A Flash into the Past - INXS in the 1980's

All this Hannah Montana stuff got me thinking and talking about my rock and roll past (if you can call the current teen craze rock n roll). I mentioned to my kids that I've attended at least 30 of the top concerts by the all time greats. They rolled their eyes and said who? I first mentioned the Rolling Stones and Billy Joel and got "who are they?"

There is definitely now a generation gap.

I regaled them with my MTV-like moment of times long ago...in a land far away....Gainesville, FL, I can't remember the date though.....too far away and long ago.........This was my dream come true.....

I got to have an all-access backstage pass to see INXS, my then fav Aussie band of the 1980's...not today's remade INXS with J D Fortune, there will only ever be one front man and that's Michael Hutchence. Through the good fortune of having a sister with friends who had connections, I was given the opportunity to arrive early at the arena, I was actually on the "list" and waived through by security. I had time to talk with various band members at the pre-concert food and drink fest back stage. I went with their manager to pick up the rest of the band at the hotel and bring them to the show and then got to watch from side stage for the concert! Then post concert - backstage drinks, photos and autographs! The next week the MTV contest was just what I had done! To this day, I never had such good fortune ever come my way! It was the lottery of the day!

Another Reason to Make Sure Your Kids Wash Their Hands....

Apparently, researchers continue to confirm what Moms and most doctors have been saying for a long time - that hand washing is the number one defense against most viruses and influenza. This is truly the worst season for illnesses in our family. Right now we've got two down and one more coming down with the Fall upper respiratory infections that seem to strike us about every 4 to 6 months. The two kids are on medicines and seem better, but my husband is looking bad and says he's feeling it coming on. Hand washing, hand washing! I tell them all the time, but they don't do it enough.

Maybe if they learn to sing the The Happy Little Working Song from Enchanted - The Movie, they'll be motivated to be much cleaner ;) Don't you parents just LOVE this Movie! Enjoy!

Happy Black Friday to You...

I am happy to say I won't be out there with you mega-shoppers and your walkie-talkie carrying shop buds. I will be tucked away, snug in my little bed, with visions of comfy blankies in my head. It is simply not worth it to me to lose sleep and have slugfests with old women over the one "whatever" that Walmart decided to put on special at 5 a.m. Yes, I know, some of you live for this day, to feel like you get a chance to beat "the man" and take some of his retailing profit away, but you are deceived. You are playing into their hands....

In your sleep deprived state, you'll buy more, you'll eat more and you'll blow your credit limit faster than you can say (fill in with funny line here...I'm too full to think of a good one yet). You'll probably end up spending more than you ever planned and 6 weeks later as Christmas approaches, you'll forget what you bought (since it will be hidden in the closet) and you'll buy even more! So I won't be out feedin' the man, I'll be sleepin' in and doing internet shopping when appropriate sales are out and enjoying myself. Have fun, shoppers!

Why I'll Never Shop At WalMart Again

I bundled my kids off to WalMart yesterday for two main reasons: 1) to shop for cheap new shoes for them both and 2) purchase a cheap but useful DVD player for my father's 70th birthday this coming week.

As we wound our way through the cavernous cheapness that is Wally World, the children started misbehaving. I don't call this blog Parent Traps because I'm an expert and this day showed I'm far from it. They were bickering and battling noisily, like siblings often do. We searched the kid's shoes and found them to be quite picked over with nothing in their sizes. (note: why can't anyone seem to keep shoes stocked?)

So we went over to the electronics to search for the DVD player, bickering kids continuing. Immediately, I was tailed by the overtly-dressed female security officer. I ignored her as she stayed somewhat away at first. Then she got into my face - I mean as I was looking at blank DVD's, she stood in my personal space. I knew what she was doing - she was profiling me as a shoplifter. My husband later said it was because I had a big purse and noisy kids - that's the typical WalMart thief. Yeah right, me, Vera Bradley-toting, mother-of-two, who was about to spend a fairly decent amount of dough on a gift there. Once again, I pretended she was not there (because with the kids already ticking me off, I wasn't in the mood to complain) and kept on doing what I was doing. As we walked out of the section, near the movies, she still followed me. I responded to her intimidation tactics by merely asking my daughter to name all the movies she wanted for Christmas and stepped into the security guards space. I wasn't going to be pressured. So we kept on doing our shopping and finally, as we moved out of that section, she left us alone. I was livid.

We finally found all our items from our list and we went to check out. We had the slowest, chattiest cashier on the face of the earth. She took 25 minutes to check out the person in front of us. Then she slowly checked us out as well. I made sure to keep my receipt in hand as we left.

As soon as we got the door, the buzzer rang. The greeter-slash-old geezer ran over to me and pointed excitedly "VCR, VCR". I, very angrily, handed him the receipt and said, "I just checked out". He didn't apologize and sent me on my way.

I know what happened. They rang the bell on me in security. The bastards! I will never, never, never, never, never set foot on any WalMart property again. I have cancelled my Sams Club membership today and my credit card. I have never been treated so shabbily by any retailer in my entire life. I have spent countless thousands funding WalMart's business expansion during my shopping life. No more - I will strictly fund Target and other retailers in the future where they don't treat you like a criminal for merely shopping with children.

We did shop at Target later in the day and were treated properly, with respect and courtesy. The way you should be. And they actually HAD shoes in my daughters' sizes.

With their endless China-made products, who needs WalMart anyway. I am boycotting WalMart forever! And you can bet I'm telling everyone I know this story. I can pay a few extra dollars to be treated like an honest citizen, not the thief that WalMart apparently thinks its customers all are.

I Used to Make Fun of Soccer Moms....

Really, I did! That was in the days that media was touting the soccer mom as being the "typical mom" of the day, driving her Chrysler minivan, with 2.5 kids to every soccer game and working for the PTO, maybe working, maybe not. Fast forward ten years and where am I? At a soccer game every weekend watching the little one play. We did drive a van for a few years, but really it was terrible - bad motor! Now I still have an SUV (bought one month before the gas prices soared) bad move...but I use it to tote the children around to their various events: soccer, dance classes, yearbook meetings, girl scouts, Odyssey of the Mind is starting, volunteering at school....Yes, it's me!

Keep in mind that I spent fifteen years as a single, corporate, do-nothing- but-work-woman. I really didn't have extracurricular activities outside of my work friends..well, maybe my cat (but that's another story). I really do enjoy having the children as the main focus of my life at this time. I am blessed to have two very brilliant, loving girls, who are enjoying childhood.

Who could want more...I'm off to soccer this morning!

Can Fall Be Coming Soon, Really, Maybe??

I live in Florida - where it's hot pretty much all the time. My daughter asked this morning, why doesn't it snow here? I had to explain about our semi-tropical climate, blah, blah, blah (that's how she heard it, I'm sure). She said she wanted to move somewhere where it snows all the time. I explained that I didn't think there was such a place, except maybe Antartica. She assured me there was and that we must move there. Where is it people? Even Alaska has a summer! We need a cooler temperature and are ready to go!

September 11th - Time to Reflect

September 11th is a time to reflect. I won't say, "a time to remember," because no one will ever forget what happened that day. I'm reflecting because my youngest (aka Princess) daughter's age will always be the same amount of years that have passed since that fateful day. I was pregnant with her and she was born shortly after on December 31, 2001. So, every time they do a news stories about the parentless children of 9/11, I know just how old they are. I know what stage those children are going through. I get really sad about it all over again.

My oldest daughter (aka Butterfly) sympathizes each year with me (she's only 8) but can't really seem to understand why it is so depressing each time. After all, she's lived with the spectre of war post-9/11 almost her entire life. She was two when it happened. I had her with me at a Ford dealership to get my service done and that's where we found out that all the planes were hitting the world trade center. I was so shocked, I still left my car for servicing and got dropped off at home by the dealer. I promptly found out that I was locked out, because I had left my house keys on the car key ring. So I sat there, me preggo, with my little two year old, staring at the sky, wondering if something worse was about to happen, like bombs dropping out of the clouds. I actually eyed the swampy areas behind our home in Tampa as possible hiding spots. Fortunately, my subdivision's realtor happened by and we were able to break into my house, about the time my husband came with the keys. I didn't have to contemplate running into the swamp too long.

Our neighbors at the time were Bosnian refugees, who had come to the USA to escape war torn areas. They were totally freaking out and were discussing where now they could go - we all talked and managed through the day, somehow.

I've shown my kids the photos of Tim and I standing on the top of the Empire State Building, the backdrop is the twin towers, the year before the terrorists came. My daughter wonders why I cry so much when I look at it.

Only I will remember my then 2-year-old saying to me, "do I have to fight the bad men" and "will we need to get guns soon" and "I will help you fight Mommy". It's just like yesterday. She has never known anything else.

I want them both to know something else and soon. I want things to change. Please reflect and help make for world peace.

Oh and where I am this September 11th morning? Where else...at a different Ford dealership, getting service work done, but I will remember.

UF Gators are Number 4? Who Knew...

What do mean University of Florida is only number 4?

When I went there it was number one party school....unfortunately! I say that because it certainly did detract from my scholarly career there - I went from A/B's in my first two years to BC and yes a D in my final year. That was the only D I ever got in my whole life! I was an honor roll student in high school, but lived a very demure life. Beer in massive doses can change that.

So, now that Butterfly has said she will be attending UF when she gets older - maybe I will steer her to a less prominent school in that regard - maybe a Mormon or Quaker school.

My mother actually got a scholarship to a small Quaker college, called Friends University, in Wichita, KS. She came home crying the first week, when she found out you couldn't wear makeup, fun clothes, and I assume, smoke. This was in the 50's y'all. I guess she was ready for UF back then!

How We Spend Our Time

From the St. Petersburg Times: How We Spend Our Time

If you are 15 or older, chances are you'll divide your time like
this:
35 percent - sleeping
20 percent - working
10 percent - watching TV
9 percent - socializing, exercising and other leisure-time activities
7 percent - doing household activities
5 percent - eating and drinking
14 percent - other

Other is a VERY big category, don't you think? What about blogging? How much time do you spend doing this stuff and which category would you put it in? Sometimes I'm working while blogging and watching TV....how do you mark that one?

The Boy Who Lived...And the Boy Who Didn't

Things that make you go hmmm - just look at the contrasts between these two stories that both occurred over the weekend. First, the boy who was shot while fishing with his grandfather by the police..............then, the boy who fell six stories and lived without an injury.

Both were random incidents in the world - how do you make sense of it all....what is the meaning of life....it is a very busy newsday for these kind of articles that make you contemplate life and why it all happens in certain ways.

Is Tina Fey Still Cool?

Well, apparently Tina's glasses still are setting a style trend. I went to the optician yesterday to do my "once every ten years" glasses purchase. I normally wear contact lenses most of the day and my glasses are my night reading wear. So they don't really wear out, they get scratched. Also, I rarely leave the house in glasses unless I have to. I still get flashbacks from fifth grade when someone pushed me into the bushes saying "you're just a geeky glasses gifted girl" or something to that effect. So glasses still can make me feel weird.

The whole wall was Tina Fey style glasses. I found only two pair that were even slightly rounded. The rest were all some version of squared off, funky-like stuff. The woman who assisted me was at least 60 years old and when I picked up the round pair, she said, "no, no, no....you want to be cool, don't you?" Well, I don't want to be geekier than the 60-somethings, so I let her show me the styles.

I ended up picking (or she helped me pick) a cool pair of obviously squarish, red, rimless bottomed Tina Feys. She commented that maybe now I would leave the house in glasses, cause I looked so cool. Man, she knows how to sell and market! So I will post a pic of me in them when they come in. But here's a pic of what model I think I ordered.......keep in mind that I had eye dilation going on....Have you ever had some weird glasses experiences in your life? Let me know.

Trouble Sleeping...

Lately, I am having more and more trouble staying asleep through the night. I don't know if it is related to my recent hysterectomy and recovery, aging, back pain, or whatever - it is a pain in the ****. I got up today at 5 a.m. and I don't have to...yet. The kids and I are supposed go swimming at dd2's friend's home today. They have a beautiful pool - the kids keep asking when we are getting a new home. I have no answers. Yesterday was quite wearing, but we had fun. No Hairspray movie though - they opted for Transformers. I liked it....and as it has been reported, I would say it is definitely a boy/guy movie more than a girl movie. Lots of explosions, robots and hot chicks. Now, my husband will read this and go.