When The Parade Passes By
Mood:  silly
Topic: Lauren
Tony and I are always trying to teach Lauren "big" words. Why you ask? Because it's so fun to hear big words come out of such little people, not to mention how they come out ;-)

For example, back when Lauren was around 2, Tony called me at work and put Lauren on the phone. I could hear him coaching her in the backgroud...Tell mama what's in the bottom of daddy's cup...what's in daddy's cup?...what's this stuff Lauren? Finally her little voice pops up with "sediment". He told her the grounds (or whatever the residue is from a cappuccino) in the bottom of his cup was sediment! I'm dying here just reliving it LOL!

So last night I was playing with my darling daughter. We had a small bucket of cylindrical plastic things and we were taking them out of the bucket and standing them all up on the hall rug. Some of the things were white, some were black, and because there were unequal numbers of black and white ones, I decided to separate them. Lauren asked me what I was doing and I said I was segregating them. She helped me finish up and ran out in the living room to tell Tony he HAD to come see...get this...the "sengarade parade"! After I translated we had a great laugh. Of course, to use it as an opportunity to introduce an opposite and another "big" word ;-) I went back, mixed the black ones in with the white, and told her that now we were integrating.

Of course, she's completely oblivious to the connotations associated with the words but some day we'll explain about that and she'll understand. So for now, they are just words...words that mean separate and combine. Or, hey, "big word" incorporate. Oh yeah! Lauren? Hey Lauren? Come here sweetie...

And The Two Shall Become One
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Merging In MN
Topic: Rants

Can someone please explain to me what is so hard about merging? I just don't understand why people can't get the concept.

If there are two lanes and one is closing a half mile down the way, by all means, merge into the thru lane RIGHT AWAY and leave that closing lane void of cars for a half mile. Or better yet, put on your turn signal (it's the polite thing to do) and stop traffic behind you while you wait for someone in the now congested thru lane to let you in. And hey, you know what? This could serve as a perfect opportunity to teach a lesson in MN nice to all of those cars beind you that have people in them who know how to merge properly.

And for you passive/aggressive MN nicers, it is extremely helpful when you position your car in both lanes so that no one can get past you. NOT!

What about me you ask? Well, I'm not originally from MN and I DO know how to merge, so this is one lesson in MN nice I will skip every time. I'll be the one zipping down that half mile stretch and merging where I'm supposed to...guilt-free and 20 cars in front of you :-)

The Opener
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: I thought this would make a good start of a book ;-)
Topic: My Book
So, there I was, an unhappy, fat, forty year old climbing around on the kid playground. How did it happen? I don't know. I just know I wasn't always this way. I used to be happy. I used to be thin. And I used to be young.

But I'm Not Sleepy Mom
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: The Art Of The Stall
Topic: Lauren
Nobody does it better than a 3 yr old when faced with bedtime.

It used to be a short movie (10 minutes), two cookies, two stories in bed, and lights out. Then it became a short movie with many desperate requests for "just one more mom - I promise", two cookies, two stories in bed, and a story "with your mouth". Now it's a short movie with many desperate requests for "just one more mom - I promise", two cookies, two stories, a walk, another goodnight to dad, watch tv with dad for five minutes, and a story "with your mouth". And the mouth story has to be about a stuffed animal she needs to get off the shelf and I have to "talk" him (make the animal talk). Two hrs later my precious child is drifting off to sleep and I'm in panic mode because now I have only 6 hrs left before I have to get up for work.

What is it with kids and bedtime? Sure, we've all heard that it's because they don't want to miss anything, but I tell you, my child is not missing a thing. We co-sleep and she and I go to bed at the same time. Tony is out there posting to ebay or maybe watching television. It's not like she's in there all alone listening to a bunch of partying out in the other room. And it's not like she's missing attention from mom and dad during the day - Tony is a SAHD and I'm there all evening and going to bed with her!

Sigh (and yawn)...when someone figures it out, please wake me up and clue me in ;-)

If Your Friends Jumped Off A Cliff...
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Blogs
Haven't we all heard this before? Whether blogging will turn out to be a cliff, I don't know, but I've decided to run along with the pack. Now, normally I'm just not that talkative so how often I'll have something to say, I don't know that either. But what the heck, it could be some of the best fun I'll ever have!