WhatEVER!

I find myself using the same phrases over and over. You know me, friends… I like to talk. Boy, do I like to talk. (stop nodding your head in that smug manner.)

To express my astonishment or my incredulity, I am in the habit of saying, ‘Shut UP!’ (Just FYI: the accent is on the ‘UP’). It’s not very nice, I know, but I can’t help myself. Other people point it out to me, especially my children. When I say it, usually talking to one of my girlfriends on the phone, they will all gasp, and say, “Oh, Mommy… you said the ‘S’ word!” Yes, peeps, at MY house the ‘S’ word is ‘shut up’. Or ‘stupid’. And the ‘F’ word is ‘fart’. Gotta love little kids. ;)

When I would work summers at a daycamp during college, I became practically famous among the staff for the following phrase: “Go wash your face and get a drink of water. You’ll feel better.” That was my magic cure-all for unhappy little campers who were arguing, crying or otherwise just whiny. Get hit in the noggin with a ball? “Go wash your face and get a drink of water.” Heatstroke? Same thing. (just kidding, people!) I must have said that two dozen times a day for one malady or another. The other staffers started using it, and I spent several long, hot summers at that daycamp, with kids who thought that water had medicinal properties.

Other things I say on a regular basis:

- ‘my friend’ (I say this ENTIRELY too much. Both in conversation and in my blog.)
- ‘ya think?’ (Phil just said that I say that a lot. I answered, of course… ‘Ya think?’)
- ‘Love it!’
- ‘Can I get a NO?’ or sometimes, ‘Can I get a HELL NO?’ (um…that’s the ‘H’ word)
- And we mustn’t forget… ‘Omigod…’

But there is one phrase that I wasn’t even aware that I used all the time, until we moved to Colorado, and we met our awesome pals, Jesse and Jen. (Much like you don’t realize you have an ‘accent’ until you move somewhere else, and everyone points it out to you!) Jesse always gets the biggest laugh out of me saying, “Do what?” Who knew I said it so often? It’s just a knee jerk response that means… I guess, “What?” or “Pardon?” or “I didn’t hear you,” or “Excuuuuse me?” Depending on how it is said, it can be a question, an answer, or even a sarcastic retort. Well, Jesse had never heard it before, and even now, when we see each other (not nearly often enough, Levines!), he’ll crack up the first time he hears me say it.

Yep, that’s me, my friends. Do what? You knew all this about me? Shut UP! Really… ya think?

I resolve to...

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I think most people do, even if they don’t actually write them down or list them out. But the beginning of a new year seems a bit like a fresh start, and even if you don’t make ‘Resolutions’ (note the capital R), chances are good that you have a few things you’d like to do differently in 2009. I know I do, and of course, since I keep nothing from you, my wonderful readers, I thought I’d share with you what my mantra for 2009 will be. (I just KNEW you’d want to know!)

My ‘theme’ for the new year is simple… it’s not a list of detailed resolutions, but its what I’m going to be shooting for. My mantra is this: Cut back.

Yep, that’s pretty much it. And it encompasses a lot of things for me. The things I need to cut back on… scale down… simplify… For example:

I need to cut back my calories… simple as that.
I need to cut back on my diet Coke consumption (*sob!)…
I need to cut back on my frivolous computer time (but I will sure miss chatting with my pals on IM so much! Heck, maybe I can even finish my novel.)
I need to cut back on my volunteering.
I need to cut back on spending money.

I think if I can succeed in working on these things (among others), good things will bloom up in their place. I want more time with my family. More time to read to my kids. More chances to be with my girlfriends. I want to be more fit. I want more time to do the things that I want to do, rather than the things that I feel compelled to do. I want to remember what is really important in this life. I want to reclaim some time.

So, maybe by cutting back, I can work on simplifying my life. That’s my goal. Just a little reminder to myself that in order for my life to be as full and rich as it should be, I have to let some things go.

I think I can do that.

You cuckoo people asked for it...

There's my toe in all it's dislocated glory. Sorry if I made you flinch or wince.

I was very hesitant to put the picture on here... not because it looks crazy as heck, but because I am in desperate need of a pedicure! Oh well.

Today its totally bruised and purplish, and I am walking pretty gingerly, mostly because I'm completely paranoid that its going to pop out again. Oh yeah, I didn't tell you that part? The doctor at the Urgent Care Clinic told me I might want to learn how to pop it back in by myself because once something is dislocated, it's much more likely to get dislocated again.

Isn't that just extra special?

A 'Toe'-st to the New Year...

I pictured my last blog of 2008 going a little differently. I thought I might impart a few words of wisdom…a few things that I learned about myself this year… recalling some of our adventures over the course of this crazy, lightning blasted, novella writing, soul-searching year of growth.

Instead, I’m talking about my toe. Yep. My pinkie toe on my right foot. How undignified.

This morning, I took a trip to H.E.B. with all three kids, to pick up a few of the things we need for our little New Year’s Eve get-together. I threw on some clothes and a baseball cap for the quick trip, and slid my feet into my flip-flops. Now let me just tell you, I am a flip-flop fanatic… I wear them almost constantly. That is, until the temperature drops down into the thirties, and then I just can’t swing it anymore.

After filling our cart with junk, and alcohol (hey, it IS New Year’s Eve!), stopping to visit with the multitude of people we knew who were ALSO shopping in H.E.B. (of course, ALWAYS when I’m looking like crap) and picking out Lunchables for the kids (they love those stupid things, and they are a very rare treat), we headed back out to the van. Libby, my sweet little angel, was ‘helping’ me push the cart, standing in front of me, with her hands on the cart handles. And then she stopped for no apparent reason, which she occasionally does. And I kept walking. And I totally whacked my toe on the heel of her shoe. It hurt, but I’ve stubbed my toe before. I even managed to not swear in front of the children.

Then I looked down and saw my little pinkie toe jutting out at the craziest angle. Well, damn… what’s a girl to do? After loading all the kids and groceries in the van, driving past my doctor’s office (just to see it closed for the day), yelling at my husband on the phone (sorry, honey!) and going home to unload the groceries, I called my wonderful friend, Sarah, to see if I could drop the kids off at her house, in order that I might go to the clinic.

Now, I know what you might be thinking… the doctor really can’t do much with a broken toe. Just tape it and go on. Well, I might have considered that if my toe hadn’t been stuck at an almost 90 degree angle. In fact when I got to Sarah’s house, she took one look at my toe, and insisted on driving me to Urgent Care. It didn’t really hurt too much, and I actually couldn’t stop giggling about how ridiculous it looked, which prompted Sarah to ask me if I was in shock. We left the kids with her husband, and she took me to the clinic (and even left and brought me back a diet Coke… now, that’s a true friend!)

So a few hours, one trip to Urgent Care, a cutie pie doctor, a dislocated (not broken) toe popped back into place, a $30 band-aid wrapped around my toes, and a prescription for 800 mg Ibuprofen, later… I’m ready for the New Year’s festivities to begin.

Thank goodness our theme tonight is a ‘PJ party’ game night, and I can just wear my fuzzy slippers. Which just so happen to look like flip-flops. Will I never learn?

Happy New Year, everyone!

10 Things I Love...

10 Things I Love (other than the obvious... 'family, friends, wine, etc.' ;)

1. The smell of fresh cilantro.

2. Really good dark chocolate.

3. Taking a nap in the afternoon, covered up with a blanket, especially when it's raining. Especially when it's a thunderstorm. (and I've remembered to unplug the computer!)

4. Lip gloss

5. Making someone laugh.

6. The theme song from that cheesy 80's show, 'Greatest American Hero'. I can sing it word for word.

7. Wearing flip-flops

8. A brand new fountain Diet Coke (You HAD to know that would be on the list! C'mon, people.)

9. Making lists ;)

10. Mad Libs

10 Things I Hate

10 Things I Hate.

1. Rap music

2. Hominy

3. Bread pudding (um... soggy bread? hello?!)

4. Morning sickness (no, silly, I'm not having it now... just remembering it.)

5. People who are dishonest, or who are just basically full of crap.

6. The little wrinkle in my forehead from years of squinting (because I was too vain to wear my glasses).

7. People who are always negative. (Now, I KNOW this is a list of things I hate, so that might sound kind of weird... but I'm usually a VERY positive, upbeat person. I am, dammit!)

8. Being outside when it's cold and windy.

9. When someone reads over my shoulder.

10. That shivery, achy, tired, 'I might be getting the flu' feeling... which is about where I'm at right now.

'The book is better..."

To me, it is practically sacrilege to see a movie without first reading the book. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I remember slogging through Gone With the Wind in high school before I would let myself watch the movie. Same thing last year with Charlotte’s Web (or was it two years ago?). I read it to the kids in the weeks before the movie came out, and then we went to see it. And no matter how many times I’ve read that book, I just can’t get through the part where Charlotte dies, without crying. So if a movie comes out that was based on a book (especially a kids’ book), the book MUST be read first. It’s just kind of our rule. Okay, take that back… it’s kind of MY rule, and everyone else just falls in line.

So in that vein, I started reading The Tale of Despereaux to the kids tonight. The movie based on this book came out last week, and I know they want to see it… but I wanted to wait until after the craziness of the holidays was over before I began the story. And the bonus of waiting… by the time we are finished with the book, it may actually be at the dollar movie… Hah!

We are through the first six chapters, and Davis and Josie are already completely enchanted, and can’t wait to find out what happens next (oh heck, neither can I.) Libby, on the other hand, was too busy brushing my hair and putting barrettes in it while I was reading, to be too concerned about the big-eared little mouse. She did perk up, however, when she heard about the Princess, who oddly is named ‘Pea’ (we’re not very far in yet, maybe we’ll get an explanation later.) Libby nodded her head, and said matter-of-factly, “She must pee in her bed.” Yes, I’m sure that explains it. ;)