April Showers bring Spring Flower Bookmarks!

It's warm outside. Warm enough that we can go play wearing just a light jacket or sweater. In our backyard we noticed the daffodils starting to blossom. Spring is in the air! And so when Alexander asked to do a craft, we chose one to bookmark this fabulous weather! (Pun very much intended!) These adorable things are so easy to make and are a perfect gift for a parent, grandparent, teacher or sibling. Rebecca made them all the time when she was little. I am sure she will love the one Alexander made for her today!

To make your Spring Flower Bookmark you will need:

Some craft glue
Some Grosgrain ribbon
Foam flower pieces (available at any craft store)
Craft or fabric glue and scissors

Line the table with paper or an old towel
Cut off a desired amount of ribbon. At the top of the ribbon place a dab of glue, place large foam flower on the glue, press well. Repeat steps for smaller flower and circle. Set aside to dry for an hour or so.

To use as a bookmark place in book backside toward you, fold the ribbon over. (You can glue another flower on the other side so that there is not back or front to your flower.)

Disney De-briefing

I don't know how some people can go to a park like the Magic Kingdom for just a few hours and then relax poolside. We've tried to do that and failed miserably. There is just too much to do and see. The Magic Kingdom alone required 4 separate and long trips. Each child has his or her ride criteria as did Mom and Dad. Over the course of umpteen hours we hit (at the Magic Kingdom alone): The Buzz Lightyear Ride -- several times using Speed Pass as well as standing on excruciatingly long lines, The Laugh Floor (the new Monster's Inc. experience), The Goofy Roller coaster, a walk through Toon Town, Dumbo, The Winnie The Pooh Ride, Mickey's Philharmagic -- an interactive, 3D experience -- one of my all-time favorites, It's A Small World ride, Peter Pan's Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain, The Jungle Cruise, The Flying Carpets, The Blue Line Transit, lunch at the Crystal Palace. Some of these rides we hit a few times. We used our Fast Pass when we were able and waited on long lines when we had to. The weather was cool for Florida. The first few days the temperatures were in the upper 60s with overcast skies. Perfect for park-hopping not so perfect for getting a little color!

We went to Epcot on one of the cooler days and walked around the world! I love how you can just have a glass of wine or beer as you walk around. I didn't, however, but enjoyed a nice hot tea over in China. The flower show was in full bloom. We totally forgot to check out the butterfly exhibit and were unable to get on Soarin' my all-time favorite ride. By the time we got to the park, at 11:00, the next Fast Pass was not until 7:30 pm! I was not about to stand on line for an hour and a half either. At least not with a 3 year old. Next time we will plan accordingly. We did enjoy the Nemo ride as that was closed for maintenance last time we were at Epcot. There was a wonderful playground for the children so we stopped there too. The kids' favorite place, by far, was the Coca-Cola store where you can sample best-selling Coca-Cola products from around the world!

We also went to Hollywood Studios where was had a great lunch at the 50s Prime Time Diner. Loved the decor, waitresses and the food. We saw a show for the pre-school set featuring the characters from Handy Manny, The Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Honestly I was disappointed. The characters were puppets and our view (as well as everyone else's) was very obstructed. I hope they go back to the older format. Alexander enjoyed himself thoroughly and Christopher was bored to tears! We saw an interactive Little Mermaid show, a movie about the Life and Times of Walt Disney, played in the amazing Honey I shrunk the Kids playground and lastly got a chance to experience the new Toy Story Ride, also interactive and 3D. Amazing!

We decided not to go to Animal Kingdom despite my really wanting to go on the Safari, which is truly an amazing experience, because we were all exhausted from our long days and endless hours on our feet. We went, instead, to Typhoon Lagoon, one of Disney's water parks. It was by far our best day there! There was an enormous zero-grade pool which boasted, at the sound of a whistle, giant 6 foot waves! The kids delighted in it! We went on a family white water raft ride, a water roller coaster, several slides and even took some time to relax in our chairs on the sand. We chose the perfect day with bright sunshine and temperatures in the mid 80s. My favorite part of the day was my swim in the salt water tank with salt water fish, sharks and sting rays. it was a most amazing experience. I took pictures with a disposable underwater camera and will post pictures when they come back. That night we didn't hit the pool (nor did I hit the pool-side bar!) but we headed back to Downtown Disney for another amazing dinner at Wolfgang Puck's place.

Friday saw our last visit to The Magic Kingdom and our last swim at the pool. We didn't end our vacation without incident. Christopher had a run-in with one of the brass horses at the pool (see previous post for pictures) and ended up with a large gash over his eyebrow that needed immediate attention and a trip to the ER. Luckily Daddy was able to talk the Dr. at Celebration Hospital that he would be much better off with Dermabond in lieu of stitches. Luckily Daddy has much Dermabond experience. The trauma of stitches and needle in the forehead was spared. Christopher came home not too much worse for the wear, proud of his war wound which, thanks to Dermabond, will heal beautifully!

We miss the warm weather but it is awfully nice to be home! The kids are already planning their next Disney Adventure!

Home, Sweet Home!

The Mighty Hudson River... as we flew over it was near impossible to imagine Captain Sully landing his aircraft there...

I always breathe a sigh of relief when I see the Great City from my window. There is nothing like it. She is majestic and regal and to me she has always, and will always symbolize my arrival home even though I now live about an hour away.

Disney was wonderful. It was magical for the children and it was exhausting! We go and we play hard. It took three separate visits to the Magic Kingdom to be able to get in all the rides we had wanted to experience. We also visited Epcot, Hollywood Studios and by far the best day of all was spent at one of the water parks called Typhoon Lagoon. There I was able to swim with sharks and stingrays in a salt water pool. It was amazing! We went to Downtown Disney twice were we wandered around and shopped and both times ate at Wolfgang Pucks wonderful restaurant.

We stayed at the Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa in a two bedroom villa. It was spacious, comfortable and beautiful as we overlooked the famed and sprawling golf course. We stayed in the Grandstand section where we were able to use a side pool that also had a play area for kids with horses that shoot water and water sprinklers. It is designed to look like the starting gate at a race. Movies are shown pool-side 2 or 3 times a week. The main pool area was closed until our last day, put this pool was perfect! We took advantage of Disney's buy four nights get three nights free package. We also took advantage of their dining plan. This all allowed us to stay at a luxury resort and spend a lot less. It was a great value. If you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World in the near future you should absolutely look into these special deals. The park and the hotels were filled to capacity due to these deals and because of this we were unable to secure reservations at some of the places we wanted to, but Disney too is feeling the pinch of the economy and is doing what it can to attract visitors. This is really a great time to go.

Below is the pool area near us... it was smaller than the main pool area but had lots of fun for the children.

The main pool area opened the last day we were there. The small picture to the left represents a long and twisting water slide. You twist and turn through a long tunnel and end up in the main pool. Rebecca said it was as good as some of the slides in the water park! The pool had no stairs, just a zero-grade entry point or a smaller slide. Alexander loved the smaller slide. (Perhaps next year I will let him go on the larger one!)

While you plan your trip I will download my photos and post more about my trip!

Travel activities

Whether you are going away for Spring vacation or you have plans to do a lot of traveling this summer... Whether you will be away for a few nights or a few weeks... Whether you'll be travelling by car or plane... you'll need things to keep the kids entertained. In my day I played with my shoe laces. I made all sorts of shapes like bunny ears and formed letters of the alphabet with them. They were attached to my shoes and so I didn't have to worry about carrying them or losing them. OMG, I am SO kidding!!!!

Actually I loved traveling because it meant new things for me. My mom never shopped for me. I didn't need anything (according to her) and I had too much as it was (according to her). Presents came twice a year, at Christmas and for my Birthday. Luckily they are 6 months apart. My parents thought that anything else was simply frivolous. You'll not be the least bit shocked to hear that my mother thinks my kids have too much and they don't need anything. Well, this might actually be true!

We went to the South of France every June to visit my grandmother for the summer. These are some of the best memories of my youth. I loved to fly. My mother and I used to play hide and seek in the airports in the empty gates. Once we narrowly escaped missing our plane. These days such is unheard of. We'd be handcuffed by security officers and sent to Airport Jail!

Like my children, I had a little carry-on bag. It was filled with story books, coloring books, crayons --brand new Crayola crayons. Is there no better smell in the world? I would have some cards for Go Fish and Old Maid and Poker. Ok, not really for Poker! And those days, the airlines would hand out toys and airplane pins to wear that resembled the Pilot's. Before the airplanes got cramped overcrowded and really cheap.

I have items that my children haven't seen yet. I've packed them in their backpacks. They all have new note pads -- unlined and markers, Wikki stix, stickers, books, bubble gum for take-off and landing and an activity book. I packed small Magna Doodles, a dry erase board (so Alexander can practice his alphabet!) and a small Etch-a-Sketch. For Alexander I have a few cars and Buzz Lightyears in his suitcase. The older two have their Nintendo DSs. I don't foresee much downtime in the hotel, so this will be enough to hold them over for a couple of hours here and there. These items all work well on planes and cars. I'll pack stuff like this when we go to Maine this summer too. Plus some board games. And Rebecca's beads. She's all into jewelry-making these days.

What do you all travel with to keep the kids from getting restless?

A Disney Downer

I woke up the other morning and was plunking away at the keyboard writing and reading emails all pertaining to the school auction. A little ring diverted my attention to my arriving emails. I saw the following words... warm weather, parks filled to capacity, bring a collapsible cooler and ice packs... pool is closed at the hotel. I did a double-take. Say WHAT?!?!?! So immediate I called the now familiar numbers 1407-WDISNEY and declared to know what the hell was going on. "It's listed on our website ma'am." No it's not. I saw the list of closings of all the other pools and that is why we chose to stay at this particular hotel. Just a couple of days to go before departure and now I find out that I will be lounging in front of a closed pool? Unacceptable. Completely unacceptable. They tell me that there are other pools at the resort. Three other pools. I tell them I do not want another pool. I want the big one with a slide. I can hear myself whining. I can hear myself sounding more like a three year old than I want to and mean to. But I make no excuses and no apologies for the disappointment in my voice. A regular pool. That's not good enough I tell the person at the other end. I have regular pools here in Connecticut too. (I do not bother to tell her that here in Connecticut it is not warm enough to use a "regular" pool and I do not tell her that I per se do not have a "regular" pool.) What she doesn't know won't hurt her. I then go on to explain, in a calm, rational only semi-whiny voice, that we do not do Disney every year and that when we do go we really like to make it a special trip for the kids. We're spending big bucks on this trip. Despite the recession we've stopped at nothing. We're helping the economy. Instead of getting applauded for our efforts I am told that the parks and hotels are filled. To capacity. I asked to switch to another luxury resort. Disney, it seems is either recession-proof, or Disney Dollars are magical indeed. Whatever it is, there is No Room at the Disney Inn. I ask to speak to a manager. I am sure I sound more like a three year old asking to speak to her mommy. I thank Vivian for her help and say "I would like to speak to your superior, so that I do not have to yell at you!" She senses my good-natured joke and we share a little laugh before connecting me to Anita.

Anita explains that there is a clear mention of the pool's closing. I tell her there is not. I want to know why I was informed of all the other pool closings but not this one. I would like to try to find another resort I tell her. We need a 2BR villa. I am on vacation and I want to enjoy myself. She tells me she will look for me and will call me shortly.

A few hours later I come home and see there is no message on the machine. The red light is still, not flashing. My cell phone never rang with a 407 exchange. I was out at a meeting all morning and then at the park with the kids in the afternoon. Sensing I was given the shaft I called Disney back. I got no more help after being transferred around all over the place I secure a room somewhere between the main building with the restaurants and the side pool. I am told that yes, we do have a washer and dryer. I am told that we have reciprocity with the hotel across the way. We can take a boat launch and use their pool. It's better than nothing. And it is a damn nice pool. Not as convenient as having a pool in your back yard, but there's nothing at this point I can do. We will have a nice trip. We will make it fun no matter what. We are just like that. No use crying over spilt milk -- spilt wine, yes -- but not spilt milk!

A short while later I took Rebecca to ice skating. When we got back Daddy gave me the message that Anita had called. She searched high and low for us across all of DisneyWorld to find us another location. There simply was none. To help make our trip a more magical one she would give us passes to the water park. Daddy said she was lovely and felt terribly. It's not a pool in my back yard, but I have been dying to try out the water park there! So now, my biggest issue on hand is will it be Typhoon Lagoon, or Blizzard Beach?!

Thank you Anita, I think I will have a Magical Day after all!

Beyond Procrastination

Is there a word for that?

I should be packed. The kids should be packed. No one is packed. The kids have new clothes, so in essence I can just transfer them from shopping bag to suitcase. Easy enough. Tonight when Alexander was in the bathtub, I finally gathered together lotions and shampoos and Band-aids, sunscreen, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Motrin, Tylenol and Benadryl, etc... I gathered together some books and small toys for Alexander. And that's all I've done. I still need sweaters for the boys and sandals. If I can't get to Sears to pick up the Land's End sandals we've worn every summer so far they can make do with sneakers. Might just have to be that way. They've got flip-flops for the pool. All my summer stuff is all wrinkled in large plastic bins in the attic. An old pull-down attic.

I am so not looking forward to packing for myself. I am so not excited to try things on and be shocked and appalled by the flabby white ghost staring back at me. I hate packing. I went to Target this evening to pick up a few things. Arm bands for the pool for Alexander. Markers, notebooks, books, and magazines for the kids as well as myself. Sugar-free bubble gum for the kids for take-off and landing. Vanilla organic milk -- like they sell at Starbucks for that morning. Crap! Can't bring it on the plane. Well, I suppose they can drink it on the way to the airport. I got new underwear for the kids. Really cute underwear for the kids. Maddras underwear for Becca! Sunglasses (because I am guaranteed to lose a pair a day!) for me (So cute, btw, that I may permanently forgo my designer shades!) and for Rebecca and Alexander. So we're getting there. I may not have any clothes but at least my eyes will be protected and stylish! But I still have to pack which means going in to the attic...

And the house is a mess. The kids are off and I can not keep the place clean. And I haven't been home enough to even try to. I need a cleaning lady. Desperately. I'll work on that when I get back. I can't keep up with the laundry. I need a few items that are in the washing machine. Like my new jeans. Which are way too big. Ugh. I'm usually all packed and ready to go long before I am due to leave. I just can't get my act together this time. I foresee a few dreams in the very near future. And they involve me running through the airplane in a hurry, naked... but wearing some oh so adorable sunglasses!

Not so Juicy

I was talking to KK over at Pink, Green & Southern the other day via email. We learned, fairly recently, that we are neighbors living just a town apart from one another. Our busy plans have prevented us from getting together but plans are in the works for one day in the very near future... I emailed her because I have been going through Dressing Woes (for a couple of years now) with Rebecca. I wondered if she was experiencing the same as I was, as the Mother of a Tween. Is this a Tween thing, or a Girl thing? I also wondered.

I am fairly traditional when it comes to dressing my kids. I do not let them out of the house in "sweats" unless they are going out to the park, playground or off to play sports. I actually used to send them out to the playground in regular clothes but got frustrated when the green and brown stains wouldn't come out. Even in play clothes I expect my children to look tidy. I know that their friends often walk around looking like slobs but I do not approve. My children are a representation of me. I care what they look like. And I know others do notice. I have, over the years, been told over and over again how nice my children look. They are always dressed appropriately. It actually bothers me to see children (adults too) walking around in sweats. Messy hair also bothers me. And I am ridiculously all over my kids about their hair. I'm weirdo like that. So, while I am still paying for my children's clothes, they will dress as I see fit. My boys are not allowed to wear camouflage. I prefer collared shirts to T-shirts, though I will let them wear nice T-shirts for play.

My boys have no issues with any of this. I won't buy or make them wear anything they don't like. Perhaps boys are less fussy. Alexander's favorite color is pink. He has a great pair of pink khaki shorts and a slew of pink polos in a variety of shades. Christopher used to wear pink. He looks great in it. One day he was wearing a pink polo under a navy sweater and a pair of jeans. A little boy (that I never liked much!) made fun of his pink shirt. And that was the end of that. I was so saddened by it. I am hoping that one day he will go back to wearing pick... or that he'll believe me when I tell him the new pink shirt is really orange... So far it's not working!

It's nice that for the boys the styles are fairly preppy. Classic clothes are easy to find these days. I used to have to hunt around getting the best items for the children at Talbot's Kids. Sadly they are no more. While I love Crew Cuts their clothes run small, shrink and are pricey for every day boy play. I've been happy to find some nice stuff at Gap and Old Navy. The Ralph Lauren outlet provides the majority of their wardrobes and uniforms. It's not my boys I have issues with. It's Becca.

She's always had her own sense of style which was paired with my influence. As a young girl she would only wear dresses. A mother's dream. I kept her hair cropped with little bows on the side. When she was really young, in preschool, she would not be separated from her tutu. She wore it wherever we went. It was cute to watch her walk around with her little pink tulle tutu over her leggings or striped tights. Or when she would insist on dressing herself with her polka dotted jumpers worn over a striped shirt, paired with argyle tights there was something adorable about her mismatched attire. It revealed her personality and her little girl fashion sense.

And then she started to grow up. And the bows were tossed into drawers never to be worn again. The adorable dresses are now only worn for special occasions. I love her friends. She's found herself a good group. These girls are smart and kind and great students. But, truth be told, I'm not a fan of how they dress. They are 10 and dress, well, not as I see fit for a 10 year old. Abercrombie, Areopostale and Juicy are all the rage. I'm not a fan of these styles. I think they are too sloppy and too revealing for little girls. And they verge on gaudy -- some more so than others. But these are what her friends wear and so now this is what she wants.

We have lots of clothing battles here. Lots of tears because I am not nice and not fair.

So I let her have a couple of Abercrombie and Aeropostale shirts. But she cannot wear them wherever she wants. I won't buy her anything that says Juicy on it. Because I won't... on principle. And her body style is not one that wears these slim fitting things so well. I explain that instead of wearing what might look good on her friends, she needs to wear what looks good on her. She's starting to get that. I see a sparkle in her eye when she knows she looks good. A see a certain confidence.

I completely understand her wanting to be like her friends and wanting to fit in, but I think as her mother I still have the right to approve what she leaves the house in. Some tell me to leave her alone. However, by gently guiding her I do not think I am either squashing her sense of style or personality. She's only 10 and I know I am in for a few more years of this. If there were better options out there we would not be having these issues. Why are clothes so adorable for little girls but not for the older ones? Why, as soon as one enters a Size 10 or larger does everything seem So Hoochie Mama-ish? There are a few designers who are exempt from this, but even Ralph cuts his stuff so slenderly (Is that word? Well, it is now!) that even his little dresses hug their little bodies. I'm more partial to the Lilly shift style. And luckily Rebecca likes those too, but not daily! (My wallet can't handle it!)

I know that KK has these same issues with Miss Priss. I think I have it a bit easier as Rebecca's just 10. I know this battle will get harder over the next couple of years. I am prepared to fight! I just don't know what I will do when the abercrombie and sloppiness turn into Tory Burch and Lacoste? When I am telling her that she cannot dress like that until she gets a job... or wear the same size I do!!!

Arghhhhh! Where'd my Coffee Go?

I have two cups (mugs) of coffee every morning. The first cup I have is usually at 5:00 when I am awakened by Daddy's alarm clock so rudely sounding off. He seems to have no problem going back to sleep. I, on the other hand, cannot. And even though my eyes are heavy and half open I can not fall back asleep as hard as I try. I don't waste my time tossing and turning. I get up and make myself a cup of coffee. The coffee is already made. We set the coffee maker up the night before so that by morning it is brewed and hot to perfection. All I need is a mug, a little Equal, a little sugar and some milk. And my microwave. And my frother.


I pour about 1/4 cup of milk in to my mug and place it in the mug for 40 seconds so that it gets piping hot. I add my sugar mixture and my frother and I froth away. A few seconds later I have a nice stiff foam. I pour my coffee and I have not just a warm beverage but a decadent morning treat!



There is nothing I enjoy so much as my cappuccino and lounging in bed. Alexander always crawls in at some point in the middle of the night. Sometimes I am aware of his presence and sometimes I am not. He is always there in the morning when I wake up, slumbering peacefully next to me. I watch local news first, tune in to the weather and whatever else the stations deems newsworthy. At 6:00 I switch the channel to 68, my MSNBC station and tune in to Joe, Mika and Willie. (I have blogged about my love of all things Joe Scarborough in the past.) I can no longer watch the fluff of the Today Show. Those guys got nothin' on these guys. At some point Alexander wakes up and then I must succumb to whatever is on children's television. The choices, prior to 7 am aren't pretty. By 7:00 we can tune into Handy Manny and I pull out my laptop while Alexander learns the latest tricks of the tool-trade. He's happy and since I am still sipping away at my cappuccino, I am happy too.


And then I start to feel that I ought to get up and be productive. If there is school the kids need to be woken up and hustled. If there is no school there is still stuff to be done here. I will make myself one more cup and attack all that needs to be attacked. I walk around the house with my coffee in hand. Together we go to the laundry room, family room, office, kitchen, kids' rooms, their bathroom, my bedroom and my bathroom. And at some point on that lovely journey yesterday I lost my mug. I spent more time looking for it than it would have taken me to make another one! Eventually I gave up hope and stop. I knew at some point I would find it. I always do. And I did. Later in the evening I found the mug of coffee filled to capacity on the desk in Christoper's room!


Funny, I rarely, very rarely misplace my wine glass and I have been known to walk around the house with that too!

Bring the Springtime In!

It's hard to keep my oldest boy away from the television set. After playing outdoors for a good bit he came in, bored. So we brought out our craft stuff and decided to make a spring time picture, similar to what I have done with the children in the past. I sent the boys outside to look for sticks -- not too big or too small. I cut a piece of foam-filled poster board in half. Got the glue out, the paints, the bubble wrap and the tissue paper.

When the boys came back in we mixed some paint to form what would become the background of our picture. The boys then painted their bubble wrap, turned the painted bubble wrap over and applied it to the poster board. We repeated the steps a couple more times. When the poster board looked the way the boys wanted it to, they placed their sticks on their boards, then glued them on (using a good, strong craft glue). Then we cut tissue paper into squares that the boys crinkled up and glued (with Elmer's glue) onto the sticks to represent little buds.

If you do not have sticks, you can have your kids paint them on to a piece of painted poster board or colored construction paper. I have used yellow and pink tissue papers in the past and I love how real those colors look. I had just the green and the blue yesterday, but I love how the boys pictures turned out!

To do this you'll need:

Poster board, cut in half -- or colored construction paper
paints, any colors
paint brushes
bubble wrap
Glue, strong craft glue as well as Elmer's
Tissue paper, white or colored, cut into squares and crinkled

Top O the Mornin' to you too! But I do not like Green Beer and Ham...

Truth be told I hate St. Patty's Day. I think it stemmed from my youth and growing up in Manhattan and seeing and smelling all the drunken Irish fools tripping all over themselves after the parade had long ended. Those ruddy-nosed, beer-smelling obnoxiously drunk partiers spilled out into the city from the bars once The Parade was over. And I am not Irish. Not even a little bit. And I don't see why I would want to pretend to be one. And green is pretty, just not with my complexion. And green milk and green beer repulse me. The smell of cooked cabbage makes me want to hurl. Corned beef is too greasy. I'm English and Russian and Scottish. No Irish. Not a drop. I do not believe in Leprechauns. The idea of them terrifies me. The closest I ever came to being Irish were our Irish dogs. My grandmother and mother had them. They were Kerry Blue Terriers and they all donned Irish names... Ballyhoo, Tipperary, Shamrock, Limerick... they were wonderful dogs (except for Tipper with a nasty temper) and they were my best friends.

I feel badly for my kids that I am such a St. Patty's Debbie Downer. Obviously I was really scarred by those drunken idiots stumbling up and down Madison and Fifth Avenues...
My kids should have fun today. They would if they were in school. They should be at my friend Marie's House. But Marie is full-blown Irish. She's as Irish as they come. Beneath her Massachusetts accent I can hear the trappings of a brogue!

She makes St. Patty's Day fun. I am sure I would love the holiday if I had grown up with her. Despite the fact I am 0% Irish. She plays lots of fun tricks on her kids and she gets to blame it on the leprechauns! So these little leprechauns come and they move the furniture around, and they hide gold coins and they play all sorts of pranks. This year they'll even turn the toilet water green. How fun is that? My kids would love that! I can't wait to hear about all the tricks she has up her sleeve today!

Maybe I will celebrate after all. Maybe we'll head on over to McDonald's later on and get ourselves a Shamrock shake... One has to start somewhere!

Good Lord... Don't try on skinny jeans

when you are all bloated. In fact, stay away from shopping altogether when you are all bloated! How could I be so stupid and inflict such pain on myself!

I was in the Gap the other day doing a lot of damage. But I had this great 30% off your entire purchase coupon. So in essence I was saving a lot. A LOT. Over $200 worth! Adds up quickly when you need to shop for 3 kids! The kids need stuff for next week. And the stuff in there is adorable! Really adorable. (So adorable that I had to go back again today!) So while I was paying for my Mount Everest pile of clothes I noticed that the sales person was wearing a really cute blouse. Really cute. Like JCrew cute. I commented on it and told her how much I liked it. She told me she got it at Old Navy. Old Navy?! And, she told me, my Big Coupon, was also effective over there. Wowsa! I hit the jackpot! I thanked my salesperson for my purchase and the great blouse tip!

I marched on into ON and immediately spotted the shirt. I grabbed it off the shelf. So cute! I thought to myself. I found some light summery skirts that would be perfect for Disney. Then I went downstairs and found more stuff for the kids. More madras. More pretty little sundresses for Rebecca. On my way back up I picked up a couple of Tshirts for myself.

I paid for my purchases and put them in the closet. This morning I tried everything on. OMG it was dreadful. The lot of it. The Tshirts (perhaps I am no longer a small?!) made my bazoombas stick out all the way to Idaho and cut my upper arm off in such a weird manner that my limbs looked like tree trunks... soft tree trunks! Ugh... The skirts were Okay... just Okay... the beautiful floral JCrew-like shirt was hideous. HID. EE. Ous. Ugh. What looked like JCrew on her looked like Wal*Mart sale rack on me. And pockets on boobs don't work. At all. And the shoulders looked like a throwback to the 80s with room for some serious shoulder pads. How could something look so gorgeous on one person and so God-forsaken hideous on someone else?

Back at Old Navy I made my returns and picked up some cute white slip on tennies for the boys. Plain white but for one thin green stripe on the bottom, side. Nice and classic looking. Priced perfectly!

Next door at the Gap I returned a drop-waisted black skirt I had been eyeing for over a month. made my hips stick out to Texas. No, let me rephrase that, made my hips look larger than Texas. I should have kept that shirt to wear with shoulder pads after all. And I returned my Long and Lean jeans. I am pretty sure that someone was playing a prank on me. I am still waiting for Howie Mandell to jump out of my closet to tell me that he did it. He must have sewed the Long and Lean jean tag in a pair of Short and Squat. OMG I looked like a squash. Not a zucchini. Not a summer squash. Something rounder. Butternut? Pumkin? Which brings me to the fact that I had no right to be trying on jeans on a day like today in the first place.

And who the hell sizes these things? I tried on about 10 pairs of jeans in the store. No two were the same. Some 6s were so huge I could walk right out of them. Others I could not pull over my derriere. Not even a little. And then there was a perfect pair of jeans. They fit. They looked good. They made me look good. My hips were not as large as Texas. My derriere did not look as though it belonged in another zip code. It looked cute! I'll take em! And as I got the jeans off I happened to see the size. They were a size 4. I have locked all my closets. In case Howie Mandell is hiding in one. In case he has the size 6 tag in his hand. I'll never have to know.

But really. Don't you ever do something so stupid as go jean shopping when you are bloated!

Blond Ambition

Be careful. If you are blond and cut your hair. Especially when a 3 year old is watching you trim your bangs. What could result is this:

Note to self: Do not let 3 year old see where you put your hair cutting scissors!

I didn't realize how long his hair had gotten! It's a good thing he has a lot of it. You can barely tell that he even cut it! It's also a good thing the kids all had hair cuts today. Alexander looks adorable. (Same bowl cut... less mess, more cute!) Christopher is anti-haircut these days. So we settled on a bang trim. He's going for the Bjorn Borg look I think. And the best hair cut of the day was Rebecca's with about 6 inches off!

Mommy's Juice Box

(Mommy's Juice Box!)

it's not like me to go so many days without blogging. i've been meaning to. i've been intending to. i've just been much too busy. i had a doctor's appointment on tuesday morning. my new year's resolution was to start taking care of myself. that means going to all the doctors and dentists i keep putting off. i started off on the right foot but then moments before my annual i cancelled. fear of the scale. isn't that stupid? i rescheduled and this time i was a good girl and kept my appointment. i went! i told some friends that morning i was actually looking forward to it. a chance to lie down for a moment! who wouldn't welcome that? my doctor didn't bat an eyelash when i mentioned my weight concern. i fluctuate is what she told me. "but my jeans don't fit!" i told her. her reply, "that happens." what the heck kind of reply is that? i have three sizes of jeans in my closet. 2, 4, and 6. two of those sizes are collecting dust. i might as well give the smallest ones away. or pass them on to rebecca. cause i ain't ever going back in them. muffin tops are good to eat. better than the muffin itself. but not cute to look at. and what is it about birthing children that cause many women to muffin top over? rolls are cute on sharpeis or little babies. i hold out hope i will get in to my 4s again one day in the near future... as soon as i put this cookie down! meantime i am really not complaining about the numbers on the scale or the fact that some of my clothes have shrunk, ahhh aging, fun times! so i am healthy. like a horse. great. cause i eat like one too.

after i hopped off the table and took off my fine white paper robe and got back into my clothes i headed to greenwich avenue to peruse the shops... (remember what happened to me there last summer!?) all that wonderful eye candy... Saks, JCrew, Tiffany & Co., Restoration Hardware, Lilly Pulitzer... where there happened to be a parking spot. so i went in... right to the back where the children's stuff is. past the temptation. i found an adorable shift for rebecca.

they tried to sell me the store but i had to pas. the economy's in the crapper and i need to watch myself... and i have three children to outfit for Florida. none of their clothes fit. none of mine do either... but that's beside the point... why do i keep going back to that? anyhow... i marched right out of the store and right into my car. upon checking the car i realized i was late! i had to get to alexander in 15 minutes and he was half an hour away! but becca's dress was just too cute. and alexander would be fine...

as i drove down the avenue i was rather surprised at the closed and empty spaces. a far cry from the bustling street it was just last summer. a far cry from the sprawling gated estates covered in ivy and built in stone with acres and acres of land and more cars in their driveways than the greengrocer's parking lot... with garages larger than most people's homes... were these people feeling it too? were their 5 million dollar losses just a drop in the bucket? did they have to lay off some of their staff? did they know Bernie Madoff? were they trading in their Best & Co. outfits for those from The Children's Place? i could not help but wonder... as i drove along with the windows cranked ever so slightly listening to the Billy Joel that was blaring on the radio.

alexander had his Frida Kahlo Mexican lunch on tuesday. the food was mediocre. but he had a blast. rebecca and I participated in scrap booking party with a couple of the girls and mothers in her class. one of the girls won it in the school auction. last year's. yes, the same one i'm currently slaving over. ugh. but it was a blast. i vow never to scrapbook again because scrap booking completely sucks you in. and i get sucked in like that. look at me here. it's part of my addictive personality. and tonight rebecca had a cooking party. another friend won that at school. last year. they made pizzas and strawberry-banana smoothies and lemon italian ices. glad that she has all these friends. means i won't have to bid on anything ;) and this morning she had to give a live report of her biography. she spoke about sasha cohen, the ice skater, in the first person, and she ROCKED. i was so proud of her. (parents were invited and encourage to attend.) i love how our school trains them for public speaking so young. (starting in the second grade.) and when it was over it gave me enough time to run out and use my 30% off coupon at Old Navy and Gap. and wow, did that ever come in handy. i find that those stores are often hit or miss. but today i hit the jackpot! dotted swiss dresses, madras shorts, madras dresses, and swim trunks, seersucker shorts, brightly colored polo shirts, aqua colored chuck taylors, and bright colored flip flops... i saved about $200. and the coupon is good through sunday. of course i am pretty sure i maxed out my gap card!

and i have been cleaning, on my cleaning rampage... i managed to organize the armoire the other day. it looks great. it's the playroom that is a disaster now. alexander took everything up there, where it all belonged, at left it there, in the middle of the floor. i'll get to that tomorrow. i still have so much more to do. closets... in every room... and why is it that when you clean you actually make a bigger mess than what you had to begin with? tomorrow i have 3 friends who are helping me with the auction coming over in the morning. for coffee. and banana bread with chocolate chips. and one with cinnamon strudel. and tea, but i have no tea kettle! it'll be a working meeting. we hope to actually accomplish something. and on saturday i will be kicking the kids out. a couple of college friends are coming over for lunch. haven't seen them in ages. so i am frantically making sure my house is shiny for my company, and cooking, and planning meals. there hasn't been much time for me. but i like being busy... i really dislike being bored... good thing there's not much chance of that over the next few weeks! and now it's time to enjoy a little Mommy Juice Box!

Matisse Meets Lily Pulitzer

I really have no idea what's gotten into me, and honestly if I didn't know better I would wonder... wonder if maybe my sudden urge to clean and declutter, my sudden insatiable hunger and expanding midsection might indicate the arrival of... but I am 200% certain that the symptoms are just a coincidence! (Thank God... I have two hands which is nowhere near enough to handle my three kids!)

Alexander and I were in the kitchen this morning. He's dying to learn how to read. Before he learns how to read he needs to recognize his letters, upper and lower cases. So we were working on some alphabet activities that I had printed out from Starfall and after about 20 minutes of tracing and coloring As and apples he had had enough. He wanted to do some crafts, with glue. Anything as long as it is with glue. So I thought it would be fun to do a collage. In the spirit and the vein of Matisse. I asked him what colors he wanted as I pulled out the craft papers. "Pink. And pink and white. And green." So I pulled out the colors he requested and he selected the dark pink sheet as his background. Together we went to town tearing bits of paper. As I searched high and low for the glue (I found one empty bottle) making an insane mess as I did, I came across the Mod Podge which is my most favorite crafting glue ever. It works like glue but it adds a shine to the finished product. I found a plastic paint plate and a paint brush and Alexander immediately went to work "painting" the glue on to the paper and sticking the pieces of paper over the paint and painting over the glued-on paper. Alexander was having so much fun I decided to join him and created my own "Matisse." I love the end result. In fact, I am going to frame them and hang them in Rebecca's room.

Alexander's:
Mine:

Whose do you like better?! ;)


When we were done Alexander wanted to paint. So I took out the watercolors and while he painted I cleaned out my art basket -- a huge wicker basket that sits under my desk. I tossed old markers, broken crayons, dried up glue, broken brushes, unfinished masterpieces long ago abandoned by my artistes. I removed all the Play Doh and Play Doh accessories and put them in the office, in an empty cabinet. I tossed out dried out and empty paint containers, unfinished craft products, beads and broken googly eyes. I organized my pens and markers and papers and paintbrushes and all my crafting tools.

Matisse certainly worked in many mediums and had a broad range of styles and phases. But the simplest of all seemed perfect for my 3 year old. I will try more complicated things with the older two, or I may not. There is something beautiful with his simplicity.

It was a productive day indeed... I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Meantime if you want unleash your inner Matisse here are a couple of great kid-friendly sites to visit:

Meet Matisse

Matisse for Kids

In school Alexander is learning about Frida Kahlo and on Wednesday we are going (his preschool class and the 7th grade Spanish class) to have lunch at a Mexican restaurant and talk more about Frida. I will report back about that on Wednesday.

I'm going to sign off and clean out the armoire now!

(For more of my crafty ideas check out the crafts under the Labels section and visit my abandoned site http://entertainingmom.wordpress.com/craftymom/)

a clean start...

I had a very productive weekend. Although the weather was simply gorgeous we were stuck near home as Daddy had to do all the taxes and Rebecca was a) grounded (see searching for answers post) and b) a big biography project to do. This is her third big project in less than 2 months. I would have thought she would have learned, but she seems to like to save everything until the last possible moment... Gee, I wonder where she gets that from! She spent most of today trying to summarize the book she read into a 10 minute speech. I gave her some inex cards to work with which seemed futile in her desire to write another novel. Editing is a process to be learned and it's hard to teach a 4th grader what's really important and what's not. It's a hard skill and an important skill. Eventually she got it...

But I couldn't venture too far in case she needed me. That left me with only one option. To clean my house from top to bottom. Not vacuum and wipe down counters but empty out cupboards and cabinets and pantries and toss out what needed tossing and organize what needed organizing. And then I dared to do it. I tackled the fridge. But this is not Just Any Fridge. This is one Big Ass Sub-Zero that's about twice my height. But it had to be done. And this was the perfect time since it was empty, in dire needs of groceries. I started from the top shelf and worked my way down. I was pleasantly surprised to see a Coke Zero tucked away, way, way back on the top shelf. I tossed half empty containers and bottles whose expiration dates should have placed them in a museum. (I placed all the glass jars in the dish washer for future use -- centerpieces with spring flowers, containers for herb gardens, even fun drinking glasses.) I tossed veggies, and cheese and yogurt... I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until the shelves and walls and doors and drawers shone. I did the same to the freezer. It took an awfully long time, but it looked great and it felt great. I opened the windows and let the warm breezes drift through. There could be no better time for a Spring Clean!

After Christopher's soccer game this morning we all headed to the grocery store. I came home with bags and bags and bags filled with all sorts of items -- milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese, apples, grapes, strawberries -- 3 containers of them! -- lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, olives, garlic, lemons, scallions, onions, chicken, sausages, lean ground beef, sliced chicken and cheese from the deli, pickles, water, dish washing detergent, sponges, SOS pads, paper towels, toothpaste for the kids, shampoo for Rebecca (Garnier Fructis) and Daddy (Neutrogena free and clear), orange juice, push-up-pops, sugar, salt, feta cheese, Greek yogurt, sour cream, juice boxes, Coke Zero, Diet Dr. Pepper, Salsa, whole wheat bread (for pb&j), rye bread, onion rolls, poppy rolls, English muffins, cereal, olives, marshmallows, a pack of Snoopy Band-aids, solution for my Swiffer refill...
And while I was putting all the food away and organizing it all I decided to stick a can of Coke Zero in the freezer to have a short while later. There is nothing better than an ice cold-almost frozen Coke Zero. I couldn't wait! And then as the kids were outside playing and collecting sticks and branches now visible because the snow has all melted away, I set out to clean my car -- my embarrassingly dirty car. I pulled the car out of the garage bay and carried up the great big shop vac and started cleaning away. What it needs is a really thorough scrubbing (detailing) at the car wash, but this would do and was a vast improvement. While I was doing this Daddy was burning all the sticks -- I let Rebecca out for this! -- and the kids were roasting marshmallows. And what fun they had!

Before I could finish the car the rains started down and we all headed indoors. That's when I decided it would be the perfect time to have my Coke Zero. And then CATASTROPHE! All over the inside of my newly-cleaned freezer... arghhhhh!!!!! And what a mess it made... and I had to chip all the frozen remnants off the shelves and what a mess the the frozen soda once melted made on the also newly cleaned floor!

(the photo is dark but the soda went everywhere!)

WTH?????

I swear to God I did not do this!

This would be Daddy's humor... "Woody's getting ready for our arrival at Disney!"

searching for some answers

(Warning: This is a long one!)

This parenting thing is getting harder. I thought the worst was behind me... the sleepless nights, hourly wakings and feedings, colic, tantrums, potty training... but that's nothing in the grand scheme of parenting. As the kids get older I'm less physical (which is both good and bad) as I am not constantly up and down, chasing, making sure that my toddlers are safe from harm and safe from themselves. So in that sense my life is 100% easier. But there were fewer activities and fewer play dates. And there were naps. Nice naps smack in the middle of the day. And I could count on a good 2 hour (give or take) break. My kids are more independent and I do not need to entertain them non-stop. This too is good. But in lieu of endless games of Chutes and Ladders, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Hi Ho Cherry-O, Elephun and all those yawn, er fun games, I am spending my days in my car. My decked out minivan to be honest.

I hate schlepping and chauffeuring and even after 3 years I hate my minivan. Well, actually I love it. But I want to hate it. I love that Toyota did the best they could (and better than anyone else out there) to make my bus seem less like a bus and more like a luxury vehicle. I love the leather and wood and chrome trim. I love my fancy dashboard and my built in navigation and my fantastic 4 disk CD player and the back-up camera and the sonar and the DVD player. I really love the DVD player. And if I could just keep my eyes ahead of me I would actually think I was driving a car. There's no difference between my van and our Lexus, except for the entertainment systems, sonar and back up camera.

So sometimes I pretend I am in the nice car. But the kids are still back there as are their messes. And sometimes I actually attempt to schlep them around in the Lexus. And then I wonder what the hell got into me to to even attempt such a cockamamie, stupid, idiotic thing. There is no third row in that car. And the three kids are squished in the back like sardines. And my kids, these days, are very good at pretending to hate each other, and no where is this more evident than in the back of a car that is just not meant to be a family car. So back in to the garage the car goes and stays until I turn stupid again.

So the van is nice and convenient and does and has everything a van is supposed to do. And I love it. I love that there is room for my kids and friends and backpacks and groceries and sports equipment. I hate that there is all this room. I don't want to schlep my kids and their friends and their sports equipment and their groceries. Like yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that. And the day before that. And so on and so on and so on.

I have been spending my life in my car. I took the kids to school at 8:30 yesterday. I left school at 10:00 (had school auction meetings) and was back at 11:30 to get Alexander. And then back again at 2:30 for yet another meeting. And even though the kids got out at 3:30 Christopher went home with a friend and I had completely forgotten about Rebecca's jewelry-making class, so we waited and waited and waited some more, Alexander and I, for Rebecca to be done so we could go home. And finally we went home. We had a half an hour and Rebecca needed to clean her room, put her laundry away, change and pack up for a sleepover. And of course Alexander is tired and decides to nap at 4:30 which is a recipe for disaster. At 5:00 we leave the house. As I am pulling out of the driveway I ask Rebecca if she's done all that she was supposed to have done. She hadn't I was fuming mad. I have been after her since Monday, to tidy and put her laundry away. I restrain every bit of my being so I do not jump over the seat and throttle her. I have a few choice words... including lazy and spoiled.

I do not feel badly for yelling. I am was and am very disappointed with her. I do not ask much, but what I ask of my children I expect them to do. I told Rebecca she would not be able to go on her sleepover. She screamed and screamed and screamed some more. From the van, equipped with Bluetooth, I called the parents involved and explained that Rebecca would not be going to the sports dinner at school with her friends, nor the sleepover. I explained to the parents that Rebecca had certain obligations and she did not do them. As I sat in traffic on the Merrit Parkway on my way to pick up Christopher, Rebecca continued her wailing... I am the worst mother, the meanest, blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. I was not hurt or offended by her words. I was fed up. Fed up with doing everything for her and fed up with her for not keeping up with her end of the bargain.

Finally we get to Christopher. I went into the gym and let Rebecca and Alexander (who managed to stay asleep through the entire tirade) stay in the car. There my friend Mindee tries to convince me to let Rebecca go. I held firm. She went out to the car to talk to Rebecca, who I am sure was furious with me for this too. Mindee came back in and tried to convince me to let Rebecca go to the sleepover but maybe miss the sports banquet so that she can go home and clean her mess. But this is no better a solution because I am flying solo and do not want to gather the troops again and drive them to the sleepover sometime after 7:30 pm in a town 20 minutes away. I'm sick of driving. It's been a long day. We're still a half hour away from home. There is no place I would rather be right then.

Once everyone is back in the car I disconnect the Bluetooth, call Mindee back and tell her that I would drop Rebecca off at school. She's happy that I am giving Rebecca a second chance. I'll feel better... it's the right thing to do, she tells me. We'll meet up with her husband there. I'll give him the slumber bag and he can take my kid into the sports dinner. I do not tell Rebecca of this plan until we pull into the school parking lot. I'm done. I'm tired. I'm toast. I do not feel good about my decision to let her go. I tell her this and tell her that never ever again will she get a second chance. I go on and on about how I do all this stuff for her and she does nothing for me. This is a perfect example. The boys are hungry. The older one is tired. And here we are in the school parking lot, I explain, for her... once again. I go on and on about how everything revolves around her and that it is not convenient for anyone else and that godforbid she has to go to one of her brother's activities it's not fair and the world has ended....yadda yadda yadda... I couldn't stop. I was still angry. I let her go but I did not feel good about it. I didn't feel like the good mother who saved the day. I felt like crap. Honestly, I would have felt better had I not let her go. After waiting (for her) for half an hour with two whiny boys I took off and went home. But there was still dinner to make and a little one who would be up for hours. I was exhausted. Spent. Bone tired. Brain tired. These days do not get any easier... that's for sure. I wish I had some answers... I feel as though sometimes it goes all wrong. And sometimes doing the right thing isn't the right thing at all.

the book club

It was my turn to host book club last night. We read The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. The author talks about being caught in that "middle place" -- being both someone's mother and yet still being someone's child. We fell in love with the characters. We fell in love with Greenie.


For once I was ready before everyone arrived. I lit the candles on the mantel and in the fireplace, picked up the book I am currently reading and settled in on the couch. (I think it's time to give the mantel a seasonal makeover!)

We were a small group last night. Just four. Everyone arrived within minutes and we poured ourselves some wine -- red, Merlot -- and settled down in the living room snacking and talking, snacking and talking. We picked at marinated olives, cashews, and sea salt crisps with a cilantro and green onion yogurt dip. We ate and talked and ate and talked some more. And drank our wine.

Our group started over 6 years ago. We all brought forth one member, so that everyone knew someone, but yet no one knew everyone. Over the years our group swelled and dwindled, swelled and dwindled. We attempted to bring in new members and some lasted and some didn't make it to the next meeting. We fell apart a couple of years ago due to arriving babies and new careers and life. A few of us tried other groups but it wasn't the same. The energy and camaraderie were just not there. A few months ago the core 4 of us decided we should try to reestablish our group. We met up at my house last summer with two new members whose personalities meshed perfectly with ours. We knew it would work this time. And it has. And I really look forward to my evenings with these ladies. We have not known each other all that long and yet it seems, when we are together, that our friendship is decades-old. We click. We work and I love my girls!

We range in age from 37 to 49. We grew up in different parts of the country -- New York, California, Minnesota, Massachusetts. We belong to different social circles. Our children go to different schools. A few of our children go to the same pediatric group. While outside our group we do not have much in common, we never run out of things to say. And we can go on and on for hours and hours and hours barely coming up for air -- just enough to have a sip of wine or a bite to eat. Such was the case last night.

We talked about pediatricians -- the ones we like and the ones we don't, and why we liked or didn't like them. We talked about childhood illnesses and the rotten, rough winter it has been. We talked about blood types and diets and cancer and we talked about menopause and pregnancy and loss of pregnancy and our children and our parents and our mothers and our relationships with them and our relationships with our children. We talked about doctors, physicians and gynecologists and mammograms. We talked about aging and all that accompanies it and weight gain and illness. We talked about college and life in our twenties. We talked about Alzheimer's and ADD and OCD. We talked about our spouses. We talked about marriage. We talked about our children growing up. We talked about our homes and real estate.

At some point we got up and went in to the dining room where we dined on arugula salad with Parmesan, grape tomatoes and a lemon vinaigrette and a baked macaroni and cheese that I made using Gruyere, cheddar and goat cheeses. (Unfortunately I didn't leave it in the oven quite long enough... it should have been gooey-er and crispier. I am slightly embarrassed that it was not perfect.)

And then we had dessert. We had a chocolate chip cookie exchange. The only rule was that the baked goods had to contain chocolate chips. The desserts were fabulous and as soon as I have all of the recipes I will post them on the food blog. The Dinner menu is on the food blog.

Once the Pellegrino and wine were gone and our watches told us that it was much too late we said goodnight and I sent the girls and their cookies on their way. We chose our next book, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, a story of a Harvard professor with early onset Alzheimer's. The book was highly recommended and so far, I am enjoying it tremendously. I decided to read it because I was promised that the book ended on a positive, upbeat note. In all of our chatter, most completely relevant to The Middle Place, we forgot completely to even talk about the book!

Not so much family love

There was no cuddling by the fire yesterday as I promised. Instead we hung (that should read Daddy hung) 2 sets of our new silk duponi drapes in the living room. Two sets down and four sets to go! It only took 8 months. Well, actually it took 4 hours. Yep. Daddy measured and remeasured and measured and remeasured some more. The numbers didn't add up. Our house is crooked or slipping or sinking. We're sure of it. I've never seen anyone spend so much time hanging a set of drapes. But I've come to expect it. Don takes a long time to do everything. He won't let me hang the curtains. Won't let me drill into the new walls. Smart of him actually. Our home might closely resemble Woody Woodpecker's if he put the drill in my hands. So I watched or helped and shut up (when I wasn't poking fun at him) and did what I was told. I even managed to get him to hang 2 pictures up too. Yahoo! Love the kids, but this was so worth the sacrificing the kid-love-family-bonding!

It's all still a work in progress... will keep you all updated on the changes as they (slowly) come!

It's late... I'm tired... my book club met here tonight. Four of us went through 2 bottles of Merlot and 2 bottles of Pellegrino. I'll post more in the morrow....