My taste of a Jubilee...

As you all know by now (because I can't shut up about it) my boys 'graduated' from school and are out for the summer. The school scheduled their 'promotions' (sounds like they get a raise as well-but alas they do not) at different times on the same day. 9:00 Jack, and 12:00 Tucker....so each boy chose a place to 'celebrate' afterwards. Jack chose Bagel Me which is across the street from his school and is kinda like Happy Day's Arnold's for his classmates. Tucker wanted to go to Polly's Pies (a chain coffee shop place). Boy was he thrilled when we saw 'mocktails' on a new menu. Although there is always a voice in my head saying 'aren't mocktails kinda like candy cigarettes? Is this the best parenting move to encourage?'.......naturally I ignored the voice in my head and told Tucker to order what ever he wanted from the waitress. "A Berry Brazzle Jubilee and a corndog please!" After all - he is officially a 2nd grader now...time to get the party started don't ya think?

FYI: Tuck insisted it was the best tasting drink ever. I tried it- and had to work really hard to muster a 'mmm ya that IS good'......it was no Jubilee folks. It wasn't even Berry Brazzle- county fair. But HE loved it and that was all that matters.

Introducing: Inky-Me

Well folks here it is. My first Illustration for my blog done around midnight one evening... and yet.....it is a total waste because I can not upload the image any larger on Blogger! I suppose there is way to do it....but I can't figure it out yet. (hey if you know leave me a comment and let me in on the secret!) So I will have re-create the text besides the lovely sketch of "Inky-Me"......(FYI- I would NEVER wear a pink shirt with green shorts in real life. But Inky-Me loves it)

I'm A Blogger....R You?

• Dry, Blurry Eyes from too much screen time.
• Need a root touch up/haircut
• spaced out look...planning next blog post while listening to others
• Tense shoulders from lack of comments
• Pathetic self promoting tee
• Extra lbs from avoiding the gym
• sore back from HOURS hunched over keyboard
• Notebook in pocket for all those ideas...
• phone in hand to Twitter night and day
• possible 'Blogger Butt"
• Nail polish chipped at tips from constant typing
• Carpal Tunnel developing...going to buy gel wrist pad next week
• legs: white from not seeing daylight in months
• Comfort shoes (slippers, Ughs, whatever....)

Happy to e-mail image to any fellow bloggers out there!

My happy breaking heart....

With every transition and change of season- my heart leaps with joy and breaks in pain....this is a mother's burden. They grow up, and grow away....and part of me cries for the little boys they were....and part of me smiles for the men they will too soon become. Here are a few fave photos to share....do you know I have 37,000 photos on my hard drive? Most of them are of my boys...ya' I think I love them.....oh BOY! do I ever. I love them till it hurts..........all you moms out there know exactly what I mean...................

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No more teachers! No more books!

Today is the last day of School! (for my kids anyway...)

When I was a kid (a long, long time ago) on the last day of school, some kids (not this kid-but OTHER kids- those risky ones) would take their old gym shoes and tie the laces together and throw them over the telephone wires on the way home from school (yes, back then we were allowed to walk to school-shocking I know).....and there the shoes would dangle for all the world to see - forever. Seemed like they never came down. I remember gazing out the back of our wood panelled station wagon on the way to the Alpha Beta grocery store and see the same pairs of shoes, on the same wires - for years. Now most of the phone wires in the OC are buried underground, and most public schools don't even offer gym class (P.E. I mean)...so this whole bizarre tradition is disappearing. I was surprised to read online, that people have attributed this tradition to have other meanings...but I remember very clearly why we did it. We did it because it was funny. We did it because we knew would make the 'grown-ups' mad. And mainly we did it because - well, because-we could.

Married, Merger....same diff.

Don't do it for love. Don't do it for companionship. Don't do it for passion.....do it FOR THE MONEY.

Huh? Apparently I have been married for all the wrong reasons.....I never realized it was actually a business merger I was in and not a marriage. Marriage, Merger same diff. I guess.

Not that I am against promoting marriage. After all I want everyone to come over the dark side. Cuz you know how us married folks can't stand to know ANYONE who is not married. So all we do is talk about how great it is to be married. Could be because we are jealous ya know....anyway this Ad was created by Campaign for Children. Whaaa? Whoooo? Some obscure group working off $5.5 million in funding out of the state of Maryland. They have other slogan ads too; including the jewel "Marriage Works" along side another painfully happy couple. Oh they look so naive....'trust me honey one day you will be fighting over who gets this crappy wagon wheel coffee table' (equally obscure Harry met Sally quote for ya). Folks there is a lot I can say on this whole slogan thing....a whole lot....but others have already done it for me so perfectly, I say why bother? Click here for a well written and researched article on this organization and their goal to get our kids all married or sterile by the time they hit puberty. Did I mention this is STATE FUNDED? Can you feel my teeth clinching?

Bloggers Note: I love being married. Really, I am huge huge fan of the whole 'till death' thing....after all my til death is with Ed-my really tolerate of my blogging husbster.

Hey kid wanna beer?

New post over at the OC Register...."Wanna Beer? Bring a gift!"...please leave your comment, thoughts and insults over there...that way I look popular...and what girl doesn't want to at least LOOK popular?

UPDATE: Jack and his hair

Okay I have received lots of personal e-mails and even a little Twitter wanting to get an update on the Jack-Hair controversy. After sending my scathing (but truthfully acurate) e-mail I received one from the owner and principal from the school.

"Have Jack come see me first thing tomorrow. I want to review his hair"

So we woke early and slicked his hair until he looked like a cross between Max Headroom and Dracula. It was really an art form...I had to sorta sculpt his hair into position. Then I lacquered it down with hairspray. She took one look at him and all she said was "Oh my don't you look handsome! This is just fine for the rest of the year!"......so basically she totally and completely CAVED. The thing is- SHE is the one who said he needed the second cut in the first place! Couldn't she have just ignored it for one more week???? Oh the drama of elementary school......Today Jack went to school with his black high top converse shoes with his new PINK shoe laces (all the rage for 9 yr old boys right now-seriously) and he was stopped by a teacher who said they didn't comply with the dress code. I am thinking of dying his white dress shirt pink for the promotion/graduation ceremony on Thursday....ya know, and just claim 'laundry accident'. They should know not to mess with Mama Bear.....oh no they shouldn't....

VOTE for ME!

Can you all go vote for my baby photo of Tucker at the OC Register? It is some kind of cutest baby contest...and well, if they won't hire me to be a photog for them- then I am gonna just keep entering ever photo contest they have! Mucho thanks....click HERE. Look also for one called "Hannah"...that is my photo too of my beautiful niece....

Oh lookie here- ANOTHER mom website...but wait hold on- this one is kinda interesting...it asks all kinds of questions (gay marriage? biggest secret? what do you think of your in-laws?) and you can comment totally ANONOMOUSLY. Yup- here you can be really really honest.....not that I hold back on this blog! Fun to read answers too....makes you feel kinda...well, NORMAL! Check it out HERE.

Tag- I'm IT!!!!

I was tagged (by my friend at I love Retro Things) to do the following wacky thing. And I have to say the results made me smile...

Instructions: Take the book you are reading and turn to page 123. Post the 5th-8th sentences on the page....

The audience might have thought what I am thinking now: "Was that terrible or was that good?"Laughter in these poorly designed places rose a few feet into the air and then dissipated like steam, always giving me the feeling I was bombing. One night, from my dressing room, I saw a vision in white gliding down the hall- a tall, striking woman, moving like an apparition along the backstage corridor. When she turned the corner , she revealed an even indelible presence behind her.

This is from Born Standing Up by Steve Martin. Steve is my life-long love. I adore him. I could recite 'Steve Martin Live" performance word for word since I was about 12. I played that cassette (taken from my parents collection of course) over and over until finally it gave out. I now have a down loaded version on my ipod. I could go on an on....but I mean it when I say I LOVE this guy. He is the perfect embodiment of cerebral comedian with an absurd execution. And while this book was more gaurded than I would have liked (it says nothing about his personal life for the last 20 years at all)...it was still in intriguing read. So hey look at that- this little tag turned into a book review AND a love letter to Mr. Martin. Oh, yes I am a multitasker...

I am not gonna tag anyone special (don't want to stress you out) ...but if any of my fellow bloggers wanna try this- go for it!!!!

A friend of mine encouraged us to visit the Costco in Yorba Linda today to try a sample of a new product called "Fun Quenchers". My friend's company, OC Flavors, supplies flavors to them for their products and she asked us to help show our support. One sip and my kids were sold! These are low sugar, no artificial colors, non-staining flavored waters in 8 oz juice pouches. But the real glory of these guys? NO STRAW. They have this innovative pop top thingy.....which means my kids will never be sent to school again with a juice pouch and no straw attached! (yes, I know good mommies check these things before sending them off to school- but hey some mornings I am lucky to remember to pack lunch at all!). They were VERY affordable. We got home and the kids have had two each already! I will have to go back for more soon! Check out their website for more info and where to get....

We miss you Big Mac

On this day 4 years ago- I lost my dad, (well, I know where he IS...except he is dead...that is what I mean). People are often afraid to say the word DEAD when someone dies. They say 'passed on', 'has left us', 'is no longer with us' and of course 'we lost him'. I however, used the phrase 'he is dead' or 'my dad died' from the moment it happened. It has helped to force the reality of what had happened to stick with me. This was important since I would often be going thru my day afterwards and it would hit me like a ton of bricks. Like all of a sudden I was hearing the news for the first time. I mean, my brain knew...but my heart hadn't heard the news. So I would say it. 'My dad is dead, My dad is dead'....

My dad was far too great a man to even begin to describe here. Actually I could have a novel worth of words and it would not totally convey what an awesome kind of a guy he was. He was the guy you call at 4:00 in the morning when your car breaks down and he says 'sure I will be right there', He was the guy who answered a resounding 'phenomenal!' when asked how he was doing, he was the guy who was OC to the core and loved antiquing as much as he did working on cars in the garage. He was my first love, my first laugh, and eventually his death was the first time I thought I would not be able to go on in life. But I went on...and here I am. From the moment it happened- I knew my life would forever be the 'before' and then the 'after'. It is like a big black dividing line in my life.

Because people always wanna know- he died of Esophageal cancer after an 8 month fight...and I was honored to be with him till the end. I so totally wish he was here. But deep grief is the price we pay for true love. So I will always have a deep, hollow grief in my heart- because we had true love. I miss you dad. Man o man....do I miss you.