Holly and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

Do you ever have those days where it seems like all you get is bad news and nothing goes your way? The kind of days where you are constantly stubbing your toe and bumping into corners? Well, welcome to my day. Except instead of stubbing my toes I seemed to step on every single sharp toy my children own.

About thirty minutes before Pete got home and about an hour after I had started my decent into a swirling vortex of bad mood misery I decided that my ticket to pleasure would be a meal out. I love, love, love to eat and almost nothing makes me happier than delicious food. I had to play my cards carefully though. Pete doesn't like to eat out with the rug rats. His idea of "eating out" is fast food and tonight, I wanted a sit down meal. I decided the best way to go was to get the boys completely ready to go and dress myself a little nicer than usual. This way I could say, "But Pete, I dressed up just for you!" when he would inevitably say no. It worked. Yes, I admit it was a wee bit manipulative but I'll be honest, I was desperate, and I'd like to think that Pete knows me well enough to know when I'm "scheming."

When we got to the restaurant the first thing Kyle did was scream and for the first time we got dirty looks because of it. Or at least, this was the first time I noticed. I decided that instead of getting angry and sulking I would just have to cope and do my best to keep the kids happy. Luckily we got the best waitress EVER and she made sure we got everything quickly so the kids stayed quiet. It was beyond satisfying to walk past the mean muggers with my children knowing that they were perfect for the entire meal. The woman even smiled at my kids.

By the time we climbed back into the car my mood was considerably lighter. Although still bummed about some of the news I received today I'm content. I've been blessed with enough food in my stomach, children who not only know how to behave in a restaurant but are beyond cute, and a husband who is willing to make himself uncomfortable to cheer me up. Tonight, life is good.

"Two may talk together under the same roof for many years yet never really meet, and two others at first speech are old friends." Mary Catherwood

Teen Angst Tuesday

I was originally going to post this last week but due to stomach bugs and general laziness it did not happen. So, from here on out, Tuesdays shall be known as "Teen Angst Tuesdays" around here. Each week I will post a poem. Sometimes it will be one of mine, but probably not very often because I tend to hate my own poetry. Sometimes I'll post poems that have been written for me, and sometimes I'll post famous poems or poems I've read by famous people ;-) AND , if my readership ever goes up above one(Hi Whitney!!) and you, darling reader have any poems you'd like to share, I'll post those too! So! In the spirit of the first ever Teen Angst Tuesday I've decided that my all time favorite poem would be appropriate. You may recognize this poem from that Cameron Diaz movie...the one with the title about shoes...I think?? ANYWAY, enjoy.

ee cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Fall

Today is the first day that it actually feels like fall and I must say, I"m giddy. I realize that it's only officially been fall for a week, but for California that's pretty good! I took the boys for a walk this morning and the wind was blowing and the leaves for flying through the air, it reminded me of what Pooh Bear calls a "blustery day." Very enjoyable. I'm not usually a fan of wind but owing to the fact that it's more of a strong breeze than wind, I'll take it. It doesn't hurt that the sky is a beautiful blue and the light is golden. I'm crazy about fall...

"Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering." Paulo Coelho

Almost Lover-A fine frenzy

I've been stuck in the house for the last couple of weeks due to the family cycling through a cold and I'm starting to go stir-crazy. Being stuck in the house doesn't give me much material to work with in terms of blog entries so I've decided to let somebody else do the writing tonight. Oh, I suppose I could crank out a few more "poor me" entries, but truth be told, I'm getting bored with my misery. So...I've decided to post one of my all-time favorite songs accompanied by lyrics.Okay, change of plans...it turns out posting a video is a wee bit more complicated than just copying and pasting and because I'm on a new computer I'm not willing to figure it out tonight. So! We'll just make due with the lyrics, mmmk?

When I first heard this song I almost wished I was going through a break-up so I could really relate, that seems silly in hindsight...but true nonetheless! Enjoy ;-)

Almost Lover-A fine Frenzy

Your fingertips across my skin
The palm trees swaying in the wind
Images
You sang me Spanish lullabies
The sweetest sadness in your eyes
Clever trick

Well, I never want to see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me

[Chorus]
Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

We walked along a crowded street
You took my hand and danced with me
Images
And when you left, you kissed my lips
You told me you would never, never forget
These images

No

Well, I'd never want to see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me

[Chorus]
Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

I cannot go to the ocean
I cannot drive the streets at night
I cannot wake up in the morning
Without you on my mind
So you're gone and I'm haunted
And I bet you are just fine

Did I make it that
Easy to walk right in and out
Of my life?

[Chorus]
Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should have known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

You said WHAT??

Lately my kids have been sounding less like kids and more like sailers and I'm not sure who to blame. I could certainly blame my parents whose language is questionable at best. I could probably even get away with blaming my brothers. It's true my kids rarely see their uncles but it's also true that my brother's language is awful. I could even blame Friends and That 70's show, except the only bad words they use are "whore" and "bitch." Both of which are not in my kids vocabulary... But folks, let's be honest here. The only person I can truly and honestly blame without feeling any guilt, is myself. Me and my dirty mouth are going to get my kids into some pretty embarrassing situations if I don't find some way to stop this...

But here's the thing. Any parent will tell you that as soon as you smile, or laugh punishment isn't an option. You can't punish a child for something you obviously find amusing, it just isn't fair. And while we're being honest, I guess I should admit that I always laugh. I'm sorry! I just can't help myself. Do I think four year olds saying things like, "Mommy, this is really pissing me off" is horrifying? Yes. Do I also think it's beyond adorable to hear such filthy language in such a sweet, small voice? Absolutely. Does this make me a bad person? Probably.

Pete on the other hand is truly horrified and appalled. Woe to anybody who laughs at such language out of an innocent's mouth in front of Pete. Trust me. WOE. However, I am not alone in teaching my children such things. In fact, I distinctly remember Caden learning the word crap, from Pete. Okay, so crap isn't as bad as say, shit...but STILL. Minor details, people.

So, here's my question. What the F bomb do we do? Because let's face it, this is about to get real embarrassing real quick. Any day now the shocked Sunday school teacher is going to stare me down for a talk and I'm going to have stutter out some excuse that will probably sound something like, "oh, gee, er, my! Are you sure it was little Caden?" Although, I may only need to mention the fact that Caden came home from Sunday school informing me that sons come from hot lovin' and presto! Blame averted. But seriously...

I think for now, I'm going to close my eyes, place my hands over my ears, and pretend I didn't hear anything.