worked just fine, back in the day! Now we don't do any of that stuff and it shows. So we rack up our 30 minutes and use our dumbbells (wonder if the name is significant? It's DUMB that we had to create weights to push up and down, in order to use the muscles in our bodies!) and we steam our broccoli. It's all good.

Want to get healthier? Here, start with my favorite resources.
http://fitday.com/
WebMD Diet/Nutrition boards (I post on the 10-25 pounds one -- it just helps to have a community to share the ups and downs)
Great recipes! I may have to subscribe to this next year.

------

I went to my annual doctor's appointment yesterday and let me tell you, being in there brought on all kinds of memories of weekly visits. It made my ovaries tingle a little. Waaaaant. And I'm babysitting a teensy infant tonight. Just so you know. (to heck with getting skinny, what I really want is to get fat!) :)

FRITZ

Or, why I won't be getting any right-hand ring

First off, I just received email from my sister entitled "Hello from Taipei!" WTH?! If *I* were going to be traveling to Taipei by way of Kuala Lumpur (which I wouldn't even know about if it weren't for The Amazing Race), I would have TOLD ME about it. Why is she there? Is she a spy? Is she doing some really crazy Christmas shopping? Is this a 2nd phase of her postponed-so-it-could-be-more-wonderful honeymoon?? W.T.H.? Bring me a t-shirt.

** ** ** ** ** ** **
My whole house is on the fritz. I almost just said "f-ing fritz," because that is ABOUT how fed up I am with the whole thing. In fact, last night when the straw actually broke the camel's back of appliances, I gave hubby a fed-up look that could have stopped an army. And it is SO not his fault. I am sorry for that look, Hubby.

BUT LORD HELP IF I DON'T GET SOME NEW APPLIANCES IN HERE WE ARE ALL GOING TO STARVE, AND THEN GO AROUND IN WET CLOTHES, AND ALSO NOT HAVE ANY TOAST.

You remember when the dryer moaned and sputtered, yes? We never did replace it. It's limping along. We haven't started a fire yet. But that would have been a relatively painless replacement -- we saw some fairly decent dryers for about $300 all total. Didn't buy 'em. Hello, Lazy.

Saturday night, DH and I baked our cake, right? Wellllllll.... just after taking it out of the 400-degree oven, we recevied a series of warning beeps and an LCD display of "F - 1.... F - 1.... F - 1...." Indicating something wrong. Much like something ominous on Lost. This had happened once before, when our neighbors were over for dinner actually (NICE), and my neighbor got down on his hands and knees to fix it, because DH and I were standing around glancing quizzically at each other, like, "Hmm, what'd'ya think we should do?... Huh, did you say something?..." So Neighbor unplugged the oven to stop the beeping. We plugged it back in an hour later and all was fine. Fast forward 9 months or so, and same thing this Saturday, except in MY trying to unplug it (why did I have to be the take-charge female?) I got SHOCKED!! I've never been shocked before but WOW. Felt like a jackhammer. I crawled back out from under there and asked hubby if he had seen that bright light? In my super-buzzed state, I thought I'd caused a real electrical storm but really I just dropped the flashlight. Heh.

Then LAST night while I was trying to bake a pizza? Beeps again after a couple minutes. Mal. Function. &@!(!~^&fricking fracking. (Grilled pizza is delicious, btw.) I went to plug it back in this morning just now, just ONE last try. Immediate BEEP BEEP BEEP. F - 1. So... screw it. I'm done. I'm calling the JennAir place this week. Yeah, it's a JennAir. The kind of stove you just can't go to Home Depot and replace. *0%-@&!aaaghaaaahh. WOE is me and PITY me.

This morning I also put an English muffin in the toaster. Turns out the left-hand 'elevator' doesn't work! Ha ha!

Maybe we should just move?

Here's how the weekend's shaping up.

Seems like I have a lot of to-dos coming up. I'd better write them all down or I'm likely to forget.

Friday (tonight):
Sit and talk about Christmas lists with Hubby. (Lists for OTHERS. The Spirit of Christmas. Because you can only be selfish before so long before your heart starts to pickle.)

Saturday:
1. AJ. Haircut. (My turn this time, not the professional's.)
1. Napoleon to the vet (DH).
2. Clean bathroom floor (the one out of our three that I never did get to back then).
3. Laundry.
4. *Cantor 5:00pm Mass.* (this is the one I feel like I might forget)
5. Bake a Cake. Hubby wants to do this together. Maybe there will be some flour-flinging or frosting... making a mess. :) I myself am also looking forward to some Ginger and Jack, because the frosting recipe calls for Jack, so it'll be out on the counter already. Score. :) So to speak.

Sunday: sleeeeeep in. And maybe some Christmas shopping?

Monday: work from home

Tuesday: doc appointment 8:45 a.m., then work meeting 10:00.

Wednesday:
1. Work from home.
2. Bake cupcakes for coworker's birthday party (it's my month).
3. Babysit for a friend who has a 4-week-old baby girl. Eeeeeeeee! Can't wait to hold her. ....Oh, wait! insert above:
2.5. Pack small bag so I can take AJ with me to friend's house for the first hour or so, 'til DH gets home. (LeapPad, books? snacks, CapriSun, 3-4 diapers because you KNOW that's when he'd choose to have multiple big poops, all 45 of his DVDs in case of potential screaming fit that wakes the baby because he just HAS to watch ...whatever one he comes up with...)

Thursday: Don't forget to take the cupcakes to work.

And then it's the 17th, and the following week, work will have our Thanksgiving potluck so there'll be more cooking-and-communting, and THUS! begins



THE



HOLIDAYS (dun, dun, duunnnnnnnnn)...



...and it's a good thing I worked Christmas shopping in there THIS Sunday, because there will inevitably be MORE evening and weekend activities -- ones for which I might need real OUTFITS, no less -- pretty much non-stop, until January 2nd. And my in-laws might be coming. HERE. To my HOUSE. For Christmas. So if you don't hear from me every day? ...there's why.

(SOoOO glad I decided against NaBloPoMo. Good Lord!) November? Are you kidding me?

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Things I want for Christmas, by el-e-e Or, My Most Spoiled-Brat Post Ever. In boolean logic, think of these as "or'd" statements, not "and-ed!" 1. Tommy Girl perfume. I used to wear this -- when I first met DH, actually -- and haven't in some time, but I love it. 2. Starbucks. I want Starbucks. All of it. Heh, just kidding. I want Starbucks gift cards. Seriously? I think I want this most of all. I adore, and am loyal to one drink only: non-fat no-whip toffee nut latte. (I also like that new Maple Macchiato, but HELLO? 500 calories. That's the non-fat version!) Anyway, I think I will also be purchasing these for AJ's teachers, the girl who cuts my hair, etc. 3. Barnes & Noble gift cards. Mom and I always say "If I could pick one (or a few) stores and have $1,000 to spend there..." I'm not looking for a cool grand this Christmas, just a little something to put in my pocket. Books are my favorite. :) 4. I'm looking for a new cookware line. I don't need the whole line, but maybe a small skillet or saucepan in Jamie Oliver's T-fal, or something similar. I'm pretty sure it's unhealthy to cook in non-stick pots that are flaking on the bottom. 5. Lenox - soup bowls, dessert plates, or serving dishes in my wedding pattern. Sigh. So expensive. So pretty in my china cabinet. So hard to serve a meal on them, with no serving dishes. If you're into that kind of thing, here's my pretty pretty pattern and I LOAVVV it. (Sometimes I truly think the most fun job in the world would be in Macy's housewares/bridal registry. Just to be with all those pretty things all the time.) 6. New watch. No brainer, just something from the 35-dollar case at Target would be fine. I'm bored with my watch. And it's scratched all to heck. 7. (Wow, I really am starting to feel selfish here...that was the end of my 'official' list - the one I shared with Mom. But continuing on!) Hubby said he'd get take me to look at right-hand rings. Eeee! I really love that idea and YES, he should get me jewelry instead of a gadget. The last few years it's been gadgets. (wonderful ones, like my iPod nano, but still.) 8. New jammies/comfy pants. Not flannel, though, and not fleece. 9. Of course I hope someone gets me something from Bath and Body Works, 'cause that's just standard. 10. Ditto Yankee Candles. I almost always get one or two votives. 11. World Peace, of course. 12. No traveling. I really, really want AJ to be at his own home this year, so Santa can come down OUR chimney and eat OUR cookies and he can be awed at the magic. 13. Snow. I know for sure I won't get this one, but it would be SO COOL if there was a weather fluke and it happened. Talk about magic! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Amy 2. Chaotic Home 3. Beth 4. CJ 5. uisce 6. caylynn 7. she 8. miranda 9. debby 10. karla 11... (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Shopping in my basement

Yesterday I went on a brief shopping tear, looking for two things: new Thanksgivingy home decor, and jeans for AJ. I found none, and none, but when I got home I was in the basement putting away the Halloween knicky-knacks and lo and behold! I found a box labeled "2T-3T Fall/Winter."

larry, I love you. Thank you for having 3 boys before me. I now have a solid base of long-sleeved shirts, a couple of pairs of denim overalls that fit, about 4 more warm jammies than we had before, and more. I had completely forgotten this box existed.

Wish I had one for me! But this means there's more money in the budget for my winter wardrobe. Which is good because the sweater I'm wearing this morning is positively 3 years old and becoming an embarrassment.

* * * * *

So the dieting thing can be such a delicate freaking balance. I've been counting calories now for 3 weeks (this is the start of the 4th), and though I've slipped up on occassion, overall I've been within the range of 1 pound should be coming off each week. However, there's very little change on my bathroom scale. BIG changes in my attitude and definitely making exercise a habit, which are successes. And I know not to focus on the numbers. But dammit, if I'm sacrificing Ro*tel dip, I'd sure as heck like a little measurable reward out of it. So I'm readjusting today, lowering my intake by about 100 calories. Hopefully that will help. Also? Halloween candy is The Sly Enemy, just so you know. Hopefully my sealing it in a plastic bag and locking it in a dark closet will shut it up.

Dash off a post

I was desperately looking for a writing prompt or a fun meme to do this morning, to get my brain working here before I have to prep for a conference call and another meeting later. I found nothing. What's the deal? Is the Internet taking a day off?? Instead, I will share with you six random things about me today.

1. I found my list. (A 3x5" memo that had mine and hubby's Chrismtas wish lists** jotted down in pencil. Was worried that it had been thrown away and that all the things I WANT would never be recalled again!) It was in my jacket pocket. This is what happens when you only need a jacket once a week or so.

2. My nose runneth over. I can't get control of my sinus cavity these days. I take Claritin or Sudafed every day, and still... sniffly-snufly. It's worst from about 4:30 am 'til I wake up. Miserable.

3. Yesterday I did Pilates again and today I am .... NOT sore! not one bit! Perhaps this means the muscles are developing, hooray! Or perhaps it means I did not FEEL THE adequate percentage of BURN.

4. Afternoon shopping at Target can be made EVEN BETTER (hard to believe) if I get a Toffee Nut Latte and AJ gets a Snack-Size M&Ms to enjoy during the trip.

5. My friend Ann keeps trying to push her 13-year-old daughter on me for a babysitter. I'm being Nervous First-Time Mom, (still! 2 years later) and refusing her. Does that make me irrational, or smart? The girl, to be fair, has a 1.5-year-old brother, so I'm sure she's well-trained. She's also taken some sort of YMCA babysitter certification. In truth, she's probably better qualified than me. But I don't know.

6. I'm wearing a bright orange turtleneck, cream-colored pants, and black shoes/belt, and my hair is not following orders this morning.

**btw, Sis, Mom... it's TIME. :)

Wake up and understand him

It isn't always wine and roses. It isn't even always easy conversation. Sometimes love is a quiet dinner, when something - she's not sure what - is on his mind. Love is not asking. Love is letting him be. An evening spent apart, him in the office (basement) balancing the checkbook, her on the sofa, waiting to fold dry laundry.

Sometimes she forgets to snuggle up to him before saying good night, because in the time it takes him to go downstairs and check the locks, she's already fallen asleep.

Sometimes he's still a little withdrawn when he wakes up in the morning. Love is knowing it's okay. Love is being perhaps the one happy thing he can count on today. Smiling for him instead of sliding down with him. Carrying the hope that he'll be able to smile at her, when dinner comes around again tonight.



No picture today, Found a perfect photo, and happy Love Thursday all the same. :)

Reporting from Romper Room

...and the streets of our neighborhood...

In typical fashion, I was overcome... at the sight of someone ELSE's kid! Didn't even require my own! When the first PreK'er marched across the daycare lobby in the annual KidsRKids costume parade, my weakling eyes felt that prickle of little tears! Can you believe it? I am a sentimental freak. AJ cried when he saw ME (like his Mama in so many ways), so I got to march in the 2nd half of the parade -- he grabbed on and wouldn't let go.

Costumed kids -- at least twelve Spidermen, 5 Batmans, 2 Thomas the Tank Engines, a frillion Disney Princesses, and 1 Darth Vader -- are delicious and squishy-sweet, better than gum drops. After the parade, I hung around the classroom and helped AJ get over the fact that I might leave sometime in the afternoon. He was visibly concerned. I sat on the floor and became his classmates' human jungle gym -- once again, overcome... or perhaps more accurately, overrun. Kids love, for some reason, to CLIMB ON ME. Especially Meghan. Not sure if that means I would make a GOOD or a BAD daycare teacher. Heh. Not sure if I would want to, but... maybe. :) It's not a terrible way to spend a day. Sure beats databases.

I learned that Ms. M leads the kids in a little blessing-song before they eat lunch. I AM SO GLAD OF THAT! Who knew. I guess it's a private school, she can do what she wants. It's to the tune of "Frere Jacques:" God our Father, (God our Father), once again.. (once again..), we would like to thank you, (we would like to thank you), Ah-ah-men!, (Ah-ah-men). So sweet! The kids all sang it with her. (And now I know why AJ likes to sing Ah-men! so much.)

His other teacher, Ms. R., happens to live in our neighborhood and we ran into her and her family several times last night on the Trick-or-Treating adventure. Very cool -- kinda feels like a neighborly friend caring for him, instead of some random stranger. The whole "it takes a village" idea, which I love.

The Trick-or-Treating couldn't have been more fun. AJ was extremely chatty when a door was opened to him, performing his "Tick-oh-teee," telling each neighbor how he was Blue, and Daddy is 'Teve, and Mama a kitty-cat," and then wagging his little blue tail on command. He broke HEARTS. And managed to score quite a bit of c-a-n-d-y. So funny, his bucket got very heavy, but would he let us carry it? "NO." The neighborhood fire truck was out again with all its bright lights and honking sirens. The bigger kids get a kick out of riding on it. Maybe next year. We asked AJ if he wanted to, and it was another decided "NO." Oh, I never loved Halloween as much as I do as a parent!

Did you have fun? Did you open your door, or turn off all the lights? Did you take your kids out or relish the quiet by sending your spouse? Tell me tell me. :)

Room-Mother

I took the day off work today in the hopes of a) SAVING one of my 15 vacation days that the company promises are "really, really, no kidding for-true" going to be DELETED at the end of this year, (and what kind of unfair crap is THAT?), and b) attending the Halloween party so I can see AJ as "Blue," parade around the front desk with all the other freaks and ghosties and goblins. My coworker squealed and said, "Oh, fun! Are you bringing cupcakes??" CUPCAKES. Now that would have made sense and been very homemade of me... except you can't bring anything chocolate. And who wants non-chocolate cupcakes?! So I signed up for chicken nuggets. At Chick-Fil-A, you can get a "small" platter of 64 nuggets for just $21.95. That's pretty scary right there. Twenty bucks!

But for this one time, it's totally going to be worth the price to see those funny 2-year-old kids. I'm a Room-mother! It's not something I think of for daycare really -- there's not a lot of "volunteering" in my daycare reality, because I have things to do while the kid is there. And those things occur far from the school so I can't just pop over there for recess duty. I'd like to, but can't. Room-mothering, field-trip-chaperoning, bake-saling on a Wednesday... aren't things I envision being regularly available for in the future, either, if I'm still working. But they are a great way to spend my superfluous (and disappearing!) vacation days. So, a revelation for the working Mom. Take a Day Off. Not for you, for them. (And you.)

AJ had a bit of tummy trouble last night, alternately being crampy and gassy, and having some serious poops, once they arrived. Poor kid's bottom was all red, and now that he's able to express himself, he'd announce it. "Mamaaaaaa! My boddom hoots." Whimper, whimper. It was so pitiful. We treated him to gentle diaper changes and that wonderful brown cream, and he slept through the night just fine. When he woke up this morning, I asked him if he felt better. "Me all bettoo now... Me happy now, mama. Me not lad."

So it's a Happy Halloween, thank goodness. :)

Growl, hiss, and ka-boom

Perhaps the angsty dreams were in direct response to real life after all. There's a relative annoying, unexpected to-do list item I had conveniently suppressed UNTIL FIVE MINUTES AGO when I just remembered: after daycare today, I am supposed to gather up AJ and bop on over to our neighborhood retail appliance store during the almost-rush-hour, procure a brand-new dryer, and thus achieve our household's downy-soft laundry incentives.

Because last night at approximately 9:21pm, we heard a very loud and disconcerting "GGRrrrrggggggudueujjkkkll7sshhhhhh" coming from the general laundry vicinity. It was our dinosaur of a drying machine, abruptly halting avec burned-rubber-aroma, in the middle of Permanent Press! (Or else it was an electromagnetic ka-boom.)

Truthfully I was frightened when I first heard it, then "Hooray'd" its demise. That it has survived this long -- my Dad donated it to me when I was first out of college, and he'd gotten it used for my Granny, I think, several years before she died in '93 -- is a small miracle. I think Hubby even installed a new heating element in one of his first handy-man acts of our relationship. ANYWAY, I am not looking forward to having to schlep out to Best Buy tonight. Ergh.

Tell me about your mother

You know it's bad when you dream you've experienced a gigantic electromagnetic discharge explosion a la one of your favorite TV dramas.* I dreamed it took place while my car was in a parking garage that was bound to collapse, but I went back to the car, anyway, reasoning that I HAD to have my cell phone (in case Husband was going to contact me - this was a natural disaster, after all, and he'd try to contact his loved one). Once I got there, I realized I needed my cell phone charger, too (as if the electromagnetic charge wasn't enough!) as well as my iPod and various cords and attachments for it. Why all the devices?! Don't know. Next scene, I was running up and down and all around the elevator banks of some decorated-in-metal-and-mirrors hotel, unable to find the correct floor, with a group of girls from high school. It was Heidi's bachelorette party, of course. And poor Heidi, having to suffer through the post-trauma of the aforementioned event, all the while trying to enjoy her wedding (and her 1 carat, heart-shaped pink diamond, eww).

Crazy. No more chicken and rice casserole for dinner, I guess. Who knew.

*Lost, by the way, is really starting to piss me off. All questions and no answers makes Jack a dull boy.

Well now! That was fun!

DAY-um! That was a lot of commentary from you Internets! Thanks bunches! I think I like the Thursday Thirteen. Might have switch off between it and Love Thursday, both such worthy causes. ALERT! CRITICAL DECISION-MAKING HERE: I WILL DO BOTH LOVE AND 13 THURSDAYS. There. The world is so much better with my weekly lists and nonsense.

But... actually, isn't it? I mean, don't you find it comforting that the interweb is becoming this lovely social meeting ground where everyone is accepted, immediately? (Instead of a gigantic billboard, like it was in say, 1997, with flashing yellow UNDER CONSTRUCTION signs and everyone's local business having a single flat PAGE that basically was a glorified phone book?) I mean, that's the first time I ever did that particular blog exercise, and poof! There I am on Technorati like someone important. And random people came to see, and said nice things about me! When does that happen, in real life, by strangers? Hardly. Ever. There are no restrictions on who's allowed to blog and who's not. There's no credential required. I found a whole new gaggle of folks yesterday who're out there, being friendly, living their everyday lives with purpose and goodness, and trying to find the humor in it all... it's just a bit of a phenomenon. Warms the cockles of my little heart. I think it's amazing, some of the extra-nice things the Internet has done.

Only thing is... um... I've REALLY got to get some work done today. I started it yesterday, but convinced myself that if I didn't want to be bored TODAY, I'd better save some. Heh. I am pretty convincing. Besides, my shower needed a good scrubbing and the garbage needed taking out, and I kinda enjoy making it *seem like* I'm Super-Woman.

My first Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I could eat for Breakfast this morning (around 300 cals each, I think) by el-e-e 1. 2 pigs-in-a-blanket, 1/2 banana 2. instant oatmeal, apples & cinnamon of course, 1/2 banana 3. 1 english muffin, toasted, with light cream cheese and tomato slices (probably my favorite breakfast of all time. 4. 1 scrambled egg with salsa 5. 1 Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie (I mean, uh, did I say that out loud? Whoops.) 6. 1 piece of white bread, toasted w/ lo-fat peanut butter 7. 1 slice of banana bread and warm coffee. Actually, all of these would need to go with warm coffee. 8. 1 apple w/ lo-fat peanut butter 9. 2 Publix brand (freezer-burned, most likely) waffles, toasted with apricot jam 10. Fruit Loops and skim milk. AJ eats a little snack of dry Fruit Loops and Craisins EVERY morning while we're getting ready for work/daycare. Some days they smell SO good I can hardly stand not to have some, myself! 11. 1 slice bacon. The end. (I recently bought the "already cooked" kind! Have you tried that? It's pretty easy. Hey, the hubby likes his bacon and eggs on Saturday mornings, I HAD to do it.) 12. Couple of pieces of French bread I got at the bakery yesterday (5-grain! Good for me!) w/ lite butter and jam, just like breakfast in Paris. 13. Six M&Ms and 4 candy corns (another of AJ's fave snacks). Just kidding. (But they're peanut ones, so... protein!) That got harder there toward the end! But I actually DO have all 13 of those options here at my house. Kinda rare to have so many! HEY! Why don't y'all GUESS which one was the Actual Retail Breakfast this morning. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. http://slacker-moms-r-us.blogspot.com/ 2. http://www.imperfectchristian.com 3. http://justtug.blogspot.com/ 4. http://practicalchick.blogspot.com/ 5. http://chaotichome.blogspot.com/ 6. http://caylynn.blogspot.com/ 7. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Smell that delicious dust in the heating unit

Mmmmmmm.

I'm skipping my workout this morning. At least, I'm skipping it until 8:00, and then if I feel like it, I might get my shoes on. It's near freezing outside - possibly the coldest Oct 24 has ever been in recorded Georgia history - and I want warm coffee and a toasty breakfast first (light versions of cream, cream cheese, etc., of course). My scale was teasing me this morning in the weekly weigh-in, blinking to 139 and back to 140.5, blinky blinky. Cheap piece of crap.

It's one of those mornings where you just CAN'T drag out of bed; it's too painful to leave your warm cozy nest. (It's no coincidence they call it a "comforter.") You have to call on all your resolve, and fight with the muscles that have somehow atrophied or... died during the night. They moan and creak when you force them to move. And then you remember you did a big ol' Pilates section yesterday. Owww. Dadgum, that V-sit is killer.

In other news, because I'm sure you've had about all you can stand about My Belly, I think we're skidding into the slow November/December lull at the office. It's a cyclical business and this is usually the season where we can take long lunches and not worry about it. But I'll tell ya, some days sitting in the cube, watching the Internet go by, wondering when the next scrap of work will come in, you sure do wonder what in the world ELSE you could be doing with your time. It's one of the things I like about my job, as well as one that I don't like. Maybe this year I'll try to be productive and learn some new software, or something. Or maybe I'll spend some vacation days and reacquaint myself with Macy's and Bath & Body.

Ooh, Christmas list! That could keep me busy for a while...

Love Thursday

I love the idea of Love Thursdays - of posting about, capturing with a lens, spreading and sharing what love is. Clearly, my cup overfloweth.

It's still kinda rare that AJ and his Daddy get to spend quality time together. There's just too much work in this life. But bedtime is the exception. Bedtime is stories, both made-up and on the page. Bedtime is cuddling. And jumping. And the warmth from his hot little head. Bedtime is colors, and numbers, and characters, and remembering the day with gratitude. Sometimes bedtime is fussing, too. No toothbrush. More stories. But Daddy - bless him - is calm and humble even when AJ says he'd prefer Mama tuck him in. Bedtime is all of us. Bedtime is love.

Read more Love Thursday.

As of today

Hey, how are you?

... that's good. Yeah, me too... enjoying this weather. Mm-hmm.

...what? Oh! How nice of you to say that. YES, asamatteroffact I HAVE LOST WEIGHT.

ONE pound, to be exact. A package of ground beef's worth. A jar of spaghetti sauce. A large Velveeta. IS GONE FROM ME. I guess you could say the diet (stupid WORD) is going well. :) I'm not feeling (overly) deprived, although I do feel some hunger late in the day, before dinner. Hunger is good -- it means it's working. But last night I had 2 chicken drumsticks, FRIED ones, and green beans and Stove-Top Stuffing, and felt pretty darn satisfied with that. And stayed within my calorie limit. In the beginning really, it's calories in versus calories out and NOTHING MORE. Sure, as you get good at counting cals you start to want to refine other things, like your percentages of fat to protein to carbs, your sugar intake, etc etc. But for now, just limiting portion sizes and paying attention to what goes in my mouth makes a great deal of difference. I've done this before (lost weight) and I remember that's it's sorta FUN even, to try to balance In vs. Out and make the numbers line up just right. Maybe it's the same brainwave that made me enjoy algebra in high school.

The working out, too, has made an enormous difference in my outlook. Yesterday I got the heart REALLY pumping. This will sound silly, but I just love working out in my house, all alone, with only the dog watching me. (He is concerned for my mental health, I bet. He watches quizzically.) It's embarassing to admit LOVING Denise Austin's workout shows on LifetimeTV, but during the commercials I will run around the first floor circuit (this is where a house with good "flow" is quite helpful) or do step aerobics on the bottom stairs, and it's just fun. And goofy. And a little goofy can go a long way, sometimes.

I keep waiting for a President to name Denise Austin the chairperson for the President's Council on Physical Fitness, like Ah-NOLD was that one time. Maybe she's been asked and turned it down because of being a mom (and having her own very lucrative stuff already going on). Maybe she doesn't want to give up working out in the Turks and Caicos 3 times a week. I sound like an ad for her and I don't mean to. But I do think about the (primarily) women that she's encouraged to "get up off the couch;" women who might otherwise have felt fat, depressed, unlovable, even hopeless, and I gotta give her a high-five for that.

One pound in one week = perfect progress toward my Christmas goal. The goal is 132 by Christmas -- 132 being my "happy weight," the number where my body seems to rest easily, within the "Normal" BMI. Today, I'm at 140.

Easy, Breezy Recipe What-day?

That's right, Tuesday. Because we had this for dinner last night and it was so yummy I cannot wait until Thursday, before sharing it with you, my darling readers. Also because I can't compete with Love Thursday, and if I could remember to take out my camera once in a while, I'd even post a Love picture and participate.

Anyway! YOU GOTTA TRY THIS Crock-Pot gem. It is super-duper, even-my-monkey-12-year-old-could-do-this easy (old office joke). It comes from Southern Living, so it's gentle and homespun yet at the same time, polished and nouveau. Er, something. :)

Loaded Potato Soup
4 lbs. new potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch slices
1 small onion, chopped
1 (32-oz) box chicken broth
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 pint half-and-half
Toppings: shredded Cheddar, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions

Place sliced potatoes in lightly greased 6-qt. slow cooker. Top with onions. Mix salt, pepper, and broth, and pour over (it won't cover the potatoes). Cook on HIGH 3-5 hours or until tender. Mash with a potato masher to desired consistency, then stir in cream. Simmer on HIGH another 20 minutes or until heated through. Ladle into bowls and serve with desired toppings.

Y'all, this is bar none the best crock pot recipe I have. Filled us up, warmed the tummy, easy clean-up. Not even THAT bad for you, if you go easy on the cheese and bacon (or use turkey bacon and lo-fat chs). [Hee hee, I just typed lo-fart.]

Anyway, make this. It's suppertime GOLD.

...and you smell like one, too!

Our trip to Zoo Atlanta -- a photo essay.

First stop, Flamingo Oasis. Because they're so pretty and graceful and... uhhh.... honey, do you smell that? Okay, WHOA. That is an unpleasant combination of poop and bacteria. And what is that pungent background stench? Bird B.O.? *gag reflex* Who knew flamingos stank so bad?! Lordy! (This was AJ's favorite exhibit. We came back twice.)

Yeah, this fragrance is better. Dirty sheep.

Too bad he wasn't blue like "GOAT!" (Vincent Van Goat). Still, AJ was intrigued.

Here's where the mood threatened to go to Hey-yo. AJ did NOT enjoy the carousel. And it WAS circling pretty darn fast, as you can see. I thought these things were minimum-impact rides. !

Luckily, comfort comes easy in the form of Sunchips. (Let's get outta here!)

Here we go, an actual exotic animal. Don't get up, though, Mr. Kangaroo. No, no, don't trouble yourself. :)

It was actually a fantastic day. Happy family time. This past weekend, too, was as sweet as a spoonful of marshmallow creme. We planted our pansies (hooray, winter flowers!), burned the stick pile in fall-bonfire fashion, attended a party where apples were bobbed-for, and breathed the clean, fresh air. Sometimes I really think THIS IS THE LIFE.

Gratitude Friday

I am grateful that it's Friday.

I am grateful for McDonald's coffee. $1.12, people. That excellent price plus the mile-long line at Starbucks this morning equals ME & RONALD being best buddies again.

I am grateful for health and fitness, having a plan, having a goal, and for feeling good about achieving it, 5 days in. Here's hoping the weekend doesn't derail the whole endeavor!

I am gratefully liking the Blogger beta. I had fun playing with it yesterday. What do you think? It'll take me AGES to categorize all my 419 posts. I'm doing them little by little. It was also hard to come up with the categories! I'd like to find an appropriate, permanent picture for my profile. I've searched my photos and can't quite put my finger on what I'm looking for, but good hair would be nice, and actually, I don't want a smiley photo because I just don't feel that's really who I am most of the time. I don't want to stage something either, because that would be silly. So we'll see. But it's fun to evolve!

I am grateful that Applebee's has curbside service, and corn dogs.

I am grateful that it's Friday. Did I already say that? ....Who even cares if it's the 13th?!

Fresh ground blog

Dudes, I've taken the plunge. Even cheapskates like myself want to have fancy features on our blog, so we're upgrading. Hold my hand, I'm scared! It says I can NEVER go back to my old alpha ways. Be on the lookout for Labels! Categories! And a new template (aaack)! Technology is such fun. But it just can't sit STILL.

Catch ya on the flip side.

Edited to add: Oh, I guess I don't have to choose a "new" template. Cool. 'Cause I'm pretty much in love with the barbie-pink, even when it sometimes burns my eyes. 8^|

Driving in the slow lane

My one friend from Alaska visited here a couple of years ago. I picked her up from her hotel and drove to dinner, an activity during which she said, "Can I tell you something honestly? You Atlantans are CRAZY drivers." I'm sure she's right, in comparison to Alaskan drivers. I actually think MOST drivers who are non-elderly have this bad habit: immediately trying to pass when we come up behind someone going the speed limit or less. I usually do this, myself. (I don't think it's necessarily crazy, but it sure is impatient. Indicative of our society's impatience for everything.)

Yesterday, however, I got behind a Geo Prism or some such and could NOT get around her. Too many cars behind me, doing the same thing. So I waited it out. I was feeling especially aware, I guess, and said to myself, "You must be exactly where you're meant to be. Behind this person, going slower than you'd like -- there's a reason for it. There could be a wreck developing up ahead that if I went faster, I'd be involved in." You just never know. (Maybe I had that thought because the night before, Husband had declared, "You were almost widowed today," proceeding to tell me about a semi that ran the red light to Husband's left, at our office's trepidatious intersection. (THANKS for that spectre of an image, dear. Thanks a really lot.) Turns out DH was also aware enough to put on his brakes, and the offending semi flew by without killing anyone. Obviously.)

Anyway, it was a good reminder to know that we're always exactly where we're meant to be, whether we're in the fast lane or stopped in our tracks. I try to keep that in my head but it's not always easy. Like yesterday morning, at one moment in a work meeting where the discussion was all, "action-scripting and betweening for Flash and blah-de-blah database-cakes" and I wanted to GOUGE MY EYES OUT. At least I was meant to be there.

---

Three days into my "diet" -- such a mean and terrible word -- but I'm still doing it! Today's not a workout day, but I decided I could still do the OTHER model diet behaviors, like drinking water. Which I am. I even packed a lunch last night, in preparation for today! Woot! I've felt really good about myself (Group HUG! Self-Esteem Class dismissed!) since I'm managing to stick to it. Last night? I RESISTED dessert after dinner even though I was HONGRY. I had no more calories left to eat, so I was not allowed. Not even an M&M. (Well, okay, six 7 M&Ms. But that's next-to-nothing for cals, so I still RAWK ON.)

---

Heh. I've always wanted to say "blah-de-blah something-cakes." A la amy. Some people talk so cute. :)

Starting off right...

ROARRR! Hear me? I just worked out. Aww, yeah. 7:00 am babee! I was hittin' it hard. Well, not really hard, just some lo-impact aerobics and hurts-so-good pilates with Denise on LifetimeTV. But I intend to do a 2nd session (!) later in the day when my butt is tired from sitting in front of the computer for a few hours. It's hard being a girl sometimes. The Last Ten Pounds should be the title of a book they give us in 6th grade after all the other girl-talk, because it seems like we're bonded for life with that topic. Up and down, down and back up. As if ten little pounds makes us better or worse. (At least our husbands promise to love us either way!)

It cannot be that hard to workout 2-3x a week. LORD, help me to do this! Monday morning. Tuesday morning. One day on the weekend. Easy, right? So that is once again the plan. Plus all the Wiggles dancing I can handle. Can YOU point your fingers and do the twist??

This is what happens, of course, after a weekend with house guests. :) My parents were here and we ate... a lot. But Saturday we also took AJ to the Zoo! It was a fantastic day. He liked the flamingos best, followed by the elephants and giraffe, I think. The very minute we got to one animal, he was asking, "What next, Mama? Let go hee homething elt." But that's good, I guess -- when you take a small child to the Zoo, you only have limited time to see it all. He was working in our favor, really.

I'm quite grateful for such a nice weekend. Despite the fact Husband had to work on Saturday morning, and therefore we were driving separately the whole day -- I really missed having him in the seat next to me -- it was a beautiful day and lots of fun. Then on Sunday morning we went to the park with our neighbors and AJ enjoyed the slide about a trillion times. He was scared to try it at first (the tall one), but after his inital anxious trip down with Mommy, he was hooked and took it on all by himself. That small bit of independence, with the breeze blowing his hair all the way down, looked great on him. His laughter was pitch-perfect. :)

For a Monday, I guess I'm feeling pretty damn good.

Not in My House!

Oh, dear, this is unfortunate news. I hope my husband doesn't see it because it just ISN'T TRUE:

Psst… Chicks Dig Technology
via wired
Reuters 07:15 AM Aug, 02, 2006

Diamonds are no longer a girl’s best friend, according to a new study that found three of four women would prefer a new plasma TV to a diamond necklace....The Girls Gone Wired survey of 1,400 women and 700 men aged 15 to 49, which was conducted by market researcher TRU, found that given the choice, women would opt for tech items rather than luxury items like jewelry or vacations....

Seventy-five percent of us are CA-RAZY, is all I have to say. I'll take your diamonds.

All work and no play?

Last night the husband and I were discussing the State of our Lives as we cleaned up from what we thought was Dinner, but what AJ thought was the Olympic event of Soup-Sloshing. Quite a mess -- which closely paralleled our discussion topic. We were both lamenting yesterday's decision to try to sell our precious little 6-game-Saturday package of hockey tickets. The one we hemmed and hawed about buying in the first place, but finally reasoned that it could be our one Thing -- our REASON to get ourselves out'da'house, since we'd PAID for it and all. (You know, like the gym membership? "If I PAY for it, I'll use it." Cough, cough.) But, after careful babysitter planning gone TO HELL -- I'm talking 3 babysitters renegging for this ONE game -- we just said "Forget it." Not worth the hassle.

People, if my husband is willing to give up on being a season ticket holder for hockey? It. Is. Serious.

So let's just chat about extra-curriculars for a moment, here. I got on the bandwagon early in life, as we all did, knowing we'd have to fill up that college application with plenty of Involvement... so you volunteer, you explore your talents and interests, you participate in things. PLENTY of them, as many a parent of school-age kids can attest. We've passed this habit of extending ourselves onto the next generation. (A topic we don't even need to get into, but one I'm sure you've heard about.)

But when you're a young parent of a baby/toddler/preschooler? It's not so much about YOU anymore. It's about them. As you know, a few weeks ago I decided to quit the church choir -- for lots of reasons, but the main one was that pesky 4-hour-a-week commitment-thing. 2 hours rehearsal, 2 hours prep and Mass on Sunday mornings. Um... well, sometimes I'd rather go on Saturday night. And sometimes? I'd rather sit with my family at church. So no, those four hours, I decided, were mine. I took 'em back.

I've kept 2 things on my calendar: my book club, and my performance choir. I almost think it's too many, but I don't want to lose the precious few girlfriends I have in book club, or my hard-earned sight-singing ability, either. DH does his fantasy football league with some friends. But that's it. No other clubs. No volunteer hours on our books. No committees. And now, no commitment to hockey. We'll buy a pair of tickets once or twice during the season, for date night. But just not a multitude of games. For us and our work/life schedules, this is plenty.

Some parents might disagree. (What? Parents? Disagree with each other? You must be joking!) They might argue that being involved and passionate and active is a good model for the kids. I agree with that, but just... not yet. Not while he's two. (Definitely not if we had more than one under 5!) I know it seems I'm advocating a complete sacrifice of self, like stamping a big "IGNORE" on your own desires and plans.

Yes. I am. And I'm totally cool with that, for now.


P.S. I realize we could just opt to take AJ with us to the hockey games. *chuckles to self, shakes head* Ohhohoho. That is a good one.

Favorite words and phrases.

Kid-tested:

Diapooh.

"Mama, what I got?"

"Mama, why me do dat?"

BIGAND'TRONG!!!

"Pees, I have 'pecial tweet?"

Wanna race?

Dooo. (As in, "I do!" AJ's standard answer for every question. Are you hungry? "Dooo.")



For Grown-ups, by grown-ups:

Craptastic.

RiDONKulous.

"Or you'll know WHAT FOR."

Brilliant.

"My name is Grumplestiltskin." (courtesy of Mir)

Fancy-pants.

Designers, make it work.

"If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." (courtesy of ME)

Life milestone

Today, for the first time, I am employing the classic pencil-eraser-as-earring-back technique.

I think I'm a real woman now.

Easy Breezy Recipe Thursday

I have had a really hard time finding Banquet Fried Chicken in my local Publix. Boooo for that. But once I find it, I am totally making this easy breezy recipe. It was one of my Grandmother's staples. It reminds me of her house in Dallas.

Spicy Fried Chicken

1 box frozeen fried chicken, skinless if you prefer (7-8 pieces)
1/3 c. melted butter, or squeeze margarine
garlic powder
cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange frozen chicken on a baking sheet covered with foil (do not thaw). Drizzle butter over the top. Sprinkle with generous amounts of both garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Bake 30-35 minutes (follow box directions). Smells so good as it cooks! Serves 3-4.

With mashed potatoes and a salad? Heaven on earth. Got any easy recipes you'd like to share today?

The weather's still nice...

It's still cool and autumn-like here. In the mornings, AJ's wearing a jacket to school, and we've transitioned to pants instead of shorts. Must really be fall.

Weather's about the only thing I feel like talking about right now. I'm in kind-of a funk, despite my favorite season. One thing that helped? Going to the dentist yesterday. Surprising, I know! But my dentist is rather cool. He was playing really loud music yesterday, and the hygenist and I had a hard time figuring out who it was. We could tell by the instruments it was something '70s... it was pretty "hard" rock, not the folky stuff I like from the '70s... finally I put my guess out there: Kansas? And I was right.

I'm much too young to know who Kansas is, by the way. ;) But we did have fun playing guessing games and talking music. My dentist is cool.

While he was tinkering around in my mouth ("up to his elbows," Grandmother used to love to say) I was thinking about the history of dentistry, and how barbaric it was, back in its earliest times. I mean, the idea of banging a fat rock against the problem tooth? Even the idea of "bite down on this stick to ease the pain..." ...just unfathomable to us modern, numb-loving dental patients. But that's how it started, after all. So, like I always do when I get intrigued about something, I wikipedia'd it. Get this:

The barbers of former times were also surgeons and dentists. Most early physicians disdained surgery, and therefore, as well as haircutting, hairdressing and shaving, barbers performed surgery of wounds, blood-letting, cupping and leeching, enemas, and the extraction of teeth. Thus they were called barber surgeons...

Nice! "I'd like a shampoo and cut, please, and while you're at it, why don't ya stick your hands in my mouth and knock out this molar? THANKS."

Barber-ic. I can't seem to find exact etymology of "barber" as relates to "barbarian," but there has to be a connection there. Speaking of barbaric dentists, do you know about Tim Burton's upcoming Sweeney Todd? Starring who else? Johnny Depp! I love a good Burton/Depp collaboration, and this one's a Broadway musical, to boot. My hometown community theater produced it when I was doing theater, way back when, so I'm anxious to revisit the story. Even though it's pretty gruesome.

I also recently read Myla Goldberg book called Wickett's Remedy, about a woman and her husband who develop this pseudo medicinal tonic-water that becomes a soda. It's set during the time of the flu epidemic of 1918, which I also meant to lookup right after I finished it. Crazy history! I'd never even known of this. Millions died! Why were we not taught about it? Strange. I was amazed, though, by some of the medical practices described in the fictional novel. Or, "practices." I'm not sure you could call them "medical" so much as "experimental."

I don't know why this crazy sub-modern medicine stuff is fascinating me at the moment. I'm kinda creeped out by my own mind. Perhaps I'd better go sit in the sunshine today. Play with some kittens or something. Eat an ice cream cone. :)