Indulge me...

It's Sunday...

It's cold...no...no, scratch that...its frigid...

And, it should be Day 168 of the TreeHouse Chronicles.

*Sigh*...*sniffle*...*sob*.

Our world currently consists of ice (you can't call it snow anymore...you can walk atop it...) on the ground (similar to "Pants on the Ground"...only ice), on the road, on everyone's driveways.

And frigid, bitterly cold air.

I want sun.

And warm air.

And green grass.

And chirping birds.

I want the TreeHouse Chronicles back in full swing.

Speaking of swing...I want that too. Swings. Slides. Playing outside.

Is it like this where you are? Are we in the same boat?

Or, are you lucky? Are you living in warmth and sunshine?

If you are...will you please send some my way?

Pretty please?

...with a cherry on top?

Do you see it?

Take a good hard look at this photo:

Do you see it?

The "Scary Monster"...can you spot it?

Every time we get Baby Girl out of her car seat, she exclaims, "Ooooh, 'cary monsto"! And looks in this general direction.

I've tried and tried...and tried!!

I've sat in her car seat, I've gotten down on her level, I've even tried a little psychological regression...and I still can't see it!

Regardless...I think it's kinda funny...to hear that little voice announce, "ooooh, 'cary monsto"...it's just too darn cute.

Makes me wanna hug her and love her and protect her from that "'cary monsto"...only thing is...she doesn't seem too concerned about it.

No...actually...the more I think about it...she seems, well...more intrigued by it that anything!

Oh, help me Lord...I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

My fearless fifth child...

Five Question Friday! 1/29/10

Once again...it's Friday! And, it's payday Friday in this house!!!

Which also means, it's bill pay Friday.

Bummer...

Well...at least we've got Five Question Friday!!! The hip, fun, zany, happenin' way to meet and greet your fellow bloggers!

Rules for my friends: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, grab the MckLinky code, and link up! I would love ya, if you'd link back to me, Mama M.!

No blog? Feel free to leave your answers in the comments of any blog along the way...or, better yet...start a blog and link up!

It is a birthday extravaganza weekend in the Mama household...gonna be a busy one, but I am gonna do my darnedest to get around to visiting every 5QF'er this week!

Okay...let's get this party started!!

Questions for Friday, 1/29/10: (Muchos gracias to my friends, Lisa P., Liz, Megan, and Thorney London for their question suggestions! Wanna be linked in a future 5QF? Just leave me a question suggestion here, in my community! It's fun and totally not scary...I promise! Check it out!)

1. Would you ever vacation alone?

2. Do you go the speed limit?

3. Why did you start blogging/following blogs?

4. Where do you shop for yourself?

5. What was the song that you danced your first dance with your spouse to at your wedding...or...what song would you like your first dance to be to?

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

1. Would you ever vacation alone?

Well...I'd like to be able to tell you that I'm a confident, mature adult who could handle being on her own in an unfamiliar place...

But, I'd be lying if I did.

So, instead I'll give you the bitter truth.

No.

First of all...I'd be forever indebted to the poor sap who got stuck sitting next to me on the plane. Barf, panic attacks, Our Father's and Hail Mary's galore.

It ain't pretty.

Secondly...what the heck would I do? I'd need someone to talk to and hash out decisions with..."should I buy that beautiful turquoise necklace or the to die for silver ring?"...you know, the important things in life...

So, nope. I couldn't do it.

Man, am I a baby, or what?!

2. Do you go the speed limit?

Yes.

*cough*mostofthetime*cough*

I try to do my best. It's the dang speed changes that trip me up. And, those darn back roads where the speed limit should be 97, but for whatevertheheck reason, it's 30.

I think they do that to us intentionally (Cop Mama...is it true?!)...just to catch us.

Sometimes (and here's where you'll discover what a real dork I am...), sometimes...if I know it's a tricky road for me...I'll set my cruise.

At 30.

For three blocks.

Promise me you won't "unfollow" me for my lameness?!!

3. Why did you start blogging/following blogs?

Well...a couple of co-workers and a former patient of mine had blogs...and totally suckered me in.

Great writing, awesome photos, fun stuff...then, one of them happened to mention this little boy named Stellan.

Have you heard of him? ;)

Well...I innocently clicked on Stellan's name, and was sucked into the vortex that is now my blogging life.

Again...dork alert here...what tipped me into, "yup...I need to get me one 'a them blog thingies"...was Not Me Monday!

So, I dove in feet first...and haven't come up for air yet! I love blogging...I love the people I've "met", I love using the creative part of my brain (you know...the part that laundry, scrubbing, polishing, vaccuming, bedmaking doesn't use? Yeah...that part.), I love the friends I've made, the stories I've read.

You know...I think it's so incredibly fun to "accidentally" discover a blog of someone who you could see yourself sitting down with and having a good long chat.

A friend...and it's amazing to me how many awesome bloggers are out there!

4. Where do you shop for yourself?

For all of my fashionable exisistence, it has been a continual toss up between The Limited and Express.

Just when Express starts to get a little too trashy for my taste...The Limited revs things up and brings down the corporate business lady attire just a bit...and vice versa...just when The Limited gets too "businessy" for me...Express steps up to the plate and get's rid of the plastic mini skirts and cut off gloves.

I like to think they do it just for me...keeps me interested...doesn't let life get too boring.

'Course...there's always the Gap...

5. What was the song that you danced your first dance with your spouse to...or...what song would you like your first dance to be to?

Ahhhhh...our first dance.

Makes me a little teary just thinkin' about it. What a magical day that was...*taking walk down memory lane...*

*snaps back to attention*

Ooops, sorry...flashback.

Sigh...the Mister and I danced to Bryan Adams' "When You Love Someone" (bummer...couldn't actually find a link of BA himself...but this band does a pretty fab job!)...not to be confused with "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman".

Oh, no! Do not confuse the two.

"When You Love Someone" is off the Hope Floats soundtrack...a movie that reminds me of Mr. Wonderful and myself...and makes "my cup runneth over" every. single. time. I watch it.

Every time.

It's an awesome, romantic song. In fact, now that I'm listening to it in the background, while finishing up 5QF...the song itself makes me a wee bit teary...

Once again..."my cup runneth over"...

*wipes tears...sets computer aside...gives Mr. Wonderful a big ol' hug*

Phew...okay...now, my friends...link up!

Forgive me, please...

Okay, so...before I start I need to apologize.

I'm afraid some people will read this and think I'm an evil, good fer nuthin', heartless person. They might want to flog me and burn me at the stake.

But, I'll take my chances.

*taking deep breath...working up courage*

I'm not a pet person.

There, I said it!

I don't really like animals...not that I don't care about other living creatures, I do...it's just that...well...it's just that I don't have the time for them.

Not to mention the whole drive-by hand licking, poop eating, butt licking, carcass rolling in thing they do.

And then...there's this:

*gag*

I mean really, Dora...rolling in carcasses (wait...would the plural of carcass be, "carcaei") is bad enough...but dragging them home and leaving it on our back step?

Grody.

For real...if Dora weren't such a great guard dog (*snort*) I'm not sure I could put up with it.

Okay...well...maybe I could.

As long as she doesn't lick my hands.

Apple Thinks We're BFF's Now...

So, I buy a Mac, and suddenly Apple thinks we're best friends.

Here's my proof:

Yesterday, Apple launched the iPad...

Yesterday, Aunt Flo came to visit me.

See what I mean?

Really Apple...I love ya and all, but you don't have to go gettin' in my personal business.

And, besides...that iPad doesn't look like it'd fit in my undies.

Just sayin'.

I *heart* the Zac Brown Band...

I have never, ever, ever in my life been so amazed by a video.

Ever.

Ever, ever.

I've been on a Zac Brown Band kick of late, and the Crayon Wrangler pointed me to this performance.

You've probably seen it...but for those of us like myself (ahem...that would be those of us who live under a rock...), it was brand new to me.

Be prepared to be awed...

So, what didja think?

Sometimes, I am envious...

Home from running errands...Little A. darts from the van...

"Hmmm...what's his hurry?" I wonder.

Then I see...

Well...at least his pants aren't around his ankles, like usual. Guess he's learning.

Or, perhaps, he was just cold. I dunno.

*pay no attention to the yellow patch of snow in the foreground of this photo...things like this certainly do not happen on a regular basis*

Hold 'em Close

Today, I let my Miss E. sleep in. She's been missing me...and, whether it was "right" or "wrong", it's what I decided to do.

I knew she needed a little extra Mama time, a few hugs, some extra snuggling...and sometimes (just sometimes), I think things like that are more important than school.

It's not that I don't think education is important. Not. At. All. It's just that I think life...and living is more important.

When I dropped her off at school, I was signing her in...and the secretary (whom, I adore...), said to Miss E., "Alright, why don't you head on up and get ready for lunch!"

Miss E. looked at me with those crystal clear blues of hers, and I could see right to her soul.

"Would you like me to walk up with you?" I asked her.

She nodded, and smiled...and then...

Mrs. P (the secretary) said, "Miss E.! Really? You can't walk up by yourself?!"

And I wanted to push the pause button...I wanted to reach down into the depths of my spineless being...and ask Mrs. P if it really mattered...if she remembered those days with her own children...and if, perhaps, she wished she would've walked them to class...just for a few extra minutes with them.

You see...I have this thing...this need. This need to hold and love and snuggle my children for as long as I can.

I want to walk them to class, even when they're seniors.

I want them to miss me so we can have "sleep in" days.

I'm not sure if I was wrong to walk Miss E. to class, or if I just have an acute understanding of this weird, wacky time warp we live in with our children (you know, the one where we put our children to bed one night as newborn babies, and when we go to them the next morning, suddenly they're 8? Yeah...that time warp)...but I do KNOW that it felt right.

Miss E. won't always want me to walk her to class...but, as long as she does...I'm gonna do it.

And I don't care what the secretary thinks.

This time is too fleeting...and I want to capture every moment that I can.

Me and my M.A.C.

Let's clear the air here...by M.A.C., I do not mean cosmetics...although I hear they're pretty good.

But no...remember this post? In which I casually mention that I recently acquired a Mac? Yes...that is the Mac I mean when I refer to M.A.C...as in, "Mine And not the Children's".

So, I may have mentioned before that I can't make a decision to save my life have a hard time with decision making. Really hard. Like, I agonize over things for days and weeks and years and decades before I make a decision.

'Cept with havin' kids. Just jumped right in with that one. Interesting...

Anywho...I did it. (ahem...upon proof reading, I discovered that that sentence...the one right before this one in parenthesis? Yeah, that one...well, put into context with the sentence above...well...*cough* ahem...*blushing* it, kind of...well...it kind of sounds...gosh, nevermind...my dirty mind...)

Well, then...carrying on...I asked and pondered and fretted and contemplated and asked some more...and finally decided that yes, a Mac is what I want need.

Then, I went to the Apple store...and if my mind hadn't been made up before I walked into the store, it was within 2 demos of what a Mac can do for me.

Nevermind the un-viralness of Macs, or their pretty design...I was sold. Hook, line and sinker...'specially with the photo stuff!

So...friends, meet M.A.C. (I'm afraid Kate's started something with naming new devices...first there was Marlboro Man...and now M.A.C.)...M.A.C., meet friends (M.A.C. says "hi"...).

I'm, honestly, still a tad overwhelmed by what I can do with this thing...I mean, gosh...I feel like I just dove in, but did one of those shallow dives where you just stay on the surface of the water? Yeah...that is exactly how I feel!

I know that in the cool blue depths of this machine, lie some pretty rockin' capabilities...now, I just need to take a big gulp of air, hold my breath, and...

Dive on in!

I'm afraid I'll get the bends if I come up too fast...or dive too deep...so, anyone with any tips, ideas, how to's...I'd love 'em.

And, I'd love you.

You Might be a Nurse If...

I think it's time for a little talkin' shop, my friends!!

I'm channelling my inner Jeff Foxworthy, and givin' you my version of "You might be a redneck if..."

So, here we go!

You might be a nurse if...

~At the end of the day, you realize you haven't peed since you woke up.

~You can talk about puke and poop at the supper table.

~You don't understand why people get grossed out by puke and poop talk at the supper table.

~Your kiddo coughs, and you're convinced it's double pneumonia.

~You get a spider bite, and obsess over it's appearance for days...certain an infection is going to set in any. minute.

~You take your child to the doctor if he so much as sneezes...or, you go the opposite, and don't take your child in unless he is near death.

~You frequently pepper your conversations with "stat, GBS, sepsis, multip, primip, bagging, desat, accel...".

Or...how 'bout this:

You might be a Labor and Delivery Nurse if...

~You can use your first and second fingers to measure things in centimeters.

~Wiping poop from a grown woman's bottom doesn't bother you in the least...in fact, you encourage her to keep it up!

~The sound of a crying baby makes you breathe a huge sigh of relief.

~The words, "Grand Multip" send you racing for a pair of gloves...and the lady isn't even in the building yet.

~You can swaddle a baby in 0.2 seconds flat.

~You're convinced that you have the greatest job in the world.

Bestie Weekend Getaway!

I'm tired.

Totally exhausted.

Which, I guess you can deduce, means Bestie Weekend was a bah-LAST!!!

We checked into our hotel...had a little "Bestie Toast",

And proceeded to get ready for our night out on the town!

I had my very first experience at Melting Pot...lemme just say, I'm quite certain that I gained a few (hundred) pounds.

If you should ever find yourself "experiencing" the Melting Pot...wear pants with an elastic waist.

Or, Spanx.

On second thought, scratch the Spanx...it'd be too uncomfortable.

It was, without a doubt, a "stick a fork in me I'm done, kind of experience!

I had an extremely yummy drink:

But I'm not gonna tell you the name.

It makes me blush.

Ahem...

Carrying on...after we completed stuffing our faces eating an appropriately sized meal...we headed out to a place called "Nye's". (Forgive the random dude in the background...where's Photoshop when you need it?!!)

Another first for me. (Have I ever mentioned I don't get out much?)

I had a Cosmo...and felt a little like one of the Sex in the City girls...hmmmm...wonder which one I'd be?

Definitely not a Samantha...or a Miranda...not hip and fashionable enough to be a Carrie...maybe a Charlotte?

I dunno...maybe I'm just not cut out to be a SITC girl!

We danced with a dapper octogenarian who, word on the street says, had been on Dateline. He was adorable...and, I'm quite convinced he wasn't calling Dateline to put in a word for me to dance on their show (and, btw...since when does Dateline have dancers?).

The cab ride back to the hotel was a little slick.

And not the slick as in, "Wow...that worked out really slick!"...nope...it was more the slick, like...don't slam on your brakes lest you'd like to bury your front bumper into the car in front of you, kinda slick.

I watched a man biff it. Like, totally and completely lose his footing from beneath him.

And, I handled it like the mature adult that I am.

I laughed and chuckled and giggled and guffawed and held my stomach and had tears rolling down my face...and, I almost pee'd my pants.

But I didn't.

And, y'all know why...so, I won't rub it in! ;)

We slept in...well, kinda. I awoke to a noise I was certain was someone's kid crying in the room next door...at the oh so wonderful hour of 6 am.

I lay there...thinking, "well this is great. I'm away from my own kids, who sleep in...and I get awoken by someone else's." I nearly cried.

But, I held it together...woke a snoring sleeping peacefully Tara, and proceeded to find out it was her "white noise" app making that sound.

Weird.

Then, I promptly fell back asleep for another 3 1/2 hours.

It was bliss.

We made our way to the MOA...I bought myself my Mac...and (this is where I need to hold it together...) we...*sniff*...we had to...*sniff sniff*...we had to cancel on our "cities girl's night out" due to bad weather...*sob*.

I was sad.

I hate making mature, responsible adult decisions.

And...to top it off. The roads ended up being fine.

Stupid weather.

Stupid rain.

Stupid "winter storm advisories".

(I'd also throw in a "stupid people who care about me telling us to come home sooner rather than later"...but, that sounds mean...'cuz I love the people that care about me...so, I'll leave that one out.)

Know what that means tho'?

Reschedule, baby!

Now, I get to look forward to another night out with the girls!

Right, Mr. Wonderful?

Honey...right? I get a re-do, right?

Ahem...well...guess I'll see 'bout that one.

I loved every minute of my getaway...but, you know...

It sure was nice coming home.