Played-Out Monday Musings -- Updated

Tuckered-out R-Phils fans after the victorious game
Whew! Happy, but tired, Monday to you...the final Monday -- and day -- in June.

We had a busy last week of June, as you probably read in my posts last week. I'm hoping for a more "normal" week this week. *wink*

Having two appointments and going to the beach, a ballgame, and Hershey Park all in the same week was exhausting. Add to that a fridge that decided to quit staying cold enough, and you've got our life at the moment. Still, we'll get the part and be back in business.

The good news from our appointments is that Leechie is doing well and Emily is not allergic to amoxicillin. Hooray!

It was a pleasure, as always, to hear the baby's heartbeat. There's an old wives' tale that says that a high heartrate signifies a girl and a low heartrate a boy... Our Leechie's has stayed right in the middle -- which is exactly what his/her siblings' heartrates did. No clues there, huh? We'll have to be surprised like we were with Emily and Edward...and that's the best way anyway since it's basically the way God intended it to be. Stuart says those "old wives" have a lot to answer for.

We have an enjoyable day planned for Independence Day. Our borough hosts a fun and patriotic parade which we've been going to since before we moved here. The borough council members hand out flags to everyone, and it's fun to see the sea of colors waving along the parade route. The kids really enjoy it, and my parents usually join us since it reminds them of the holiday parades they watched as kids. After the parade, we'll do a picnic and then possibly (weather-permitting, of course) go to a concert in the local city park.

There are excuses...and then there are Emily's excuses.

Our daughter is quite the drama queen these days. Being 10 and having allergies hasn't helped in that regard, I'm sure. Last night, her younger brother lost his glasses in his room. We had been hoping to play a game but decided that he needed to find his glasses first. Since he was having some troubles locating them, we asked Emily -- who was waiting rather impatiently -- if she wouldn't mind helping him. She sighed and said that no, she didn't "care to," since the lighting was all wrong in his room, and it made her head hurt. *grin*

***By way of an update: I should add -- in all fairness to my daughter -- that Emily did go to help her brother despite her very colorful and dramatic excuse. They didn't have any luck in finding them...nor did Stuart and I after we went to help, too. Edward finally found them on his desk chair (great place for glasses, huh?), but only after we'd torn apart his room.***

On that note, I'll say have a happy Monday.

Hershey Park Photo Fun!

Hershey Park Happy!

Yesterday, we spent the day at Hershey Park -- a chocolate-themed amusement park built by and named for the founder of the famous chocolate company, for those who aren't familiar with it.

Stuart's company sponsors its annual company picnic there which means we get free tickets to go to a place that would otherwise cost us well over $100 to visit. The parking isn't included, but that's only $10 for the day...but yesterday we were blessed by another person's generosity, and when we arrived at the pay booth, ready to hand in our $10, the attendant told us that someone had given her a free parking pass so we could park for free. Talk about elation!

Since I'm now over 7 months pregnant, I didn't have many options ride-wise...which meant quite a bit of waiting and watching. But I had a good time, nonetheless, only losing my good humor a few times during the long, hot day. The kids enjoyed riding with Stuart and that was fun to watch.

They endured being stuck on a kiddie water ride during a drenching downpour. Kind of ironic given the fact that they didn't want to get "too wet." We all had a good laugh about it afterwards, squelching around the rest of the park in the scorching heat.

Edward got to try a few new rides this year since he grew into a new "candy category." He was a Reese's last year...and now he's a Hershey bar so being taller meant finally being able to ride the...bumper cars! He was hooked.

Of course I saw this:

...which meant I couldn't go on them this year.

(This is probably one of my favorite-most rides now. I found bumper cars are a GREAT way to get out any aggressive driving tendencies/habits/needs. *wink*)

Edward also tried a roller coaster -- his first ever. But he wasn't too keen after the seatbelt/bar pressed in too tightly on his tummy. Still, he's getting braver.

We had a yummy dinner of hamburgers/chicken/hotdogs, salad, and ice cream. Of which the kids consumed 6 or 7 ice creams each. Hey, well, we figure it's the only time of year they can do that, so after all that walking, why not? Edward managed to get into the wrong company's dinner line and come back to the table with a slab of roast beef. Oops.

After dinner, I went on my first ride: the Monorail. It was fun and took us all around the park above the various sections and through a small park of the Hershey town. We went into Chocolate World after that and took the chocolate tour (for the umpteenth time) which rounded out our visit nicely with two free samples of chocolate at the end.

Tired and full of food, chocolate, and sunshine...we found our car and headed back home.

It was quite a full day!

Friday Funnies

A series of hilarious blonde commercials. (And all those wonderfully intelligent and beautiful blondes out there, please, please forgive me...I couldn't resist. *grin*)

Enjoy and have a fun Friday!

More R-Phillies Fun

Last night, we got to enjoy free boxseat tickets to a Reading Phillies game, compliments of GAI-Tronics Corp.'s monthly ticket raffle.

Of course, after we bought drinks, peanuts, Cracker Jacks, hotdogs, and popcorn, it was no longer a "free" game. *wink* But we didn't have to pay for the tickets, so that's a savings, right?

It was an interesting -- but long -- game, somewhat slow in the beginning and then a bit more exciting towards the middle. (It made me appreciate U-8 soccer all the more.)

The Reading Phillies won 5-3 against the Harrisburg Senators, breaking a 7-game losing streak. Yippee!! And we even got to see Mike Schmidt, a retired professional baseball player (now in the Hall of Fame) who started his baseball career with the R-Phils back in the '70s.

The kids each got a free baseball hat with the "crazy hotdog vendor" on it and caught a soft R-Phils baseball at the end of the game. I taught them how to keep score...more or less. Well, in a very rudimentary way, I guess. So we went home tired but very exhilarated.

Not sure "Leechie" appreciated the loudness of it all, but still...

Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

Leechie's second favorite food:

Don't they make your mouth water??

Totally Tuesday Tidings

Happy Tuesday to you! The last one in June!

I'm writing my musings today instead of yesterday since we (my sister, my kids, and I) took a quick one-day trip to the beach...to play in the ocean, walk the "boards," swim in a pool, and visit my 87-year-old grandmother.

Since it's about a 3-hour drive, it meant an early start and a late finish, but we had a really good time, and it was wonderful to see my grandmother.

The weather wasn't very cooperative, and we ended up getting rained on a little (with a few rumblings of thunder), but the kids managed to dig in the sand and bury their aunt's feet...and generally enjoy themselves. (See the slide show below.) And I must say, the smell of the ocean was invigorating! We enjoyed some "boardwalk fries" and fudge...along with all the goodies we'd brought along for the trip.

In other news...

Hmm...

There's not much other news.

We are plodding through the summer, enjoying the slightly more relaxed schedule. It doesn't seem possible that school will begin again in a few months. But let's not think of that just yet...

The weather is cooler today due to a horrible thunderstorm we had last night, which arrived during the last half-hour of our drive home. I don't think the kids were ever quite so glad to see their beds.

We head to Hershey Park on Saturday for Stuart's company picnic. The kids are so excited since it means a day of going on rides followed by a yummy picnic dinner. It's the perfect way for our family to go to an amusement park -- actually the only way for us to go...because it's free.

More and more photos and articles are surfacing from the filming of the 24: Season 7 Prequel. And it looks mighty fine...mighty fine indeed. Only a little less than 5 months until that airs...and about 7 1/2 months until the new season begins. Fingers crossed that nothing will stop it this time. The Mirrors movie also comes out soon, and from the two trailers I've seen of it so far, it looks VERY scary. I told Stuart that if the baby is born during our viewing of this film and it's a boy, he's going to be named "Kiefer." He wasn't quite agreeable to that idea. *wink*

Speaking of the baby, we have our next appointment with our midwife tomorrow to see how our little "Leechie" is doing. I just hit 28 weeks last week and cannot believe how quickly this whole pregnancy is going.

I've been hustling to get stuff cleaned out and moved so that we can set up the baby's room. Last week, I discovered a box of all the news articles I penned while working for the Reading Eagle. It's been nearly 11 years since I left the newspaper to give birth to Emily...and I'd forgotten all the fantastic companies/people I enjoyed interviewing during my tenure with them. It's funny how life can twist and turn and change so much over the years, but a simple piece of paper can jog a memory and take you back to another moment in time.

On that note, I must bid you adieu and get some lunch ready for my hungry tribe.

Our "Beachy" Day

Beachy Musings on Monday

My musings today will be delayed until tomorrow due to a one-day, "emergency," sun-basking beach trip.

Okay. Okay. So there's no emergency...but it sounded way more important when stated like that. *wink*

We'll be thinking of you as we do this:

See you tomorrow!

Friday Funnies

A classic in funnydom!

I love funny commercials, and this one is no exception!

I worked as a temp several summers and Christmases at an ad agency and took an advertising class at university. I would have loved to go into that field if I was more clever and competitive. The best part of the class? Previewing all the silly commercials!

Enjoy, and have a funny Friday!

Ever Been There, Done This?

Rainbow Connection

Coming home from my parents' house the other evening, we saw this beautiful rainbow stretching clear across the sky in a complete bow.

It was so bright and beautiful!

And what was even more amazing is that it lasted for nearly a half-hour.

We managed to drive 15 minutes home and run in to get the camera. Even then it was another 10 minutes or more before if faded into the clouds.

What a treat!

What a gift from God!

Wordless Wednesday

Anniversary Wishes!

I wanted to celebrate and congratulate my parents today on their

47th Wedding Anniversary!!

On June 17th 1961, my dad took my mom to be his wife.

The rest is, as they say, history!

In a day and age when marriage is based on "whatever feels right" at the moment, we're proud (and very thankful) to have them as role models!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!

We love you!

Pointe Taken

So last Friday Emily finished her last night of "pointe club" -- a week of dance classes, each 2 1/2 hours long, that included 20 minutes of learning to dance on her toes...

Ouch.

She started off the weekend before with an eagerness and excitement that filled her daddy and me with pride. I finished sewing the elastic and ribbons on her shoes, and she danced around the living room, using her new pointe shoes to demonstrate some of the other dance steps she'd learned.

It was exhilarating to her.

And she eagerly anticipated her first class on Monday, just knowing she was a "natural" for this kind of dancing.

Nerves mixed with the fact that she forgot her regular dance shoes (and one of her fellow dancers just had to exclaim quite loudly her amazement at such a fact) caused the first night to be less than she'd hoped.

And they were only doing 20 minutes of en pointe each night? Despite her tender toes, she was so disappointed.

Until the second night when she came home with blisters on her blisters and very sore feet.

Somehow the week went downhill from there...

Each night the drama got heavier and sadder and, well, more dramatic. Oscar nominations were being handed in left and right.

You remember the worms song? "Nobody likes me...everybody hates me..." No, I didn't use it. But I did try pep talks...hot, bubble baths...hugs...

Sigh.

Finally, I told her to buck up and enjoy it because there were lots of other children all over the world who would have loved such an opportunity but couldn't have it because of blah, blah, blah.

I know. I know. I resorted to the "eat your spinach because..." lecture.

But sometimes it's the truth...and it needs to be said.

Anyway, "pointe" taken. *wink*

She finished the week of classes...with only a few minor complaints at the end.

*grin*

More Monday Musing-Alongs

The handsome chef about to use his new grill
Happy Monday to you! And to all those dads out there, I hope you enjoyed Father's Day yesterday.

We surprised the daddy in our house with a new charcoal grill on Saturday...a little early due to the fact that it needed to be set up. We were hoping he'd want to use it on Sunday to prepare some yummy dinner...and he did! He already has lots more grilling ideas in mind for this summer.

Time is once again whizzing along.

Only 88 more days until the unofficial "d-day" of "Leechie" (now pronounced [lee-ay-chay]) at our house. Egads! I don't remember the first two pregnancies going quite this fast. But then it has been over 7 years since I was last pregnant...*grin*

And only 5 months until the 24 Season 7 prequel and 7 until the actual season!! Think we're a bit excited?? Nah. We'll only have been waiting for 19 months for this particular season...

Today marks our poochie Buster Brown's 6th birthday! Wow! We can't believe he's 6 years old already! Happy Birthday, Buster!!

Edward lost his front tooth last Thursday, and the Tooth Fairy once again forgot to visit on time. *chagrinned smile* We told him that she isn't used to him putting out his tooth so quickly. And -- you have to love these modern times *wink* -- we promised to "e-mail" her on Friday so that she would be aware of his tooth's departure from his mouth. Sure enough, he came rushing down on Saturday morning to announce that this time the T.F. had remembered...and just to prove it he held up 7 shiny quarters.

The weather has decided to cool down for the week...which suits all of us just fine. It'll mean a bit of rain and wind and thunderstorms, but anything beats that heat wave we endured last week. Our little veggie patch is hoping for some rain, I think. All the lush greenery of the spring suddenly shrunk back due to the oppressive heat last week. We still have some seeds to plant to see if we gets some watermelons and pumpkins.

The calendar shows a quiet week ahead...so perhaps I'll be able to get ahead on the cleaning and organizing? Here's hoping!

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
• old cookbooks
• antique-car shows
• barnacles
• bookmarking a Web site
• the first sentence of your novel

* * *

I love to write. I mean really, really love it.

I've been doing it since I was about 8.

Short stories, poems, books...anything to get out the words that rattled around in my brain. (Funny enough, I was never very good at keeping a journal though. I found writing about stuff in my life was rather mundane. In my mind, I lived a very "ordinary" (read as: boring) life, I guess. Not necessarily a bad thing now.)

My dad even bought me a book for writers who "can't not write."

At first I resisted entering the field of journalism -- despite it being a more lucrative writing field -- since I saw that kind of writing as not as creative as I normally enjoyed.

But, like any kind of writing, I discovered it had a style all its own...a kind of voice. And in developing that, I found the creativity. I was really blessed by being able to write a lot of features during my tenure at the newspaper...not something many freshman journalists get to enjoy.

Still, it left little time for the creative writing I'd always enjoyed. My brain was tired from writing and editing every night.

Then I had my children, and I hung up my reporter hat, tucking away my reporter card.

Now I could write books for them, right?

Hmm...

Somehow it didn't work that way. As much as I wanted to -- and I did manage to pen a few short stories and poems for them -- I just didn't have the time or energy to pursue my old passion.

And that was okay. I had a new job -- that of "Mommy" -- and I was enjoying it immensely.

Then one day I found myself missing something. Maybe it was that same moment that I realized the kids were off happily playing in their rooms, leaving me all alone to ponder on my own.

What was I missing?

I felt a bit dead inside. Sure I was very alive with mommyness and wifehood...but I wasn't "me" anymore. What had happened?

Well, throughout life when I changed roles, I found that I didn't change everything...just my perception of normal. Normal changed to whatever was that way at that particular moment.

Then I realized that my "normal" at that moment didn't include writing anymore. I'd let it fall by the wayside in an effort to master the other "normals" of the moment.

Hmm...

Having just the right pen and paper makes such a difference to the flow of my creative juices. (Read here for more proof.)

So a search began for these items, and shiny, new pen and notebook in hand, I began the long journey back to finding some of the "old me" to incorporate into my "new normal."

That was actually the easy part.

Writing the first sentence on the first page of that new notebook was the daunting part.

But 16 notebooks and two years later...

Happy Father's Day Wishes

Happy Father's Day to my sweet hubby, father of my 2.5 *wink* kids. I'm so proud to be his wife. What a privilege to love and raise our kids together.

Happy Father's Day to my dear daddy, who's always been there for me and loved me for me. And my fantastic father-in-law, who has accepted me as a "daughter" and always shown me so much love.

What an honor to have three such wonderful men in my life!! I know Edward has so much to aspire to. Thank you!



"Any man can make a baby...but it takes a true man to be a father." ~Anonymous

Friday Funnies

In honor of Father's Day on Sunday, here are two funny videos to bring you a laugh or two today.

Enjoy and have a fun Friday!

Tooth Troubles

It's a well-known rite of passage in life to lose our baby teeth. They fall out (or, in some cases, get pulled out), and we place them under our pillows for the Tooth Fairy.

My kids have never just pulled them out.

They have to get the tooth to a certain point and then let it just hang by a "thread." (It's really kind of gross.) But eventually the tooth's last thread gives way (or "crumbles in a cloud of dust," as Edward said about his latest tooth's roots), and the tooth is ready for its final pillow presentation.

Emily has lost all of her baby teeth now.

Edward has lost just three...four, if you count the one he just lost this morning.

...

The funny thing about parenting is how easy it is to become nostalgic about our kids.

I mourned the passing of each and every one of Emily's stages. She seemed to grow up in seconds.

I was a bit stronger with Edward and just enjoyed/accepted the passing of his stages as a normal part of childhood, eagerly awaiting the next one.

Until a few days ago...when Edward began wiggling one of his top front teeth.

...

The thing about little kids is that they have little front teeth. It's a mark of age to see a 5-, 6-, or 7-year-old with his/her little teeth. Somehow these little teeth keep the kids younger a bit longer -- at least in my mind.

Then they lose these teeth and have that cute gappy smile for awhile.

Then their big teeth come in, and the kids grow bigger (a. k. a. older) -- seemingly overnight.

It's a rite of passage...

A normal stage in life, right?

And, thus far, I've been really good about accepting these for Edward.

But somehow I wasn't ready for this one. I felt blindsided by it. It was that time already??

*Sigh.*

After all, they grow and change so quickly...in mere seconds it seems.

Wordless Wednesday