Christmas Eve, eve

Well it's all done. Well actually just a few more odds and ends to wrap. Whew. But I must say I am not crazed this year. I think having had time now during the weekdays to get things done has helped tremendously. But I did things differently. Smaller get-togethers, wrote a few cards a day, wrapped a few things a day. Decorated over the course of two weeks instead of instant Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I don't feel overwhelmed which of course in itself gives me stress, since I am thinking that I forgot something thats why I am not stressed. I focused on whats important this year and it made all the difference in the world. Took the kids to the city to see the tree, baked cookies, lit the Advent candle with Mikey and made a paper chain for the tree everyday (almost...) where he wrote with things he did that were extra good or he was grateful for. And of course we will have the Happy Birthday Jesus cake on Christmas Day. So all in all it was a fun ride. I am still standing. So that's good.

Looking back, I can say 2007 was pretty great. I have my family safe and secure, happy and healthy. I have more friends than I know what to do with...lucky me, who make me laugh, make me happy, lift me up, hold my hand, celebrate what's wonderful in my life, make my house a home and add such joy to my life I could go on and on. I am lucky I know it. I am grateful for all the little things too. I have learned to stop and smell the roses...although it may seem I am on overdrive and I probably am most days...but I do take notice of all the big and little blessings in my life. I dont make New Years resolutions. I will try new ways of doing things to make life a little easier and less hectic. Some will work, some won't. But that's ok. God knows I keep trying.
Bye 2007.
2008? Let's see what ya got....

back again...

Hadn't had much going on in my head to put in writing the past couple of weeks. Either that or theres just not enough hours in a day...probably a little or both. Maybe 'cause the last two posts were filled with a lot of "grr". I was hoping for a cheery post today. Maybe.

Went out with the new bffs and some old bffs last Sat. night. A school fundraising function, a.k.a. "The Prom". With new outfits and a "bus" to take us there and back. All we needed was corsages...Had so much fun. Stayed out 'til 3am. One bff joked what did we do before we knew eachother. I don't remember. How can you feel so comfortable with people you've only known for about 2 years. So many different personalities yet enjoying eachother's company so much. So much so that we are already lining up sitters for next month's outing. Can't wait. Slightly afraid, but can't wait.

Had my Drama Queen's first HS play this weekend. Very exciting. She is my shining star. This child of mine who has made me want to inflict pain on her on a daily basis since she has turned "teen", really is amazing. She is so confident and smart. Really an old soul. I can't wait to see the woman she becomes. Whew, and think I am a force to be reckoned with? She may make me look timid. She was great in it. All of the kids were. The talent these kids have is amazing. She is loving the whole "theater" experience and the people involved in it. I told her that HS was going to open up a new world to her. And it is.

Junior flying under the radar as usual. This boy kills me. Stud muffin of the MS. Girls calling and coming here all the time. It is too funny.

Shorty learned to ride a two wheeler this week. Very exciting. Bittersweet for me. Watching him ride down the block literally into the sunset. I know very mellow dramatic. My little boy. Now it's two wheelers next he will have girls knocking on the door. Oh wait he does already.

So it's off today to take the whole family shopping for clothes. We will see who comes back in one piece.

R.I.P. Harold Von Pelt

Harry the Wonder Dog died today. Very sad day for our family. A pet is family. Especially one that has been around for 17+ years. Family joke is, he was my replacement when I moved out of my parents house and got married! But he had a stroke over the weekend and just couldn't do it another day.

I dread the day one of ours goes. I remember when Harry's predecessor died, when I was a teenager. Too sad. There will be quite a hole in our family when one of ours goes. You may wonder what the heck is with "Harold Von Pelt". I have to give all my pets a full name. As I said they are part of the family...for those of you who don't know the furry kids' real names...they are...Ariella Pasquatina, Lucky Pasquale and Smudge Patrick. Shut up...they are mine and I name them what I want ok? OK.

The big kids took it hard. It's the first time they lost a pet,even though it technically wasn't theirs. It was the first dog they had since he came way before Ariel. He did tricks, jumped through hula hoops, ate spaghetti, attacked mylar balloons and was the best friend Ariel ever had. They loved eachother and I am sad to think of what she will do when my parents come to visit and Harry is not there. I know she will probably run to the back door and wait for him to run in the front door out the back door to patrol the yard together.

When these guys all go I know I won't get anymore. Too much work, hair and mess, and too much pain when they go.

Of course as usual Shorty teaches us what we should know. I told him Harry died today. He asked why. I told him he was old and sick. He asked if Nana and Poppy were sad. I told him yes. He said well when I go to heaven when I am old I will bring him a bone. And off he went back to what he was doing. Matter of fact. At least he made me laugh.

Thats it for now. I am going to give Harry a bone and a mylar balloon to attack when I see him again.

PS to Spanky..leave my grammar alone and dont read my blog. You are a porcupine. :)~~~~

PTA Headache and other aches

So I have been asking myself why the hell did I take this position anyway. PTA President. Sounds good, sounds all official and important doesn't it? Yeah well that could not be any further from the truth. Not that I took the job to feel important. I am the one with the good self esteem...remember? I know I am important. lol Anyway.

I knew it was going to be work. I am not afraid of work. I need to be busy. That's who I am. This MS PTA was flat. No enthusiasm, no fun, just flat. So here I come to save the day. I have a great relationship with the principal, a definite plus for the president. I know most teachers by first name from being involved up to my eyeballs in the school for the past four years. I genuinely like this school. My kids have done great...they have had some really great teachers. So I think. I can do this. I am organized, outgoing I know 9 million people that I can get to help......hear the crickets? Yeah me too. But that's OK.

I have been kissing enough ass since the summer that I joke that I need a case of chapstick for Christmas. Again OK. I can do it. It turns my stomach yes, cause it goes against my grain to be a suck up. But for the kids of the MS I will do it.

I fend off annoying parents who call the school to complain. Of course said parent's name does not appear on one sign up sheet for a committee. I have never heard the name before. OK but I put on my best PTA smile and phone her up. She is taking issue with the way we are running the fundraiser. So after smiling from ear to ear during the conversation...and listening to her talk smack (teenager term I love it...kids hate when I use it apparently I am not allowed cause I am 40) I actually have her apologizing to me for calling and she is thanking me for doing such a wonderful job. I am finding that each situation is an adventure. And there is one pretty much every week. I actually said to her..."...and you can understand that pulling off a fundraiser is quite a cumbersome task." CUMBERSOME TASK?????????????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHO THE HELL SAYS THAT???? Apparently an ass kissing PTA President. I laughed my bloody head off after I hung up with her. What am I becoming?

The most upsetting thing about this position is that all the people I blew off who said..Are you nuts doing this? You are crazy you are gonna want to kill yourself after you are done with this...blah blah blah, may have been right.

It's the PTA psychos. The one's that are in it for the power trip. The ones that I want to say to them " If I took away your PTA title, who are you" Is this how you define yourself? Did you forget that we are supposed to have the interest of the children as our focus? Not going to PTA training weekends and having meeting after meeting to say the same stuff over and over. Not telling treasurers to fix up your books to make it look like you didn't raise money. What the hell is that???????????????????????????? I am on the warpath now and I think it will get worse before it gets better. I have even contemplated quitting. And I am not a quitter. I will probably be burnt when this is all over in June. (and I kinda signed up for two years of this crap).

One good thing is that I am part of Shortys PTA, a Kindergarten class mom. Where my biggest problem is deciding if we should use black or sparkly pipe cleaners for the spiders' legs we are making for Halloween. Where parents ask me if it's ok if they come to the Thanksgiving party and make butter with the kids rather than just send butter in. Is it ok? I could have hugged her. It reminds me why I became a PTA person. For the kids. To help make their school experience the best it can be. For my own kids. They know that I know what's going on and that they better walk the straight and narrow. I could show up at school at any given time. That the principal calls me by my first name and sometimes even calls me on my cell phone on a Sunday. (freaks them out!! haha) How the Short one's face lights up when Mommy comes to his classroom. Melts my heart. And ya know...even though the big ones say they don't like when I am up at their school, they are full of it. I was sitting at table for something at MS the other day and Jr. turns the corner on the way to the bathroom during class...and that same light his little brother had was on his face. He even said hey mom...whatcha doin'? So is it worth it? Times like that tell me yes. Gotta just keep reminding myself.

As far as other aches...that would the one in my shoulder/arm area. Well, during my morning power walk yesterday and yes I am power walking....finally Hubby set up my iPod he got me for Valentines Day and I am out moving and grooving to my LOUD music...heaven. Thud. That would be me falling...yes FALLING on my face on the sidewalk on U. Boulevard...(very busy thoroughfare in the land of I.) There was no catching myself. I was going down and hard tripping over uneven sidewalk that jumped out in front of me. Talk about embarrassing. I got up as fast as I went down...palms and knee bleeding, chin scraped. Charming. So let me tell you next time your little one falls and scrapes his or her palms on cement because they were trying to break a fall...don't blow on it and tell them it's ok it's just a scrape. It FREAKIN' HURTS. I must've pulled a muscle too trying to brace myself. ugh. Staying home and eating is much safer than exercising. I have been trying to tell people that....now do you believe me?

One more thing..congratulations to the other Mrs. P. On baby number four. It's crazy, and things will be looney in the P house for quite some time. But it's all good. And besides she is keeping my daughter in business. It's not all good it's really wonderful.

16 years...

Today's my anniversary. 16 years. wow. When you really think about it...16 YEARS!!! We are not doing anything terribly romantic or exciting this year. It's homecoming weekend and I need to be available to my kids to drive them here there and everywhere. But it's really ok. I want them to experience all the fun things about HS and MS so I will be here to do what I need to for them tonight. I can still remember way back when, when I went to the homecomings it was the best.

Married life after so long is so different from where we started in our apartment 16 years ago. Although everything was so new and exciting. We were so happy to be on our own and doing our own thing. And eight months into married life we were pregnant so that was a whirlwind in itself. But honestly it's so much better now. Not that it wasnt great then, it was.
But I didn't know then what I now know for sure....
~there's nothing better than having this person in my life that knows me better than anyone, better than my best friend, better than my parents.
~ that I am a better person for knowing him. What I thought was "not getting it" is really knowing what to give energy to and what to blow off...
~how to turn my "leadership qualities"(that's what my 5th grade teacher nicely called bossy) from a force to be reckoned with (although I still secretly still like to think of myself as such) into
something positive that works for me, helps people I love and makes me become the person Iwant to be
~nothing's more important than this family we've created...these people who sixteen years ago I hadn't met yet, who now are my main focus, who I work hard for and because of every day, who I fiercely love & protect and to whom I give everything they need and most of what they want.
~that everything I have is everything I need.

The past sixteen years have been, happy, exciting, full of love, not without really bad days, tough times, hungry years, unexpected joys, three roly poly babies, firsts...apartment, house, baby, day of school, yelling (mostly from me) but much much more laughs, a dog, a cat, another cat, unexpected friends, cherished friendships, inside family jokes, dinners at the table like it or not, mutual respect, traditions, mundane days and days I will never ever forget.

Not bad for a decade and a half....

Autumn Days...

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside thoroughly used up, totally worn out and proclaiming, "WOW! What a ride!!!"~latest favorite quote

Hmmm..definitely my favorite season. While I am still very much the beach bum..I do love my beach time. Nothing's like autumn in NY.

Hauled out all the autumal decorations today. I am embarrassed to say it has grown to 10 plastic tubs. Hubby was like "are you kidding me?" today bringing them up from the basement. I can't stop buying fall stuff. I love it.

That's why I got married in October and we had the most beautiful day.

I love that quote at the top of this post. When I was a few years younger all I worried about was doing things "right". Whatever right is. I think I stopped having fun. Now at 40 I know what's important. I know how to have fun. I try and make the most of everyday. Not to say that I wake up everyday and say yippee! But I try to most days. Even if making the most of the day means cleaning out my closet, getting all my PTA crap done, making dinner and making everyone sit down and eat together or spending time with a dear friend. Which I did yesterday..isn't it amazing how with some people you can just talk and talk and not run outta things say?

So hopefully I can look back on my day and say "What a ride!" Even if the ride was nuts and running 3 kids in 3 different directions...it's all good. And lemme tell you, most days it is quite
the ride....

Seems like forever that I've written

Well school has begun. And how. Whew! This month has been a blur. I cannot believe how much a PTA President has to do. Never mind just committees and meetings...the mountains of mail, paperwork, organizing and mediating between 9000 different personalities is NUTS! Who would have thought that I would be the calming presence in a situation. Too funny.

I needed to breathe today. I bought some fall flowers and worked in my yard. This is the first time I have worked in my yard without interruption, without racing to get done while someone is napping or having to go back in and change into my good clothes to go run up to school etc. No noise, no chatting, not even a radio. Quiet. It was lovely. The only company I had was my three four legged children who followed me everywhere. Sitting quietly by watching and snoozing.

Got back this weekend from Rocking Horse Ranch. What fun! Went with the B's and the G's (and their extended family). Havent been on a horse in about 25 years! Just like riding a bike...'cept WAY bigger! It was so great. I only stayed on the walking trail for all my rides but it was heaven. Beautiful weather, beautiful grounds. I will definitely be back.

So note to self this week....breathe. Can't believe October is upon us.

First Day of School

It has finally come. The first day. Went very well. Although I always knew it would. Even though my big ones say they hate school. I know they are full of it. They are happy to go back. Maybe not so much today for Jr. since it's his birthday. That's gotta be a drag. But he is handling it well. Making a joke out of it...and getting whatever he wants for dinner. His first day other than the birthday thing was pretty uneventful and I think he prefers it that way. He was looking good with his new found interest in wearing exactly the right thing. I am still smelling the cloud of cologne wafting from his room so he is smelling good too! Hey I don't even have to remind him to brush his teeth anymore.

Uneventful is not the case for the Princess. First day of High School. Please tell me when I became old enough to have a kid in High School? I know, I know when I turned 40...but we all know 40 is the new 30 so that can't be right. Up like a pup at 5;30 a.m. to make sure the newly dyed dark red hair (now she really looks like me) and new clothes are just right. Funny, I can remember my first day of High School...seems like yesterday.

And his Shortness. First day of Kindergarten. Good grief. I remember so well they first day of school when he was an infant not even 2 months old...walking back with him in the carriage from the bus stop after the big ones got off to school. I sat on my front porch with him and said..."What the heck M...I am supposed to be foot loose and fancy free this year...where did you come from? " With that he smiled. He already knew then what was in store for me. Little did I know what a guy he would turn out to be. Yes it was hard for a lot of years after he came along...juggling the schedules of bigger kids with and infant in tow. But God is he just great. He has given me such joy. Made me double over laughing more times that I can remember. Taught me so many lessons...like what's really worth worrying about...and whats just stupid stuff. And off he went today with his two best buddies...smiling from ear to ear I thought his face would split. Finally getting to get on that school bus. I didnt even cry which is amazing. I guess he was so happy that I forgot to feel sorry for myself. Maybe I will tomorrow when it hits me.

Well off to get him from the bus. I cant want to hear all the exciting things about Kindergarten.