Good Dog, Good Kid, Good Neighbor, Good Stuff

So my little guy texted me first thing the other day.

"There was a trained dog that followed me to the

 bus today it was a chocolate lad with a lump on its 

side can you pt it on the list serve"

The total scoop...that I found out later that evening...because I was left a little puzzled and wanting more.  Super proud of my kid for letting me know, but puzzled.

Turns out that as my little guy was walking to the bus stop, a very large chocolate lab decided to follow him.  It was super friendly and clearly wanted to hang out with him.  So much so that it stuck with him all the way to the bus stop, stayed with him until the bus arrived, and then tried to get on the school bus.  Unfortunately his attempt failed.  This would've been a much better blog entry had it gone the other way.  I rather like the idea of dogs at school.

P.S. This big, lovely furry fella was picked up by a good neighbor and his owner was found soon after.  All's well.

Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!

I'm not paranoid...they really are following me!

I was driving out of town with my dad last weekend.  I approached a traffic light and it turned yellow.  What did I do?  Did I slow down?  No, completely against my natural instinct and inclination, I gunned it.  I think maybe, just maybe, I made it through before it turned red.  Maybe.


Me:  "It had one of those red light cameras on top."

My dad:  "Hmmmmm."

Me:  "It's OK, they'll send the ticket to you."  After all, I was driving his car.  <snicker>


OK, so it wasn't funny.  What's funny is that a few seconds later I saw flashing lights in my rear view mirror.  My heart started beating really, really fast.  Ohmygosh!!!  Then the police car was right behind me.  I slowed down and pulled to the right, ready to take my licks.  And...ya know what?  That black and white sped up, pulled around me, and got on the highway.

Whew!  Guess I dodged that bullet!

Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!!

Meeting Frida Kahlo

I keep finding myself closing my eyes and reliving a particularly enchanting moment.  OK, close your eyes and stick with me now.  OK, don't close your eyes...you have to read this, after all.  Anyway, take a little trip with me.  It's Halloween night.  The doorbell rings.  You go to the door for the fiftieth time that night.  And what's there?  The teeniest, tiniest little Frida Kahlo.  You squat down to get right in front of her so she can be eye-to-eye with you.  She takes a few steps toward you, stopping mere inches from your face.  She leans forward, her single brow blurring as your eyes can no longer focus, and she touches her forehead to yours, ever so gently, and lingers for a few seconds.  She slowly stands erect and looks at you.  You're trapped in her gaze and only realize that she's there for a purpose when her gaze shifts to the candy you're holding.

And, yes, now I love Frida even more than I did before!

Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!!

The Magic of Moving through the Years

It's been a weekend of, well, getting older.  Not everyone else so much, but me, for sure.  Not that I mind at all, of course.  I'm pretty used to my own kiddos getting older, year by year.  I was reminded of that just last week when my little guy turned fourteen.  That's the gradual style I rather like.  What has me in awe is that one of my nieces, the one who was just a little, tiny baby when I first came onto the scene that is my husband's family, had a baby shower today.  She's now a tall, incredibly beautiful being, who has always had this divine ethereal quality about her, floating just above rather than touching this ground of ours as she moves through life.  Anyway, she's having a baby, a little girl of her own.  Magic is just around the corner.

Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!!

Sittin' here a Wonderin'

I'm sitting here looking out the window during my little dude's birthday party.  I'm watching him and a bunch of his friends play football in the front yard.  And...I'm wondering a couple of things. 

1. I wonder how amazing it must feel to be surrounded by a bunch of boys he's known since kindergarten.  Some of them he sees just very occasionally, some weekly, and some more often than that.  I can only imagine that it must feel wonderful to be immersed in such familiar comfort.  Lucky guy!

2. I wonder what on earth makes a person, of any gender or age, be willing to actually dive into a situation (i.e. football) where you know your odds of getting roughly smooshed or bumped are extremely high.  Me?  I take the safe "Eeeeeeek!" stance, and duck for cover.

...guess that's why I'm the only one in the house looking out the window....

Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!!

Birthday Cake

I'll be making the little guy's birthday cake tonight.  I LOVE making birthday cakes!  They've all actually been quite spectacular.  Not in that photogenic kind of way.  No way!  In that "How could a cake be any more chocolatey?" kind of way.  What do I usually do?  Well, I cheat, of course.  I buy one of those Moist Delicious cakes...seriously, folks, you cannot go wrong with one of those.  I get some really rich frosting.  Then I buy a HUGE bag of M&Ms and cover the entire cake.  Top and sides.  Since that's clearly not enough, I place homemade chocolate chips all around the perimeter.  When I bring it out, I tell ya, you've never seen a more Pavlovian drool response.

So, this year when my little guy and I went shopping for his cake ingredients, I ran into a friend.  While I was busy talking, my little dude took off and rounded up all of the cake ingredients.  It was all foreign stuff...not the usual stuff of my birthday cake making.  There were cans of squirt icing and six different kinds of icky sprinkles.


Me:  "What is this stuff?"

Little guy:  "It's for my birthday cake."

Me:  "Where's the good icing and M&Ms?"

Little guy:  "This year I just want you to make the cake part.  I want everyone who comes to my party to decorate their own piece."


I stood there for just a moment, feeling a little hurt and let down, and then I realized that he'd cut my cake prep down by at least an hour.


Me:  "OK, sounds great!"

Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!!

Halloween Bliss

Yesterday was the first Halloween in 17 years I didn't go trick-or-treating with a kid.  It was weird.  It was kind of scary.  It was pretty darn wonderful!  What was cool about it?  Well, from my big kid's point of view, it was awesome because I was there to make him some food.  From my little guy's point of view, it was amazing because he finally got to go trick-or-treating without his mom in tow.  To be honest here, he never complained about me going with him before and even shared his candy with me.  But there's something magical about the age of fourteen that suddenly means you need your mom less...at least in the trick-or-treating kind of way.

What was wonderful for me is that I got to stay home and enjoy the bliss of handing out candy to the little, and not so little, kids in the neighborhood.  And, I must say, I felt like a freakin' celebrity.  We had quite a number of princesses, goblins, and the like, and I knew no fewer than 90% of them.  And they knew me!  A total and awesome perk due to being a teacher at the neighborhood elementary school for the past nine years.  And what rocked the most?  Seeing the beautiful little faces of my former students.

...and I got to do it all the while rockin' my Pippi Longstocking get-up.

Yup, I think I rather like being a stay-at-home Halloween mom.

Thanks for "liking" my blog posts!!