Overheard

Belly is wasting time upstairs, waiting for his brother to get out of the bathroom. Hubs is playing video games on Xbox Live, and talking crap online. He offhandedly calls something "retarded" and Belly walked up to him and said, "You can't use that word, Daddy. We don't use that word. If you don't like something, you can say it's irritating." Daddy quickly apologized for his impropriety.

That's my boy :)

I'd been guilty of dropping the R word before a lightning bolt hit me and I realized just how hurtful that word can be. I know and love children who are developmentally disabled, and I'd never allow anyone to hurt their feelings. Hence, that word is not allowed. Ever.

Why I'm Happy, Even When I'm Not

I was tagged by The Rambler at http://ifnramble.blogspot.com/ to write about 6 things that make me really happy. I'm so incredibly pissed off at Ilio right now AND premenstrual to top it off, this is a good exercise for me today.

1) Reading a really good book. The kind that makes you stop strangers that you see reading the same book and ask them what they think.
2) Having a great conversation with my kids. When they ask questions and really want answers. It shows me they're actually paying attention to what the other is saying.
3) All the little things that my husband does for me. He's a much more thoughtful person than I am, and I wonder sometimes if he resents that.
4) Ordering a new entree at a new restaurant and finding out it's great.
5) Damn, this is hard today. Alright, finding the perfect lipstick. Color, finish, texture, etc. It's harder than one would imagine.
6) My friends. I've got the most amazing group of friends, and I'm lucky to always have a willing ear to bend.

I'd tag 6 of those great friends, but I'm afraid they may stop speaking to me if I do, so I'll just leave this open for all :) I'd like to know what makes each of YOU really happy.

The Gift of Hindsight

Last night, I'm awakened by the doorbell. Half asleep, no clue what time it is, I get dressed and stumble down the stairs as it rings for the second time. I paused at the window but didn't see anyone. As I get near the front door, someone is freakin POUNDING on it. *Note: I'm aware of all the horrid things that can happen to a small woman opening the door late at night. But on the other hand, you never know if someone out there needs help.
I get up to the door and it's my neighbor waving and saying, "It's only me!" So I open the door and stick my bed-head outside and he tells me that my garage door is open and he chased off some guys from back there. Now, I don't know about your neighborhoods, but most neighbors where I live wouldn't give a moment's care to someone else being robbed. So I thanked him, threw on some shoes and ran around back. All I did was close the door, I was too tired to go and find out if half our stuff was missing, since I really wasn't in the mood to file a police report.
Thankfully, nothing was missing upon review this morning.
Getting back to the point here. Yesterday after dinner, Belly was playing with Daddy's keys at the dining room table and he said, "Look! I opened the garage door!" because there is, indeed, a garage door opener on his keys. I took the keys away but didn't really think about it. Yeah. Good job.

Mom's Got Skills

This morning while I was making breakfast, Isaiah decided to sit on the table in the living room. I called out from the kitchen, "You don't sit on the table, you sit in a chair!"
He replied, "You can't see me! You're in the kitchen!"
I took that moment to explain to him that moms can indeed see through walls, read minds, and make breakfast at the same time.
He said, "But I can't see you..."
He has decided that I'm a ninja.

Tagged, Book Style

I was tagged by Leanna, to pick up the book nearest me and share some lines, starting with the 5th sentence on page 56. Here ya go, from Wally Lamb's "The Hour I First Believed"

Yes, she smoked: one Marlboro a day, after her evening meal; she'd done that for years. No, she wasn't much of a drinker. A beer every now and then. Brandy on special occasions. Diabetes? No, not that I knew of.

I Know Why the Caged Bird...

Yesterday we took the kiddies to get haircuts at a new shop that we like. Isaiah opted for a faux hawk, which he pronounces, "Po Hawk". Anyway, there was a bird cage on the floor, with a bright yellow and orange bird inside. After watching him for a minute, it made me sad. I can't understand why you'd take something so bright and beautiful and lock it in a cage that way.
Then the owner saw the kids were fascinated with the bird. He asked if they'd like to play with him. Huh?! Who plays with birds?? He said he'd had the bird since it was only a few weeks old, and he'd spent a lot of time training it, playing with it. It's tame, he said, and likes to fly around and meet people. Sure enough, this was a friendly bird. It decided I was fun to hang on, so it would fly around me and then land on my shoulder and nestle in my hair. Creepy at first, yes. But then we were laughing and absolutely delighted, just spending a few minutes hanging out with this little bird.

Another "Last Post"

So this time it's the last post about my strange little Twilight obsession. I swear. (That doesn't mean I won't be emailing about it, Dawn!) Yesterday I finished Breaking Dawn, as I'd predicted, I'd finished the series before the weekend was out. So what did I do today? Read the first twelve chapters of Midnight Sun, of course. I tried to avoid it, I really did. But I HAD to go back and read it. Um, miss Edward's perspective?! Not a chance. So at least now I've got something to look forward to, if/when the author finishes it. BTW, Stephanie Meyer can now be added to the list of Authors I Love. She's in good company... Audrey Niffenegger, Wally Lamb, Jean Plaidy, Jodi Picoult, David Sedaris, Jan Burke, Chelsea Cain (she's new, look up her books, they're about a female serial killer!) Ah yes, Wally Lamb FINALLY put out another book. I can only hope it touches the genius of his previous two. I feel privileged to read these works, truly. As if I'm allowed to share some great secret.

Since I grudgingly picked up Twilight after hearing so much about it, what else would you suggest?? And why?

Anyway, I've resigned myself to the fact that I will absolutely watch Twilight on DVD when it comes out, and hopefully without so much cynicism.

But tonight, I watch Lestat. Excuse me while I press play on Queen of the Damned.... :)