Category: Junk Drawer

Mother’s day to clean

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Dear Blogary,

Though I am writing to you at the end of the day, today is Mother’s day. As I write, I am waiting for the men in my life to return home. Rob and the boys went to church this morning. After church, Rob and the boys went to Rob’s Mom’s house for the day. I skipped all of it. *happy dance! happy dance!*

I stumbled out of bed around 7 a.m. this morning. Before I could make it out of the bedroom, Joe came running to me, wishing me a good morning. Then, he and I went and parked our butts on the couch and watched ‘Martha Speaks’ on PBS. Joe sat with me, drinking his soymilk, while I drank my coffee.

Rob greeted us with his coffee, and he quickly wished me a ‘Happy Mother’s Day’. Joe smiled, mumbling he forgot it was Mother’s day. Within five minutes, Charlie meandered out of his room and joined us on the couch. Then Joe sat up and said, “Give me one second, Mommy.” He stood up and walked to the TV cabinet, pulling something out from behind the cabinet. Then he came back to me, handing me an envelope. I opened the envelope, finding my Mother’s Day card from the boys.

While eating breakfast on Saturday, Joe mentioned he had something for me. He said he hid it in the living room, and I couldn’t go look for it. He also said he hid something in the kitchen/dinning room, and I had better not go looking for it, either. Blogary, I got such a kick out of the fact that Joe hid his presents for me. What a cute kid. And, might I add, I love things like that – hiding gifts, cards, etc. Oh, and Joe went to retrieve the gift he hid in the kitchen, too. It was some hardened play-doh he made into a face. Charlie quickly got up and went to his room, returning with three hardened play-doh creations. Blogary, I love my boys. And, I love Rob, who also gave me a nice Mother’s day card; though, Rob did not give me any hardened play-doh. *sigh* Maybe next year.

The boys and I spent the rest of the morning eating breakfast together and getting ready for church. Once again, I played hooky from church, staying home to clean house.

That’s right, Blogary. I spent this Mother’s Day cleaning house. And, let me tell you – this was one of the best Mother’s Day ever. I vacuumed, dusted, cleaned the bathrooms, changed the sheets on the beds, changed the towels in the bathrooms, rearranged the living room (Blogary, I love rearranging furniture) and did countless loads of laundry. Laundry. Gracious, I did loads (literally) of laundry. I started the first load around 8:45 a.m., and as I type I have a load of laundry still drying in the dryer. It is 7:35 p.m.

Around 4:30 p.m., after having enjoyed a long shower (Blogary, I shaved, too!), I sat down to watch a movie and enjoy some seriously good junk food. And now, I write to you, while Pandora plays in the background. I am waiting for the boys to return home. I am surprised they aren’t home yet – but I do expect them at any minute now.

Blogary, I’m not sure how other Moms spent their day. I suspect many Moms spent the day with their family. I don’t know what it says about me, when I had a super day – at home – alone – doing household chores. Still, I look forward to seeing my boys when they get home; and, I look forward to spending the rest of the night with Rob. And, when I go to bed tonight, I will say a prayer of thanks for the love in my life. I will give thanks for the fact that my boys let me enjoy Mother’s day the way I wanted to enjoy it. Here’s to all the Moms of the world. I hope you had a super day, too. ACK! I hear the garage door opening. The boys are home! Woo hoo! Gotta go!

Love,
Me

P.S. Before Joe went to sleep, he said, “Mommy, I want to give you one more present for Mother’s Day.” Then he gave me an around-the-neck hug. Blogary, around-the-neck hugs are the BEST hugs. This is another addition to my list of thanks tonight.

Friday Fickle

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

“Mom?” I hear through the locked bathroom door. I am in the shower, so I can barely make out what is being said. “Guys. I am in the shower, and I can’t hear you. Can’t you wait until I am done?” I yell in return. Ignoring my plea, Joe shouts, “Do I have to wear underwear today?” And so begins another morning . . .

***

Mother’s Day is this weekend. And, I will be spending Mother’s Day weekend heading to my Mom’s house on Saturday, tackling various chores around her house. Then, heading to my Mother-in-law’s house on Sunday, visiting with her, with the possibility of tackling chores around her house, too.

I watched The Middle this week, which is a comedy about a family of five. The episode surrounded Mother’s Day, and the Mom made the comment that Father’s Day is so successful because a Mom is in charge of it. Some Father’s don’t seem to grasp the concept of Mother’s Day, and/or they need the help of the Mom to pull it off successfully. That’s OK. Moms deserve to feel appreciated and loved more than one day a year, as do Dads. I must admit, the kids and Rob do a fine job of providing me with love and support. And, I don’t have a problem asking for a time-out when I need one. Sometimes, the guys even encourage it! (Go figure!)

***

So, it’s officially official. Joe was accepted into the Montessori school for Kindergarten. Rob and I met with the Director of the Montessori school this week. She reviewed Joe’s test and scores with us. And, she showed us a couple of projects he completed. In addition, she let us know how he responded to the following question:

“Joe, what is one thing you remember learning from Ms. Suzann [his day care provider]?” “Well,” Joe responds. “You should never say you don’t like God.”

Did I mention the Montessori school is a Christian school? Looks like Joe is getting a head start on the art of kissing up to the teacher. Good boy.

***

Not too long ago, the makers of the Baby Einstein videos were in the news. Apparently, parents were complaining because their kids weren’t becoming the geniuses the products claimed to create. Studies were done by – well, the folks that do studies. The conclusion was that kids who watched the videos did not speak or read any earlier than those that did not watch the videos.

Shocking, right? Kids do not become geniuses by watching videos. Who knew?

Though I make no claim that either Joe or Charlie are geniuses, I do claim that both Joe and Charlie know instruments because of Baby Einstein’s ‘Baby Meet the Orchestra’. We watched (and still watch) ‘Baby Meet the Orchestra’ frequently. Once, while driving in the car and listening to John Denver [hush], Joe said “Hey! I hear a French horn.” He was correct. And, to this day, both he and Charlie will request “the French horn song.”

Earlier this week, we drove by two water towers, similar to the one pictured. Joe said, “Look! That looks like a timpani.”

Is Joe a genius? I doubt it. But, I assure you, we didn’t teach him about the sound of  French horn or the Timpani drum. His musical knowledge (and strong interest) comes from Baby Einstein.

***

Facebook is a funny social network. Really. We’ve all seen the skits mocking Facebook, where some ‘stranger’ comes to your front door, barges in your house, hugs you and goes on and on about the good ol’days. ‘Friend requests’ pop up left and right. Friend requests are ignored, and friend requests are accepted. Names are entered in the ‘Search’ box on the off chance one might find a ghost of his/her past.

Well, after several failed attempts at searches, I finally found a long lost friend by snooping through friends of my sister’s friend’s friends. Seriously, there are several qualities about Facebook that make it a stalking network. Hello. My name is Lenore Diane, and I am a stalker. I think I have admitted that fact in previous posts.

This friend and I were in a movie back in 1979. When the movie was released in the United States the name was The Visitor. But, as I have since found, the movie was a foreign film with the name Stridulum. It’s a cult classic. Sadly, it is unavailable on DVD. I suppose I should say, it would be a cult classic. Amazingly enough, I found a clip on YouTube, and it is the clip that includes shots of my friend and me. My friend is more visible than me, but I see me (brown dress, blond hair.) Curious? Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mi6PMFJyBo

***

Here’s hoping everyone has a nice day, night, weekend, etc. I am going to cut out of work early, pop in a movie and eat some Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food. Sure, I could spend my time doing something useful and perhaps meaningful. But, I like to remember an old Steve Winwood song, “While you see a chance take it”. I suppose I could see this as a chance to clean the house or do work-work. Meh. I like the ice cream/movie option best. Cheers!

Untitled

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Dear Blogary –

Today is Thursday. It’s been several days since we were together. I miss you. I started writing to you several months ago, with the hope I would find clarity in my life, clarity in my marriage and overcome my depression. And, I had hope that I would entertain and enlighten anyone who happened to stumble upon my unlocked blogary.

You and I started off quite well, writing wise. Initially, we didn’t get much traffic, as folks seem to be overwhelmed with enlightenment, if not life itself. And, well, one might assume better entertainment can be found elsewhere. I certainly wouldn’t say that the hits didn’t come due to my poor writing or story telling skills, would you? Thankfully, Blogary, you’re the kind of friend that just listens. You don’t offer your opinion. Along with entertainment and enlightenment, there are quite enough opinions in the world. Thank you, Blogary, for keeping your opinions to yourself.

So, what is going on these days? Where is the troubled marriage banter? Where are the clouded life rambles?  Where are the sad tales of woe? And come on, how goes the regular use of the Nordic Track?

Blogary, life seems to be going quite well, thanks to you. As I suspected and may have mentioned in past posts, writing is cathartic for me. Life has improved greatly, since I started blabbing, bantering, blubbering, etc. Now, don’t get me wrong. I still have cranky days. Ok – cranky weeks. And, I admit, I still sweat some of the small stuff. And well, if I must be honest, and I know how you appreciate honesty, the Nordic Track hasn’t been used more than once since the Nordic Track post. However, it is still in the living room, should the fitness bug strike. [Shakes 8-Ball: Looks Doubtful]

So, it seems talking to you, Blogary, has helped me a great deal. I’ve always been good with one way conversations. You know, “Here’s my opinion; it’s right; and, I’ll tell you why.” With you, I believe I can keep it real. With you, I believe I can put it all out in this here universe we call the ‘internet’. But Blogary, my time to talk to you seems to be slipping. Are you missing me, as much as I am missing you?

You and I were together most every day. Babbling like a brook is the tag line for this blog, for crying out loud. What. Has a family of beavers created a dam, stopping the flow of the brook? Or, is my life just so awesome that I don’t – gasp – need you? [Shakes 8-Ball: Ask again later.] Ask again later? What. You mean, like ask when I am in the midst of PMS? Or, when I’m trying to stay on top of life’s day to day demands, while maintaining a positive persona? Yes, I suppose, if I were to ask again later, the response would more than likely be, “Don’t count on it.”

Frankly Blogary, I find my mood gets snippy when I don’t have time for you. I bought a notebook, so I can jot down my thought as soon as one hits. Alas, I have a hard time remembering to keep my notebook with me. And, most of my best blog thoughts come when I am going to bed. As I reach for the nightstand, I realize the notebook is on the table in the kitchen. Sigh. Foiled again. I go to bed, certain I will remember the awesome blog thoughts. I go to bed certain that these thoughts, that I will remember in the morning, are the thoughts that will no doubt take this blog to the moon, winning me book deals left and right. And then? Well. Then, I wake up, get dressed, pour a cup of coffee and start getting the boys ready for their day. With the morning light, the prize winning thoughts have disappeared like the creatures of the night.

All is not lost, Blogary. I still have you, and you still have me. And, I will grab hold of whatever blog time and blog thought I can snag, whenever I can snag it. And, I will write to you about the highs and lows in my life. Thankfully, the highs outweigh the lows, and the lows mainly pertain to the stock of ice cream in the freezer. Yes, I will take whatever blog thoughts and blog time I can get, whenever I can remember or get it. And, I will be thankful. And Blogary, I hope those who find us will be entertained and/or enlightened. But really, I’m just happy to write.

Hug, hug; kiss, kiss,

Me.