Holy Cuteness

image from modish design blog
When I saw these little houses on a favorite design blog, I thought of my friends Shelley and Margie. I dont know why. They look like something they could love.
The creator is pretty amazing if you ask me. Here is her etsy shop if you wanna see more.

Thursday Ramblings

Thursday is going to be my tough day this Spring. Im pretty beat right now. There's just a lot going on on Thursdays.

Here are the highlights:

- Spent the morning at the school office. Was constantly interrupted and never really got anything totally done. Thats a crappy feeling. Im going to have to go back tomorrow just to finish up the hot lunch. They do it all by hand and its my job to double check it each month. Its not a computerized process and it takes FOREVER.

- Finn got sick today. Right as I got down to the nurse's office, Finn came in crying and upset. He said his tummy hurt. I had the feeling it might be gas or constipation and when I asked him to go to the bathroom he couldnt. We left early from school and I called the doctor and got a spot for later in the day. Sure enough, it was constipation. I kind of felt stupid going to the doctor and paying a $20 co pay for him to tell me its constipation, so I decided it was a great time to discuss the wart on Finn's finger and the possibility of him having allergies. The doctor prescribed duck tape for the wart and a nose spray for the allergies. Perfect.

- I had to take Seamus out of school also, but not before I heard from his teacher that his behavior has been horrible this week. Apparently he ran up the aisle of church today and has been annoyingly hitting people like a 4 year old. Ugggh. Matt believes he has this one under control. After dinner today, he talked to Seamus and I was not part of that convo. I dont know what was said to Shea or what the plan is but Matt was very confident that progress will be made. He strode by me in the kitchen and said "I got it. I got him." O-kaaaay. Its all you, Dadoo. Bless that man of mine. I love it when he swoops in and saves me. I honestly was kind of at a loss for what to do.

-The doctor appt. threw me out of my normal Thursdsay grind and I ended up forgetting Seamus' baseball practice. We were a half an hour late. Whoops.

-I put too much hair product in my hair today and it was feeling very dull and heavy. Dont you hate when that happens?

- Speaking of hair, I spoke to Jennifer about grey hairs this evening. I love talking to my sisters. Im being totally serious. When I get a random call from either one of them, it makes me feel very loved and accepted. I know that sounds dorky. I dont know how to adequately describe how the phone calls make me feel. Suffice it to say, its good. Im very good with 30 second phone calls. Im good with 2 minute phone calls. Its like we're friends, not just sisters. Its like we enjoy each other beyond being family.

-Confirmed with another Jennifer that I'll be seeing her this weekend. A couple of us are going to to Linnea's to spend the weekend. Im excited to chill with my peeps. I need to remember to take my camera.

-I spoke to my friend Erin and she told me about the new Trader Joe's in Carlsbad. Since our doctor's office is out that way I decided to drop by on the way home. Seamus was soooooo mad that I stopped. He ordered me to go home, but I went to TJs anyway. Gooooo Mama! When we left the store, there was a guy outside with a table that said "Sign up to overturn prop 8." I walked right up to him and said "Where do I sign." We spoke for a while and he told me that he appreciated me stopping. Apparently he had gotten a lot of really hostile people today - calling him names and telling him he was going to hell. Poor guy. I bought a few buttons- many I had wanted for a long time.

This button is for Tara and this picture is dedicated to a wonderful lady in Texas... recently relocated. Love you:)


I started this post at 9:11 and its now 9:41. Im going to bed.

Good night sweet prince.

Countdown- Matt #2

Here is Matt - #2. This was him this evening while I was making dinner. Very similar to the previous picture, eh? Thats my Matt. I bet he was doing Facebook.

Matt Countdown - #1

Wednesday: February 25, 2009
Matt is going to become Catholic in 40 days so I figured Id post a photo a day of him to show him I care. I love him -Catholic or not - but this is a big deal for him so Im figuring this is a way I can show him my support.
This is a picture of Matt in the San Diego airport before we took off for Italy in 2007. Every morning when we are getting ready for school, this is how I see Matt. He likes to sit and eat his cereal while reading the internet.

Ash Wednesday

Its Ash Wednesday - the first day of Lent. Normally, I would barely give this day a second thought. But these days, our family seems to be absorbed by Catholicism. Very strange. Before today, there was maybe one other time that we (the boys and I) went to church on Ash Wednesday. Im positive that one time was prompted by a call from my mother - not by my burning desire to observe the first day of Lent. However... things are different this year. Between the boys experiencing their first year at Catholic school and Matt preparing to become Catholic, our family is all Catholic, all the time.

Matt celebrated along with us today - his first Ash Wednesday as an almost Catholic. I think he was really excited by the idea. I dont know if he'd admit that, but I definitely sensed some anticipation last night when we were talking about today's events. Since I was the morning volunteer in the health office, I went with Finn and his class to 8am mass and Matt decided to attend the 12 noon mass with Seamus and his class. Isnt that sweet? The two of them sat together during the service and recieved their ashes together. Im sure that Seamus was totally thrilled to have Matt there. I wish I could have seen them.

When I was a student at St. Francis we all had ashes. It wasnt a weird thing. They were like a badge of honor - as if having them made us super holy or something. I remember wanting to keep mine on all day. The darker they were, the better. But when I got into high school, I remember feeling kind of weird walking around with what looked like a big bruise on my forehead. Its not really like I was ashamed of the ashes. I wasnt. But I didnt particularly want to stand out as different from the crowd. Those ashes made it impossible to be inconspicuous.

Today when I spoke to Matt after mass, he told me his ashes were DARK. He said the man who gave him his ashes had big thumbs. Hearing that made me giggle. I imagined Matt walking around his work with this huge black splotch on his forehead: big and dark. When I finally saw him earilier tonight, it was as bad as I had imagined. Matt's ashes were HUGE and DARK and totally EXPOSED, but he didnt seem to mind. In fact, at one point this afternoon he accidently smeared his ashes down the side of his face without knowing it. Rookie mistake. Its ok, though. He's going to have many years to get used to it.

Love the One You're With

You know that Stephen Stills song "Love the One You're With?" Ive never understood that song. I dont listen to lyrics very intently. Ninety-eight percent of the time, I hook into the melody of a song, not the lyrics. But even I noticed the words to "Love The One You're With."

"If you're down and confused
And you dont remember who you're talking to
Concentraction slips away
Cause your baby is so far away
Well there's a rose in a the fisted glove
And the eagle flies with the dove
And if you cant be with the one you love, honey
Love the one you're with."

I totally dont get all that "rose in fisted glove" stuff. I was never that great at deciphering and decoding poetry. But it seems to me like this song is an anthem for irresponsible behavior. Maybe its that free love thing of the late 60s and early 70s? Perhaps I need to think of it within that context? Or maybe its just a bad boy rocker's excuse for getting it on with groupies while his wife is at home with the kids. Regardless of the intent, the lyrics have never really sat well with me.

Recently, however, I thought of this song in reference to family - not romantic opportunities. This new revelation wasnt prompted by my own feelings of family, but by my impression of Seamus' attitude toward family. A lot of the times, Shea seems like he would rather be any other place in the world than with me and Finn. He's argumentative. He's grouchy. He's not always kind. As I was sitting around thinking of this, it occurred to me that he probably has some fantasy type mom tucked away in his head. His fantasy mom is all the things Im not - she lets him leave his stuff everywhere; she never tells him what to do;she doesnt nag him to write neatly; she doesnt make him go to school. I think fantasizing about a mom you dont have is natural so I dont take it personally. I remember when my mom and I would have arguments, I would fantasize about the mother type things I wish she would do, but never did. The big difference between Seamus and me is that even when I was young and stupid, I knew I had it good. Im sad to admit, I dont believe Seamus feels the same.

These were my thoughts recently. I was in my room and I was thinking of Seamus dreaming of this fantasy mom. That's when Stephen Stills lyrics came to me and for a minute, I actually understood them. They made sense!

"Dont be angry - dont be sad
Dont sit crying over the good times you've had
There's a girl right next to you
And she's just waiting for something to do.
Well there's a rose and fisted glove
And eagle flies with the dove
And if you cant be with the one you love, Seamus
Love the one you're with."

;) Happy Tuesday.
xo

Get Better Soon

My nephew has been sick. Its not anything serious, but I think my sister and brother in law are ready for some normalcy. They've been earning their parent stripes the past few days - boot camp style.
Get well soon, Blue! Auntie loves you.

Blackbird Singing In the Dead of Night

A bird flew into my scraproom and it scared the holy ba-jesus out of me!

My scraproom is really small and located in our unattached garage. I actually have to walk through the garage to get there. I once went into my scraproom late at night and a mouse ran over my foot before I got there. Another time, I was walking through in the morning and there was a dead rat laying in my path. I realize this is all waaaay too much information but Im trying to get you to understand how scared to death I was when I walked into my room and suddenly there was a flurry of unexpected activity. My heart dropped. I thought for a moment that maybe there was a big animal in there. Like a skunk. Or a possum. Ive thought of that a lot of times and for a second I thought "OMG. The possum is here. Oh SH**!"

But it wasnt any of those things. It was a bird.



Seeing the bird brought out all my maternal instincts. Instead of being scared or mad (as I was with the mouse and rat) my first thought was to find a way to get the poor thing safely out. I tried luring him out with birdseed and chirping at him. None of it worked. Duh. After many unsuccessful attempts I gave up. I seemed to frighten him more than help him. The birdie was going to have to figure it out on his own, so I sat back on our back porch stoop and waited.

The strangest thing happened after I had given up. The bird seemed to calm down. He sat on my scrap crap and looked out at me - chirping. It was so bizarre. It was like he was trying to say something to me, but I of course dont speak "bird." Then after a couple minutes, he flew away - right out the window that I had opened 20 minutes earlier. Isnt that nutty?

You are What You Eat.

Finn is a picky eater. Its very frustrating. If there is something sitting in front of him that he does not want to eat, he will whine and fuss until he has annoyed everyone at the table. I will make him try new things and he will sample foods before he leaves the table, but he'd prefer to go hungry before eating something he doesnt like. When he was younger (like age 3-5) he would often throw up food when forced to eat something he deemed undesirable. It was probably around that time that I began catering more to his tastes than I should have.

The crazy thing is that he used to be a wonderful eater. When Finn was a baby he would eat anything we shoveled into his mouth. I remember a time when Finn used to eat potstickers! The idea of him doing that now is laughable.

If you ask him what his favorite food is, he'll reply "white rice." He could probably eat that every day and be totally content. Its hard to summon up more foods that he'll eat. However, I can write a huge list of things he wont.

What Finn will not eat:
bread
vegetables
peanut butter and jelly
eggs
chocolate
oatmeal
anything with sauce on it
ham
bananas
red spaghetti sauce
cereal
cheese

Honestly, I could go on and on. Its depressing.

Lately, I have been super frustrated because feeding Finn breakfast is an absolute chore. For the longest time he would eat yogurt in the morning. He's over that now and honestly I dont blame him. Yogurt was his breakfast du jour for years. He will sometimes eat a waffle, but only when its plain. He stopped eating that a couple months ago. About a year ago I got in the habit of feeding him normal food for breakfast. Pasta with butter. Dino nuggets. Mini pizzas. He would eat that stuff and I would feel satisfied sending him to school with a good meal under his belt. But lately, Im over it. Its so hectic in the morning and I have so many thing to do. I want him to eat something quick but nutritionally sound. For example, I dream of him eating an english muffin or toast. That would be awesome! Or cereal. Cereal and milk. I would love that.

The picky eater thing is a chore. But what really bums me out is the thought that Finn will miss out on experiencing great tasting food. Finn will never experience how savory a street taco topped with onions, cilantro and guac can be. He will never taste that awesome combo of lime and peanut that Thai food brings together. He'll never dare to try sushi or a pulled pork sandwich or chingale or my mom's enchilladas. Its such an incredible waste! There is a world of incredibly savory foods out there and he's going to miss it all. And for what? Another plate of white rice? Ugggh. Its just so sad.

Tuesday Ramblings.

1. Ive always thought Seamus looked like an elf. I think its a combo of the ears and the eyes. He looks so "bright eyed and bushy tailed" in this pic. I love it!

2. The term "bright eyed and bushy tailed" is one I picked up from my 7th grade teacher, Sr. Madeline. She used to reference good behavior in that way. Bright eyed and bushy tailed = eager to learn. These days Matt sees Sr. Madeline every single week. How trippy is that? He's going through classes to be Catholic and the classes are taught by Sr. Madeline and her staff. Sometimes Matt sees her twice a week: on Wednesday and at mass. The whole thing is really bizarre to me. I seriously feel like sometimes Im in a time warp. Seeing Sr. Madeline still causes me a bit of uneasiness. She was a very strict teacher and although she is very friendly and kind to me now, I cant seem to shake the little kid in me that was scared sh**less of her.

Shall we go for the third degree of "bright eyed and bushy tailed?" Matt's sponsor at his Catholic classes (taught by Sr. Madeline and her staff) is Mr. Hemenez - my oldest and best friend's father whom I met at St. Francis School. Yeah. Trip that. Linnea and I met in the first grade and remained the best of friends through grade and high school. She is like a sister to me and I am still close with her family. All these coincidental throwbacks to my childhood, sometimes make me feel like Im in an episode from the Twilight Zone. It feels very deja vu to me. There are days I pinch myself and/or shake my head in wonder cause my life honestly seems to be traveling backward. Its a really odd feeling.

3. Ive been listening to Elvis Costello this morning. That guy has a great catalog of music. I still enjoy so much of it to this day. "Whats so funny 'bout Peace Love and Understanding" came on and I couldnt help but think how profound those lyrics are to this day. When was this song recorded? Like early 80s right? Its astounds me sometimes when you click into something that was written years/decades ago and its still makes sense in present day. What IS so funny about peace, love and understanding??? Not much, if you ask me. That's serious shizz!

And more on the Elvis front, he has this show on the Sundance Channel called Spectacle. Its pretty cool. I recently saw a show where he was talking with Rufus Wainwright and I was loving it. If you're into music, this might be a neat show to tivo. I know I enjoy it.

4. I get to pick up little Michaelis Barela from preschool today. For those of you who dont know her, I'll add a picture. She is one of my best friend's daughters.



That little red head is a firecracker. I love that! Ive had her hello kitty umbrella for weeks and I'll finally be able to give it back to her today. She'll need it cause its pouring outside right now.

5. I found Seamus' rough draft for his John Adams paper this morning. Im pretty sure he's supposed to have it with him today, but its here at home instead. I also found his Math book - another item that is supposed to be with him. Whoops! The rough draft isnt too bad. It definitely needs some tweaking, but its totally workable. Shea's grown a lot since August and Im proud of him for that. I gotta give my boy props cause I know it hasnt been easy, but he's hanging in there and plowing through. In his 4.5 years in public school, he had done maybe 2 written reports at school. Since being at St. Francis, he's done double or triple that and we're only half way into the year.

The bummer thing with Seamus and his writing is that I would really love to help him with it, but he wont have it. For a kid who hasnt written much, his writing is really not that bad. If he could stay open minded and just listen to some of my advice, he could really grow as a writer. But I know that sitting down with him and trying to mentor him will just cause problems. In fact, it would cause more harm than good. So frustrating.

Rainy Day Shenanigans - Seamus Style

Warning: The contents of this blog post might be disturbing to some. I would suggest an "over 10" audience for this post.

Its President's Day and its raining outside. We have a full house: Matt is home and the kids are here too. Normally, these conditions are ripe for some big time problems, but so far things have been running pretty smoothly. About an hour ago, Matt went to Lowes to get some lightbulbs and took Finn with him. I was left home doing dishes and Seamus was doing "Seamus stuff." Its amazing to me how most of the time that kid can keep himself busy. He gets that from his Dadoo. Shea's getting to the age where he will totally give up attitude when bored, but I truly believe his natural state is easily occupied.

I digress.

I was doing dishes when I realized Seamus was getting the stools from the counter and dragging them down the hall. This didnt really alarm me for some reason so I kept doing the dishes. Then I heard this weird noise... like a sweeping sound. I stopped the dishes and looked down the hall. Seamus was standing precariously on a stool with the broom in his hand. He was trying to get something off the wall. I asked him what he was doing but before I finished my question I knew exactly what had been going on. note: This is where you might want to take Eli or any young kids out of the room.

Seamus has recently discovered that he can put tacks into the ends of his nerf bullets. See example below:



When he uses these reconditioned nerf bullets with his nerf gun, the result can be dangerous. His innocent nerf toys are no longer innocent and honestly, this upsets me. You have no idea how long it took me to finally give in and allow a toy gun in my house. It was years. I was adamantly against any kind of toy gun being in my house. I finally acquiesced when Seamus was maybe 6 years old, but I only allowed nerf guns. They are bright colors: orange, green, purple. Back then there were only like 3 models and they seemed good natured. Now I dont know what to think! I first discovered Seamus' new habit of converting his nerf bullets at a friends house. Can you imagine my horror? We were at Tara's house and I went up to check on the kids and there is Seamus showing Drew his new tack darts. Not a nice mama moment for me.

Anyway, back to the dreary rainy day. With Finn gone and me occupied with dishes, Seamus decided to get out his tack darts and shoot them at the wall. See picture below:



Seeing it done in action kind of freaked me out. Those nerf bullets go fast. If someone accidentally got shot by one of those nerf tacks, it would really hurt. If someone got shot in the wrong place with one of those nerf tacks, we might be going to the ER. We talked for a moment about the danger involved with his new tack bullets and I told him I didnt want him doing it anymore. He was upset. He thought his invention was really cool and swore he would never shoot them at a person. He was just doing it at the wall. I told him it didnt matter. I didnt like it and I really didnt apreciate him taking target practice at my wall either. He promised he wouldnt do it again. Then the pleading began: "Puuuullleeeeeeze Mama. Can I do it with supervision only. Please." I asked him to let me think about it.

About 5 minutes later Shea came to me with a new, handmade target. "See. Im not going to shoot your walls again." Well what could I say, you guys? You know Im bad at this kind of stuff. I told him it would be ok as long as we set down some rules. 1.) Supervision is always necessary. He can never do it alone. Nor can he do it with any little kids around - including his brother. 2.) He can not take it to someone else's home. Its just for here. And 3.) If I ever see him using it to hurt anyone the nerf gun and all the nerf bullets will be taken away forever.

Lovey Dovey Layout Shares

Today these popped up on 2peas.The Seasonal theme was love so thats why they're all about Matt. :)



In that last page, I included a picture of Matt from when we were dating. Can you tell which one? Its the one where he is wearing the turquoise shirt. That was taken in a room downstairs in the Joregensen's house. Matt was 25 years old. HOLY SHIZ! That seems like a lifetime ago. We were moving in together and Matt was putting boxes into the little room that used to be Justin's baby room. I used it as an office and there was a little border around the top of cars or planes or animals - I cant remember which. Damn those were good days!

This last one was about Italy. I love Italy. I want to go back badly.

Valentines Day

Yesterday the boys celebrated Valentines Day at school. All week the 7th grade was selling candy grams to be delivered on Friday. I figured since the boys were new, Id buy a couple for them so they wouldnt feel left out. I remember those candy grams when I was in school and it always felt good to be included. I figured it woudlnt be as cool as getting candy grams from friends, but I was hoping it would be a nice thing for them none the less.

Finn was all smiles when I picked him up yesterday. He told me "I was very popular today Mama." He proceeded to tell me how everyone liked his Valentines (there were candy) and were asking for more. Hmmm. Im not sure how I feel about that, but my initial feeling is not that good. Im not sure exactly why I feel like that but I do. Then he added "I also got FOUR candygrams!" He was beaming. I asked him if he got the one from me and Dadoo. He said yes. I asked if he got the one from Dama Shan and Dama and Papa. He was all smiles: yes! Phew. At least that worked. I guess candy can still buy smiles.

Seamus is excused 15 minutes after Finn's class and when he bounded outside upon the dismissal, the first thing out of his mouth was "I have two bags of Valentines and I got 7 candygrams - more than anyone in the class!" Seamus has never been a very humble person. Gloating comes naturally for him. Its not a becoming trait and I was actually very embarrassed by his behavior. After a second or two I said "Wait... 7 candygrams? Who gave you candygrams?" Seamus acted very blase and said "The eighth grade girls." WHAT??!?!??!!?

Ok... some background. I knew that one of the 8th grade girls was going to give him a candygram. She told me she was going to do it but I thought I had talked her out of it. (((groan))) There are these very sweet and very pretty 8th grade girls who think Seamus is "cute." Not boyfriend cute. Oh, hell no! They think he's cute like "a little 5th grade kid" type of cute. These girls are very kind and very good girls and for some crazy reason they like to give attention to Seamus. Honestly, I think its easier for them to turn their attention on him instead of guys in their own grade that they might actually be interested in. None the less, when Seamus told me he got two candygrams from 8th grade girls I shook my head in irritation.

That kid has the ego of a varsity basektball team. He does not need anymore confidence. Finn does. How do I get Seamus to tone it down, and Finn to turn it up?

Man Rules

Matt shared these with me this week. While I read this, I was seriously cracking up. So was he.

The Man Rules
At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down

Finally , the guys' side of the story.
Please note.. these are all numbered "1 "
ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.
You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.
We need it up, you need it down.
You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports: It's like the full moon
or the changing of the tides.
Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.
Don't ask us

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something
Or tell us how you want it done.
Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials..

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.
We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.
We know you are lying , but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really .

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as sports, hunting, boobs or beer

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;

But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Wednesday is Snow Day.

This past weekend Palomar Mountain was full of snow. Usually when it rains here, it snows up there. When you exit the St Francis parking lot and drive towards home, you can see the snow on the mountains. There was a lot of it up there earlier this week. On Monday I told the kids I thought we should go up to Palomar before the snow melted. Of course, they were totally game. Our plan as to leave school on Wednesday, grab a bite to eat and quickly jet up to the snow. We've done this once before and it was a cool treat.

It took us about 1hour and 20 minutes to get up there and we got about 1 hour and 40 minutes of day light before it got dark. It seems like a frivolous thing to do considering the drive, but to the kids its totally worth it. They love the snow. I think Tahoe has made them even more excited to play in it. We took the sled from Tahoe and the boy's rubber band guns up with us. For once we had all the snow gear needed: jackets, hats, gloves, thermals. Seamus of course wouldnt wear much of it. He's too manly for a hat or a turtleneck. ha ha I actually forgot my jacket at home and Im by far the one who needs it most. Im naturally a cold person. It can be 65 degrees out side and I'll still be cold.



All in all it was a good time. The kids sledded some but mostly they just roamed around in the snow. At one point I was holding the sled and asked if they were done with it. I figured I would put it in the car or let some other kids use it if they were done. Seamus' repsonse was, "Yeah, we're done for now. We want to explore, Mama. Boys need to explore." I agree with that statement 100%. :)

Coming Soon... SNOW!

Its been a busy week.
But I'll be back today with some pictures of our trip to the snow.

Lemonade out of Lemons

I have been wanting to take this picture down off our wall and get it saved on our computer for years. Its of Papa Larry, Seamus and Dama Shan holding baby Finn. I took this picture at Kris's old house in Texas. It was taken with film (before digital) and I have no idea where the hard copy or negatives are. Last night, Seamus accidently ripped it off the wall during a tantrum. When it slammed to the floor, he immediately started crying "Im sorry... Im sorry." I was so mad at the time.

This morning I saw the broken frame and photo sitting on the counter where I had put it after it fell. It took less than 2 minutes for me scan it in and save it onto our computer. I have literally been wanting to do that for years.

I wonder how long it would have taken me archive it had Seamus not tore it off the wall during his fit last night? Its so interesting how the world works. Everything happens for a reason...even the bad stuff.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Boys. Boys. Boys.

Three boys rule my life. Matt, Seamus and Finn. In one way or another, my entire world revolves around them. When I step out of the everyday and really reflect on that fact, it seems totally unreal to me. I never in a million years thought my life would be shared with three boys. Never. In fact, during my youth and right up to meeting Matt I would have bet a hefty amount of money on the impossibility of that ever happening.

I grew up in a female dominated household. I grew up with sisters and girlfriends and female cousins. I grew up with aunts. Heck... even our pets were girls. In my early twenties, I sadly contemplated the possibility that I might never get married. My dating life was sporadic at best; awkward at worst. I wasnt happy with this revelation of singledom but it seemed depressingly believable. My life might be spent single but Id be in the company of my family and friends - most of them females. I thought I could live with that.

It honestly never occurred to me that I might live my life surrounded by dick.

Craziness I tell you. Total insantiy. But heaven in a strange way.

My boys are "all boy." They are dirty and messy. They dont pick things off the floor unless asked. I have to remind them to use soap when they bathe. My boys are rough with each other - in actions and in words. They are totally clueless and inattentive to others around them. I still have to instruct them to greet people when they meet family or friends. They are active and always in motion. They are prone to accidents. Ive been to both the principal's office and the ER far too many times for my taste.

And yet I love my boys - warts and all. And I cant imagine my life any other way.

Minivan Mom

Today was an uber busy day. I spent most of my day shuttling back and forth between various places. I think Thursdays are gonna be rough this Spring.
I am not a friend of the environment. I recycle and I care about our earth, but I spent way too much time taking short trips from one place to another. Not good.
Matt always jokes that I need a golf cart instead of a car. I can see his point. Most of the places I go are within a 3 mile radius of my home. I rarely hit the freeway. If I had a golf cart, I could just plug that baby in and go. My conscience would be clean; my carbon fingerprint lessened.
But this afternoon it rained. A golf cart would suck in rainy weather.

Dinner calls. Later. :)

No Good, Very Bad Day

Yesterday was a tough day for Finn. He's so sensitive about stuff. He definitely got that from me.

When I picked him up from school yesterday, he was in tears. He can be quite dramatic and its often hard to figure out what is a legitimate problem and what is something that can be smoothed over with rational discussion. When I asked what was wrong he sobbed, "I have tooooooo much homework, Mama. Its not fair! Its too stressful for me! I need a break!" He had two and a half pages of doubled sided homework and he had to cover his Reading book. If you ask me, five pages is a lot for a second grader, but that amount of work is not typical. Usually he has three pages of work - four at the most. I think what threw him yesterday was the double sided sheet of 100 math facts. It looked like a lot - even to me. He was really upset.

The homework takes Finn some time to finish, but I dont believe its particularly difficult for him. It doesnt take more than 45 minutes to do. Usually he spends more time complaining about his homework than actually doing it. The problem that I see happening is that Finn will compare his homework to Seamus'. Seamus is in fifth grade and gets way more homework than Finn, but Shea's teacher allows him to get it done in class. Finn's teacher doesnt. Most days, Seamus will come home with the majority of his homework done and that infuriates Finn. He doesnt feel its fair and frankly its not. But you know, life's not fair. My mom used to say it to me every single day of my life and I hated it. But she was right. Life is not fair. You need to learn to adapt to life's disappointments. It doesnt take the sting away, but it keeps you from feeling bitter and hardened. I tried to explain this to Finn, but at 8 years old and in his emotional state he really wasnt getting it.

But then he started rambling on about mean people. (((insert heavy sigh here))) His conversation started with complaints about homework and segued into a rant about mean people. I listed off pretty much every boy in class. "Was _____ mean?" Every time Finn would reply "no." Finally there was only one boy left and he is mean. I know his name well and Ive seen him in action. He's not a nice kid and he's especially not nice to Finn. "Mean kid" has the attitude of a teenager and in typical form, he is also the ring leader for many of the boys in his grade. Its almost like a movie isn't it? Like a bad cliche.

So there it is. The mean kid. Generations and generations of schools have them, but that doesnt make it right. I wish I were confident that if I went to the teacher/school and spoke up about my concerns that something would be done about it, but Im not. So instead, I try to teach Finn to stick up for himself when confronted and avoid the kid when possible. I share with him that as an adult, I avoid mean people all the time - everyday in fact. Life is too damn short to spend time dealing with jerks. Mean people are like viruses - they infect everything they come in touch with. Its better to just avoid them. Then I tell him that if it gets too rough with the "mean kid," that he should go to an adult and say something.

But in actuality, what I really want is for that kid to leave the school. What do they say about one bad apple in a barrel? I am certain that his class would be more cohesive without that kid in it.

Songs and Meanings

Tonight's the Night (Its Gonna be Alright) by Rod Stewart - Oh dude. What a cheesy song! ha ha Rod Stewart got some play by the Porter family... but I can only remember him in the car. My mom used to drive a GM Hornet. It was an odd looking car with wood paneling and an 8 track cassette player. I remember hearing this song a lot in that car. Once we were driving up to to Big Bear and I remember feeling kind of weird about the ending of the song. You can hear the girl talking dirty and stuff. I coudlnt have been more than 7 and I didnt understand what she was saying, but I knew something was up with all that sexy talk. Oh my god... I just listened to it right now and that girl is speaking French! No wonder I didnt know what she was saying. Too funny.

Hello, I Love You by The Doors - My dad loved the Doors. He would try to play them often but I wasnt a fan. That funky organ music used to freak me out so Id complain until my dad turned the music off. My mom didnt like them much either. Im not sure why the music scared me, but it did. It literally made me get goosebumps. This song especially freaked me out. It sounds like a creepy carnival to me. Scary.

Heart of Gold by Neil Young - Dad also loved Neil Young. I dont really remember him playing lots of CSNY songs, but he did play a lot of solo Neil Young. He used to tell me that he liked Neil with Crazy Horse; that the sound was edgier. It was hard for me to chose between this song and Cinnamon Girl and/or Sugar Mountain and/or Ohio. I remember so many of Neil Young's songs and it kills me cause they still sound good today.

Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney and Wings - We used to listen to Wings A LOT. Wings music was tamer than my dad's usual stuff. Usually my mom wasnt into Dad's music, but she tolerated Wings. I always remember her telling him to turn it down his music (not Wings though) when it got to loud. I chose this song cause I remember watching it on tv when I was young. I can barely remember what we were watching but Paul was singing this song live and suddenly the camera panned to the rafters of there was person all in black setting off bombs or something. Then there was this big explosion on stage where the band was playing. Back then I didnt understand what was happening. I thought the band was hurt or killed. Now I realize that they were probably playing off the whole James Bond theme. Surprisingly, I didnt really get that this song was made for a James Bond movie.

America by Neil Diamond - My dad took us to see The Jazz Singer with Neil Diamond when it came out. This is the song that stuck. So far, this songlist is kind of embarrassing. Out of all the Neil Diamond songs, this one is pretty lame. We listened to all of them, but for some reason this is the one taht brings me back to my childhood. Like so many of my dad's albums, I remember singing along with this one. My dad used to allow Jennifer and I to listen to his records and this one got lots of play. The album opened up (like the double records used to do) and it had pictures of from the movie inside. I remember being fascinated that the love interest in the movie was Lucille Ball's daughter with Desi.

Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones - This song is ... dude, where do I begin? Its so embedded into the fabric of our family that its hard for me to actually explain why its important. I dont think I can do it. Its just important. Its very significant. My dad used to sing this to us a lot. he would sing it all the time. Like we would be doing normal stuff and all of the sudden he'd start singing this song. I remember my sister Jennifer referring to our dog Maddie as never being our "beast of burden." I remember singing this as a young girl "Am I hard enough... am I rough enough... am I rich enough..." Huge song. Words cant explain.

Dont Mess Around with Jim by Jim Croce - I think we used to listen to this song and kind of joke that it was about my dad. His name is also Jim. He is nothing like the dude in the song, though. He was/is the "softie" in our family.

Fire by the Ohio Players - Dad had this album in his collection. I didnt realize then how totally different in genre it was from the rest of his albums. Other than the song the thing I remember the most was the cover. I remember looking at this cover - it used to open up like a centerfold - and it had this naked woman on it with a fire hose wrapped around her. How scandalous!

New Kid In Town by The Eagles - Hotel California was an album that was on heavy rotation when it came out in the late 70s. Not only did my dad listen to it a lot, but Jennifer and I would too. My favorite song on that album was "New Kid In Town." It used to make me feel so sad for the "kid." Im not joking. I used to listen to this song and almost feel like crying because everyone loved that kid at first and then someone else came around and he was totally forgotten. See... I was irrationally emotional even as a girl.

Starting Over by John Lennon - This was another album that got lots of play when it first came out. "Starting Over" was the first song on the album. The album was organized so that there was a John song followed by a Yoko song. The whole album was patterned that way. The song right after "Starting Over" was called "Kiss Kiss" by Yoko Ono. It was FAH- REAKY! My sister and I used to laugh our buts off listening to it. Just last week, actually, my other sister Miranda made some joke referencing that "Kiss kiss" song.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John - I love the piano in this song. Its so melodic. Bernie's lyrics coupled with Elton's melody are perfecto! The music in this song soars. I love that. To this day it still trips me out that Bernie and Elton would compose their various parts of the song completely without the other's involvement. Crazy. There were so many songs on this album that I could have chosen. We listened to the whole thing a lot. Bennie and the Jets was another big fav. Ive Seen that Movie Too. Sweet Painted Lady. Harmony. Funeral for a Friend. I remember the inside of this album. It opened up and there were these detailed drawings inside that illustrated each song. Damn this album is good. I have bought it in cassette, cd and digital form. There arent many albums that Ive done that with but with "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" I have.

Black Cow by Steely Dan - This album had a geisha girl on the front. I remember there werent many songs on it, but they were all really good. I still can listen to this whole thing and thoroughly enjoy myself. Such a funky groove. I had this cd when I was in college and I was playing it once when this girl came in my room that I didnt know well. She was so excited that I was playing it cause she grew up listening to it too. I guess her dad was a jazz musician and he really loved Steely Dan.

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen - I dont know many people who dont know and/or like this song. But I must point out that I liked it BEFORE it was played on Wayne's World. ha ha My dad had the album and Jennifer and I would listen to it a lot. It was so unique and grand and gorgeous. "A Night at the Opera" was white and had a crest on it. Another song on this album that I totally adored was called "Love of my Life." It had this lovely harp and piano in the beginning. Its like this really sad song that, of course, totally touched me. Freddy's voice was so beautiful and melancholy singing the lyrics. God damn do I miss that guy! I remember when he died. Jennifer called me at college to tell me and I truly felt mournful. We both did.

She's Leaving Home by the Beatles - Im pretty sure that I know most Beatles song by ear. Im reticient to say that I know them all, but Im pretty sure I know most. This song is one of my favs and has been since I was a very young girl. I remember watching an interview once of Eric Clapton and he admitted that as a kid, he was always drawn to sad songs. When he grew up to be a muscian he found that his sensibility never went away. Im the same way. When a song or melody is slow and melancholy it plays with my emotions. It hooks me in. This song on the Sgt. Pepper does that to me. It hooks me. I remember feeling very drawn to it as a girl. I dont recall if I felt a kinship with the female in the song or what, but Ive always loved it.

Rebel Rebel by David Bowie - For the record, this was the FIRST song I thought of for this playlist. When I uploaded the list of songs into the margin they came in reverse order. "Rebel Rebel" was first. I almost put "Diamond Dogs" in this playlist instead of "Rebel Rebel" but I couldnt. "Rebel Rebel" is my favorite Bowie song and it totally typifies my childhood. My dad used to sing this song all the time. We had a horse that lived next door named Rebel and whenever my dad saw him he'd start singing this song. He still does that! For no apparent reason, he'll burst spontaneously out into song and not just with this song either. He'll do it with thousands of songs. We all do it. Jennifer. Miranda. And me. We all talk in this weird, song language that my dad taught us by example. I think my favorite part of this song (other than the memories and the theme) is that guitar riff. Its classic!

I'm probably going to add more. While I was sitting here writing this all out I thought of a few more. I will add them soon.

New Feb Playlist: Lisa's Childhood

I love music.

One of the things I really like about other people's blogs and something I really wanted to include in my own blog was a monthly playlist. I enjoy going to my friend's blogs and finding out what they're listening to. Cathy is great at this. She frequently updates the side margin of her blog to include new music finds. So is Sarah. Her blog actually has a playlist running when you enter it. Usually Im not into being bombarded by someone's music just to check out their blog, but with Sarah Im cool with it. I like her taste. Most recently Tara got on and included a playlist on her blog. Ive actually found quite a few "gems" from Tara. She's awesome at making me occasional playlists and sending them my way in hard copy. I love that.

Another feature playlist I find totally entertaining is the Celebrity Playlist on Itunes. I dont check it often, but when I do Im always surprised how much I enjoy reading the comments and listening to the accompanying tunes. Case in point: this morning I got mucho amusement out of Michael Trucco's playlist (aka Sam on Battlestar Gallactica.) I liked it so much that I picked up a few of of the songs just for kicks. See Michael's playlist below.



I bought "My Sharona" by the Knack - a nice blast from my pre teen years - and "More than This" by Roxy Music. Dude... I love "More than This." Why hadnt I owned that previously? Thank you Michael Trucco! I was also super surprised that Michael had a couple of my favorite songs included in his playlist - songs I didnt realize were particularly liked by other people. U2's "Heartland" for example. That song is an obscure bit on the Rattle and Hum cd. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that song and I have for a very long time. Its so atmospheric and lovely and eerily beautiful. I once read that "Heartland" was made to be on the Joshua Tree cd, but was bumped in favor of another song. Dude... it should soooooooo be on the Joshua Tree cd! Cant you just hear it? Its a perfect match for that cd.

I digress.

Its a new month and I decided to put a new playlist in my margin. Last month's playlist included random songs I either found in January or just enjoyed listening to at that time. This month Im including a playlist of songs that characterize my childhood. All of the songs I included are ones I grew up listening to a lot. As many of you know, my dad is a HUGE music man. He's the reason my sisters and I love music the way we do. If my dad was home, there was always music floating around the house and that beautiful (or not so beautiful) sound made an impact on my sisters and me. The songs I included in my February playlist make up the tapestry of my childhood - for better or for worse.

Im going to include my comments on each song in the next post. I love doing that. But right now I need to wash a lot of dishes. :)

Super Bowl Sunday

Its a big day today.

Matt and I usually go to the same mass each Sunday. Today, however, we had to split up so that the kids could participate in the first day of Catholic School's Week (at 9am mass) and Matt could do his RCIA thing (at 10:45 mass.) When we got home Matt was gone, but evidence of his industrious pre game preparations was everywhere.

Evidence #1



I usually have a quilt hung on that wall, but Matt had replaced it with a Steelers poncho that we bought in Pureto Vallarta. It actually fits quite nicely.

Evidence #2



The Star Wars clone has been hanging around for a few weeks. He's the last survivor from our last Super Bowl championship in '05. This morning the clone was joined by the official Myron Cope Terrible Towel.

Other preparations that I didnt get a picture of were Matt's Polamalu jersey tenderly laid out for a quick after church turnaround and a printed out sign that reads "This is Our Nation" downloaded from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. The sign made me smile. Its obvious to me that Matt wants my dad to understand that even though he was invited to watch the game today at our house, he better not start trash talking the Steelers once the game is on.

The boys are ready:



Im ready:



And did I mention that we own this as of Friday?:



Yes its true. We own a kegarator. After 13 years, I finally acquiesced and gave my blessing for Matt to go out and buy the thing of his dreams. He is very happy. Very very very happy. Im still a little horrified, but I love to see him happy so, it is what it is. If anyone reading this ever wants a cold draft of Stone, our house is the place. You are always welcome.

So... I think we're about ready. There's only one thing left to say:

HERE WE GO STEELERS... HERE WE GO!