The Morning After....

We all survived! I kept the commitment I made on my other blog about smaller portions. I only walked the dog once, however! I'll try to get that one in today.

BLACK FRIDAY - So, the 17 and 15 year old were trying to convince me that they should be allowed to camp out overnight with their posse at the mall. You betcha! Ed thinks that just because she played contact football with a bunch of boys at the age of 14, she can kick anybody's butt and she should be allowed to roam free. After heavy discussion (minus the tears and slamming doors) I stood my ground and said "no." Who camps out at the mall, anyway? If I were to camp out, I'd be at Best Buy, Target, Kohls, Walmart, etc., not the mall. There are too many entrances to count at the mall. There ARE NO LINES!

We agreed they would leave the house at 4:30am, drive to pick up the posse by 5:30am (because they won't be up yet, anyway!) and get to the mall by 6:00am. They are more than likely trolling (I mean strolling) the walkways, dreaming of clothes, shoes and boys. Ed wanted to find something new to wear to the rave (I mean party) that she is hosting tonight (I must be completely out of my mind!). Nevermind the fact that 99% of everyone else at the mall is shopping for gifts for others (well, okay, maybe 95%).

The scariest thing is...she has my debit card.

Hockey Mom Wannabe

So, a hockey mom wannabe, her hockey son wannabe, Jack, and his little sisters, Molly (hockey wannabe) and Alison (beautician wannabe) jumped into the car for a ride to the hockey store. Jack was going to learn to play roller hockey and needed some equipment. Before entering the store, the kids had to listen to the lecture about proper "shopping with mom" etiquette. The lecture was mostly for Jack and Molly. Alison always followed the rules and very rarely got into trouble. She had her thumb, blanket and stuffed kitty; life was good for Alison.

"You will NOT touch anything. You WILL walk behind me at all times. We are shopping for your BROTHER, and your brother alone," announced mom.

As they walked down the aisle with helmets and shin guards, mom began to pick out equipment for Jack to try on. Jack saw the skate display at the end of the aisle and ran over to check it out.

"Mom, look at these cool skates," he said with kid-in-a-candy-store enthusiasm.

Mom followed saying, "We already have skates, honey, and we are not buying new ones today."

Jack lowered his head and sadly replied, "okay...but these are really sweet skates!"

From a short distance behind mom, she heard the words, "Mommy, look at me!" Mom swung around to see Molly dressed in full hockey gear from helmet to skates.

"Oh, sweetie," mom said, trying to contain both her laughter and the urge to release the dragon fire building up inside. "Remember what mommy said? We are shopping for Jack today. There is nothing in here that you need right now. Please go and put away the equipment." Mom turned back around to Jack and they both began to snicker.

"Okay, mommy" said Molly smiling as she and Alison walked back down the aisle. "Don't you think these are pretty, Alison?" Molly asked. Alison had her thumb comfortably in her mouth, so she replied by moving her head up and down. Jack tried on a helmet. It fit perfectly. Mom then picked out some gloves and shin guards. Jack and mom began to make their way to the cash register when they heard a scuffle behind them.

"Mommy, look at me now!" squealed Molly. Mom turned around to see that Molly was still in full gear, but she now had a hockey stick in her hand!

"That’s it!" exclaimed mom in her most I’m really, really mad now voice. "You are to take every single piece of equipment off, put it away and go sit down by THAT wall over there," pointing to the wall close to the register.

"Okay mommy!" Molly said as she skated down the aisle. She was very pleased with herself as she put away the equipment she had been wearing. Alison took her thumb out of her mouth so she could help her sister. They put the items in any open places they could find. As Molly was attempting to return the hockey stick next to the other sticks...all in a row...all 50 of them, she tripped and fell on the end stick. Like dancers in a chorus line, one by one, all of the sticks came crashing down. “Uh-oh,” murmured Molly. Alison gave her blanket to Molly thinking she was really going to need it.

Mom then fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. The young salesman was an absolute angel. He quickly rang the sale, bagged the items and escorted the family to the door. They power-walked to the car, jumped in and clicked on their seatbelts. Mom turned around and said tenderly to the kids, “I love you” in a voice that only a mother could understand.

True story...names were changed to protect the innocent.

Tribute to Hero

HERO is my firstborn child. From day one, he was the most amazing creation we had ever witnessed and we knew we had been blessed with a most beautiful gift from God. His arrival was a little rocky, but he hung in there and proved himself a real trooper!

Our little Hero was a very busy guy. He was always on the go and always wanting to know everything about anything. He was "all boy!" This term can mean different things for different boys. Sometimes his busy-ness would get him into trouble. He would run everywhere...with no regard for anything in his way. We had to replace a few lamps, some dishes and some small pieces of furniture.

He would act impulsively, which made us always on our guard. Once, we were at a backyard party when he thought it would be cool to jump into the middle of a jacuzzi. He was two years old. There were adults all around, even in the jacuzzi. It happend so fast, that no one realized he was even in the water. I watched in horror as the whole event took place in slow motion. My cousin, who was standing next to the jacuzzi, saw him go in and immediately jumped in after him. She pulled him to the surface and lifted him over the side. It took me a few minutes to get my very pregnant body over to him. I just held him tight and thanked God for allowing me this second chance.


When his little brother, Rock, came along, he became the best big brother anyone could ever want. He showed Rock the ropes, trained him in the "busy" way, and played interpreter for Rock, who only spoke Klingon. (Rock had a little speech problem...an underdeveloped muscle in his tongue...which made his words come out sounding nothing remotely close to what he was trying to say.) But, Hero knew what was up and he made sure that we knew, too!

Hero has always been a happy guy, even when times weren't so happy for him. When his first case of poison oak hit, he suffered for a whole week before we had a handle on it. His smile and happy disposition never left him. Croup was another visitor, who came often, but Hero stood fast and fought back. He wasn't going to let anything keep him down! Of course, there were the bicycle and skate disasters, the T-ball wild pitches that found their way to his upper body, and the brutal soccer collisions. We dodged so many bullets with this kid!

He grew into a handsome teenager and found that sports offered him a good outlet for stress and taught him a great lesson about teamwork. In high school, he played football and ran track. He went to every dance that the school held. (I should have just bought him a tux, but he was still growing!) He started working at a local pizza parlor, the aroma of which he wore home each night. We nicknamed him "Cheeseboy" since we could smell him coming up the driveway after work.

He met the first love of his life through the youth group at church. When he left for college, she still had two more years of high school. They decided it would be best to stay friends, and leave the door open for other opportunities. This was so very difficult for Hero to do. My heart broke into pieces as he agonized over what he knew was inevitable. After six months or so, he was fine and back playing video games with other vidiots from around the country. He took a job at a local pizza parlor (sound familiar?) in the town where his college is located. He has now met the last love of his life. He still smells like cheese when he comes home!

He graduated from college this year with an interdisciplinary degree that includes Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science. He has learned to work with many different types of people...dead or alive...plumbers or politicians. I'm so very proud of this guy, I could scream!

My Hero is my pride and joy! I get goosebumps thinking of the adventures that await him as he paves his way to adulthood. I'm so grateful that I was picked to be his mom, and blessed to have shared so many unforgettable moments with him.

God bless you HERO!

What's Your 15 Minutes of Fame?

Many of us yearn for the day when we will have our "15 Minutes of Fame." Some of us have been fortunate enough to already have had the experience. I believe that it may not be the same for everyone.

Sometimes I feel like I am "Queen of the World" when I have been complimented on a job where I worked very hard. When I have been recognized for an accomplishment in front of co-workers or other groups, and the endorphines kick in, I sometimes feel like someone from People Magazine should come take my picture! Then I return to reality. If I may, I'd like to share with you, one time where I felt like it was "my time to shine."

Years (decades) ago, I pursued an acting career. I studied for about two years in a few local acting schools. One of the schools sent a bunch of us on a commercial shoot for a local grocery store. We had wardrobe, make-up and hair done for all of us. (That, in itself, was exciting for me!) I was very lucky to be chosen to say a line and have a close-up shot. The non-union commercial was shot over two days and started showing up during the morning and early evening newscasts.

Seeing myself on television was weird at first, but then the novelty wore off and it was no big deal. The commercial only ran for about two weeks. The highlight of the whole experience, and my "15 minutes of fame" came a few weeks after the commercial ended when I got into the elevator at my work. I saw a familiar face in the back. It belonged to a girl from the acting school.

She said, "Hey, I saw your commercial. Nice job." She had me at "I saw your commercial..." I thanked her and turned around, trying so very hard not to giggle. I was somebody special in front of all those strangers. That elevator ride was the best ride of my life! This girl had made my day, my month, and my year!

The only events that could top my elevator ride, were the births of each of my children. Talk about wild rides and feelings of euphoria....the moms out there know what I mean!

I would love to hear about your "Fame" stories. Please leave a few words about a time when you felt on top of the world!

Childhood Memories

After reading "My Semblance of Sanity" post dated today, I thought I would respond by sharing a special memory of mine. If you haven't read Michelle's post, you must close me out and go read it. She is an amazing writer and has an uncanny talent for bringing you into her world and experiencing things along side of her!

My childhood club houses were made out of leftover moving boxes for large appliances. My backyard was a cement postage stamp...not a lot of "woodsy" opportunities. It did make for easy clean up, however, of dog stuff, punch spills, and washing sand out of my bathing suit after returning from the beach.

I grew up in Southern California about 45 minutes from the ocean. During the summer months, we would drive to the beach once or twice during the week and occasionally on weekends when Dad wasn't working. There is nothing to compare with the smell of the ocean and beach. For me, it was a combination of sweet and salty. The seaweed provided the salty smell. An accidental gulp of the water reminded you that this was no backyard pool! The sweet smells from the other sun worshipers would come and go with the breezes.

Then, there was the smell of suntan lotion. To this day, when I apply sunblock, my mind is immediately transported back to the 60's at my favorite summer hangout, Huntington Beach. When our feet hit the sand, each sinking step would be slow and deliberate. We always tried to get a spot close to Lifeguard Station #16.

My mom would pack lunches for us that consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Koolaid and bananas or green grapes. Once in a while we could buy something from the snackstand. Even today, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich takes me to a place of comfort.

Jumping the waves was my favorite beach game. As the waves approached, I would jump over the top, not allowing the wave to break on me. I would only go into the water up to my knees because jumping anything deeper would have caused great distress to my body...I've never been much of an athlete...and would have provided gut-busting entertainment for anyone within 50 feet of me.

My most vivid memory is that of jumping the waves with my dad when I was about eight. Okay, so we didn't really jump, but I would sit on his shoulders and he would take me beyond where the waves were breaking. The water would be up to his shoulders. I would squeal with delight as the waves began to swell, hoping that Dad and I would be able to jump up before they broke. Once in a while, the waves broke on us, but my dad stood fast and held me tight. I was never washed away!

We would always return to our towels (which had been shaken to remove the sand we kicked on them earlier). Mom would wrap me up in my towel, and let me sit next to her while I dried off. Sometimes, I would slowly sink to a prone position and sneak a little nap in while she happily read her spy novel. We would usually start the trip home around 4:00p.m. in our lovely Chevy stationwagon. Once home, it was straight to the backyard and everyone was hosed down to get the sand off of us. The water from the hose was always freezing cold! After a warm bath and hairwash, we dressed and played until dinner!

I go back to the beach...in my mind...as often as possible.

Welcome!

Welcome! My second blog here. I found that "noexcuses" typed as is in a url is a guy-blog having nothing to do with kids, motivation, self-improvement, or random musings, sarcasm and rantings of a procrastinator. So, please rant on all that you wish!

The Halloween decorations have come down, and "appropriate" fall-ish type decs will stay. I say, "will stay" because the fall-ish decorations were backdrops for the Halloween decs. This way I don't have to put anything else up until December 1 or Thanksgiving weekend, whichever comes sooner!! Yeah, I'm lazy!

Hope you all survived this weekend. Hope all of your teams won! Hope all of you are able to get out and vote on Tuesday - no matter how you vote. You don't have the right to complain if you don't make the effort to vote!

Thanks for stopping by...