Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday. Hip, hip hooray.

But, more importantly (at least, to me) today is also my grandmother's birthday. Grandmother is way too formal of a word so that just sounds weird, she's Grandma.

I had the privilege of joining the world on my Grandma's 40th birthday. Always a special day for me and a thorn in her side as well. Why a thorn in her side? Well, it's easy to add my age to 40 so Grandma can never hide her age. While I can't keep track of my other grandparent's ages without a birthday Rolodex, I know Grandma's age every year without even thinking about it.

On my 29th birthday Grandma and I decided that we would stop counting that year; I'd never turn 30 and she'd never turn 70. Well, this year I told her that even though she wants to stop counting I must continue because having children nearly as tall as I am gets some freaky looks when people ask my age and I tell them 29.

I had the pleasure of visiting with my Grandma this past weekend. Living a few (or sometimes many) hours away from her makes it difficult to spend our birthday together so I cherished the time I was able to spend with her this weekend. One thing I know for sure is that the older we both get the more I realize that I don't spend enough time with her.

I love you, Grandma, and Happy 73rd Birthday!

Now, all the rest of you stop subtracting 40 from 73!

one of THOSE afternoons

Ever have them?

The day where everything seems to be going well and then, right about 4:00 in the afternoon one of your children (or coworker, spouse, sibling, you name it) gets a hair up their butt and decides RIGHT NOW looks like a fine time to have a good 'ole witching hour. And of course it wouldn't be a proper "one of those afternoons" if you aren't stopped in 4:00 city traffic with frozen food.

Don't touch him

Be quiet

Get your shoes off the ceiling (no worries, his hands were inside his shoes, not his feet!)
Don't put your hands through his seat again
Turn around, do you realize how dangerous it is to turn around like that?!
Be quiet

ZIP IT!

All right, that's 1
Immediate time out when we get home, you do not throw things in the car

2nd, now 3rd time out when we get home

Sit up

I need you to be quiet, you are distracting me

Now you are writing a paper for punishment (side note: best punishment EVER for certain children who are 10 and 12, but shall remain nameless)

No whining

Be quiet!

Oh my, I focused on the brake lights in front of me and did my best to ignore the child who was determined to push every last one of my buttons.

We've been home 90 minutes now and the paper about distracted driving is still being written, with a lot of whining to go along with it.

Countdown to bedtime: T- 130 minutes
How many times can one recite the serenity prayer in 130 minutes?