Happy 2012!

January 3, 2012 | I'm an Idiot

Things I forgot to tell you about in 2011:
1. We went to Vegas for Thanksgiving.
2. I crafted or sewed at least 10 gifts this year — it was such fun, and I plan to do more for next year.
3. Jojo has a girlfriend. Or so he says.
4. My six-year bloggiversary was 12/26… oops.
5. I think I blogged less than any other year in blogtory… double oops.
6. My hubby and I haven’t slept in the same bed in 3 months, but last night we DID because we finally bought some split-boxed springs for our upstairs bed. We now have to high jump into bed. I could have said “pole vault” but I know some of you would take that the wrong way. Sickos.
7. I’ve become a much better artist because Jojo BEGS ME almost constantly to draw him Pokemon figures or Dragonvale dragons. According to my six year old, I am “better than an artist — a genius… a professional!” LOVE him.
8. Nugget is driving me nuts as he attempts to become the house dictator. Luckily, he’s still squishy and cute and I can pin this dictator down and smother him in annoying mommy kisses.
9. I’m toying with some names of the Etsy store I’ll most likely open. Top secret, natch.

Anyway, thank you for checking in with me this lovely year! Off to draw dragons.
xoxoxo

Yet Another Facebook Revelation

December 18, 2011 | trips down amnesia lane

So there I was, innocently and wastefully playing Words with Friends, when I checked backed into FB and noticed a ‘friend suggestion’ who I recognized as a boy I knew from middle school…

and Wednesday nights at the roller rink.

He did attend my school and was a grade ahead of me. My good friend and neighbor, also a grade ahead of me, had a crush on the boy, so we’d be giddy on the busride home Wednesday afternoons fantasizing about this boy (and the many other awesomely 80s-tastic boys on 8 wheels).

After lacing up our rental skates and tying on my rainbow pom-poms, we’d head out for some laps and check who showed up. Halfway through the night, the DJ (seriously) would announce some special skate where the boys would be on one side, girls on the others, and you could skate out and ask another person to skate, hand in hand.

That. Is what it was all about.

My friend and her crush often skated hand in hand. Mostly, I stood and waited and…then shuffled to the edge and grabbed a surprisingly delicious hot pretzel and melty cheese from the snack bar.

Or, just as often, I’d skate to the bathroom and put that big ass comb from my back pocket to work on my feathered locks.

Fastforward to now, when my friend’s crush, the boy, popped up on FB, and I clicked over to his profile.

He’s married with children. Not surprising.

He lives in the south. Somewhat surprising.

He and his children are a religious country singing group. um, what?

He owns a salvage company. For UFOs.

The end.

Oh Yeah, What to Wear…

November 30, 2011 | Confessional

So tomorrow night is my husband’s workplace holiday party. It always sounds appealing, and then I remember that I cannot show up in jeans or pajamas.

Absosmurfly nothing fits in my weak collection workplace holiday party attire. We no longer live in a household where I can head to Banana Republic and pull something, sale or not, off the rack to bring home.

And, unless I can swing a homerun in the 2 hour gap I’ll get tomorrow while Nugget is a school, I’ll have to bring him along on the torturous shopping excursion.

During my solo trip to Target yesterday, I hurriedly tried on a couple of options, three of which were from the maternity collection.

I’m not pregnant. I am, however, carrying baby Fat Bastard around my midsection…but the (adorable otherwise) Liz Lange dresses did make me look pregnant, and I don’t want to risk causing Mr. Squirrel a heart attack.

I’m pretty sure last year, I made my husband go without me for the same reason I’m thinking of backing out this year — nothing to wear. I’m not going to do that to him this year, even if that means having to drag Nugget along, thereby establishing a hatred of shopping most men seem to harbor. Awesome.

Movie Addendum

October 28, 2011 | TV/movie addiction

I totally forgot about the movie that Nugget and I ran into one of the stars when we were out-and-about.

Nugget and I had just finished storytime and decided to get a treat at a local indie coffeeshop. I’ve never taken in him there, and we shuffled to the back of the store near the baked items, and there in the booth behind us was a very skinny, pretty yet exhausted woman. I recognized her as someone I’d seen before, but didn’t make the connection until she spoke to the waiter with an accent. I had given her my classic “I know you from somewhere, and I know you’re friendly” smile already.

But I know better than to do the whole “I know you from somewhere” exchange since I almost IKYFS‘d the registered sex offender from up the street at the grocery store. Seriously. Glad I bit my tongue and repressed my inner midwesterner on that one.

Anyway, all the clues came together and I realized she must be in town for the movie — she told the waiter she was going to the set, and this I like — she walked back to her hotel by herself to catch a lift to the set. It’s not the best part of town, and it was rather chilly, but off her skinny little legs went.

AND cut.

Am I That Old?

October 27, 2011 | Uncategorized

I just saw the status update on Facebook of a girl I graduated with from high school wishing her grandson a happy 2nd birthday. GRANDSON. Sweet serenity.

Happy birthday, dear Jojo…

October 21, 2011 | Jojo

Oh dear Lord my boy is 6:

Happy birthday, dear Jojo. I adore every single cell of your body, your megawatt smile and the joy that bursts from your body like uncontainable sunshine. I love your mind, your curiosity, your energy, your laugh and, well, a trillion other loveable traits you share.

—–

I’m knee deep in Lego Star Wars party-planning and my parents just came into town, so I have to get back to work, but many of you have been with my blog since early on, when Jojo was just a wee little blonde puffball. To all of you CyberAunts, thank you for your sweet fondness towards my eldest son and your support towards me as a mother. I adore you, too.

Flying Dutchmen

October 19, 2011 | family,vacation

I may have forgotten to mention that we took the boys to Amsterdam for ten days to visit Mr. Squirrel’s family. We’ve been home now 3 days, and I’m still getting up ridiculously early in the morning.

The boys did great on the plane, although the painful ears on the landing affected Jojo both ends of the trip. Nugget didn’t adjust to the jetlag as well as Jojo, and they often were overwhelmed by the number of new family members (over 20 in the first day alone), but we all had a great time!

My husband’s extended family (his dad has six siblings with 21 kids between them, and his mom had three siblings with 7 kids) is nothing short of inspiring, welcoming, loving and very, very fun. Coming from my own small family (two cousins! Woot!), I absolutely love connecting with them all. Even the spouses are fantastic — welcoming, interested, interesting and just plain nice.

My husband’s paternal grandmother turned 90 this year. I’ve met her before on other trips, but she hadn’t met Nugget before, and I hadn’t seen her in almost five years. Sometimes she calls or writes, though, and although she’s always apologizing for her English, it’s very good. She’s incredibly supportive of me as a mother and a person. She’s also the most elegant and chic woman I know. We drove to her house near Eindhoven and all raked her leaves for her. That’s the kind of family my husband’s family is. We bond as a family doing things, helping others, or at the least, coming together over a lengthy, delicious meal.

More to come but it may have to wait until after this weekend, when Jojo turns SIX. I’m in party planning madness. Plus, did I mention my sweet Jojo will be 6? Good God.

Oh Yeah, That Movie

October 2, 2011 | TV/movie addiction

So I think the big Hollywood hub-bub has left the area… or at least most everyone is kind of over it.

It was fun for awhile, but I knew I was kind of over the cool factor when one of my close friends told me a house on her block was going to be used for filming, and I didn’t go over to check it out.

Of course, none of the hotties were there, just Eva Mendes, and I can’t get excited about her.

A couple blocks over from my house, I spotted Ray Liotta getting dropped off at the set…the kids and I just walked over, and there he was. Crazy. You know he’s playing a crooked cop — he’s gotta be. Has he ever played a kind, gentle soul?

We stopped two houses over because one of the elementary school teachers was there, and Jojo wanted to say hi. I instantly liked her more because she was there in her running clothes — sweaty and not ashamed.

One mom kind of worried me because she was all gussied up and apparently had searched out the sets all summer, bringing her child every day to catch a glimpse of the stars. What does she expect? I’m not sure. But her intensity creeped me out, so we left shortly after seeing Bradley Cooper arrive at set, which happened a few minutes after seeing Ray:

What? You don’t see him? I needed a better lens? Yes, but if you squint and get REALLY FREAKY close to your screen, you can see him in the middle of the picture, wearing a blue tshirt heading into the house — he’s to the right of the crew member in the yellow tshirt.

Apparently, he’s rather snooty and has no interest in talking with locals. What gives, Coop? The boys weren’t impressed with any of it (although I’m more interested in seeing all the goings on needed to make a film and the fact that it was RIGHT down the street! Crazy!), so we left.

I’m looking forward to the film, though, since they shot at several area locations we know well. I’m rather surprised at how quickly I got over the initial excitement considering how into movies I once was. Sorry I didn’t score more insider gossip or scandalous photos for you, dear Reader.

And We Have People Coming Over Tomorrow

September 28, 2011 | Confessional

I put off bath tonight because the boys were nicely playing together with big cardboard blocks. Jojo (mostly) built different airplanes out of blocks, and then they threw things at the blocks to destroy the “planes.” And, they’re taking it to the stage…

Jojo: MOM! Are you ready to see the show?
Me: Uh… Yes! Of course…
Nugget: You can sit here (arm sweeps to where he had been sitting)… there’s just a little bit of pee.

Yeah, we know who plays here.

September 13, 2011 | random randomness

I try to be open-minded with my kids’ friends, but no Malachais allowed.

Or playing with sickles in cornfields (or anywhere for that matter).

This post should really be about Jojo starting KINDERGARTEN and Nugget beginning PRESCHOOL but the pictures (and OH they’re cute) are on the other computer WAY OVER THERE…see it? Yeah, I’d have to move.

Still lazy. Miss me?