Confession Tuesday

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted! I don't know what is wrong with me. I think with work being so draining, I just am tired when I get home.
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Actually, I think that it is just that I am too lazy when I get home. All I want to do is watch the Bachelorette or something mindless and then go to bed.
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I would also like to blame my lack of creativity on the home conditions. I mean, how can anyone be expected to write anything when your house is 100 degrees? Yeah, that's it! It was the house and not my laziness! I need an ideal temp of 72 degrees to maximize my creative juices.
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I killed a pigeon the other day. My coworkers and I were driving back from lunch. This pigeon just jumped into the road in front my car! I tried to swerve away from it but I actually turned the car into it. Seconds later, it was no more.
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This gets added to a long list of animals I have killed in my day. Frogs, squirrels, birds, a possum, butterflies and now our friend pigeon all have met their maker as a result of my car. I don't know why animals seem to be so attracted to it. I mean, it's just a Toyota!
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Went to Virginia this weekend (thank you Wilsons for housing us!) We went for a very sad purpose as it was for Helene's funeral. It was so strange being home. I mean, since my parents moved to NC, I had not been home since my girlfriend Sabrina got married in Nov 2006. Going home, you know, when I got there, it was as if there had been a piece of me missing and Virginia finally filled it. Yes, Texas has its charms. But, there is something about going home to Virginia.

It is not like Norfolk is the nicest town. I mean, there are some pretty run down parts of the city. Certainly, there are PLENTY of nice parts but there are LOTS of run down parts. I like to think that adds to its charm. No homogonized suburbanites here, that's for sure!

Our best day had to be Sunday, though. We took a ferry from one side of the shore in Portsmouth to the other to the AAA Norfolk Tides baseball game. Jack got to help the captain drive the ferry! Then, at the game, he got to run the bases afterwards. On the way home, he asked the captain if he could drive the ferry again. It was so great. It was Jack's dream day. I mean, where in Texas can you do that? Carry me back to old Virginny, indeed.
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I'm getting REALLY good at sneaking in food to a movie. That said, I do take personal pride in the fact that I snuck in a plate of fish tacos to the new Indiana Jones movie on Monday with my husband. I firmly believe that that sneak should go into the movie food sneak hall of fame. They were DE-LISH, by the way!
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We had a scare with Eva a couple of weeks ago. As I mentioned, she had a cold that turned bad. She then, got a fever. I called the doctor first thing in the am. I had an appointment around 2p, the same time I had an appt the day that Eva got sick. We were in the same room, I in my same seat, Dr. Kennedy in hers. Just as before, she could not really find out why Eva had a fever. When she went out of the room to go look for something, Eva started to take out the diapers from the drawer just as she did moments before her seizure.

It was deja vu all over again.

Dr. Kennedy decided to go ahead and send us to Medical City ER to have an xray, just as we did the day Eva was diagnosed. We got there and many of the same staff were there. They took her off to xray. As it turns out, Eva only had an ear infection that had caused her fever. While Jon and I waited for the results, so many things were pouring in my head. I'm not ready, I decided, to be able to handle a return of Eva's cancer. I'm not ready.

Muchas Pulgas

My house has fleeeeeas...
My house has fleeeeeas...

Yes, this is a stupid song. Do you remember it? Usually, it is a "dog" that has fleas but for me, it is my house.

Last week, our air conditioner went out. When we called the friendly folks at American Home Shield (our warranty folks), they said they would send someone out right away (read: two days from now).

The man came in and said just two words, "Bad news". When your A/C guy says "bad news", you KNOW it means, bad news!

So our A/C compressor was out. The friendly folks at American Home Shield said that they would only pay the cost of the part but it would cost us $500 additional dollars to bring our unit up to "code". I don't know about you folks but I would like to know who is ALWAYS changing those codes? I mean, we had to pay $1,100! to have our water heater replaced because of CODES! And Home Shield bought the water heater! Don't get me wrong, I know that they do that so people don't have craphole houses with craphole crap in them but honestly, we have a nice house and does it really take $700 to make sure that our new water heater is exactly 18 inches off the ground instead of the 15 inches it was before? But I digress...

Back to the friendly folks at American Home Shield who only cover the cost of the part. Our A/C guy said, oh by the way, your unit is over 20 years old and instead of just replacing the compressor, you really, really, really need to replace the whole unit. Oh, and the friendly folks at American Home Shield will only pay $500 of it to replace your part that is broken. So, $3200 and five days later, we have A/C.

Oh, I forgot to mention that it is almost 100 degrees in Dallas right now. Yeah, poor Eva would wake up from her nap soaking wet, we had fans blowing everywhere but did nothing to cool the temperatures. Just one big sweaty house for a WEEK!

What does this have to do with the fleas, you ask. Well, last Thursday night, Jon came home from work, took off his socks and low and behold, he was eaten alive by fleas. After further investigation, we found more of them in the house.

Friday, we were heading to VA for the weekend. Oh, we'll take care of it when we return.

Monday morning, we returned home to find our nanny running out of the house. "Muchas pulgas! Muchas pulgas! " Crap. I know enough spanish to know that ain't good.

Jon and I left the kids in the car, ran into the house to grab whatever we could for tomorrow and headed to Jon's sister's house.

We were in the house for minutes and were covered in fleas. We ripped off our clothes and threw them in the washing machine and drove to Jon's sister's house in our skivvies. I felt like we were in some weird game show where we had 30 seconds to try to grab everything we could in our house before we lose $100,000. Dress for work? check. Jack's school uniform? check. Shoes for work? crap. It's not worth it, Kristi, stay away from the fleas. Just turn and walk away. You can wear your flip flops to work, no one will notice.

"Mommy, why are you driving in your underwear?" Jack asked. "Muchas pulgas", I replied.

How the heck did we get fleas? Well, it turns out that when our friend the possum came to visit us, he probably had fleas. Apparently, and I know WAY too much about fleas now, by the way, the eggs can lay dormant for up to 200 days. Once it gets too warm in your house, they hatch, then they mate like bunny rabbits or fleas, as it were. Then, those little blood suckers wait and wait for a host to come so they can pounce.

Damn you, you fleas, you will not beat me! I will reclaim my house! Just in a few days when you are all dead.

Brrrr, time for a cooold winter!

This came from a girlfriend of mine and I thought I would post. She works for a natural gas company here in TX but I am sure this will be felt across the country:

Just wanted to warn you that the price of natural gas is going through the roof. This WILL affect your electric bill as well. Natural Gas is used to produce electricity. Currently, electricity is about twice the price of natural gas.

At the beginning of the year, we were at $7.50 per Mcf. They are predicting we will be at $11 by this summer and $13 by the winter heating months.

The price of natural gas for the next year will be higher than the prices were during Hurricane Katrina and Rita.

As I told my husband, it is time to bundle up the kids and break out that clothes line!

Confession Tuesday

Ok, it is Wednesday, again.
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Tuesdays seem to be a bit hard for me, right now. Maybe it is that I get all wrapped up with the Dancing with the Stars results show. I don't know. For the record, this season I am torn. I want Kristi to win, not only because we share a name and skating skill-level but because it is about time for a gal to win! But, Edyta...oh Edyta! It is your time, too, girl!
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Last night, I had my first board meeting for the Family Advisory Board of the hospital where Eva stayed. While Eva was in the hospital, they were looking for volunteers to help serve on this committee. So, I did. The meeting went well. The topic? The ER. They asked the group, anyone been to our ER? I was like, yeah, which time in the three days would you like to know about? I think it will be good, though,and while I work in non-profit, it is nice to be volunteering again.
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I can't seem to get Jack to keep/put his clothes on. I'm not sure quite what is going on but the Emperor in our house definitely has new clothes.
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When I am on an airplane, I block the person in front of me from putting down their seat by placing my knee on the back of their chair. Then, I proceed to read a book or a magazine while they keep hitting the button and trying to get the seat back. I keep my knee there firmly in place until I am sure that he (it is ALWAYS a he!) thinks that his seat is broken. I know, it is awful but I'm sorry I am nearly 6ft tall and really? You HAVE to put your head in my face?
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I was tricked on the flight home from NC by a guy sitting in the bulk head. I thought that surely, he has 20ft of room in front of him, why would he put his seat back? Bam, down he goes. When we boarded, I was so happy, too. I got the seat in the adjacent row while Jon took both kids as I had traveled with both by myself on the way out there. I thought, hey, I'm going to read my book this flight! This guy's seat was so far back, I could not get my book far enough away from my eyes so I could read!

So, I tried my tactic #2, seat bumping when I get up and down. Did not work. Ok, tactic #3, Jack? Want to sit in Mommy's lap for a bit? No go. Tactic #4, voodoo hex/hate eyes. Still did not work. So, for three hours, I sat cramped but that nice fella sure slept well. I hope he deserved it. I sure hope he was so tired from saving children from a burning building or perhaps feeding the hungry in Africa. If you are reading this Seat 31B, thanks a bunch!!!
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I have decided that if I ever write a book, I would title it "In Vino Veritas: A Wine Guide to Parenting"
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Eva does not speak very much but she does know more spanish than english. How sad is that? This weekend, I asked her if she was hungry, she just looked at me. Then I said, "Tienes tu hambre?" She said, "Si!"
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One thing about Jack, he tells some great stories but he has no imagination. He would sit in a room and you would say, ok, Jack, tell me a story. It would go like this, "Once upon a time there was a boy named, Jack. He was in his room with his Mommy sitting on the bed. He looked up and saw a light bulb and then put away his toys. The end."

But for some reason, he has had an explosion of creativity. Because Jack has a reputation of always telling the truth, people always believe him. Here's what I have learned over the past two weeks when people have asked: 1-My car broke down and Eva, Jack and I got picked up by a tow truck, 2-Jack went to Austin, 3-Jack eats tree bark and worms regularly for breakfast and my favorite, 4-Jack has a 10-year old brother named Sammy who lives in Montreal by himself but comes to visit Jack every Friday while I am at work. Yeah, THAT one was really fun to explain to a school parent! Hmmm, maybe I should fact check with Jon just to be sure...
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Eva is still up. Jon put her in her pack and play. Here's a last shot of her trying to break out. Time for bed!

Two Months Down!

Went to the oncologist today. Eva looks fine, he tells me, besides the cold that I gave her when we kept her in the rain last weekend. Dr. Lenarsky was kind enough to check her ears for me so we don't have to take Eva to the dr. That saved me $30, thank you!

So, provided that her urine tests come back ok, we have knocked 2 months off of our 24.

Next month is the big appointment. She does a quarterly CT scan and then we meet with the dr. That is the scary one.

Here's a shot of Eva tonight as she has decided that she does not want to go to sleep.

In Loving Memory of Helene Gean

I went to the same school for 10 years. Grades 1-10. It was a terrific school and I am thankful for the education that I received there. My Dad worked at the school and in the summer after the 10th grade, I decided that it was time for me to experience a different environment...public school.

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the first week of school. I was in chorus class and in walked this short little firecracker, Sabrina Gean. While she was only a sophomore, she owned the school. I loved her immediately. She decided that my "sweet sheltered wallflower act" would just not do. A lifelong friendship was born.

SG, as I call her (still), took me home one day to meet her Mom, Helene. Helene was french and loud and outspoken and hilarious. She tanned EVERY DAY, skin cancer be damned! She was the spitting image of Sabrina only a few inches shorter, if that was even possible.

But most importantly, Helene insisted that I call her Helene. Helene! I mean, I'm 16 years old, she wants me to call her by her FIRST name? I felt so cool and so grown up!

Helene and SG immediately joined our family. They were invited to every family celebration that we ever had from that point forward. Every graduation, every mother's day, every birthday party...not just mine, EVERY PARTY.

She was very fervent in her practice of the catholic faith. She and my father loved to discuss various points of which they firmly agreed on all. My dad dubbed her St. Helene of Gean.

One of my fondest memories of her was when France won the World Cup. She stood on her porch, waived her french flag and shouted, "Vive la France!! Vive la France!!" I heard her screaming as I rounded the street.

Helene was diagnosed with mylodysplasia a few years ago. In keeping with her strong personality, she fought hard. God took a new saint today, St. Helene of Gean. I know she will be watching over us and her beloved France.

Confession Tuesday

Ok, so it is Wednesday.

Sorry for the delay. Just got back from vacation, had a busy day at work, blah blah blah, all the excuses we use for not writing.
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Not much to confess this week. I've been an angel.
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Who are we kidding.
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Let's see. Had great time at Fest. On Friday, Jack was off with his grandparents (thank you!) and got a sitter for Eva so that Jon and I could go off to Fest by ourselves and enjoy the day sans kids. Jon and his BFF Neil took off so he left just us gals by ourselves, generally, a dangerous thing to do during Fest. Kristi, Hannah and Cheryl, responsible parents/citizens became Doz, Coco and Shug, our 20-something alter-egos. We had a blast.
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On Saturday, Jack could not wait for the Imagination Movers to play. We were really excited to take him. Here's a confession for Jon. He injured himself really badly by pulling a muscle while dancing to a children's band. Don't let him fool you will some cool story. He pulled it at a children's music concert.
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Here's another confession for Saturday. We kept our children out in the rain at the Fest for three hours. I know, we're awful parents. They were having fun running in the mud, we were having fun running in the mud. Maybe I'm not that responsible, after all.
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I think that Eva has a cold because she played in the rain for three hours. I feel really guilty about that given everything that she's been through.
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I had to take the most depressing online class today for work. Child Abuse Training. It was AWFUL and I feel so sorry for those kids who have to deal with it! Of course, when they were talking about children abusing other children, one of the indicators to watch for was children who are obsessed with their body parts or the body parts of others. I immediately thought of my baby boy who likes to drop his pants and yell, "Look at my weeeeeeeeeei-ner!!!!"
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SERIOUS CONFESSION ALERT! I'm actually a bit late today in my confessions because I've been off my game a bit. My beloved grandfather, Dyda, had a stroke on Sunday. He's ok right now but I'm off to NC this weekend to visit him. Dyda's stroke just put me over the edge. Austin Meglar received his Angel wings on Thursday, I have 6 CLOSE friends whose mothers are very sick/and/or are in the hospital now and I still have not recovered from the Eva/Jack crisis. I keep wondering when it will all stop so that I can get my footing back. So, when does it all stop? Ever?

And so my mind wanders....

Just back from Fest and had a fantastic time. Left Wednesday after work and drove halfway, which is about 4.5 hours or so. Got off to a late start because I was working later than I had hoped and since I did not pack the night before, I still had to pack and remove all the hawaiian shirts and Chelsea Football Club gear my darling husband had packed for my children.

Anyway, it was late and everyone was in the car asleep. And so my mind wandered...

(with apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan)

I am the very model of a modern Fest participant,
For 18 years I've come here in April to go to this event,
Was fired once while working,
For my duties I was shirking,
I am the very model of a modern Fest participant!

(chorus) She was fired once while working,
for her duties she was shirking,
She is the very model of a modern Fest participant!

The music is amazing as you move your camp from stage to stage,
armed with your cubes to guide you, you can find enough to engage,
Gospel, blues and Dixieland,
the stage that used to be Ray-Ban,
The music is a part of why I am a Fest participant!

(chorus) Gospel, blues and Dixieland,
The stage that used to be Ray-Ban,
The music is a part of why she is a Fest participant!

Creole stuffed bread and Monica, conchon du lait and gumbo,
The food tents filled up to the brim are the things that steals the show,
Crawfish bread or some stuffed in a sack,
Too much can cause a heart attack,
The eating marathon is the reason I keep coming back!

(chorus) Crawfish bread or some stuffed in a sac,
too much can cause a heart attack,
The eating marathon is the reason I keep coming back!

Confession Tuesday

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Well, I can breathe a sigh of relief. For the past several weeks/months, I have been planning a function that was tonight. It is over. I can return to being my normal self. Return to my kids, return to my hubby, ahhhhhhhhhh.....

Tonight's event was a celebration of the end of my annual fundraising campaign. We still have not met our goal but are VERY close and I know we will get there in the next week or so. It sure would have been nice to be there now, but alas.

On to the confessions!
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Although I have been exhausted from working late hours, ignored my children and husband since the day I started, and stressed so much that I have not slept in the past three months, it has felt really good being at my job. I really like it and I love the folks that I work with. After two years of being home and that wonderful stint at the newspaper (that I also loved), having a high-pressure-must-get-it-done-now job feels kind of good. I'm not sure how I feel about realizing that, though.
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I wore my Bon Jovi hat to work on Friday. I could not wait to break it in. One of my co-workers related that I was like that middle school kid who wore the concert t-shirt to school the NEXT day after the show. Yeah, I'm STILL that kid.
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Today, for the first time, someone called me out for being offensive on my blog. He was right and Dave, if you're reading please see my response to your post. You know, I write so familiarly and think that everyone knows me so well (and honestly, the majority of you guys do) but I forget that some people do not know me. So, I do have to be careful. I do feel awful for writing something that could hurt someone's feelings. And, I appreciate his input.
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While I will do my best, I'm pretty sure that it won't be long until I offend someone again. I mean, the sad part is that I write whatever pops into my feeble brain and even still, I'm far more offensive in person. There is NO filter there! Just ask Joseph.
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I'm leaving for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with my hubby and kids tomorrow. This will be my 18th Fest. 18 years! I can't believe that I have been going to that festival for that long! It will also be the 8th anniversary of when I started dating my husband and I'm pretty sure it is the 12th anniversary for Jana and Tim (long overdue for another Fest trip!)
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Speaking of starting to date my husband, I'm looking for some good ideas on how I can tell the kids that Daddy and I started dating. Meeting while intoxicated at Pat O'Briens during JazzFest does not seem to have a good ring to it, so I am open for suggestions. Just for the record, don't suggest church because as many of you know, Jon is Jewish and I'm pretty sure the kids would be on to us if we tried to slip that past them. Any of you have any good stories Jon and I could steal to make our own? Also, I'm sure that Jana and Tim could also use some suggestions, as they are in the same boat.
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I can't decide what to eat first at the fest, crawfish bread, crawfish Monica or BBQ shrimp over spinach. Can anyone offer any suggestions?
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Here's a sign of the times. The only band that I know for sure that is playing at the Fest this year is the Imagination Movers. They are a NoLa children's band that they show on Playhouse Disney. Last year, at the Movers concert, I think that the parents were rocking out as much, if not more than the kids....Yeah, sing it Smitty! Please and Thank You ARE magic words!
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Ok, time to get packing. So much to do! If I don't get it done tonight, Jon will do it and heaven only knows what he will pack for my children. Eva will have all Chelsea soccer club gear to wear and Jack will have a suitcase of Hawaiian shirts. Time to get crackin'!

Until we meet again...

Confession Tuesday

Good evening! Getting a bit of a late start!

Well, this is not really a confession but LAST NIGHT'S CONCERT WAS AWESOME! Jon surprised me with floor seats so we were up close and personal! I cannot speak for Jon (although I often do!) but I'm pretty sure he was shocked to see his wife scream like a 16-year old for three hours. Maybe I should be ashamed of my behavior but I don't care. JBJ is my man. Just look at him!

My favorite part of the evening was when Jon (mine) could not take it anymore and just sat down in the middle of "I'll Be There For You". Then, all the people surrounding us (including the two guys behind us) started to serenade him. "I'll be there for you, these five words I swear to you, when you breathe, I want to be the air for you, I'll be there for you..." That picture will be forever burned in my brain.

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I bought a $35 hat at the concert. $35! For a hat??!! But you know what? I'm wearing that puppy all through JazzFest. Jon will be so happy and proud to be with me.

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So, we got home at midnight. When I woke up this morning, I had an email from our CEO asking me to speak at our all staff meeting. Crap! It was then that I was thinking that maybe I should have had some dinner with my beer. And perhaps, maybe I should NOT have screamed like a 16-year old for three hours because I had what Jon calls my Brenda Vacarro voice. I frantically made some hot tea for the caffeine and the vocal chord work! I think I pulled it off, though. Hopefully....

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Montreal was amazing. If you have a chance to go, I highly recommend it. As great as it was, though, I was happy to get back to my babies at home. Five days is a long time to be gone.

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I'm exhausted. Recently, it seems that I have been doing some really late night activities. Normally, I'm an in bed by 9 kinda gal but for the past couple of months, the nights have been filled with activity. Maybe it is just gearing up for summer. I don't know but my 38-year old body is feeling it. This weekend, we are heading to Austin to the Old Settlers Bluegrass Festival. Next week, it is JazzFest in New Orleans and I never get any rest there. I need some sleep!

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Eva has been difficult lately. It seems that she has developed a knack for temper tantrums. A co-worker recently showed me this video and I have to admit, as hilarious as it is, it hit a little close to home. I guess that it made me feel a bit better. Also, I'm dealing with the fact that I feel a bit guilty because of Eva's cancer, if I don't take her in my arms and hug her every minute. What if her time is limited? I know that is completely irrational and I am actually doing BETTER for her by attempting to change her behavior but still...

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The flip side is that Jack has been AMAZING recently! I don't know if it is the fact that he is growing, or the new classroom or the fact that we are keeping him all day at school but honestly, he just seems so happy at home. It is quite a difference from the sour puss we had visiting us for the last year or so.

*****

Tonight, as Jack went to bed, he told me that he wanted to give me 100 kisses. I said, go for it! Then, he counted out 100 kisses on my cheek. What a way to end a chaotic day!

Wanted: Dead or Alive

Well, tonight is the big Bon Jovi concert! I will finally get to see my beloved Jon sing in concert with 15,000 of my closest friends.

As I have said MANY times, Jon and I have a special bond. We both do a mean rendition of Livin' on a Prayer but his is generally before a larger audience than my two children and my husband.

And I love him.

You can imagine my happiness when I opened up my surprise Christmas gift from my beloved Jon (Bon Bernstein) below.

Now, Jon (Bon Bernstein) has turned. He does not want to lose "cool" points with his peeps so he is brushing off the fact that I firmly believe that he is almost as excited as I am to see the show.

Today, I received this from one of his best friends and thought I would post the slightly edited version. Not to validate his argument but because I want you all to know what I have to put up with! What is wrong with you, SK, that you cannot see the beauty that is Bon Jovi?!? I mean, what's not to love? Who doesn't love a song where he says, "I've seen a million faces, and I've rocked them all!" Pure genius. Bob Dylan won a Pulitzer, maybe Jon Bon Jovi might be next!

From SK:

On the matter of actually shelling out hard earned money for Jon Bon Jovi I have a few thoughts.

Why not pay someone to run over your hand or to beat you around the neck and head. It surely would be cheaper and the long term affects would be less severe. I would think if you must purchase tickets and attend the show you would be due some compensation or favors.

Below I have listed what I would consider fair compensation for purchasing the Bon Jovi tickets and attending the concert with " The Fan."
For a period of one year.

1. Purchaser will never again awaken with the children. "The Fan" will attend to all the children's nocturnal needs. Purchaser will never be disturbed so as not to interrupt his Rock and Roll dreams.
2. "The Fan" must maintain strict confidentiality. She must support the purchaser when he denies having attended the show to any suspecting accuser.
3. "The Fan" will prepare all meals in the future buffet style with several choices for the purchaser. If nothing is to his liking a take out meal must be obtained immediately.
4. "The Fan" may never watch any type of realty TV or Lifetime channel again. Only sports and good rock and roll shows. Purchaser from now on will pick all movies.
5. At the show purchaser will be allowed to excuse himself at anytime especially if he is feeling physically ill.
6. Purchaser will select all acts to be seen at Jazz Fest. God forbid "The Fan" might want to go see Jimmy Buffet.
7. If "The Fan" gets pulled on stage to dance with Jon she must cover her face the entire time so as not to violate the confidentiality agreement mentioned above. If this footage is on the local news and people recognize "The Fan" and in turn people know the purchaser attended said Bon Jovi show the purchaser will be given the option of leaving the country for 6 months to let things die down. "The Fan" can also be admitted to an insane asylum there by providing the purchaser with an excuse.
8. "The Fan" will agree to drive on all vacations so the purchaser may sleep, read, or whatever. On trips without the children, purchaser will be allowed to use the back seat as a bed. Yes, even on short trips.
9. Each night purchaser will select a CD to play in an attempt to de-program "The Fan".
10. These penalties double if Bon Jovi covers a song the purchaser likes.
11. Penalties will also double if Bon Jovi decides to do a double encore.
12. The children are never to know this happened.

Yeah, we'll see tomorrow. Don't even THINK that I'm not rushing the stage!

Montreal--Part 2

Well, it is Sunday and I'm still here.

We have had a fantastic time. The conference was great and I learned a lot. The only thing was that for 48 hours, I did not leave this hotel. I was going stir crazy!

A View from My Room

Don't get me wrong. My bed was great, I had a huge tub with bubble bath that I purchased and could watch the American President in French but I really needed to do some walking...and soon.

So, Friday night, I finally convinced a local to direct our merry crew to a local joint away from all the touristy stuff. And they did. We had dinner at this terrific restaurant in a neighborhood and walked around in the cold, rainy/sleeting weather for a bit. It was like heaven for my lungs.

Yesterday, we finished the conference, and had some time to shop. I will firmly admit that while I have a great sense of direction, I absolutely took us the wrong way on our journey. But, we got to see far more of Montreal than we had anticipated so that is not so bad.

Last night, we went to a light show at the Basilica Notre Dame. It was simultaneously the one of the neatest things I have ever done and one of the cheesiest things I have ever done. Honestly, i can't even describe it to you to do it justice. Here are some things I learned, however: God is an Irishman; you can die sitting up and never drop the book you are holding; and apparently, you can come off a two-year voyage to a new world in the 1500's with a clean, white, starched shirt. I do have to admit, the timing of the rest of the show was fantastic. You really got to see what an amazing place that is. It is hard to pack that much in a $10 show! But, if you happen to be in this fair city before June, it is worth a look. If only so that you, too, can act out your own version of the video.

The Altar

In an attempt to do the polar opposite of that experience, one of my co-workers and I headed to a bar to watch the end of the hockey game and celebrate with the locals. That was fantastic. Their team (the red one) won and people poured into the streets, dancing, singing, and running in between cars to celebrate with those going by. It was great and I'm so happy we did that.

Random Revelers

Today, a quick tour of the city and then off to the airport home.

Tomorrow, when I have my camera cord, I'll upload some pics of the trip. That is, if i have time before the BON JOVI CONCERT!!!!!! Less than 36 hours away....

Montreal--Part 1

Well, in spite of the chaos that was Amerian Airlines today, we had a TERRIFIC flight here. We were fortunately booked on a 737 instead of the MD-80's that were grounded! It was touch and go for a bit as we were wondering if 1-flight would somehow get moved or 2-the promised storms would move in early and delay us.

Neither happened.

So, here I am in this terrific city. I have a room on the 18th floor of this great hotel overlooking a domed cathedral with the "mountain" in the background. I have a huge tub and a four-poster king size bed with NO ONE coming to visit me or screaming for me in the middle of the night. It could not be better...

Oh, yes, it could! I just turned the tv on and they are showing a documentary on ABBA in french!

Mais oui, c'est tres bien! Bon Soir!

One Down, 23 to Go!

We had Eva's one month oncology appointment today. Well, with the exception of being laughed at by the doctor for my overreaction to the teething incident, all was well! :)

We have to wait a week for some tests but they took a chest xray and it all looked good!

We have monthly appts for the next two years. I'll just mark them with a tick mark on the wall.

Now, off to Canada for the rest of the week! Let's sing it together, shall we? Ooooh, Can-a-daaaah, our home and native laaaaand...

Confession Tuesday

Confession Tuesday, ah, I missed thee...

Before I get going, I wanted to give a little shout-out to Gabrielle Frankowski who made her debut this week. Sure excited to get to know you, little one, when we get to JazzFest in a couple of weeks!
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First up, I am typing this confession one-handed while eating a chocolate popsicle. It is not a "real" chocolate popsicle but those folks at Skinny Cow sure know how to make a tasty substitute.
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It took me five minutes to type that last confession because I kept hitting all the wrong keys. I think I'll take a break and finish my popsicle.
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Done!
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Tonight, I had settled in for my weekly reality TV fest of Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor. I put the kids to bed and off I go into the world of ballroom dance and the trash "romance"! Nubbin, tonight, would not cooperate and kept screaming and screaming. I was pretty bitter about having to go get her and bring her into the den. (I know, I'm TERRIBLE! but it is MY night!) Anyway, she sat on my lap, drank a cup of milk, bopped to the music, clapped at the end of each routine, and laughed every time Tom Bergeron came up on screen. It was actually like watching it with a friend! Nubbin was a much more engaged person than the usual grunts I get from Jon! Yes, Nubbin, that was a fantastic paso doble! I, too, agree that Marlee Matlin is consistently underscored! What did YOU think of all the glitter? I think we have a new routine, she and I. Sleep? Who needs it, little girl, Dancing with the Stars is on!
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I'm completely in love with this hardwood floor product my father introduced me to. It makes my floors look so SHINY that I am completly addicted to it. My dad told me to only put it on once per month. The first time I used it was two weeks ago. They got slightly dingy so I put three more coats on Sunday. I keep staring at it and showing everyone who comes into my house. Look at my floors, aren't they shiny? I need to be stopped.
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I just killed a spider.
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We were having a discussion at work about nicknames. It reminded me of a post Jan did a while back about all the names she could recall being called in her life. Here's mine in no particular order:

Resel, Binky, Bink, Binkster, Binkarama, Binkums, Aunt Binky, Aunt Bink, Aunt Kristi, Stinky Binky, Stink, Prissy Britches, Pris, Eva's Daughter, Gordon's Daughter, Dorothy's, Gordon's Ruth's and Paul's Granddaughter, Kristi, Anne, Dahlin', Roomie, Ding-a-ling, Sister, Big Sis, Friend, Special K, Gorgeous, Baby Girl, Shithead, Bitch, Dino, Miss Dozier, Doz, The Doz, Mrs. Bernstein, Princess Aurora, Azz Kik'Ah, Azz, Wife, 'Mam, Sweetheart, Love, Babe, Pumpkin, P2, Honey, Hon, Sweet Girl, K-Dog, KD Kanopy, Dumbass, Jack and Eva's Mom, Mommy, Mimi, Mom, Goodnight Mom

I can pinpoint each name absolutely with a person who called me that name. And, with the exception of Shithead (which was a name bestowed upon me by my mother's father, I might still need therapy for that one!) , well, and of course, Bitch, I pretty much love them all.

I'm sure that there are many, many more but that is all off the top of my head.
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I'm off to Montreal for a work conference on Wednesday morning. I'm excited on several levels. One, I get to meet some colleagues from across the country and two, I've never seen Montreal. Honestly, I'm most excited to get chocolate croissants. (Thus, the Skinny Cow popsicles...can you bank calories!)
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I get back from the conference on Sunday night. Monday night, it's BON JOVI, BABY! Have been waiting since Christmas for this concert!!! Maybe he'll pull me up on stage for a Livin' on a Prayer duet. That's right, Jonny, you and me, baby!
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Today, it was so warm outside. When I got home from work, the kids and I started to weed one of my gardens. Jack broke out the hose, he accidentally sprayed me so I grabbed it and chased him around the yard spraying him until he was soaking wet. Poor Eva got caught in the crossfire but she is such a good sport, she thought it was great and kept running into the hose. We laughed, and laughed. It felt good to be spring, again.
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One last confession. Tomorrow is Eva's one month appointment with the oncologist. I know that everything will be fine but I am still scared to death.

I'M BACK!

Man,

You never know how much you used the internet until you can't use it any longer! It was like my whole connection to the outside world was suddenly gone! For 10 days!

Now, I have definitely gone for a bit on vacation without internet service but I seem to be mentally prepared for that. It was a conscience decision to turn off the outside world. I celebrated my ability to be disconnected.

No so, my friend, this time.

I pouted each night to my husband. When are you going to get them here to reconnect me? Have you called SBC? Do you need the number? Unfortunately, SBC is one of those weird accounts that Jon is the only one that they can talk to (don't get me started). Usually, that is ok except for when this kind of stuff happens and I need him to do things.

It was the end of my annual fundraising campaign so it could not be a worse time at work to not have internet access at home. I usually send files home and work on them when the kids go to bed. But, I could not work at home, so I had to stay at work and thus took me away from my family longer. It was tough.

The thing that hurt the most was I was cut off from my favorite blogs. What is Jana up to? Laura? Amy Jo? Cher? Carolee? Pat? Daddy? All those NB kids who I regularly check on?

I have a reading routine, damnit, and I can't see what others are writing! I can't Confess on Tuesdays, I can't Scribble on Sundays...ahhhhhh!

Maybe it was a good lesson on addictions.

Radio Silence

Good Morning!

Just a quick post regarding my radio silence. Turns out that our internet service went out last week. Unfortunately, it has taken a week to get it back up and running (it is STILL OUT!) Of course, at the same time, my internet at work seems to be not functioning properly! UGH!

This is, of course, the worst week this could happen as my annual campaign ended this week!

The kids are fine. Eva is fine except that she has learned to throw temper tantrums in the past month or so. Jack is doing well. We're all great!

Anyway, have lots of stories, of course!

I've missed reading all your blogs.

I'm hoping to be back up in the next couple of days!!!

Ahhh! When does it stop!?!

Last night, I came home from work and Eva was running a small fever and was sweating. She also had a diaper rash. Around midnight, she shot up out of her crib and started screaming for me to pick her up. Between Eva and Jack's middle of the night antics/bedroom raids, I finally went to bed around 4am.

Prior to February 29, I would have just ignored such things. Now, not so much.

So, this morning, she still had a fever. What do I do? Jon is, of course, still in freakin' Dubai en route home with no way for me to contact him. I called her pediatritian and the oncologist. The pediatrician said to bring her right in.

I really wanted to seem cool about it and not that I was freaking out as much as I was. So, I calmly called my mother and mother-in-law to let them know that I was taking Eva in.

Everything will be just fine, I say, but in my head, I have visions of racing back to the hospital for more surgery. How will I let Jon know? He won't be home until tomorrow. Ok, good thing that Phyllis came to help me out while Jon is gone, she can just stay, if I need her to help with Jack. How can I make it through another surgery so soon?

Guess what.

Eva is cutting teeth.

I think I'll go vomit now.

Austin Meglar

Please, please, please today, keep the Meglar family in your thoughts and prayers.

As you all know, I am very new at this whole Neuroblastoma community. In the past month, I have started to follow many kids who have the same type of cancer that Eva does.

While we fall on the statistically good side of things, the other side is very bad. There is no cure for neuroblastoma.

Three weeks ago, I cyber met Austin Meglar's family. He was a miracle child and actually responding to treatment. The outlook looked fantastic. In just a few days, he went downhill and now the family is just praying and praying for a miracle.

Please join them.

Confession Tuesday

Short and Sweet:

Confession #1-I'm WAAAAY too exhausted to confess anything. Had a long day at work today working on spreadsheets and forgot my glasses, so it just sapped me. I'm not sure, but the fact that my children NEVER sleep when my husband is away also might contribute to it.

Confession #2-My only respite is, of course, the results show from Dancing with the Stars (currently on television).

Confession #3-Is it just sad that I knew who the Jonas Brothers were before tonight? I mean, I don't have a tween! Don't bother. I can answer that for myself. Yes, it is.

Confession #4- I can't think of anything else to write. I'm really, really tired. I'm going to drink more wine and get some rest.

Addendum-Confession #5- To quote Jana, "OK. Now, I've officially seen everything." Feel free to sing along.... Here You know, they are not half bad! As many of you know, I have written about my karaoke obsession. These guys are my dream karaoke party. I wonder if they are available for booking.

Happy Easter to You!

Here's a couple of shots of the kids at an Easter Egg hunt yesterday. Thank you to the Seacats for having us over!

The kids are hilarious in how different they are. Jack finds one egg, opens it, eats what is inside, goes and gets the next egg. He finished with like four eggs all of which had the candy eaten out of them. Eva, meanwhile, has picked up like 27 eggs. She then sat down on the step when all the eggs were picked up, to open each one of them to see what is inside. I wonder what that says about their personalities!

Kind of cool today but the kids have had a great Easter thus far. I'm off to finish the ham. Wish me luck!

Hope you and your family are having a wonderful day!

Eva hunts for eggs!

Jack with a mouthful!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is the first day of spring, the start of the Persian New Year--NoRuz, Holy Thursday, Mr. Rogers' birthday and MY birthday!

Yes, this is the 20th anniversary of my 18th birthday! Hmm, what do you get for a 20th anniversary?

This is also smack dab in the middle of Birthday Week for my family. We have 6 of us born within 7 days of each other. It starts with my sister, Angela, March 17, then me, March 20, my grandfather, Dyda, my Aunt Trish and niece Katie all born on March 22, and my brother, JP, March 23!

Anyway, a very happy 38th birthday to me! Let's all eat some cake!

The Kid's Next Birthday Gift

If ever I am in search of a new gift for the kids, I'll always have this list handy. I mean, who wouldn't want #5 for their kids. Actually, I think that #2 is ingenious!

To be warned, some of these are a bit off color.

Confession Tuesday

I'm going to start this off right away.

My first confession is that you know you are getting old/need a life when it's St. Patrick's Day and I can't wait to get home to watch Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor. Is that just sad?
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The Bachelor is on right now and I'm a bit bored with these women, already. I mean, why do they have to get women who are just so stupid. I miss Tessa.
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The Bachelor is over so now I'm watching Pretty in Pink and while drinking a glass of milk and eating a white chunk macadamia cookie that a very kind person gave me today. Seems appropriate to have that much indulgence.
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Maybe I've watched too much Project Runway but what the heck is Molly Ringwald designing when she draws her prom dress? It looks like Jack drew the design or worse, I drew the design!
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I love Pretty in Pink. It is not as great as Sixteen Candles (Blane is NO Jake Ryan!), but you have to love a movie where they refer to each other as "richies".
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I've stopped sleeping. Almost completely. Last night, I slept for about three hours. Now, I'm wide awake and it is 11pm. Here's the good news about not sleeping. TCM shows all their musicals in the middle of the night. Yes, I said that right. That's the GOOD thing! I loves me some MGM musicals!
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Ok, it is now actually Tuesday. I did sleep a bit last night but not well. Kept dreaming that a tornado came to my house. I'm sure that has some meaning. It could be that we had tornado watches last night and that was on my brain before bed or it could the the Atlanta tornado or it could be Eva's cancer or it could be the fact that my house is a mess. I'm actually surprised that I don't dream about tornadoes every night!
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I just posted something on another blog about Footloose and now I can't get that out of my head. So, everybody cut, everybody cut, everybody cut, everybody cut Footloose!!

Got something to confess?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patty's Day to you all! And a special Happy Birthday to my sis, Angela!

Saturday morning, I completed race #2 with the kids. It was another 5K. As you might recall, my last race, I placed 96 out of 100. Well, this time, I am happy to report that I placed 2090th out of 2200! That increased my percentage by 1%! I'm on the move!!!!

I do have to give myself special kudos for this race. The last mile or so has a hill that goes straight down and then straight up, then has an incline up for the remainder of the race. Going downhill was great but uphill pushing 65lbs of children just about did me in. Jack, of course, was screaming that he wanted me to "let go!!!!!!!!" of the stroller so he and Eva could just roll down the "rollercoaster" as he called it. Yeah, like THAT'S going to happen!

In the end, I sure could have used that "road rising up to meet me" and "the wind always at my back". Where were those Irish proverbs when I needed them!?!

After the race, we let the kids out of the stroller and danced to the band while the kids ate the free apples and bananas they offered. Above is The Nubbin double-fisting her apples.

At 11a, it was time for the Annual St. Patrick's Day parade! That was the first time we had ever been and were really looking forward to taking the kids. I got over the fact that the "Hooters Girls" started the parade (actually, it was a good lesson for me to give to Eva on how NOT to dress) but an hour into it, all the 22 year olds started drinking way too much so it was time to get the children home. They had enough beads, anyway.

A very Happy Lucky Day to you!