Meet McKenzie

We have a new pet. It snuck up on us and grew over the Christmas holidays. The last day before vacation, Hannah brought home a dirt-filled sock from preschool. Its two googily eyes stared back at me and just begged to be thrown in the trash. But the promise from the preschool teachers that hair would appear on our "sock buddy" was enough for Hannah to save its life from the clutches of the trash man. She named it, faithfully watered it, and put it in windows where sunshine was plenty. Sure enough, our little McKenzie has hair. She lost one of her eyes and her nose in the growing process, but peeks out at you through her unruly mane with one good eye. Josh has even begun giving her haircuts - which is just an extra treat for me because he leaves the trimmings scattered all around her each time. It's like a little present that I get to clean up. I love those kind of presents. Please, give me more.

All in all, she's a pretty good pet. She doesn't smell, there's no cage cleaning to be done, and I don't have to give her any attention. Aside from her hair clippings, she is hassle-free. If only I could convince Chase that this is the pet for him. He turns eight this year - and has unfortunately not forgotten the hastily-made promise of three years ago in which he gets a pet on his eighth birthday. I totally expected him to forget or be into something else by the time he turned eight. He's not. And I am so not looking forward to September.

ooey-gooey-hannah-goodness

Last night I was getting ready for bed. Josh is out of town at a conference, so I was left alone to lock up for the night. I went to make sure my kids were covered with blankets, kiss them, and peek at their innocent-baby goodness that only comes out when they are sleeping. Hannah stirred a little bit, saw me, and reached her arms out for me. I bent down to give her a love, and she just squeezed with all her Hannah squishiness. The soft baby smell (that also somehow is only around when they're asleep - awake, they smell like the big people they are becoming - ew!), and the clearly-loved way she squeezed my neck - it melted my heart. She then looks up at me in all her innocence, eyelashes fluttering, and says, "Can I sleep wiff you?"

Who am I to deny her a cozy spot in my bed when she is so obviously precious? So I cuddled her up and we tiptoed past the boys' room (lest this sleepover become public knowledge) and headed into my room.

The only problem that arose was when I turned on the TV (my new habit/addiction - falling asleep to the TV. I like to set the timer, find something to barely watch, and drift off. I figure it's kind of like my own grown-up version of a nightlight). Hannah immediately props her pillow up with a little too much eagerness, clearly now wide awake, and says, "What're we watchin'?" Mind you, it is now about 11:30 p.m., and that early morning routine is looming in the back of my mind. But, being the diligent, careful parent that I am, I said, "Grey's Anatomy," (re-runs have begun on Lifetime, Dr. McDreamy every night...yum!)

She watched pretty intently for a few minutes before the commentary began. "Who is that girl?" "Is she going to have a baby?" "Why is she kissing that doctor?" "Why is that lady so angry?" "Did she have a baby at the hospital?" "Did you have your babies at the hospital?" And then the one question that parents everywhere dread and feign deafness to avoid..."WHERE DO BABIES COME FROM?"

That's it, lights out. Gotta get some sleep. Goodnight, Hannah. Nope, TV's going off. We've got to get our rest. What's that you say? Oh, sorry, I didn't hear you because I'm almost asleep. No, we'll talk about it in the morning.

Next time I'll be strong. No, I won't answer that question with all the vigor and educational parenting I can muster. Next time I'll make her stay in her own bed. That way I can greedily watch TV all by myself without having to face life's questions from a four-year-old at 11:30 p.m., when every child in the world should be sleeping - and every Mama dreaming of Dr. McDreamy.

karma

Let me just tell you a little bit about my luck. If I go on vacation somewhere that's supposed to be, I don't know, say WARM, it will be unseasonably cold. And not just cold, but record snow falls and freezing rain. If the town in which I live is anxiously awaiting spring after a long, hard winter - you can count on two feet of rain to fall in 24 hours (check the books - this happened last spring), and about another month of rain after that. I was forced to listen to my husband describe pristine blue skies and 74 degree temperatures in April while he was out here in Cali and we were still in Boston. You wanna know what April looked like last year in Boston?

That is what I woke up to on the morning of April 5th. Nice, huh? Now you see why I've become such angry, angry woman. Nobody wants to see that in April, for crying out loud.

So now that I'm in Cali, soaking up the non-snow, what does the weather look like on the east coast? Oh, how about sunny, unseasonably, unbelievably warm. Today it was 60 degrees here. Not too bad for a January day, I'd say. It was 70 freakin' degrees in Boston today. Now that I'm not there, in January, they are warmer in Boston than in California.

I wanted to be the envy of everyone who lives anywhere but here. I wanted people to think of me this winter and go, "Oh, wow, I wish I was her." Why did I want to be thought of by friends shoveling snow and wearing coats? BECAUSE I DESERVE IT! I have lived in some of the most extreme climates known to man. I deserve to have the best winter of my life. I deserve to be warm - outside. I've put in my time. It's MY turn. I've shoveled three feet of snow by myself when my husband was out of town. I have bundled up three tiny kids and fought icy roads to get where we needed to be. I have made (and cleaned up) countless sticky, messy cups of hot chocolate when the kids vainly attempted to battle wind chills and snow drifts in the back yard, only to come pouring in after ten minutes, frozen and crying. Me. I did that.

I seriously dislike most of you right about now. No hard feelings though, huh? Just remember when I didn't call you from the beach in November to brag ... oh, wait, I might have.

Guess we're even. Maybe I ought to work on my good karma...

like the flip of a switch

Here is Hannah at the park yesterday. Ain't she pretty?

Here is Hannah at the park, about ten minutes later, unable to understand why her brothers do not want to play football and house at the same time. Everyone knows football and house go together...what's wrong with these brothers? Oh, the travesty of it all...

Here is Hannah at the park. She gave up on football/house and decided to play alone. Mind you, there is about 12 minutes difference between the first picture and the last...girls!

And here are the boys, completely unaware that they have ruined their sister's life. Thank goodness she forgave them...

guilty pleasures

Okay, we all have them. Some we can put out there, others are locked away deep inside for only our enjoyment. I'm coming clean - here are a few guilty pleasures that I enjoy (but won't readily admit - until now):

1. Dog the Bounty Hunter (yes, the Hawaii-based reality show, bad-guy-gettin', white trash, chain-smoking Dog). I can't get enough. It drives Josh crazy, but I just love this show.

2. Kelly Clarkson. I admit this one shamelessly. There are not many songs that touch my soul the same way as her live version of "Beautiful Disaster." Download it today; you won't be sorry. I'm very anti-American Idol (with the brilliant exception of Clay Aiken, but that's another story), and yet I find myself mesmerized by the vocal talents of Miss Kelly. She rocks, no denyin' it.

3. Diet Coke. Okay, this one is hardly a secret; and hardly guilt-inducing, but it ranks up there on my daily must-have list, so I'm including it here.

4. Musicals. I love them; in fact, I have yet to meet I musical I didn't love. My friend Jackie once told me I was like a gay man when it came to my love of Broadway. I took that as quite the compliment. From the opening note to the closing of the curtain - I become mesmerized, lost, captured. I love it and will always pay good money for what it does to me. My favorite of late is Wicked...and has been for quite some time now.

5. MTV. I know, I know. It's shameful...I'm well past the age where this is acceptable. I can't help it, I love it. Ironic, though, is the fact that what I do enjoy about MTV is not the music videos - no, mine is an affection for all the rest. The Real World. True Life. The Osborne's et al. That's where my viewing love affair takes place, the un-music of MTV.

6. Chocolate. This one needs no justification; I will offer none. It is what it is. We all must have that naughty little cacao seed. You know what I'm talkin' about. My favorite forms of this tempting vice are Kit-Kats and the Reeses Peanut Butter Trees, Hearts, and Pumpkins. Do not be confused with the regular Reeses Peanut Butter Cups - true perfection is found in the ratio of chocolate to peanut butter found only in the special edition holiday treats. Lucky for me, the devils at Hershey seem to have found a way to make them into all holiday shapes - thus making them available to me almost year-round. Shoot, there goes my number one new year's resolution...

7. Bad Magazines. There is something so great about holding the latest edition of In Touch or OK! Magazine - just waiting to share with you the smutty gossip of celebrities and psuedo-celebrities alike. I feel like a fly on the wall at a great party I was never invited to. So, so fun.

8. Manicures and Pedicures. I adore having my hands and toes done. Something about sitting in that big, leather chair, feet soaking in hot, sudsy water - all the while my hands are getting massaged and babied. Makes me feel like I'm a princess getting all pampered and primped for the ball. So what if my "ball" is waiting on a stone-cold bench while my boys fence their hearts out, taking my turn on the preschool field trips, or that blessed of all events - pack meeting. I'm a princess and I deserve it!

The ultimate for me would be getting a mani/pedi, sipping a diet coke and munching on a Reese's PB tree. In my free hand is the latest edition of a gossip magazine that features an article on the Dog. I've got Kelly Clarkson or Wicked blasting through the headphones of my I-Pod, and I'm watching The Real World on the t.v. in the corner. All my loves in once place... aaaugghhhh (ala Homer J., another pleasure I haven't owned up to yet.)

Now it's your turn...what are your guilty pleasures? Do share...

I resolve...

In keeping with tradition, here is my annual resolution list,

(and not in any particular order):

I will stop eating bad (okay, not all together, but at least some of the time).
I will exercise six days a week.
I will be excited about my church calling (or at least try and be a little bit more positive).
I will go on a great trip.
I will go to New York City (my fav!) and see a show, shop, and eat.
I will wear lots of sunscreen at the beach.
I will make homework more fun for my kids.
I will take a photography class and actually learn how to use my new camera.

I will get organized and manage this household like the OCD-nerd that I am.

I will take lots of time for me (brought to me courtesy of Hannah starting the big "K" this year!)

I will go to a movie all by myself.

I will once and for all go through my socks and throw out the ones with holes.

I will buy a pair of wild and sexy shoes.

I will find someplace fabulous to wear said shoes.

I will be kind to strangers.

I will somehow learn to be more patient.

I will laugh, love, cry, hope, wish, curse, celebrate, pout, and smile - but I will have no regrets.