Diagonally Parked in a Parallel Universe

13 Things I'm Enjoying About These Holidays

Edition #8

1. The smell of the Christmas tree.
2. The houses all decorated with their lights at night.
3. T.V. commercials. I miss the Maxwell House commercials a lot, and while there is a new Publix commercial that makes me cry just as much, this AT&T commercial just cracks me up!(If this doesn't come up immediately, just hit play)
4. Seeing white bearded men who look so much like Santa Claus this time of year and just regular guys the other 11 months. I really like the ones who play up that fact.
5. Christmas music. I'm loving it at home, in the supermarket and in my car.
6. The idea of making a really cool gingerbread house. I won't actually get this done, but I enjoy thinking about it.
7. Planning my Christmas dinner. It's a favorite that I didn't get to make last year.
8. My son's excitement about the holiday and his counting down of the days. I miss that feeling!
9. I didn't get my wreath redone this year and that's okay.
10. We are "greening up" our Christmas with LED lights and compostable wrapping paper (aka newspaper and brown paper bags.)
11. My blog. I'm updating it daily with holiday tidbits. There's something about this daily process that has been making me very happy.
12. Local holiday activities. We've been to two local parades, a craft fair and a tree lighting. It's been wonderful doing these things as a family.
13. Letting go. I'm not stressing about what hasn't gotten done (which is a lot) and I'm not feeling guilty that I haven't made an ornament or gift all season.

These are gifts I've given myself because, for the first time in many years, I've stopped moaning and groaning about all the work and saying, "I can hardly wait for this to be over. I just need to get through the holidays and I'll be fine."

Happy Holidays!

Thirteen Things I've Done Since My Last TT

Edition #7

Watched the launch of Endeavor, the first mission to include a teacher on it's crew since Christa McAuliffe. Barbara Morgan trained as a backup to Christa McAuliffe for that 1986 Challenger mission.

Traveled to New York to visit my sister-in-law and her family at the beach in the Hamptons.

Witnessed the safe return of Endeavor.

Watched my son leave for his first day of Kindergarten.

Toured the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine.

Enjoyed fireworks on The World's Most Famous Beach.

Climbed the 203 steps to the top of the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, one of the tallest in the country.

Saw a lot of beautiful sunrises while driving my daughter to early morning swim practice.

Took a lot of silly pictures for A Year of Color.

Went tubing and couldn't sit down for a couple of days! Ouch!

Completed a few knitting projects. Much to my surprise and happiness!

Delivered 35 pizzas to a post high school swim meet pizza party. My car still smells of pizza!

Discovered a family of armadillos living in a hole under a bush in my backyard. Their ears remind me of Shrek's ears.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Edition #6

13 Questions My 5-Year-Old Son Asked Me on the Five Minute Drive to Camp this Morning

1. "Mommy, why don't cars drive on the sidewalk and people walk in the street?" - "Because the sidewalk isn't big enough for the cars."
2. "Mommy, why don't they make the sidewalks big enough for the cars?" - "Because we already have the streets and it's better to have more grass."
3. "Mommy, why can golf carts go on the golf course and cars can't?" - "Because cars are too heavy and don't have the right kind of tires."
4. "Mommy, what would cars do to the golf course?" - "They would tear up the grass because they are too heavy and don't have the right kind of tires."
5. "Mommy, why do we need grass?" - "Because it's like the leaves on the trees; it puts out oxygen."
6. "Mommy, why do we need oxygen?" - "Because we need it to live."
7. "Mommy, why do aliens live in space and fish live in the water and we live on the land?" - "Because everything has to live somewhere."
8. "Mommy,  how many years ago did Jesus make us?" - "Jesus didn't make us."
9. "Mommy, where did we come from before we were made?" - "Well, we just kind of developed."
10. "Mommy, what does developed mean?" - "Well, we were one kind of thing when the dinosaurs lived and then we grew."
11. "Mommy, how do they know there were dinosaurs if there aren't any now?" - "They've found the bones and skeletons of them."
12. "Mommy,  are a  T-Rex's teeth sharp enough to break bones?" - "Yes"
13. "Mommy, are animals that eat vegetables nicer than animals that eat meat?" - "It seems that way."

Why Can't I Get Off My Butt???

Edition #5

Projects I Really Need to Complete

1. Filing - I thought that by now, we were supposed to be a paperless society! At least that's what I remember Alvin Toffler saying in his book, Future Shock.
2. Weeding - I am convinced that the mulch distributors pre-seed the mulch with weed seed.
3. Laundry - Does anyone (except my mother) ever get caught up with this?
4. Wash the Dog - "Please Mommy, I'll take care of it. I promise!"
5. Clean out the fridge - There must have been something to eat in there at some time because it sure stinks now!
6. Clean out my closet - I'm not wearing the stuff so I should pass it along to someone who will.
7. Organize the photos on my computer - I see you nodding your head. You're as overwhelmed by yours as I am mine.
8. Straighten up the garage - I would really like to get my car back in there!
9. Sew buttons on my husband's pants - Mothers: teach your sons to sew.
10. I'm getting exhausted just making this list!
11. Clean out my car - I must be drinking enough water because it's sure full of empty water bottles.
12. Finish taking down the wallpaper in the dining room - I hate wallpaper!
13. Organize my son's closet - Or just get rid of all the junk in it!

Screw it! I think I'll just go knit.

The Joys of Parenthood

Edition #4

16 Year-Old Daughters

1. Every morning I wake up dumber than when I was when I went to sleep the night before.
2. I am very proud of her achievements and work ethic even though I couldn't possibly have a clue what she is talking about.
3. Boys are stupid, but I just don't understand why.
4. I'm incredibly mean because I pointed out that her learner's permit shouldn't be bent. I had it so I could get an estimate of how much car insurance would be for her so she could get her real liscense. I must be a real bitch!
5. If she rolls her eyes at me one more time, I'm very concerned that they may just roll right out of her head.
6. Just because her room is a mess, that shouldn't be any reason for her not to spend the day at her girlfriend's house.
7. It's not fair that I get mad when every drinking glass in the house is in her bedroom and then I expect her to put them in the dishwasher.
8. The new shoes that she would have snapped up if I were buying are suddenly too expensive to buy with her own hard-earned money.
9. "I know! I know!" I can't wait until she reaches the age where she figures out that she doesn't know everything.
10. I have no empathy for her suffering from allergies though the dust is piling up in her bedroom.
11. "You can't get rid of the cats! I love them!" And the last time you fed them was....?
12. Stony silence. The kind that isn't golden.
13. The reason why some animals eat their young.

Aah, this was good therapy. I started out fuming and thinking that I had a good rant going, but by the time I reached number seven, I could only think of the good things about my daughter.

She rides her bike three miles to the pool at 6 a.m. every morning for three hours of swim practice. She got her first job this summer with no pushing from me. She does her own laundry. She sticks to the 1 hour time limit on the computer. She usually can be found with her nose in a book. She may be a pain at home, but she's a great travel buddy. And...

She isn't behaving any differently than I did when I was 16.

My mother's prayers have been answered. "Dear God, Please give her a daughter just like her! Amen."

A Few of My Favorite Things

Edition #3

My Favorite Podcasts.

(These aren't listed in any order.)

1. Griddlecakes Radio - Ron (and the other Ron) mixes good old storytelling with a fair amount of New England history.
2. Cast On - Brenda Dayne makes me want to just sit and knit.
3. Creative Mom - Expensive because I alway end up ordering books at the end of her podcast!
4. Gestalt Gardener - Dr. Dirt's got it goin' on! I just wish he would keep his blog current.
5. Quirky Nomads - Sage can certainly spin a yarn. (No knitting pun intended!)
   
6. Zedcast - Bruce Murray has convinced that Picto, Nova Scotia is definitely on my list of places to visit. Especially for the Lobster Carnival.
7. The Daily Purge - Some of this I tune out, but I love J. Michael Haas' opening stories.
8. Thinking with Someone Else's Head - This is a great fix for those moments when I think 'momdom' is turning my brain to mush.
9. Wait, Wait. Don't Tell Me - Makes me realize I'm not the only one completely out of the loop.
10. Island Podcasting - Ted Reicken sounds like such a nice man and his podcast is just soothing.
11. Lime and Violet - Another knitting podcast, but their relationship sounds like a trainwreck waiting to happen.
12. Exercise Radio - If you can't get the eliptical or the treadmill going at the gym, this will do the trick!
13. Chub Creek - This may be my favorite. Just don't have hot coffee in your mouth when listening.

Needless to say, I think I need a bigger IPod and more time as there are currently over 30 days worth of podcasts to listen to!

Six (Bad) + Seven (Good) = One Week

Edition #2

As Long as the Good Outweighs the Bad...:

1. I got a speeding ticket (bad).
2. The officer didn't ticket me for coasting through the red light (good).
3. I had a 24-hour stomach virus (bad).
4. It only lasted for 24 hours (good).
5. My 5-year-old son broke two bones in his left arm (bad).
6. He's right-handed (good).
7. A car ran a red light and clipped my rear bumper (bad).
8. He only clipped my rear bumper (good).
9. I was up all of Monday night with a horrible toothache (bad).
10. I now know there is something more painful than labor that I can wish upon men (good).
11. I have to have my poor tooth pulled next Monday (bad).
12. I worked in my garden all day today (good).
13. It's raining now and watering in all my new plants and transplants (good).

I'm really glad this week is over.

A Leap into the Pond

Edition #1

Thirteen Things I Have Yet to Get Done Today:

1. Take pictures of the new flowers in the garden before the freeze comes tonight.

2. Get out the already packed-away warm clothes for my daughter's swim meet tomorrow.

3. Move the clothes from the washer into the dryer before they get that funky smell.

4. Finish drinking the cup of tea I made five hours ago, before I got sucked into the blogosphere.

5. Give my poor little dog the pills the vet prescribed for her skin yesterday. (An innocent victim of blogoshere sucking.)

6. Give a little bit of thought about what's for dinner.

7. Put some socks on...my feet are cold!

8. Bring in my tender plants before the cold weather arrives.

10. Take the time to really contemplate why I thought it was both necessary and a good idea to start another blog when the one I already have is perfectly good.

11. File away the remaining paperwork that is all over the floor.

12. Bring in the trash can from yesterday's garbage collection.

13. Clean out my husband's car that I've been driving all week.

 

Thursday 13 Blogroll