No-Fuss Friday

.:: Labor Day Laughter
Over the Labor Day Weekend, we gathered with my family, which included siblings, spouses, nieces, nephews and cousins. I had been looking forward to the gathering for over a week, and I was not disappointed. We all had such a great time.

No nose piercings, just a blue M&M coated tongue. Rock on, Charlie. Rock on.

One of my nephews works undercover (seriously). In order to look the part, he has tattoos and body piercings. Truth be told, he may have had these things regardless of the line of work. I wish I could post a picture taken of him and my brother. My nephew looks so fierce, when in reality he is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet. (Unless, of course, you meet him out back, while trying to buy crack. Just saying.)

Anyway, my nephew was not the only one with body piercings (though he won the prize for non-subtle piercings). One of my nieces has her nose pierced. Apparently, while she was sitting and visiting with my 4yr old, he noticed her nose piercing and asked, “Why do you have a nail in your nose?” Once my niece’s laughter died down, she told him about having her nose pierced. My 4yr old then asked, “Can you put a nail in my nose?”

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Tattoos and piercings, fashion or fad?
“I have a new mohawk. What do you think, Dad?”

A nail in your nose, purple dye in your hair;
Getting a third piercing because of a dare.

Thoughts of nipple piercings make me twinge;
As kids’ rites of passage make parents cringe.

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.:: Special Moments
The passing of Labor Day brings with it a new season for television shows, which typically includes schedule changes. One such scheduled change involved our local PBS station.

Joe wakes up at 6:30am during the school week. Before eating breakfast, he and I sit on the couch and watch TV together. Prior to Labor Day, we’d watch Dragon Tales, which really – yeah, that’s all I have to say about Dragon Tales.

Well, Labor Day has come and gone, and PBS changed their television schedule. Now at 6:30 M-F, Joe and I watch Word Girl. We became addicted to Word Girl in the afternoon, as it used to be on at 4pm. And, yes, I didn’t stutter – ‘we’ became addicted to Word Girl. “Word up, it’s Word Girl.” I love Word Girl. “Woooord Giiiiirrl!” Sorry. I told you – it’s an addiction.

Sitting and watching TV shows like Word Girl, Curious George and Dinosaur Train are things I enjoy doing with the boys. Special moments, I treasure, during this phase of life.

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Word Girl is the best.
Her word usage does impress.
Captain Huggy Face.

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.:: Dinner with a Friend
Last week, my friend backed out on dinner plans, and I mentioned her in my blog. This week, she kept the date, and look – I’m still mentioning her in my blog. However, this time, she is mentioned because she helped me think of something to write about for today: My abnormal quirks. I have many you know.

I suggested I write a ‘Top 10″ list of my ‘abnormalities’, and my best friend of over 30 yrs suggested I go for a ‘Top 20″. (Can you feel the love?!) Here goes:

Lenore Diane: Lover of Plain Jane Comfort

Top 15 Abnormal Quirks of Me, Lenore Diane
1. Shy, yet shares everything within seconds.
2. Insists on mowing the grass uphill vs. going sideways.
3. Avoids flying, regardless of cost.
4. Rearranges furniture every couple of months.
5. Uses one side of the towel for drying off above her neck, and the other side of the towel for drying off below her neck.
6. Won’t let her boys have lollipops or gum.
7. Wears socks with sandals.
8. Sometimes wears turtlenecks to bed.
9. Rarely goes to a bar/restaurant without seeing someone she think she knows.
10. Rarely goes to a bar/restaurant and actually knows the person she thinks she knows.
11. Won’t wear shorts in the summer.
12. Blushes easily and vibrantly.
13. Has an obsession for men with long hair. (Not talking mullets, people.)
14. Obsessed with ice cream and prefers to eat it alone.
15. Paranoid about being judged. (Hmm . . . perhaps because she shares too much?)

Let the record show, I sat down with Rob and my friend to compile the above list. After several hours, Rob said “Maybe you’re not as crazy as we thought.”

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Be sure to take care of yourself and others.

Freaky Friday

.:: The Real Ordinary
I sit corrected. Last week was not a plain and ordinary week; last week was an extraordinary week.

At the risk of being labeled an Eeyore, I’m beginning to think ‘ordinary’ weeks are weeks when the family is running non-stop, challenges pop up everywhere and the whine flows freely. And the extraordinary weeks? Extraordinary weeks are when the deadlines are few to non-existent, challenges are mere blips and dinners involve more than cans, boxes and bags. (Wait. Scratch that. Regardless of the week, our dinners come from cans, boxes and bags; but the food is organic – we are a health conscious family, people.) I digress . . .

Crazy is my new ‘ordinary’; ordinary is my new ‘extraordinary’; and this week was crazy ordinary!

10 Things About This Crazy Ordinary Week

10. One of my children hit another kid at school.
9. The same child pitched a fit at home, breaking his glasses.
8. The same child was dealing with an awful rash on his forearms, causing me to take him to the pediatrician.
7. The same child was advised to be treated for “Scabies”, just in case.
6. My trip to the Pharmacy (just before they closed) to pick up medication proved pointless, as I came home with the wrong medicine.
5. Due to my babbling big mouth, odd sense of humor and Facebook, my rash-free kid was banned from daycare for a day, due to the Scabies rash he did NOT have.
4. My rash-free child became sick with a cold, slept with me and cried all night.
3. The dinner date with my friend was canceled.
2. Work deadlines were met during non-working/should-be-sleeping hours.
1. Whine was the sound du jour – all week for all ages.

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The crazy work week is now ending;
Bring on the weekend and start the mending.

This past week sure kicked my bum;
and, left me feeling a little glum.

So now, adult beverages I start blending.

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.:: Is It Okay That I Don’t Miss You?
Though I talk about my blog with my boss, she does not read my posts much, if at all. Come to think of it, she doesn’t need to read my blog, because I pretty much tell her everything. [Big shock, I tell my boss everything; such an odd characteristic for such private person.] So, when I write that I absolutely love my boss, please know it is a genuine sentiment and not said to brown-nose.

Typically, I will go to my boss’ house twice a week – Tuesdays & Thursdays. Neither she nor I particularly love it when I go to her house. We appreciate our ‘work at home’ set up. More to the point, we appreciate working alone with little interruption. If I let my boss know I can’t make it to her house on a particular day, her response is usually a sarcastic “Darn.” And, when I am packing up and leaving my boss’ house, there’s a sort of ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out’ kind of vibe. We have a blast working together, so it is all in good fun; and, I love it.

Last week, I went to her house early in the week, leaving her Thursday and Friday to be alone. I did not return to her house until Thursday of this week (due to my kid being shunned from daycare for a day). When I walked in to her house, she wanted to have a quick look at me, because it had been several days since we had seen each other. We were both basking in the glow of having not seen each other in several days.

This morning, I let my boss know that I would not be coming to her house next Thursday, due to a parent/teacher conference at Joe’s school. My boss’ response? “Oh, bummer.”

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Oh, you’re back again.
How long until you go home?
All done. Thanks. Goodbye.

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Not the best picture, but the best bunch of siblings. Ever.

.:: The Fam’damily
Tomorrow, we are packing up and heading to a family gathering for the day. One of my sisters is having all of us over to visit with cousins in town from Pennsylvania. I have not seen my siblings since the beginning of June, and I miss them. With the exception of one sister, we all live in Georgia. And, we see each other fairly regularly, but with Summer vacation – it’s been awhile since we’ve all gotten together.

I love my siblings. We are a crazy crew, a loud crew, an opinionated crew, a laughing crew and a crying crew; and, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am so happy to end this Crazy Ordinary week with a reunion with my Freaky Family. Woo hoo!

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Salutations Friday; Good to see you.
Nice that you brought a long weekend, too.
Thank you for coming and staying all day.
Let’s get on with it now; it is time to play.

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Be sure to take care of yourself and others.

Friday: A Week in Review

.:: Plain and Ordinary
I sat down to write my Friday post, and I found myself struggling for content. Much, okay – all of what I write is taken straight from my life experiences, for better or worse. I love plain and ordinary weeks; however, plain and ordinary does not make for an interesting blog. So, we’ll see how this goes.

A picture message for Joe and Charlie's cousin, Shannon.

10 Things About This Plain and Ordinary Week
10. 12 days have passed since I have had ice cream.
9. My child threw a peppercorn in a teacher’s ear. SCORE!
8. I took a great picture of my boys, because they wanted to send a note to their cousin.
7. I enjoyed eating fresh, plump blueberries. (So sorry the blueberry season is over.)
6. I picked up my neighbor’s son from school, because her keys were locked in the car and she couldn’t find her spare key. (It’s nice to know it is not just ‘me’.)
5. I started watching season 4 of Dexter, thanks to Netflix. (I love Dexter.)
4. I watched my neighbor’s kids for a couple of hours, enjoying the chance to hold a baby and rock her to sleep.
3. I set up a dinner date with my friend for next week.
2. I’ve made it 12 days ice cream free. (Yes, this is mentioned twice. I’m proud, people!)
1. I had relations with my husband. Wait. Maybe that was last week. Meh, I’m still glowing, so it counts.

P.S. I hope next week is plain and ordinary, too.

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.:: Seeing is Believing, and Sometimes that Stinks
As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, I have a friend whose Mom is battling Cancer. Until Thursday, my friend had not seen her Mom since learning of her Cancer diagnosis. And, since the diagnosis, her Mom has undergone two periods of chemotherapy.

Knowing her Mom was coming to town, my excitement for her has been building all week. I sent her a note asking her if her Mom was in town yet, in a similar fashion to kids asking if they are at their destination yet: “Is she there yet? I she there yet? Is she there yet?”

While letting me know her Mom had not yet arrived, she added that she was a bit nervous about seeing her. I understood. I was nervous for her. All week, my excitement for my friend was combined with anxiety, nervousness and happiness. My friend had not seen her Mom, and she had no idea what to expect.

This week I have been thinking about my Dad. Because I was living out of town, there was a period of 5 months where we did not see each other. The last time I saw him, he was in the hospital. I was not prepared for how my Dad looked. Not prepared. And, I spent this week hoping my friend would be better prepared.

Hair loss? Yes, she was expecting hair loss. I think for my friend, she was more anxious about her Mom’s overall appearance, like her weight, facial features, mobility, etc. And, as the time of her mom’s arrival neared, my friend wondered if seeing pictures prior to her Mom’s visit would have been a good idea. Regardless, it was time. As her Mom has said many times, “Let’s get this show on the road.”

My friend’s Mom arrived. Though she looked frail, my friend said her Mom looked better than she expected. The hair loss? Yes, the hair loss is evident. In fact, her Mom took off her wig early to get ‘the show on the road.” But, the anticipation and uneasiness is now gone, at least with regards to appearances.

The fact of the matter is that seeing her Mom walk through the door wasn’t the tough part. The tough part was seeing the reality. Now my friend has to be present in the moment of her Mom having Cancer. My friend has to be present in the moment of what had been only words spoken over the phone or typed via email. Now the journey becomes a tough journey – a real tough journey.

And to my friend I say, “I love you very much.”

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.:: Giving Until I Get Old
If you read my post from yesterday, please pardon me as I repeat a little of what I said yesterday. I spent two days helping in the call center during the WSB Talk Radio Care-A-Thon, benefiting the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Care-a-Thon. (Actually, day two is taking place as I type.) The Care-a-Thon benefits the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorder Services. This was the 10th year for the WSB Talk Radio Care-a-Thon, and I was honored to participate.

One of the calls I received was from a 97 yr old woman. Please understand, she shared her age without me asking. As a woman, I respect my fellow women, and I respect the unwritten (but famous) rule to never ask another woman her age. This woman volunteered her age, and she let me know she has been calling in every year in support of the Aflac Cancer Center; then she apologized.

“I’m sorry. This year I can only afford $20.” The woman said to me. “I wish I could donate more, but I just don’t have the money right now.”

[Insert deliberate pause here.]

I hope I live to be 97yrs old, and I hope I am able to pull together $20 to donate to a charitable organization. God bless that 97yr old woman. Even though she is limited financially, she still made a point to give. And, I am here to tell you, every single dollar we received mattered. Every. Single. Dollar. Mattered. And that woman – that generous woman? She can teach us all a thing or twenty.

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Be sure to take care of yourself and others.