now you're talking

me-
"finally your room is organized and clean,
you should pick a color for your walls."

g-
"i'd like brown."

me-
"light brown?  dark brown?"

g-
"just brown."

me-
"like sand?  chocolate?  dirt?"

g-
"no mom!  just brown! 
like the top of a maple iced donut."

me-
"now you're talking."

truth is tweezy

me-
"hey, why do you have the tweezers?"

k-
"so i can dig tiny rocks out of the earth."

me-
"you can not use those for rocks - i need them!"

k-
"so you don't grow a beard?"

me-
"uh...  yeah...  well...  yes.  pretty much."

sheesh!

a very young gymnast

there are several books on my,
"read them at least 100 times, maybe more"
list.

this is one of them.

a very young gymnast,

by jill krementz

i must have stared at this picture 1,000 times,

but i recently noticed something new.

the mom.

in the background.

do you see her?

all the other times i just saw the gymnast.

in the front.

now i am the mom.

standing in the background.

a gym mom.

and let me tell ya,

it is not as easy as it looks.

but maybe if i had those jeans...

sunday confession

based on an actual conversation that occurred sometime in 2011...

my mother -
"i found some more of your old stuff in the attic!"

me, looking through jewelry, belts, socks, shoelaces, headbands -
"mom, ew!  why did you keep all this neon stuff?"

my mother -
"i don't know, you wore it all the time, and you never know it might come back in style."

me -
"omg, mom, neon will like, never come back in style."

oops.
probably shoulda kept that whole box.

what's your sunday confession?
the confessional is open.

40

slow down you move too fast

last friday morning i agreed
to work so my friend could
go to her kids' valentine's parties
at school.

i left the house,
then i couldn't remember if i unplugged
the flat iron,
turned around,
checked,
(i had)
then headed out again.
late.
as usual.

i drove past a policeman
who had some other poor schmuck
pulled over.
hehe.

i kept going.
i was just driving my normal way,
not speeding at all,
or so i thought.

soon the lights were in my rear view mirror.
i thought he was going past me to catch
a bad guy.
so i pulled over a bit,
and he did too.

crud.
he asked for my license and registration,
proof of insurance.
surely i'll get a warning, i thought.
as soon as he sees what a squeaky clean
driver i am!

he walked back up, handed me the ticket
and said,
"slow down ma'am."
and walked away.
that was all.
no time for excuses.

i guess i do need to slow down.
$137.00 worth.
wiped out all the hours i had worked that week,
most likely.
dang.

on the way home i tried to go the speed limit.
and every day since then i have gone no more
than 5 miles over.
it is torture!
and everyone behind me hates me a lot.
a whole lot.

but he was right,
i was speeding,
hurrying,
rushing,
worrying,
thinking about other things.

so i will pay my fine,
and try, try, to slow down a bit.
kicking down the cobblestones.
feeling groovy.

sunday confession

there are a few days
in the next couple of months,
that the kids are off from school,
but the gym is still open.

so i was thinking i would ask
our babysitter to watch the kids,
and i could go to work.

then i realized,
we pay the babysitter more an hour
than i make an hour.

dang.

what's your sunday confession?
the confessional is open.

counting buses

the road i take to work
is the same road i drove
to take the kids to preschool -
for seven consecutive years.

it is also the same road
the buses take back to the bus barn.

this morning,
i started counting buses out loud,
"one, two, three, four..."
as they passed by.
just like always.

then i realized,
no one was counting with me.
because they were all at school.

i cried - but kept counting buses.
all the way to fourteen.
old habits, i suppose.

the little things

after three months of unpacking,
we can finally fit one car into the garage.

it's the little things, people.

sunday confession

today we bought new toilet seats
for the bathrooms in our new house.

and i have not been this thrilled
about a purchase
in a long time.
so. lame.
but so exciting!

what's your sunday confession?
the confessional is open.

a learning experience

we spent the day at splash lagoon
in erie, pa.

some things i learned -

* some people pick very flattering swimsuits.
* some people do not.
* i think i might need a new swimsuit.
* tattoo(s) are forever.
* choose your tattoo(s) wisely.
* i think i might need a tattoo.

the end.

honest and to the point

Der Santa,

I hav ben good and bad.
Ples bring me presnts.

Luv,
K

sunday confession

mm got an email from our credit card company.
apparently, someone used it - alot.
and they want to make sure it is not stolen.

someone should probably call and let them know,
that someone is just getting warmed up.

what's your sunday confession?
the confessional is open.

17 years

i've always loved the
"you'll be my breath should i grow old"
part.

and here we are -
growing old.
together.
happy anniversary, mm.

back blogging

wow.
it's been a while.
i have so much to share with you.

so many drafts!
we sold our house.
we moved 40 (count them) minutes away
from "home" for 40 days.
we closed on the house next door.
we moved in.
i started a job -
pajama mom works!

k started kindergarten.
got a concussion.

i paid for a lost ticket on the pa turnpike
$28.80 people!

everyone had croup.
gymnastics season started.
and soccer.

m got her cast off,
finished physical therapy.

and our carpet is really icky.

but there is a post that has to come first.
a post i wasn't sure i should write.
or could write.
but i did write.
i will post it later today.
then i will fill you in on all the rest.

let the back-blogging begin!
it's good to be back.

mother knows best

today i got to pick out a new washer and dryer.

i'd like to say i researched,
read consumer reports,
made a list and shopped around,
looked high and low for the best deal.

but really i just asked my mom what she has,
and bought the same.

wow.
that only took 30 years to figure out.

my new job

i got a job ya'll!
i'm working at the gym
where my girls take gymnastics.

it goes something like this -

i put the kids on the bus.
i work at the gym all day.
i pick up the kids at school.
and drive back to the gym...
for gymnastics practice.

then -
i get a check from the gym.
i write a check to the gym.

everyday.
forever.
the end.

corrupting kindergarteners

dear kindergarten parents,

when my oldest started kindergarten,
there were some of those kids
in her class.

you know the ones.
the ones with - older siblings.
gah.

they know way too much
about pretty much everything.
they watch those shows.
the ones your kid is not allowed to watch.
they say lots of things they shouldn't.
really loudly.
twice.

they dress really weird,
because they dress themselves.

they don't always brush their hair.

they pick out their own backpacks.

they wear lipgloss,
body spray,
tattoos,
and sometimes,
eyeshadow!

they do their own art projects.
seriously, all by themselves.

their moms don't take any pictures
of them at orientation.
in fact, their moms don't even think
to bring a camera.

please be advised -
they will corrupt your first borns.
they will tell them dora is dumb.
thomas too.
and your child will come home with questions.
lots of questions.

and for that i am sorry.
because k starts kindergarten today.
and she is that kid.
the one with the older siblings.

best of luck to you all.

xo,
pj

in a flash

on friday, we got up early.
we had lots of things to do.
there was a storm coming.
we took our change to the coinstar-thingie
at the grocery store.
we dropped off the cat at the groomers.
the sky was dark,
but we kept going,
we had lots of things to do.

we finished our errands,
settled at home for more packing,
and m read the weather on her ipod.
she loves to do that.
"flash flood warning" she read out loud.
they worried.
i explained the chances of a flash flood
were very slim.
in the afternoon,
the dark skies opened.
i'm not sure i've ever seen it rain that hard.
the kids got their flashlights,
they worried.
i explained the chances of a flash flood
were very slim.

on saturday, we got up early.
mike went to get the moving truck.
a big day.
we loaded the boxes in the garage.
the kids watched a movie.
we were in our own world.
our neighbor stopped over to help.
he told us there was a flash flood
on one of the main roads to the city.
and some people had died.
we were shocked.
we kept packing.

later, he stopped back over.
the people were from here.
our town.
our people.
so sad.

then i got a call.
it was the griffith family.
our town.
our people.
our kids' friends.
my friend.

yesterday, i took my children
to a candlelight vigil at the school.
i wasn't sure they understood.
then i watched m hug her friend,
and comfort her for the loss of
her best friend and neighbor.
i watched g give another child his tissue,
and i cried because i knew they did understand.

on the way home,
they talked about flash floods again,
i started to explain the chances of a flash flood
were very slim, but i just couldn't.

then they asked this question,
"where was God?  why didn't he save them?"
i didn't know how to answer.
still don't.

and i am changed.

life with boys

when m was little
i used to meet her godmother
at the mall a lot.

she has two boys,
one a little older than m.

we would always go to the mall play place.
before we went in she would talk
with her boys.

"look at me,
look at my eyes,
no touching,
no pushing,
no wrestling,
no fake wrestling,
no kicking,
no fake kicking,
no punching,
no fake punching,
no fighting,
no fake fighting,
no running,
no jogging,
no shouting,
no yelling,
no jumping,
just play."

i used to go home and tell mm,
and giggle.
wth?

now i have a boy.
a son.
and i get that speech now.
hell, i GIVE that speech now.
i bow down.

but i still giggle.
a little.