I am a bad, bad mom...

Yesterday, I walked out to my car, keys in my right hand, SLIPPED next to my car, and was unable to catch myself because I refused to use the hand holding the keys to catch myself (on my newish car). Can you imagine putting a key line on your own car? Too horrible to contemplate. I fell instead. Better to sacrifice my knees. And, OH, were they sacrificed. VERY painful. But, Matt (my 8-year-old) was with me, so I sucked it up and laughed it off instead of boo hooing and wallowing headfirst in the snow, like I wanted to.

Today, I walked out to the car again with both my sons. I made sure the boys were getting in the back seat (so I thought) and walked around to the driver's side. My neighbor was wobbling around in the snow around HER car and barely caught herself before she fell. We caught each other's eyes and laughed and shared falling stories.

MEANWHILE...

I heard a tiny voice say, "Mom, lock the door."

"What? Who said that?"

The voice again, "MOM, lock the door!"

(I catch on slowly.) "THOMAS? Is that YOU? WHERE ARE YOU?" Seriously, I realized I couldn't see him anywhere. He's 12 and was wearing a florescent hat, very easy to spot.

Matt chimes in, "Mom, he FELL."

"WHAT?"

The poor boy was huddled practically under the car because he slipped trying to open the front passenger door, WHILE I WAS LAUGHING WITH MY NEIGHBOR ABOUT FALLING STORIES.

Yeah. I felt terrible. He just wanted me to lock the door so he could use the handle as leverage to get up. That's right. He didn't want me to come over and help him. All I had to do was lock the door. Oh yeah. AND NOTICE HE WAS ON THE GROUND.

I am a bad, bad mom.

Just pile it on, Dull Gray Day, pile it on!

So, it is a GORGEOUS slate gray day today. Really stunning. A PERFECT day for cleaning.

(Hear the sarcasm?)

Almost made me stay in bed this morning, actually.

But, it was sooo worth getting up. Really.

I've cleaned the trash can, inside and out.

I've cleaned a mess left by my sick cat, the likes of which I hope to never see again.

I've cleaned mouse poo off of treasures accidently left in the garage when we moved. (Treasures which will now be wrapped in plastic b/c I still can't stand to touch them. Ick. Worth my time? Well, yeah. Treasures.)

(Are you thinking maybe the sick cat should spend some time in the garage?)

I've cleaned up the water in front of my dying washer.

(I ate 2 peppermint patties for moral support.)

I've scrubbed carpets in 3 rooms.

I've cleaned up collie fur from places I didn't know collie fur could congregate.

(Mental note: Shave the collies.)

I'm pooped, although I hesitate to use that word after the day I've had!

Someone help me!

A Tale of Woe... of Snow and Amazon and Cheese

14 snowy days in a row... 3 snowbound kids... uh-oh!

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an Amazon box, filled with books for the tots.

Thank you, Mr. Mailman and Amazon, for saving the day! It was AWESOME! I could already hear the peace! And quiet! (A sound that quite possibly, after 14 days, felt better than having a entire bag of Dove chocolates all to myself. Possibly. Let's not get crazy.) ;)

So, in the excitement of delving into the Amazon box and parceling out treasure, I forgot about lunch. Cooking. On the stove.

Sniff. Sniff, SNIFF!

Would that be BURNING grilled cheese sandwiches? Tomato soup boiling over?

No problem. I can scrape off char.

In the process of scraping, bubbling cheese oozed out and severely burned my hand.

In my anxiety (and blinding pain) to get the sandwich on a plate and off my hand, I pushed a different sandwich onto the floor.

I was left holding the burning hot UNscraped sandwich while the scraped and ready-to-serve sandwich plopped on the floor.

Now you know why my golden retriever loves me. And why my family asks if dinner is done when the smoke alarm goes off. ;)

And why we better have school tomorrow. ;)

What they forget between third grade and age 45...

My daughter's Valentine's Days have been ruined forever.

They've been ruined since the third grade. It was a boy's fault, of course. We'll call him Dan.

Dan had been sweet on my dear daughter since kindergarten. I thought it was cute. Then came third grade.

Valentine's Day that year came in the midst of a snow storm. School was cancelled. No one was going out. Evening came along and we heard a large truck pull up out front. A snow-covered youngun' stood on our stoop absolutely laden with gifts to delight his beloved. It was ADORABLE. He had a large card (2 feet tall, at least, that he made himself), a huge stuffed bear, and FLOWERS.

HOLY COW!

How can any guy she dates ever compete with that? You should have seen my own husband's face fall! HA! Oh, I soooo enjoyed the entire thing. Rob considers Valentine's Day to be a Hallmark holiday and therefore to be ignored (lest you become a sheep, forced to follow the flock of Valentine's Day followers over a cliff of chocolate despair).

For the record, to me, Valentine's Day should really be about thoughtfulness and reminding the ones you love that you care deeply about them. So, it's not really about flowers, or chocolates, or cards, but about showing you care. Sorry, Hallmark, but we don't really need to buy stuff to show that. What we really need is a sweet third grader reminding us that sometimes you just need to make an effort, trudge through a bit of snow, make sure your sweetie feels loved. :)

I'm a .... ???

Happy Valentine's Day!



Love this song!

To take our minds off of the overwhelming snow for a moment...

Snow, snow everywhere! We've stopped trying to estimate how much we have. It's A LOT. The kids may go to school ONE day this week. Maybe. If they can shovel out the school buildings and restore power. It's rather amazing. Still, nothing as bad as what they've gotten on the coast. Back-to-back blizzards? Oh. My. WORD. They must be going crazy.

So, to take our minds off of all the white outside, how about an amusing little picture that tells quite a story. My munchkins, years ago, role playing. The longer you look at this photo, the funnier it gets. Smile and enjoy. ;)



What do you see that makes you smile the most? :)

A) Is it the stack of (wipes) containers that have been carefully placed to "cushion" her head?
B) Is it the lack of any covering?
C) Is it the patient's ability to listen to her OWN heart?
D) Is it the somewhat evil grin on Tommy's face? (hehehe)
E) Is it the high tech tape binding her wound?
F) Is it the high tech tape holding her leg up against the chair back?
G) Is it the "doctor" clothes worn by the surgeons (stolen from dad's drawer)?

Or, something else? ;)

Because Everyone Needs an Igloo

So, the storm has come and gone and now we have almost a foot of snow. We have really been enjoying it! But, I don't think anyone enjoyed it as much as my boys did. They started making a snowman but decided it wasn't turning out as planned, so they came up with the idea of an igloo. OH, THE JOY! :)

When they were done, they called me out for a photo shoot. They usually don't like my picture taking... saying things like, "Mom, is this another picture for your BLOG?"... and then hiding. But they are my very favorite blog fodder! What do they expect? :)

I was so impressed with the igloo. They had to show me all around and demonstrate how to fit into it (rest assured that I had NO HOPE of fitting inside). :)



My favorite pic was of their feet.



They've since added a flag and peepholes. We've been teasing them that some deer is going to come along and sleep in it tonight to get out of the subzero temps. I have a feeling they'll be charging outside first thing in the morning to check the status of their igloo! :)

Walmart, the Day Before the Storm

I went to Walmart today. The day before we are to get (possibly) 16 inches of snow. It was a zoo. But, surprisingly, people were NICE. Yes, nice. I couldn't believe it. I mean, except for the few crazies that were trying to get through express checkout with 1,987 items, it wasn't bad at all. One had a screaming baby, so I totally didn't blame her.

I was picking up a grand total of 3 items. Don't ask me why I needed to be out. I laughed at my total of $9.14 (at Walmart!). How is that even POSSIBLE? I never leave there with less than half a cartload! I explained my chuckle to the cashier, saying something to the tune of, "Why did I feel the need to come out in the snow to spend $9.14?" And she said, "Because it's EXCITING." She was completely straight-faced. She meant it! EXCITING. Hmmmm...

But there is something to her comment. Being out in treacherous conditions seems to create a bit of a "Survivor's Club" in the participants. People (the ones who aren't grumpy about the snow) seem more friendly, somehow.

For example, I was standing in the baking goods aisle, trying to read the expiration date on yeast (my new bifocals were brilliantly left at home), when a very nice lady (a stranger) struck up a conversation with me about bread baking. The day is not yet done and we've already exchanged a recipe via email. I actually know her family, so it's not that weird. :) Gotta love small towns.

Then, as I was pushing my cart with 3 items (I don't know why, but that just seems so funny to me! At Walmart!), I passed a man who wanted to know where I got my coat. My coat is at least FOUR years old and (sadly) at any given time probably has a dozen collie hairs on it. But, I told him Cabella's and he seemed pleased to know. He said he liked it a lot and thought his wife would too. He was wearing a hunting cap so I have the idea that maybe an excuse to go to Cabella's made him happy. :)

So, aside from some crazy drivers in the parking lot, and a few in the store (not driving) :), I quite enjoyed my foray into the pre-snow shopping "Survivor's Club." :)

What is it about me that screams, "CLEARANCE RACK?"

I was shopping at some local outlet stores and I walked by a store that I have never been in. Hmmm... They had a FINAL DAYS CLEARANCE sign in the window. WELL! Not one to pass up FINAL DAYS, I walked inside. :)

It was a Columbia Sportswear store. Now, I just bought my son a winter coat for $15 at JC Penney that was regularly $80. I was in DEEP CLEARANCE MODE. So, I walk through the Columbia store, thinking of buying my daughter a new (warmer) coat, and it becomes QUICKLY obvious that my idea and Columbia's idea of FINAL DAYS CLEARANCE differ greatly.

I just want to mention here that I didn't (for once) look scruffy. I have on a rather nice Cabella's coat and my good (non-scuffed) purse. I am relatively dog hair free (with three large beasts at home, this is a feat in itself). I am even holding large bags (showing that I'm obviously willing to spend!).

So, I am browsing. Salespeople offer to help. I decline. I continue to browse. I work my way back to the front door b/c I am obviously out of my price range.

BUT WAIT! They have suddenly identified me as A CLEARANCE SHOPPER and direct my gaze to the newly marked down CLEARANCE RACK. It is SO SPECIAL that employees are not allowed to purchase from it. WOW! (riiight) But, I start looking. I note the 75% off sign. I spy ... BOOTS! :)

It was really funny because I gushed, evidently loudly, over the rack to such a degree that there was a stampede to it by every other person in the store. I was lucky to drag my loot over to the register before someone else grabbed it! I mean, I nabbed $80 boots for $12.50! COLUMBIA boots. AND a pair of ski pants for my daughter that she's been begging for that were $100... for $15!!! That's like a TARGET clearance price! (And boy, do I love Target clearance!) When I left, the other shoppers had nearly emptied the rack. It was rather amazing. I felt like I'd won or something! :) How much do I love finding things we really need at rock bottom prices? A LOT!

It was perfect timing, too, because now we are expecting something like a foot or more of snow tonight and I see SLED RIDING in our future! :)