Go Ahead, Make My Day


The post I planned to write Thursday morning was full of woe. As in, “woe is me” because:

* my toe, the one I kicked almost a month ago and (think I) broke, still hurts enough for me to think “TOE!” far too often;

* because of said toe, my planned re-entry into the world of Those Who Exercise has been sidelined, making me feel squishy where I do not want to feel squishy;

* my hair, oh my hair, is looking a bit too “mommish” right now…

You get the picture.

And, then, later in the afternoon, the heavens decided to throw me a bone.

I was in, of all places, a Dermatologist’s office getting the once-over by the kind doctor with a thick accent. My bored children rolled around on the floor willing this exam to end.

“OK, now I look at your face”, the Doctor said as she peered at my skin. “And you are. . .how old?”

“41”, I said and, unexpectedly, I saw her step back with a look of surprise on her face.

“OH! I thought you were, maybe, 29!”

Now, this may be a standard Dermatologist line, one that they use on their 90-year-old clients, as well as the tired-and-rumpled moms who walk through their doors.

But, I’ll take it. Yes, I will. She made my day.

Taking Care of Business


I’m in that “making a list and checking it twice” mode right now, so I’m going to take care of a few things that have been left hanging for too long.

A) Sus over at Wiggle Rooms gave me this nifty little award a while back. It originates from this site, Arte y pico, which must be a smart site because it is bilingual.

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Sus wrote some super nice things about me, but my favorite part was this, “I’ve long been intrigued by home schooling. I don’t think I can manage it (though I’ve thought about it) but if I tried, I’d be calling Fairly Odd every day for encouragement and wisdom.” Here’s the deal, Sus: you try homeschooling, and I’ll give you my number.

I’m supposed to tag five bloggers. Recently, several of my blogging friends have gone underground. I’m not sure what this says about the blogs I read, but if you are a blogger who has changed your blog name to shake off family, gone to “invite only”, or just stopped posting lately because of the heat from those close to you, this one is for you too.

B) My former New England Mamas’ cohort Whirlwind (oh, yeah, news flash: New England Mamas is sort of gone. Will come back. In another form. I think. News at 11). . .anyway, Whirlwind tagged me for a meme that confused me at first but went something like this.

* Go into your photo files
* Pick your sixth file
* Pick the sixth photo in the file
* Post it on your blog and explain what the photo is.

If there was one more “sixth” in these instructions, I’d be convinced that this was some sort of devil plot. But, there are only two 6’s, so I’ll play along.

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Here’s D with our GIANT remote that I mentioned in a post not all that long ago. It was on sale. And, it still works and is never, ever lost. Sometimes husbands buy silly things that turn out to be great. Sometimes.

(by the way, I love how Jilly is randomly standing there staring at her strange little brother and that contraption; I do not love how ugly and shiny and worn out our family room couch looks)

C) Finally, WAAAAAYYYYY back when, another of my former New England Mamas, Margalit tagged me for a meme where I tell you of Six Unspectacular Quirks of mine. You may find these quirks to be spectacular, but they are just ordinary quirks to me.

1. I have to make my bed every day. Even if I forget until 9pm, I will make it before I crawl under the covers. You may think this was how I was raised, but here’s the weird thing: while I lived under my parents’ roof, I never, ever made my bed. My mom did it every day. It wasn’t that I was lazy, it was that she was incredibly anal, and the site of a 10-year-old’s attempt at bed-making would have made her twitch.

2. When I sit on the ground, my legs make that “M” position around me that doctors tell you never to do because you’ll grow up deformed. I’ll correct my kids, but I still do it all the time.

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D demonstrates; before he was corrected, of course

3. If a movie or television show gets too scary, I will ask whoever is next to me, “does she die?”, “is that going to blow up?” or whatever else is relevant, even if I know that they haven’t seen the show either. I also watch these scenes from behind my hands, peeking out between my fingers (Fairly Odd Father hates watching suspense movies with me).

4. I hate laughing until I cry, because I’m left with tears which make me feel sad.

5. I grind my teeth, or more accurately “clench” my teeth when I sleep. I’ve done it since infancy and have had dentists try to “fix” the problem by removing teeth, filing teeth, and inserting mouth guards. I’ll probably need surgery someday as I can hear my jaw creaking to open and close in the morning which just can’t be a good thing.

6. Put me in a roomful of cute kids and one ugly dog, and I’ll play with the dog.

That’s all I got.

Full as a Tick


Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I’m looking forward to a day spent at my sister’s home, watching the next generation play while us old folk sit back and drink the funky cocktail she has prepared for the day.

And, to my friends who do not celebrate this holiday, you can join in the festivities by eating four dinners in one sitting. Then, either shuffle down the street for a slow walk or simply collapse on the couch in front of a football game.

May this holiday be peaceful for you all.