Did You Hear That?

A few weeks ago we went with the kids to get our tree as we do every year. This was Spud's second year getting a tree, but he was way more excited about it this year. Although it was hard to tell with everything he had on.

:)

The Big B and Bella picked their tree and Pup and I picked ours. The guy from the tree spot made fresh cuts on our stumps so the trees would drink water and then he tied them onto The Captain.

The Little Family decided not to go out to eat with us so Pup and dropped them and their tree off at their house and we traveled on our way to a local place that makes the best chicken wild rice soup with a broth base. Lovely on a chilly evening.

As we're heading onto a ramp we hear a "shush" sound. We look at each other.

"What was that?" I say. "Did you hear something?"

Pup looks out of the rear view mirror. There is our tree laying in the middle on the ramp.

What??

We back up The Captain to the dismay of the two cars that are trying to swing along the ramp.

We good-naturedly cuss them out. You know, no one ever drives as good as you do on the road yes? That's how we cuss, I mean, drive, around these parts. Lots of cussing. Lots of finger-waving. Lots of judging. I mean, who would beep at us just because we're backing up on an onramp? I ask the question!

The poor little tree. What if we hadn't heard that "shush?" We would have gone for soup, come back out, and surely thought someone had stolen our tree in a most non-Christmas way.

Oh the laughter. Oh the tears from the laughter.

Shaky! 

How you undecorating?

Safe in my Lilith Fair Care

Remember Lilith Fair?

I heard Sarah McLachlan tried to revive it a few years back and it failed. The thought made me sad. I still love listening to Sarah even though one of her songs is overplayed on a pet rescue commercial. I've seen her in concert several times and I've always found her music lovely and poignant.

The festival took place only three years. 1997, 1998, and 1999. My Bella went with a group of girls and some mothers in 97 and Bella, Lorenzo, and I went with a couple of other mothers and their daughters along with a few of their friends in 98 and 99.

It was an enjoyable festival! All that good music in one place always makes me happy. And taking your daughters for an event as this was bonding and memorable.

I remember the festivals as mostly just that. Lots of mothers with their daughters, lots of young women, lots of lesbians, and a few dazed and confused men wandering around wondering why this wasn't working out as an opportunity for them. Those guys made me laugh always the hardest.

At that time in our lives, the girls and I lived with their daddy in a small town so I clearly remember them experiencing an alternative type of lifestyle they hadn't seen before. That was good as well. Believe me, I worried a bit during their young years that we were doing them a disservice living in such a rather sheltered place. I shouldn't have worried - they both moved on to be very enlightened young women in spite of that. Hooray for education.

Although maybe there was a bit too much enlightenment on one of the trips.

We had decided as a group to stay overnight close to the festival so we could get a jump in the morning staking out a good spot to enjoy the music.

We were checked into a chain hotel where we ate dinner, split up into three rooms with one mom in each room.

I remember the hotel having decks that opened out onto an atrium where there was an indoor pool and lounge chairs in this huge space. We had fed the girls, told them to put on their suits, and enjoy the pool as the other two moms and I (one was my very best friend Reechie and the other her sister) pulled out our adult beverages and relaxed in the lounge chairs to watch the girls swimming.

We were talking, drinking, and giggling for quite a while and as the three of us loved to do, talking up a storm. I can yak and somehow always find myself with women of this same love. Quel surprise!

I was gazing over at the swimming pool and glanced up at one of the many TV screens they had placed all around the atrium. Because for goodness sakes, obviously we cannot just entertain ourselves without TV yes? Don't get me started on that.

So . . . I glanced up at one of the screens that were showing the same thing on all of the screens and I thought to myself, "Is that a breast I just saw?"

Oh dear.

I keep watching.

Yes, that is a breast. And a naked butt of a well-built man. Oh - there's another butt. And some more breasts.

It finally dawns on me with a thud that somehow, the channel has been changed to one of those soft-porn stations and this is showing all over the atrium probably 30+ times over.

I jump up with my unsteady legs and hightail it down the long hall in my wedge sandals to quickly let the front desk know what is going on in the atrium.

I can hear my two fellow mommas laughing uproariously!

All I can think of is that a couple of other mommas trusted me with their precious daughters and I'm letting them watch porn!

Lorenzo and Bella bottom right

Oh.my.god.

I wobble back to our chairs, sit down, take a long pull from my margarita, and say, "We shall never speak of this." Which, of course, was a huge lie. I've spoken of it a million times.

Grande surprise.

When I Look at You

We went camping with the young uns last summer.

When I was dating my wasband we discovered, through a friend, a place deep in some acreage owned by a paper mill. You couldn't have stumbled on it if you were trying. We're talking deep, deep in the woods. On a little, charming river.

I was probably 20 or 21 the first time I went up there. We had a large group of friends and we all settled into yearly trips up to this magical place. Three to four times a year minimally.

Wasband and I started out in a small tent, then graduated to a camper that sits in a truck bed. Oh the luxury of a real bed! And a sink to do dishes in. And a stove. But I digress.

We would bring all of our toys up there because there are literally miles and miles of trails and seldom-used roads for dirt biking, dune buggies, and 4-wheelers. I was the only girl that had a dirt bike, but I was so horrible at it that I rarely went out with the boys. Instead, I would putt around the trails on my own and had such a blast I can't even tell you. I loved my version of dirt biking. Once in a rare while the boys would take pity on my and let me ride along. I'd struggle to keep up and I remember one of our friends, Jeff, would always make sure I was in sight.

Wasband also had a dune buggy he had made out of a Ford Lincoln chassis (I think it was a Ford Lincoln - it was from a huge car anyway) and we would pile on that and race around wreaking havoc and sprinkling fun-dust all over that place. For miles and miles.

We were very young and very much the partiers as some 20-somethings are. Lots of laughing, drinking, and just general shenanigans as you can imagine.

The group began aging. Wasband and I got married, then got pregnant. I remember hopping in and out of the truck camper with my 8-month belly. You just figure out a way to do the things you need to do somehow. I would sit in one of those tri-fold chairs with the foot part elevated a bit so I could rest my swollen ankles and somehow squeezed my large belly into that small over-the-cab bed.

The next year we had a nine-month old baby to bring with us. We have photos of Bella sitting in a playpen with a little visor on her head. Looking at us with her old-soul eyes. We would throw her into the overhead bed and board her in so she couldn't roll out of the bed in her sleep.

She would peek out of the small window and watch us at the campfire while we were talking, drinking, laughing. We would see her little face and say, "Sleepy-byes Bella! Go sleepy-byes!" Her little head would disappear, but I'd soon spot it again. She would eventually fall asleep listening to our silliness.

We kept camping. Lorenzo was born into the same deal. Eventually we bought a large, old, Winnebago and squeezed that thing down the winding, never-ending trail that led to our campsite.

We would take family trips there. I vividly remember once camping with all of our friends and then we stayed on for another week or so and camped just the four of us. Lorenzo was so little that she was still running around with a pacifier, lovingly called her "fire" by her adorable self, and a bonnet on her head.

I don't know why, but the chipmunks loved her pacifiers and if we left one out on the table when we went to bed they would scamper onto the table and STEAL them! Lorenzo would bellow in the morning, "Meemunks took my fire!! Momma! Meemunks took my fire!" I can see her little body running around the campsite shaking her finger. I still wonder why those damn chipmunks were so in love with Lorenzo's pacifiers!? So funny to think about. Tears are squirting out of my eyes just a little bit right now just having this memory.

Family camping. We never could quite afford Disney World or flying anywhere for that matter, but family camping was the highlight of every summer for us as a young family.

What could have been better?

Apologies - all photos were taken from prints that I shot with my camera. No scanner.  :(

If You Like It Then You Better Put a Ring on It

Ha! Haha is what I say!

There; I had to get that out. Like stretching, laughing is purifying yes?

Today is the 15th of July. That frightens me. Summer is scooching by with an alarming speed. I'm love love loving this summer. We've only had our central air on twice or so. Emoji for happiness! Lots of rain which has made a very lush lawn, but has caused lots of flooding all over. It's never perfect as we know. Mother Nature just can't be equitable. She's over here; she's over there. She is random in her gifts and random in her penalties. I do love her. She's a woman. Never be too predictable.

We recently went to Vegas for a family trip to celebrate my birthday and me and Pup's fifth anniversary. Pup, me, Lorenzo, Rand-Man (I hope this is my final alliteration of the boy's name), and Bella. Bella's husband, B, stayed home with Spud, but we missed him.

Five years? I've joked for a few years how we are newlyweds. I guess I'll have to put that joke to bed. Five years is a chunk of time! We had gotten married in Vegas so we always said we would return to the scene of the crime for our fifth.

Pup and I had taken an earlier flight on a Thursday and the kidlettes were arriving that evening. While we were hanging about watching the soccer match in the sports book when Pup's phone rang.

It was Rand-Man asking Pup a question. Would we mind, since it was our vacation to celebrate, would we mind if he asked Lorenzo to marry him while in Vegas? He had a ring in his pocket that was quite literally (I know that isn't correct) burning a hole in his pocket.

Would we mind???

My squeals were loud and maybe just a little bourbon infused. Pup and I giggled the rest of the day.

We were sworn to silence. We can keep a secret if we have to. Pup especially is very good at it. He does have five sisters after all. He is the sister-whisperer and can keep a secret like no other. Even from me at times.

It was hard to zip it with the kidlettes once they arrived! Our happiness was concealed by the fact that, yes, we were entirely happy to see all of them. But now came the hard part. We had to wait for Randy to decide when the right time was to spring it on Lorenzo.

The following day we were hanging out in the pool, having a laughing and talking and lounging and drinking time. Oh so fun. Towards the later afternoon Rand-Man asked Lorenzo to go up to the room for a bit. She wriggled her eyebrows in a teasing fashion and we all said, "oooooh??" So classy.

Later, Bella, Pup, and I were in our suite and the knock came on the door and they swooped in to tell us the news. Much crying and looking at the ring and more crying. Such happiness.

I won't give all of his proposal speech here, but one part that touched me (out of plenty of parts let me tell you) he said that she was already family to him and would she become family for real. He is a very family-oriented man. We do love him. And now he is part of our family

The gifts in my life just keep coming.

Dream a Little Dream

you're no good

I had the craziest dream last night. I woke after/during it and thought, "This one is actually worth telling!" But it disappeared this morning. Only the wisp of crazy remains in my memory. Which is good because having to listen to someone else's dream is second only to looking at someone else's vacation photos. Oye to the vey! I like to have a stick in my handbag just for poking out my eyes on such occasions. I have had to hand my sticks to those I have inflicted with my vacation shots. That's the kind of woman I am!

This just reminded me of when I was pregnant with my dear Bella. I had made friends with a neighbor in our fairly isolated rural neighborhood. She was a cousin-in-law of one of our dear friends and while she was not my normal girl, she turned out to be a very good friend at a time I needed another mother to help me along my brand new journey of becoming a momma.

One evening she and he husband invited us over for dinner on a Saturday evening. She had recently had a baby and I was about seven months or so along in my first pregnancy.

After dinner the guys were enjoying an after dinner beer while she dragged out one of those slide projectors people used to have with the circle of photos. She was a talker and I confess to only listening to her half the time on occasion so I wasn't entirely certain what we were going to be looking at.

Suddenly her peek-at-chu came peeking out from the screen. Along with her baby's head poking out of that peek-at-chu. My poor wasband nearly came undone. What the hell? I could hear his unspoken cries. As for me, a very pregnant first timer, it was rather horrifying. My own little baby started doing summersaults in utero in response to my fight or flight adrenalin pouring out.

Along with the slides was a running dialog of the whys, hows, whens and every other unimaginable thing you do not want to know.

This experience scared me so I was seriously dreading when my own babe would pop out into the world. My experience was just fine, but that should have been a lesson to me to not overshare birth experiences. But women can't help themselves. It's a big thing we can do and the stories need to be told.

But maybe not shown.

Shower Her with Love

Bella and her Grandma

My daughter, Lorenzo, and I hosted a baby shower for the Baby-Doll at my house last weekend. Barnabee jetted off back home on Thursday (her son came to Minnesota to accompany them on the plane - so nice!) and I have talked to my dad a time or two since they arrived home. He sounds so tired. Now that he's back home I am trying to not worry about what is going to happen next. I have no control over that so . . . so . . . I don't know what! I'll think about that later Miss Scarlett.

So the Baby-Doll shower. Thursday evening, after Pup and I drove Barnabee to the airport where I nearly lost their luggage, (that's another story for another day) Lorenzo and I braved the huge and efficient Costco and Party City for shower food and fun.

Friday evening Bella came over to help me clean Chez Emerson (lovely girls I have) and watching her work around her growing belly just fills my heart with unbelievable joy. I am seriously in love with this baby. It's a little scary. I'm going to relish being a Gigi. Whoooha! Love love love - all you need is love.

On Saturday morning Lorenzo and Bella came early to help set up. Lorenzo came bearing little naked-baby ice cubes (omg - so adorable we were dying), makings for mimosas, and a million other things. (I could tell the story of the adorable RM - Lorenzo's boy - having to come not once, but twice to our house bringing things forgotten, but let's leave it that he's an amazing man and good in a pinch. You have to love a man that will be there for you even though he'd rather not. Smooches to RM)

Lorenzo is a very linear thinker. Thank god. I'm a very randomized thinker. Thank god again. Bella is very diplomatic. God is good to me.

Between all of us things got done although at one point while I was hunting down tiny scissors for a shower project I heard Lorenzo exclaim, "Where is she now??" I have always wished my brain worked in a predictable way, but it doesn't. I weave and bob rather than march along. Very, very easily distracted. I think this feeds my creativity. I like this explanation much more than any other that could explain my brain. Ha! I am laughing! Thank you God, yet again.

The shower invitees were my family, Bella's in-laws, my wasband's family including his wife, Pup's family, all my friends that have known Bella - new and old. Yes, we did it all in a swoop. My longtime and lovely friend Reechie thought me insane. I told her, "It will work. It will." And it did.

I didn't get a photo of it, but at one point, both of my mother-in-laws were sitting in a large chair together and I couldn't resist saying, "Both of my momma-in-laws are here!" If this makes anyone uncomfortable I'm sorry. The two of them looked happy. I hope they were.

And even though I did shush one of my sister-in-laws (oh I am such a pain in the ass) the afternoon went well. Bella received lots of lovely things for the Baby-Doll, we ate really good, and it was fun to see people that I haven't seen in ages.

Only one person from my family came and that was a wonderful surprise for all of us. My lovely, lovely niece (my brother's daughter) and her two gorgeous and energetic daughters. That meant a lot to Bella and to me that she came. It couldn't have been comfortable for her and I love it that she put that aside.

After the shower, my friends Deb-oh-rah, Shelley-belly, Teri (Bella's godmother), and wasband's wife stayed along with both of my girls. We sat in the living room talking like girls talk and the laughing and stories were endless entertainment for Pup who pretended to hide in the office "working".

We suddenly looked up and saw that it was 10:30! The shower had started at 2:00. I got a note from Teri a day or two later stating that it was not only the most fun shower she has ever attended, but the longest as well. Ha!

I am blessed.

Yesterday Was Momma's Day

My Momma's Day present. I love anything in threes. As I said yesterday when given this beautiful necklace, "My family is much bigger than three, but two perfect girls came from me and that makes three." I might be mangling that exact memory, but this is what I meant. We are three women. Once they were two babies. This isn't better than that, but I sure love this. Love them. Hard. I love them hard.

When I was a young momma and my girls were small, the most wonderful gift I could imagine for momma's day would have been a day away from their wonderful little selves. Only because I was a stay at home momma for many years and it just always sounded heavenly. A day or two away, all alone, with a pile of books, and no agenda.

Now, the best momma's day is spending time with them. And their boys. I just love them so much! Sheesh I'm annoying today!

So - great momma's day. We grilled even though it was a bit brisk outside. Which meant we hung inside instead of out with my new deck furniture. That's okay. Summer is coming. It really is.

This week we all are preparing to go on vacation together. All six of us. Pup, me, Bella, her Big B, Lorenzo, and her RM. I need to settle on RM's nickname! I've had BT and now RM - decide!

Mexico is calling our name.

Monday Monday, Can't Trust That Day

We hosted a party over the weekend here at the Chez Emerson.

A murder mystery dinner.

Which was so much fun and surprisingly get-into-it-able. Is that not a word? I didn't have a word. But trust me, the participants were very fun with their character development. My Sarah Bella called us LARPERS (I think). It's some sort of totally geeky thing where the game players dress up in costumes. So yes, we were larpers. It makes me laugh. Who doesn't like a good role play now and again? I'm winking here. Oh come on - you all have done it SOMEWHERE. It's fun!

We did this party as part of our quarterly GNO (girl's night out) and I think it was a great success! Quite a few in this group are good actors. And good lookin'.

But this post isn't only about the party of larpers or the details of the party; it's also about my Sarah Bella. Who not only was strong armed by her momma (me) into helping us stay on course, but was pimped out by us as a server, bartender, cook, party motivator, and slave.

She dressed the part perfectly. Black slacks, white blouse. I gave her a Mardi Gras bow tie to complete her outfit.

She greeted guests at the door, took their coats, gave them their name tags, got them drinks, brought their food contributions to the party room, and, in one case, cooked one guest's cheese dip.

And, most importantly, kept us on track. Because I know that left to our own devices our train would have left the track very very quickly.

I'm the luckiest momma in the world.

Love you my Sarah Bella.

The Differences Are in the Details

izismile.com

Christmas 1987

Somehow, my adorable little girl has discovered that there is no Santa. Not really.

We thought we had her totally fooled the year we hid her new bicycle out on the porch and brought it in just minutes before her dad shook the traditional Christmas bells. Just minutes before we got her and Lorenzo up for the Christmas morning opening of the presents.

"Look you guys! Santa was just here! It's still cold!"

Years later she confessed that she had seen a large box in the back of our Ford Escort and could poke her finger through and see pink tubing that she knew was a bike.

#fail

When she did find out that there was no Santa, she broke into tears. I pulled her into my arms to console her.

"Don't cry baby-girl," I said.

"But Momma, this means that all these years you and Daddy have been getting us TWICE the presents and letting Santa get all the credit."

I think I sobbed along with her I was so touched by that little girl.

Christmas 1992

Somehow, my other adorable little girl has discovered that there is no Santa.

I looked at her little face. Tears were streaming, running into her curls. I prepared to pull her into my arms for consolation.

"Aaaah Momma! You mean you guys have been LYING to me all these years??"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love both of you guys and I have all the memories of each Christmas lodged in my brain.

Forever there along with the year I made all three of us wear matching tree sweatshirts with black velvet stirrup pants. I thought we were so cute!

Hot Men Friday

Again? Friday? I really need to stop drinking wine every night. Wait, no I don't. Oh what the hell, the reservatrol is good for me yes? Say yes. SAY IT!!

Small sidenote: we went to dinner last night with Lorenzo, Bella, and The Big B to St. Paul to the most charming place I've been in so long. It was Lorenzo's choice and she ferreted out The Strip Club.

All I can say is NUMMY! I had hanger steak with poached carrots. Bella and I shared a bottle of Spanish wine, Lorenzo indulged in the vodka, and the boys had cola. The boys take care of the girls.

Our table was up in a tiny loft area we accessed by climbing a circular staircase. A tiny-ass circular staircase. The servers navigate this to bring everyone their food. They must have asses just like little, firm apples. I need a job there.

It was make-out dark at our table. Love this! Pup had to bring his menu over to a floor lamp to read the menu. The server kindly pointed out that the little lamp on our table turns up to reading level. Ooops and okay.

Lovely lovely. Whoever says that life can't be good doesn't like to eat. Every bite was something to be savored. We had a couple of small plates to start. A steak tartar delicious thingy along with frittes that had a cheddar cheese sauce along with chorizo. Oh dear. Damn! The perfectly spicy spicy chroizo

And, of course, we got bread for the boys. They were as happy as a pork belly. Which is what Lorenzo ordered and I had a mouth-melting bite. Holy hannah. Who knew?

I want to go back today which I kinda can since I have some steak and carrots waiting for me in the fridge. Oh YUM!

~~~~~~~~~~~

John Stamos

In a former life (mom of young children) I would watch TGIF every Friday night with my girls. He is the only reason I could live through it.

He is my definition of handsome. HANDSOME!

I'm just going to scroll through all of these a few or a million times to get my day started right.

Mmm!

 

 

 

 

 

Birthdays

Yesterday was both Momma B's birthday (she turned 80!) and my Lorenzo's birthday.

Baby-girl Lorenzo! My baby-girl.

When I was newly married to my girl's daddy I rashly stated that I didn't want to have girls when we had children. I wanted to have boys. Girls were little wenches and snotty and boys were awesome.

So, of course, I had girls.

What the hell was I thinking? Girls, my girls, have been the biggest blessing in my life. The end. I mean that.

They have been such a blast from their first little farty smile, to their crabby adolescence, to their blossoming womanhood. That is the part that no one really ever tells you about. How wonderful and unexpected it is to watch what you helped to create turn into a grown-ass woman.

And I have to say, about both of my girls, that they are such great women.

Lorenzo is the kind of woman everyone wants to know. I truly do not know one person that hasn't been charmed by her. She is fairly calm in crisis, a wild-child when out hooting it up, a great person to bounce ideas off of, a lovely woman. I'm proud to be her momma. Love you Lorenzo.

It was also Momma B's birthday! Who could ask for a better momma-in-law? She is adorable and as incredibly talented crafter. You should SEE the crocheted tablecloths she makes! Works of art.

Last night we had part of the fam over for cake, ice cream, coffee, wine, beer, and anything else anyone wanted.

I was also trying out my Nikon with varying results. I tried, last night, simply setting it on auto no flash.

Every time I pointed that thing towards anyone they got annoyed! I need a bigger lens so I can stealth-shoot. Of course I am hardly The Satoralist so who gives a flying crap? Ha!

Yes, I baked both of these cakes. Scratch frosting. Don't hate me 'cuz I'm the only martha you know

 

George, ever hopeful Pup will let him lick his plate.

Adorable LD and her bro, Jamester.

Handsome Kiss.

SuzyQ

Momma B

Lorenzo, she will be pissed. Sorry baby-girl! I always think you are gorgeous!

I KNOW He Was Here a Minute Ago

Seriously Cute Dog

Pup is bugging me about grandbabies.

Pup: "Please! Tell Bella she and B have to have babies now! I need grandbabies! I can't wait any longer."

Me: "B and Bella will have babies when they are ready. Not when you are ready."

Pup: "I don't like that answer! She needs to have grandbabies now!"

Me: "Talk to some of the young uns on your side of the family. Your niece Lyndsi just got married. Start bugging her!"

Pup: "That won't be the same. My sister won't share that baby.

I run from room to avoid more whining.

Alright, now, cut to this past weekend. I'm out shopping with my GF deb-oh-rah and my 'berry rings.

"Hello?"

"Do you own a dog? A dog named George?" (Thank you I.D. tag!)

"What?? Do you have my dog?"

"Yes I do. He's here with a bunch of us over at the school playground."

"Oh my gosh! Thank you for calling! I'll call my husband to come and pick him up." (Pup was at home and I was miles away.)

I quickly dial Pup who answers his phone with, "I'm in the car already looking for him."

I say, "Call me back when George is safe in your car."

Pup: "grumble, grumble."

Of course, this isn't the first time Pup has lost George, but I let the past be the past. (heh)

So, the next time I am with Bella I'm telling her this story and she turns to me and exclaims,

"Momma! Ask Bonus-dad how can he be trusted with the grandbaby he wants so badly if he can't even keep track of George"?

Bella and I BUST OUT laughing!

Could I Have Been Anyone Other Than Me?

Look up at the sky
My mouth is open wide, lick and taste
What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying
Turn, turn we almost become dizzy
~Dave Matthews

True, we are not German tranny homosexuals (supposed inspiration for the song), but we were Dancing Nancies Wednesday night when my daughters and I went to see the Dave Matthews Band at the Xcel Energy Center.

God I love this band. I don't care if the bulk of his fans are polo-shirted, young, just-out-of-college, straight men. I don't care if I was one of few Boomers there (although I did see a woman my MIL's age and she was having a marvelous time!). I don't care that I had a strange urge to stop at McDonalds to have a quarter-pounder after I dropped off my girls (I resisted). I LOVE THIS BAND and I'll make no apologies.

They seriously put on one of the best shows I've seen and I've seen lots of shows. The improvisation is so fun to witness and the vantage point we had this time around let us see some stage stuff I've not been privy to in the past.

Every every time I see this band I see how playing the violin is SEXY! Hella sexy.

LOVE THIS BAND.

Who Says I'm Not Cool?

This is what happens when we stay up to watch Saturday Night Live. We fall asleep during the last half hour and wake up right in the middle of a BRILLIANT infomercial about 80s music.

Journey
Boston
REO Speedwagon
Heart
Foreigner
Pat Benatar
The Cars
The Pretenders

We hopped right on our 'puters and ordered us up some ballads. I've had them a week now and my vocal chords are RASPY from all the bellowing going on around here. I even called my darling Sarah Bella to play Sara by Starship to her over the phone.

She said, "Momma, you're such a nerd." but I could hear her giggling.

I've often said that the 80s passed me by in a blur. I was a young mom, in the middle of the busy years of bedtime stories, baths, lunches, hair combing, laundry, cuddles, cleaning, playing Barbie with "the voice."

But somehow the music was still a part of my life as it had always been.

One time my Sarah Bella had some little friends over. I think she was six or seven? I got them set up to play and made my exit, moving into the kitchen to do whatever it was that consumed my days then. I had the radio on and I was singing away and dancing in the kitchen. All the kidlets ran into the kitchen to sing and dance away with me. I thought, "cool! I can be a fun mom"!

The next day Sarah begged me to never, ever sing and dance in front of her friends again. Ha! She was MORTIFIED! Just goes to show you how delusional we all can be.

I remember another time when my youngest was, maybe, 15. My wasband and I were having a New Year's Eve party and we were part way into the party. Enough into it that my best bud, Reechie, and I were on our way to delusional.

She and I were dancing away in the family room in front of a large sliding glass door. We thought we were lovely visions of coolness. Hard rockin' momma's with style and endless moves.

We did not know that Lorenzo and her band of miscreants were outside of the door laughing their little arses off at our "cool moves."

So it goes.

Who cares right? If WE think we have moves, then by all that is right, we DO have cool moves.

I know in reality I look like Elaine Benes from Seinfeld, but in my mind's eye I am hot and sexy, moving like a rock-goddess.

Rock on little mommas and papas!

Sundays

They are the best.First we brought in the tree that we picked out last night.

Then I made Sunday morning eggs.

Then I got beautiful.

Goofed around in the office.

Watched some football with Pup.

Read my book.

Calvin took a nap.

Pup put lights on the tree. This pic really is bad!

We went to the kidlet's house for dinner.

Girls drink wine while . . .

Boys cook.

A brilliant day.