The Journey

I recently received an e-mail titled "Life's Laundry List" and it was a list of 45 things to remember as you celebrate growing older. The list was compiled by Regina Brett and served as a reminder to remember what's important as we travel through this thing called Life! Here are a few of my favorites:

• Make peace with your past so that it won't screw up the present


• Don't compare your life to others, you have no idea what their journey is all about


• Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks


• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful


• No one is charge of your happiness except you


• What other people think of you is none of your business


• Don't audit life. Show up and make the best of it now


• Envy is a waste of time you already have all you need


• Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift

Have a Happy Friday and a Happy Life!

Nightmares in the Night

Last night as I lay in a peaceful slumber I felt a small hand pulling at my arm. I awoke (@ 3:15am!) to find my son had made his way downstairs in the dark and was trying to pull himself up into our bed. When asked what was wrong he said he had a bad dream so, I helped him up and he wedged himself between me and his father.

I started to drift off again and was awaken when he sat up in the bed and announced, "Mama, I never want to go to the park again,". "Huh?" I asked groggily. "Monkeys are shooting people in the park in my dream," he said. What?! My husband woke up and realized he was in the bed and I tell him about the pistol packing primates in the park. We assure him that there will be no monkey's shooting people in the park and he eventually falls asleep. But then I lay awake wondering where in the hell did that come from?!

He is not allowed to watch movies with violence especially shooting, he has never had a toy gun, we have not watched or witnessed anything with monkeys lately and the last time we went to the park was two weeks ago. VERY BIZARRE. Me being the paranoid schizo that I am wonder if this is a premonition and we should avoid parks in the near future or if perhaps there is some monkeying around going on at his school. Hmmm.

Collage Calling

Gather up your old magazines and let your child flip through them to find things they like or places they want to go. Cut out the images and have your child arrange them in any order on a poster board or on a large sheet of construction paper. Be sure to leave room across the top for a title like, “Ahmad’s Favorite Things” or “Places Jasmine Wants to Visit”.

Once you get the desired design apply glue to the back of the cut outs and affix them to the poster board/construction paper. A couple of cool effects include letting your child trace the outline of the cut-out with a marker or crayon, applying a glitter border or you can find old photo’s (like that photo you made 20 copies of on their 1st birthday or the 75 wallets you have left over from the school pictures) and cut out your child’s face and place it on the bodies of the people in the collage. See picture of my son’s collage for an example. . .we pasted his face over the picture of all the children in the collage doing things he likes.

Once the masterpiece is complete find a place of honor on the wall in their room or on the refrigerator (I don’t do refrigerator art in my house- drawback of OCD). This project is fun and very easy, just be sure to pack your patience!

Backyard Fun

If you get a chance be sure to check out the Backyardigans Live show when it comes to your town. This is my son's FAVORITE show and soon as he is off of house arrest he can resume watching it.

The Backyardigans is an animated musical-adventure series for children ages 2 to 5. In each episode, the show's five high-spirited preschool friends--Uniqua, Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, and Austin--rely on their vivid imaginations to transform their backyard into a fantastical 3-D landscape, and together they embark on amazing epic journeys.

The Backyardigans are on the NickJr./Noggin network and are the creation of a sista named Janice Burgess who has also worked on Little Bill and Blue's Clues. If you're not already a fan of the show be sure to tune in for some backyard fun!

Crush and I'm not talking about soda. . .

I need to get my priorities together. . .but I just had to put this out there. . .I'm happily married and all but I have to admit I have this odd fascination. . .actually it's a huge crush on ANDREW DAN- JUMBO. . .I don't know if it's the accent, the carpentry skill or that he is the perfect blend of rugged and KEY-UTE. Man, I need to start cruising the aisles of Home Depot and see if I can't get the Take Home Handyman to come to my house and help hubby with some reno projects! Then again I don't think my husband would take too kindly to my drooling. So, I guess that's just a fantasy deferred.

My Son the Klepto

(I was supposed to post this yesterday but between the exorcism and intervention I was a little busy!)

Yesterday after having such a wonderful two hour session of ME TIME, I went to pick my son up from school. When we get in the car he is so excited to show me a toy in his pocket. I have never seen the toy before. Here's how the conversation goes:

Me: Where did you get that?

Him: School.

Me: Did your teacher tell you that you could bring that home.

Him: Yes.

Me: Which teacher?

Him: Miss S

Me: Let me go ask her.

Him: NO!! (As he cowers on the floor of the back seat in the car)

So, I proceed to peel him from the floor and march back in the school to ask the teacher if she in fact said he could take the toy home. Of course, she had NOT. I made him put the toy back in the toy box and yanked him out of the classroom.

I chastised him all the way home about the evils of stealing and how one day he could end up in jail for taking stuff that doesn't belong to him. At the end of my ranting he says, "I should have just asked," DUH! I was still so disgusted- wait let me back up- did I mention this was NOT the first time he's done this?! This is like the second time he's been caught. Anyway, when we got home I swatted his butt a couple of times (so light he probably didn't even know it happened) and then I made him go to his room. He acted as if he were a dead man walking and started crying uncontrollably.

After listening to him for ten minutes I went upstairs and gave him a stern talking to. This little boy is honestly- SPOILED. He has gotten pretty much whatever he's wanted in his short time on Earth and I don't even want to get into the insane amount of stuff he gets from family every Christmas. There are toys that are unopened that I've hidden from him! There is absolutely, positively NO REASON whatsoever for him to be taking stuff that does not belong to him! My dilemma now is sharing this news with his father. . .he might have to put on an orange jumpsuit!

I've heard some people say that this is typical for this age or that it's harmless but I'm sorry I can't treat it that way. He needs to know in no uncertain terms that if he even THINKS about doing this again life as he knows it will change drastically. I swear on everything I will box up ALL his toys and give them away to a shelter! First comes stealing, then smoking cigarettes, gambling and making homemade bombs in his room! This madness must be nipped in the bud now!

I think what it boils down to is feeling like he can have whatever he wants because this has -to some degree-been his reality. . .well, reality is about to get checked!


Disclaimer: That picture is at 7 months old. . .in 2004.

Not-So Guilty Conscience

I'm at home right now. Actually I've been at home for almost an hour. ALONE. Aah, it feels WONDERFUL. I went to work at another location and got off two hours early and did not have one iota of guilt when I passed right by (literally) my son's school and kept going. It wasn't even a consideration to go and pick him up early.

I love that little boy and his father, dearly but I am so in heaven right now relishing two hours of alone time at home. It's a true rarity around this camp that I don't have someone in my face or underfoot. I stopped by the GAS STATION (because I was too lazy to drive three red lights down to the grocery store) and bought a big bag of Tostito's and a 16 ounce Sprite for $5.79! Then I came home opened up two beautifully ripe avocados mixed in some garlic salt, ground pepper and lime juice and made myself some guacamole!

At this very moment I feel so sick to my stomach because I SCARFED down all but about three bites. But man was it good! I was going to go crazy and relax in a hot bubble bath for 40 minutes but my husband is having a rough day at work that might not end at 5:00 so, I am almost certain I will have to go and pick up The Genius. It's all good. These two hours alone have been fabulous and I'm totally decompressed from my day. I guess I could have been a bit more productive and started dinner. . .oh, but wait I had dinner already (guacamole and chips is quite a meal) looks like the boys are on their own tonight!

BTW- T-Ball ended last week. That is why this time has been so special because I no longer have T-Ball Thursdays to look forward to for ME time. . .so this was a great "make up" day!