Spell Check . . .

So I ran the spell checkon my previous post prior to posting it and oddly enough only two words showed up as errors . . . .

blog and blogging . . . .

You'd think a blogging site would have those added to it's spell check dictionary.

The rumors of my demise . . . and all that . . .

Okay, so there weren't really any rumors, but you have to admit you thought I'd fallen of the face of the earth. But I am still here. Just without inspiration. And with a new sort of job that I can't tell you about but that is really fun and I can usually work around the kids. And my photo biz has been busy lately which means lots of computer time, but not much blogging time.

So I am back, with a renewed energy for this little blog.

Now if I can just remember what it is that I wanted to tell you. . . .

The End is Near . . .

I saw a commercial once where a Kindie kid had a cell phone on his desk. Forget the other reasons why this would never happen (what teacher is going to let a kid have the phone on his desk), it would never happen for MY kids because they would have to be in high school before I'd let them have their own cell phone.

This is where I eat crow. . .

However, over the weekend (and again today) C has asked to see if he could play with a new friend, one we do not have a phone number for (but we have met, so don't completely freak out). To ease the nerves of this freaking-out mother, the Husband handed C his cell phone that he doesn't use anymore, but we keep a few minutes on so we can keep the phone number because it's a good match for the other cell phone numbers in the house.

Yes, that's right. We gave him a cell phone and he is NOT in high school -- he's not even in middle school.

It's not his own personal phone that he can do whatever he wants with, nor does he get to take it with him every where, but right now he has it.

I want to encourage him to have friends and be outside away from the computer and video games, but letting him do that is a whole 'nother matter if I don't have a way to contact him. So this works.

And then I saw this and well, it's green and small, and I will resist the temptation to run right out and get one for each of the Big Three (what we call C, M & E).

How did my mother ever stand it? We kids used to walk (without an adult or anyone over the age of 12) more than a mile one way, crossing several major roads to go to the 7-11 and I wasn't even as old as C.

Best Friend

When my twins were little I stumbled into a conversation with someone I kind of knew but wasn't really friends with who had a son a few months younger than my girls. We were both really stressed and decided to get together that week because 2 against 3 is always better than going it alone. It was so fabulous we made it a habit. Once a week, without fail, we got together for lunch or shopping or just to let the kids play at the park.

Before long we were calling each other nearly everyday, meeting up two or three times a week. She was my emergency babysitter, and I was hers. We new where the cups and plates where in each others homes and what each others kids would and would not eat. We even started calling each other just to run errands so one of us could sit in the car with the kids while the other ran into the post office/bank/whatever that only ever takes you a minute, but is so daunting to do if you have to load and unload all your kids that you put it off forever.

About 18 months ago she moved to the north side of town to be closer to her husbands job. We weren't sure if we'd manage to still get together once a week, but knew we were going to make and effort to keep this going. Despite the rising gas prices, the addition of children to our families (2 each since we started getting together), her oldest going to school and the distance we still get together as often as possible.

We are each other's sanity. The place we turn when we just can't believe what one child or another did today, or when we aren't sure we can handle anymore of life's junk.

We started with 4 kids between us and our total child count has doubled since the early days of our friendship. Now we are our own playgroup. Our kids have grown up together. Our husbands get along great.

She's the sister I never had, the best friend I always needed. Found on a day I really needed someone to understand my life and having her has made all the difference.

Fashion for Everyone (unless you're not an acceptable size)

I had planned to post a comment to Mom-O-Matic's original post, but life (aka 5 kids) got the better of me and I didn't get back to it.

The problem at Target is really the almost complete lack of a plus size department. Literally there are 3 or 4 racks of clothes compared to the 30 or more racks of clothes for the "regular" sizes. (Admittedly this might be a quirk of my particular Target, but the 2 in my area have the same meager plus department, and given the fact that most of these national place have detailed plans for layouts and where and how to hang certain things, I'd bet all Targets are pretty similar.)

Forget fit and fabric. You can't find what isn't there.

What is there is stretch jeans (yuck) and t-shirts with zero shape and clothes that bring to mind fat hookers.

I am not a fashionista. I am mostly a t-shirt and jeans gal (although I'm trying to dress it up a bit more - Stacy and Clinton would be proud), but even I at my most lazy cannot bear to wear Target clothes.

So get a clue, Target. We are here. We may not be completely satisfied with our current body shape or size but we would like to look good. Give us a little help.

It's Broken - Really - Well Sort Of

M broke her elbow. Two and a half weeks ago on J's birthday (thankfully after the party). Her cast comes off on Thursday. I forgot to tell you? She fell off her scooter. No she wasn't wearing a helmet, but she didn't hit her head (this time, I know already) so get off my back. Yes we own elbow pads, no she wasn't wearing them. She can't put them on by herself and we don't require it, so no pads. Not sure they would have helped anyway.

So again the ER doc says definitely broken. So we head to the orthopedic office. He says he'd be hard pressed to show me where it's broken. What the ER doc said was a break, that looks a lot like a break to me, was really a normal looking growth plate and that the "break" wasn't really visible, but certain things on the x-ray that look like nothing to me, coupled with the pain, swelling (we're talking baseball on her elbow) and her extreme refusal to move it, indicate a break and so she is in a cast (red) for just under 3 weeks, at which point the cast comes off so she can start moving it (otherwise it gets too stiff) and we go home with a removable splint and a "no running no jumping order" for about 3 weeks meaning she will miss the first couple of weeks of PE and recess.

She has been a real trooper. No complaining or crying even though she missed out on swim lessons (which we will hopefully be able to make up during August). We went to Six Flags with the cast on (because the Ortho said definitely not after it came off for at least 3 weeks and by then the ticket she had earned from school would have expired and there is no way we can afford to take 3 kids and 2 adults to Six Flags without 3 free kids tickets and a buy one get one free for the adult tickets ($53 versus $200)) and even road the Mind bender with 3 loops and the Wheelie. Way to go M!

Way too soon for me . . . .

In the beginning there was a tiny 6 lb 13.6 oz baby girl with cheeks that practically touched under her chin. She had enough attitude invitro how she'd be positioned from one appointment to the next. At the time of delivery she jack-knifed, feet to face, and tried to come out two feet and a hand first, forcing and emergency c-section.

I thought that I had 12 years or so before that stubborn attitude turned into a tween that talked on the phone for hours with her friends.

She has been on the phone for 45 minutes.

She is 6 years old.

I am in so much trouble.