Monday Memories

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you About Ice Skating? LLB went ice skating with the youth group yesterday. (#1 couldn't go because he had his cotillion instructional dinner.) We arrived at the rink and donned the oh so uncomfortable rental skates. I have never ever had trouble with my skates - these gave me a hot spot on my ankle that was so bad, I can still feel it this morning. LLB returned her right skate for a different one and survived. LLB used to skate 3 times a week when we lived in a place that had a rink on every corner. The last time she skated was 2 years ago. Let me tell you - she forgot nothing. She was as graceful as ever. She zoomed around and thoroughly enjoyed herself. She tells me that when she skates, she feels free - like a bird. She soars. She really does. We just live too far away. It's an hour drive when there is no traffic... It can be more than 2 hours if there is traffic... She misses her ice time. I can see it in her eyes... So - tell me - Any of you know how I can get someone to build or even consider investing in a rink out here in the ding dang woods? I know that if we build it, they will come. There's a lot of money in ice... LadyBug Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information View More Monday Memories Participants Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

Monday Memories

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you About The Hair Monster? When #1 was little, I decided that he needed his hair cut. It was long - too long for a boy aged 14 months. He looked like a girl! I took him to a local salon. I was armed with toys, snacks, camera and the regular stuff in the diaper bag. The lady suggested he sit on my lap. She chatted with him and he seemed to be enjoying the show. He was fine until she started to cut his hair. Then, my friends, it was all over. He cried. He fussed. He moved. He got his hair cut, but it was not a fun time for anyone. I paid the lady and gave her a large tip. As I was on my way out the door, I heard a low mumble, "Don't ever let her bring him back here, puhleese." No fear... I'd never get him in there again, anyway. By the time #1 and I pulled out of our parking spot, I was a sweaty mess and he was asleep in his car seat. The next time he needed a haircut, I took him to a different place. You would have thought I was taking him to the guillotine. He cried through the whole haircut - which lasted approximately 2.5 minutes. He really didn't have much hair. I paid the lady and gave her a big tip. When I left there, I was a dribble and #1 had a few hairs cut and a lollipop for my troubles. Well, that's another salon I can't ever enter again... This scenario went on for months. I was running out of places to take him... Mr. kept telling me he was too little for the barber shop. I can't say I blame him for not wanting to take on the hair monster... Finally, I found a stylist, T, who I loved. I'd gone to elementary and high school with her. She was an absolute peach!! She was cutting my hair and I was telling her about the bad experiences #1 had had. She told me to bring him in the next day at 4pm. T told me that #1 would be fine and that even if he acted up she would not be offended. We could try again another day. It took some convincing, but I finally agreed. I got #1 up in the morning and explained that I had a friend, Miss T, who was going to cut his hair that afternoon. #1 is the kind of child that needs the schedule for the day set at breakfast (BTW - he still does!). I told him many times that morning that after nap, we would go to the hair dresser and Miss T would cut his hair. He got up from his nap and hopped into the car. I brought some snacks and some small toys. We arrived at the salon. When we walked in, Miss T came right over, got down on his level and introduced herself. He was immediately enthralled with her. I think this may have been the beginning of his first crush. She had him sit in the chair by himself, because "You are 2 and boys that are 2 are big boys". I held my breath. She told him that her squirt bottle only squirted water on hair - but only if he was perfectly still. He sat. He did not move. She showed him her "magic scissors". She let him touch the handles. He was falling for her hard!! She had him!! She snipped his hair and gave him the best haircut he'd ever had. (Not that he'd ever had a great haircut!) When she was done with the scissors she asked him if she could use the buzzer. He wasn't sure. Tears started to well in his eyes. (He was very afraid of the buzzer.) She showed it to him. She turned it on. "No tankyou Miff T.", he sniffed around his ever present binky. "Okay. Maybe another day we'll try that." He was amazed. She didn't make him endure the noise of that scary buzzer thing. When we left, he stood about 10 feet tall. He was very proud of himself. He kept saying, "Momma, I a big boy. I sit in the chair by mysewf. I get my hair cut wif Miss T. I yike her. I go back to see Miss T, k?" After that, no one but Miss T. cut #1's hair. She cut his hair until he was about 5. He was ready to move on to the barber and she was going to stay home with her first baby. Mr. was worried about #1's first visit to the barber. I decided to stay home. I'm not stupid! I'd done 4 years of haircuts - the last 3 were pretty good, but still. He prepped #1. "Only big kids get to go to the barber." "Okay, Dad. I'm big, right?" "You need to sit very still." "Yup." "The buzzer is the same kind Miss T. used on your hair. It's just a little noisier." "Ummm... okay." I waved goodbye. I hoped this would work out... There were only two barbers in town... When they returned, I had 2 well coiffed men. Both were laughing. #1 had lollipops - one in his mouth and one for his sister. We had finally tamed the hair monster!! LadyBug Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information View More Monday Memories Participants Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

Monday Memories

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you About My Cats and The Cat Carrier? My cats have an aversion to the cat carrier. As a matter of fact, they hate it. When they see it, they run. Some very lucky people can put the cat carrier out the day before the vet visit to get the cats acclimated. I cannot. I have to hide mine in the garage. I have to stealthily grab a cat and quickly remove it to the garage where I engage in all kinds of acrobatics to stuff the very unhappy cat into the carrier. If I am eventually successful, the cat is in the carrier and I still have hair. Most times, the cat has held on to the edge of the crate with all 4 paws - just like in the cartoon - and with much hissing and gnashing of teeth manages to escape his temporary encarceration. I'm forced to start over. Find and stuff - that's my motto. I have been known to remove the cars from the garage before beginning the crating process just so they can't hide under them or in the engine. I'm getting wise in my old age. It often takes to grown ups and one child to crate a cat. The elders hold two cat feet each and stuff, while the youngster slams the door shut. Of course all of these antics are noisy and the poor pitiful cries of the first now crated cat alert the second cat to her impending doom. By this time, though, I'm on my last frazzled nerve and adrenaline alone is all I need to get the second fickle feline crated. It's amazing how fast a crazy woman can catch a cat and stuff it in a crate! I usually arrive at the vet covered in sweat and cat hair. I'm always at my most attractive when I haul my two howling and hissing cat crates in and plunk them, unceremoniously, on the exam table. Maxine is my stylist for all vet visits. I am a cat owner. This is what I do. LadyBug Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information View More Monday Memories Participants Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

Happy New Year!

Well, we didn't see the ball drop. We conked out at 11:30. Must have been that hot buttered rum that sent me off to dreamland before midnight...

It's Monday... I guess you are all looking for a Monday Memory...

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you About the time I got pulled over by the Sherrif? LLB was still ice skating once a week about an hour NE of here. Let me tell you, that's a long drive on dark country roads with deer and other wildlife jumping out at you for no reason... Anyway, I had Grambug and LLB in the car. We had stopped off for some dinner and some serious outlet shopping before heading home. When we got into the car, it was dark and it looked a little foggy. As I headed south I noticed that there was no moon, it was pitch black out and the fog got thicker - kind of like pea soup. You can't use highbeams to see, because the light just bounces off the fog. I would have loved to use just yellow parking lights, but I didn't want to get stopped for no headlights. I hoped I would come upon someone that I could follow... Nope... I had a line of traffic behind me. I slowed way down in the hopes that someone would pass me so that I could follow them. Nope... I basically followed the yellow line in the center of the road all the way... When I passed the school, I knew I only had 8 more miles - about 15 minutes to go. I heaved a sigh, because I knew the roads really well from that point. I came out of town - only 5 more miles... I followed the yellow line... I saw some deer on the side of the road - on my side. I hugged the yellow line. I basically became one with the yellow line. Grambug and I were chatting about the lovely glass of wine we were going to have upon arrival at The Crossing. A car pulled out of the only side street and slid in behind me. I paid no attention. I was focused on the yellow line and my glass of merlot. I slowed down and turned on my left hand turn signal. I turned into my development. Then it happpened... The blue lights... The siren - Woop Woop. Grambug looked at me and said, "What did you do?" "I dunno. I turned left." The Sherrif comes up with the flashlight and shines it on me. He says, "Umm... good evening... Have you been drinking?" I hand him my license. "No." (But I'm gonna when I get home!) He shines it in the car and sees two more lovely ladies - A very wide eyed LLB and Grambug. He says, "Umm... Oh...." He looks a little sheepsih. He has obviously stopped the wrong car. We are definitely not teenagers out drinking and driving in the fog. "Where are you coming from?" "The outlets in X." "Did you know that you were hugging the center line?" "Yes. It's really foggy and I can't see. I've been driving for over an hour in this fog and I saw deer on the edge of the road before you turned on... I'm almost home." (I'm 2 miles from the house...) He looks at my license and says, "I see that." He hands it back and says, "I'm Sheriff Y. Have a good night." "Thanks." I smile and roll up my window. I drive away.... Grambug says, "I think we deserve something a little stronger than that glass of wine!" We giggle hysterically... LadyBug Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information View More Monday Memories Participants Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

Monday Memories on Tuesday

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you About The Clothes in the Driveway? I've been wanting to tell this story since my cousin, J, called me last week telling me about her messy teenager. According to J, her son's room is a disaster - clothes on the floor and stuff everywhere. She put all of his clothes in trash bags and tossed them on the porch. I told her she was too nice - that Grambug tossed mine in the driveway for that very same infraction. J couldn't believe it! I had Grambug call her and confirm the story... The story goes like this: Our house was a ranch and my room was right off the kitchen. You could pretty much see my room when you walked into the house. My mom is and always was a neat person -- a very neat person. I, by nature, am not that neat. I'm cluttered. I can't help it... I just am. I'm better than I was, but.... Anyway - we had 2 rules. Make the bed every morning and keep the room picked up. Sounds simple... My biggest faux pas in my room -- my tiny room -- was clothes on the floor. I had a hamper. I was too lazy to walk over to it (we're talking maybe 3 steps) to put the clothes in it, so I'd toss the clothes in the general direction of the hamper. More often than naught, they'd land next to the it. In my mother's world, that was totally unacceptable. (As an adult, I can understand it -- but as a kid -- um... it made no sense to me what the big deal was.) One day she gave me an ultimatum - Get those clothes off the floor and into the hamper or I'll throw them all into the driveway. Now, when Grambug issues and ultimatum - she always follows through. I made sure all of my things were in the hamper and that the cover was on it. I took off for school - secure in the knowledge that my clothes -- including my unmentionables -- were safe in the hamper and would not land in the driveway for the world to see. Auntie was one to always test Grambug. She wanted to see if Grambug would really toss the clothes into the driveway. She snuck into my room and put a shirt on the floor next to the hamper. (Yes, she was and still is a little scamp!) When I got home, I found all my clothes on the driveway. I was mortified and furious!!! I assured Grambug that my clothes had all been inside the hamper with the cover tightly closed. She told me that the cover was off - as a matter of fact it was on the floor. Then she gave me a look - a look that told me she knew who was behind all of this.... She confronted Auntie - the 1st grade scamp - as she walked through the door after school. Auntie confirmed her suspicions and had to appologize to me. So - yes, my clothes did end up in the driveway -- not in bags on the porch. I'm thinking that clothes in the driveway are far more effective than bags of clothes on the front porch.... LadyBug Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information View More Monday Memories Participants Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

Monday Memories

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you About the Holly Ball? Yesterday was the Holly Ball. The kids go to the Holly Ball based on years in Cotillion - the 1st years went at 2 and the others went at 6. Let me first tell you that I was standing at coffee hour at church when another mother told her daughter that they had to get a move on because the ball started at 2. I told the mother I thought it started at 3. She said, "Oh, no - it starts at 2." She was right. I was in full panic mode when I blew through the door. I had serious hair to curl! We got the hair curled, the petticoat on, the nylons up, the dress over, the makeup on, the shoes buckled and the pashmina ironed in record time! LLB was simply stunning! We - Grambug and I - stuffed LLB into the back seat and took off. LLB said she felt like a puffy package... I kinda thought it was more on the order of a stuffed turkey, but what do I know? We arrived at the venue - a lovely historic home that was turned into a conference center. The grounds are gorgeous, the weather was perfect -- about 60 degrees and sunny. She looked very elegant as she arrived. I noticed a lot of mothers checking her out. (Hey - I know how to dress my kid to make an impression!) The Handsome Prince arrived sporting an adorable Christmas tie. LLB thought it was cute, too because she mentioned it to me on the way home. LLB and HP got split up at the beginning, but they soon found each other. They are great friends and have a wonderful time together. We left when we decided that 1. they had found each other 2. they were chattering a mile a minute while they danced 3. they weren't going to come close enough to let us take a picture of them dancing When we picked them up at the end, another mother mentioned that LLB and some handsome young man were having the best time. They were dancing with a spring in their steps and her skirt was twirling! I thought to myself, "She must be dancing with HP." She was. My friend R (the Handsome Prince's mom) had arrived a little earlier and snuck in. She saw the whole thing. They were having a terrific time and they even got their picture taken! Woo hoo! R and I were poised at the bottom of the stairs to get the perfect picture of them. We laughed because we realized that we actually live for this stuff... It's frightening, but really - it's all about the picture! We flew back home to take pix of #1 Son before he left for his ball. He looked terrific in his khaki pants, navy blazer, white shirt and snowman tie. I combed his hair, took his picture and sent him out the door with Mr. Bug. Mr. Bug called a little while later and told me that #1 refused to pose for any pictures while he was there. What a noodge!! Alas, that is the way he is. I only have 2 pix from last year... When #1 arrived home, he said that he had danced with a bunch of different girls and had had a wonderful time. The Holly Ball was a huge success! That's one more activity to check off the list before Christmas... Now we head into Nutcracker Hell Week -- rehearsals every night... exhausted kids... But - it will all be over on Sunday! LadyBug Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information View More Monday Memories Participants Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!