Just a little art for today

A few weeks ago my best friend Rosanne called me out of the blue and said that since it was the last day of good weather for a while, we should get the kids out to the park and enjoy it. And gladly we did, the next day it dropped to the 40's. This May has been sucky.

The day was windy but sunny and Sammy and my "niece" Julia had a fabulous time. The park near our house is quite amazing, complete with a creek perfect for duck feeding (sadly none that day, even though Aunt Heidi had bread stashed in her purse), rock throwing and tadpole watching. Julia kept saying "Mama, I threw that rock in the POOL!" Yup, the is one cool "pool", peanut.

We did have a great time and Sammy kept telling me how very much he loved Julia's "beautiful yellow hair"

Just some art to celebrate the day. I am in a bit of a funk and I need some art making to make me feel better.

PSD template (loosely used) by Kim Hill and all doo dads to make the pictures more beautiful are by Mo Jackson, digital Goddess extraordinaire! Her art makes me all giggly inside. For those of you not into digital art, 100% of that layout is digital, fake, artificial, manufactured. Pretty frickin' cool, huh?? Photoshop makes me smile.

Cue the choir of Angels.

I have a new obsession:


Philosophy's shampoo and body wash. This set includes Belgian Waffle, Blackberry sauce, and Frosted Cream.

Typically, I do not enjoy smelling like food but something about these scents are so marvelous that I forget that previous hang-up. The boys love them...a bit too much. I might hide them in my room.

My new thing is to wash Sammy in them and go around all day smelling his head. I might make that my new diet...slather Sammy in good smelling stuff and keep him close. Half of taste and eating is smell....so I think it will work out fabulously!

Where is that kid?? I need a waffle fix!!!

The Return..

I knew it was coming. I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach. A mother just knows these things. I knew it was too good to be true.

My punk went back to being a punk.




He did it before. I am sure he will again. It is hair. It will grow back and I am all about "letting him be his own person, blah, blah, blah"
Truth is...YES, Zach...I hate it. But, it isn't my head.

And I think he forgets too, it is a pain in the ass to take care of. I hate buying hair glue by the gallon. I hate having to listen to my mother tell me how much she hates it. Hey, you know what mom?? I hated when my brother Marty dyed his hair blue. Remember that one? And after he washed it a few times it faded and turned green? Then his dark hair grew back in and it looked all salt and pepper. Good times.

I think he will quickly remember when he sleeps with that crap in his hair and all flakes off like he shedding his cocoon, that this is a pain in the ass.

sigh

whatever. I let him do it. I tell myself there are 100 other MUCH worse things he could be doing, instead of listening to music too loud and putting me in a head lock. So, I deal. What is my choice, right?

And please note the cute little cookie cutting his hair.

That is Katie. Take a curtsy to the blogsphere, Katie. Say hi to everyone. This is Zach's ummmmm friend. Or so he tells me. They are just hanging out. PU-Lease. I am not a moron. I did see the hickey, people. Zach, you do know I was 16 once...WITH YOUR FATHER. Sheesh.

And if he doesn't find her great I am gonna beat him with a shovel. She is sweet, loves her mom ( big selling point there for me), smart, personable. What is not to like?
And now? They have matching punkness hair. Skank on! ( which is a type of dance, non-punk people. It is not a derogatory term)

I just have this vision of our discussion in 20 years...

Zach: Mom, you were really cool to let me jack up my hair like that...but boy, do I look stupid!

A girl can dream, right??

Danger, Danger, Sammy!

Everything with Sammy is "too dangerous". That is his out for everything he doesn't want to do something.

"I can't go to bed NOW...it is too dangerous"

"I can't pick up my own toys..it is too dangerous!"

So today Adam asks him if he wants a hot dog to eat.

"Oh! I can't eat a hot dog! They are too dangerous. They have gristle all over them and they are too hot!"

We give up and give him his "safe" butter sandwich. *gag* Something about how he says DANGEROUS...he drops his voice a bit, he really emphasises it. Makes you believe, there might be danger. You just never know. That or I am a broken down old mother, who is sick of arguing with him. Your choice.

Tonight I say a prayer for his up-coming kindergarten teacher. May she steer Sammy through all his danger, real or imagined.

That kid is a nut job and I am sure Adam blames me and all that late night television I watched when I was pregnant. Radiation and all.

While eating his sandwich, he told me "I need some 5 Hour Energy. It tastes great, there is no sugar and it is only 4 calories"

See? Too much tv again. Turned my kid into a walking commercial. Like that maniac needs ANY extra energy? My God. No thanks. My brother would be proud though, he drinks that crap like crazy.

Also overheard from Sammy this week:

Adam: "Sammy, go in the living room."

Sammy : "WHY??"

Adam: "Will you just do it, please."

Sammy: "I hate when you say "just do it" because it means you don't know WHY ELSE!!"

It took all my will power to not laugh out loud, because as bratty as that may be, there is some truth in it.

Ah! My dangerous kid! Gotta love him!

Cuz I can't take just NORMAL pictures!

Mothers Day weekend found us busy, as usual.

But (sniff, sniff) I didn't see my mommy. And that blows. I did talk to her briefly, but it is not the same.


I have a cuddly, take-care-of-you-when-you-are-sick, cry-at-your-graduation, make-you-cookies and fudge mommy. Our last family vacation was riddled with problems, one of which was me getting horribly sick and ending up heading to the ER in Daytona beach. It was the night before Thanksgiving and I had a 103 degree temperature. Laying on my father-in-law's couch ( in between the puking and the blacking out) I cried to Zachary that "I just want my mom" in the MOST whiny, between tears voice. Zach is rubbing my back and saying "mom, I wish I could just get her for you. I really do" And I talked to her the next day, sobbing, I begged her to just come get me, I just need her. Even the way she smells soothes me. And she started crying too. I know she would have come to me, if she could. (and yes, I felt horrible I made her cry and I called her later in the week when I was better to tell her I was sorry for being a big baby) I will be lucky if my kids think I am that good a mom. Very lucky.

Saturday night, Adam and I went to visit my grandma in rehab. She is doing great. walking great with a walker and complaining it it way too hot there, ya know, for the OLD PEOPLE. We met my uncle and aunt there and then headed to dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant for dinner.

Sunday we woke up and cooked our half of brunch to take to Rochester. Adam's grandparents live there and his grandma just got home from rehab for a knee replacement. She is doing very well too. It was a good time there with my mother-in-law, her husband, the great-grandparents and us.

and there were photos. lots of photos.

you know...boring regular ones...






But then ummmm......I am not so much a boring, standard mom. So we had to take a few more.

Happy Mother's Day...MY WAY!



Well, if they think I am fabulous mom, like mine, remains to be seen. But they will know I am crazy. I have lots of fun with them. That I love them. That I have an insane sense of humor.

And get this! They ALL fell asleep on the way home. Buttheads.

EVEN ADAM!


And yes. I took pictures while driving. I admit it. So there. It needed to be done.

Adam did make me a great dinner when we got home. Steak, baked potatoes and creamed spinach. Most excellent. ( MARY!! Did you get that?? I mentioned him and posted pictures of him!!! It is like a historic day! Mark it down...I don't know when it will happen again!)

It's the man with the badge, the PO-lice, the cops, the fuzz, the P-I-...DON'T YOU DARE!

The title is from the Muppet Movie, lest you think I have flipped my wig. Oddball, weirdo fact about me...Rowlf is my favorite muppet. Like you REALLY care...

So this week has been weird. I was planning a few quiet days off and then the world had it's way with me. There was not one day that I wasn't going somewhere or getting something done. It is that time of the year, indeed. There was the kids doctor appointments, Josh's orthodontic visit, my grandmother having surgery, a surprise party for my uncle, trampoline classes for Josh, a baby shower, and oh yeah, ADAM BOUGHT ME TICKETS TO SEE THE POLICE!!!

Let's just take a minute here, so I can drool on my keyboard:





Scruffy Sting, RAWR!!!



Firstly, The Police. Adam got me tickets for my birthday/Mother's Day and we decided I would go with Zach as he is a fan as well, and Adam not so much. It should be said that Elvis Costello opened up for them and he was incredible!
The boys look great, except, Stewart Copeland ,dude, it is called hair color for men. Lord, baby you are looking OLD!
We had a fabulous time. They played King of Pain and So Lonely back to back, it was all I could do not to faint. Zach elbowed me and smiled. He knew I was in heaven. Later, of course, he told me "I saw you...you cried like a little bitch, but that is okay. I cried when I first saw Rancid. It means you are a real fan." Which was said in a joking, funny matter, lest you think my kid is a back talker. Not so. He would then meet Mrs. Back-hander. ahem

anyway, for once in my life, the crazy drunk dancing girl was not sitting next to me or right in front of me. She a few rows ahead of me and to the left. Zach rolled his eyes at me several times. Ya know, when you are a drunk asshole, you are only funny to yourself. You just piss everyone else off. But she was far enough a way to not bother me or obstruct the view of sexy, scruffy, yummy Sting, even if she was spelling out S.O.S during Message in a Bottle. Dork! Yes, yes young girl, your dancing and singing along caught the attention of Sting, a football field length away. Your poor boyfriend tried to make you sit, BUT NO! You needed to take our your lighter for Invisible Sun. A song which I can't stand anyway.

But anyway...Josh went to trampoline class on Saturday and they beat the hell out of him for 95 mins. Quite the aerobic workout, I must say. The teacher kept telling me that adults take his class *wink, wink* I told him I would end up breaking my hip and/or neck. He said "Ohhh, no! I have a 25 years long record of no injuries". Ummmm..baby, prepare for that record to be broken, like my body as they medi-vac me to a trauma center. The doctor will say "Was this woman hit by a car??"

"no, doctor. It was a trampoline that got her"

So Josh and Sammy are going to do all the jumping for me. It is enough exercise for me to wrangle those beasts into the car and get them there. ;-) Especially with Sammy's growing Wii addiction. Thank goodness that better weather is coming and I can get him out in the yard. I had to shut the Wii down the other day when I heard Sammy wail at the top of his lungs "WHAT??? Why do ERRORS have to OCCUR" when the game disc failed to load properly. Drama. Oh the drama. I wonder what a kid's dose of Valium would be?

And update on my grandma: Surgery went VERY well, she says her pain is gone, she is walking again. She was shipped off to rehab for a few weeks but is doing VERY well. We were worried about the outcome, as of course the doctor could not say for sure if she would walk again. That old broad is tough and she has places to be. Get the hell out of her way! Of course, she is fighting to get home as fast as possible, and we are all cautious. She is going to make us all crazy, but that is her job and oh! does she do it well. Rock on, babcia!

And the kids doctor visits were LONG...almost 2 hours in the office. Their doctor was mine as a kid and NO, he is not THAT old. Thank you VERY much. He is great, but slow, methodical, very thorough. Sammy got two shots and yelled "HEY, Lady Doctor, you hurt me!!" the poor nurse must hate that job. I would hate giving kids shots.

And I must get my old body to bed. Work tomorrow night. Good gracious! I am too busy to fit work in there too. Good Gravy!

smooches all!