Being a Girl Doesn't Mean She Can't

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that stereotypes exist for a reason. There truly are some people who fit into certain categories. But that does not mean we need to categorize all the people. This is something we try to explain to our own kids.

If my daughter wants to grab some trucks and play in the mud, so be it. If my son wants to run around wearing nothing but pink, so be it.

Ok, that example of my son is a bad one because he is a boy through and through. But he would wear pink if he had it.

A few months ago, my daughter expressed to me that she wanted to play baseball. I admit, the first thing I asked was if she could. I knew younger baseball teams in our borough are co-ed, but I wasn't sure about her age group. She's 12. She said yes. I even asked on Facebook. We all know that the internet isn't always correct, but in this case, her answer was confirmed.

In January, her and I went up to our library to sign her up for a season of baseball. Having never played before, the husband and I were a bit nervous, but it's what she wanted to play and we want our kids involved in what interests them.

I walked over to one of the volunteers and said we were there for baseball sign ups. His response?

"Fast pitch or slow pitch?"

Um, neither. She wants to play baseball. With a bit of hesitation, he proceeded with signing her up. No where on the paperwork or their website did it say baseball is just for boys. Yes, I was annoyed.

Fast forward a few weeks and I get a phone call from the head of the league. He wanted clarification.

"Your daughter is signed up for baseball. I just want to make sure this is correct."

What I wanted to say was I am not a dumbass. I know how to read and yes, I did indeed sign her up for BASEBALL!! But I bit my tongue and politely responded that we signed her up correctly. He then went on to tell me that there was a girl who was really good and it's a shame they won't play together. This girl moved onto playing softball.

This was one of those moments where I wanted to reach through the phone and throat punch someone.

My DAUGHTER wants to play BASEBALL!!!!! Is it really that difficult to understand? If you allow it, why do I continue to be questioned about this? I understand she has never played this sport on an official team, but she knows what to do. Her skills might need a bit of refining, but she's quick to catch on.

My DAUGHTER is going to play BASEBALL. I'll be the crazy mother cheering in the stands secretly hoping she blows all those boys out of the water.

Don't ever tell a girl she can't do something just because she's a girl.



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Until next time...

Shared birthday

Last Saturday was my birthday. I had as much of a birthday as one with kids involved in activities can have. My birthday started off entirely too early. Little Dude had the Pinewood Derby finals that morning. I was not happy about getting up at 7am on my birthday to have to drive through the snow to the race sight. But my boy was so excited to place 2nd within his pack and make it to the finals that I just couldn't say no.

I spent the evening of my birthday with Little Dude, working on his Valentine's Day box for school. GG was off at her Father/daughter Sweetheart dance for Girl Scouts. GG has fallen out of wanting to wear dresses every day, but she was so excited to dress up for the night. She was even more excited when I showed her a picture of how I wanted to fix her hair. She would have left it in forever if I let her!

During the time in between those events, I was able to spend some time at home. The kids and I watched a hockey game. They also colored me birthday pictures. I also had time to tweak my new present to my specifications.

The day before my birthday the husband informed me one of the laptops he had his eye on as a gift for me was finally available at one of our Best Buy stores. He promptly made the purchase and after work, we drove out to pick it up.

I was devastated when my netbook died right before Christmas, but I was lucky enough to be able to use the kids' desktop. Facebooking, blogging, and tweeting are all fun, but I really needed a computer. As a publisher for a Macaroni Kid newsletter, a computer is kind of a requirement. What I hated was being stuck at the table. I couldn't watch my shows and work. I couldn't watch hockey games and work. If I needed a pattern for a crochet project, I had to sit at the table and work or print the pattern out.

Now I can sit on my couch and work. Or play. My couch may not be that comfortable, but it's better than a wood chair with a crappy cushion.

Happy kids. Happy me. Happy birthday.


Until next time...

Geno

That would be his name.

Whose name?

Our Elf on the Shelf's name, of course. It took quite some time to agree upon this name. We had Harold, Jack, and Max the Great in the pot. Trying to help i the decision making process, I threw some names out there as well. Since I was listening to a hockey game, those were the names I mentioned - Sid, Flower, Crosby, Maxime. Hockey names were banned, but somehow the kids agreed on Geno, a hockey player's nickname.

I am glad I brought an elf into this house. For the most part, behavior has improved. If nothing else, the kids enjoy trying to find him every morning. Assuming I remember to move him (so far, so good). It's a good thing I made the decision to buy Geno when I did because right now those elves are about as easy to find as a LeapPad!


Our Geno started off quite innocent. Early on, he was found driving some toy trucks, and another morning he was trying to play the Wii. But Geno has also had his share of trouble. A few days in, Geno discovered a string of beads. I have had this string of beads for years but can never figure out where to put it at Christmas. Geno must have tried to help because one morning he was tangled up in those beads.

After that, I believe Geno got a taste for mischief. Geno also appears to have a taste for sweets, as you can see here...



A few years ago, my aunt made a beautiful Christmas countdown chart for the kids. I place 2 candy cane flavored Hershey Kisses in each pocket,and 4 in the Christmas day pocket. The pockets are not in numerical order. My kids love searching for each number every night after dinner. Apparently Geno doesn't care what the date is. He just wants his candy!


This post is linked up with the I'm Elfing it Up Photo Contest
hosted by KludgyMom





Do you have an Elf on the Shelf?
What are his favorite places to hide?


Until next time...

Balls and Cones

Yesterday was yet another hot day. Mother Nature teased us by filling the skies with clouds. I wasn't sure if it would ever rain, but I didn't want to be stuck at the pool if it did. After Little Dude got home from his summer camp, I decided to surprise the kids with mini golf. It is something Little Dude has never and GG probably doesn't remember her last time. She was only three.

They had no idea where we were going until we pulled into the parking lot. Thank goodness the car windows were down or else their shrieks might have cracked them!

I was worried at first. Little Dude is pretty good at hockey an he loves slap shots. I immediately explained that we do not hit the ball hard. I really didn't want to pay for a lost ball. Luckily he took my advice, but I still cringed every time he got ready to swing. Have you ever seen Happy Gilmore? That is the stance Little Dude took when it was his turn to golf.

I admit none of us were very good, so I chose not to keep score. Neither child started a fight. In fact, they happily took turns putting their balls. It was like the Twilight zone!

Completing all 18 holes didn't take nearly as long as I expected so I decided to treat them once again. Before we made the trip to get the husband from work, we stopped at Bruester's for some ice cream.

Little Dude got a dirt sundae, which he did not like because it was crunchy. Although he licked the bowl clean.

GG got a cone with a huge scoop of mint chocolate chip. At first I thought she was really hungry because she was eating it so fast.

Then I got my cone topped with chocolate raspberry truffle (yum!!). I quickly learned that, even in the shade, ice cream melts fast when it's 90 degrees!


I can't tell you how many times each child thanked me. Our summer isn't exactly going as I planned, but if it continues to be full of days like yesterday, I will take it!



Until next time...

A call no mom wants to get

Karma is a bitch. Plain and simple. I keep saying things and those things keep coming back and biting me in the ass.
I had been bragging for quite some time about my kids rarely getting sick while all their friends were dropping like flies. BOOM! Ear infection with one and pneumonia with the other.

Yesterday really solidified that karma is definitely not my friend. I received one of the phone calls no mother wants to get. A call from the teacher can be bad enough, but a call from the school nurse is never good.

I'm sure the nurse explained everything that she knew, but I only heard bits and pieces. Your son. Bathroom. Head. Doesn't remember what happened.

Oh shit!

I took a few deep breaths before I got in the car. The last thing I needed to do while freaked out was drive! Luckily the school is only around the corner.

What we think happened was my boy banged his head on something in the bathroom. If it wasn't the bathroom, it was the hinge of his classroom door. Anything is possible with Little Dude! How this injury was discovered, since he doesn't remember, was by a friend. One of Little Dude's classmates pointed out that he had blood on his neck. When he went to wipe it off, his teacher noticed that it was in his hair as well. This prompted a trip to the nurse's office.

The nurse explained that his cut didn't look deep enough for stitches, but the fact that he had no clue how it got there was disconcerting. Concussion was where my mind immediately went. And I'm sure hers, too.

Since we were unsure about him needing stitches, I really didn't want to wait in the ER to have them send me home. I would if I had to, but I thought to call our pediatrician instead. My favorite doctor (he really is!) looked at his head, asked a few questions, and did some test to rule out a concussion. Thankfully stitches were not on the agenda. We were sent home with directions to apply antibiotic cream and avoid sports, pools, and washing hair for a few days.


We don't have pool passes yet and my boy is quite happy to not have his hair washed. But how the hell am I supposed to keep him engaged in calm activities? This is obviously not something a boy who busts his head open is good at!



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Until next time...

Competitions and kontusts

It has come to my attention that I need to change some things around here. Apparently a big, important event is coming up and I need to be ready. You may not know this, but I enjoy a good competition. And when I'm in a competition, I'm n it to win it even though I rarely do.

I need to purge our living room of toys that are no longer played with. Don't tell the kids! I do this when they are at school because what they don't know won't hurt them.

Once I have the space in our living room, I need to pull out my Wii Fit balance board and give it a good dusting. I should probably replace the batteries. Just in case!

this guy is going to help me!

I need to do some yoga to stretch my body out, some strength training so I can kick some ass, and finally I need to dip into the balance activities. The one in particular that I need to focus on is the hula hoop.

Why do I need to do all these things? Partly because I do need to get back into shape, but the main reason is because of this....





In case you need help deciphering 5-year-old-ese, allow me to translate.

Hula hoop scooter
riding
contest

The more I look at this, I realize I better look into some sort of scooter riding game so I can really perfect my skills. As of now I can barely hula hoop, let alone do it while riding a scooter!


Until next time....

3 strikes and you might be out

Today I'm joining Steph with her Tuesday Tirade. I have a bone to pick with someone.


I've mentioned Little Dude's soccer coach before and the fact that he is a wuss. I would also like to add that he is an inconsiderate jerk. Let me explain...

Two weekends ago I received a phone call from the coach's wife. They weren't able to make the game but she couldn't get a hold of the head of the league. She wasn't sure what to do. I had to be at the field for GG's game anyway so I told her I would Little Dude. If his team showed up, we would figure out how to play. After talking to other parents from the team I learned I was the only to receive such a phone call. Don't you think you should call the whole team if you can't make it to a game?

STRIKE 1

The games this past weekend were phenomenal! GG scored her first goal and Little Dude played the best defense I have ever seen. After Little Dude's game was done, we started to gather our stuff so we could head home. I overheard parents of a boy from Little Dude's team talking about practice time for last night. The time was pushed back 30 minutes. Had I not overheard them, I wouldn't have known because the coach left fast as lightening.

STRIKE 2

Last night Little Dude and I arrived at the practice field at 6:15. We would either be really early or only a tad late. No one from Little Dude's team was there so I assumed we were early. Practice start time came. And went. No one showed. Luckily there was another team practicing and some of the kids were friends of Little Dude. I knew the coach and she was happy to have my boy play with them for a bit. But again, when you cancel something, a phone call to all involved would have been nice.

STRIKE 3


Yes, I will be talking to other parents from our team this weekend. If they confirm yet again that some got phone calls, but others didn't, I'm hunting down the head of the league and raising some hell. Even if other parents don't confirm what I think happened, I still don't like my heart breaking because my child is disappointed.



Until next time....

I will survive

I survived a Girl Scout overnight trip! I want to know why the adults don't get a patch for that? It's quite an accomplishment to make it out alive!

I have to give much love to those who host this event. Everything was very organized and very fun. Yes, even I had fun. Until the sleeping part.

The night started out with group events. The 314 of us were split into 3 groups and we rotated between 3 stations. Our group, the orange group, started off with the campfire. That really worked out because I was starving! The girls and adults roasted wienies and made s'mores. The best part of that event? Hearing someone yell "Watch where you put your wienie!".

Our next station was inside the dome and went off relatively well. Until the end. We made tie-dye shirts, which turned out great. We also made letters to the troops. Before it was time to move on, the girls in my troop were goofing around. GG was tackled by one of her friends and it was ugly. She landed on her shoulder funny and I was afraid she dislocated it. She moved it a few times, but I could still tell it hurt her. She refused to let me take her to someone to have it looked at and instead she opted out of participating in our next station, mini golf. She showed her friends the proper way to hold the club and would retrieve their balls when they hit them too far. Even though she was hurt, she still had fun. The funny thing is, her shoulder miraculously healed when I told her she couldn't ice skate if she was hurt.

Before heading to the main building where the ice rink was, we had to stop back at the dome and change into warmer clothes. GG had to use the bathroom so I decided to take her and we would meet our troop in the other building. Of course there was a line at the bathroom. This kind of thing tends to happen when you only have one toilet available. The other one was just nasty! Yes, one bathroom for 314 people. There were 4 porta-potties, but personally, I have to be really desperate to even go near those!

Finally it was almost our turn. We just had to wait for the woman in front of us to finish. I don't know what the hell she was doing, but perhaps a porta-potty would have been a better option for her. I did hear paper ripping and I can only assume she was lining the seat before she sat. Then there was a bunch of shuffling and jingling. Possibly a belt? We stood there for 5 minutes and I'm still not sure she did anything! Perhaps I should have printed out Momma Kiss' rules on proper bathroom etiquette and shared them? Or perhaps she knew these rules and was trying to make us leave so she could get some privacy (see previous comment on her using the porta-potties because you're not going to get privacy when there's a frickin line!).

GG and I ended up walking out and decided to find the bathrooms in the other building. We peed, she got skated up, and headed out on the ice with her friends. The girls and some other adults who were not me skated for about an hour before we headed back to the dome, where we would be sleeping.

We set up our sleeping in prime real estate on the lovely hard as a rock green astroturf. We wanted a good view of the movie, which would start promptly at 11:15. That's past my bedtime, but I really wanted to see Tangled. I can tell you it was a really good movie. Up until the point where Rapunzel escapes from her tower. That's when I crashed. I woke up a few times through the night because I couldn't feel the side of my body I was sleeping on. If you've ever slept on astroturf, than you understand. If you haven't, it's probably more comfortable sleeping on a brick road.

And just when I finally fell into a deep sleep.... BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. Some bitches set their alarms for 6 o'clock in the bloody morning! Who does that?! The lights were coming on at 7. If that didn't wake you up, then the girls who were woken up by the lights surely would have gotten you up. Thank goodness coffee was provided.

I think everyone had a good time. I know I did, but I really have to wonder. Last week, I read a post by Erin about things that SAHMs should be paid for . If I were to add "Surviving a Girl Scout sleepover" to that list, how rich would I be?



Until next time....

Send some luck please

Before send out my plea for help, I do want to take a moment to point out that Girl Scouts is a great organization.

For the girls. Adults? Not so much!

GG has been in scouts for a few years now and she looks forward to each and every meeting. I have been a leader for almost 2 years now and I dread each and every meeting. The meetings with the girls as well as the leader meetings.

Tonight I get the pleasure of experiencing my very first sleepover as a leader.

Enter plea for help.....NOW!!!


Assuming we don't get lost, we should arrive a little after 6pm. From the time we arrive to 11pm, the schedule is packed. There will be ice skating, tie-dye shirt making, hot dog roasting and s'more making. I am looking forward to the activities. The other girls who will be there? I'm scared. The place where we are going can hold up to 600 people for these overnight trips. That's a lot of girls all between the ages of 5 and 9.


Enter plea number 2..... NOW!!!


At the end of the night, oh, say, around 11:15 a movie will be shown on the ceiling of the arena. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to show a movie this late a night, but whatever. The best part is, we all get to sleep on astroturf to watch the movie.


Enter plea number 3.... NOW!!!


Assuming we all make it through the night, we can all wake up bright eyes and bushy tailed at 7am for breakfast. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but I am anything but a morning person. People who know me refuse to talk to me until I've had at least one cup of coffee. The people I am spending the night do not know this. It could get ugly!

You might think this sounds like a fantabulous time, and it sort of does. You might also think that GG and I can return home Saturday morning (they kick us out of there at 8) and sleep all day. This one you are wrong. Both of my kids have soccer games so we will be at the field from 10:30 to 12:30.


Enter plea number 4.... NOW!!!!


If I make it through the night, I fear I won't survive the morning. Please wish me luck and keep me in your thoughts during what could be a tough time.



Until next time (hopefully)....

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Spring is one of my favorite seasons. Flowers are blooming, the grass is growing and turner greener by the day. It is also the season where I can start sending the kids outside to play. Without bundling them up like Randy from Christmas Story.

The kids have had plenty of days where they can play outside. They have even had recess outside quite a bit. However, they still can't do the super important things. And by super important, I mean the activities we pay for.

The Spring Soccer season started in the beginning of April. By this point, both kids should have had 5 practices and 4 games. In reality, Little Dude has had no more than 1 practice and 1 game. GG hasn't had any practices yet, but she was able to get a game in.

So far, every Tuesday this month it has rained. It has gotten to the point that GG's coach doesn't say the word "cancelled" anymore when he calls each and every Tuesday. He now says "It's Tuesday so of course it's raining. I'll see you Saturday." I feel bad for the poor girl. She loves the sport and really wants to get out there and play.

As for Little Dude, I've come to realize that his coach is a wuss. It doesn't matter that he is fresh out of the army. He's a wuss! Some of his cancellations are legit - it really is raining. Last night? There was no reason for that. Yes, there was a chance of rain, but we all know how weather (wo)men are - only right 50% of the time! It never did rain. Suck it up man! Let's just hope Little Dude doesn't call him a wuss because I may or may not have said that statement aloud after the phone call.


This weekend is supposed to be nice. I'm thinking I should probably take some pictures of the kids playing. The way this season is going, who knows when I'll get the chance again!



Until next time....

It should be illegal

For the past 4 years, GG has been playing soccer. When Little Dude turned 4 a year and a half ago, he also started playing. They play both in the Fall season and in the Spring season.

We're not supposed to keep score, but as you can imagine, every single kid does. And sometimes the parents! The point is for the kids to have fun and be active. This is why they continue to play each season.

However, I have started to reconsider the Fall season. I'm not a fan of the cold. Our practice field is way at the bottom of a big hill, so it feels colder down there than it really is.

After last night, I am ready to petition the league to push back the start of the Spring season. Last weekend was absolutely gorgeous - perfect soccer playing weather. Last night? It felt more like November.

Let me explain in further detail via my tweets transferred to post-its...










Yes, I have to do it all again tonight with the other child. I know we're supposed to make sacrifices for our kids, but this is getting a little out of hand!






Until next time...

I just can't do it!

The past few days have been full of ups and downs. Mostly ups and downs for me. Just when I would get excited over something, it would be followed by a disappointment. Let me explain...

In preparation for the Super Bowl, our school declared last week black and gold week. J and I had decided to do something during our Brownie meeting that would coincide with all the black and gold stuff.

Her and I both crochet. I have tried to teach GG a few times, but with no luck. Honestly, it took me a while to figure it out. All I have to say is thank goodness for YouTube! What made it even harder to teacher her is the fact that she's a lefty. I'm not.

At our meeting last Thursday, we decided to teach the girls how to make the basic crochet chain. They would use yellow yarn and add some black beads. It took longer than anticipated, so we plan to do another tutorial at a later meeting. We were only able to show a few of the girls, but GG was one of them. It wasn't me who finally helped her to figure it out how to make a chain, but hopefully in the future I can help her learn more.

My excitement over her new skill continued into the next day. But Little Dude had crushed my excitement. It wasn't intentional, but that doesn't make me feel any better!

The 4 of us were in the car on the way home from picking the husband up from work when I hear a noise. I wasn't sure what it was so I let it go. The boy makes weird noises because he's a goofy kid. Sometimes it's better not to ask. He does it again. Sure enough it sounded like a whistle. When we were stopped I looked behind me and asked him to do it again. He did. And then GG joined in, followed by the husband. I'm surrounded by 3 whistling fools and I am not happy about it!


They tried giving me pointers and telling me to keep practicing. I'm sorry, but some people just can't whistle!




Until next time....

I didn't mean to break tradition

It's Super Bowl week, we bleed black and gold in this house, so yes, you're getting a football post. And why I got in trouble over traditions and superstitions.


The big game is next Sunday and I cannot wait! Words cannot express how excited I am! Of course that excitement will end 10 minutes before kickoff, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

To celebrate Super Bowl week, GG and Little Dude are having black and gold week at school. Monday was wear something from one of the city's sports teams. Tuesday was decorate your head day.

Little Dude wore a Steelers hat, while GG wore the hat I made for her.





I tried to take a picture of her modeling it off, but the flash blinded her. So you get a picture of the hat on my hand!


Today is Terrible Towel day. And this is the day that led me to trouble. Yoi!




I am extremely superstitious when it comes to my sports. I wear the same thing for every football game and I have my towel every. single. game. Ever since the end of last season I have been searching for 2 Terrible Towels. I have a total of 3, but have been MIA. When I found out about towel day, I asked my mom if we could borrow hers. With the promise of returning it before the big game of course!

She reluctantly agreed, but I decided to tear apart my house one more time. Lo and behold, I found those 2 towels hiding between the sheets. Way in the back of our hall closet. I'm giddy as a kid in a candy store so of course I have to share. I posted something on Facebook thinking my friends who are also fans will be excited for me. Two more towels = two more times the luck. Or so I thought.

One of my good friends told me we would lose the game because I wouldn't do or have the same items for the bi game as I had for previous games. We Steeler fans take pride in our towels and our superstitions, but damn! I didn't expect to get yelled at!

I'm still sticking with two times more luck!


Until next time....

Climbing the stairway to 7

Yes, it's true. We bleed black and gold in this house. The kids and I wear our jerseys for every single game. Along with my jersey I have my Cleveland sucks shirt and my Patriots cheat shirt for when the Steelers play those teams. I also have to wear my red belt and have my Terrible Towel on hand. I may be slightly superstitious. I've also added a Steeler Silly Bandz to my list of what to wear for game day. I've worn it for the playoffs and, well, you see where it got us!

For last weeks AFC Championship game, the kids prepared by coloring pictures that will go in our window sometime this week.




But just when I thought I was a superstitious fanatic, I came across this...



Don't worry, I took all proper precautions. I stopped my car before clicking away and I made sure the passengers were out of eye sight. By the way, I find it amusing that those passengers were walking into the Steelers store. Obsessed much?

HERE WE GO

STEELERS

HERE WE GO

PITTSBURGH'S GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL

**********

TIME TO CLIMB THE STAIRWAY TO 7

SEE YOU IN DALLAS!

Now who has my tickets and a place for me to stay?


Wordful Wednesday by

and


Until next time....

A new tradition

What a crazy few days we had! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to jump back into my escape. Between stuffing myself like a turkey, watching too much football, and wearing out my car's horn due to the holiday drivers, I am exhausted!

We made our annual trek to my mom's house for turkey day. I say trek, but she's only 5 minutes away! Other than the 6 hours of listening to my midgets play my mom's electronic keyboard, good times were had.

We continued our turkey day traditions by hitting the mall Friday morning. We don't go out super early, but we do find some good deals. Even though we don't go hog wild and buy everything in sight, again it's good times.

I also think we may have started a new tradition - lights. No, not mine. As much as I would love to have all the Christmas stuff out the weekend after turkey day, it just isn't going to happen. I need to hire a maid in order for that to work.

And a personal organizer, and a chef, and a nanny....


Enough fantasizing. Back to our hopefully new tradition. There's this house around these parts who like to decorate. Nothing to extravagant. Just a few inflatables, some music, and a few lights. Their light count is somewhere in the ball park of 260,000. Can we saw Grizwolds?


Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself...





Just by chance I looked up their website to find out the hours they have the lights on. Saturday was the night they first flipped the switch for the season. I loaded the kids in the car, in their PJs, picked up my mom, and off we went.







Thank you Steel City Christmas for giving us a new tradition!


Until next time....

Monkeys and birthday girls

This past weekend was GG's birthday weekend 1 of 2. I am happy to report that everyone survived and we are all in one piece. This is especially important because this mama was flying solo over the weekend as the husband was on his annual hiatus to Chicago.

Some of you may remember my complaining over a pair of boots last week. I never did find the exact pair she had her heart set on, but I did find a reasonable substitute. She got them Thursday night and she's only taken them off to sleep (I think?). Since the husband was was leaving Friday morning, GG was privileged enough to get her goodies Thursday night. She also got a "new" laptop (the husband's old one) and a new jersey.



Friday the kids and I had our own mini celebration. Complete with cupcake monstrosities!




Saturday was her bowling party. Even if we did have the room, it's so much easier to have parties somewhere else. I don't have to clean anything and there is usually an employee assigned to help you out.



Only 1 boy came, but he still had fun. All the girls like him, even though not one of them will admit to it. He also gave Little Dude someone to pal around with for 2 hours.

The girls? My goodness can they shriek! One would bowl and then shut her eyes tight. The others would watch to see how she did. If she bowled well? Let's just say I'm shocked that no glass was broken in the process!

The best part of GG's friend party, in my humble opinion, was her cake. Of course I have to save the best for last. Because I was up til midnight the night before putting the darn thing together!



And now we will take a week to recoup before party weekend #2. Thank goodness the husband is home to help with this one!



Until next time....

Steelers, shoes, and birthdays

It feels like only yesterday that I was pounding out this post. It's hard to believe that's it's already been a year.

Today my baby girl is celebrating her 9th birthday.

No, wait. It's tomorrow. Wait. Um... today? Dear god don't let her birthday be yesterday! It is the 12th, right? I hope so!

It's been one hell of a week! And since when does a birthday celebration last 2 weeks?


Wednesday I finally got around to shopping for my chicky. She found a really cute pair of black boots last weekend...



I couldn't very well buy her a present right there in front of her. Although looking back, maybe I should have. I went to my local Payless and they didn't have those boots in her size. The closet store that did have them was at least a half hour away. I didn't have time for that, so I tried the mall. I went to every shoe store, every department store. Nothing! But on the bright side, I did find her a new Steelers jersey at a really good price.


Since the husband is headed out to Chicago for the weekend, we did our little celebrating and gift giving last night. Tomorrow is her bowling party with her friends. Next weekend is her family party. And we have relatives coming in from out of state next weekend. That will make it extra special.

I hope this doesn't mean we have to celebrate for 3 weeks next year!


For now I think I'll just savor the moment. Yes, today is actually GG's birthday. Happy birthday, baby girl.

I'm sure after these 2 weeks I will have plenty of pictures to share!


Until next time....