Another Pathetic Weekend On Tap

It's only Saturday afternoon and I'm already bummed about our weekend of uneventfulness.
Craig has to work today, his usual day off. There was some sort of issue at work and the only way to rectify said issue is for Craig to work the next few Saturdays.
This is all fine and dandy and not exactly out of the ordinary. Like they say when you sign up for this gig, "you've just sold your life to Uncle Sam, you sucker." Or something like that.

Always a supportive military spouse, I've learned go with the flow. However, I've become quite accustomed to attending an early morning Body Attack class, which I affectionately refer to as my "Saturday morning beating" each week. With Craig away at work, my gym plans are thrown out the window this morning.

Hrmph. The sacrifices I have to make!

Some women send their husbands off on 12-18 month deployments. My friend had a baby three weeks after her husband deployed.
And I have to give up my Saturday morning exercise class for a few weeks.

Oh the horror!

Don't you feel sorry for me?

I realize I could drag Caroline with me and shove her in the kid's room for an hour, but, well, the class starts at 8 and I'm not sure I could endure the excessive whining that would ensue if I made her come along. Whining drives me insane, and whining before 8am might cause me to do things I'd later regret.
If this Saturday morning work thing goes on for too long, I may have to bite the bullet, put in a set of ear plugs, bring Caroline with me and bribe her with McDonald's after.
Speaking of McDonalds, as I so often do. There is one across the parking lot from my gym. The smell of coffee and hash browns permeates the air in the mornings and suddenly makes the yogurt, cottage cheese, banana concoction I eat for breakfast every day seem most unsatisfying.
The smell brings me back to my youth and all the time I spent making pancakes and hocking Big Macs in the drive thru. It also reminds me of the huge nasty burn the hash brown fryer basket gave me on my thumb and how when I first started working there we had a Jurassic Park promotion going on and I found myself saying "Jurassic Puck" instead of "Jurassic Park cup" when asking if the customers would like to super size their value meals and get the collectible plastic cup.
Seriously, that was over sixteen years ago and I still remember that. And yet, I can't remember Craig's cell phone number.

That was a spectacular tangential paragraph of nonsense.
Ahem.

Caroline and I are hanging in the heazy. After demanding lunch at 10:40am, and quickly scarfing it down, Caroline has found herself outside with some of the neighborhood kids. Correction, the kids are now in the house, no doubt plotting something messy.
And here I sit, with nothing but a pile of laundry waiting for me to scale, whining to the world wide web. Telling my sad tale. A tale of sacrifice and true patriotism.
Giving up what I love most so my husband can go to work, doing whatever it is he does all day.

We're nothing if not inspiring.

Odds and Ends

Today, while showering at the gym, I decided that I should tell all three of you how much I love Dove cream oil body wash.
It's awesome.
And no, Dove is not paying me to say that. If they were, I'm sure they'd hope I'd say something more elaborative than "it's awesome."
But really, it is.

And I just think you should know that.

It's really quite humid today. Since I had to leave the gym early to get to Caroline's school for lunch/Thursday folder stuffing, I didn't get a chance to fully cool down before getting in the shower. Boy was that ever a mistake. I purposely took a cooler than normal shower to facilitate the cooling down process, but that didn't help.
There is nothing worse than sweating after you get out of the shower.
Make up doesn't stay put and my hair takes forever to dry. More blow drying creates more heat and more sweating. It's a nasty cycle.
Because of this humid air tragedy, I'm having a horrible hair day.

This afternoon, when Caroline and I returned home from the school, I went to close the windows to turn on the air conditioner. It's not hot, degree wise, but did I mention it's humid today? So, as I'm standing in the kitchen, closing the windows, Caroline yells "No, I like the windows open. We'll save electricity and that's good for the environment."

Now, I'm all for saving money. Conservation is important. Especially the conservation of dollars. Wouldn't you rather buy new clothes than spend it on the electric bill? Um, I would.

With that being said, I tend to get annoyed when our children are brainwashed taught all this global warming junk.
Yes, we should conserve electricity. We should conserve because mom needs a new pair of flip flops. Not because we're evil humans defiling the earth God created for us to live in.
Blah blah, carbon footprint, blah blah.

Stepping off my soapbox now.

So Caroline found a few more kids to play with. They're cute kids, the girl is in first grade, and her brother will be in kindergarten next year. I met their mom yesterday and since we met, the kids were then allowed to come in the house.
Yesterday I thought they were the cutest things.
Today, they still are cute, but I think I've found my new snack monsters.

In Georgia we had a brother sister duo who were quite fond of barging in and asking for snacks. Oddly enough, the sister in both duos have the same name.

So the sister found me upstairs this evening, holding a screw she found outside.
She held out the screw and said "here I found this and I'm hungry."
I offered goldfish. But she was in the mood for something with sugar. I told her that her mom wouldn't be pleased if I loaded her up with sugary snacks before dinner. She said her mom wouldn't mind, but I'm not THAT dumb.
After some deliberation, she took a quick snack and went to color. A few minutes later, she asked for something else; I told her no. Even doormats have limits. Besides, it was nearing dinner time for Caroline and I.

This girl is cute. And she knows it.

I was talking to a woman, named Debbie, at the gym the other day. We were commenting on this other woman who was named "Military Spouse of the Year." She works full time, has three kids and volunteers for a zillion different things. You know the type of wonder woman that makes all other moms feel like total lumps.
I told Debbie that I've figured out that for the time being,my calling in life is to provide art supplies and snacks for the neighborhood kids.

This has been my life for the past four years.

And I certainly don't expect to be winning any awards for it.

OK, enough babbling, I've got to unload the dishwasher and say hi to Craig.
He came home early tonight and I barely even grunted a hello as he walked by.

How rude!

Words You Never Want To Hear

"Don't worry Mom, it's washable."

We have this particular little girl in our neighborhood who will inevitably become one of those "mean girls." At the age of seven, she's already well on her way.
She's manipulative and sneaky. She threatens to tattle on the other kids, is very possessive and creates a lot of turmoil.

She's sweet to adults, but I'm on to her.

Yesterday the girl, Leah, rang the doorbell to tell me, in her best Eddie Haskell imitation, that Caroline was being a very good girl. Slightly puzzled, I said, "uh, ok." What are you supposed to say to that? Well, I took one look at Caroline's puffy eyed, slightly tortured face and knew something was up. I asked what was wrong and she said that Leah she was being mean to her and kept threatening to tell on her. For what, I'm not sure. There usually isn't anything to tell, but Leah sure thinks so. I'm not fond of tattletales, so I told Leah that unless she had a real beef with the way Caroline was behaving, stop ringing the doorbell.

So today Caroline came running in the house with red paint in her hair, saying "don't worry, it's washable" Obviously curious as to why my kid had globs of red paint in her hair, I asked "what's up?" She said she asked Leah to do it because one of the other girls had it done too. This is all very harmless, but I felt inclined to ask Caroline why she'd let someone put paint in her hair.
She didn't have an answer, which is fine. Sometimes we do things we can't explain.
Like I said, it's harmless, but I can't help but think that getting involved with whatever Leah suggests is hardly a smart idea.

It's really very difficult to figure out how to help Caroline deal with Leah. On the one hand I want her to be kind to everyone, but I also don't want her to be tortured by the mean girl antics of an obnoxious seven year old.
I've told Caroline that dealing with difficult people is an unfortunate part of life; something completely unavoidable. She has to learn to be kind, but hold her ground when she's being manipulated.

As it so happens, I just walked upstairs where all the kids are playing and overheard Caroline say to Leah, "you can't have a turn because you didn't ask nicely, that's bad manners."

Sigh.

Here I am defending my perfect, innocent child against the evilness of neighborhood girlie bullies and she's upstairs acting like the moral authority.
I told Caroline that until she has impeccable manners of her own, she's not allowed to judge the politeness of others.

So, I quit.

I'm going to eat my dinner, trying to ignore the sticker box that threw up all over the living room floor.

I'll worry about raising a kind, compassionate, fun loving girl later.

Most likely when I wash her hair this evening and the water turns pink.

100th Post

For those that have endured the 99 posts of mindless drivel that I've defiled the internet with, here's one more to mark my 100th post.
Ahem...100 things about ME. Because, as you know, it is all about me.
My mama taught me well.

1. I could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day of my life.
2. I am the oldest of two girls; my sister, Laura, is six and a half years younger than me.
3. I was born in Caribou, Maine in November 1976.
4. I've lived in eight states: Maine, California, Florida, Missouri, Hawaii, Arizona, Maryland, Georgia and Virginia.
5. I worked at McDonald's for most of my high school years and have never eaten a Big Mac.
6. I HATE HATE HATE having my feet touched, which is too bad because I desperately need a pedicure.
7. In the past 8 years, I've only worn a dress one time.
8. I wear reading glasses; I cannot look at a computer screen without them.
9. I think avocados taste like dirt.
10. I'll eat just about any vegetable, except for radishes.
11. I got married two months before I turned 20, Craig was 25; I was much too young to get married.
12. We got married in my mother-in-law's living room. Not exactly ideal and looking back I would have done things differently, but even so, I never wanted the white dress, big reception, church wedding experience. I don't like being the center of attention.
13. I am not adventurous. At all. I will never jump out of an airplane, traverse a canyon or repel from a building.
14. I love that Craig is in the Army. You can't beat the job security and benefits.
15. The thought of him retiring gives me hives. And indigestion.
16. I am addicted to talk radio.
17. I never watch television during the day.
18. I like lemon in my water.
19. I'd eat like a rabbit all day every day if I could have a huge slice of cake or a big brownie (no nuts!) every night.
20. I love going to the gym. Exercise makes me truly happy.
21. I eat my breakfast and lunch standing up at the kitchen counter while I listen to the radio. I do the same for dinner, unless Craig is home and we all sit at the table together.
22. I didn't know what biscuits and gravy were until I moved to Florida. I wish I never learned. Shudder!
23. I hate clutter. I cannot think straight if the house is messy.
24. I will NEVER go camping. NEVER!
25. My car is always dirty on the outside, but neat and tidy on the inside.
26. I empty the dishwasher every night. I cannot go to sleep unless it has been done.
27. I have an unhealthy love for diet soda. It's how I get through the day.
28. I adore fresh fruit, especially oranges, bananas, berries and melon.
29. I worry all the time. Sometimes I feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. However, I do not worry about global warming. If it really were that big of a deal, Al Gore would get rid of his private jet and huge, energy sucking house.
30. I am a Christian, saved by the grace of God, but I haven't been to church in a long time.
31. Sometimes I think church is dumb.
32. I do not think God is dumb.
33. I have a very eclectic mix of music on my ipod: Linkin Park, Chevelle, Pink, Chris Tomlin, Nine Inch Nails, Flo Rida, Christina Aguilera, Casting Crowns, Toby Mac, Fergie, etc.
34. I think "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin is one of the most beautiful songs ever.
35. I cannot dance.
36. I can, however, recognize and move to the beat of the music. My biggest aerobics class pet peeve is when the participants, and even the instructor, cannot stay on beat. It's distracting.
37. I do not like talking on the phone.
38. After I had Caroline, my feet grew. For a short chick (barely 5'4) I have big feet (size 9).
39. Growing up, I wanted a lot of kids.
40. After I got married I wanted none.
41. We now have one, with no intention of having more.
42. I often feel guilty for opting to have an only.
43. Caroline's delivery was the only time I've ever been in the hospital. We were in and out in under 24 hours.
44. I had back labor and unashamedly took the epidural when offered.
45. Breastfeeding was the best weight loss tool EVER.
46. I love "baby shower" cake. White or yellow cake from the bakery.
47. I despise whipped cream frosting. Butter cream all the way, baby.
48. I used to drink coffee in the mornings, but lost my taste for it. I drink hot tea now.
49. I'm like Joey Tribbiani, I love sandwiches.
50. After a PB&J, my favorite sandwich is a grilled cheese with tomatoes on sourdough.
51. Chocolate makes me happy; chocolate covered cherries do not.
52. Growing up we put up our Christmas tree after my mom's birthday (Dec 10th) now I put it up the day after Thanksgiving.
53. I took Accutane twice. The second time is the charm because I haven't broken out since I stopped taking it in March.
54. I shower, wash my hair, put on clean clothes and apply makeup every day. Even when I'm sick.
55. I hate unmade beds.
56. I don't watch any scripted television shows anymore. I watch a few reality shows, but mostly the news.
57. I love to bake.
58. I taught myself to cook with the help of Sara Moulton and her "Cooking Live" show on the Food Network.
59. I cook most things from scratch, with a few exceptions. Caroline would revolt if I didn't buy Easy Mac.
60. I'd love to go to pastry school someday and become a bread baker.
61. I kill all plants.
62. I love to read mysteries.
63. I'm a no nonsense type of person. I have little patience for drama. Thankfully Caroline is the same way. She has a friend who brings the drama and it takes all that is within me not to shake her.
64. I never honk my horn when I'm driving. I hate when people honk at me for not moving 0.0003 seconds after the light turns green.
65. I 'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.
66. I am an introvert. I need to be alone to recharge.
67. I call Caroline "kid."
68. I do not use mushy pet names, much to Craig's displeasure. I pretty much only call him Craig, unless he's been particularly bad and then I'll break out the "Roger Craig."
69. I'd like to travel to Europe one day; I have no desire to visit Asia.
70. Hydrangeas and gerbera daisies are my favorite flowers.
71. I think it's strange when grown women have fan girl crushes on celebrities.
72. Acts of service is my love language.
73. I do not like to fly, especially over water. For some reason the idea of crashing and burning on land is far more appealing to me than landing in the deep dark water.
74. I love rainy days.
75. I'm competitive, but you wouldn't know it. It's very internal.
76. Running has become a recent hobby of mine; if only my body would hold up to the demands I'm putting on it.
77. Once I ate all the cookie dough chunks out of a carton of ice cream and threw away the vanilla ice cream part. In one sitting. Not one of my proudest moments.
78. I have a strange affection for the commercials Tim Allen does for Michigan. I find his narration very comforting.
79. I'm a very patient person. I rarely complain if the line is too long or the service too slow.
80. I almost never use my cell phone; I also do not text.
81. I've been to 27 states. It'll be 28 after our trip to Hershey, PA in August. *edited to add* We drove through Delaware, as well, so make that 29.
82. I hope that Craig gets stationed in Hawaii next. If not, we'd both like to go to San Antonio, TX.
83. I do not like to write, which makes me wonder why I started a blog. Well, it's not that I don't like to....it just doesn't come easy.
84. I'm terrible at keeping in touch with people. I think about others often, I just never do anything about it.
85. I wore braces for two years and nine months.
86. I left my retainer on the airplane we flew in when we moved from CA to FL.
87. I saw Keri Russell, who was on the Mickey Mouse Club, after we landed at the Orlando Airport. She was in the bathroom and she was wearing her MMC jacket.
88. I do not like overhead lighting.
89. I floss every day.
90. I do not like to cuddle. I need lots of personal space. (on a side note, I don't really like the word "cuddle")
91. I am not overly emotional. I usually only cry if I'm mad or deeply hurt.
92. I tan very easily, even though I liberally apply sunscreen.
93. I am a homebody.
94. I sway back and forth when I blow dry my hair. I guess I don't like to stand still.
95. I am terrified of snakes.
96. I do not wear jewelry, not even my wedding ring. Craig doesn't wear one either; he lost it in Kuwait and we never replaced it.
97. I'm not a romantic or a dreamer. I have very realistic expectations.
98. Before Caroline came along, Craig and I went to the movies atleast once a week. I've been to the theater four times since she was born.
99. I do not drink alcohol and don't have any desire to start. Although, after a particularly stressful day, I've been known to say "I really should start drinking....."
100. I have a major vomit phobia. I have not thrown up since August 4, 1991. Thankfully Caroline and Craig aren't prone to vomitting either.

And there you have it.

100 things about me that you probably could have lived your whole lives without knowing.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Last night, as I sat at the computer with the news on in the background, Caroline came bounding down the stairs. The news was reporting on President Obama's Memorial Day remarks at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
A heavy, emotional speech.
And out of Caroline's mouth flies a sarcastic "yeah, yeah Obama."

Equally horrified and amused, I said with as much indignation as I could muster,"Caroline!"

And she said, "well, he's ALWAYS talking about something."

I have a very bad habit of talking to the television and radio; perhaps I should start keeping my opinions to myself.
Evidently Caroline IS listening.

It was reported that after the speech the President and his motorcade came to Ft. Belvoir for a round of golf. The golf course is probably two miles from our house and right down the street from Craig's office building.
The motorcade caused some traffic issues and detoured Craig's usual route to work.

Too bad we didn't know sooner. It would have been neat to try and spot the Presidential limousine.
And if the rain hadn't postponed the lemonade stand, perhaps he would have been interested in buying a cup.

A Way With Words

I read a lot of blogs.

I'm a curious kind of person and like a peek into other people's lives. Some of the blogs I read are personal blogs. Some are about food. Some make me mad. And others leave me awestruck by the beauty of the words I've just read.

Some people just have a way with words. Peggy Noonan does. She could write how-to install sheet rock instructions and I'd read with pleasure. I guess it's like when Randy Jackson says, "Dawg, you could sing the phone book and I'd love it." On a side note, I hate when Randy says "you can sing your face off." Creepy.

It's a gift.

A gift that I don't have.

I don't consider myself much of a writer. And I don't really care.
I blog because I want to keep a scrapbook of sorts not because I want people to be moved by my words.
My ponderings aren't eloquent. In fact, nothing about me is eloquent. Sometimes I feel like a bull in a china shop. Clumsy and messy.

I read a blog called Ministry So Fabulous. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this treasure, but I sure am glad I did. The woman who writes the blog has that way with words. She's emotive and real. She's raw with her words and I just drink it all up.

She blogged about Memorial Day today and her post just brought tears to my eyes. Yes, cold black hearted Alison was moved.

You should check it out, you'll be glad you did.

It's Raining!

I love rain.
I know my parents in Florida are tired of rain, but I'm quite happy to hear the raindrops outside.
And why? You might be led to ask.
Well, I'll tell you why.

For a few months Caroline and her friends have been planning to have a big lemonade stand. On Memorial Day.
No other day.
Memorial Day.
Not the many warm sunny days that will no doubt occur in the months to come.
No, they wanted to do it on Memorial Day. In front of the pool.

Conducting a lemonade stand in front of the pool requires planning. And an adult to schlep all the lemonade stand paraphernalia down to the pool and to supervise the sale of the lemonade.
Guess what adult was designated for this duty?
Uh huh. That's right. Me.
Even though my kid comprises only one fourth of the lemonade stand staff. But who's counting?

You see, the mom of two of the four girls is on the HOA board. She asked permission for the kids to conduct their lemonade stand in front of the community pool and the board agreed. Evidently it's a conflict of interest or something for her to be there while the girls operate their stand. I can easily understand that; HOA stuff can get a little contentious.
So, that pretty much leaves me as the available chaperone.

I'm fine with that, it's my lot in life. I've accepted that.
However, I warned them that the water is still very cold and there might not be a lot of traffic on Memorial Day. Rain was forcasted. Again, they didn't care. Their attention was firmly affixed on Memorial Day and they were not, under any circumstances, straying from their original plan.

They decorated signs, planned the schedule, delegated duties, secured supplies.

Far be it from me to squash the dreams of these budding capitalists. I just wish they would have chosen another day.
And honestly, I'm never comfortable with the idea of selling things. I don't like asking people for money. I realize lemonade stands are the ultimate in entrepreneurialism for kids and most people find it adorable. I, however, just really hate being involved with selling stuff.

And so it's raining. Warm, muggy summer time rain.
The lemonade stand has been postponed. As well as many Memorial Day backyard get together here in Northern Virginia, I presume.

I told the girls we'd do it on a nice hot, sunny day. We'll make cookies and sell those too.
Cookies make everything better.

I feel a twinge of guilt for being happy that I don't have to chaperone this event today. I find their enthusiasm endearing, but am thankful that we're doing it on another day.

Yay for the rain!