Oogie Woogie Apple Dumpling Cornball
For some reason, Fluffy and Scooter ended up with loads of nicknames. (You did realize that Fluffy and Scooter aren't their real names, right?) Fluffy is also Muffy, Fluffball, Fluffyhead, Erinny, Girly-Whirly, and who knows what else. Scooter, poor guy, is Scooter-Tooter, Scooty, Scooter Bunny, Scooter Puppy, Scooter Dog, Hairy Puppy, Yoshi, and Stevenoid, among other things.

Guido & I don't have nicknames, unless you count things like idiot, stupid, jerk and lots of #@$%* words.

A.D.D.
I went home during lunch to tidy up the house. I started out really well - put a load of laundry in the washer and washed all the dishes that had piled up in the sink. THEN I went to the bedroom. There was a photo album on the floor, so I picked it up and went to put it away in the hallway cupboard. Lots of other photo albums there. So I sat down and took a look at one. Then another. And another. And another. And before I knew it, it was time to go back to work. This is how I clean house. And that's why my house looks the way it does.

Heartbreak
When I was a kid, everyday when Daddy got home from work, I would ask, "Are you going anywhere?" because I always wanted to go somewhere, ANYWHERE, rather than spend another boring afternoon at home.

This weekend Fluffy said, "I wish we didn't have to go 'somewhere' during the day (meaning summer day care) and you didn't have to go to work. It's not fair. Kids should be able to go places or just relax at home."

You're right, Fluffy! It isn't fair. It breaks my heart that you are only six years old and already know that.

SCMAF
Scooter made it past the qualifying tournament and got to swim at SCMAF, which is the Southern California Municipal something something. It took place at a swimming pool at a Los Alamitos military base. We set up our tents on the grassy area outside the pool, along with hundreds of other swimmers from all over the southern area. There were even some people from Arizona.

What a nice pool! It was a great day for a swim meet. With all those swim teams, they had to be very organized, and the races continued all day, one after another.

Scooter did a great job, as always. Now that he's gotten the basics and a good form, hopefully this will be a sport he can enjoy for the rest of his life. He also learned how to dive since those early days (when he used to "dive" feet first, looking kind of like a frog). He's turned into such a great little swimmer.

Freaky Friday - Oops, It's Tuesday
Well, in keeping with tradition, I am totally slacking off with my updates.

We went to see Freaky Friday at the El Capitan Theatre with Lauren and Vickey. What a great movie! Laughed hysterically throughout most of it. I want that movie when it comes out on video.

After the movie, we walked across the street to attend a princess tea. It was "catered by Wolfgang Puck." I hate to say this, but it was kind of a disappointment. Food was mediocre, and there wasn't much of it. And it wasn't exactly cheap, either! I guess he had to take it down a few notches for the kids, but let's just say that even the kids wanted to go to McDonald's afterwards. As Guido says, "He pucked up."

Ethel Merman
Fluffy was in the shower the other day, singing her head off, in kind of a Broadway, showtuney way. Just making up her own words and music, blasting away for the neighbors to hear. She sings her "glorious" songs in the car. She speaks in her funny Chinese lady and goat cheese guy accents. She choreographs her "music in motion," has me practice the "movements," and tells me "we're not going to listen to the words, we're just going to feel the moment" of the music. I wish I could be more like her!

Your Wildest Dreams
Bought a few CDs during lunch today. It's not like I have a lot of money to spend, but every so often I just need some new music. New? Yeah, right. I tend to buy really old stuff. I guess, if I like a song ten or fifteen years later, I must REALLY like it and then it's worth it to spend the $$$. So I bought The Best of the Moody Blues for "Your Wildest Dreams." See, I told you, OLD. I absolutely love this song! It makes me think of a long lost love. Except I don't have one. Unless maybe in another life... (but that's another entry to come)

Once upon a time
Once when you were mine
I remember skies
Reflected in your eyes
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you think about me
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams

Once the world was new
Our bodies felt the morning dew
That greets the brand-new day
We couldn't tear ourselves away
I wonder if you care
I wonder if you still remember
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams

And when the music plays
And when the words are touched with sorrow
When the music plays
I hear the sound I had to follow
Once upon a time

Once beneath the stars
The universe was ours
Love was all we knew
And all I knew was you
I wonder if you know
I wonder if you think about it
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams

And when the music plays
And when the words are touched with sorrow
When the music plays

And when the music plays
I hear the sound I had to follow
Once upon a time

Once upon a time
Once when you were mine
I remember skies
Mirrored in your eyes
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you think about me
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams

Handle with Care
I accidentally grazed Fluffy's elbow with the car door (gasp! horrors!), and she cried and said, "You have to take good care of me! I'm very fragile!"

Sunset Beach
I used to think we had the best sunsets in Hawaii. I have great photos of palm trees silhouetted against a blazing orange sky. But those were nothing compared to some of the sunsets here.

Today was awesome. I looked out the window while I was getting dinner ready, and saw huge streaks of purple, pink and orange splashed across the sky. Naturally, I had to gather Scooter and Fluffy to come look at it. Fluffy and I had this thing for a while, where everyday after work/preschool, we'd check to see if we had any "pink today" in the sky. Today was the best ever!

Plug Me In
These are some of the other songs I like to work to:

Losing My Religion - R.E.M.
Texarkana - R.E.M.
Come As You Are - Nirvana
Under the Milky Way - The Church
Here With You - C&K
Honolulu City Lights - Beamers
Lyin' Eyes - Eagles
Unforgettable - Natalie Cole
Ventura Highway - America
Sister Golden Hair - America
Right Before Your Eyes - America
I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family (I admit it, I LOVE David Cassidy)
Behind the Wall of Sleep - Smithereens

Kind of a weird selection, don't you think?

I Hope You Dance
Everyday when I get to work, I put a CD in the Discman, set it to repeat on a single song, put on my headphones, and get to work on the computer. I'll never get tired of listening to this one. It's what I wish for Scooter & Fluffy:

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

Dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone)

Typo Fever
I asked Scooter to pick up a dead fly off the floor, and he refused, claiming he didn't want to catch "Halaria" or "Typho."

Catch Me
Fluffy and I were at Target (spiral-bound notebooks on sale this week, 10 for a buck!) and she did this thing on the shopping cart where she stood on the bottom rack and leaned back on me while I pushed it. No hanging on, just leaning back on Mommy and totally trusting that I wouldn't let her fall. What a wonderful feeling, to have someone trust you that much. And how wonderful to be a child, to trust someone completely like that. No worries, no fears. Just lean back and know that someone will be there.

Summer Daze
Had to ditch work today for a couple of hours to hear the kids sing at their end-of-summer-school program. Each grade sang a song or two. The fifth graders sang, "Proud to be an American." That's the second time I've heard fifth graders sing it, and each time it made me feel so mushy. I love to hear kids sing, and to hear them sing a song like that, oh my, it just touches me big time!

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
It wasn't on last night! I sat down at 9:30 just to watch that show. Those damn networks, just teasing me in an effort to get me to sign on for cable. Well, it's not working! I'm too cheap to pay for TV!

Time Flies When You're Crazy
This is why I'm insane. This is what my to-do list looks like:

Today (work):
Write copy for and/or proof BP cards for all new everyday and BTS products
Write BTS brochure copy
Write copy for Brazilian dozen boxes
Proof Retal Pricer
Look at stupid ergonomic summit program
Write and/or proof copy for new display headers
Write copy for new vendor sell sheets
Play Blockbreaker (ha ha, just checking to see if you're reading this)
Try to find desk under all this crap
Write sell sheet copy for new commercial items (a zillion of them)
Write sell sheet copy for new BP items (two zillion of them)
Write sell sheet copy for BTS items (a hundred zillion of them)

Today (other):
Take Fluffy to swim class
Cook dinner
Wash clothes & swimming towels
Fold laundry
Clean spare room for this weekend's houseguests
Vacuum house
Clean bathrooms
Clean kitchen
Wash dishes
Fill out Science Camp forms (I've only had three months to do it and they're due Monday)
Watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Pay bills
Print Fluffy's bday thank you notes
Put away all those papers from summer school
Clean kids' bedroom
Go to Ralphs for cereal, fruits & yogurt
Balance checkbook

How many of those things do you think I'm really going to check off my list today?

Toxic Spill
I am experiencing a serious brain spill tonight. I might as well go with the flow, so to speak.

Reading this really funny book right now - Me Talk Pretty One Day. David Sedaris is one funny guy. Want to read another funny, but extremely offensive, book? Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff. If you have a totally warped sense of humor, and don't mind blasphemy and a lot of vulgar stuff, you'll enjoy this book. I loved it. But then, I'm weird.

Happy Birthday Caitlin
We all went to Kid Concepts tonight to celebrate Caitlin's 6th birthday. I'd never been to a party on a week night. It was pretty mellow. The party host was a crack-up. I think the kids had a nice time, and they were exhausted when we got home at 8:30.

We heard from both kids' soccer coaches. Looks like each of them will have two practices a week. On top of that, Fluffy will have weekly basketball practice. And Scooter wants to start taking Japanese classes. Yikes! How are we going to swing all that?

Scooter has another swim meet this Saturday. Once again, I have to get up early on a weekend morning to get us to the pool by 7:15 a.m. *Yawn* I guess that'll be good practice, since starting next week I need to leave the house extra early in order to get Scooter to Science Camp in El Segundo, Fluffy to regular camp in Torrance, and me to work by 8:30. *Yawn*Yawn*

Now don't think I'm complaining. I am enjoying every bit of my children's childhood. When I signed on as a parent, I pretty much gave up all my personal time, which I don't regret one bit. I am already dreading the day when they go off on their own and don't need/want me as much anymore. My biggest complaint right now is this catch-22: in order to give them the experiences and opportunities I want them to have, I have to work; but because I work, I don't have the time to enjoy all those activities with them. Everything I do in my life has something to do with my children. I am going to be so lonely when they leave me!

BTW, Scooter no longer wants to be a scientist when he grows up. Now he wants to be a professional soccer player. I'm actually a bit relieved (although I really did like the idea of him being a scientist). He never wanted to be the typical fireman or cowboy. No, he wanted to be an engineer, then a scientist. A professional soccer player, now that seems a little more normal for a boy, know what I mean? So I told him he has to get me tickets to all his games!

Good Living
A friend sent this to me this morning...

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but oftentimes we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Serendipity
Rented the movie this weekend and I think I have to add it to my list of favorites. Something is going to have to get bumped off the list to make room for this one.

I absolutely love that John Cusack. Almost as much as Andrew McCarthy. sigh... I'm not usually big on romantic comedies...okay, I guess I do like them...When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle (do you see a pattern here? Meg Ryan?) I'm always hoping that someday it will happen like that for me. That guy who makes my heart go pitter-patter. Will he travel across the continent years from now just to find me? Oh wait, I'm already married. Damn. I am such a dreamer. I am seriously going to go crazy in my old age. And while I procrastinate on just about everything in my life, this is one thing I'm starting on early!

Soulmates. Is there such a thing, and how do you know when you've found him/her? A series of coincidences might be just that - coincidences. And if I have to ask, does that mean I still haven't found mine? That guy who picks his nose and flosses his teeth in front of me, farts in bed and waves the covers over me, is that my soulmate? For better or worse. Ick.

I used to imagine having one of those TV families, where we would sit around in the evenings and play board games and talk openly about sex and relationships, and we'd all be best friends. Then I started to see that we were more like the Conors (Roseanne) than the Cleavers. Now I know we are the Bundys.