Monday, December 14, 2009

Holiday Comedy - 2009 Edition



Like many other families, every year we take a family photo for our holiday card...and every year it is kind of a pain in the ass. I love the tradition - and it is often the best and only shot of all of us together - but fitting it into a crazy holiday schedule is always a challenge. Also, and again like many other families, there are a zillion outtakes as my kids rarely perform on cue. There is always at least one where both Michael and I have clearly had it and are ready to give up altogether.



This year we took shots on our front porch with a little help from my cousin, who actually had more fun than we did, I think...and she brought us cookies!

Here are some of the best bloopers from our 2009 holiday card:

One of my faves - I call it "give me strength". Sadly, this was one of the first shots - so you can see how well this is going to go!




Unfortunate timing on this game of "where's Benny!"



Benny is clearly not interested in participating at all here:


Ultimately, we chose this one - mostly because none of us are crying, playing peek-a-boo or picking our noses.


Happy holidays y'all!

(many thanks to Mary Cilva for being our photog this year!)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Shortage of shorts

So - not only did I forget to pick up diapers at lunch today (and then didn't realize the issue until I was getting the baby ready for bed, leaving us with one diaper until tomorrow), I also discovered that Jack went "commando" to school today. WTF?

I asked if he had an accident and maybe that is why he came home w/no drawers, but he said that he thought he had them on, until he went potty and "when I looked down, no underwear!"

OMG. Michael can't get home fast enough!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

crushing exhaustion

how tired am i? too tired to be bothered with capitalization tonight - that is how tired i am.

i should be asleep - it is nearly 1 a.m. and the munchkins are unlikely to sleep in, but i couldn't sleep after being jolted out of a drifty doze twice by the baby who was unable to figure out how to lay down from a sitting position. (holy crap)

OMG (caps!) - this week has kicked my ass! work is incredibly busy - major event next week that my team and i put together in less than 10 days. it has been very stimulating and exciting - but i am burnt. i have to travel twice next week for this project (to the same city, mind you) - and that is causing major stress as the hubs just got a new client that regularly requires super early meetings, making day care drop off impossible.

sometimes this whole working mom/career stuff is for shit. the travel puts major strain on all of us - and then i end up feeling so guilty for leaving my kids with their dad, who is perfectly capable, that i bend over backwards to "make up" for being gone and am unable to find even half a second for myself. so really, on a regular week i only leave the house to do daycare drop off/pick up, and on a travel week it is twice as bad. i literally never get out. i'd love to just go to the freaking store by myself - but that never happens. i don't get to go to the store at all.

an example - next week i have to travel up north. i should be there all week - but i just can't. it is too much - so instead i'm going to turn myself inside out to fly up to SF twice in order to try to be gone as little as possible.

i feel like i'm drowning a bit these days. i desperately need a day off to myself - to run some errands, get a haircut, take a god damn nap - and yet that is not to be.

this post is all over the place. i'm too tired to care.

night.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Boogers and Boobs (are those your boobths?)

Ben is sick...fever, faucet-of-snot nose, cranky...sick. He started with a fever on Monday, which I desperately hoped was just teething so I could send him to daycare without too much guilt. But by Tuesday evening the congestion started and yesterday we took him to the doctor. She actually ran a test for H1N1 flu, which fortunately came up negative.

Poor kiddo - he wants to be in a good mood. He'll start to play and clap, and then dissolve into fussing (still clapping). His nose runs constantly - and he HAAATTTEEESSS when we wipe it. As soon as he sees the tissue coming, he turns away and very deliberately rubs his nose on my shoulder (or between my boobs, a la Wedding Crashers, only slimier). I've learned to let some of the snot dry on his nose - it acts as a dam for the next flood-o-boogs.

So that is what is going on around here... Yeah, I'd stay away if I could.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Mobility and maturity

Ben started crawling officially about 2 weeks ago. It was a Saturday - on Sunday, out of what I like to think was concern for his brother's well-being but was probably more out of toy preservation, Jack cleaned up his room. It was spotless. I don't think I could have done a better job (he only shoved one thing under his bed).

I wonder what it will take for this to become a regular occurrence? But, I wonder the same thing about when he'll stop pooping in his underwear.

Right.

Weekend Update...

This weekend was so incredibly busy - on Friday it didn't seem that we had that much planned, but by Sunday night we were beat.

Friday was date night - friends graciously agreed to watch the boys (thanks Marc and Jenn!) so the hubs and I could go to a movie (Harry Potter), which was a much needed opportunity.

Saturday I took the boys to hang with friends while Michael had some "alone time" (not a euphemism for anything - he organized the spice cabinet...that's not code either! get your minds out of the gutter!). Anyhow - after naps we picked up dinner and headed to El Segundo for the local Rotary Club's annual Movie in the Park. Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for the evening...I was positive that parking would be a disaster, that the boys would lose it before the film started and that I'd be cursing myself for dragging us all out.

I could not have been more wrong!

Parking was fine (and free!), the tickets to get in were super cheap and we found a great spot right near our friends. Jack hung with his friends in the bounce house and took a train ride while I played with Benny on the blanket we had spread on the grass. He had a blast - loves being outside and seeing new things. He clapped and crawled around, made friends with some neighbors and posed for pictures.

Once the movie started (Kung Fu Panda) everyone settled in - Jack and his friend Calvin ran back and forth between our blanket and Calvin's wagon, giggling and being goobers. Finally Jack got tired of the movie and asked to go play on the structure, so Michael took him over there while I hung out with Ben (who took a 30 minute cat nap and then watched the rest of the movie with me).


The whole evening was really great - I love doing community activities...makes us feel like we live in a small town, even though we totally don't.


Sunday was equally full - we cleaned out the garage for a bit then headed up to the South Coast Botanic Garden for a kids concert in the meadow. Jack got to run around with his friends and then they all settled in for the show, which he really got into.
Or not - he watched the whole thing and occasionally whispered along with the songs, but mostly he just ate his Doritos.

Surprisingly, we were able to bring wine to the event, which made the whole thing much more entertaining for the adults too. I think they finally had to kick us all out an hour after the concert had ended. Oops.

As I said, we were all beat by last night. This a.m. the boys slept in super late - I had to drag them both out of bed (unheard of) at 7:30 in order to get to work on time.

All in all it was a really wonderful weekend - great activities, great friends and some tired kiddoes at the end of it all. Plus any lingering guilt I have from my recent weekend away is now totally gone!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

"MakeYourMommiesCrayzee" Day at School

So, yeah...I haven't posted in 2 or 3 months...I could say that it is because we've been busy, which we have, but whatevs...the truth is I'm lazy. So - I've accepted it and am moving on.



So today was "Bring Your Bike (or Scooter) to School" day at preschool. I'd like to note that the person who thought that bright idea up was also off today so didn't have to witness the cursing that ensued as parents all over the area remembered this at the very last minute and had to rummage through their garages/backyards/junk piles to find the required bicycles and scooters.



Let me paint the picture - if you've ever seen our garage, you know that we are like those fish that grow to the size of their tanks...i.e., we've got a huge garage and a huge amount of crap to match. So I stumble through the piles of junk, extricate the bicycle (complete w/spiders); stub my toes (flip flops are not a good idea in my garage) accidentally bonk Benny in the head with it because he and Jack insisted on being "right there!" when I was trying to get thru the hallway (he's fine) and into the car. Somehow I managed to drag it into school while helping Jack w/his helmet (he insisted on wearing it into school even though the bike riding wasn't slated to happen for 2 hours - comedy!) - all one handed while holding Ben (who was spazzing out in his own right) and his paraphernalia. Holy crap. I needed a drink before 8:00 a.m.



(This post is dedicated to my friends Aimee and Becky for suggesting that my Twitter postings are blog-worthy. Not sure if that is the case as I stumble around trying to find my voice here - but at least I'm writing...so thanks ladies!)

Friday, May 1, 2009

I got nothing

Hmmm...oh yeah, the blog. Well, things have been a little crazy around here - the boys and I are sick. Like, can't work, can only moan and whine, sick (that's me). The boys are much better when they are sick - I'm sure that will change as they get older though. I HATE being sick - there just isn't time for it in my world. Plus, when the baby gets sick, he gets really sick. He is prone to chest congestion and has to use a nebulizer, which sucks. Every session is a struggle - he wants to eat the mask and so I spend the whole time waving it away from his grabby little hands while trying to aim the mist at his face.

The most exciting thing that has happened lately is that the hubs and I actually got to spend a day together...without the kids! It was fabulous. Talk about reminding us that we actually enjoy each others company! Two Friday's ago we both had the afternoon off - and we just hung out. Went to lunch, picked up some supplies for Jack's Transformers birthday party in a couple of weeks, tested cupcakes at a local bakery, took a nap and then...the best part of all...finally hung a slew of photo frames that have been sitting in our back hallway since January.

It was such a great day - relaxing, productive and just...great. I want to do that again. Right now.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Miss Maddie

I only met Maddie once - several months ago at a movie with my friend Nanette, who is close to Heather. We only chatted for a few moments - the film was about to start and I was juggling my infant who was hoping to eat before the lights went down. I was excited to meet them though - I had visited Heather's blog several times and was inspired by Maddie's story.

As Heather came in to the theater, she plopped Maddie down in Nanette's lap and snatched Nanette's new baby Em up for a kiss and snuggle. Maddie was so tiny - probably smaller than Ben was at the time (about 10 weeks) - and she was so cute! Those big eyes - that grin...she just hung out, looking around, taking it all in and charming the pants off anyone that caught her eye.

That day stuck with me, and, as I learned of Maddie's illness last week, followed Heather's tweets and then, learned of her passing the next day, I was devastated - distracted for the rest of the day, which I spent glued to the blogs and Twitter, trying to find out what had happened...looking for any sort of update. I've followed the updates and posts from Heather's wonderful friends, and from Heather and Mike themselves - as I read more and more, and my eyes fill with tears each time, I realize why this silly blogging is so important. It keeps people connected, creates an outlet and provides support in ways that I don't think anyone really expected. I think that the support and love for Heather, Mike and Maddie demonstrates just how much good there is in this world, and it is heartwarming and inspiring.

To Heather and Mike - my heart goes out to you both in the loss of your precious Maddie. I can't imagine what you are going through - but know that I'm thinking of you every day, that you are in my prayers and that we all miss Maddie, your little angel.

Testing

I've been toying with starting a blog for a while now. At first I thought that it wasn't worth it - I'd never post, that it would be a chore and that ultimately, I'd let it drop. These things may still happen; however, it has been on my mind more and more lately - so I decided to go for it and see if I enjoy it. Potential posts have started writing themselves in my head lately and I need a place for them to go.

I'm hoping this blog provides me a creative outlet - far away from the rigid, AP style-regulated healthcare writing that makes up my work day.

I have two sons - Jackson is nearly 4 and Benjamin is 6 months. I've been married over 6 years to my best friend, Michael, and we live in Southern California. I've lived here all my life.

I work in healthcare communications for a company that is based in another city. I work from my dining room. My days are spent on conference calls, email and chasing my cat off the keyboard before she deletes whatever brilliance I just created.

The title of this blog is something that I hear 8,000 times a day. Conversations with my oldest son, Jackson (nearly 4) go something like this:
Jack: Momma?
Me: Yes buddy?
Jack: I gotta tell you something...

Keep in mind, this is how he starts every new sentence - even when we are sitting in the same room (or car) and having an ongoing conversation. It is like he feels the need to grab my attention every 2 seconds, which , now that I think about it, probably isn't far off. Hmmm.

My boys are amazing - Jack is known for his one-liners and sensitive nature (as well as his appetite). He's obsessed with Transformers and The effing Justice League, and knows how to guilt me into just about anything. Benny is chubby, happy and laid-back - he loves nothing more than to get ahold of his toes and try to shove them in his mouth, something he's becoming more and more skilled at. The only thing tastier than toes is his beloved sweet potatoes. Yummm.

I think that is it for tonight - the bed is calling (the hubs is out partying - a rarity) so I'm going to take advantage of the quiet and zonk out. Hope to be back soon!