Saturday, May 23, 2009

White Merlotz and Horror Movies

So Kimi is here and I am HAPPY!!! And maybe a little tipsy....

Kimi and I have a set game plan when we get together....drink wine (white merlot to be exact) and watch horror movies. We do not sway from this plan...EVER.

So far, we have had more wine than I care to discuss and we have watched Dorthy Mills and The Grudge 3. DM was a disappointment...it could have been good, but they dragged in on far too long. TG3 was AWESOME! We would like to watch another movie tonight, but the boys (Bear and Tim) wouldn't let us. Instead, we will be watching Underworld Evolution...a decent subtitute.

I am so very happy to have my two favorite people here right now!!!

And now I am going to go because:

1) Dinner is ready
2) It is time to watch the movie
3) I am a REALLY crummy typist when I am tipsy...

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

WARNING!!! Hormonal Blogging (Worse than Drunk Dialing)!

My precious Bubbles


Isn’t it weird how the big things can seem so easy to deal with and then something small takes your breath away?

So I am reading a really good book right now…The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. It is the story of a young girl, Susie, who is murdered. The story is told from the Susie’s point of view as she sits up in heaven and watches as her family tries to solve her murder and move on with their lives.

When I first started reading, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle the story. I have a young daughter, and losing her is a constant fear of mine. I spend way more time than could possibly be healthy thinking of all of the horrible things that could happen to her (and/or my son). So I was afraid that this story would hit too close to home and start the nightmares.

I am 57 pages from the end of the book, and it appears that my worries were unfounded. I find that I am able to read this book (and enjoy it) without relating it to my own personal life.

Maybe this is because the story takes place in a far different, more innocent, time than the one I am raising children in. Or maybe I have just become adept at stepping into another world when I read and then leaving it behind when I put the book down.

Whatever the reason, I was happy to be able to read this amazingly well told story without my mommy brain kicking in and ruining everything. That is until this afternoon…

In the story, Susie’s mother finds herself in an airport. As Susie watches her mother, she notices a group of kids on a school band trip walking past to go to their gate. They were only mentioned in passing…less than a paragraph…probably just as a way of setting the scene…

But just like that, I felt that kick in the gut! Some day (not that far off in the future), Bubbles is going to be old enough to want to take class trips that require leaving our state. Already, she has taken one field trip that took her 3 hours away. But at least she was still in our state, and in an area that I am familiar with. That won’t always be the case. At some point, I have to relax the death grip I have on her and let her start to explore the world outside of my protective grasp. Where she will come in contact with people I will never see. And not all of them will be nice. This thought terrifies me!

I have told my kids for years, “if I can’t see you, I can’t protect you.” This was a warning not to wander off at the playground or the mall. But eventually they have to go where I can’t see them. Where I can’t protect them. And somehow…I have to be ok with that. Where will I find that strength? I don’t think I have it in me yet…

Isn’t it weird that I can read a story about a girl that it murdered and it doesn’t faze me, but one paragraph about kids who are alive and well can send me into a tail spin?

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The Latest Thing In Dinner and A Show!

Or in this case lunch…

I didn’t feel like eating what Bear packed me for lunch today (yes, I am spoiled…he packs my lunch ever single day…in my defense, I am get both kids ready every morning!) so I told him we should meet somewhere for a lunch date. After much discussion about the options, we agreed to meet at Fuddruckers.

At the designated time, we met up, ordered our food and went to “our table” (we eat a Fudd’s fairly regularly). We had just returned to the table with our food when Bear noticed that there were some police officers in the parking lot and that they had someone in cuffs. I turned around in my seat, and we spent the rest of our meal watching the “show”.

They cuffed two people, brought in a drug dog to search the car, put one of the guys in the back of a cruiser and uncuffed the other one. I got up to get a “to go” box and as I was walking through the main part of the restaurant, I noticed that there were 3 more cops inside. One was talking to the manager and one of the cashiers. The other two were walking from table the table looking at each person and then moving on.

Just as I returned to our table, all three cops came into our area of the restaurant and approached a young man at the next table. They questioned him and admitted that he was with the other two guys (though he seemed completely oblivious to the whole situation unfolding outside…). They questioned him for a bit and we were able to discern that this was indeed about drugs and that the guy they had arrested was a longtime “person of interest” for them.

In the end, they only arrested the one guy. The other two claimed to barely know him and I guess that checked out cause they were sent on their way. They seemed genuinely upset, not just with the situation, but also with the guy that was arrested for dragging them into such a mess.

Shortly after the police team left, we left as well.

It was definitely the most interesting lunch date Bear and I have had in a long time!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Bald As A Ping Pong Ball, Boy Are You Bald!*

Animal was bald when he was born and stayed that way for a long time. When the hair finally started growing, it was blond and curly. It was way too long by the time he got his first haircut because I couldn’t stand to cut those beautiful curls…

When we finally did cut it, we went with a buzz. He hated water with a passion, so this seemed like the best bet. With almost no hair, washing could be done quickly and therefore cut down on the chance that water would dare to touch his face!

The original style left about ½ inch of hair on his head, but that only lasted a few months. One afternoon we were in a hurry to get somewhere but decided to give him a quick cut before we left. Bear grabbed the razor and started cutting. He didn’t notice that the sizing guard had been removed and proceeded to cut a line straight down the center of his head that went all the way to skin!

At first, I was upset…I mean, really upset! But after a couple days I got used to it and decided it was really quite cute. And again…it made washing so much easier. I mean…in a pinch, you could use a baby wipe on his head and be done with it!

We always said that when Animal decided that he wanted to grow his hair out, we would let him. In reality, when he started making noise about wanting to grow it out, I ignored him for a while. I had grown to really love his bald head and didn’t want to see it go. Eventually, though, Bear and my mother guilted me into letting have his way.

For the last 6 months or so, Animal hasn’t had a hair cut at all. His hair is still slow to grow, and he was determined to have enough to spike his hair (something we have only done twice because he still isn’t a fan of washing his hair and I insist that it be washed in the evening when he has that crap in his hair). The length had finally gotten to a point where it needed some professional intervention. It was growing over his ears and a bit too far down his neck.

So…Sunday morning we went to Target to buy a birthday present. There was a Hair Cuttery next door and Bear decided to take him in for a quick trim. Bubbles and I went into Target, got the gift, and proceeded to wander about putting things in the cart we probably didn’t need. After about 15 minutes, the boys came in to join us. I took one look at Animal and said, “THEY BROKE MY BABY!!!”

His hair looked AWEFUL! Bear had told the woman what he wanted done and then stepped back. Once she did her thing, he came back to discover she had not understood him. He told her how to fix it, and she just made the situation worse! There really was no fixing it at that point.

Animal was really upset and worried that kids at school would make fun of him on Monday. We discussed possible solutions…none of them terribly good. Then, out of the blue, Animal announced that he wanted me to shave his head again. He said that he wants to grow it out again, but that I should shave it and we could start from scratch.

So…that is what I did. He is back to being my bald boy, and I am going to enjoy every second of it, cause it won’t be long before he is begging me to spike his hair again!

Also…next time we will go to an actual barber for his trims!

*100 points to the first person who can correctly guess where I got this from!