Cele-bray-shun

It's Mother's Day, me oh my! And the schools have well-prepared my children for honoring who else, but their mother. Me!!! And I didn't have to do a drop of shopping for my own self.

Tea time

A pomegranate raspberry green tea to be precise, and yes it's hot AND lovely. Got it poured in a Starbucks cup (I recycle), with that nifty java jacket somebody invented. Used to work at a coffee shop, I value these things.

In the hood today, you've got Earl fleshing out his heart and soul for everyone to witness as he re-climbs the trellis towards inclusion. Regardless, I'm working on my basement and enjoying my new home with cheaper rent. And stylish.

I love cartoons.

I stole this graphic from Maria, for free. Priscilla's gone and changed her blog graphics, and Not Lisa Belkin, obviously is ranting and raving about the unfairness of celebrity housing. There's a crisis, we agree.

Does this have anything to do with Daphne talking wigs with Wendy Williams, or Dooce's fashionable face belonging on HGTV? Maybe.

Funniest story

FRONT PAGE NEWS, even. So, I'm like being a responsible parent at my children's school today, in the DAYLIGHT! Yes, what was it called again, here, let me pull out the BROCHURE. Right in the front of my theConservatives book, conveniently...ah yes, The Living Museum. By Patrick Allitt...no wait, that's the BOOK'S author, brochures from Living Museums are written by TEACHERS. Yes, that one.

In the NOOK, yup, the nook. Cuter than kindle, don'tcha think? totally

Guess who was living MODERN history? You'll never guess, don't even try.

THE SECOND DIABETIC!!! Played Bill Gates, I SWEAR TO GOD!!! Cutest little diabetic Bill Gates, or wait...who's Steve Jobs. And, what's the difference? It was Bill Gates, my nine year old re-informed me (I already knew, just testing his IQ).

-------------------

AND....even MORE RELEVANT....there was a "Black Hero"!!! Played by a WHITE CHILD. I burst out laughing, but didn't feel so alone because other parents let out a little laugh too. To make me feel better about being racist like them, I'm sure.

So, guess who the black hero was that didn't get the teach SUSPENDED. You probably already know, since society is built solely on conspiracies these days, that are TRUE! Well, I don't want to ruin it for you, so I'll just mention that he was homeschooled.

I don't know self, was the teacher paying homage to HOMESCHOOLING PARENTS on purpose? Being that everybody in that school LOVES our product. Successfully homeschooled children...even the ones who can't spell worth a shit (take my daughter as a prime example), best thing to ever happen to teachers who are used to being abused by both CHILDREN and PARENTS!

Parents, if I ever get started on THAT TANGENT...are CRUEL to teachers. So mean you don't even want to know. Which is why I'm EXTRA PROUD to have dumped the responsibility back onto them. All the PRAISE we get as parents of ex-homeschooled children...worth every regret. Of which there are none, actually.

None at all. So, where was I ahead of myself again? Can't remember.

Tuned-in Catholics

Straight from my inbox, thanks to my BFF Jen. God's cake, not as good when you eat the ingredients all by themselves. And no, she doesn't read my blog.

She just intuits my needs, as did Katherine who I just ran into today. Pays $8,000 per kid for BRACES!!! Of course I asked whether she felt this was the price of the expertise or the product, and we both agreed...the expertise.

Sad for the furniture industry though, because even SHE admits her home would be much better furnished were it not for this ridiculous "necessity". Yes, I think I have a math book laying around here somewhere.

Aw screw it, I have THOUSANDS of women friends who regularly sacrifice furniture for other expenses, and they KNOW THIS about themselves. Weirdness abounds.

Melissa Mashburn left me a comment

Very smart girl. Yes, I have nothing better to do with my time than watch Sarah Silverman episodes and related propaganda. Of course, the irony presented on Demetri Martin's historically accurate programming, how can one even choose?

Perhaps as I blog on in my related columns, it will come to me.

Front and back

Congratulations to my guaranteed one-and-only

It was a ribbon-cutting, and you know how I love ceremonies !!! Yes, the business is officially recognized by the city, at least a new building and the songs were sung, the hats were tipped, spectacular!

Only thing, all my hopes are invested in my dreams for this business, and we're always growing, you know we and properties. Next thing, eco-friendly building, in our hometown !!!

So, stay-tuned as you watch my guaranteed one-and-only (there's only one) become his bestest, bestest self. Only described with better vocabulary. Good luck Christopher, and I promise all my promises to you...someday we'll totally own our own float plane.

I promise.

The bridal shower

The stories I'll tell...

I didn't drive, which allowed me to take some prairie pictures out my window. Still turned out blurry. Wide open spaces though, just like the songs say.



This is exactly what I meant by perfect weekends, lasting forever and ever. No, I insist. A little sunshine, endless icy cold Frescas, my Cross Sums. Don't make fun, I have simple needs.



My heart skips a beat when my girls, at all their various ages, think nothing of playing imaginatively with each other. Affirms everything I believe is important and possible.



Madison. You've never met a more self-assured two year old, a natural consequence of having siblings upon siblings.

There's no competition

My husband doesn't like when I point this out in public, but it was he who taught me how to be the perfect match. Most men, perhaps it comes down to poor communication, or bad manners, but they think nothing of trashing their significant other. It's like it's somehow normal, or helps with male bonding to say, "my wife's a bitch, yeah, she's such a nag".

And maybe she is, I haven't met her yet. He's always had this habit though, I can't personally take the credit. He lifts his spouse up to the highest level in front of everyone. For all anyone knows, I'm perfect, a saint. His life would be incomplete without me, he's the luckiest man on the planet. He tells that to everybody, and it used to make me embarassed.

Be real, I'd say back at the beginning of our relationship. What about the rest? What do you mean, he'd suggest. Well, like, sometimes we fight, and you make it seem like I'm perfect. What are you looking at, how can you even say that, he'd ask.

He doesn't wear rose-colored glasses, he's a perfectly critical thinker, but he does know a thing or two about respect. For example, not a day goes by where I'd ever consider that I come second. Not that I'd ever allow that. On his own though, it's not complicated, it's just how our love is.

It's ME, who's the luckiest girl on the planet.

Diabetes Camp

Came out of nowhere, early rising for an hour-and-a-half drive to test out the possibility of making lifelong friends for my daughter. She'll go every year starting age nine (she's only seven). Just like the trip to Minneapolis which will last about five days (or six), we leave tomorrow. It came out of nowhere I was saying.

Gonna be fun, the trip (and the camp), lots of good shopping. So far Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Build-a-bear, and IKEA will totally have to happen. And the zoo, and perhaps a museum. Camp though, kind of rustic, fairly wholesome considering all the age groups, musty bunkers (ew!), decent and almost delicious food that is portion-sized.

Everything about that camp wins me over, let's be honest. The counselors were all ex-campers, so many "my-whole-lifers", and the medical care...few camps are devoted first and foremost to health. Camp Sioux is. Comraderie all came from a shared hardship to deal with, applause was won for trying new injection sites, for being the first sixteen-year-old dude to try on an insulin pump (he chose pink, his favorite color).

She'll be going, of course. And of course I pondered the whole time how I could let it happen, her independence I mean, yup, she must go. Looking forward.

My Lush Rainy Corner

Gotta get my ass in gear

You know, my donkey, his backpack packed....we're headin to the desert. Doesn't everyone in Egypt have a donkey to get in gear when the sun's this great today and you spent all morning enjoying raspberries and blueberries mixed in vanilla yogurt? Yum!!

I could spend my whole life enjoying delicious foods straight from nature, prepared right. Yum, yum!!! And this morning, I switched officially to tea from morning coffee. Yes, officially, I had a little ceremony and everything. Idiots!

I like Green and White tea from Target, with a stick of Nespresso sugar to sweeten, poured right before whistling into a travel Eddie Bauer mug. Well, one of those tall insulated thingees, yes one of those. So yesterday I officially switched over, did I say today? Because I meant yesterday (LOVE time travel!)

But now, I have like, 3 and a half baskets of laundry to put away, been putting it off AND just avoiding it. I hate putting away 3 and a half baskets of laundry. Glad I'm not the Duggars!

Have a great day.

I'm a frumpy mom

I realized today when I was at TJ Maxx, as I glanced around at the capris and perfectly matched blouses, that not only am I frumpy, I make frumpy look cool. Seriously, it's possible. You see, over-sized Ralph Lauren polos with Levis is frumpy enough to BE frumpy, paired with the I have better things to do with my time than spend hours deciding.

Yes, there was TONS of deciding going on that pretty much bored me to tears. I couldn't cry though, because I was too busy marveling at the energy that goes into choosing "make me feel better about myself" outfits, accompanied by the "look what she's wearing" sideglances that make all that effort possible. Spare me the drama!

Then, after being treated like a princess all day, because somebody absolutely loves me, we went to the park to pick up the kids. There too, I made frumpy look cool, actually I wasn't working the frumpy so much as, "cool and confident mom with no need for validation". I have many angles, some have yet to be invented.

Eventually, as the summer wears on, I'll stop strutting my strut and return to plain normal. But just for today, as I thank God that my brood is expanding (yes, that's exactly what I'm meaning)... securely tied down for the next, oh, two-and-a-half years.

Making fun of shopping will be replaced by "why doesn't anything fit me", but I'll still find plenty to be appalled at, like hopelessly insignificant dependencies on Korean pedicures.

My new beginning

I own this blog, and if I feel the need to save all my previous posts to draft files, I will. I'm the kind of girl who depends on new beginnings, it's just something you learn when your choices boil down to a backpack filled with regret, or a new beginning.

It's more refreshing, and the proper use of technology if I do say so myself, to remove all that clutter from your mind's eye and start over. The process will be repeated time and again, so don't be surprised.

You'll notice, if you actually read this blog, and not just boring Google Reader (no amazing colors) that I left off in February when our lives were changed by diabetes. It's been four months and we've adjusted quite well thank you, no complaints. So, I zapped that blog along with the rest of 'em...deleted into once upon a time blogpost heaven.

I'm open. Not sure exactly which direction I'll take, I'm half-tempted just to talk about education and boring books. But then, knowing myself and my embarassment with being ignorant, there's not much else to say on that except I'm reading a cookbook called Ratios and a history book on the Inquisition.

My thoughts are basically...wish I had the Ratio book like ten years ago, when it was exactly what I needed to feed my family with confidence. All experimental back then, just looking for a method. And the Inquisition, sadly I'd forgotten that it happened. Glad the library reminded me why I get so offended by people trying to control my religion, and thinking.

So, that's me. This is my new beginning, all tuned.

It's all Flickr's fault

All Diabetes, All the Time

Not the best move for blog stats, unless you want a buncha diabetics hanging around. Or worse, recipe thieving new mothers searching frantically for that elusive, yet possible meal plan. Truth is, I haven't much choice in the matter.

Either I redirect my energies fully into the reality that's now come upon us, or I pretend it's no bother. Healthy eating and being cool with diabetes takes time.

No, no, no...plenty of energy left to keep dominating the Momversation, worry ye not. And my friends on the sidebar, always and forever will be. Now those of you who haven't left comments of sympathy, too busy eating sugar and enjoying the high life, who needs ya.

Kidding, losers! I'm too busy becoming a nutritionist and chef to let poor upbringings bother me.

Spring shall come

It did last year.

Holiday Studies

This Valentine's Day I'm going light on myself. No more guilt about forgetting to send cards of celebration, Grandparents ready your mailboxes.



It's a little cluttery, but I can handle it. Besides, keeps 'em busy while I'm online and planning their "all friends invited" Valentine party. I sure hope Angie and I can pull it off.



Not enough time to play fashion design, or test with Boggle Jr.



Nor did we get to dip into Vocabulary Vine (Latin, Greek AND Science roots!) Didn't practice cursive, oh wait, on Hannah's card, Lauren writ. And those multiple multiplications we're busy memorizing...one day off won't hurt a bit.