Thanks, Thanks and More Thanks

LESSON OF THE DAY: There's a million little things to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I spent the day eating (0f course), but also generating reasons for why I am thankful. In general, they were silly but I realized that every five seconds I was thankful for something else! It was almost like thinking of Facebook status updates throughout the day. My mind must be in the habit of a constant flowing internal commentary on everything that I am thinking and doing. And today it was a constant flowing internal commentary of what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for OnStar because without them, I'd be hitchhiking a few times a week. I am so distracted throughout the day (due to my constant flowing internal commentary of course) that I lock my keys in the car quite often. I used to have to call the husband, which didnt go over well from the beginning of the bad habit, and could have led to him leaving me where I was stranded by the end, but then OnStar came along and saved me and my marriage. Now I just call the number on my window, talk to the nice British lady who answers the phone, give her my 4 letter password, and VIOLA', the door unlocks. Genuis!

Here's another interesting one that popped into my head today as I walked around my kitchen. I am thankful for having a robe with a pocket because it allows me to carry my Iphone around when I wear it. Very handy, but what I dumb thought. Only I know where it comes from because I am slightly obsessed with my lovely Iphone.

My husband is not a cook at all, although he told me today that his "inner cook" is dying to come out. Come out, come out! I'd love to see it a few times a week! The kids can ask him what's for dinner and complain that they are STARVING as soon as 4PM hits. So today I was very thankful that he decided to carry on his 1 year tradition of making us Thanksgiving breakfast. Well, now a two year tradition. He actually put out a nice meal with some coaching from me and assistance locating various utensils that were unnecessary really; a whisk for the eggs (use a fork), a spatula to stir the fruit (use a spoon), but whatever, I think using them made his "inner cook" feel really cool. I was very thankful for this break from cooking and the serious laugh that came with it. He made us rate the food from 1-10 in three categories: Food Temperature (he knows I like my food super hot, just slightly cooler than what will scald your mouth), Food Appearance (yes, honey, the eggs were really yellow, but was that your doing or the chicken's) and the last category was Food Taste. And it tasted good, but more important, he made it with lots of love and to start a special day for us. And he even cleaned up!

Now I'm just really thankful for Tums because I ate so much I might pop.

The Vow to Procrastinate

THE VOW OF THE DAY: Make sure when you are trying not to procrastinate, you aren't actually procrastinating!!

Today I vow to write in this blog at least three times a week. It's not that I don't like writing in my blog, in fact, I do. I have been so busy lately that I avoid things that I like to do because it feels "wrong" to do things I like if I have other things to do that I don't like. Does that make any sense? Almost like I am trying to keep myself from procrastinating while actually procrastinating! So enough procrastinating and on with the writing!!

The Life with Bugs

LESSON OF THE DAY: Listerine does more than just freshen your breath.

Oh brother, a terrible fear of mine became reality today. My 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with head lice. Not pretty, not fun. All the usual things came to mind: people are going to think we're dirty slobs, what am I going to do if all four kids get it (who will pick the nits out of my head if I have it), and last, this is the end of my and my children's social life!

I attacked the problem "head on," ready to divide each section of her hair and conquer. I went and bought a variety of products (basically if it had the word "lice killing" on it, I bought it), took my poor baby home, and got to work. I used one of the recommended brands of lice pesticide products, and followed the directions in all of its detail. Boy did her hair look

gorgeous after the four hours I spent pic

king out the nits, one at a time, by hand. I put her hair in a ponytail and breathed a sigh of relief. No more bugs in her hair. Granted, I had "loads" of work ahead of me (laundry), but she had been an angel through it all and I had motivated her to be patient while I nit picked (wow, I just discovered why they use that term!!). She loved the pet store so off we went in her cute and very clean ponytail, or so I thought.

The kids played around with the dogs and picked out some things for the fish and as we paid, I

looked down at her and I saw a live bug crawling through her hair! All my hard work down the drain (or literally so I had hoped)! I flew home faster than the speed of light, all the while plotting my next course of treatment. A friend of mine told me to use Listerine with a shower cap for two hours. It was worth a try. And the try was worth it because after drenching her hair with Listerine and wrapping it in a ziplock bag (I don't own a shower cap), I found 3 more dead lice in her hair. It's gross isnt it? After that, I rinsed her hair in vinegar because that loosens the glue on the nit so you can comb them out more easily. Then we slept with olive in our hair overnight. It seems these home remedies are more effective than the chemical pesticides (in my opinion).

(I bought a big bottle of Listerine and put her head over the sink and applied. Ziplock bag and let her sit in it for as long as she could, which was 30 minutes. I washed it out and then applied warm, white vinegar, combed out nits and had her sleep in olive oil. Research shows that the lice smother in olive oil after 2 hours.

It Makes Ya Think

LESSON OF THE DAY: You never stop learning. It never hurts to be reminded of the important things in life either.

We took the kids pumpkin picking the other day, and then to lunch. It was crazy that morning and I was a little frustrated with the kids. I was feeling like I wasn't doing a very good job as a mother; the kids weren't listening and there was constant bickering between them. During lunch the "issues" continued: Ryan was eating more than his share of fries, Molly's ice cream cone fell on the floor and she was frantic about it, and one of the kids decided she didn't like her choice of meal once it was brought to the table. Amidst all of this, I'm in my own little world dealing with this craziness, trying to remain calm. I then happen to notice an elderly lady and man sitting near us. This woman was at least 80, and what I assumed to be her husband, was the same. The reason she caught my eye, and the reason I continued to observe her, was because she was staring at me. Staring at me and mumbling. After a few minutes I decided to stare back, but she would not break her gaze. Everything I said she took in, everything I did, she watched, commenting softly to her husband. I was getting a bit irritated and unnerved by her, and started to feel like she was judging me and my parenting and my children. It's just the way my day was going. The lunch lasted a few more minutes, and she continued to stare and mumble. It was as we left that I realized why she was so taken in with my family. I brushed by her table to leave, holding my kids' hands, and as I did she said loudly and clearly, "What a nice mom. She's so patient and kind with her children." She began to cry, and said angrily to her husband, "We should have treated our children like that!" I was floored. I looked back at her and she had tears streaming down her face. I wanted to run up to her and tell her all the bad things I had done as a parent, to diminish some of her inadequacy. Tell her what I want to hear sometimes, "You did the best you could. Nobody's perfect!"

I can't stop thinking about her, and feeling sympathetic to her regrets. I never want to look back with regret, as she does. I can't help but think the incident happened to help me keep my focus as a parent, and remind me what important labor it really is to parent. Everyday, no matter how tired, bored, overwhelmed, distracted I may be, I have to do my best. This woman's regret was a very powerful reminder of that.

Halloweening

This is basically how I feel about Halloween.

It's the spookiest time of the year and so much fun for the kids, but in my opinion it is a big PITA, if you know what I mean. Trying to make all those Hallmark moments out of this holiday is a joke! Pumpkin carving turns into an ER visit. Trying to choose a costume for mulitple kids at Party City turns into tears and tantrums for all of us. The costume itches, it's too hot to wear, too stiff to move in, or they want to wear half of it. It's one disaster after another. Quick, get a picture of baby in the sunflower costume before she rips the petals off her head and looks like a stuffed pepper!

Here's a great Halloween song though:

iTunes Store - Maura Matlak - Halloween - Single

Ryan Makes It Big (But Still Doesn't Know It Yet)!

Lesson of the Day: Sometimes things you say will come back to haunt you, especially if it ends up in writing!


Sometimes the fact that I make things up out of sheer desperation to get my kids to behave comes back at me. Things like, if you don't brush your teeth they'll fall out; if you don't wash your hair the bugs will want to live in there and, of course, there's the old seasonal trick, "Santa is WATCHING you: (beat your sister up)(tease your brother)(not listen) so you better stop." I try to stretch the use of this very effective threat from late August through January (Santa can come always come back and take toys away, after Christmas, you know).

One day I used this threat a bunch of times (in an hour), and later found a letter that my son, Ryan, wrote to Santa. AND......the letter ended up on the Chelsea Lately show! This show is hysterical due to the fabulous writing and producing of head-writer Tom Brunelle. Check the show out on E! weekdays at 11:00 PM. Thanks to Tom for airing the letter and bringing a laugh to our family's holidays 2008!

9/11 Remembrance

Lesson of the Day: One of the gifts that comes out of tragedy is that people come together.

I couldnt let this day go by without a simple rememberance of that powerful day that made us realize our vulnerability in the universe. The heavy sadness that filled our hearts, minds and souls. We reached out to others for comfort; experiencing the devastation in one common human way, together. I somehow felt close to everyone I met along my path days those days afterward; friends, acquantances and strangers alike, and took on the hurt of the families as if I lost a loved one as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n13CU-NvPMU