when i arrived home from picking up z after school today there was a woman standing in my front yard, smoking a cigarette and holding a small chiuaua.

she informed me that she had been trying to catch a small black dog that ran into my back yard. not her dog, but a dog she saw on the street in front of my house.

she then informed me that she had been in my back yard, chasing after the dog.... and moved some toys of zach's and my potted plants... trying to block the dog in.

then she says... "i hope you don't mind."

uhhhh, yeah i mind. hello, boundaries people. i guess she's one of those that asks for forgiveness instead of permission.

anywho, time to get a lock for the gate.

WOW

leave it to my good friend julie to unearth this article.... she always sends me good stuff but THIS is something we should all take a look at.

check out her latest blog post.

my pinky purse

my childhood friend, now blog friend pinky, posted a great blog the other day.

i've since given it a lot of thought and have pieces of it on my mind throughout the day. i've always been one to conform... fly under the radar.... hide in the shadows as to go unnoticed. i'm for sure one of those that has lost the spark and joy that she talks about... the me i used to know and like.

i've often found myself basing my decisions on what stands out the least... and not so much what i like.... hence my closet full of black clothes. i've even been known to not wear something if i get complimented too much on it.... because attention makes me uncomfortable.

BUT.... i've decided to actively work on that...i'm going to stop hiding.

so, with that in mind, i've taken my first baby-step. i've been eyeing this big ... really big... bright fire engine red canvas bag. i really like it... but said to myself i could never carry it because stands out too much ... then i bought it anyway. and i love carrying it. it's working as a major confidence booster.

thanks pinky, for the inspiration! i may not have fire engine red hair... yet. but with my pinky purse strapped to my shoulder i have the confidence and attitude! :)

this isn't just about a purse... but the step towards valuing my own opinion... liking something because i like it, and not basing my decisions on what others will think. this may be a very small step, but the concept is huge for me, thank you pinky for opening my eyes.

empty me

this is the most amazing and wonderful song.

i wish i could photoshop out the heads. :)

weekends

the weekends without z are bittersweet. the time alone to de-stress is nice... although most of the weekend is spent cleaning up after his week of experiments and exploration.

the other day i found a cup of honey sitting on the counter, next to the empty bottle of syrup. when i asked him what that was all about, he replied that he tried to drink a cup of honey, but when that failed he chugged the syrup instead.

nice!

nonetheless, i always find myself anxious to pick him up and get things back to normal. i don't know how dads, and even some moms live without their children. it must be excruciating.

the only positive i can find out of it all (and i have to find one because i'm a half-full kinda gal) ... is that i often find myself taking the time to reflect on the week and figure out how i can improve myself as a mother and improve zach's life... and then commit to doing that.

parenting is hard. really hard. so this is in honor of all the mom's and dad's who have made the commitment and sacrifices it takes to be a parent.... and the kid's that have to put up with us....

how to peel a hard-boiled egg

my mom sent me this... i haven't tried it yet but i definately will... and then let you know how it worked out for me. somehow, i don't see it working this way for me. i dunno?

Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We're Americans. We're Americans, and we'll never surrender. They will.

-John McCain

best thing / worst thing

since zach's been in school, i've been trying to stick to a best thing / worst thing about the day... otherwise he says he doesn't remember anything.

today i asked him what the best thing was... and the conversation went a little something like this...

z. "i don't know... oh, ice cream."

m. "you didn't have ice cream today."

z. "oh yeah, that was the other day."

m. "so what was the best thing?"

z. "i dunno."

m. "what was the worst thing?"

z. "i got a yellow face."

(the goal is to have a green face... yellow is middle... red is bad)

m. "oooohhh. why did you get a yellow face?"

z. "i dunno"

m. "well let me see...."


i pull out his folder to read this note from his teacher...


" Zachary has been eating the other
children's erasers off their pencils. "


that was unexpected.


so we had a discussion about all the reasons why eating erasers isn't a good idea.... while i did my best to suppress the laughter welling up inside me.

oh, the reason for eating the erasers...

z. "i like them"


fair enough.

politics on the brain

what a busy time of year... the THIRD week of school is starting tomorrow... i can't believe how time fly's.

i'm excited about the upcoming election... FINALLY... after watching the republican national convention. so much so i've already been online to order my yard sign and bumper stickers. i even signed up to go door to door! what was i thinking?

busy... busy... busy