Happy Birthday, Joe!

I've only known you for a few years now, but I can honestly say that I truly love you as if you were my own. I wish there were words to tell you how much you mean to me, what an amazing spirit you have that just permeates your being. You are never out of my mind, or my heart. I miss you, Joe.

Happy Birthday, Beanie!!! Welcome to 'Teen-ager-dom'!!! We love you.

Wordless Wednesday

Bah-Humbug

That would be me this happy holiday season.

Tom and Joe won't even be here until (hopefully) spring. I didn't even want to get a "family" picture made this year because it would just have two empty spots in it. That's not like me... an opportunity to have even more pictures to slap in frames around the house? Miss it? Nah... never! Yup. My three looked adorable, sweet, deceiving. It just didn't feel right.

Juggling being available for the kids, working, trying to build a business = no money this year. What's new, right? Oh, one funny, tho... guess who got a speeding ticket? Here's a hint: it wasn't me! Mr. "Jodie, you drive way too fast. Here, you just sit over there in the passenger's seat and be quiet while I set the cruise control on 60 mph. I don't care if we're on the turnpike and the speed limit is 75! Check out my gas mileage graph on my Palm!! Oh, look at yours - down, down, down. Slow down, Darling!!!" had a lil' bit o' lead foot... in a school zone, no less!!!! Yes, folks, there is a God... and she gave me a well deserved high-five last week, the day he called asking where in the hell the insurance verification was! I'd laugh harder if it wasn't going to cost us so damn much.

Sigh...

My first Christmas morning without my kids. Without watching their little faces go from all sleepy, gooey, squinty-eyed to Wow!!! in 3.2 flat. Goes with the territory, I suppose. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

I know! How about we just skip Christmas this year. Yeah! I'll go to bed on the 24th, and wake up, and it will be the 26th and it will all be past me.

Maybe we'll get that winter camping get-away afterall...

transformed

I picked them up from school on Wednesday, a little bit early since Mac had an Awards Assembly (which she SWEPT thankyouverymuch - I'm not proud at all!!!) and escaping from that parking lot even 10 minutes early can literally save my sanity. Ever try bitching at the woman who blocked your car in when said woman can't understand. a. word. of. English.? Not fun, especially when the counselor had her arm across my chest, waving the other mother on. Can you tell I was pissed???

So, we get home a few minutes earlier than usual. They promised homework completed and to give me 'Mommy time with coffee and Steve' - a MUST, especially for what they were about to demand from me...

Into our bedroom we go, an hour later, these three 'creatures' emerge...

allow me to introduce...


Princess of the Underworld

Jack Sparrow

and...

Scary Witch

My cute little blonde-haired, blue-eyed kids became black-haired (one with dredlocks!) wannabe scary creatures. I'll give them creepy, maybe even freaky, but scary... nah. But I'd never tell them that!!!

Now, what was scary... them, upon returning home way too late for small children on a school night, much too full of sugar for any 200 pound adult... confinement in a shower for what seemed like an eternity... trying desperately to find the blonde hair they were born with (it appeared, several shampoos later, although, my bathtub will never be the same!). Thursday came, with them still bouncing off the walls. And Friday? They were all Steve's! ha.