Author: Lenore Diane

I am married. We have two boys, two dogs, and two cats. I am on the Oxford Comma team. I look forward to my first large cup of coffee, black, every single morning, and I look forward to that second large cup of coffee, still black, every single afternoon.

F R I D A Y

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

.:: Forget Me Not
This week was Joe’s 2nd week of school. He has his routine down, and he has settled into his new classroom nicely. On the other hand, I had a blip this week.

While taking him to school on Monday, I realized I left his lunch at home. D’oh! No worries. I returned to the school, leaving Joe’s lunch with the gals at the front office. Later that day, while driving home from work, I realize, “ACK! I have to pick up Joe!”

Yes, on my way home from work, I drove straight home. I did not pass ‘Go’ and I did not collect my child. D’oh again! Fortunately, I realized the car was a little too quiet, and I missed the smiling “Mommy!” greeting I always receive when I pick up Joe. So, I quickly corrected my error, drove to the school, and got in the pick-up line behind all the ‘non-forgetful’ parents.

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Routines of the school year in full swing.
Staying busy now through Spring.

Time for breakfast, rise and shine.
Drop off, pick up, and get in line.

Remember what to bring with string.

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.:: Two Pounds!
So last week, I touted the fact that I lost two pounds. And, this week? Drum roll please . . . Two pounds!! Two pounds, Folks! I gained two pounds!

Apparently, you cannot celebrate a two pound weight loss by eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream two nights in a row, without gaining two pounds.

Oh well. Live, learn, and eat anyway.

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Weight, weight don’t tell me.
I want to lose thee.

But, when ice cream is near, I am weak.
And, my quest for willpower remains bleak.

I shall never be ice cream free.

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.::A Difference in Taste
First an aside: I absolutely love when Charlie asks us to turn on some music. Charlie doesn’t say ‘music’; Charlie says ‘muse-tik’. Rob and I love when he asks, “Can we here some muse-tik?”

Well, one afternoon, the boys were playing with Daddy and their friend, Joseph, in the basement. Joe asked Daddy to turn on some music, because he wanted Joseph to hear his favorite song. What is Joe’s favorite song? Corelli’s Christmas Concerto. Yes, you read that right. Joe’s favorite song is a classical music ‘song’. (When there are no lyrics is it still a song?)

I was upstairs in our bedroom, while the boys were listening to the music. I could hear Joe going on and on about how he loved it. He even asked Daddy to turn up the volume. Joe was trying to get Joseph involved by saying things like: “Don’t you like it Joseph?” “It’s a fast song.” “Oh! Here comes the best part!” And Joseph? Yeah, no. He was not interested. Joseph preferred playing with the air compressor to listening to classical music.

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Our boys love music;
Jamming to whatever they hear,
Classical through rock.

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.::Wonderful Words
And finally, the day after the Monday Meltdown, Joe said he made a surprise for me. I could only imagine the surprise Joe was going to make for a Mom that sent him to bed without supper the previous night.

Much to my surprise, Joe came running to me with a note that read, “you are the greatest mommy ever. love, joe.”

That works.

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The highs and lows.
The giggles and woes.

The ups and downs.
The smiles and frowns.

And so my love still grows.

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Whose Phase Is It Anyway?

~ Lenore Diane ~ 4 Comments

When I created the category ‘Phase 3 of X on my blog’, my intent was to focus on the phases experienced by Joe and Charlie. The boys have traveled through the infant phase and toddler phase, and now Joe has entered the Kindergarten phase. As a result, I wanted a place to write about the various cycles and developments. However, as the 2nd week of Kindergarten comes to a close, I can’t help but ask, “Whose phase is it anyway?”

Joe’s first day was uneventful. The days that followed his first day were equally uneventful; that is, the time he spent at a new school and in a new environment were uneventful. At home? Not so uneventful. And, this is the part where I step in and realize, I have entered a new phase; it is called the ‘My child is home with me more’ phase. Um. How long will this phase last?

Yeah, I’ve already written about having to adjust to working at home with a child in the house. But, what about not working at home with a child in the house? Though I am readily available for my boss and coworkers 8hrs a day Monday – Friday, I have a great deal of ‘free’ time to tackle chores and – frankly – do nothing.  And, when my kids were in day-care, they spent a full day in day-care (8am – 5pm). When I got the boys home, I’d have them in bed within 3hrs. So, aside from weekends, there wasn’t much time (or cause) for trouble and discipline.

Earlier this week, I went out to dinner with a friend of mine. She was laughing at me and teasing me about my cushy (time-wise) life of having the boys gone a full day, while I was home working a flexible job. And now – NOW I have a kid with me from 2:30 until bedtime. ACK! What?! I actually have to take care of my kid more than three hours a weekday? Seriously? I suppose you are going to tell me I have to interact with my child, too.

Thank goodness, at least for one more year, I don’t have to pick up my 2nd child until 5pm. I cannot imagine being home with both boys for for so many hours prior to bedtime. I mean, after I give my job 5hrs in a day, I have enough flexibility to do whatever I want with the remaining day (provided my boss can reach me). Just last month, I spent many hours watching and enjoying several movies in the afternoon before picking the boys up at daycare. Now how will I get through my queue of 314 movies on Netflix? Huh? And, they are just about to release the 2009 season of Dexter! When am I suppose to fit that in the schedule? Hmmm … is it wrong to have a 5yr old child watch a drama about a serial killer who only kills serial killers? At least Dexter is killing mean people, right?

And Oprah. This is Oprah’s last season! How am I going to watch O-o-0-o-oprah, when my kid is home with me?! Craziness people. Whose phase is this anyway? And, how long does it last?

Now if you’ll excuse me, my son has homework. We have to read a book together; rather he has to read the book, and I have to observe. You’d think the school would send home something more interesting like “Kiss Me If You Can” by Carly Phillips. But no, we have to read “Babe, the Big Hit” about an elephant in a circus, and I’m guessing there will be no romance. Maybe next week?

Kids, Music, Puppies and Watches

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Two weeks from tomorrow, I am volunteering in the call center during the Atlanta radio station WSB’s Care-A-Thon. The Care-A-Thon benefits the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. I have made monetary donations to the Aflac Cancer Center during the Care-A-Thon for the past 8yrs. This year, which is the 10th year of the Care-A-Thon I am thrilled to donate my time alongside the other volunteers.

Though neither one of our boys has experienced a life threatening illness, Rob and I have used other resources provided by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), including their outpatient centers, nurse advise line and CHOA’s emergency room at Egleston. We believe donating to CHOA is investing in an insurance plan, should our boys ever be diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The more money this not-for-profit organization has to spend, the greater the research, the more likely the breakthroughs, and the increased success in finding cures.

I hope you’ll consider donating to CHOA. If you don’t want to donate today, mark your calendar, and be sure to have your radio set to WSB AM 750 on Thursday morning August 26th starting at 5:00 AM. The Care-A-Thon lasts until Friday August 27th at 5:00 PM. Oh, and I’ll be helping with the phones from 5:00 AM – 9:00 AM on Thursday and 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM on Friday. Call me!!

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If you are local to Atlanta, you’ve probably heard about Eddie’s Attic, a music venue in Decatur, GA. In fact, if you are a music fan, you’ve probably heard of Eddie’s Attic. The music venue has had many famous acts perform on its stage, including The Indigo Girls, Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush, The Verve Pipe, Lowen & Navarro, Shawn Mullins, Kristen Hall, John Mayer, etc. You get my drift, I hope.

Recently, Five Star Iris performed on stage at Eddie’s Attic. And, as is common with Eddie’s performers, Alan Schaefer and Five Star Iris have shown their kind and giving heart. These guys are donating their live performance at Eddie’s Attic to Pick of the Litter, an animal rescue group. Make a donation to Pick of the Litter (any dollar amount) by clicking the ‘buy now’ button, and you will be given a link to download Five Star Iris ‘Live at Eddie’s Attic’ on the donation confirmation page.

Check out the second track on Five Star Iris’ live performance, “02 World Needs Now“.

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And now that you’ve helped to put a smile on a child’s face, as well as ensure some animals have a safe place to call home, buy a little something for yourself. Sporty watches are available through HopeWatch.org.

Oh, did I mention HopeWatch contributes a percentage of the purchase to various organizations? They do. When you select a watch, there is a drop down list of charitable organizations you may chose to receive a percentage of your purchase. Some of the charities included are CURE Childhood Cancer, United Way, and Golsen/Susan G. Komen for the cure 3-day.

So, while you listen to your music and keep track of the time of day, you’ll be reminded of how you helped the lives of others. And, I thank you for your support.