No! Anything But The Cup!

Whenever I rhapsodize about how wonderful my Boo-Boo is, people always say, “Wait until he hits the Terrible Two’s!”. Why do they have to be a harbinger of doom? But, at 16 months, he’s definitely starting to assert his independence and test boundaries. Yes, he sometimes has a little fit when he doesn’t get his way. But, after I’ve distracted him with something else, all is OK. Terrible Two’s? Bring it on!

I’ve blogged before about our trials and tribulations with the sippy cup. Well, he’s finally accepted it. Yay! We only had to go through about four different kinds of cups. Unfortunately, he won’t drink milk out of the thing (only water). But, I figure that it will be OK if I put homo milk into his food and give him yogurt.

So, we nearly had a calamity of epic proportions the other day when I nearly lost the bloody thing!

I had decided to go to the store to pick up a few things. It had rained crazy hard earlier but turned out hot and sunny. I had even planned to go through the park. Perfect!

So, I packed up the little bugger and off we went. I noticed about halfway there that my cup holder thingie on my stroller had somehow popped out. It was actually hanging upside down. No problem, clickety-click and all fixed. We got to the park finally and stopped to catch a breather. I figured my kid would be thirsty so I went to get his sippy cup from the cup holder.

It wasn’t there.

Well, of course it wasn’t there. The stupid cup holder had been  hanging upside-down only a few moments earlier. Crap.

So, I turned around to trace back my steps. I really needed to find that sippy cup. It took forever to get him to drink out of the thing. And, I didn’t want to shell out another eight bucks. A measly eight bucks? Hey, that’s four cups of coffee.

Anyhoo, walking back was hell since it was uphill. Not a problem if it’s just me. However, it’s a sweaty endeavor on a hot day with a toddler in a stroller. Who needs to go to the gym?

Luckily, I found the sippy cup. It was sitting on the sidewalk about twenty feet from home. Whew!

Needless to say, we never made it to the park. We did get to the store though. I definitely needed a box of wine after that brouhaha.

Get Off Your Butt

I just got a message from an old friend on Facebook. She just wanted to wish me a happy belated birthday. So sweet! But, she also went on to say that the reason that she had forgotten was because she hadn’t been on Facebook lately.

That got me thinking.

I realized that the only reason I ever remember anyone’s birthday/anniversary/party is because of Facebook. If it’s not on there, I won’t know about it. I also realized that I don’t know anyone’s phone number. I just push a button on my cell and it dials it for me. Gadzooks! What happened to memorizing? I used to know everyone’s number like the back of my hand. Technology may have made things faster and easier. But, it also has reduced my brain to a lazy pile of mush.

I’m reminded of the movie “WALL-E”. In it, people have morphed into immobile “Jabba the Huts” because technology has  eliminated their need for walking. With the invention of the Segueway, is permanent laziness that far behind?

Love Is In The Air

After many headaches (passports, packing, car rental, etc.), we finally had our family vacation in Orlando. In fact, it was our first vacation since we got married. For shame!

I worried about how my Boo-Boo was going to be on the flight. Luckily, it coincided with his regular nap time. He was actually out like a light when we got up to cruising altitude. Having him run around the boarding area for an hour certainly helped too.  There was quite a number of children on board. So, I was surprised (but relieved) that he was able to sleep through the din. What a traveller!

I don’t understand the whole idea of pre-boarding though. I get that it’s convenient for people who need assistance. But, once you get on the plane with your kid and have your stuff stowed away, what do you do for the next 20  minutes before taking off? Have you tried keeping a 15 month toddler in one spot for any length of time? Luckily, there was a fetching two year old girl in the seat in front of us. My son made googly eyes at her until we were up in the air. Such a flirt already.

I think I’m in trouble…

Still The King

Michael! Michael! Michael!

Coverage of Michael Jackson’s death is everywhere. It seems that every news channel is not only covering the latest developments but they are creating stories out of thin air. Folks, we are coming close to supersaturation.

Don’t get me wrong. I still love the man’s music. But, this beatification is a little over the top. He was a musical icon and a sensational performer. No one will ever be as famous as he was. However, fame certainly seemed to have distorted his perception of reality.   He unwittingly surrounded himself with too many “yes” men. We will forever be wondering what may have been.

A friend of mine revealed to me that he was actually glad that he was dead. He said that as a mother, I should be relieved as well since he was a pedophile. My friend thought that I was letting Michael’s celebrity status cloud my judgment.

Hmmmm. Do we give preferential treatment to celebrities? Perhaps. We have a tendency to put them on a pedestal.  But, don’t we also then take sadistic pleasure in bringing them down? As I recall, the child molestation charges were never proven. In fact, I was always suspicious of the fact that the Chandler family chose to take a settlement ($20 million!) rather then go to court.  As a parent, I would have definitely tried to prosecute his ass. If it was true, of course. Balls to the wall!

Now I’m hearing rumours that the boy lied about Michael molesting him. Shazbot!

Well, I still will be exposing my son to Michael’s music. He may have been a flawed star, but he was a star nonetheless. Maybe I’m kidding myself. But, I want to remember the Michael from 1983. This was the Michael who broke boundaries and set the blueprint for every single performer since then. This was the innocent Michael. The Michael who was still together and unblemished by money-hungry whores and sycophants.

So, like many people, I will be watching the memorial coverage on television.  Maybe I am a lemming and shouldn’t be buying into the hype. However, I did grow up with Michael’s music imprinted into my consciousness. He was an integral part of my childhood.

He was also a son, brother, and father. My heart goes out to his family.

Despite his troubles, the world will never produce another artist like Michael. He was one of a kind.

Home Sweet Home

Wah! It’s over!

We’re back finally. While it was fun, it certainly is good to be home.

I hope to blog about our first family vacation soon. I’m just in the midst of unpacking, cleaning, and catching up. Whew! So much to do already.

I have to give props (again) to my parents for finding the time and money to take me and my sibs on summer vacations many moons ago. I don’t know how they did it back then. I have just one kid and it was still a logistical headache. However, my hubby and I have vowed to go away more often. Not just for our sanity, but for the new experiences and memories.

I’m thinking California is next….

Flying into Orlando

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Finally! We are flying out of here tomorrow! After much planning, headache, expense, and last-minute change of venue (Orlando instead of Naples), we will be on our way.

As I have mentioned before, this will be our first family vacation. With the way my husband and I have been sniping at one another for the past 24 hours, it hopefully won’t be our last!

So, I will be computer-free for a week. Hence, there will be no posts. Whatever will you do? He, he.

I can’t wait to bake in the sun, sip martinis, feel sand in my toes, and shop like the retail whore that I am.

Have a safe long weekend everyone! See you soon!

Self Serve

My son did a very weird thing the other day.

We were playing in his room. Rather, he was playing. I was lying on the floor exhausted from running around at work. Isn’t it exam time? Shouldn’t kids be studying rather than making a mess of my store? I digress.

We just had storytime. He then reached over, pulled my top down, and helped himself to a snack. No, I was not wearing a bra. It’s one of the first things I whip off when I get home from work. OK, too much information. Anyway, I don’t know if he was actually hungry or comfort sucking. But, it was weird.  He never did that before!

I hope he doesn’t get it in his head to do it in public.