I Ordered the Full Moon for My One-Year Blog Anniversary

I started this blog one year ago today. I picked my Middle Son’s birthday as motivation for me to put myself out there and talk about him. My blog and you have added a lot to my life. Every hour of my week day is jam-packed with my life (and sometimes I get mad at my life for not having more time to write or spruce up the place), but there was definitely room in my head and in my heart for this blog and for you. I am so thankful and happy for having “met” you. Commenters from day one are still around on day 366. It is all so special to me.

I chose a full moon theme because I have loved looking at the moon all these years. My first son was born during at night during a full moon in June. He loved to cry and fuss all night long for three months and I swear his first word was moon. For real. I also feel connected to the moon because of its female-ness and how my cycle’s claim to fame is a regular monthly cycle (always 27 or 28 days). OK, so that is changing a lot these days, throwing a kink in how I successfully “planned things” but it is all part of the craziness that is part of life. I named my blog “It must be a full moon” because many times when my Hubs and I talk about a crazy work day or a crazy kid, or crazy family member, we often say, “It must be a full moon because today this happened, and this happened, and then THIS happened”.

The full moon for January is tonight (the 29^th but some sites state it is the 30^th) and is known as the Wolf Moon (hungry wolves would howl at the full moon on a cold winter night) and is listed as either the 30^th or the 29^th. Tonight's full moon will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. The moon’s orbit around Earth is not shaped like a circle—more like an ellipse. In each orbit the moon reaches its closest point to us called a perigee. When the perigee coincides with a full moon, as it will tonight, the moon looks bigger and brighter than any other full moons during the year.

Unfortunately where I live it will be rainy so I will probably miss seeing the full moon at all even it its shining glory and I'll miss Mars (it’ll look like a star) just to the left of the moon.

So my Middle Son has had a birthday again and I still love all the same qualities of which I described last year. Don’t look for any posts about my other two sons’ birthdays—they only exist in my mind, but I hope to make that up this year. Just like I made sure I have the biggest baby book for Youngest so he won’t be left out, (and by biggest I mean I scrapbooked a bunch of things up till his 2nd birthday and then stopped), I try to give extra attention to my Middle son. He has to put up with the Oldest making sure he knows he may be the same size but he’ll always be 20 months younger. He's easy going and sensitive and doesn't have attention zoned his way due to the 13.5 yr old brother and the youngest.

And I really want to write about Middle School. People, I have so many stories. Oldest will be in high school next year. Before that happens I really need to write about some crazy things we have observed. Stories that are Crazy. Like this email from one of his teachers yesterday:

“I am concerned about Middle Son. His span of attention in class is almost non existent. I spoke with him a few days ago, and asked if there was anything else going on in school or at home that he was worried on. He said no.
Yet, he is many seconds behind all the other students when we change activities. He stares at the wall when I am at the front of the room.
He is confused by directions because he obviously didn't hear me explain them.
Could it be blood sugar? Need for a snack? Lack of sleep?
He is not problem or disruption. He is always polite. I am concerned for him, and thought you could add some insight.”

So here I am reading this as I am trying to get finished at work so I can stop at Target, get home and make a cake shaped like a skateboard with little doughnuts for the wheels, and then go out for his birthday dinner.

Readers, my son is in all "gifted" classes. This one is not his favorite. He has a B (a B people!). He has As and Bs in the others. He was voted "Mr. Citizenship" in elem school for the way he treats others. He is in freakin band class. He has longish hair. He wears skinny jeans. He has his own entrepreneurial business (see fingerboard in his hand below). If he feels like he's been singled out like this teacher does (i.e. tells him to read only accelerated reader books and not a non-AR book despite the fact that he reads lots of books) he'll be quiet and not "perform" in class for you. We know this teacher. My 8th grader had this teacher. My Hubs is a teacher in another school. They have been at a conference together out of state for a weekend. The teacher just can't figure Middle Son out.

So after wanting to tell her I think she has too much time on her hands, I instead just replied that today was his birthday, perhaps he had that on his mind and we'd talk about it later that night. We had a good time at dinner, laughing as the hibachi chef threw fake eggs around and flung shrimp into our mouths (only Youngest succeeded) and Hubs asked Middle Son if this teacher had asked him if everything was OK at home. He told us the teacher asked this with other kids around. He told our son maybe he should make up a story and then we made up stories of Crazy things he could say. We two parents work so hard as partners to provide for our 3 boys and make a good home for them; we talk to each other each and every day about our sons and our concern for their education, concerns for what schools are like now, have taken the time to have met with teachers. Yes, there are kids who have problems at home and it may not be too funny that I sang at dinner about mom going back to rehab but said no, no, no.....but I feel this was absolutely Middle School Teacher crazy. Maybe she should just email me again like she did 4 weeks ago asking me to do a favor and help her out and make sure Middle Son has a red pen and yellow highlighter because she has asked him to bring it in.

So yeah. It really Must Be a Full Moon.

A Belated New Year's Eve Kiss.....25 Years Ago

This is a story about how I met my husband……25 years ago. I was in my senior year at college and I would be graduating that May. I was in the College of Advertising and so was my Hubs to-be.

I saw him for the first time when a school club, the Advertising society, took a road trip about a month before winter break to Atlanta to check out some businesses and have some fun. I hardly knew any of the 50 other people on that bus ride going up so I was as quiet as a mouse.

(Here is the actual flyer. Those days it was two sheets of copy paper, taped together and pinned up on bulletin boards with tacks. Notice a champagne breakfast served!!)

I looked like a mouse too with my long hair pulled back and I was (I can’t believe I’m writing this) actually catching up in my journal on the bus. I still have all my journals and it says “I am on the bus trip going to Atlanta. I don’t know anyone but I think I’ll do OK.” (by catching up I mean I wrote of little else for 6 or 7 years other than boys). Anyway....after a while I noticed he was standing and talking in a small group of people in front of me. What I first noticed about him was his profile and strong jaw line. I stood up and tried to nonchalantly join in. He looked at me with his blue eyes and said, “Well, what is your name” and brought me into the conversation.

I didn’t see him much during the weekend in Atlanta. I don’t think he participated in any Advertising club activities. I was busy meeting people in Atlanta and by the time we got on the bus to go back I had made a bunch of friends and showed no more signs of shyness. In fact I was extremely loud and rambunctious. He sat across the aisle and one row back. This time he was quiet and alone. I kept looking at him to gauge his reaction to me--he was laughing and shaking his head. This went on for hours.

We spoke at school one or two times after that and before winter break started. He saw me in a typing room (yes, typing on IBM selectrics….no computers). I was typing out some form regarding an internship. So we saw each other’s more serious side as we talked internships and he passed along some tips he heard of on companies.

After winter break the Advertising club held a “Belated New Year’s Eve” party at an apartment clubhouse at the end of January. I think I went with my roommate. There was my Hubs To-Be and many other people. I think there may have been New Year’s Eve party favors because I recall suddenly there being a big deal about a countdown happening soon. We had been talking, but I honestly remember nothing about this night except for 12:00 midnight.

Right before midnight I said to him, “Well, this is a New Year’s Eve Party and it is going to be 12 midnight soon. I did not kiss anyone at midnight on the Real New Year’s Eve, but we have a new opportunity tonight. See that Ladies Room over there? (gesturing over to other side of the room in a corner alcove) I am going in there and when I come out it will be midnight. If you are standing there we can kiss at midnight.”

And off I went across the room and into the Ladies Room. I remember looking in the mirror doing a make-up check and thinking, “Michele, what the heck did you just say, and sure hope you meant it!!!"

And there he was when I walked out, smiling at me, and we had our first kiss. And then we started going out.

MLK Day and Pants on the Ground

Did you see "General" Larry Platt's audition on American Idol this past Wednesday? We've seen just about every American Idol episode together as a family for years now. We were still talking about him last night at the dinner table and things got rather loud and animated. I think I started it.

Pants on the ground
Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground
With the gold in your mouth, hat turned sideways
Pants hit the ground, call yourself a cool cat
Lookin’ like a fool, walkin’ to the town
With your pants on the ground!

Turns out Mr. Platt's audition on American Idol last week was a timely addition to conversations and reflections on MLK Day.

From an article in the Atlanta newspaper Mr Platt says "he was inspired to create the song three years ago when he saw a guy walking down a downtown Atlanta street with a baby in his arm and his pants slipping below his hips. “He had his underwear showing,” Platt recalled. The song came to him spontaneously. He started chanting the chorus to “Pants on the Ground.” “He was being disrespectful so I wanted to embarrass him,” Platt said. “He rolled his eyes and pulled his pants up a little bit.” Platt has since done that to others as well.

(The article continues:) Platt was very active in the Civil Rights Movement as a teen in Georgia, and was recognized by the state legislature in 2001, having proclaimed September 4th, 2001 "Larry Platt Day." On that special day, the Georgia General Assembly declared that "For the past 40 years, Larry Platt has given of himself in service to the people of the City of Atlanta, the State of Georgia, and the nation...Larry Platt merits the highest recognition for his many valuable contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and his dedication to the struggle for equality and human rights." Mr. Platt, who is also very vocal and active in local Atlanta politics, is regarded by many as a community hero.

His audition on American Idol last week has had over a million views in a few days. He was on The View today. Too bad at age 62 Mr. Platt is over the age limit for going to Hollywood for Idol, but I hear he already has record deals sent his way. I hope he does well and sees dreams come true.

It's That Time of the Month

Happy New Year and I am late. Yes, I was THAT kind of late—actually about 4 months late give or take. One may think that it would be sweet not to mess with any feminine products for about 4 months but it actually kind of pissed me off. Because it means I am in perimenopause. And reminds me every day that I am getting old and wrinkly. Or maybe it is stress. Which doesn’t help with the wrinkles and belly fat either. I had felt healthy getting it every 28 days, real close to the full moon schedule in fact. Maybe there being a Blue Moon last week is what knocked me back into cycle.

Or maybe it was the launching of the Pad (remember this from Nov? Click here if you don't) And that Laura and others I know got their flo going on this first week of the New Year--you know how women get into sync with each other.

Well the Pad has also been in hibernation for a couple of months, resting up for some big travel plans. But now it’s time to get started and Pass the Pad.

Go HERE now to leave a comment and FOLLOW our new blog. This pad is going to travel the world with all of us fabulous women, in the order of everyone signing up. This pad is going to have one heck of a passport traveling up and down and around the equator and Prime Meridian. It’s going to travel fast too—typically we only need the pad for about 4 to 7 days, right?

What will you do you do with the Pad once it’s your time of the month? Well, you won’t use it. Take it around your town—send us some photos if you want. Write a post that we’ll put on the Pass the Pad Blog. Write about where you are in womanhood. Or a memoir.

For example, I was 13 and a half years old when I first needed a pad. I started on January 12^th (I wish I could make a living just on these crazy date facts I never forget). I was sitting in class with a friend named Juli and we both complained of some aches and pains. Turns out we both started for the first time on the same exact day. See?--women hanging out together. And I could have done without some stupid grown up professional male comments earlier that year. That previous summer I was at a doctor check up and the doc says, “Isn’t it about time you started your period?” And that same summer before 8^th grade a friend and I ran into our former 6^th grade elem school teacher (a male) who looked at me and said, “When are you going to start looking like a woman?”

Oh, I don’t know, um, maybe when I turn 18 and would be legal:

As Laura describes, “the Pass the Pad blog is simple now...nothing fancy. Not too many rules. Easy. And I am sure as things progress, a natural flow will follow. There will be cute buttons to grab for your blog. Better design. More information. T shirts. Canvas bags. Steak dinners. Appearances on Oprah. It will be huge. But for now, we'll take it a month at a time, just like women do.

So, although it is not perfect, it is a start.

I have decided that it is finally that time of the month for all of us.

It is time for this pad to be on its way!

Wanna piece of the pad?

Wanna connect with your fellow blogging sisters?

If so, let me know! Leave me a comment, and then you must go here to get started.

I am really excited to see where this pad takes us all”.

Christmas Measured Very Well

(photo taken with old camera. Will be trying with new camera. These are OLD school colored lights).

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was everything that my heart desired. On Christmas Eve I had one more gift to buy and grocery shopped for Christmas Eve dinner and our Christmas Day spread. We made Christmas cookies with the cookie cutters and five colors of frosting in piping bags (I desperately need a timer as I forget about the oven and burned a bunch of them). I used Alton Brown’s cookie dough recipe and it was wonderful.

We enjoyed prime rib and mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts I sautéed with bacon (the boys had canned green beans), and spinach salad. And brownie sundaes for dessert. On Christmas Day morning we have cinnamon rolls and then we have dinner/lunch buffet whenever I get around to it. I call it “party food”. I seriously heard one of my sons tell his Grandma on the phone that I made “party food” for Christmas dinner. I warm up a ham and rolls, microwave mac ‘n cheese, buy a shrimp cocktail ring, make broccoli casserole, crudities, dips, cheese cubes, guacamole and chips and deviled eggs…and we then eat in the family room and watch a new dvd (Night at the Museum 2).

(This is our tree two days before Christmas. It was bare under there since the Sunday after Thanksgiving when it went up. I start wrapping a few days before Christmas. We start with the gifts the brothers buy for each other. Wrap central is in our bedroom and after each gift is wrapped I put it in the hallway and slam the door back closed to do more. The boys carry them down to the tree. The excitement mounts.)

The boys don’t wake up super early anymore on Christmas and when they do they go to their stocking and keep themselves busy (those stockings were overflowing!—why do I always worry that there are not going to be enough stocking stuffers? I could do a post alone on what was in them). The two youngest boys share a room and they both got up at 8:30 a.m. Our second floor has a loft so it is easy to hear them so we got up too. We saw that the Oldest’s stocking was all over the couch so we accusingly asked the other two if they had gone through it but they had not. Surprise, surprise, Oldest had gotten up at 7:30, went through his stocking and then went back to bed. Santa always wraps his presents in red wrap, and he is so crazy busy that sometimes days later a gift is found outside in the bushes after falling out of his sack from the rooftop.

We are lucky that everyone received what they wanted, along with a few surprises.

And there was a surprise for me made on Christmas Eve by a busy elf (Hubs) in his workshop. Remember the boy’s measurements on the wall incident? A couple months ago I asked for a piece of wood – like a 4”x6” painted white so I can start charting the boys’ growth again. This is what he made:

I love the colors. I would never have the patience to paint the never end line of squiggles on each side. This is a piece of molding that has a curve—shaped just perfect for a head to line up and be measured! My new growth chart stick has now been hung in our laundry room, right above the base board (which is 3 inches so the markings are in accordance). He painted a line of every 6 inches, with 36”, 48”, 60”, 72” and 84” marked. The middle of the board has been left white and has no varnish so that I can mark a line with a fine pen with the boys’ initials and the date. I think he should sell these and ship them—don’t you think so? I saw one on the internet that looks like giant ruler and others that have “nursery room” themes, but this looks like his artwork. Oh yeah, he paints too. Here's a close up.

I told several people that on Christmas I like to stay in my pajamas until 3:00 p.m. Well, that didn’t happen. Because I stayed in them ALL day. Well, OK, I did take a walk so I changed out of them for that, but after a shower I was right back in them and my new robe.

Now it’s back to work for a few days and then another 4-day weekend. You are going to celebrate the Blue Moon on 12/31, right? It’s once every 19 years that it falls on New Year’s Eve.

It's Tradition

We started our day yesterday with our 14 year consecutive annual Christmas tradition. We took the boys to the mall to take a picture with Santa. Yes, we do indeed have two middle school sons. I know, we are crazy. But we do have a 3rd grader who still expects this.

Especially our 8th grade son has been asking us for weeks if he really has to go visit Santa, and for exactly how many more years? When they are 16? When they are a senior in high school? I have to say Hubs is pretty adamant that as long as they live with us it will be a tradition. I am on the side of the fence that believes as long as Youngest is in elementary school. This means a couple more years. Will we survive? But what would we have done this year--take only the Youngest son?? Noooo.

To top it off, the oldest son was seriously not happy about not being able to sleep in since we were leaving the house at 8:50. It is our tradition to go and get in line about 30 minutes before Santa arrives, which according to the website was to be 10:00 a.m. As it was I got up at the last possible minute, forgot my camera and saw I only managed to get one earring in.

So we get to the mall and we are one of the first waiting and fortunately there were many big chairs and love seats nearby and we sprawled with the Sunday paper. Then I found out that one son had not brushed his teeth in two days because he had strep throat earlier in the week and the nurse instructed him to get a new toothbrush but I had not yet bought him one. Could you have just not swallowed when you brushed, I asked him. Then I looked at his shoes and he was wearing old ones with a hole when he has new, nice skater shoes. And another was wearing some t-shirt--heck he gets more dressed up for school. And another had tufts of hair sticking up. So I was growling about how I suppose I still need to lay out their clothes for them still for events. Then everyone in line was grumbling because Santa was 30 minutes late. In fact, one little boy had a meltdown and the parents took him home a few minutes before he was to get in Santa's lap. We would have probably let Santa deal with him since Santa was late to arrive.

No one had kids as old as ours. I wonder if Santa was surprised at these big boys when we rounded the corner. But Santa did good and made them laugh right away. They may have been laughing at how Santa put our middle son on his knee. Even though the worker elf lady took about 3 more pictures I liked the real laughing one the best.

Our Santa Picture Day continued with us walking all over the mall looking for last minute gifts and then had lunch out. We went to a hibachi restaurant and had a good time. Later that afternoon, back at home we left the boys alone and went back out to browse around Barnes & Noble. I have been lamenting this year that buying gifts for the boys was much easier when they were younger. BUT I must say it is a huge benefit to be able to step out with Hubs and leave them home alone without paying for a babysitter. We even went out alone Friday night alone to shop at Sports Authority.

But then Sunday night the two older boys had a preteen and teen version of a long day/no nap/meltdown. And they were ugly to each other. They were in the next room from me. I was trying to read blogs and write a post of my own and I heard the two oldest going back and forth and it escalated. It made me really mad and I sent them to their rooms. And then Hubs heard about it and he got really mad and told them that they were grounded for the next few days and we'd have the cleanest house around because they'd be doing tons of chores including how to scrub the floors using a rag and a bucket on their hands and knees.

Later I think my Hubs knew I needed to hear about this as being normal because he told me that when he was their age and had three other brothers they fought a lot. It was what they did and it is what brothers do. Maybe if my Hubs weren't around I would get too involved with who said what to who. I am glad that he can relate to what it is like to have brothers and to remember being a kid with two oldest brothers who were competitive.

Today I went to work and they all stayed home and they did indeed clean the kitchen and dining room floors on their hands and knees, and their bathroom floor too. And maybe it was good timing that today was the day for another one of our traditions and that is to take out the boys individually so that they buy a gift (in the $15-$20 range) for each other. They usually do not spend their own money but today we did ask the older two to bring their wallets and spend their own money. O.K. we said they needed to pay for half of it, and they opened their wallets and did.

I am ready for our other family traditions this week and they include driving around various neighborhoods on the 23rd or 24th to check out outdoor lights and decorations and to make cookie cutter cookies for them to decorate. And our tradition on Christmas Day is for me to stay in my pajamas until 3:00 in the afternoon.

'Tis the Season for Hot Chocolate

I have mentioned here previously that the boys in my house ask about dessert every night. And this time of year they ask about hot chocolate. The temperature outside has gone up and down this past week and this morning it was down near the 30’s.

I called home as usual at 5:00 p.m. as I was getting ready to leave work and talked to Hubs:

Me: I am getting ready to come home.

Hubs: Were you going to stop by the grocery store?

Me: Yes.

Hubs: Can you get orange juice?

Me: Sure

Hubs: Oh, and the boys are asking for Nestle’s Quik to make hot chocolate.

Me: Oh yeah, definitely, they have asked all week for me to get some.

Then I drove to the store wondering why Hubs doesn’t go because he gets off of work earlier than I do. But it is OK because at the store I walked by the meat department and saw many items marked down big time so I stocked up and all the cleaning items we needed that I forgot at Target a few days ago were on sale so I got those too. I even happened to see packets of many-colored buttons for a winter craft for Youngest's winter school party. We're masters of multi-tasking aren't we......

Anyway, back in the car I called home to say I was almost there and to make a request:

Youngest: Hello?

Me: Hi Oldest!

Youngest: No, it’s me.

Me: No way--you sounded so old! Anyway, I am almost home so can you tell Dad to put the Tyson chicken fillets into the oven and start to boil water for the mac n’ cheese.

Youngest: OK. But wait—Mommy—did you get the ‘Quik?

Me: Yes I did.

Youngest: YESsssssssssss!!

I park in the garage and Youngest comes out to help with groceries from my trunk, wanting to carry in the bag that has the Nesquik. Middle was there too help with the groceries. Oldest then comes into the kitchen and asks if I bought the ‘Quik.

I think you get the picture. I’m just glad that it doesn’t take a lot to make these guys happy around here. Oh, and I made everyone leave the kitchen and digest for an hour before I make the hot chocolate. But now it’s time. Who likes marshmallows in theirs?

(How do you make your hot chocolate because I am totally open for any new recipes on this. I heat up milk in a saucepan and pour into mugs that have Quik in them and stir. Youngest puts marshmallows on top).