Prey-ing for Time

I've been reading a lot lately. A LOT. So far this year, I've read 36 books. I'm pretty impressed with myself. I'm also pretty impressed with my ability to multi-task to get all of my reading in. I cook and read. Potty and read. Fold laundry and read. Vacuum and read. Ride in the car and read (this new activity has me extremely thrilled!! For the first 31 years of my life, if I so much as thought about words, I would throw up. Thanks to Dramamine, a large bottle of Coke Zero, and a 3 Musketeers bar, I am now able to read while traveling. Awesome.). Exercise and read. If I could sleep and read, I would do it.

Currently, I'm obsessed with Lucas Davenport - the main character in John Sandford's "prey" series. I've read 6 Prey books in the last 3 weeks. Davenport (who is almost as awesome as Jack Reacher) and I are pretty much inseparable. When he isn't hiding in the shadows (or, rather, in my purse), he's sitting on my couch. Just waiting for me. In fact, that's where he is right now. I think I'll go join him.

Growing Up

My kids are growing up so fast. I know...all kids grow up fast. But lately it seems like the changes are happening reallyfast.

I think the main reason I'm suddenly noticing the physical growth is because the kids are wearing summer clothes. When they're all bundled up in layers upon layers of stuff during the cold months, I can't really get a decent fix on their size - they're all lumpy and covered. Now that shorts and tank tops are being worn...all I see are arms and legs. And believe me...the arms and legs over here are loooooooong. Gabriel and Elliott are built like their father - who is, I'm pretty sure, part gorilla. Gabriel is very lean and lanky. Elliott has legs that, as she gets older, are going to cause other girls in her class to be green with envy. Seriously. They go up to her armpits. Janna's a little more petite than her siblings, but she's still got some seriously long legs supporting a very short torso. They've each gone up a size (or 2 in Elliott's case) in the last 4 months due to the length of their extremities. Thank goodness for adjustable waist bottoms...without those, my kids' pants would constantly be around their ankles.

The kids are also growing by leaps and bounds developmentally. Gabriel is thriving in kindergarten. Well, thriving when he isn't being a turd out of boredom. But his teacher has found ways to keep him occupied when he isn't being challenged enough, and he's doing really well. He's working on addition and subtraction, and he loves it. He's also started multiplying and dividing. For no good reason. He reads constantly, and is becoming an authority on all things relating to dinosaurs. Talking to him is so much fun. He's so smart. And funny, too!

Elliott is also doing really well in school. Pre-Kindergarten has been heaven for her. She's making all kinds of new friends, and she's breaking out of her shell. She loves drawing and telling stories, and she just started reading this week. Needless to say I am insanely proud of her! Reading? Already? How freaking awesome is that?

Janna is almost a preschooler! She's signed up for the same preschool that the other kidlets went to when they were 3-ish, and she couldn't be more excited. Every day she asks if she's going to "the white school". She's starting to consistently recognize her ABCs, and she can count to 40. She knows how to spell her name and can recognize it (and the names of her siblings and friends). It's hard to believe that the Smallish Girl will be 3 in less than 2 months.

All of this growth is amazing, and it's so much fun to watch them grow and learn. I'm so proud of each kid, and though there are days when I would like to sell them on eBay, I am thrilled that they are the way they are.

Randomly Tandemly: Mommy Vacation!

Winter? Sucked. Hard. I am not a "winter girl". Yes, I know. Upstate NY is not the place to be in you're not a "winter girl". But Upstate NY is where I am...and Upstate NY is where I shall stay. Well, I'll stay until my husband decides to move us elsewhere - and ideally "elsewhere" would be PA...which is also not exactly mecca for girls who dislike winter. But I digress. The point? Being a non-winter girl, I spend a lot of my time dreaming of far off places. Places that are warm. Sunny. Bright. (Because Upstate NY? Is mostly gray-ish beige from November through April. Blah.)

So...winter was balls. Sick kids, snow, slush, dismal skies...all balls. Vacation? Would be AWESOME - and definitely not balls. My BFF Keelie and I spent lots of wasted time "chatting" (I love Facebook's IM thing. She's at work, I'm home with the kids...and we can still talk for what sometimes ends up being hours. Awesome.) talking about our "Dream Mommy Vacation": what kind of vacation would it be? Where would I go...what would I do...who (if anyone) would I take with me?

Hmmmmmm. If I let the over-exhausted Mommy part of my brain (the part that doesn't want to think about anything right now except sleep...and Robert Pattinson...possibly both together) answer, the decision would be pretty simple: somewhere warm and free...where I could sit and do nothing...for free...alone...where the alcohol flowed freely...for free...where it didn't matter if my legs weren't shaved...where snow, ear infections, and puke were somewhere far, far away. Oh, and did I mention that everything would be free? Yes. That's where I would go. And it would be heaven.

But the rationalish part of my brain (the part that is currently thinking about sleep...and Robert Pattinson...possibly both together) knows that my perfect vacation? The one that I would love to take? Would be a little different. I would still go somewhere warm...everything would still be free...I would still sit and try my hardest to do nothing...I would drink any alcohol I could find...I would not shave my legs. But I would not be alone - I would be with my kidlets and my hubby. And it would be perfect. Or something.

And in reality? That vacation? STARTS TODAY! WOOHOO!! We leave for Florida this afternoon, and I am so freakin' stoked.

The "Dream Mommy Vacation Checklist" has been checked off! See?

1) Vacation to be FREE (or mostly free): CHECK! My Dad and Step-Mom live in Florida. We're staying with them for a week.
2) Location to be warm: CHECK! Right now in Florida, the highs are in the low 80s. Sweet.
3) Sitting and doing as little as possible? CHECK! Heck...what good are grandparents if they won't watch their grandchildren?
4) Flowing booze? CHECK! My brothers and I joke that my Dad is "famous" for making drinks "Bob-sized" - the man drinks beverages out of glasses bigger than those red/blue plastic cups used for beer pong. Awesome.
5) Not having to shave? CHECK! No one will care if my legs are picky. And if they do? They can suck it.

I am so excited. In t-minus 6 hours we head out the door. And it's going to be awesome. I can't imagine planning a vacation without my kids or my husband. It just wouldn't make sense. They are my life. I may complain about them, and sure I fantasize about going away with Robert Pattinson without them, but I could never do it. If the vacation is going to be perfect, it has to include my family. "Dream Mommy Vacation"? Here I come.

Effort

Exhaustion has set in. The crack-of-ass wake-up call? Is killin' me. I love all of the plusses that go along with the early morning routine (the uninterrupted me time, the exercise, the better mood), but by the time the girls are in bed napping? All I want to do is join them. And I've tried. I've hunkered down on the couch...all cozy and warm in my Snuggie. And sleep? Evades me. I stare at the ceiling. I'm absolutely exhausted...but will my eyes close? Nope. Awesome.

So in an effort to stave off the afternoon sluggishness that creeps - and also in an effort to stay away from the yummy WW approved cupcakes hiding in my kitchen - I find myself dicking around on the computer for most of the afternoon. (Before I started waking up at 5:30am, my afternoons were spent doing the things I now do at the crack-of-ass: exercising, cooking, cleaning, etc.) Which is great...and also very frustrating. I don't want to sit here and dick around. Reading or crocheting would feel a bit more constructive, but both of those activities make me even more tired in the afternoons. And sleep? Still evasive. So posting about nothing is today's effort at trying to keep my eyes from rolling back in my head.

So. Life? Is good. My kidlets? Are awesome (and really freaking cute). I can't shouldn't complain (I say shouldn't because I can always find something to complain about).

Monday MEme: I Must Have It!!

Supah and MommyBrain have once again helped to make my Monday fabulous. I ♥ memes! This week's meme is about the one thing you (I) wanted most as a child. So...

So...the one thing I wanted most as a kidlet? Well...see...ummmm...I'm basically what you would call spoiled. I didn't want just one thing...I wanted EVERYTHING. And I almost always got what I wanted. So I'm spoiled (as are my brothers - but not to the same extent). And in all honesty, I am not ashamed to admit it. Maybe I should be. But I'm not. At all.

So...as a kid. I wanted toys. Pretty simple. Toys that I coveted most? Anything Barbie. Barbie styling heads, dolls, clothes, paper dolls, cars/trucks/campers/airplanes, houses, McDonald's...I wanted it all. And I had it all. The vast majority of it came from yard sales or were hand-me-downs from cousins - but I still had it. Didn't matter to me that I was driving my dolls around in the 1972 camper instead of the 1985 one. The only Barbie thing that I kind of wanted was the Barbie Dream House - I never got that.

I also really liked things that were miniature (thank you Mom and Gramma R!!). "Littles" stuff, Charmkins, Glamour Gals - I had it all. And I loved it. I had Ginny Dolls, Raggedy Ann dolls, toys from the movie "Annie" - again. If I wanted it, I almost always got it. My parents pretty much kept Knickerbocker in business. If you want to know what any of those things are, Google them. I'm feeling lazy...

When it came to clothing...I also almost always got what I wanted. My tastes were simple...jeans, shirts, and shoes. I loved Converse. At any given moment from the time I was 10 through maybe age 16, I had at least 5 pairs in various states of wear. My Mom and I wore the same size, so I borrowed hers when I needed a fresh pair to match some new shirt. And yes...I matched my shoes to my shirts. I also matched my glasses to my shirts - but that's a different story. I went through an Aigner snake skin phase when I was in 5th grade. Yep...I seriously rocked loafers with a matching purse.

Basically, what it boils down to is that I was/am spoiled. Not rotten...just spoiled. My parents love(d) shopping, and I love(d) going with them - and both of them are crazy bargain finders. I was guaranteed at least one "present" if I spent the day suit shopping with my Dad - and when my Mom and I went out, I always came home with something, too. My parents (and grandparents) owned an antique shop, so we also did a lot of yard sale-ing, flea marketing, and auction-attending on the weekends. If I behaved, I got something "new". I was the only kid in first grade that proudly played with her entire set of Partridge Family paper dolls (remember - this was 1984...not 1971). Again...spoiled. I know.

The other awesome thing about having parents that loved shopping was that when my Mom or Dad decided they no longer wanted some random piece of clothing or jewelry, I got to have it. My Mom handed down her diamonds and sapphires, my Dad gave me his old silk ties and oxford cloth shirts (which became my obsession when I was a senior).

The spoilage has continued into my adult-hood. My Mom feeds my Vera Bradley and American Girl Doll obsession, and my Dad keeps shoe companies in business. In turn, I am doing my part to keep toy/clothing manufacturers in the black. I am my parents in that I spoil my kids. Am I ashamed? Nope. It is out of hand? Sometimes. But I am also my parents in that I have boundaries, and I am an expert bargain hunter. I hit up end-of-season sales like a woman possessed, and I also yard-sale (and hunt for stuff on eBay). I am perfectly content to clean up a used toy and pass it off as new, and I have started "recycling" my unwanted goodies (my kids have books, old toys, purses, shirts, jewelry, etc. that were mine).

Ok, so the point...I never really had to "sell" my young soul to get what I wanted. I just got it. Well, unless I whined about it. Then I got NADA.