I found myself alone with 10 minutes of free time tonight, so I decided to cross one thing off my mental to-do list by searching the vacuum bag for the diamond earring I lost on Thanksgiving. We have an Oreck upright vacuum and although it's convenient that the bag holds 2 months of disgustingness, it doesn't seem very hygienic. I actually can't believe how much dirt, hair, and other detritus was in that bag, but I touched every single fuzzball in search of my earring, which, by the way, I did not find. Maybe the dog ate it and I'll find it in the yard this spring. That gives me something to look forward to.
I would normally poo-poo a convenience food like this but I have to admit, I actually like Bagel-fuls, which are frozen bagels with cream cheese inside. Here's why:
1) They look like Twinkies so eating them feels *naughty*, especially for breakfast. 2) The kids and Ben don't like the chive version, so I always know how many mornings I can feed myself before I have to make a run to Stop & Shop. 3) They take about a minute total - I toast them on the light setting and then put them in the microwave for 20 seconds. I can have a hot breakfast ready in half the time it takes the kids to get their seatbelts buckled. 4) I don't have to worry about cutting myself while hacking through a frozen bagel. Spoiled cream cheese and freezer-burned bagels are no longer on my worry-list. I won't ever get stuck with an old blueberry bagel again. 5) They have 200 calories and 4 grams of fat (2.5 grams saturated fat). A Dunkin Donuts sesame bagel with plain cream cheese has 560 calories and 22 grams of fat (9.5 grams saturated fat). I think I just heard Helga pass out. We also need to consider the fact that since I'm not going through the DD drive-thru to get a bagel, I'm also not buying a caramel latte or stealing a couple of the kids' munchkins. 360 calories saved x 365 days in a year = 131,400 calories / year. If a reduction of 3,500 calories = 1 pound, that's 37 pounds. I'll be ready for ce-ment pond season in no time. 6) They cost less than half the price of a bagel with cream cheese from the DD drive-thru. 7) Call me crazy but I think they taste pretty good, particularly when you factor in the convenience, cost, and reduced calories and fat. Don't knock 'em till you try 'em. And if you don't like them, I'll take the rest of the box off your hands. .
I usually buy the kids' winter coats at LL Bean because of the great quality and because I know that they really stand behind their products. When Aliya was at Next Generation, her teacher told me that the zipper on her (LL Bean) winter coat kept splitting apart. I had every intention of exchanging the coat and even called LL Bean one time to start the process. Unfortunately I called at the end of the season and they didn't have any suitable replacements in stock.
When Adlani reached size 4T, he wore the coat too. The zipper split apart every so often but I still never got around to taking care of it (story of my life). This year, nobody wears a size 4T, so the jacket has been sitting on the piano waiting for me to do something about it. Last week I started up a live chat with LL Bean. They told me what color jackets they had in stock in that size, I picked one, and called to give them my credit card number. I received the new jacket, which was on sale for $45, and returned the old one which I had originally bought for $59. The old one was in somewhat rough shape, but amazingly I received a refund check from LL Bean yesterday for the original $59 purchase price!
Is that amazing customer service or what?? When I was at the LL Bean outlet in December, a customer brought in a bag to return. It had no tags and she didn't have the receipt. The cashier asked her how much she had paid for the bag, and immediately refunded her $40. Companies with great products and service like this will be the ones to survive in this economy. .
The BLOCKS PTO sponsored a really fun event tonight at Adlani's preschool. The kids dressed in their pj's and Elaine Kessler performed. She is SO CREATIVE! Her show was a winter theme and she sang songs about snow boots, penguins, snowmen, snowflakes, etc. The kids were hysterical over the bird puppet in the penguin song. She showed them how to skate using paper plates on their feet, and had a snowstorm and snowball fight with cotton balls. It was a great show and everyone was all tired out by the time she got to the goodbye song. On their way out, the kids were able to swap one of their old boring books for a new exciting one. They loved it...Norah is so ready to go to preschool.
When I went to school to pick up Aliya this afternoon, I noticed a news crew approaching people in the parking lot. Joe Shortsleeve appeared outside of my car window and stuck a microphone in my face. Just in case I end up on the cutting room floor, here's the transcript of my lengthy and eloquent interview...
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Joe: Do you have a child that goes to this school?
Me: Yes
Joe: We're here investigating a rodent problem in the school cafeteria. Are you aware of this?
Me: No
Joe: The problem is ongoing. We saw rodent droppings in the cafeteria today. What do you think about this? (making disgusted face)
Me: Well, it's kinda gross.
Joe: Do you think the school should have informed parents? (making incredulous face)
Me: I trust the school to make good decisions, but yeah, I guess I'd like to know.
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The end. Probably not what he was looking for. Actually, I'm totally aware of the mice, because when the governor came for a tour, everyone was worried that there would be a mouse sighting during his visit. I thought it would be fabulous for the governor to see a mouse, because maybe then we'd get the money to hire an exterminator. Last May when I helped with the teacher appreciation lunch we were told to watch out for mice in the teachers' lounge. The kids aren't allowed to leave food in their lockers and I saw a few traps right before the governor's visit. Oh well...a few mouse droppings never killed anyone.
I went to my second video editing class tonight and I'm learning A LOT. I took my footage of last week's rehearsal to class and edited a short video which included performances of two songs and some footage of the director, Susi, that cracked me up. For some reason the entire piece is having a hard time getting up to Youtube, but here's Susi's discussion about holding hands, which is prompted by one of the lead characters (in the green shirt) commenting that he didn't want to hold hands.
We're gonna hold hands all day long so get your cootie sprays out!
Yesterday I received some advice about motherhood that I've heard umpteen times before..."Enjoy every moment. It's gone before you can believe it." I try. I really do. But some moments just cannot be enjoyed without medication.
Snow days should not come in pairs. That should be a rule. We are in the middle of Snow Day #2, and even though I worked until 2 a.m. this morning, I still have things I need to do. While I was talking to one of my coworkers on the phone, I heard Aliya and Norah having way too much fun with their birthday crown painting project and wandered into the dining room in time to see them slathering paint on themselves like it was Oil of Olay. I remained calm until I hung up the phone, and then I turned into a raging beast. There were blobs of paint on the rug, the furniture, and somehow I'm finding it in other areas of the house. I just found a big blob on one of the new leather chairs and a smear on the kitchen floor.
I'm sure some day I'll look back on this and laugh, as long as I survive my own rage without having an aneurysm.
This photo of me at the age of 7 arrived in the mail today from my stepmother, Susie (Jeff's mother if you're keeping score). It's pretty amazing how much the kids resemble me, since I'm a mongrel and Ben is 100% purebred Moroccan. I think Aliya wins the look-alike prize, but Adlani also looks A LOT like me and people say that Norah looks like me too. Poor kids. I guess it could be worse for them. When Aliya was a baby, a complete stranger looked at her and said, "Well thank God she didn't get Daddy's nose!"
When I was a kid, and even as a pre-motherhood adult, I always wondered why my mother spent my childhood in a rage. I guess she wasn't always in a rage but she yelled a lot. Mothers always say, "When you have kids, you'll understand!" (usually at the top of their lungs with their eyes bulging out of their heads), and it's absolutely true. Now that I have to get 3 kids out of the house every morning, with all of the required clothing and school supplies, I DO understand.
The thing that's driving me insane is the fact that I have to repeat myself so many times to make anything happen. I know what you're thinking...if I followed through on my threats the kids would learn that I mean business. Here's the thing. I DO follow through, and I know that many of you have been witnesses to me following through. It's not easy to take away trick-or-treating privileges when all of the other kids are on their way out the door with their bags, but sometimes it has to be done.
To improve the morning routine, I have tried threats and punishments, praise and rewards, bribery, going to bed early, getting up early, giving the kids responsibility, making it a team effort...you name it. I lay out clothes, backpacks, and outerwear, and prepare lunch and snacks the night before. Which is why it makes me insane that I find myself yelling every morning. One morning I counted how many times I had to say, "Put on your shoes/socks/underwear/pants/shirt," in order to get all 3 kids dressed. 34 TIMES!!! And that didn't include outerwear!
This morning I heard myself yell, "YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?! YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO MAKE ME INSANE SO I END UP IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION, AND THEN YOU WON'T HAVE A MOTHER!!" I'm pretty sure I heard that one from Mom in 1976. Thanks Mom. .
Over the weekend I kept having chest pains but since I didn't die I figured they weren't indicative of a heart attack. This morning I went to see Dr. Bob (my chiropractor) and I had SEVERAL SUBLUXATED RIBS! What's up with that?! I'm feeling so old!
At Dr. Bob's office I met an 85-year-old lady named Shirley. She told me all about the assisted living complex where she lives. She said the only bad thing was that her friends and neighbors keep dying - 8 people in just over a year. Isn't that sad?
Update: According to Dr. Bob, it's very likely that Ben caused my subluxated ribs when he inexplicably LIFTED ME off the ground. That's ironic, because he's the one who spent the weekend complaining that I was unable to perform my wifely duties in the matter to which he has become accustomed. .
This photo was posted today a 6th grade classmate's Facebook page. I'm the skinny one in the middle of the back row with the light-colored shirt. It's so surreal to look at these kids and wonder where they are now. I skipped my senior year of high school so I've never felt very connected with my high school class and I haven't gone to any reunions so I have no idea what happened to most of these people. I give my old friend and neighbor Lisa Missbrenner (in front of me to my left) kudos for finding me and hooking me up with a few of my other old pals. If you're not on Facebook and have lots of time to blow by looking at friends of friends to see if you know them, get on it! .
I really like things to be orderly, so I usually post my blog entries in the order in which they happen, but sometimes I'm thwarted by a certain entry, and then I don't post anything else because that entry is holding me up. That's what happened last week. So here are two entries that are "out of order":
Two weeks ago, we went to Pam's 40th birthday party at the Eagles Club. It was the GREATEST party - maybe the best party I've ever been to. Words can't adequately describe the attention to detail and the blast that was had by all, and the quantity of photos was completely overwhelming. This had to be the most photographed event of 2009 next to Obama's inauguration. I have viewed over 700 photos and have included some of my own below.
Some of the special touches included:
~ a drink menu which included the Pam-tini and other special drinks
~ martini glasses with the Pam-tini logo filled with snack foods
~ mood lighting and a fabulous buffet
~ a picture of Pam in her silver prom dress on the cake
~ a framed photo with a mat for all to sign
~ a banner showing the many faces of Pam
~ our favorite karaoke guy from Samba (Jamie)
~ PROPS! - hats, wigs, glasses, inflatable instruments
~ personalized karaoke performances including Tara's amazing rendition of Womanizer
For the third consecutive year we spent New Years' Eve with the Funsecas. It was a low-key event featuring Chinese food, a party in a box, and a live performance of the off-Broadway version of one of the High School Musicals. I just can't bring myself to get all dressed up and go out partying and then drive home with all of the other drunks. I can only remember two New Years' Eves when I went out. When I was single I used to pick a home-makeover project, get all prepared before the big night, and work on it for NYE and New Years' Day. Yes, I know I was (am) a nerd, but when everyone else was nursing a hangover I was enjoying my newly painted/wallpapered bathroom/bedroom.
Here are some pics from the Funsecas' house:
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This is the face Norah makes when she's imitating me:
I can't remember how long it has been since someone in this house has had an ear infection, so that's my excuse for why Norah spent most of last night night tossing and turning and crying before I figured out the problem. She usually goes right to sleep and stays asleep most of the night, so it was very unusual for her to still be up at 2 a.m. She wouldn't lay still even with me laying down with her. I asked again what was hurting and she said that her right ear hurt. I gave her some Tylenol and she was asleep in 15 minutes and slept the rest of the night.
This morning we went to the doctor and confirmed that she does have an ear infection so she's on her way back to health with the help of Amoxicillin. I also talked to Dr. Rosselot about Norah's stuttering. It started around Christmas, and it's to the point where if I can't see her, I have no idea what she's talking about. The doctor confirmed that it's normal for an early talker like Norah to go through a stuttering phase because her mouth can't keep up with her brain. Let's hope her mouth catches up before I go insane. .
The other night, Ben made the offhand comment on his way upstairs that the dishwasher was leaking. I went to investigate and there were soapsuds oozing out around the door and all over the floor. Ben, in true Ben-fashion, had thrown down a dish towel and called it a day. This picture was taken AFTER I scooped up a ton of the suds (check out the sink). This is a symptom of someone using regular dishwashing liquid in the dishwasher, but the detergent I used was still sitting on the counter and it's the right stuff. One of the Moroccan habits is to put dishwashing liquid in a small bowl with water when they're handwashing dishes, so I wondered if the bowl ended up in the dishwasher with too much dishwashing liquid left in it. I guess we'll never know but Ben spent the night in the doghouse. The kitchen floor has never been cleaner so I guess that's the silver lining to this cloud.
We had a visit last weekend from Uncle Jeffrey, and Auntie Monica came for couscous too. Uncle Jeffrey lives in Albany, and Auntie Monica is married to Uncle Brady and lives in the 'Ham, if you're trying to keep the Greenabderrazak family tree straight. The couscous was a masterpiece! .
