Lying across a green and orange paisley and floral couch, I would twist and turn always trying to find a cool spot to rest my face against the fabric. The music was always there. Playing softly, sometimes loudly, always there carrying me along as if I was floating down a river. The soft pumping of the foot pedals accompanied it all in the distant background.Sometimes I would rouse myself from my own little world of imaginary friends and lost lands to request a tune, most often it was, "Play the mosquito song! Play the mosquito song!" She would laugh and wordlessly pull out the children's music book and play the juvenile tune that buzzed across the keyboard. After it was over it was usually her favorite Chopin that she would play. Sometimes if I was lucky, I could pick out my favorite … [Read more...]
The 90’s
Next week I will be journey into the cold, arctic North known as New England. My grandmother is turning ninety. Ninety, y'all. That's a big-time, lets all party down event. Cake and ice cream will be served. There might be a sash or crown. Like my grandmother, this event will be ...wait for it...LEGENDARY.Sorry, I couldn't resist.Here is four generations of the family right here. Many more will be present and I can't wait. … [Read more...]
The Last Pancake
Scene: Breakfast is over for this Sunday morning and clean up has begun. I notice that there is one last pancake left.V: I pick up the pancake and say, "Dare me to chuck this last pancake at the dog's head?"H: "Go for it."I lob it at the dog and it grazes her cheek. Considering the fact that this is a dog that can catch adult-sized birds in mid-flight I am a bit surprised that she doesn't grab a hold of this flying snack. It lands on the floor next to her and in seconds the dog, TD and The Comedian are on this lone pancake like a pack of hungry wolves. After a few minutes of wrestling with her sister and the dog, The Comedian crawls away with only a glance back. Having been nearly shanked by the dog's talons of death she realizes that whatever tiny scrap of pancake she was going to … [Read more...]
Eight on Eight
The scent of warm, baked chicken fills my home. The rain is falling softly outside as fall begins to assert its presence with cooler temperatures and tiny gusts of wind. A steaming mug of rich, dark coffee sits by my side. A small white triple-layered cake frosted with a thick equally white buttercream icing sits on a tray nearby. It speaks of a celebration yet to happen.The house is quiet. The girls are away. Eight years ago H and I stood beside each other and in front of our family and friends vowing to spend our lives together. Happy Anniversary H. Thank you for eight wonderful years. … [Read more...]
Mortality Looking Me Square in the Eye.
Last Friday I had my ultrasound appointment for my right breast. In the days leading up to it I could barely sleep. I felt exhausted mentally and then physically. Each night I would lie down and my brain, lethargic during the day would instantly whir to life. All the cogs moving at warp speed and what felt like a million thoughts began zipping along my own personal information super highway. I wasn't trying to be full of doom and gloom but with the pain persisting in my breast there was this constant reminder that something just wasn't right. I dreaded the ultrasound but couldn't wait for my questions to be answered. I couldn't take this lack of sleep and constant feeling of worry settling in my stomach. Questioning your mortality is one thing but throw in a husband and two kids … [Read more...]
Overheards- I am the Dog
Scene: The dinner table. Me: "Ooh, Comedian you look so much like your Daddy!"TD: "I look like my Daddy too! And you (pointing at me with her little plastic fork with much conviction), you look like the dog!"H doesn't even try to stifle a laugh.So what, this means I look like some white-muzzled, crotchety old Boston Terrier? That's just great.Later that night H cannot resist petting me and saying, "Good dog, Vicky. Good dog." (Insert snickering from H here.) When I tell him I'm going to kick his teeth in he simply replies, "Nice doggie. Be a good dog." It continues like this for ten more minutes complete with jokes about no treats and being put in my cage for not listening.And I wonder why I am having an identity crises.The whole time this was happening all I could think of was this scene … [Read more...]
Fight Club at My House
"The first rule of fight club is that you do not talk about fight club."A true gem of a film.So it's not exactly fight club but on Saturday night H will enter a ring and fight his first boxing match. The past few months he has spent training for this event (Read: his dream/my nightmare). He would come home from training and sparring sessions looking like Edward-Isthatyourbloodonyourshirt?-Norton. How people viewed this all at his office I do not know. The black eyes, the swollen nose, the bruised chin and bloody lip. All of them have made me incredibly squeamish. It's one thing to watch a boxing match on TV and entirely another to see someone you love willingly get the crap punched out of them. Not that H will have that happen but I'm prepared for the worse. And possibly some new teeth. … [Read more...]
Have You Seen My Rose-Colored Glasses?
The radio in the kitchen is playing its familiar morning radio show, the smell of coffee is wafting through the house and all the bags from our trip are unpacked. I stand completely amazed that we made it up to CT and back without much of a blip. Nothing blogworthy to write about in two whole eight hour drives. I just might have a place in parental history.I want to say a big thank you to our fellow travelers at the Delaware rest stop who stopped by our lunch table to remark on what beautiful children I have. It brightened my day and gave me a bit more energy to get back into the car with my two "angels". It would have been even better if one of those fellow travelers had read my mind and gotten me a steaming hot latte from the nearby SBUX, but no worries. This trip gets mixed … [Read more...]
$2 Underpants and an Early Bird Special
I'm wearing $2 Walmart underwear with a plastic peace sign hanging on them. Can you say teeny bopperesque? Yup. I'm going to admit it is the first time I've bought the big W underwear and I can only describe a lot of it as eye-searing tricktastic looking. The 3 a.m. hookers in the District might think it is too loud. At 3:59 p.m. yesterday I realized that both my parents had whole dinner plates full of food in front of them and they were eating...um, dinner. I had dinner at 4 o'clock people! Isn't that earlier than the early bird special? It is day four of intense clouds, rain and low temps. For my probable last trip up to the New England area it is kind of a bust. I'm missing the beach but the idea of dragging a baby and toddler to the cloudy sea is not an idea that is going to … [Read more...]
Notes from the Road
Queue the ridiculously bad and entirely inappropriate except for the song title Barry Manilow song, 'Looks Like We Made It' The girls and I had hit the road yesterday around 4:30 a.m. Typical of TD to stay awake for the whole drive and consume her weight in goldfish crackers while watching 'Bolt' two times in a row before screaming, "I just cannot watch Bolt again!"To the woman at the Woodrow Wilson rest stop with the white fluffball of a dog: Thanks for telling me my kids are so well cute and well-behaved and all. However? So not cool to then dash into the bathroom ahead of us and take the only handicap stall. Thus leaving me, one antsy toddler and The Comedian in a baby carrier car seat to squish ourselves into a Jersey Turnpike single person bathroom stall. I like being close to my … [Read more...]