let me make one thing clear

i've seen the bumper stickers... "my dog is better than your honor student". and believe me, i know where you're coming from. in fact, it wasn't until we moved south of the border that i even saw one of the "my child is an honor student at..." stickers, and i thought they were rather arrogant and foolish. i mean, really, who cares?

turns out, kids do. you see, the poor parent driving that car doesn't really have a choice about whether or not to stick on that sticker. because they send them home from school in the eager hands of said child, as reward & motivation. and what kind of parent, faced with the glowing eyes of their lovely child, proudly presenting their hard earned bumpersticker with the words, "let's go put in on the car right now!", can say "no"? that is a spirit crusher!

so yes, i drive around with "...my kid..." bumper stickers. and i am proud of The Girls beyond reason. but i only have the bumper stickers because i have to. i'd rather be a vaguely embarrassed mom than a spirit crushing one.

those who can't do, criticize...

who do you think is famous but has no talent? this is the subject of an article i read this morning, much to my delight. (perhaps i should be less judgemental, but it's saturday. isn't that a day off from everything...even morality?) to their list i would add a number of names: britney spears, rhianna, kevin costner, jean claude van damme, keanu reeves, pam anderson, chuck norris, and any number of the blond & simpering young "actresses" that clutter the red carpet these days.

boy, i must feeling more bitter than i thought ...

apologies & confessions

i'm sorry. i don't usually do this in the blog forum.

i was just driving home, behind a white minivan that was going a couple of miles over the limit - not too slow, not too fast. normally not a big deal. but i had tears well up in my eyes - i just wanted to get home. i had to get home. my life & calendar have pushed me to the edge of my capacity this week. and if some of you think that makes me weak, you need to know that i don't really care what you think. i am beyond that. i am who i am, and i cannot and will not apologize for that. i have no space for personal recovery for too long. and as for this week, i'm not even through it. i have one more committment tonight and one tomorrow morning, both of which require my 'game face'. people to chat up, cheeriness to fake, polite conversation to make, performances to give. i don't know if i can do that. i mean, i guess i don't have a choice, but i don't know how i am going to do that. i am going to take the next hour, while curtis has the girls at piano lessons, to try to regroup. it isn't much, but it's my only port in this storm.

the news we've all been waiting for!

"Quitters Do Win. Why Persevering Can Be Bad For You."

Hooray!

diva-tastic!

i did something last night i rarely do, if ever. i indulged my inner girl without worrying about the money. i had a little pocket money, and i splurged it all on myself ... at those most holy places ... Sephora & the MAC counter! oh, but it felt good. so good. my inner girl was loving every minute - not even intimidated by the well groomed women populating the stores. i got foundation, a trial kit of a new & expensive skin care line i am optimistic about, fun bronzer, powder, and to top it off, free mascara for spending over a certain amount! yay! i cannot wait to have a shower today and play with all my new toys!! la la la!

i wonder if i'll have to wear a sash?

good morning to you all out there in cyber space!

i am eating my wheaties - as recommended by my trainer - and figure i have all day to talk myself into working out tonight. it's pretty bad when your first thought upon waking is "how on earth am i going to work out today?"

so - meg is going to be a girl scout! she is super excited, and her first meeting is monday. i am tickled that she wants to & kyra has no interest. i've been looking for ways to help them differentiate their personal lives without one or the other feeling excluded...up til now it's been every activity together - piano & art lessons, various church activities, etc. but last night at 9:40pm i got a phonecall from the troupe leader (bearing in mind, we haven't even gone to a meeting yet) telling me they needed a money person for the cookie fundraiser. now, it's just someone to collect the money, but... what??!? how does this happen? you all know how i feel about being field trip mom, and this seems a lot like that, only worse, because i have to go to - i kid you not - "COOKIE TRAINING" again, what?!?!? it makes me wonder if there are really moms out there who love this stuff, or if they are like me, and figure it's the price you pay for the joys of being a mom...

there's a first time for everything...again

"Man Dies After Armless Man Head-butts Him In Fight Over Woman"

i don't know what else to say.