Since the Rain Seems to Be Here To Stay, Please Send:

Life jackets before we float away.
More scotch tape.
More batteries for the flashlights.
Boxes for me to pack up all the toys since the kids seem to prefer scotch tape and running flashlights.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I am keeping my fingers crossed that my parents make it up tonight. The kids are in grandparent withdrawl and need their fix. Plus, I have a little something planned for them tomorrow night.

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The Simple Things

I always wonder what the girls will remember when they think back to their childhood. What are the moments we are living right now that will forever stick in their memory? Undoubtedly there will be lots of memories of their two sisters. The mischievous antics of the youngest one, the easy going nature of the middle one and the game organizing/sympathetic oldest one. I wouldn't be surprised if their memories are filled with summer days as this one above; just hanging out at home, running through the sprinkler, perpetually barefoot, chasing the dog, catching slimy things, hiking in the woods, and the secure feeling of family togetherness. Older ones helping younger ones, younger ones trying to keep up, and enough ice pops to feed our town. The joy my girls get from the simplest activities or adventures is priceless. Cramming our five butts on the couch to watch a movie together and throw popcorn at each others open mouths is fun. Simple, family, fun.

Before I Feed The Bird

Here are some new pictures of what I did while Baby napped yesterday, because contrary to what one email said, some people do care about my damn bangs.

Ignore the make-up free face please

Color and cut during nap time- the pressure!

Miss took this shot of the back of my head. I think I'm too blond, might have to add low lights, it's just that I know the sun will fade it back again. Maybe I will wait till October.

OK, now we're off to feed a bird.

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At The Crick

The Only People You Need In Your Life Are The Ones That Prove They Need You In Theirs

Before you point your fingers at others about things they've done, make sure your hands are clean.


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Breakdown

49%: The amount of my family that is decent, kind, understanding, reasonable. They are people I would have no problem leaving my kids with and feel confidant they would look out for them. For example, they wouldn't down a few, than decide to take them in the car for a drunken trip to somewhere. These are the people I can rely on and I would go out of my way for. I love these people.

49%: The portion of my family that might fall in the above category, it's just that I don't really know them very well. They either live far away or I just don't see them often enough to have developed a good sense of their real character. I have no real opinion of them but will believe they are of good moral standing until proven otherwise.

2%: The portion of my family that is totally fucked up, they are whacked out, they are twisted in their reasoning, they believe their own lies and when they retell stories it is always to put themselves in a good light. They are the people that will 'confide' in you or tell you some tale and you just think.... I'm not so sure about that. These are the people that you sort of tip toe around so as not to trigger their radar. These are the people, although small in percentage, make enormous waves in the otherwise calm sea of life for the first percentage group. They seem to thrive on drama. They will deny that fact, put will perpetuate it none the less. If they get 'caught' or feel like they aren't getting the type of attention/sympathy they deserve, they will do one of two things: Either get more bothersome and drag your name through the mud, or disappear for a while and ignore you and the drama until things fade away.

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Solution

Since I've been on Facebook my mom has been asking me questions about family that I have contact with on there. I will give her a little nugget like, 'Oh, did you know Uncle Kenny is driving back to Connecticut?' or I will make a comment on how big a younger cousin is getting and she will say 'How do you know?' Facebook. That is how I know. There are posted pictures of everyone I think I've ever talked with in high school. Distant family, close family, anyone you might ever remember knowing is most likely on Facebook and they will more than likely find you on there too. I think to date my most exciting 'find' was my childhood friend from the apartment complex I grew up in. Like all the other childhood playmates from my address, she moved when we were still young and we regretfully lost touch. We would ring each others doorbells, play dress up, ride bikes all that fun stuff as little kids. Now, thanks to Facebook we have caught up on old times and we share our kids pictures with each other. Turns out, she named her first daughter Rebecca, because she always had so much fun with me. Awwwwww.....
Anyway, I finally decided to get my mom on Facebook too so she can see and read first hand all the information I filter down to her. After only two days she already has 12 'friends' and she has no idea what she is doing yet. She is coming up this weekend for a little lesson and before she knows it she will be an expert. Who knows who else might find her. I can imagine the stories I will be hearing already.

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Quote Of The Day:

"I told them to ask the Mustache, because I had no idea."



***The 'Mustache' is a guy Eric works with that has a crazy waxed up mustache (duh) but Eric doesn't ever call him his name. It is always Mustache. Even to customers. At first, they are confused, then they meet him.****



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They Will Get Stuck Like That Ya Know!

Her new talent. It makes my eyes water and my skin get goosebumps. She even ueses it 'appropriately'. When you ask her to do something...crosses eyes. When her sisters are really loud...crosses eyes. When you ask her to cross her eyes...crosses eyes.

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Raising the Bar

She has been listening and watching her oldest sister learn to play guitar, and tonight she has one-upped her. Baby has decided to be a bluesman. (Blueswoman?) She grabbed an acoustic guitar, set it up against the couch and started blowing on the harmonica as she strummed the strings. She was serious, people. After a while she had to dance and spin around the room than she started again. Middle asked me to buy her an Elvis wig so she can sing while everyone else plays their instrument(s).
It's giving me wonderful ideas for Halloween this year.....

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Family Reunion

Cuddling Cousins

We went to a family reunion of my maternal grandfathers' family today at a NY state park. The weather, surprisingly enough, was great. Lots of people I had never seen before- and will probably never see again were there. Lots of people didn't show up even though this has been planned since last summer. Even my grandmother knew about it and she has been dead for eight months. The ones that came had fun. We ate, and drank, and swam, and got reprimanded by the lifeguards, and had an all around fun time.

The Action Shot

'Did you get it? Did you get it? Am I in action?' Yes baby, I got it. You are in action, for shore.

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Dude It

As I bend down trying to help you take off your pajama bottoms you yell at me, 'No mom, I'm dude it. I can dude it.' I back off and watch you struggle to pull your feet out of the small elastic holes. You grunt. You do an awkward dance trying to break free off the smiling kittties printed on the pants you slept in all night. You glance up at me and my arms slightly reach out but you swat at them and say 'I DUDE IT!!' Suddenly one foot emerges from its trap, you kick up the one leg still held prisoner and the kitties go flying across the floor. You look up at me and announce ' I dude it mom, see I dude it.'





Your instant glee from undressing yourself could at any moment turn to an intensely nasty attitude. You have no poker face. If you are happy there is no end to your sweetness. If you are frustrated everyone in the house is likely to feel the brunt of it. One mood can so easily shift into another it is like I have triplets sharing one body.

Your cuteness has stopped strangers in their path. They hang back and watch you spin in circles while in your princess mode, hearing your own waltz playing in your head. Oblivious to anyone or anything around you. They wink at me and smile and call you precious. Doll. Little sweetheart. Other times you will throw such a massive fit while shopping people will look at me and meekly smile at me. They seem to be saying, 'Been there, feel for ya.' Or, 'Jeez, shut that brat up!' Either way, you always make your self known.

Just like the weather, your cloudy mood can shift to a sunny disposition for as little reason as holding a stuffed animal of your sisters. For having the dog kiss your face. For letting the door slam. For hearing the phone ring. Conversely, any of those things can put you in a tizzy. There is no rhyme or reason for your reactions.

Right now you are trying to open a DVD. Your little nails are scraping the plastic and I feel a storm might be coming. I just asked you if I can help and you looked at me calmly, and quietly said, 'It's OK mom, I can dude it.'

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I Need to Invest In Earplugs

Bands/Songs that have been thrust to the forefront of my brain since the electric guitar has come back into our lives:

• Steve Vai (even his part- Jack Butler- in the movie Crossroads. Haven't heard of that movie? You haven't dated a guitarist)
• Joe Satriani
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Eddie (Van Halen of course)
• Metallica
• Megadeth
• Iron Maiden
• Scales, scales, scalesssssszzzzz
• Dora theme song (yes, played in a thrash metal tempo)
• GNR
• more, etc., cont',

I am right now being bombarded with loud feedback as I type this. Miss is doing really well on her own. They both will jam together and he helps her with what she should practice then during the day she will-on her own initiative- take her little book of tabulator (which she can read pretty well) and play. It is very cute. I envision my future with my own live band in the house. Probably a band made up of nothing but lead guitarists. Oh, the egos!

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Fuck Yeah!!!

Swearing Makes Pain More Tolerable

LiveScience StaffLiveScience.com livescience Stafflivescience.com – Sun Jul 12, 10:10 am ET

That muttered curse word that reflexively comes out when you stub your toe could actually make it easier to bear the throbbing pain, a new study suggests.
Swearing is a common response to pain, but no previous research has connected the uttering of an expletive to the actual physical experience of pain.
"Swearing has been around for centuries and is an almost universal human linguistic phenomenon," said Richard Stephens of Keele University in England and one of the authors of the new study. "It taps into emotional brain centers and appears to arise in the right brain, whereas most language production occurs in the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain."
Stephens and his fellow Keele researchers John Atkins and Andrew Kingston sought to test how swearing would affect an individual's tolerance to pain. Because swearing often has an exaggerating effect that can overstate the severity of pain, the team thought that swearing would lessen a person's tolerance.
As it turned out, the opposite seems to be true.

Sorting

The above picture is the back of my cousins' truck. These bags are filled with my grandmothers mail from the past few years. It appears that she didn't throw out one envelope be it bill or advertisement. We found an uncashed check, tax bills, unopened utility bills, small recipe booklets, letters from family, holiday cards, saving bonds she held on to for a couple of her grandkids, and the list goes on. The reason we had to go through each piece was because my grandmother had pictures snuck in here and there amid each stack of papers. We were nervous we could be tossing someone important away. An envelope that on the outside looked like a return envelope for a bill, was stuffed with pictures of her grandmother standing with her mother. (That would be my great-great grandmother and my great-grandmother.) It is emotionally exhausting to perform this kind of task. You have to remove yourself from any sentiment and just throw out the junk. Sounds easy but it isn't. It's hard to see her name printed on an envelope, or handwritten to her on a card and put it in a garbage bag. It's difficult to see a couple of dozen plastic bags stuffed to the brim of your grandmothers history that for whatever reason she deemed important enough to keep and know it will be in the dump in a few hours. Why wouldn't she throw any of this out? Why, when offered the help, did she not sit with someone to assist her with this? I would like to know the reason.
Please people, do your family a great favor and throw out your unnecessary papers. Obviously there are things that need to be kept on file, but the majority of bills can be tossed after a month of them being paid. At least keep it organized somewhat. It will be a great gift to them.

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Summer

The Firefly
by Evaleen Stein

Flash and flicker and fly away,

Trailing light as you flutter far,

Are you a lamp for the fairies, say?

Or a flake of fire from a falling star?

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I'm Not Afraid Of Blurry Pictures

I made some pesto last night and chopped up some shrimp and other things to make,







'Summer Shrimp Rolls' and Eric liked them. I hate pesto and have ever since I worked at a bagel and cheese shop in high school. They sold a pesto cream cheese and it was nas-ty. I don't like basil. I suffer through the preparation so that my husband can eat it. He appreciates it, really, he does.

Tonight I went SUPER gourmet and made Sloppy Joes. I don't think I will ever in my life- even if I live to be eleventy hundred years old- hear, say, or eat Sloppy Joes without having this pop into my head.

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BONUS: Question of the Day

This question brought to you again, by Middle:

"Are we in real life right now?"


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Quote of the Day

"Chickens are so weird! ..... I wonder why I love eating them?"


From the mouth of Middle, of course

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This Was Not Today

Because it is raining here, again.

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Completion

Remember, a couple of days ago their room looked like this. After working on it Friday night and yesterday it's a wrap. Not without the obstacle of our power going out for three hours in the afternoon, just when I was finishing the paint and wanted to vacuum really well before everything was moved back in. I hung around waiting and swearing at the power company to pass the time.





For some reason it looks so much smaller. And not everything is back in yet.
But it is clean and organized. By the time I'm done with this post the girls will have it messy and unorganized.

Later on we met up with my family and headed over to see fireworks. First we sat around listening to a band and watching a pirate show going on in the water. We watched over Middle while she met up with some friends from preschool, than we headed over to watch a great display of fireworks. The kids were ooohh-ing and aaahh-ing and we left with the smell of gunpowder in our system. But the fun was just starting. We got home and watched the biggest kid in the house put on our own mini fireworks show from a stash he got this weekend.

So we sat on our cold front porch wrapped up in blankets at 10:30 at night and saw some more 'bang-bangs' as Baby was saying.

Next room to be repainted is mine!

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In Case You're Interested

Done with the first coat and have been waiting for it to dry! It seems to be taking a long time, even with a fan blowing in there. One more coat and more waiting, then I can get these damn beds out of the living room!

PS, of course yesterday and today are GORGEOUS so I'm stuck inside doing this. My own fault.

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Do You Smell Paint?

The removal of adhesive was not as bad as I heard it might be. Actually, after watching me to 25% of her room, Miss asked if she could have a turn. Turns out she not only did as well as me, she didn't want to stop! She wouldn't let me back in. I was demoted to picking up the pieces from the floor.
After dropping the three of them off with my parents last night, I came back and with Erics help (I'm shocked he offered because home improvement is not his cup of tea- or mug of beer?) did the primer and painted the ceiling. I went to bed at midnight - which is about two hours later than normal for this old lady. Now it is 8:30 am and I'm going in for the first coat of wall paint. I'm trying to block from my mind and eyes the state of the rest of the house- it resembles a war zone. How does one day of not cleaning equal four days worth of mess?

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In The Mix

Why? Why did I start this ? The kids are being so snotty to each other today, the two youngest being the worst culprits. I have gotten the room completely emptied, (1 1/2 hrs) rearranged their closet (1hr) started border removal (20 min) now I have to get the adhesive off. How long should that take? Then I will have to take off all the outlet covers and coat rack from back of their door. Eric has to remove the closet doors, (I didn't think of that last night) and then I can lay down the tarps. I should be good to start priming sometime next week.


Oh, and my husband just called and announced he has to go back out of town for four days next week. I think I'm going to pack the baby in his duffel bag.

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Just Shoot Me Now

Some people have some really great plans this weekend to celebrate the 4th. Some will be beach-bound, some will shop the stores for sales, some will just vege out and all will most likely drink a nice little summer cocktail and grill out some grub. Me? What are my glamorous plans? Well I have decided to repaint the girls bedroom! Yay, what fun! I'm such a party animal, I know.






About seven years ago I bought a nice pink carpet for Miss's room and painted the walls two tones of girly purple and accented it with a nice swirly heart border. It was precious and worth every moment of juggling her and paint. Now, seven years and two more girls later, it is in a sad shape to be sure. When they were toddlers they discovered the fun of slowly peeling away the border as they fell asleep. They have stashed all kinds of crap under and around their beds. A lot of this mess is my fault seeing how I never totally pulled the beds away from the walls to do a deep cleaning. I would dig under a few times a year and clear out what I could reach and vacuum a bit. I was too distracted/tired/busy/lazy to really get the elbow grease out.

Tonight Eric helped me empty the room of dressers and beds so that tomorrow I can start the daunting task of border removal, priming the walls and then painting them again. My highest hope will be having time to shampoo their carpet too, but we'll see. My parents are keeping them all overnight tomorrow so I can work late and blast music as I go without worrying about them messing with my process or hurting themselves. I hate painting. I love the outcome, but I hate this part of emptying a room, going through two childhoods' worth of crap plastic toys and deciding what I can safely throw out without them missing.

Tonight, to their utter delight, they are 'camping' out in the living room. We just finished setting up their beds and they picked out a movie. They are in hog heaven which alternately tickles me pink that they receive so much joy out of this small thing and also worries me that I'm not exposing them to enough that this would make them so happy. (I'm not really worried but if you could see how much they laughed and jumped around as we pulled their beds in here you would think they just won the kiddie lottery.)

Wish me luck and if you don't hear from me it's because I'm dead.

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Yesterday

I wasn't sure we would be able to ride anything because rain was predicted, but it held off. We got our season passes and spent a couple of hours riding and walking around. Until Baby lost her composure, than we left. Quickly.




She was an awe of 'Pincess Cindarelllllllla'. This was her favorite part. I have a feeling this girl will be seeing a lot of us this year.