Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I didn't get elected Queen of the World, but...

It is New Year's Eve and I am here. With you. Writing a blog. And you know what? I can't think of any place I would rather be. I am on my new, comfy, non-hand-me-down couch watching the Colorado Avalanche play, wearing my Sasquatch slippers, listening to Drew kill Star Wars droids with his light saber while Eric plays WoW and Mazie sleeps at my feet. It is a typical day in our house. You would think I would do something special. I guess I could have a drink. Oh wait...I AM having a drink. That isn't wine. Or beer. I mean, really? Do I know how to party OR WHAT?!!

Honestly, it doesn't feel like a holiday to me. I worked a normal day and drove home in a normal rush hour commute and had a normal dinner and the normal Schwan's man came and brought me my normal order and we are watching the normal game and listening to the normal kid noise. I even have a sick dog. You don't get much more normal mid-life suburban family than the evening we are having. I can't decide if I find it comforting or sad.

Well, in the interest of keeping with the normal...here are the things I am grateful for as we charge headlong into 2009:

1. We are all healthy. Physically anyway. Mentally it sort of depends on the day.
2. We have good paying, stable jobs and 4 out of 5 days we even LIKE them.
3. We can afford our mortgage and our bills and most of the time we can even pay them all in the same month. Whee!
4. We have a wide selection of beer, wine and liquer to handle just about any crisis known to man. Possibly even nuclear holocaust.
5. The Avs are on a winning streak.
6. I still get carded when we go to the bar.
7. Starbucks is open and on virtually every street corner in America. I may send in a suggestion card that they change the name to Jade or Sugar or Candy and wear hot pink spandex.

All in all it hasn't been a bad year. I generally don't make resolutions for the New Year, but I am feeling all fiesty this evening (or it could be the enormous Long Island Iced Tea I am drinking) and figure I'll throw caution to the wind. Here goes nothing:

1. I am going to quit bitching loudly and with gusto about how fat I am while eating pizza for dinner.
2. I am going to do something exercise related at least 3 days every week.
3. I am going to officially acknowledge that parking and walking into Starbucks rather than going through the drive-thru DOES NOT, in fact, count as exercise.
4. I am going to try and improve on being Instant Gratification Girl.
5. I am going to continuously remind myself that IMPROVING on my instant gratification tendencies means I DON'T buy what I want when I want it instead of pretending it means I buy it faster.

Overall I just want to keep going on this positive streak. Quit waiting anxiously for the next great crisis to strike my family and appreciate the fact that I have a wonderful life.

How do I truly feel heading into 2009?

CONTENT.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Mystery Star Wars Theater 3000

I was sitting in the chair in the living room this morning reading a book and drinking coffee while trying to get up the energy to begin cleaning bathrooms. Let's just say that was a good pot of coffee. And a good book.

While I was procrastinating Drew was bouncing around the living room pretending to be a Jedi. He was fighting droids. I have learned over the last couple of years that Drew has quite an imagination. He can play by himself for hours and never runs out of story lines. That kid has single-handedly saved the universe from the Death Star at least 100 times in a 100 different ways. Luke Skywalker ain't got nothin' on my boy. No-sir-ree-bob.

During many of his adventures every member of the family gets an opportunity to play a role. The dog, the cats, Eric, me...whoever is handy...We get killed, rescued, run over, lost, burned up, shot down, have arms cut off, heads cut off and often resurrected from the dead to have the same atrocities committed again. Today I got to play a lead role...

"MOM! You are Queen Amadama and I am going to rescue you!"

"It's Amidala."

"OK. You're Queen Amadama and the droids are after you!"

"Drew...it's AmidaLa. Not daMa."

"I'm recuing Queen Amidama! Back off you droids."

"Drew...try again. It is A-M-I-D-A-L-A. AmidaLa."

"Mom. You're Princess Leia."

I guess the kid is cut out for showbiz after all. No matter what; the show must go on.

BTW - I did eventually get up and clean the bathrooms. I scrubbed toilets by hand. BY HAND, people. I blame my old friend Amber for that one. She always swore that toilets were never clean unless you scrubbed them by hand. I guess I bought it. Somewhere she is laughing. Damn her.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Cold medicine and the meaning of life

What to say...hmmm...I don't really have much to talk about. Life has been quiet lately. Work is great. Home is great. Eric is great. Drew is great. Everything's great.

This weekend I am fighting off a sinus infection, which is not so great. I have spent quite a bit of time sitting around waiting for cold medicine to kick in. My eyes hurt, my nose hurts, my cheekbones hurt, my teeth hurt and I am virtually deaf. People talk to me and I see their lips moving and I know, without a doubt, they are speaking some form of English. I see the intent to communicate shining in their eyes, but all I hear is "wah wah wah wah wah wah." It's like being trapped in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.

While waiting for the cold medicine to work its magic I have downloaded a bunch of music to my iTunes and watched SpongeBob Squarepants. I have to say...the Bobman takes on a whole new meaning when you are all hopped up on cold medicine. Seriously. Patrick? Deep, man. DEEP.

However, it really freaks me out when Mr. Crab pulls his eyes into his shell. And to top it off, in the current episode he is wearing a dress. I am sure there is a reasonable explanation, but I am deaf and can't understand a word they are saying.

I should really get out of this chair and start doing something productive. But that would require effort. So, instead I sit here waiting for Patrick to share the meaning of life. He knows it. I am certain of it and he's going to share it ANY SECOND.

Meanwhile Mr. Crab continues to cavort in a dress and Drew is running around the house yelling, "He's gonna ho, ho, ho it before you know, know, know it." I have NO IDEA where he got that from, but it is quite entertaining. Only 6 years old and already with the double entendres. Proof the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. As an aside, I can think of a couple of people where that statement is entirely too relevant and I might have to borrow it. I'm just sayin'.

On a non-Bob related topic...Drew recently had his first real school program and it was really awesome! They do a traditional Thanksgiving feast and the kindergarteners are Indians and the 1st graders are Pilgrims. It was the most adorable thing ever. Without further ado, photographic evidence of the cutest little Indian to wear a paper headband: