I am a liar and I'm creating a monster

Our incredibly kind neighbors invited us to their lake house on Lake Wauwasee for the weekend. One night while we were discussing a potential boat purchase, they invited us to visit them. After they insisted they were serious while I questioned their sanity, we gladly accepted.

They wanted us to come up Friday, if possible and after Brandon reworked his afternoon, we knew we could make it work. I somehow forgot Alex would be in school. This full day stuff regularly puts a kink in my afternoon plans. We wanted to leave around 3:00. Alex’s day doesn’t end until 3:20, and if he rode the bus home he wouldn’t be home until 3:45. Initially, I thought I’d just pick him up in the carpool lane, but that can take 30 minutes.

So, what’s a mom to do, but write a note claiming a “long scheduled appointment.” I did and Meredith and I picked him up in the office at 3:00 p.m. I was hoping to make a low-key entrance, but Meredith walked right into the corner of an open door and into the school screaming.

I wanted to know if Alex’s teacher asked him about the “appointment,” and he told me nothing much was said. Alex didn’t see a reason why it would be questioned. I told him I thought his teacher might find it fishy since it was the beginning of a holiday weekend when many people travel. Alex looked at me and said, “Yes, I know. If she would have asked me about the appointment, I would have just made something up. You know, doctor, dentist, something like that.”

Considering I can be heard giving lectures on the virtues of telling the truth several times a week, I felt pangs of guilt. I explained to Alex that I didn’t make the best choice and I felt bad for telling a fib---which sounds so much better than the “L word.” He said, “Yea, well you should just get over it. I want to get to the lake before dark.” Really, he’s six and a miniature scoundrel.

In the interest of sparing your eyeballs, I'll do a weekend update with more pictures on Monday. Just in case people actually read this thing.

Meredith and I are finally starting to get our acts together. Yesterday, we were both dressed and ready to greet the heating and air guy at 7:30 a.m. (This is a vast improvement over my two previous days of 11:00 a.m. showers.) I needed to mentally prepare myself because the company always sends the same guy to service our heating and a/c units. So, Paul and I have quarterly visits. Dear Lord can this man talk, and talk, and talk, and talk. Knowing me as you do, this is a statement. Paul was chattering away as I told him we were heading for the bus stop and he was still talking when we returned home.

Merdi and I were having company for coffee, so I didn’t really have time to chat with Paul as much as he would have apparently liked, because he talked to me the entire time I wiped the finger prints off my appliances. After Paul backed his van out of our driveway, my friend Annie and her kiddos pulled in. Not that I don’t like Paul, but Annie is much better company.

The kids road their bikes outside and played on the swing set before we headed in to photograph Annie’s latest piece of artwork. By the way, if you need a creative outlet and have an idea swimming in your head, Penny Pickles Art is holding a contest to select some new themes for tiles. I’ve seen your nurseries; you guys are full of ideas, so pop over to her site and offer your suggestion. There are prizes involved!

Before Alex got on the bus yesterday we talked about doing his personal best at school. Each day the kids sign in and the slip of paper on which they sign comes home at the end of the day. Let’s just say it’s pretty obvious The Gator is anxious to sign in and get on with his day. I asked Alex if he was doing his personal best when signing in and he said, “Mom, if you hafta ask, you probably know the answer.”

Alex also brought home a book the class created for us to review. Each student had a page and on the page they were to write their name and tell about something they liked. The page was illustrated. Some of the pages were excellent! Well written with outstanding illustrations. Alex wrote Legos illegibly, with the “L” backwards and slopped something sort of resembling a Lego tower with a boy in the middle onto the paper. I wasn’t thrilled after comparing his efforts to those of his classmates. Yes, I know I shouldn’t compare his work to that of others, but let’s face it, someone is resting on his laurels. I said, “Alex, geez this is going home with everyone and other families are going to see this. Are you proud of this page? Is this honestly the best you could do? The boy on the page doesn’t even have hands or hair!” Alex said, “Have you looked at a Lego guy? Their hands are stumpy and they don’t have hair!”

I’m never going to win, am I?

FFRROOGGYY!!!

If you have a child under the age of 10 in your house, chances are you know what the expected response is to this: “FFFRRROOOGGYYY!” Both of our kids love the "Froggy" book series by Jonathan London and Frank Remkiewicz. When Alex was Meredith’s age, we didn’t leave the library without at least two "Froggy" books. Froggy experiences all the things young children do and while we mostly just enjoyed reading them, I’m sure they’ve helped a lot of children navigate scary times. In short, it’s a great series and if you haven’t read them, start grabbing them at the library.
Yesterday Meredith and I went to the library for the first time in weeks. We were running behind and got there two full hours later than I planned. As we walked in to our mammoth library, I noticed a group of children and moms sitting on the floor, which usually means there’s a program. Sure enough, there was a special Froggy program and it was just starting. We plopped down and listened to Froggy stories and sang songs about frogs. It’s so funny for me to watch Meredith completely immerse herself in the activities, do every motion, and sign every word. Alex was--and still is--always so serious and would rather have cleaned out the refrigerator than admit he was enjoying singing the songs. Before the program was over, the librarians asked us to call for Froggy. (See first paragraph.) Who came around the corner, but THE Froggy. The kids went bananas. I was so glad we were late to the library.

Alex had a soccer scrimmage last night on the other side of town. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if that side of town didn’t have every third road closed for construction. There’s no easy way to get there and Alex was wiped out as it was. And I wonder why he has meltdowns...The poor guy went to bed at 8:00 and I let him sleep until 7:45 this morning. We have practice tonight and I think we might just forget to go.

Weekend Update

It’s taken me 30+ years to learn how easily distracted I am. I needed to reboot the computer. Someone told me in 8th grade computer lab that when you reboot you should allow the system approximately two minutes to rest between restarts. 20 years later, I’m still operating on that theory. I’m a rule follower. With my two minutes I thought I’d cram the cereal bowls into the dishwasher and start it. On my way to the kitchen, I cut through the dining room. I thought the floors looked cloudy. I decided to vacuum and steam mop. I them moved onto my foyer hall. It took me all that time to realize I had ignored the dishwasher completely. It’s a miracle my children show up when and where they need to.

This weekend was busy, but that’s really nothing new. Friday night, I had dinner with my friends Amy R. and Dawn. They are both former neighbors and I so miss being able to open my garage door and find someone hanging out in the cul-de-sac waiting to chat. Dawn is getting ready to leave on a European cruise for her 10th wedding anniversary, so we had to see her off properly. I’m so excited for her!

Saturday morning was filled with soccer. Alex has moved up in the league and now plays on an all boy team where people actually understand and play the game. This doesn’t fit well with Alex’s um, “style.” We’ll see how long this lasts. Meredith can’t wait to be eligible, so I’m sure our soccer days will continue.

The rest of our Saturday was consumed with trading in our van. The old girl was showing her age and it was time to move on before we lost our transmission. I am not one of those moms who was excited to drive a mini-van, so I can’t say I’ll miss it, but it served us well for six years. What I will miss are the automatic doors and my favorite feature…it was paid for. The new vehicle doesn’t offer either.

Sunday morning I took the kids to the pool for what is surely one of our last swims. Every time we go, I tell them this is it so “say goodbye to the pool,” then we come back two days later. After we got home, we made a trip to Costco and to get Rolly’s new specialty food.

Poor Rolly’s had a rough go of it lately. He spent the weekend with the vet, but seems to be better now. Rolly came home with a sack of pills and now eats food that costs three times as much as his old stuff.

Brandon grilled filets for dinner and I made Cesar salad (so what if it was from a bag, it counts), green beans and crash-hot potatoes. These potatoes are great and so, so easy. Do yourself a favor click on the link and try them! The big dinner was to celebrate Brandon’s promotion at work. I don’t mean to be obnoxious and braggy by announcing it on my blog, but it was well deserved! He works so hard and we are very, very proud of him! We went out for ice cream afterwards and you’re crazy if you think anyone was allowed to eat it in the new car.

Oh, a special note to Kelly. The sunset picture is just for you. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the phone with Kelly early in the morning and while letting out the dog I'll mention how gorgeous the sunrise is. She always makes fun of me. I can't help it. I was born 40 years old, so I'm nearing my mid 70's and the older set knows how to appreciate a good sunrise.

It's time to have some work done.

I had it coming to me. For whatever reason, when I grocery shop I feel obligated to chat with the check out lady. I think that job would be boring, grueling, and a little gross. Who wants to scan raw chicken all day?

Sometimes it’s obvious the checker isn’t in the mood to talk. Sometimes he/she just plain looks like someone I wouldn’t have much in common with aside from the fact that we both probably buy milk, bread, and eggs. I get it. I put a lid on my chatter and keep my keen eye on the scanner to make sure I’m not being overcharged. Today the checkout girl initiated the conversation.

The Checkout Girl and I were babbling back and forth and I heard a Bangles song playing over the sound system. I said, “Oh wow, this is an old song.” Checkout Girl said, “Yeah, they pretty much play old stuff all the time.” Since I find it impossible to shut my mouth, I said, “I think I was in Jr. High when this was popular. You probably weren’t even born.” Rather than take the polite route and say, “Oh don’t be silly. You can’t be that much older than me.” Checkout Girl said, “Oh yeah, I’m SURE I wasn’t born then.”

Which brings me to this…I’ve decided I need to start taking better care of my skin. I think God wants me to. I flipped on the TV at 6:00 a.m. and normally Fox News is on, but I fell asleep to an episode of “Tori and Dean Inn Love.” (In case you’ve never been up with a nursing infant, obscure cable channels fill air time with infomercials.) There was Cindy Crawford with her 41-year-old flawless face. Evidently, she looks fabulous as a direct result of using a skin care regime called Meaningful Beauty.

The more I watched, the more I became convinced my Neutrogena wasn’t doing the trick. I’m 100% sure it contains 0% free radicals, and apparently that’s what I’m missing. That must be why I can see faint cross feet coming to roost. I started going over our budget in my head and wondered if I really needed to spend $119/month on skin care. But then…but then…they slashed the price in half…and wait, the first 500 callers get the whole set for $29.95!

I’m realistic enough to know no amount of melon extract is going to make me look like Cindy Crawford. I don’t have a mole on my lip. However, there were other testimonials from Valerie Bertinelli, who by the way also makes me conscience of my weight issue, and some lady from CSI. Not to mention the raves from Cindy’s relatives. Honestly. You’d think I would know better, but I have to tell you I’m considering it.

First, this commercial just happened to be on when I turned on the TV and then the Checkout Girl confirms my aging suspicions. Yep. I think God wants me to save my face before it’s too late.

If you’ve ever used Meaningful Beauty or know anyone who is not a paid endorser who has, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. If you think I should see a dermatologist instead of taking skin care advice from Valerie Bertinelli, now’s the time to chime in.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m typing this in my pajamas. It’s noon. I should be showering and doing the 85 loads of laundry that accumulated over the weekend. But, if I don’t journal this now, I’ll loose half the details down my garbage disposal.

This weekend was Meredith’s good friend Clare’s fourth birthday party. Clare’s mom Jill E., planned a fabulous celebration for Clare at the American Girl Store in Chicago. We left Saturday morning and made the trip into the city. One great thing about living near Indy---Chicago is only a three hour drive.

Bitty Baby enjoying her tea...

We saw a play staring Bitty Bear, had lunch and cake at The American Girl Café, and then emptied our wallets to stifle the tantrums. I had a big talk with Meredith that we would buy Bitty Baby an outfit and that was it. We weren’t going to buy a doll and she was very good about not asking for one until…until...

Until, I took her to see the dolls in their historical vignettes. The dolls are posed behind glass with ALL of their accessories on display. In Merdi’s defense, she didn’t ask to go to this section. She didn’t even know it existed. It was my big idea. As soon as we hopped off the escalator Meredith spotted Kit Kittredge in all her glory.


In further defense of Meredith, she has poured over the American Girl catalogue for the last year, and always lands on Kit. The pages are usually worn from repeated thumbing. I knew we would eventually take the plunge, but Merdi’s really far too young to truly appreciate, read “take responsible care of,” a big girl doll. I made this clear to her on several occasions.

Meredith made a bee line for Kit’s case, and was a sobbing, slobbering mess within seconds. She was over tired and crying to the point I thought she might be injured. The store is so crazy I assumed someone accidently squashed her toe. I was wrong. It was a tantrum. I took her around the corner to try to calm her down, and what was showing but a preview of the Kit movie. Helpful. When I could get her to speak between sobs she let loose that she was sad because, “Mamma, you spacificawy said I not getting a doll, onwy an outfit for Bitty Baby. I wanting Kit my whowe wife, and I’m so sad.”

After 15 minutes of weighing my options and Jill confirming I could live in their basement when Brandon sent me packing; we bought the doll. Meredith was deliriously happy and couldn’t wait to spring Kit from her box. It will make it really easy to shop for Meredith’s birthdays and Christmases now because Kit has a list of accessories a miles long. Meredith wants them all.

We were a big group and finding a child-friendly restaurant near Michigan Avenue that will accommodate such a group left us one option. So, we had dinner at the Rainforest Café, which proved to be a huge hit with the girls. (The couple and their docile toddler at the table next to the large fish tank should have sat somewhere else.) The girls so enjoyed their cab ride over they were very disgruntled about walking back to the hotel.

Out of sheer exhaustion, the girls all took their baths and went to sleep with little objection. After a good night’s sleep a smaller group of us met Jill’s friend from college for breakfast. Again the girls did really well and couldn’t wait to take a cab back to the hotel. We made a quick stop at Starbucks. While Jill waited in line Angie, Stacey, and I took the girls out to the itty bitty sidewalk patio. In a shining moment of parental judgment, I told the girls to sit at a little table. Only to immediately realize I’d seated them next to a pit bull, who was chained next to his owner. The dog was wearing three collars and two leashes. Not generally something you see on a beagle.

On the way home, Jill and I took a little scenic trip through Northwest Indiana. I don’t recommend it. 65 South was closed off the Skyway, and it was the most poorly marked detour in the history of the interstate. We finally made it home around 5:00 p.m. The first thing Brandon helped unload from the car was the big American Girl store bag. The first thing Meredith blurted out, “Daddy! I got Kit Kittredge.” The first thing I did, was ignore them both.

The difference between want and need and why Meredith doesn't care

If they gave a prize to the child most able to con a grandparent into practically anything, Meredith would medal. Earlier this week, we made a trip to the toy store to pick out a birthday gift for our friend Clare. Clare is turning four and is having a very special birthday party this weekend. Of course I gave the same talk everyone else gives their children when shopping for a birthday gift…”We’re here to buy something for your friend.” “Remember it isn’t your birthday.” “No one will ask, beg, or whine for anything and whoever does will take a six hour nap.”

Despite my canned lecture, Meredith fell in love with a suitcase, of all things, within six feet of the door. She started making her case. She needed the suitcase. I told her we had plenty of suitcases, and I made my best effort to reiterate the difference between want and need. I knew Meredith had a vision of herself walking into a hotel or onto a plane carrying the hot pink round bag. If you’ve ever taken a small child shopping or been in a five mile radius of a child in a store, you know we left the store with a pouty lip and big crocodile tears. I was done discussing the suitcase.

Almost done. At 4:30 a.m., Meredith walked into my room to tell me she had a bad dream. I asked her to tell me the dream and she said, “I was Cinderewewwa and Awex was Pwince Chaaming, and you were da wicked stepmudda who woudn’t wet me hab da suitcase.” I marched her back to bed.

I told GramPam the story in the morning because I thought it was funny. GramPam thought it was sad, not funny. She asked me to go get the suitcase and send her a bill. I couldn’t believe my ears. Surely she wasn’t this easily swindled. Then again, she has been known to make purchases from infomercials.

GramPam agreed with me that Meredith created a vision and she didn’t think we should keep her from it. Sigh. I told her I had a vision of myself carrying around a new Vera Bradley duffle and was quickly shot down.

Obviously, Meredith wouldn’t keep her gift under her lid, so we’d have to find something for Alex from GramPam too. Easy. The store is chock full of art kits. Done. He was as thrilled as Meredith.


Aside from picking up suitcases and art kits, Meredith and I went to the home of Penny Pickles to shoot some of Annie’s beautiful work. Before I left, I grabbed a quick shot of “The” Penny Pickles.


This is Annie’s daughter, Penny. Her brothers gave her the sweet nickname of “Penny Pickles,” and it fits Annie’s studio so well. Isn’t she a doll?!

Meredith and I are off on an adventure this weekend. If you’ve talked to Meredith at all this week, you know exactly where we’re headed. Brandon and Alex will be at home doing manly things like landscaping and ordering pizza because they’ll claim they didn’t know how to reheat the lasagna I’ll leave in the fridge.

If you were expecting a detailed account of Alex’s first day of school, you must not know Alex very well. All I could get out of him was there were two recesses instead of one, the teacher read a book he’s already heard, and he chose chicken nuggets for lunch. This was all I could get after a three hour open-ended question interrogation. I challenged him to come home tonight with the names of three new friends. I’m not going to hold my breath.

The world was concerned about Meredith and how she would adjust to being without her brother. In a word…fine. We played outside and were able to have real conversation at lunch. Normally I referee between bites.

Meredith did pull quite a stunt last night. I put both kids to bed and came downstairs to start the dishwasher, throw in a load of laundry, and edit photos. I closed up shop early and went upstairs to watch the Olympics around 9:45. Who did I find on the couch watching Noggin?! All it took was for me to say, “What do you think you’re doing?!” Merdi burst into tears, headed for her room, and sobbed herself to sleep. I only hope it’s that easy when I catch her doing stuff she shouldn’t be doing in her later years.

Today, I’m off to shoot more stuff for my friend Annie, of Penny Pickles Art. If you haven’t checked out her site, you’ve really, really should. Her canvases are so sweet and the woman oozes creativity, so I can only imagine what she cooks up for custom pieces. Wait, maybe you should wait until after I reshoot her collection. Either way, pop over and do something nice for your walls.

Big Yellow Bus

The boy is all arms and legs.
Alex is officially a first grader. The bus scooped him up this morning and he was very anxious to be on his way. The bus comes at 7:55 and he was on our front steps at 7:30. See if this reminds you of anyone...Before Alex left, he spent five minutes pinning an American flag lapel pin to his backpack. Bless his tiny, patriotic soul.

I let him burn off nervous energy by doing laps around the driveway on his scooter. Meredith wants to do everything Alex does, so out came his old Spiderman scooter. I didn’t want him to have helmet hair, so I let him ride around sans helmet, while he questioned my parenting skills.

Meredith was tooling around and Alex swooped in to tell her how she might improve her form.

I don’t know how Merdi is going to make it through the day without her brother’s unsolicited advice.

Ab envy

I’ll admit I wasn’t all that jazzed about the Olympics this year. I was especially annoyed the games were being hosted by China. I’m not a fan of their government to say the least. (Yes, Jill E. I see the irony in my love for Costco.) I didn’t even want to watch the opening ceremonies, but I had a hard time looking away.

I can’t help but get a little caught up when there are four Hoosiers competing. The local news can’t stop talking about them. Rightfully so. Their hard work and success should be celebrated. And honestly, who isn’t intrigued by Michael Phelps?! I think he might be a machine. Point is, I tried to ignore the Olympics, but I find myself glued to the TV every night.

Normally, my main interest is in gymnastics. I’m amazed at what people can train their bodies to do. I feel guilty that my body has never been trained to do much of anything aside from laundry. I have watched gymnastics, but I’ve been particularly drawn to swimming this year. Initially, I watched to see what Michael Phelps might do, but then I started paying attention to the women. I found my new hero! Dara Torres---who by the way, medaled in her first Olympics in 1984…a year before Michael Phelps was born!

These 41 year-old abs have been through pregnancy?! I’m not even sure I have a belly button and I could do my afore mentioned laundry on this woman’s stomach.

Don't call me to discuss this post. I'm busy watching the Olympics.

After Alex’s ice cream social last year, I freaked out. I jumped on line and started looking into private schools. I called my mom and asked her just how much she thought we stood to loose if we sold our home that day. I lost it. Why? Histrionics. It was the first time we’d been outside of our church preschool and I’m embarrassed to say I was shocked that not every family looked and acted just like ours. No one has ever accused me of being politically correct. However, I calmed down and decided to make the best of it and it turned out just fine. Great, in fact!

When it came time for this year’s ice cream social, I felt much less apprehensive and was looking forward to seeing the kids, teachers, and parents we met last year. Wow! What a difference a year makes. The place was packed, parents were eager to volunteer and children seemed excited to be there. This is only the second year of existence for our school and I think it just took some time to get the wheels in motion.

We met Alex’s teacher, Mrs. Hacker and dear Lord is she adorable. I could put her in my purse and she is incredibly sweet. I assume she has a thing for frogs or maybe there was a sale, because the classroom is dripping with all things amphibian. Not weird, gross frogs. It’s cute, trust me. The reading area is a lily pad! Adorable. Mrs. Hacker also seemed to have a calm control about her which I think Alex will respond very nicely too. She noticed he was a bit nervous and wasn’t thrilled about overt attention, and she responded to him perfectly. It’s such a relief and I’m so excited for Alex!

We had ice cream twice today. I promised Alex we would get ice cream after his haircut. The kid used to LOVE to get his haircut and wanted to do it every week. Now, thanks to these jokers, he wants it longer. I won and he looks much, much better. We ran into my friend Amy R. whom I haven’t seen all summer. We have coffee every week during the school year, and live within five minutes of each other, but managed to go the whole summer without visiting. Where does the time go? Am I the only person this side of 85 that says that?

Our dog Rolly, hasn’t been himself and clearly had some sort of stomach issue, so we took him to the vet today. I put it off as long as possible, because I really don’t like going to the vet. I am not a huge animal lover, and I just feel like I’m inhaling fur the whole time we’re there. Plus, I knew I’d have to drag the kids and that’s almost as bad as the flying dog hair. Poor Rolly doesn’t ask for much, and this was his first sick visit it seven years. God Bless him. He puts up with a lot! Turns out taking a dog in for a stomach virus is sort of like taking a kid in for a stomach virus…a shot, some pills, and a diagnosis of “I don’t know what he has. Something must be going around or he ate something he shouldn’t have. You can check out at the front.”

I don’t remember it ever being comfortable in mid-August in Indiana. We’ve had so many beautiful days in a row. I wish I could tell you we’ve spent them all out hiking and biking, but you would know I was lying.

Saturday morning the kids and I were out of the house by 7:45. Evidently, I promised them a trip to Dunkin Donuts for accomplishing something I don’t remember. I wanted a latte, so I didn’t argue. After that we hit the Farmer’s Market. The market is one of my favorite things about summer. It’s as much about the atmosphere and the people- watching as it is about the produce. We buy the same four things every week. Corn from these people, salsa from this lady, a cantaloupe from a kid in a Kansas Jayhawks t-shirt-- which I’m not sure gets washed all summer, and a bag of kettle corn. I always think about lingering and trying the goat cheese, but I have a thing about samples and germs. I also wonder if it’s pasteurized.

We celebrated the third birthday of our sweet friend Emersyn Saturday evening. Her parents threw a very fun backyard bash! All of Meredith’s little girlfriends were there, so she was in her element. We have to constantly remind her a good friend isn’t bossy, doesn’t shout at people, and shares. I forgot to remind her not to sit in the birthday girl’s chair and beg for “a huge piece of cake with the butterfly on it!”

Sunday I spent the majority of the day with my new best friend, the Shark Steam Mop. I’ve been battling my tile kitchen floor since the day we moved in. I can spend the afternoon on my hands and knees and still have grey socks the first time I walk across it. I don’t get it. I’ve tried everything from Murphy’s Oil Soap to vinegar, and I finally bit the bullet and bought the Shark. I read mixed reviews on-line, but a lady at Costco saw me eyeing it and gave me her testimonial on the spot. As I’ve mentioned, I’m easily influenced. It is great! Thanks lady at Costco! I used it on my hardwoods too and they are squeaky clean. So please by all means, drop by unexpectedly while the phenomenon lasts. Hurry.

Meredith and I did sit outside for awhile, but the boys suggested we go inside as they were knocking down a yellow jackets’ nest and warned us we would be easy targets. There was also a “confirmed mole sighting,” which I found odd because I thought moles were nocturnal. My suspicions are also raised because Brandon and Alex claim to have seen it run around the yard and under our deck. Aren’t moles blind? How could it see to run for cover under our deck. I didn’t ask many questions because I’m afraid it’s something worse than a mole and they don’t want to tell me. I don’t want to know.

Do we have to get out of the pool?!

The last full week before the start of school came out of nowhere. I want to do as much with Alex as possible before he starts first grade, so we followed Alex’s lead this week. Surprisingly, Alex didn’t want to sit around and watch me do laundry or clean house. I have mountains of laundry and fingerprint-streaked appliances, but it will all be there next week when he climbs on the bus. (Unless of course, my fantasy about vandals breaking in and cleaning our house comes true.)

I did get a much needed haircut on Thursday and popped into Immediate Care to have a case of poison ivy treated. After trying vinegar, scalding water, Dawn dish washing liquid, Fels Naptha laundry bar, and some $20 over the counter cream, it turns out all I needed was super strong cortisone cream. Apparently, I’m not a trained physician no matter how much I read on-line.

Thursday afternoon, we went shopping for school supplies. Alex loves office supplies, so he was on cloud nine when I told him we could shop at Office Depot. He made some weird choices…a safety yellow binder, and a cement grey notebook, but I kept my opinion to myself. I’m not sure how he’s going to get all the required supplies into his classroom. For the teachers who read this blog, would it be strange if I showed up at the ice cream social with all this stuff? I just can’t picture Alex dragging it all onto the bus, and he insists on riding the bus.

Our Friday was nuts and lots of fun. Dawn called and asked us to go to our favorite burger place. Rarely will I turn down lunch. It was sort of a last hurrah with my kids and Dawn’s kids before they all hit the books. Have you tried to synch a preschool schedule?! Bubs’ is very kid friendly, but also caters to the business crowd at lunch. They have outdoor seating, it was 78 degrees and sunny. Guess how long our lunch took? Worth every minute.

After lunch, I called my new friend Annie. I “met” Annie through another photographer’s blog. The funny part is, this incredibly talented photographer, Betsy, lives in Ft. Wayne, but her friend Annie lives in Noblesville. I love God's way of connecting me with great people! Annie is an extremely talented artist and produces beautiful canvases. She has several signature lines, and also does custom pieces, which include personalization. As you know, I will buy practically anything if it is monogrammed, so I loved Annie’s work from the get go. I was thrilled and honored when Annie contacted me and asked me to photograph some of her pieces. Annie is going to create something for Meredith that I can’t wait to show you! If you need a birthday idea, a baby gift, or your walls are begging for something original you have to check out Annie’s website. Her blog is fun too!

Oh, another great thing Annie offers are canvas tiles dedicated to various health issues. I love this idea as a gift of support for someone facing a tough diagnosis or treament schedule.

I can get off track faster than a bullet train…my point was we met Annie and her three gorgeous children, whom I’m dying to photograph, at the park. We took a few shots of recent works. Easiest subjects ever, except I was nervous about doing Annie’s work justice. Then, we all headed to our pool for an afternoon swim. The kids had a great time smacking each other with noodles and splashing the moms. Annie and Joe stopped by too, which added to our fun. This is what I’ll miss most about the summer. Well, maybe not the most…this is the first year I’ll only set two places for lunch.

It's a gift

Girls’ Weekend is about reconnecting with our friends and taking a short break from our caretaking rolls. In thinking about this group of friends it dawned on me that all of us have jobs that involve nurturing or taking care of others. Between the seven of us there is a teacher, a SAHM, two different types of therapists, two women who work in the medical community, and no one will argue how much comfort Jill’s restaurant brings.

Of course the greatest amount of our caretaking is spent on our families. What do we talk about most when we’re on hiatus?! (Aside from all the random tid-bits we’ve heard about all the people we grew up knowing.) Our little ones.

We try to get our children together as much as possible, but since we’re all somewhat spread out and our summer schedules are jam-packed, it’s difficult. Fortunately for us, Nancy forgot a pair of shoes at the cabin and came back with her son and daughter. I grabbed my camera and coerced them all onto the porch for a quick couple of shots before they headed back to St. Louis. I couldn’t help myself! Those eyes!

As I mentioned yesterday, my children and I stopped by Sommer’s parents’ on the way out of town. I’m so glad we did, because I was able to get a couple of shots of Sommer’s chicks too. I cannot believe how much her son looks like his dad in this picture.

I wish I had a picture of him to prove it, but you’ll just have to take my word for it. Sommer’s daughter was IN LOVE with my lens and probably would have posed for me all day, if we had had the time. SO CUTE! My kids always run away screaming, so it was a treat.

Jill, I think your boys are the only ones I have left to capture. Next time we’re together, it’s going to happen! Robyn, it won’t be long before I can take pictures of your new precious little one.

What a gift it is to be able to watch these women whom I’ve known most of my life in their roles as Mom. For those of you not quite there yet, your day will come and you’ll be pushing my lens out of your face before you know it.

Is it any surprise I'm hoarse?!

This is what happens when I ask my friends to stop posing and do something silly. This was the best they could do. We're getting old.

For those of you who whom really know me, I have something unbelievable to tell you. I slept until 8:00 a.m. today. That might not seem like a big deal, but I have slept on a geriatric schedule most of my life. The fact that I was tired enough to sleep past 5:30 a.m. is a good indicator of our extended weekend.

The kids and I left for Illinois on Wednesday four hours later than I planned to leave. Long and boring story, but it included two trips to the Ford garage and a looooong trip to Costco. We finally got to my grandma’s house in time for dinner. Nana was pacing the floor convinced we were in a ditch, broken down by the side of the road, kidnapped, or caught in some horrible combination of all three.

Thursday I took the kids to Holiday World. All of us were giddy for the first hour. Then we were hot, sick of crowds, and hungry. This is the trifecta that always puts me over the edge. It was a matter of time. I lost it around noon; after we were stuck on the octopus ride 20 feet in the air, lying on our backs, facing the sun. I needed air conditioning and the only restaurant in the place with a/c was crowded and noisy, which is what I didn’t need. In a sad reversal of rolls, my kids were patient and calm as I had a meltdown. The water park was much more fun, but it was insanely crowded. The kids had a great time and didn’t let my adult temper tantrum ruin their day. Aside from the wave pool and the log flume, the biggest hit of the day were the free soft drinks. I lost count after Alex’s fifth root beer, but I’m guessing he finished a keg.

Friday, I left the kids in my grandma’s capable hands and prayed my mom wouldn’t be late getting to her house. I headed to Olney for the start of Girls’ Weekend. I met my friend Jamie for lunch, and played with her adorable seven month old son, Bo. (Amazingly, I left my camera in the car, but you can find lots of pictures of Jamie and her family here.)

After I left Jamie, I hit Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of last minute sundries. I also bought a swimming suit cover-up that would make Mrs. Roper swoon, an Olney Tigers t-shirt for Alex, and a ballet Barbie from the clearance aisle. I didn’t realize what an impulse buyer I am. I did not however, manage to buy what I originally went in to purchase. In my defense, they don’t sell swim noodles in August. They have to make room for Halloween candy.

I stopped by to see Baby Reece and Caroline, Jennifer’s little ones before I fully immersed myself in a weekend with grown-ups. Caroline is a riot and has the best tan I’ve ever seen. Reece is smiling and cooing. Obviously, he’s a genius. Who coos at 10 weeks?!

We finally hit our cabin and docked our boat. I was near panic because I some how got elected to drive the boat. I think it’s because I grew up on the water, but I was mostly eating Cheetos and drinking RC. I wasn’t paying attention to the mechanics of boating. Luckily, we can talk Michelle B. into about anything and she took over. She was a fine captain and I was comfortable in my roll of skipper. I happily tied up the boat and took care of the anchor.

Have you ever seen Summer Rental with John Candy?

Slowly, everyone rolled into the cabin and we had a great weekend of catching up, eating great food, and floating around the lake. Michelle surprised us with a yoga instructor and she conducted a class that had to be worse than a room full of eight graders. I was unable to keep my composure and laughed 90% of the time. My silent laugh usually winds up being more disruptive than my regular laugh, so my efforts to stifle myself were useless.

Should anything happen to the USA synchoranized swimming team, we have it covered.

Michelle made us a soundtrack for the weekend.

We all slept too little, and played harder than we’re probably used to, but it’s always a rejuvenating weekend. I always talk too much and annoy even myself, so I don’t know how these girls put up with me. My kids love it because I’m too hoarse to yell. I’m already looking forward to next year.

My parents met me in Olney with the kids, and before we left town we stopped by Sommer’s parents’ house. This family has one of the neatest homes I’ve ever seen. The house itself is beautiful and has amazing details, but their land is what is truly amazing. They have a pool that my kids were in within five minutes of pulling into the driveway, a treehouse that rivals Swiss Family Robinson’s, and trails through the forest next to the house. Sommer’s dad, Blaine, has cleared I don’t know how many miles of trails and built little bridges throughout. The man should really work for Disney. He took us on a Gator ride down “Rattlesnake Road” and into “Alligator Alley,” where he has staged little vignettes that convinced my six year old we were in potential danger. I told Sommer there really isn’t any reason for her to ever make the trip to Disney World and that’s saying something coming from me.