TGIF - Superbowl Edition

What's good everybody?


So glad it's Friday and I am so ready for the weekend. There's not much planned really. I'll be working out, and doing my hair and watching the Superbowl

I am not a football fan. I've never been a football fan but for whatever reason I do watch the Superbowl every year. Not just the commercials. Not just the last half. I watch the game. Weird, huh?

My Dad was a huge a football fan. A huge sports fan really but he really loved his Giants and the UCONN girls basketball team. I remember when we were kids and he would be in the living room watching the Giants, every so often you'd hear him screaming, "You dirty guys!" That was the funniest thing on the planet to me. The only time I ever really remember my father raising his voice was when he was watching football.

So I'll watch the game this year, in my Dad's NY Giants t-shirt and cheer for them the way I know he would.

Go Giants!

I Have to Say it Was a Good Day

Admittedly, I was feeling a small amount of anxiety about the holiday. I like my comfort zone. After all, it is pretty comfortable. But stepping out of it was pretty cool too. We had the best time.

I got up early and started the day with a run, came home, showered and started chopping the veggies for the dish I was bringing to dinner. When I was told to show up at 1:00 pm, I kind of gave my hostess the side-eye in my mind. Then after I thought about, if I was having a ton of people at my house I'd want them to arrive early so they could leave early. Smart planning on her part.

We ate, we drank, we laughed and we even did a little karaoke. Yes, it was a good day.

Afterward, me the kids stopped at the red box and picked up some DVDs and camped out in the living room with some sweet potato pie and watched movies until about midnight.

You know, there are moments when I wish that I had a significant other to share holidays or my birthday with. Those moments come and go. I am truly thankful for the time that I spend with good friends and family. Those moments are special and I treasure them.

This was a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'm glad to be able to still refer to it as my favorite holiday.

Hope you're having a great day.

We Ain't Friends

**we definitely need an updated photo of the three of us. This was taken two years ago.

We’re family and I am the head of this family.

I am far from being the perfect parent so I am not about to bash anyone else’s parenting style but I cannot find the added value in becoming your child’s friend. They have enough friends.

The relationship that my children have with their friends is necessary and unique. They need people to share their secrets with. They need someone to send thousands of texts to on a daily basis. They need peers to cosign when they are doing something stupid. They need a shoulder to cry on when that something stupid blows up in their faces. That’s what friends are for.

The relationship that my children have with me is also necessary and unique. They need me to guide them. They need me to set boundaries. They need me to reinforce the rules. They need me to encourage and love them no matter what stupid thing they’ve done. They also need me to buy the food, pay the tuition and tell them when the television is too loud at 1:00 am.

My kids are awesome people. I’m tearing up just thinking about them. They mean everything to me. They are the reason that I breathe. I work hard because of them. I do things “the right way” because I want to set a good example. I am their first teacher and they look to me for the answers.

I am the mother. Not the friend.

We do things that friends do. We hang out together at restaurants and movies. We shop together. We have movie nights at the house together. We’ve cleaned the backyard together. And most of these activities are not initiated by me. They seem to actually enjoy my company and I enjoy theirs. It’s a pretty cool balance actually.

But there is no mistaking, who is running this kingdom. I know it and more importantly, they know it. They respect me and my authority and neither one of them crosses the line. They may test the boundaries but I always let them know if they are dangerously close to getting knocked the hell out. Figuratively, of course. In my opinion, it’s dangerous when parents try so desperately to be a friend instead of a parent. Boundaries get clouded and I’ve seen children speak to their parents any kinda way because of it. The one thing I cannot tolerate is a disrespectful child.

So yeah, I love my kids but we ain’t friends.

Love Surrounds Me

Four more shopping days.

This weekend was a pretty good one. We got a dusting of snow on Saturday night. It’s nice and dry outside now but it is cold, cold, cold. I am allergic to the cold. Sunday after church I came home and cleaned out the fireplace so Bryan could start a fire. Did I mention that I love my fireplace? Before he came over my sister called and wanted to stop by. When she arrived she headed to the area where I keep the wine and asked, “What do you have to drink?” When I said nothing she was shocked. I’m slacking. Anyway, she was supposed to be out shopping but she really just wanted to get out of her house. This is one of the best things about having her here with me. We are each other’s escape. Growing up we had our issues like any sisters do but we have always been close. I can only remember one time when we had a blow up which resulted in us not speaking to each other for a period of time … maybe a year. Yesterday we sat in my living room and had the best talk. We talked about the new year and things that we need to change. We talked about our relationships and it always amazes me that even though she’s been married for twenty years she possesses the same doubts and insecurities that I do after dating someone for six years. We both have decided to take steps to fix that. I like just sitting and chatting with my sister. We provide a safe place for each other to just … be. I didn’t always take advantage of that place because I didn’t want to burden her with my bullshit. But she said that’s what she’s there for. After she left Bryan showed up and I made dinner and he built the fire. We snuggled up on the couch and watched movies.

I am surrounded by love.

The Secret Ingredient

Have you ever watched Iron Chef America? That is one of the coolest shows. I don't know why ... I just like to watch professional chefs do their thing at the speed of light and come up with these crazy ass concoctions that I would probably never order if I were out but would eat if someone else did. Rabbit wrapped in ham?

It's Saturday and it's raining and that's okay. Work is kicking my butt and I'd rather watch the rain fall from my living room window than be in that office getting my butt kicked. The next two weeks are going to be hell. Hell, I tell you! Two weeks of training, presentations, working lunches, unanswered emails, too many voicemails ... so much that is not going to get done, all for the sake of ... I don't know what.

I need a new lawnmower.

I've discussed my nutty family tree before so I won't go into detail again. Let's just say there are branches all over the place that are only connected by my existence. I bring this up now because one part of the tree has set up this site for us all to add our information and wouldn't it be cool to see it all in one place? Naturally, I'm thinking about the other branches that really have no place on this particular tree ... because not everyone knows about them. How funny would it be if I started adding those branches? I can see the looks on some faces right now ... hehehe. Oh the joy of revealing family secrets! Sometimes I feel like the secret ingredient. I've gotten two invitations to family reunions this year and guess what? Neither one of those invitations involve the part of the family that I grew up with or lived in the same house with. I should want to be more involved. I should want to know more about these folks. I should.

I haven't had a drink all month. Actually, it's been longer than that. I bring that up because I really wouldn't mind having a martini right now. But I promised myself ... and it's only 11:15 a.m.

Me and my guy were sitting on the couch last night all snuggled up and he said that there was no place that he'd rather be. That was probably one of the sweetest things he ever said to me.