Awe Inspiring

We returned last night from the first of our "mini-vacations." We traveled to Baltimore, MD for the weekend. It was close, and none of us had really been tourists there before. What a terrific trip! We saw educational and interesting sites - Ft. McHenry of "Star Spangled Banner" fame, the Maritime Museum to tour ships and even a submarine. We toured Edgar Allen Poe's grave, which is located in a fascinating old churchyard and the fantastic National Aquarium. We even made it down to Annapolis for a fabulous early dinner with some very dear friends.

But my friends, I must tell you about the most amazing site that we visited. I had heard many things about this fabulous place and had even viewed the website in the past. I must tell you that the website does not do this monument justice. Truly one of the man-made wonders of the world, it was vast and breathtaking when visited in person. We got lost at one point in our self-guided tour, and yet everything we viewed was amazing. Everywhere we looked we saw simple, yet functional beauty. We were in awe.

Yes my friends, we discovered an Ikea showroom.

D - Day

Well my friends, that dreaded time of the year is upon us. This is the day that all TAHPs (Trapped At Home Parents) fear. Oh we pray that time will slow and the days will pass less rapidly, all to no avail. Yes, it is the First Day of Summer Vacation.

Every year I delude myself into thinking that we'll have a wonderful summer filled with love and laughter. We'll all help with chores in the morning then spend our days blissfully taking educational little day trips. We'll swim together, ride bikes and explore our local sites. I suppose I really need to give up smoking crack.

It has already started. Today the Prince and Princess of Wails settled into their summer routine quite rapidly. They have picked out precious little pet nicknames for each other. She calls him "Freak" and he calls her "Brat." I know this because they have been shrieking their new names at each other all afternoon.

The stairs have apparently shrunken to resemble a narrow mountain pass. We have already endured three fights. One goes up, the other down and neither will let the other go by unaccosted. And you should have felt the love tonight at the dinner table. It was truly heartwarming.

I have not seen my cordless phone that normally lives in the kitchen since early this morning. The good news is that since they are on the phone constantly, I do not have to hear it ring every three minutes as my caller ID shows it has. I wonder what they would do if I got a little crazy and cancelled call waiting. Perhaps I will just for fun.

I have heard the phrase "I'm bored" seven times today. I'm amazed, as they both have thousands of dollars of electronic equipment in their rooms. My favorite thing though, is their reaction to my simple request that they deliver their own clean and folded clothes into their rooms. The big sigh followed by the eye roll is sure to get me through the summer.

My friends, there is nothing we can do. Summer Vacation is upon us. Keep your chins up. There are only 77 days until school starts. I hope I make it.

Hit Me Baby!

It has been so long since I have written, that I have tons to write about. There's the rant and rave (yet again) about public school. There's a funny story or two, but quite honestly tonight I have decided to write about my newest favorite television show. I am enthralled by Hit Me Baby One More Time. Yee Haa!

I can't say that I have been enamored of other British television imports - the ones that are redone here in the US. So to say I was excited about this latest import would be untrue. I wouldn't have actually tuned in if it were not aired on NBC on Thursday night. I NEVER miss "Must See TV," not since my beloved ER began anyway. So two weeks ago I left it on in the background. I was hooked from the first 3 minutes.

HOW COOL IS THIS SHOW?? Artists from the 80s perform one of their hits, then come back to cover a current song. As a confessed child of the 80s, I LOVE this stuff! It's so cool to see these songs performed again and hear what these long forgotten (not by me!) artists have been up to over the years.

I do have to admit, though, that it is a bit depressing. To see people like Howard Jones and the guy from Flock of Seagulls now bald is shocking. And that guy from Wang Chung looks like he’s about 69 years old. Yikes!

Were else can you see Wang Chung cover Nelly's "Hott in Herre?!" It doesn't get much more entertaining than that! Now if you'll excuse me, Cameo is coming up. WORD UP!

Maternity Couture

I am at that "in between" stage of my pregnancy. I can't quite comfortably wear my old jeans and I am not quite desperate enough to wear those huge pregnancy pants my mother insisted on buying for me. I'm not having twins for God's sake. Instead, I have taken to wearing old clothing that I reserve for "housework." It's not that I actually DO much housework, but just in case the urge ever hits me, I have the attire for it.

Most of these clothing items have holes, ripped seams and bleach stains. Many of these stylish pieces are stretched beyond recognition and several of the ratty sweat pants are actually discards from my Hubby. This poses a problem for my children when I leave the house. Apparently they believe I am more unfit to be seen in public than usual. I don't understand what the big deal is. Isn't my comfort (and thus my mood) more important than couture? You would think so. Would they prefer I strut my "bump" for the world to enjoy like those celebrities wearing all those stretchy sequined outfits? I think not. But they are my children, so I am trying to accommodate them. It rained yesterday just before school let out, so I decided to go pick them up in the car. I modified my outfit to something more suitable than "housework clothes." I am afraid, however, that I made a fashion mistake that the Prince and Princess won't soon recover from.

I have this adorable t-shirt that has a screen-printed picture of the kids along with the words "We Love You Mommy" that was given to me years ago for Mother's Day. It is a bit "tight" now days, but I didn't let that stop me. How cute to have the innocent cherubic faces of my babies stretched over my belly carrying the new kid! I paired my precious t-shirt with a pair of my old jeans. I can still button them, though it does make breathing while sitting down a challenge.

You should have seen them when I went to pick them up from school. #1 Son gasped, grabbed a friend by the arm and ran the other way so fast it looked like a precision military maneuver. I think he was hyperventilating. The Little One took one look at me and I swear had some type of seizure. Neither one spoke to me the whole ride home from school.

Ingrates. Next time it rains, they can walk.