And Now, For Less Navel Gazing

So, that was whiny, huh?

But, how about we do some good in the world?

(All non DC people probably want to click away now.....)

A close friend of mine is walking in the Avon Walk for Breast cancer and is hosting a really fun event in a few weeks...

A fund-raiser is being held on April 9th from 7:00-10:30pm to support the Avon 2 Day Walk against Breast Cancer.  Please come out to the Barking Dog (upstairs bar) to listen to good music provided by Carlos and friends.  The cost at the door is $25 which includes beer, wine and appetizers for the evening. $10 will go directly to Avon. 

The Barking Dog

4723 Elm Street

Bethesda, MD

I will be there, but am in no way sponsoring the event or getting any kind on compensation, only supporting a good cause, and a close friend.  As well as other friends who have been affected bu the disease.  So, please come out!

 

If You Lose 10 Pounds and Are Not Going to BlogHer Is That the Same Thing As a Tree Falling In a Forest?

I made my MamaPop Losers goal.  10 pounds.  Wahoo!  I'm now the thinnest I have been since my wedding.  Fantastic.  But the whole point of this thing was to be hot by BlogHer, and I'm not going to BlogHer so it all feels kind of like a big waste.  Like I want to curl up on the couch with wine and cupcakes because while ya'all (What?  Maryland is South) are at Sparklecorn talking about how awesome the MamaPop writers look, I'm going to be at home.  On my couch.  With wine.  And my organic, no sugar, non processed foods.

I will tell you this.  I'm privy to Sparklecorn details ya'all are not, and it is going to be fucking amazing.  That is all I am saying.

What do we think my husband should buy me since he gets to go to his conference and I do not?  I'm thinking sparkly things that come in blue boxes?  Anyone else?

Things/Folks You Probably Love But I Don't

Blatantly stealing this from Jennie.  I have nothing else to say today.

George Clooney.  (Although I met him in person once and he is hot.)

Angelina Jolie

Granite countertops.  (I now own them and I don't get it.)

Snow

Mad Men

Lost

Dexter

Gardening

Harry Potter

Lord of the Rings

Star Wars

Dancing With The Stars

The Olympics

Baseball

Making the bed

Wall-E

H & M

Twilight

Cheesecake

Peanut Butter

Google Wave

Formspring

Facebook

4 Square

Shoe Friday #70

mouthy_broad's gorgeous "red sassy" shoes.

 

-----Typepad is having commenting problems.  Hit preview before you post your comment and then hit post.  Sorry. 

And The Decision Comes From A Bunny

I have been struggling with Kindergarten for like, forever.  Ever since all the madness started, way back when.  And even now, now that Michael is "fine," whatever the hell that means, I still have been struggling.    

Earlier this week I had Michael's parent teacher conference.  And I was a nervous wreck.  And I don't really know why because, I literally talk to his teacher everyday.  And she started the conference by saying, "what can I say about Michael, because I talk to you everyday."  And what followed was stuff I already knew.  Academically he is fine.  Better than expected actually since he got a late start in Montessori.  Behaviorally, she still has some concerns but not nearly where we were 6 short months ago.  He is fine.  We are fine.  And the best advice she gave me was "STOP TALKING ABOUT IT.  ON THE PHONE, IN FRONT OF HIM, STOP TALKING ABOUT IT.  HE DOES WORSE WHEN HE IS STRESSED OUT.  STOP TALKING ABOUT IT.  STOP WORRYING.  HE IS FINE."

And Doug looked at me and said, "GOT IT?"

And then she talked about how wonderful she thought Michael was.  How much she liked him.  And how smart he is.  And what a joy he is. 

One of my biggest concerns with keeping Michael in the school was the fact that he didn't seem to like it. But when Doug and I walked into his room after the conference he didn't want to leave.  "Mommy we are making a bunny and I want to make a bunny.  Can I stay and make a bunny?"  Doug's car was in for service so I took him to the dealer, and then drove back to the school to pick Michael up.  Michael never wants to go to school, so the fact that he wanted to stay at school spoke volumes.

When Doug and I walked out of the building we looked at each other and said, "he stays.  He has to stay.  How can we move him?"

And how can we move him?  They so clearly get him.  Get where we were, where we are now, and where we hope to be.  Is Michael perfect, oh, so not.  But is he the devil incarnate that the other school thought he was?  No.  And I'm so scared that if we move him we just won't know what we are getting next.  So we keep him where he is.  For now.  Give him another year to grow up.  To mature.  To not become a "behavior problem" at public school.

I'm still taking a tour and talking to the public school next month.  But for now, I think this is our decision.  Until I change my mind again.  Which could happen.  I'm not so good at this decision making thing.

Pretty Much Every Tuesday Night In Our House

Him: What Are you Watching?

Me: 90210.

Him: The New 90210?

Me: Yeah, It Is terrible.

Him: Why are you watching it?

Me: Do you want to find something else on?

Him: No.

Me: This is really, really bad.

Him: Yet you continue to watch.

Me: Every week.

I would like to point out he never actually leaves the room, just giggles at the screen.

It Is A Good Thing It Is A Short Ride Home From School

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Mom, when I grow up I think I need to buy a house because I don't know how to build a house," I hear yesterday from the back seat when driving home from school.  And then it is quiet, for a second.

"Mom, how long do I have to go to school?"

"Until you are 18, at least.  But I went to school for much longer than that."

"How much longer?"

"Until I was 24."

"Why would you do THAT?"

"Because I wanted to be lawyer?"

"WHY?"

"That is a question for the ages Michael."

"Mommy."

"Yes?"

"E. and I played bad guys outside and Miss C. said we should not play bad guys and I want to play bad guys and why can't we play bad guys?"

"What did your teacher say?"

"That we can't play bad guys."

"Then you can't play bad guys."

"But why?"

"Because that is what your teacher said."

"But why?"

"Because that is what your teacher said."

"But why?"

"Because you have to listen to your teacher."

"But why?"

"Because those are the rules of school.  And playing bad guys is not nice."

"But why?"

"Michael, I don't know how to answer this question any other way."

"But Mommy."

"Because we are home now and this conversation is over."

Moms Can't Get Sick

So people, I'm sick.  And not Lupus/RA sick, but actually cold/flu sick.  I woke up Sunday morning feeling like crap.  But I decided to power through.  And I took Michael to his swim lesson.  And after his swim lesson we decided to take Michael for sandals, and I called the shoe store, yes that one, and they told me they had an hour to a 90 minute wait, and Doug said, "I feel like that is not bad for that place and we should just do it."  And I looked at him and said, "I literally can't function anymore."  And Doug said, "well, we need to go grocery shopping,"  And I just looked at him again.  And he said, "okay, you go home, I'll go grocery shopping."  At which point Michael decided he wanted to stay home with me.  And I said, "Michael, I'm taking a nap.  So if you stay home, you are taking a nap."  So Michael went grocery shopping.  Smart boy, that one.

I never nap.  I mean, never, ever, ever nap.  But at 2 I crawled into bed and woke up at 4:30 still feeling like ass but no longer like I wanted to die.  And the thing is, it was gorgeous here yesterday.  And I spent basically the whole day inside coughing and sleeping and generally complaining.  And the thing about autoimmune disorders is that when you do get sick you literally can't shake it, so I am going to have this thing for like a week, maybe two, and I just do not have time.

Before the petulance started, we had a lovely weekend.  I went to a girls night out on Friday, and got to spend time with some of my favorite bloggers in the world, and Saturday night Doug and I had a perfectly lovely and long overdue date night in the spectacular weather with dinner and wine and gelato and great conversation.  We try to do that at least once a month and every time we do I am reminded of how wonderful it is to get out, just the two of us, and how vital it is to our relationship to do so.

But just a slight tip.  If you don't want people to know you have a blog, don't leave the blog cards out for the babysitter to find.  Who is the niece of a coworker.  And sits for some of your friends.  Just a tip.  Put it in your back pocket.  (Hi Amy.)

And now, I feel like crap, and simply cannot shake this thing.  And parenting while sick, sucks. 

Shoe Friday #69

My friend Natalie's shoes.  Ironically, I'm having coffee with Natalie today.  This was not planned.  She was next on the Shoe Friday list.

 

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Plus, I'm at DC Metro Mom's today with the whole skinny on Michael's birthday party!

DCMM: The Perfect Party

My son planned his 5 year old birthday party for six months.  And I'm honestly scared for his Bar Mitzvah.  He kept talking about "the list" and who was on the list and what we were going to do and the favors and etc., etc.  I'm not sure who this child was, but for him, his 5 year old birthday party was a very big deal.

We eventually settled on a local firehouse that allowed you to use the party room if you made a donation to the firefighters.  And who doesn't like firefighters?  They save your life in a fire.  And I somehow missed that this meant I would be responsible for doing absolutely everything.  The food, the entertainment, the favors, everything.

The week before the party was the perfect storm of crazy week at work, a crazy week at home, and out of town guests coming in for the BIG PARTY.  And of course the morning of the party we were hit with torrential thunderstorms and we woke up to no power.  Which in itself, was enough to make me cry having spent 4 days without power after the most recent snowstorm.

But the power came back on after 3 hours, and we managed to load all of the food and fireman hats and coloring books and balloons and cake into the car in the rainstorm, and unload it once we got to the firehouse.  (So much for nice hair in pictures.)  My son's friends arrived, parents arrived, and for two hours I entertained 20 children, age 2-5.  The fireman gave a fantastic tour.  The children put stickers on plastic firemen hats, colored fire related coloring books, played pin the tail on the fire dog, and of course, ate ice cream and cake.

And at the end of it all, my newly five year old son looked at me and said, "Mommy, it was the perfect party.  I couldn't have asked for anything better.  But what are we doing for my school party on Monday?"