Books (First Edition)

Images from We Love It.

Rule Number One: BOYS DO NOT HIT GIRLS. Period.

So, there's this kid in the neighborhood that I'd never seen before this weekend. My girls usually play with 2 girls on the corner & a little boy around the corner. Combined they are 6 good kids that really get along & they're pretty inseperable on weekends and in the evenings. They bop from our house to the other houses, a total of half a block really and that's fine. I mean seriously, it's a mini wolf pack!  So Austin (sweet boy) discovered Antonio (demon spawn) the other day & tried to ease Antonio into the group. WOULD have worked because these kids are all kinds of the more the merrier- except Antonio is a HUGE bully. I didn't know at all until on Saturday night when the girls all started telling me. Frankly, I was pissed not to know AS THEY WERE PLAYING. Apparently Antonio's mouth is worse than mine after I break a toe & he threatens to shoot people.

No really. He threatened to SHOOT B WITH HIS DADS GUN several times.

WTFH?

Oh yeah and then there's that other thing, he HITS GIRLS.

He punched B in the face on Saturday. I told them the next time he was around the second something happened to come & get me. Cause you KNOW with a kid like this it'll happen again.

So I'm hanging outdoor lights & here comes em. She gets two doors from our house, makes eye contact with me & just errupts into hysterics so loud that people across the street hanging their lights came running over. Hold up. Let me just say, Em is TOUGH. It takes a lot to crack her so for her to lose it like that was doublely (not a word.) bad. Antonio was threatening her & cursed her out. She told him she was going to tell me and the SEVEN YEAR OLD response?

"Fuck your mamma she ain't shit to me!"

Seriously?

Seriously.

Took her by the hand & off we went to chat with Antonio's mom. I hit the corner & the rest of the kiddie wolf pack joined me, chimed in on how he had punched B again & knocked Em on her head so needless to say I was furious. His mom came outside before I hit their house and she says...

"I know he said a bad word & I already talked to him it's ok!"

Yeah. No it's not.

I told her that I wanted no drama (how on earth I stayed calm is beyond me)but that her SON is hitting my DAUGHTERS and while I know kids banter & push each others buttons I will NOT have my kids being hurt by a BOY that should have been taught long ago not to hit girls!

Of course I got the stammering...

"Oh he has never done this before...he has sisters that he is good with...he didn't mean anything...they go back & forth it's what kids do..."

I walked away figuring he is doing what he sees in that house. I also figured she has NO control over him & seemed slightly afraid of her own kid.

Better not happen again or I'll be looking for dad instead.

B told me last night her little friend on the corner who was standing behind me the whole time said, "Wow. Your mom is like a super hero!"

;)

B helping with lights before I had to find my cape.

Lake Placid, NY

My fav place in the country.

Here's why:

Stars On Ice

Stars On Ice debuts its new show every year in Lake Placid, NY on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. LOVED my years up there. Loved the excitement in the village leading up to the show. a week ago I interviewed a few of the castmates including Tanith Belbin & her partner Ben Agosto. I just checked the SOI website to see if they had posted the season tour program yet (music, its all about what music they are using!) and started flipping thru rehersal pics. I came across this one:

The caption read: "Tanith Belbin on Nov. 18th giving a phone interview."

I was her only interview on the 18th & it was during her lunch break. How cool that was to see. Made me smile. Makes me picture her along with hearing her voice.

Here's some Falling Slowly for you:



Absolutely adore these two!

Tagged!

Here are the rules: post this list on your profile (in Notes) replacing my answers with yours. Tag any number of people to do the same thing.

If I tagged YOU, it's because I want to know more about YOU!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope. But if I was a boy they threatened to name me "Lance" & that would have been baddddd.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Not sure. Recently but it was the first time in probably a year.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? yep

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Depends: honey turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yep

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?  I can't see why I wouldn't be.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? NEVER ;)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I don't think so. If I was drunk I might.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Blueberry Special K

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Peanut Butter curl or apple pie

13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes

14. RED OR PINK? Red

15. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? still too trusting

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? actually no one today

17. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? That would be nice... idealistic, but nice.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? gray yoga pants & no shoes

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? "Na Na What's My Name..."

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red

21. FAVORITE SMELLS? Vanilla, cinnamon, apple pie, pumpkin spice & blueberry

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Makenzie called to see if B could have a play date

23. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?  Yes

24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? skating, hockey, Phillies

25. HAIR COLOR? red

26. EYE COLOR? one brown & one green

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?  yep

28. FAVORITE FOOD? brushetta, fried tortellini

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? dramas with a twist

30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Staten Island (Sex In The City 2 tonite)

31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black

32. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter

33. HUGS OR KISSES? Both

34. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not sure

35. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not sure

36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?  ask me tomorrow, bookstore trip

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? nothing

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Criminal Minds

39. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? my kids singing during a kitchen dance party

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Pink Floyd

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Cali

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I would hope so... hmmmm

43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? PA

The Hours Before Black Friday

So Turkey Day went off without a hitch here. The dinner came out fab if I do say so myself, house was clean, etc. We ate early so by late in the day it was the  girls & I. I was dragging out some decorations and came upon those battery operated candles that you put in the window. M wanted one in her room & somewhere around that convo my stomach started killing me. That OMG someone has a vice around my stomach and I'm going to die pain.  I'm thinking WTH did I do while thanking god that at least up until that point no one else is sick. Thankfully no one else suffered but I waddled around seriously hunched over for about an hour before conceding defeat and going to lay down.

In that hour I took a candle to M's room, unscrewed the glass top & dumped batteries in. The top glass part is always tricky to get on so I pushed it,just a little bit... and CRACK. It smashed in my hand and all over her bed. An hour later I am laying in bed picking glass out of my hand and my bra! Apparently that proves just how hunched over I had been!

I'm afraid to even touch the rest of the candles!

Blessings:

Little girls that are growing up & turning into people that (for the most part) I really like. 

Our comfy home.

The Xmas lights that already make me happier.

Coffee.

Running.

Mid-week bookstore escapes.

Good friends.

Being comfortable in my own skin.

Independence.

Enjoying the fact that I'm single rather than being sad over it.

Volunteering at the school.

A job that I actually like.

Music. Whether it's the ipod docking station, the radio or my own little YouTube clip world, it's a gift.

The furry people that follow me to bed & then huddle on my pillow with me.

Bad reality tv that distracts & amuses me.

Being excited about skating & dance again. Realizing my burnout is over & I can work in these areas again.

The dinner that I singlehandedly pulled off today. I LOVE cooking holiday meals.

Wordless Wednesday

Pilgrims, Indians & Piglets!

I think I still smell like turkey & if I don't then cooking another one will ensure that I do. Yesterday second grade had their Thanksgiving Feast. Who made turkey for 28 kids??? Your looking at her! (Kinda) I was sort of glad to do a pre-Thanksgiving run thru though. The kids put on a play. Pilgrims, Indians, etc.

So cute.

How much did they eat? Holy hell! An 18 pound turkey, 10 pounds of mashed potatoes, 5 containers of stuffing, 4 pounds of corn, 34 pies...a gazillion juice boxes & milks- THEN they went to LUNCH!  Seriously amazing amount of food was gone in under an hour. I KNOW that when I help in the class I'm exhausted when done but yesterday was WORK. Constantly a kid at my arm, one in front of me talking & two more arguing and asking me to settle the spat. There were 3 of us on duty and all three of us were in THAT EXACT BOAT the whole time. I finally turned to my friend Jen and said, "OMG this is harder than a marathon today!" and she totally agreed.

So worth it though. So of my best days (still, cuz I've been saying this exact thing for years) are spent with these kids.

Lights (Part One)

I have a mild Christmas light obsession. I just adore them.

images from deviant art