A Few of my Favorite Things...

The first time I read this book, I dropped it in the lake and it blew up so big I had to throw it out and buy a new one.
Longest and greatest story I ever read.

So. Romantic.

This was an excellent movie...  which is a lovely coincidence...

Because -
I love this show.

Maybe it jumped the Shark, maybe not...  but I still really look forward to it.

My favorite movie ever.

2 Broke Girls is hilarious.
Is it cheap vagina joke humor?  Yeah.
But something about the delivery, the chemistry...

First Snowfall of 2012

It's crazy that the first snowfall of 2012 is, technically, winter's first snow, too. 
When  I was a kid, it seemed to snow before Christmas every year.  We used to hope for a White Christmas but generally settled for a slushy, left-over snow mixed with dirt Christmas.
And last year it snowed pretty much every day from Christmas through Easter.
I went looking for some examples of last winter in my blog and noticed that I really was neglectful in my posts but there was one good one that I will share with you here.  While that post doesn't detail the weather patterns of that scary, cold and claustrophobic winter it does wrap it up quite nicely and really, that's better.  We don't need to rehash the scary, stressful dark parts of of our past.
So last night it snowed and today it's beautiful.  I just said last night to Jay, as we were pushing the pails up the 325 foot country hill we call our driveway "where's the snow?" and he, of course, got pissy with me for even mentioning such a thing and of course, down it came last night.
That gives me a good segue to a more upbeat thought.

How easily are you able to deal with something less-than-lovely and then put it behind you?
Everyone has their thing.  No one can completely forgive and forget every last indignation.  We're not Jesus.  But in every day dealings, how easily do you let things roll off your back and carry on?  Or, if someone really effs with you and really upsets you and hurts your feelings...  if you cry or freak out...  when time passes and they come to you to make up...  can you?
They say it take more muscles to frown than smile.
They say it requires more energy to seethe than to just shrug it off.
All that said, can you take a moment outside of yourself and say "I can understand why they felt that way.  I wish it hadn't happened the way it did but I get it.  I'm over it."

I can't sit here and type away about how awesome I am and how capable I am of doing just that.  I have my grudges.  I have my personal issues with different things, people or situations.  But, I really do try.  I really do prefer to forgive and forget.  And I truly try to find the bright side of situations.
When there is an argument in my house, it often revolves around my desire to find the positive and my husband insistence that I am being unrealistic and need to examine the consequences of whatever just transpired.
He focuses on the stress - the leaky ceilings, the icy roof & gutters, the run-off - while I (try to) focus on the fact that it's all over, we survived and were not much worse for the wear when all was said and done.
It's easier, it's happier and really, we did make it out the other side.

When someone wrongs you, you know that accepting their apology helps you move past the situation.  You know that hearing them, believing them and accepting them, as they are, helps you as much as it helps them.  No one wants to hold onto sadness, anger or bitterness.
But what about when you are the one that effed up?  What is you said something to someone in a fit of rage?  We've all done it.  We've all hit our boiling point and had our buttons pushed at the exactly wrong time.
You can apologize.  Let some time pass, eat your crow and throw yourself at the offended's mercy.
And when they forgive you it should be done, right?  But do you forgive yourself? 
What if the situation clears up and, socially, everyone moves on.  Are you still stewing?  Looking in the mirror and hating what you see?

I finished Jim Breuer's book last night.  I knew his stand-up and have heard his radio show and always liked him so reading his autobiography was right up my alley.
I thought it would be funny, have some good gossip and knowing her grew up on Long Island, I suspected some great childhood stories.
I got all that and more.
That book was more inspiring, feel-good and happy than any other autobiography I have ever read.  And he never went to rehab, got divorced or was homeless.  He simply loves life, his wife and is appreciative of each move, each experience, each moment his life has offered him.
Read it.  It's quick (even for me) and it's nice and you'll feel better for having known Jim Breuer.
You'll also probably find yourself forgiving yourself a little bit more, feeling a little bit better about whatever situation you are currently in and smiling at the little things more than frowning over the big ones.
Well done, Jimmy - you helped a lot of people just by sharing your story.

So now, as I go shovel the 3 inches we got over night I am going to look at the bright side:  the kids will enjoy the snow - they have new sleds and new snow shovels;  the weather is supposed to warm up so removing the snow is my biggest hurdle, no ice;  I have not had to remove any snow yet this year and by this time last winter I had removed a few feet.
Onwards & Upwards!

Are you blogging?

If you are blogging, I'd like to know about it.  Because if you are reading this than it is very likely that we know each other and I would be interested in what you have to say in your blog.
And, by the way, thanks for reading.

I have been inconsistent, at best, but I've missed it.
I rarely "tweet" and I quit Facebooking.  I manage to stay in touch via those old stand-bys like phone calls, text and email.  I know.  I'm so old fashioned.
But even with the occasional touches that phones (of whatever variety) and email I still feel like I am somehow "off the map" and while I am personally ok with that, I worry that my friends think I am out of touch.
That is not the case.  I still want to be friends, and be in touch, and get together, and hear how you're doing.
I just resent that we all seem to think that Facebook is the only way to do that.

I can be a responsible, caring, loving friend without the crutch of hourly status updates.
And it is our jobs, as friends, to reach out.  Friendship requires effort.  You have to pick up the phone, share your news, put out the energy to stay friends.  You have to be a friend.
You don't need Facebook to be friends.  It's a mirage, people.  You only talk on Facebook?  You hadn't talked in 20 years but now you're BFFs on Facebook?
No, you're not.

I made some connections on FB that I missed and that I have since maintained and enjoyed.

I stayed in touch with a ton of my local friends through Facebook, keeping up with where and what was up.  Somehow, though, I still know what's happening, where, and with whom.  And what I don't know, I don't miss.
And I managed to throw together a pretty fabulous holiday party with most of them (sans Facebook) via text message.  I didn't even have a MacBook to email with at that point. (She's home now, all recovered, poor baby girl.)  As much as I loathe the telephone, sometimes I have to use it and I don't usually regret it when I hang up, smiling, after a conversation with my friend.

I made some connections on Facebook that allowed for closure that I didn't need or want to pursue further.

I made some that were people I genuinely cared for and was thrilled to reconnect with.  But without Facebook we will go our separate ways again.  But that's ok.  It's ok to think fondly about an old friend, workmate or acquaintance from your past.  That's what your past is for.  You're not supposed to collect every single person you ever knew - liked or disliked - in one room.
People come and go in life.  Everyone leaves their mark.  Appreciate it.
Then, when you run into them at Olive Garden one crazy, cold, wet afternoon and you both look like shit and you're hungry and grumpy and you have a "20 minute" wait for a table then you can go on and on about each other, then you can tell each other how awesome you look, how much fun you used to have, how happy you are to be together and then  you can go sit and enjoy your endless salad, breadsticks and chardonnay with a pleasant smile and a peaceful memory.  That's how it's meant to go.  You're not supposed to hear about every time their new baby shits or their spouse gets the flu or their boss is a donkey.

I do not miss Facebook.  Sometimes, I miss the connections here and there.  But honestly, if our paths are meant to cross again, they will and in the meantime, we will all go on with our lives and smile fondly when a great memory passes by our conscious.

*********

Have you read any good books lately?
I have been on an Autobiography kick for a while now.  Maybe I have always liked them.  I am a nosy girl.  But it seems they have become more popular to write so they are more available and I am more aware of them.
Rob Lowe's book was great.
There is a lot more to him than hotness and that was nice to learn.  I said it then (or I tweeted it) and I will say it again - if Charlie Sheen writes a tell-all, I will be in line to read it.
They grew up together and there were a lot of stories that involved both Charlie and Emilio and their dad, Martin Sheen.  It was not a name-droppy kind of book.  The fact is that Rob Lowe grew up with a lot of the guys we watched him star in movies with.  That was his life.
If I was rich and famous and wrote a book I would have lots of people to tell you about, too and if they were rich and famous I might sound name-droppy...  but they're not, and I'm not, so I won't bother. 
(Hi, Katie & Melissa!)  xo
Anyway....
I read Smashed and really enjoyed it, though my husband thought it was pretentious and aggravating.
And a few months after that, I stumbled upon Loose Girl in a Borders that was closing so I picked that up for about $2.  (btw, did you know that Borders was originally a little book shop started up by 2 brothers?  How very You've Got Mail!)  It was good, in the same way that the drunk book was good. 
I could totally relate to both vices but I was never that drunk or that slutty, so my arms length judgement was intact.

Right now I am reading Ellen's latest book, which is her third I've learned since opening it.   Seriously, it's awful.
I like her.  I like her show.  I would be interested in hearing her story of being a woman in comedy, a woman in business, a lesbian, a cat lover, a fake blonde...  any of that.  I like her.  But this book is not more than schtick and the only reason I haven't quit it is that Jay bought it for me and I don't want to hurt his feelings.
I am also reading a little Nora Roberts on the side.  That takes the edge off.
Chelsea Handler, Jenny McCarthy - both female comedians, both wrote at least 3 books (that I read, anyway) - both managed to keep it real and interesting and hilariously funny.
Sorry for expecting more than blank pages of "meditation" and some coloring pages.

I read the first of the 4 stories in Stephen King's latest (?) and while it was a very good story, very King-y and scary and gross and creepy it was also very scary, gross and creepy which, I realized as I wrapped it up, just is not my thing anymore.
I know that at least one of the next 3 stories involves rape and torture and I can't imagine there's another Shawshank or Stand By Me in one of the other 2 so I shelved that one.

My mom is reading Regis' latest and Jay is almost done with Jim Breuer so I look forward to both of those in the upcoming months.

*******

Winter is upon us.
Christmas is all but over. 
New Year's Eve is tomorrow.
I enjoy the peaceful hibernation.
We'll celebrate Abby's birthday quietly - a Ballerina Dance Party for her little friends and maybe a nice restaurant dinner for the little princess ...  nothing major, no house party, no pinatas.
We'll head south in February for a break from the cruel, cruel world.  Snow & Ice be damned, we'll be in the pool, strolling along the beach and screaming through Space Mountain!
And we'll carry on with Kindergarten, Pre-K and the day-to-day of our lives while Jay travels to the icy mid-west and we all wait for Spring and summer to return.

Life is Good.
And it's good to be back.

I love books.  I love reading a really great book.  What defines a really great book is subject to what's going on in my world at the time and why I'm reading it.
But I have a hard time finding a greater escape or a more satisfying return...

For example, I think "Kiss Goodnight, Sam" is an excellent book.  One of my all-time favorites, in fact.  I used to read it to Abby almost every night for a solid year of her babyhood.  She loved it, I loved it and I will save that book forever.

 

Another example of that is "Your Kind of Mommy" which I still read on occasion.

Good examples of fiction that read like real life because they're "loosely based" on the author's real life but not technically non-fiction include "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons".  That was the first book I read for my Book Club and it opened my world of reading as a 30-something woman.  Really.

I am not the Classic Literature type.  I can appreciate some really good ones that I actually read in high school but I have a mental block against either reading them again or reading any that I was supposed to and never did. 

Another one is the one I just finished (only a week after our official Book Club meeting about it!) - "The Help".  Terrific book.  I was hesitant at first because it takes place in the 1960's.  Considering I was born in 1976, I didn't think I'd like it, didn't think I could "relate".  Dumb.
I did like it.  Loved it.
And I could relate.  With all of the characters, really...  from the tough-talking Minny to the wisdom-sharing Aibileen to the ignorant turned liberal Skeeter  to the openly-racist and shallow Hilly.

I have read more and more non-fiction but it has to be current and often include some sort of violence or abuse.  I don't know how that makes me sound but it's true.
"Columbine" was a great one.  It went deep into the entire event on April 20, 1999.  It started a couple of years prior and ended a couple of years after.  It explained things that the news did not.  It made me feel better about that day and those kids and it also fed that little desire to see and hear about that awful, tragic event that you hate to admit you really want to hear and see.

Memoirs are cool, too.  Those are technically non-fiction, too, but different.  It's weird how I can be so into a book with very little point (if any point at all) except to talk about oneself.  Books that have nothing to do with me, that have almost no relation to my life at all.

huh.
I guess that's why, guess I just figured it out.  It's fun to watch someone else live their life.  Essentially, it's blogging with a binding and a cover.

A couple of those I read recently:  

On the sidebar of my Blog I keep a section called "Currently on my Night Table" with pictures of the books that I am reading or about to read.  I cahnge it as my pile changes but I rarely talk about it.  I thought you deserved better than that.
And since I haven't had much "blogging energy" lately, I thought I'd do a little review.

I have been watching a lot of movies lately.  As I am writing this, I can't remember all of them, but I can start with what's on right now, "No Country for Old Men" and tell you that it sucks.

Nanny Diaries  -  I read this one a while back, not sure why.  Actually, I am never really sure what draws me to a book.  I just know that if it doesn't grab me early on, I can't be bothered reading it.  And it happens a lot that I buy a book, read 30-50 pages and library it.  If I want to be bored, I'll watch bad tv.
Anyway, I liked the movie a lot.  This was not a re-creation of a literary masterpiece so it wasn't a real stretch.  But it was cute.  And Scarlett Johansson was really perfect in the lead part.

Haunting in Connecticut  -  The house that this story is *very loosely* based on was 2 streets away from our first house in Southington, CT.  We had seen more than one special about this particular ghost story and while I hold no real hope for a very good horror movie these days, I knew I would see this movie when it came out.
Also worth mentioning is my 25 year crush on Virginia Madsen.  If anyone wants to really make my day, you'll find me a copy of a movie she was in in the 80's called "Fire with Fire".  I can't remember who else was in it, I just remember loving it on Channel 11, Sunday afternoons, in the same time frame that I wanted to be Billie Jean.
This movie did not disappoint.  Call it my utter lack of expectations, or perhaps it's my considerably lower threshold of tolerance for scary or gross stuff since I became a mama (I know, it's so sad, I used to be such a horror movie fanatic) but - I was very scared, very engrossed and very glad that I watched this movie when it was over.


Baby Mama  -  this is one I DVR'd a few months ago and every time I pulled up the list of recordings (usually to flip on some Wiggles or Diego) I would see it and think "ooh, I wanna watch that!"  But I never felt like committing a whole 100 minutes to a silly comedt when, by the time time I usually get into my bedroom at night, I am very tired, already planning to watch something or I just want to read.  So, the other night, after watching some tv, reading a little and still feeling restless (Jay was away) I put it on.
It was a late start.  Almost 10:00.  So, I figured if it sucked, I'd just delete it and go on with my life.  But I watched it and found myself laughing - loud and hard.
I should have expected that.  I mean, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey?  They are 2 of the funniest, if not THE funniest, women of our generation.  And together?  Well, SNL Weekend Update was never better.
The movie was funny, sad, happy, hysterical and completely relateable.  Which, is not what you expect - the sad part nor the human, realteable part.  But I seriously laughed so hard I peed a little, and felt so sad I ached a little.  G.R.E.A.T. movie.



I have been on a reading kick, too.  I can go months without picking up more than a magazine and then something clicks and I read book after book with overlapping books - constantly.
I am not a fast reader.  I read, then re-read pages.  It takes me a few weeks to get through 400-500 pages.  I also don't usually read every day.  And I can't read during the day because if I should be so lucky as to get that sort of daytime quiet, there is usually a checkbook to be balanced or some sort of phone calls to be made uninterrupted...  and sometimes even a nap to be taken.
So, here are a few of the more memorable books I have read lately:

My Sister's Keeper  -  I liked this book.  It was very well written and I really felt like I got to know each of the characters.  It was written very objectively so I never felt sorry for one character over another.  Being a mother probably helped me read it because I was truly able to see it from all sides.
I can't say that I loved it, nor can I say that it made me want to get into any sort of heated debate about how or why science should be used for individual, personal medical reasons.  I have, and I do, believe that personal choice is part of being an American.  And my choice may not be someone else's but that is why it's called "choice" and not "law" or "rule" or "commandment".
I wish the characters of the dad and the brother were given a bit more attention but maybe they just weren't as important...  or maybe they're just men and there just isn't as much to delve into.  Women tend to have more layers.
That said - the book was good, I won't see the movie starring that ugly moron, Cameron Diaz and I will read another Jodi Picoult book.


The Solomon Sisters Wise-Up  -  Fun.  Cute.  Fiction.  Not unbelievable but not exactly realistic, either.  It would take an avid reader about 4 hours to read.  I would recommend it to the chick-flick crowd.  On that note, I would also recommend
 
I just finished the Sisters book and have a few on deck, not sure what I'll pick up now.
I still haven't gotten to/through the Danielle Steele book called "Sisters" but I think it's the book, not the story.  I have gotten so used to the paperbacks that are as big as hardcovers that a regular sized paperback is annoying.  Am I getting old?  Do I need glasses?

I may read the Dragon-Neighbor book.  Jay said it was hysterically funny and very quick.
I may read the new Picoult book, Second Glance.  It is November's Book Club book and since I am hosting November's meeting, I figured that, in addition to drinking gallons of wine, I could actually read and participate in the book-related conversation.
(Speaking of November's Book Club meeting - since it will be here at 131, I thought I might make a punch in my fancy new punch bowl - it has glasses that hang off the side and everything.  Something Autumn-y.  Fun, right!?)
I have a few others that I am looking forward to but I think it will be one of the three I just mentioned.  I will update my sidebar as time goes by.

Where have all the Bloggers gone?
Does the Blog World beef up when the weather gets cooler and everyone's indoors?
I am Bored, Bored, Bored with the internet these days.

Tired of FB (I deleted about 50 people and still don't feel all better!).

Tired of checking the same, day or week old, Blogs for some comments, or comments to comments or - *GASP* - a new entry...


I am in between books but think I will dive right in to my next one cuz the MACbook ain't cuttin' it, folks.



*Where have all the cowboys go-o-o-o-o-o-ne???*

So I put Brooke down. I couldn't take anymore. I read Tori Spelling's book and I loved it. She was so funny and the way she wrote it was like I was chatting with a friend. Very informal, very funny. Brooke's style is similar, but not funny at all. Even when she's clearly trying to be, she's just not. She's a nerd. A big, fat dork.
So, I'm done. I didn't make it halfway through.

We are heading to the beach tomorrow. I made 3 sandwiches, 2 pb&j, 1 just J. As I was putting things into the beach bag (my ADD got the better of me when I was done cutting the sandwiches, I moved on) Pete moved in. That fat bastard ate all 3 in record time. And when I yelled at him, he wagged his big, furry tail and asked me for a glass of milk.
Fucker.

I went to bed last night, before 10pm. And I slept till 7. I woke up feeling like a Million Bucks! It was a great feeling. And with that, I decided to avoid Facebook and Pirates today. I know how pathetic that sounds, but let's be honest - we've all had our moments when the obsession of something new overrules our normal good sense. For me, my most recent nonsensical addiction is Pirates.
And I miss it, don't misunderstand me. Right now, I could do the math and tell you that since I logged out this morning, I have earned approximately $300k per hour which is just piling up in my bank, unprotected by me, likely being looted and plundered and pillaged while I "unplug".
Or, I can remind myself that I hung out by the pool with my kids today - giving them my full attention. I finished moving that pile of gravel that has been a part of our driveway for too many months to count. I was outside all day, after we shopped at both BJ's and Ted's.
And let me tell you - I shopped like a mama on the path to a fun-filled summer vacation.
I had a full, refreshing, satisfying day.
Another huge part of my fabulous day?
It was SUNNY!!!! There was no rain!!!! It was HOT OUT!

Man, I love summer!
I love summer with my kids!
I love the beach, the pool & bike riding!
Wyatt spent the better part of this afternoon in just a swimmie-diaper & bike helmet. How stinkin' cute is that?! And by the time those kids went into the tubbie tonight they were both covered with suntan lotion, ketchup (from their hotdog dinner) and bomb-pop drippings.
If that doesn't spell summer, I don't know what does.

The long-awaited pics from BlueBack Square:

Here is Abby showing us her Left New Shoe.

And her right.

Here are the new shoes.

The happy little patient, anxiously awaiting the lunch of her choice: Cherry Cheesecake!

She went at this giant piece of cake like a pro. I was really impressed.

That whipped cream & those cherries never knew what hit them

Can you believe the amount of food I ordered for the 3 of us? Having never been to a Cheesecake Factory, I was quite impressed with not only their variety but also their prices. I ordered a bunch of stuff from the "Small Plates" menu. It was more than enough!

Wyatt attempting his Table Manners by eating French Fries with spoon.

So, my night table is really piling up.
I started the Brooke Shields book, I am having a hard time with it. She's just sort of an idiot. I thought she was before, now - several chapters in - I'm pretty convinced.
I'll give it a few more chapters, but it's not looking good.

Right now I am reading Dr. Laura again. I cannot believe it but she is seeping into my head, into my every day. Truly, she makes a lot of sense on a lot of topics. Not all of them and her delivery is very hard to take at times. And so many people in my life hate her so much. But, I am reading "Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands" and so far, I really like it. Sorry, everyone who hates her.

I really want to read Columbine - that is definitely next, either when I put Brooke Shields to rest or when I finish Dr. Laura.

I returned Twilight to my friend. I really had no interest and now that I missed the official Book Club Meeting to discuss it, I don't see why I would bother with as little time as I spend reading. It's in my Netflix Q, so I can wait.

Tonight I read Abby Kiss Goodnight Sam before bed. I hadn't read her this book in a very long time but there was a time when I knew the words by heart. Ok, I still pretty much do. It made me remember how much she loved it when she was so little. Like, Wyatt's age.
Which leads me to not wanting to but inevitably comparing Wyatt at 19 months to Abigail at 19 months.
I swore I would never "compare my children" but you can't avoid it. As a parent, you compare constantly. It's not like I'm saying "Wyatt, Abby was speaking in full sentences by now, what the fuck is wrong with you" and then smacking him. I just ponder and admire the differences.

Wyatt jumps up and down with both feet.
Abby didn't do anything with her feet until she was almost 2!

Wyatt clearly communicates with pointing, grabbing, yelling, grunting and using his own words.
Abby clearly spoke with more than 2-3 word sentences and phrases.

Wyatt climbs, digs, jumps, runs and harasses every thing or person in his path.
Abby was a peaceful, calm, still baby.

They are both the happiest babies you have ever met.
They both sleep well but by now Abby was done napping and Wyatt still loves at least 2 hours a day!
They both eat well but Wyatt will eat around a green vegetable and then spit it out whole.
They both communicate well, albeit differently.

It's crazy - it could go on and on and on... let me change the subject...

This morning, I skipped my shower in favor of getting Abby to gymnastics on time. We were on our way, driving up to town, with about 5 minutes to spare. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear... but a little kitty cat, sitting on the side of the road.

As I passed him, I thought "that's an odd spot for a cat to sunbathe" and I realized he must have been hit by a car. So, of course I turned that car right around. Of course I knew I was about to screw up my very first early arrival to gymnastics ever. But of course, I couldn't leave what I was pretty sure was an injured kitty cat on the side of the road.

Sure enough, the cat was hit. Not dead but dazed, in shock, and bleeding. As I was approaching him, another car pulled in behind me and honked. I was in someone's driveway so I thought maybe that was who was honking but it wasn't, it was the woman who hit the cat. She was obviously shaken herself. She said that he came out of nowhere and there was another car coming from the other way so there was nothing she could do, she couldn't swerve anywhere. She felt terrible and she was obviously stressed out. She had scrubs on, she told me she was on her way to work.

Then, another woman, the neighbor from across the street, walked over. I thought she might know who's cat it was but she didn't, she just saw the cat and then our cars and came over to help. But she wasn't much of a help. She actually yelled at the poor old lady who had hit the cat asking her "why would you hit the cat with your car?"
This poor lady was so shaken and sad she couldn't even give a good answer. Now, even if this woman was 40 and not the obvious near-70 she was, the lady from across the street was way out of line. She didn't even know that cat, so you can't blame emotional disturbance, she was just mean.

Anyway, the older woman stayed near my car with my kids while the mean lady and I tried to catch the hurt cat. He ran - very quickly - away from us, but we could see that his eye and nose were bleeding and his walk wasn't quite straight.

We tried again but I had to go, I couldn't chase the cat through Hebron, as much as I would have loved to, I had the kids in the car and a gymnastics class to get to. The sad lady had to get to work. As it turns out, she had picked up this extra shift to make up for hours she had to give up to take care of her husband after his stroke. Yes, I cried.

The mean lady and I agreed that the cat was too scared of us and we would only chase it farther away so I called Animal Control to report the accident in case the owners called looking for their lost cat and Meanie said she'd keep an eye out for the cat in case it came back or slowed down enough to be caught.
Obviously, Mean Lady had the cat's best interests at heart and I appreciate that but she was very cold to the Nice Lady and that is the part that I cannot put out of my head. The way that old lady stuttered and tried to explain herself...
I hugged her and told her she should worry about herself and her husband, the cat would be fine, it's just a cat, she has bigger things to worry about. But it ruined her already bad day. And I am just trying to feel better about her.

The cat is either fine or coyote-food. I hate that some owner somewhere might always wonder what ever happened to their beloved kitty, but - and some of you may be surprised by this - I hate MORE that a nice old woman's heart broke a little bit today and another woman did nothing to heal it.

Yes, I am sadder for the people than the cat. I'll give you a moment to let that sink in.

Want to hear a funny part of that story?
I told you, the older woman stayed by my car with the kids still strapped in. I had turned it off, windows cracked, doors locked but apparently the woman was talking to Abby through the open window. I was chasing the cat around the back of this house so I didn't see any of this but as Abby expalined it to me, "Mama - that lady was trying to talk to me. She was saying stuff to me and Wyatt in the window. But I acted shy. I didn't even know her name!"
So, I guess she understands "Don't Talk to Strangers".

So, the dogs are trained on the Invisible Fence. I was against it at first, like when it was just becoming popular and everyone was doing it... I thought it was mean. And since we had a small, fenced in backyard, it never came up. But when we moved into 131 it became a necessity. No way we were fencing 5.25 acres. And there is not a clear cut front, back and side so no good way to disect it for a wooden fence. We went for it and, ling story short, it worked beautifully.
It is worth mentioning that before I would allow my dogs (my BABIES at the time, before I had actually grown Wyatt & Abigail) to wear a SHOCK COLLAR, I asked Jay to feel the shock. He was a good sport, he gripped that metal portion of the collar and put his hand right through the perimeter. He said, not to be trite, that is shocked him. But he didn't twitch or cry, so I figured the dogs would be ok.
Again - long story short - the dogs are well trained and very happy to have so much room to paly and shit.
So, the other day, I was mulching the side garden next to thepond when I heard beeping. I turned around to see Pete's collar, which beeps before it shocks, as a warning to the dog that he is too close to the perimeter. So, there's Pete's collar... on WYATT's HEAD.
Wyatt was wearing Pete's Invisible Fence Collar on his HEAD like a freaking CROWN.
And it was BEEPING.

So, I grabbed it and the moment I did, it shocked. I think I got the brunt of it but he definitely felt it. The look on his sweet, fat little face said "FUCKING SHIT, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT, MA!?!?!"
He cried.
For about 4 seconds, then he was on to the next thing.
That is the kind of story that will go with him forever.
"Why yes, I did once wear the dog's collar as a crown and bear the shock of the fence. It's cool. I'm tough."

If a book doesn't catch my attention immediately I tend to put it down and then forget why I picked it up in the first place. That's why I always have several going at the same time.
For example, I picked up The Senator's Wife in Target before we left for Fla.
I knew I had wanted to to read it because I read about it in Entertainment Weekly. But I can't remember more than that, so I trusted my instinct and picked it up.
In Florida, I read the first chapter. I just didn't get back to reading. I napped a lot, though. It was vacation, after all.
It has been a few weeks now and I have found myself thinking about it so I plan to pick i tup again soon.

When we got home, my Amazon order had arrived and I started reading the Dr. Laura book I had been waiting for. I am not a Dr. Laura listener or fan. I have never read a book by her but I don't live under a rock, I knew who she was. And the title was worth taking a look at. So, I began to read. I felt connected right away. I love this book so much and highly, HIGHLY recommend it for all stay-at-home mothers.

I have to caveat here, if you are a working mother - regardless of why - do not pick this book up.
It is very, VERY hard to stomach the VERY one-sided-ness of Dr. Laura.
She firmly and without give, believes that a mother should be home, caring for her children, home and husband. And I have yet to see her yield for any reason other than death of the husband. She does say, though, that daycare is better for children of drug-addicts or whores. Nice of her, eh?

So - I have to say that while I find it hard to see around her sometimes, I also find myself agreeing with her far more than I thought I ever would.

Frankly - I, too, believe that mothers belong at home. I really, really wish that every mommy in the world could stay home and love, nurture, protect and provide from the safe, cozy place of home. It is a dream of mine to always be here. I want to be here now, as my babies are new to the world and everything it offers. And I want to be here later, when they come off the bus with all the stress and fears, pride and excitement of the school ages.

So, that part of Dr. Laura's opinion is very difficult. She sees no reason why a woman, once becoming a mother, would do anything but be home.

There isn't any easy way to have that discussion.
It always ends up as "Working Mom vs Stay-at-Home Mom" and I hate that. It's not a good discussion because it doesn't go anywhere. It goes around and around and around, there is no one way, no answer, no solution, no finality.
Being the best mom you can be, the best way you can, the way that makes you happy and your family happy - that is the right way. Not the way that Dr. Laura says you should.

The last book I am reading right now is Columbine by Dave Cullen. I haven't read past what you can see on Amazon yet. I plan to pick it up after I put Dr. Laura down and finish the Senator. I remember that tragic day so well. I was young, it made a huge impact on me as a person. I seriously didn't read or watch the news for years after that. Years. I'm not kidding.

But, I am borrowing Twilight from Carly tonight, so if that is as quick a read as I hear it is, I will read that first. It is the book for June's Book Club (fun, light, summer read!) so I need to read it by June 15 if I'm gonna read it for that meeting.