On the Road to Dementia

Recently on the news, I saw a health report stating that taking Benadryl (or any product containing Benadryl) every day for 90 days or more can increase a person's risk for dementia or Alzheimer’s later in life. That doesn’t bode well for me because Benadryl is the only OTC antihistamine that doesn’t make my heart race. During allergy season (which is almost year-round in FL), I take at least one a day.

Add the Benadryl to the Brain Termites and I’ll be hiding my own Easter Eggs in no time.

No Longer Stuck

Goodness, it's been two weeks since I meet with the PTSD therapist. It seems a lifetime ago. I feel like the real me again. Well, I've always been me... only for so many years I had this heavy layer of dark, sticky varnish covering me up.

Here, Bono and The Edge can express it much better than me...

Out Flanked

The generations on either side of me have banded together and out maneuvered me.

For weeks, months, years... G-Man has asked for Nerf Dart Guns for his birthday and Chirstmas to add to his existing arsenal. My Sweetie and I have replied with "No." I know, I know, we're mean, horrible parents. But we figured that the boys had PLENTY of Nerf Dart Guns and ENOUGH darts.

After a while a person gets tired of hearing that clicking and popping sound the guns make. Especially when the boys should be getting ready for school and I'm already running late for work! Also, finding the darts all over the house loses it's novelty quickly. I've found them behind the furniture, in Molly's bowl, the velcro ones usually end up in the laundry. Oh, let's not forget the suction cup dart that's been stuck to the inside of the skylight for 5 years.

For G-Man's birthday this year he asked once again for a new Nerf Dart Gun. The answer was "No." He was sneaky and asked his Grandmother. Well, we all know that he has Grandmother wrapped around his finger. My mother called me one day and attempted to negotiate on G-Man's behalf. Frustrated I told her, "When I get a dart gun, then G-Man can get one."

Who knew that someday my mother would take sarcasm seriously.

Below is a photo of my new Nerf Dart Gun...

I've got to admit that firing it is kind of fun. It's even more fun when I fire it at the kids. My Sweetie also complimented me on my grouping.

The boys even thought it necessary to label my gun so I wouldn't confuse it with any of theirs. "SD4L" stands for Supreme Dictator for Life.

From now on I have to be more careful of what I say, how I say it, and to whom. But in the meantime, my Sweetie has my back and I'm well armed.

Happy Birthday G-Man!

Today G-Man enters the teenage years and I have a few more white hairs.

This is how he started the day accompanied by shouts of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" He really doesn't look that excited, does he?

Later when he was dressed for golf camp he looked much more awake.

Update - 6 p.m. - G-Man is officially a teenager now. For the first time ever he kissed me before Grandmother on his birthday! Woo Hoo! I'm in!

Don't Let the Big Black Dog Exterior Fool You

On the inside Molly is really just a marshmallow.

Last night we had one heck of a storm whip through the area. It was complete with a spectacular display of thunder and lightning. I drifted in and out of sleep as the storm raged on. At one point Molly woke me up by poking her nose in my face. She would probably like everyone to believe that she was just checking to make sure I was OK. But from the look on her face and the way she was shaking, if she could talk, she would have cried, "HOLD ME!"

She spent the rest of the storm pressing her body up against the bed as hard as she could while I slept with my hand resting on her back. Because sitting on a hardwood floor with her feet slipping out from under her was so much more comfortable than laying on her Temperpedic, memory foam dog bed.

I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

Last week Mr. A went to swim camp at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He has expressed an interest in attending the Academy ever since middle school. This week long visit in which he slept in the same dorm, ate in the same chow hall, and swam in the same pool as the Midshipmen only solidified his decision.

The road to the Academy is a long one and it requires a lot of hard work and focus. I’m glad to say that Mr. A is on track. But the really HARD work begins after Induction Day. Mr. A only got a smidgen taste of that at swim camp. He worked his tail off by attending three practices a day, participating in dry land exercises, and social activities. He ate a 4,000 calorie a day diet and still lost weight. I’m very proud of him because most of the attendees at the camp were year-round swimmers whereas Mr. A is a seasonal swimmer. But he still managed to hold his own.

His only complaint was the “lack of hot girls” with the exception of one of the counselors. He should know by now that girls who swim are not afraid to get their hair wet. I’m sure if he saw any of those girls at school in normal clothes with hair and make-up done he would trip over his size 14 feet. I did warn him that at the Academy the guy-to-girl ratio will NOT be in his favor. That’s when he informed me that he will be attending the Academy for the education and not to chase girls. Apparently, he had different priorities for swim camp.

Below is a photographer’s proof of Mr. A at swim camp. If I want to download the actual photo I would have to pay $23. I completely understand why the photographer charges that much because I would then have unlimited use of the photo. But come on! It’s not that great of a shot. So I have absolutely no qualms about posting the proof because it has the photographer’s name and incorrect copyright date.



Mr. A did bring home a present from swim camp… the flu. Well, what do you expect when you put 200 campers, counselors, and coaches from all over the country in close quarters for a week? Half of them will come home sick. By the time the guys got home Sunday night, Mr. A was feeling better. However, yesterday morning G-Man woke up with a 102 fever and missed the first day of golf camp... and the second day...

Thanks so much.

The Boys Are Back!

Last night my Sweetie and the boys came home from their 10-day road trip Odyssey of epic proportions. I don't care if that's redundant because the trip in itself was redundant. I couldn't make the trip with them because I didn't have enough vacation time saved up. Besides that, I don't think there would have been enough room in the car!

They drove from Tampa, FL to Highlands, NC to drop my MIL off with relatives. Then from Highlands to Virginia Beach, VA where they stayed with my Sweetie's cousin. Then from Virginia Beach to Annapolis, MD to drop Mr. A off at swim camp at the US Naval Academy. S and G-Man drove back to Virginia Beach to spend a few days there. At the end of the week, they drove up to Baltimore, MD to visit with another cousin. Then back down to Annapolis to pick up Mr. A. Then they put it all in reverse. Including the side trip to Highlands.

Whew! I'm tired just writing about it. My Sweetie is bushed. He drove 3,300 miles in 10 days. Yep, he did all the driving. I don't think he'll repeat that trip any year soon.

I missed all three of them so much while they were gone. It was the longest I had gone without seeing any of them. In fact, before this trip I hadn't been without husband or child for more than 24 hours since Mr. A had been born. That's right, I hadn't been alone for more than just a few hours in almost 16 years.

Happy Father's Day Pops!

PS - Remember NO skateboards!

Volvos, Meatballs & IKEA

These are a few of my favorite Swedish things.

I consider Super Target one of my favorite stores. But if you think of Target in terms of being the neighborhood playground that you go to every day, then IKEA is Busch Gardens.

Today the folks and I went to the brand new IKEA in the area. I was so excited! I haven't been to an IKEA since Mr. A was a toddler and dropped an ice cream scoop in the cart. I didn't realize I bought it until we got home.

IKEA has made some improvements over the years. My first stop was the restroom and I was very pleased to see that they use water conserving toilets. Push the handle up for #1 and down for #2. They've also added a lot more products for children that are safe and affordable. Some of the storage ideas would have been great when the boys were little and we were on an extremely tight budget. The other great new addition is the Swedish food market. Yes! Frozen meatballs to go!

We did the whole showroom upstairs and got some really good ideas. Then we had lunch. Swedish meatballs with ligon berry sauce all around! I'm sure glad they didn't change that. I have dreamed about IKEA's meatballs for 14 years.

After lunch we went downstairs to cruise through the individual products. I picked up some items on my wish list and some practical impulse buys. Hey! Why pay $20 for an over-sized whisk at Sur La Table when IKEA has one just as good for $5?

The only low part of the day was when we walked through the area rugs and I started wheezing and sneezing. It must have been all the wool and jute rugs. Then I noticed the cowhide rugs. I chuckled because I thought they were cowhide PATTERNED rugs. Then I saw an actual rancher's brand on the animal skin. I momentarily regretted all those meatballs I inhaled at lunch.

But then as I looked around for my parents, I realized just how many people were in the store. I had been moving through crowds of people for 2 hours - INDOORS - and didn't panic once. Who knew how many benefits I would reap from that therapy session last Monday.

Anyway, here's a small photo gallery of my loot for the day...

Down-filled pillow forms with zippered slipcovers. The polka dots are for the sofa and the over-sized brown ones are for the floor. The boys usually lay on the floor with Molly when they watch TV. Cream-colored pillows with black dog hair don't mix.

These stainless steel cooling racks are awesome and so sleek looking. They were only $6 each so I bought two. I have laminate countertops and I'm always looking for a trivet or something to place a hot saucepan. You never realize how scuffed up your Calphalon pans are until you take a close-up photo.

The Swedish food market didn't disappoint. I picked up gravad lax for the guys and chocolate & hazelnut cookies for myself. Plus we are now well stocked with meatballs, gravy, and ligon berry sauce.

I'm Back

This is a photo of me taken back in college (20 years ago!). It sits on the computer desk in the den at home. My husband must have put it there. I don't even know where he found it.

Every time I used to sit down at the computer I would see this image and cringe. I would think, "That's not me. She doesn't exist anymore."

In the past 20 years, the young woman above got lost in the shadows. She thought she married "Prince Charming" but instead he turned out to be not-a-very-nice-person. For ten years she tried as hard as she could to be invisible while at the same time protecting her children with her life. Then she spent another seven years running away from the horrible memories.

Not anymore.

Yesterday I spent all day with a therapist that specializes in PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

This morning I sat down at the computer and the photo caught my eye. I said, "That's Me!" and burst out laughing.

I'm back.

G-Man's Temper

Monet Garden (a triolet)

With you, a bottle of wine and some cheese

in a Monet garden I'd like to be.

Oh won't you come with me? Oh please, oh please.

With you, a bottle of wine and some cheese.

Recline on the lawn. You'll fee so at ease.

Absorb the flowers. A grand sight to see.

With you, a bottle of wine and some cheese

in a Monet garden I'd like to be.

Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926), Landscape: The Parc Monceau, 1876, Oil on Canvas, 23.5 x 32.5 in, Bequest of Loula D. Lasker, New York City, 1961, 59.206

The Start of Mr. A's Swimming Career

Notice the giraffe on the life jacket? Mr. A was so ahead of his time.

One Tint Away from a Meltdown

Yes, I'm suppose to be on a blog vaction. But I'm so flustered that I had to write about it.

Yesterday I got my eyebrows tinted. I know I said I wasn't going to do it anymore because it only creates a vicious cycle. Well, I wasn't listening to the practical part of my brain. I threw caution to the wind and said, "To heck with it, let's do it!'

Here's a tip... never use that phrase when permanent dye is involved.

Apparently, when I told the girl "Auburn", she must have thought I was talking about the school in Alabama because my eyebrows are now BLACK.

When she handed me the mirror and I looked at my blurry reflection (I wasn't wearing my glasses), I commented that they seemed a little dark. She told me that the color will eventually start to fade in a few days.

So what am I suppose to do in the meantime? Put on pouty red lipstick and pretened that I'm the world's only redheaded Geisha?

I have washed my face (in hopes of fading the dye) so many times in the last 24 hours that I've lost count. I put hydrogen peroxide on my eyerbrows for several minutes last night and nothing happened. I'm afraid to try lip hair bleach for fear of burning my skin.

So my options are:
1. Leave them as is and look like a Disney villainess.
2. Quickly learn how to do "Smokey Eyes" and wear lots of heavy eye make-up.
3. Pluck them out completly and pencil them in for the next 4 weeks.

Right now I'm actually missing the big framed eyeglasses from the late '80s.

So Weird

Please No Photos

Southwest Florida, Here We Come!

My girlfriend is coming down for a long weekend and we're heading to the spa tomorrow. Who knows what we'll be up to the rest of the weekend. Menfolk beware!

PS - Gropius, thanks for the inspiration for the graphic!

Molly, You're Not That Fast

This is one of the bunnies that likes to visit our backyard to eat our weeds. Maybe they like the Pensacola Bahia grass that we seeded the backyard with last year. Shhh! Don't tell the HOA.

Molly get's very excited when she sees the bunnies. I'm not quite sure if she wants to catch them or play with them. Either way, I make a lot of noise opening the lanai door so the bunnies can escape under the fence.

Life is in the Details

I'm tired.

I know this for a couple of reasons.

1. Last week while Mr. A was in the middle of exams, he looked at me and said, "Mom, you look tired. You need a summer vacation."

2. The other morning as I put the cap back on my deodorant I noticed a sticker that asked me, "If you're not sure you own an iron, you're a Mitchum Man." I was so confused. I stared and stared at this stick of deodorant in my hand wondering what it could mean. Then I realized that I had purchased a Men's deodorant stick (unscented, of course). I wanted to cry. Not only did I NOT notice that I picked up Men's deodorant in the store, I wasn't aware of it every morning that I used it for THE PAST MONTH!

It may seem like a silly little thing but it really struck home with me. It made me wonder how many other details of my life I am missing on a daily basis.

So I'm going to take a small break from blogging and use that time for a little bit more quiet, restorative time. But I'm not going totally cold turkey. I've scheduled "picture of the day" blogs for the next week. Plus I'll still be lurking out there reading everyone else's blogs.

Giraffe Print, Really?

Who doesn't love giraffes? No other creature on the planet even comes close to resembling them. They enter the world at a four-foot drop. Their tongues are pigmented black so they don't get sunburned while stripping leaves off trees on the Serengeti.

When I received a Dooney & Bourke catalog in the mail earlier this year and saw the giraffe print bag, I have to admit that I oohed and aahed. I even went to the store to look at the bag. It was lovely. But I'm just not the type of person to pay $400 on a trendy purse.

Suddenly, I noticed a lot of women carrying giraffe print bags. I noticed them every where from the grocery store to high-end restaurants. One evening I spotted two different women carrying their bags at Target. Who would carry their $400 bag to Target while wearing shorts and flipflops? Can that many women be willing to pay that much for a purse??? They are as proliferous as Vera Bradley bags (btw, I'm glad that I opted not for the Purple Punch pattern). I also happened to notice that many of the bags had red straps. Finally, when Mr. A and I were in Tallahassee I spied a kiosk in the mall selling knock-offs. Obviously! Why didn't I think of that before?

Now I see giraffe print spreading into all aspects of fashion and home decor. Last week when G-Man and I were at the Gap we saw a giraffe print bikini in the GIRLS department. An animal print bikini for an 8-yr-old? Really? Since the the strippers have ruined the reputation of zebra and leopard prints, is giraffe the only respectable animal print left?

So what's in store for next season? Dalmation print? Wait, Cruella De Vil already did that one.

Photos courtesy of About.com, Dooney & Bourke, Anne Klein, Gap

Marketing Tactics

In this harsh economic climate, marketing departments need to think outside to box to promote their company's products and services.

This particular company has resorted to using subliminal messages in their packaging.

Iceberg Off the Starboard Bow

Saturday night we when out for a celebration dinner to congratulate the boys on getting straight A's all year in school. Our kids are so weird. In our family straight A's equals sushi. I'm so glad that I got the occasional B in school!

What you see in the photo below is the "Titanic" at our favorite Japanese restaurant. The round plate in the bottom of the photo is my shrimp tempura dinner since I can't eat fish or soy. The guys allow me one little corner of the table to myself.

On this particular occasion, the contents of the sushi boat disappeared in 16 minutes flat. That was after miso soup and seaweed salad. Then the second half of my dinner disappeared as well. I haven't brought a to-go box home from a restaurant since Mr. A hit high school.

As if the sushi dinner wasn't enough, the guys felt the need to stop at Smoothie King for dessert.

Guess What

Does anyone know what this might be???

Summer Vacation Begins

Now what am I suppose to do with them???

Last Day of School

This is for G-Man and Mr. A.

Fabulous at Forty

At first, I was horrified to find out that this year marks the 40th anniversary of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpiller. I read this book to my children. They read it to me. We still own it! How could this fabulous book be 40 years old? How could this family favorite be as old as me?

But the more I thought about it, I now feel honored to be born the same year Eric Carle created this masterpiece.

"... a beautiful butterfly."

Brain Termites

That's Mr. A's explination for the gaps in my memory.

Granted there's about a year of my life (before, during, and after my surgery) that I don't fully remember because of the legally prescribed opiate painkillers I took. At times it can be emotionally upsetting because I have absolutely no recollection of some events. For example, G-Man's 12th birthday.

But I have been off the painkillers for a good 9 months now and I'm still having short-term memory loss. It's frustrating the heck out of me! If cocaine can cause brain damage, what can opium do? I'm sure it must have killed off at least a few brain cells.

So let's review my choices:

1. Brain damage due to long-term usage of leagally prescribed opiates.
2. I'm getting old
3. Brain Termites.

Honestly, I don't like any of those choices. Any other suggestions?

Happy Birthday Grandmother!

Today's post is dedicated to my mom in honor of her birthday. My mom is a great mom and an awesome grandmother. She's stubborn, opinionated, strong in spirit, loves her comfort zone, and has a huge heart. She donates plasma every two weeks like clockwork. She plays taxi service for the boys while I'm still at work. Loves to cook huge meals. But the rest of the time, she's in her sewing room making quilts for Project Linus and SPARCC. Because no child should be away from home without a "woobie".

Grandmother's birthday cake that we enjoyed last night.

My Parents

One more thing you should know about my mom... She's always been WAY ahead of the fashion and decorating trends. You'll notice that the background on my blog today has changed for the occasion. You'll also notice that the pattern matches the sofa pictured in the photo below. The sofa that my mother selected over 40 years ago! I loved that sofa. Unfortunately, it was ruined in a flood.

The occasion of my sister's 1st Holy Communion (circa 1971). My brother is on the left. Of course, I'm the adorable toddler in the front.