In no particular order….

My boys are scared shitless these days!  And I’ll tell ya why.  My ignorant, nosey, bitchy neighbor (aka Mrs. Kravitz ~ as in the character from the show “Bewitched”) had the insane nerve to inform my boys that “there has been a report of two black men who are going through the neighborhood peeking in windows and snatching kids!”  WTF?!  Are you freakin’ kidding me, woman?!  The real story is that there have been reports of solicitors in the neighborhood.  Solicitors who have been going door-to-door and aggressively trying to sell magazines for apparently bogus companies.  We live in a big community/neighborhood for which there is an online message board where people post important happenings, classifieds, etc…  The “solicitation” message has been circulating for a few days now.  Amazing how this woman turned the story around to scare the shit out of my kids!  So for the past few days I’ve been trying to convince my kids that these people soliciting the neighborhood (they know what a “solicitor” is) are NOT trying to snatch little kids!  They’re trying to get money from ADULTS by pretending to sell magazines.  I’ve been telling them that this issue is being handled by adults and the police (people have been calling the authorities) and that children have no part or involvement in the situation whatsoever.  I told them that Mrs. Krazitz was WRONG in what she told them…that it was NOT true and that NOBODY is going around our neighborhood snatching kids.  They know she’s nuts from past run-ins with her, so they’re slowly coming around…  Three nights this week I’ve had a baby in my bed.  Both boys have waken up in the middle of the night scared to death, telling me in pitiful little voices that they’re scared to be in their room because of the windows (even though they’re on the second story), and they’re scared that the “black guys” are gonna get them.  Belle has also had a bed-buddy 3 nights this week.  Good thing she’s been happy to oblige as I can no longer accommodate 2 extra boys in my bed!  Yesterday at the breakfast table, Ross recounted his dream from the night before.  He dreamed that two black guys (note: reports included white, black, hispanic, and oriental nationalities.  For some reason, Mrs. Kravitz decided to go with “black guys”) kidnapped him, Noah and their friend next door (Mrs. Kravitz’s son!) and took them into another neighbor’s garage where they then proceeded to shoot people.  Nice, I know.  I’m so freaking mad at that woman I could spit.  If you knew some of the stories involving this lady, you’d pity me for having to reside next door to her. 

The boys have baseball evaluations this weekend!  Yay!!  I’m so ready for baseball season to start.  This season will be new in that H is not coaching (he’s coached the boys since their first t-ball season at age 4) and we’re giving the league permission to place them on different teams.  We think it’s time.  It’s tricky when dealing with twins.  You have to be careful to encourage individualism and allow them to be their own little people.  It’s harder than it sounds, trust me!  Meanwhile, the boys are psyched about this!  They can’t wait to play against each other, competitive little buggers. J  Very much looking forward to the season!

Isabelle Rose will be starting her lacrosse practices on Monday as well!  Go Sissy!!  Her coach has been practicing with the girls on the weekends and he’s informed H and I that Belle is a “natural lacrosse player”.  He said she’s one of the best on the team.  I hate to say that without knowing anything about the sport, but I’m just repeating his words to us, and hey, I rather enjoy bragging on my kiddos!  He said she’ll be playing an “important position” on the team and that he’ll need her to be at all practices.  This was in reference to her horseback riding lessons possibly causing a little conflict with her lacrosse practices.  Needless to say, we’ve got that all worked out now so she’ll be able to do both.  I’m so excited to see what this lacrosse thing is all about and watch Belle in action in something other than horseback riding!!  She loves it, which is most important of all.

TGIF!  Mexican and margaritas are calling my name…J  We usually go for Mexican on Friday evenings.  Nice way to wind down from the week!  H has tennis tomorrow morning and then the boys have their baseball tryouts in the afternoon.  I plan on getting an early bike ride in tomorrow and then Belle and I are gonna have a little outing together!  She had to get a physical yesterday for lacrosse and unexpectedly had to get 2 shots.  Not a happy camper!  Poor girl…  So I told her that we would do something special this weekend.  We got some coupons in the mail to one of her favorite stores (where I seriously never shop) so I told her we’d run to the mall and check out the deals.  We’ll also hit the pet store for crickets for her beloved Mohawk (her albino gecko) and play with the rats.  If she had to choose between the mall and the pet store, she’d choose the pet store hands down.  She’s so funny like that and I love that about her!  Speaking of which, she’s been quite the little moody-monster these days.  We’ve had talks about this and at times I can tell she’s trying really hard to be sweet.  Then she’ll turn and be mouthy or emotional or just flat out nasty.  Her mood swings are in full force these days!  Strange, because mama is nothing like this…  No siree!  J  So the other night after she got out of the shower, she called downstairs to me and said, “Mom, can you come up here please so I can talk to you in private?”  My head started spinning…if you’re a mother to girls, you know where my thoughts were going…  I freaked out!  I ran upstairs as fast as my shaking legs could carry me and we went into her bedroom and I asked her what was wrong.  She was looking *so* nervous and scared…then she said, “I accidentally broke your perfume” and held up the remains of the broken bottle.  I kissed her and hugged her and told her that everything was just fine!  Peachy, in fact!!  It was just an accident and mommy doesn’t get mad about accidents!!  I’ve never been so dang relieved!  Whew!!  My brain can’t even go there with her…my little girl growing up.   Nope, not happening.  I’d like to remain in my little bubble with Isabelle Rose in her little bubble right next to me…J

I don’t really have any other plans for the weekend, but I know we’ll be busy doing something.  It always works that way on the weekends!  I hope everyone is doing great out in blog land.  Thanks much for keeping up with me even though I’m a lousy poster and even lousier visitor and commenter!  I suck, I know, but I hop on here whenever I have the time and energy! 

Until next time, these are the days of my life…

Be great!

Once again, I am long overdo for a blog entry.  As I’ve seen with some of my fellow-bloggers on some other spaces, I too am kind of at a loss with my writing these days.  Plenty going on, sure, but not so much the energy or desire to put it all down into words.  I decided to give it a try anyway and see what I come up with.  Be forewarned, I’m not so sure where this is going… 

Quick recap from the end of 2008 ~ First let me say that I’m just glad we’re into January and the start of a new year!  Last year wasn’t one of my finest and I’m always game for fresh starts and new beginnings.  With that being said, Christmas and the following weeks were good!  The kiddos were super excited with all of the goodies “Santa” brought them and we had a wonderful time with family and friends during the holidays.  H’s mother spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us this year for the first time since this is her first Christmas without “Grandad”.  I loved having her and the kids loved it too.  She’s a super special lady who’s shown incredible strength and courage through everything she’s dealt with in the past year, but she’s also allowed herself to lean on H and I when she needs to.  H is her only child and while she’s got her mother and siblings close by too, sometimes she just needs the strength and closeness from him and I and I’m glad to be there whenever she needs us.  We also celebrated Grandad’s birthday earlier this month.  We had a nice dinner at home, played games and watched American Idol (my kids’ favorite!) and did the same “balloon-release” for Grandad that we do for Grampy.  Only this time, we threw in some fireworks too for good measure!  It was very sweet and H’s mom was touched to say the least at the messages scrawled on the kids’ balloons to their Grandad.  It was a special evening and again, I’m glad she was there with us.  After the balloon release, she got very emotional.  I hugged her and told her that Grandad would always be a part of the kids’ lives and I promised that they would always remember him and keep his memory alive.  It’s so very difficult as many of you know, losing someone so close to you like a spouse or a parent or grandparent.  I’ve learned a whole lot since losing my own father and I know how difficult it is getting by day-to-day let alone having to face “firsts” without them; first holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc…  But we’re getting by and that’s all you can ask for at this point.  Hopefully there will be more happy moments than sad in 2009 for us all…J

As noted in my last post, I have lots of stuff planned for this year!  Yay me!!  Just to touch on a few of those things, I’ve already picked out two local triathlons that I plan on participating in, both in the month of June.  I have also recruited several friends and family members to participate in these with me!!  So far on the bandwagon are my triangle girls ~ Val and Nay (yes, calling you all out!), H, my sister and her hubby, and both of my nieces.  Still trying to convince my mother to commit to doing it too.  She turned 69 on the January 3^rd and she’s in great shape.  I think this would be an awesome goal for her to set for herself and yes, I totally think she could do it.  The two events we’re looking at are a little bit easier (about 5 miles less) than the triathlon I did in Savannah.  These are advertised as being beginner courses so I would say they’re right up our alley!  I myself am so excited about getting back on track with training.  Less than 5 months and counting!

What else…oh yeah, the whole jumping out of an airplane thing.  Crazy, I know.  Especially considering how deathly afraid I am of heights.  Just thinking about jumping makes the palms of my hands sweat!  Not quite sure how I figure I’m gonna pull this one off exactly, but that’s not gonna stop me!  Planning on doing this one with my girlfriend Val, hopefully sometime this spring.  We have the facility picked out already ~ now it’s just a matter of booking the jump.  We do want to wait until it’s warmer, so stay tuned for updates!

Travel…so my mother has done a lot of traveling since my father passed away.  I think it’s great!  It’s something they always planned on doing together after retirement, but unfortunately dad’s illness made that impossible.  Two years after losing him, my mother took her first overseas trip.  She went to Spain!  Since that first trip, she’s been on several other excursions, which brings me to her newest upcoming adventure.  She’s going to Africa in September with my sister!!  The more I heard about their travel plans, the more and more interested I became…and then I started thinking…I would *really* love to make that trip with them….oh, but the money…how in the world would I be able to pull off a trip like this…  Anyway, I have decided that I’m going to attempt to take this trip with them!  I have lots of saving ahead of me, which I’ve already started working on.  Every week or so I give my mother a check and she’s putting it into an account for me.  Like, can’t I keep up with my own savings??  Sure I can, but I think I’ll do better this way.  It’s almost as if someone is holding me accountable.  Plus, I get to brag every Sunday at our family dinners about how much money I’ve saved for Africa!  And if I find that I won’t be able to afford the trip after all, then I’ll have some extra cash to put towards something else.  I should know whether or not I’ve been successful enough with my savings by about the end of May.  Again, stay tuned!

Okay, I think I’m done writing for one entry.  Please do forgive me for being such a slacker.  Lack of time and desire for writing has left my blog pretty empty and boring here lately, sorry!  Also, I haven’t made my rounds lately to my favorite blog places.  I’ll try to visit everyone soon.  To Bridget, Bob, Al, Paul, Grace, Toni and all my other favorite blog-people, hellooooooooooo out there!  I haven’t forgotten about you ~ just my typical slackness is all.  I’ll be by to say hello soon! 

Until next time, these are the days of my life….

Be great!

I made no resolutions for the New Year.  Rather, there are things that I “hope” for in 2009 for myself and for those I love.

~ 2009 ~

In 2009 I hope to maintain my focus on my children.  May they always remain the center of my universe.  For them, I hope that they continue to be healthy, happy, safe and secure.  I hope they always know how much they’re loved and cherished by H and I.

In 2009 I hope to strengthen my marriage.  May I learn to let go of that which holds me back from giving more of myself to achieve this.  I sincerely hope that H and I grow in friendship and in love.

In 2009 I hope to maintain and strengthen my friendships.  I hope to surround myself with strong women who will be positive influences in my life.  For my closest and dearest friends, I hope their lives will be filled with love, happiness and stability.  May the “triangle” live on!  J

In 2009 I hope to live a healthier lifestyle.  I won’t commit myself to losing weight or sticking to some ridiculous diet.  No, instead I hope to get to the gym a few times a week and pick back up with training in swimming, biking and running.  I do not aim for perfection.  I simply want to strengthen my body and build my stamina by living a healthier lifestyle.

In 2009 I hope to

jump out of an airplane,

complete at least 2 triathlons,

run the Peachtree Road Race,

and visit another part of the world....

In 2009 I hope to eliminate from my life all that hinders me from being the best that I can be.  May I once and for all master the art of letting go.  No more wondering “what if?”  No more holding onto the past.  No more looking back through rose-colored glasses.  No more looking back…

In 2009 I hope to live each and every moment with appreciation for all that is good in my life and hold fast to those who love and cherish me.

In 2009 I hope that my life is filled with peace, love and happiness.

Happy New Year, Blog People!

Stay tuned for more days of my life and as always,

be great!!