Calling in a whammy!

Aruba is calling and it wants A and I to come visit for a week in June. With it's white sandy beaches and turquoise blue water does one really ever ignore a call from Aruba?

Just one teensy weensy little problem - who will watch the kiddos, because Aruba says it's for adults only. And does one really get to argue with and say no to Aruba?

So why not throw this out to the universe (at least that which includes my friends and family who read my blog) and see who bites. Granted it might be a long shot and I might have to resort to begging and pleading with each of you individually, but seriously how do you say no to an opportunity like this one. Aruba wouldn't be happy.

It has been way too long since A and I spent any length of time with it being just the two of us. Our 10 year anniversary passed this last January with us at least getting a night away (thanks V) but lately we have both been feeling the need to get away and spend a little bit more time with each other, minus the little ones. Aruba has the answer!

Plus A's b-day is coming up and it's a semi-milestone (not 30, not 40 but halfway there!) Time to celebrate, right? And why not do it in Aruba!! Aruba approves!

SO onto the whammy of a favor - Anyone interested in watching two of the most perfect, well behaved, even mannered children you have ever come across in your life?

For a week? (10 days - to be honest)

Seriously - anyone!?! Aruba awaits your response.

Things you learn in a grocery store

Fidel Castro is an alien.

In case you didn't believe that, there is a sure fire way to tell who is and who isn't an alien. Apparently, for Fidel, his give away was his beard. Who knew?

And everything you need to learn about life can be learned by watching science fiction movies.

and if when I get home I notice my rotisserie chicken is missing, the grocery store bagger had nothing to do with it, cause rotisserie chicken is GOOOOOOOD!

Some people should really just keep talking to themselves and not engage the general public in conversation.

Just my two cents to the crazies out there posing as grocery store baggers.

Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

I am sure you are already aware of this, but I feel the need to ask - why is it snowing today?

Especially after yesterday's weather - which was GORGEOUS! It was sunny all day, 73+ degrees and such a wonderful treat to actually feel the warmth of the sun on my face and shoulders. I was able to get so many things done outside, like trim the grass and bushes that were smashed and broken from the weight of all the snow this winter. I even got to sweep out the garage and vacuum the interior of my car, which was beginning to look more like the inside of a happy meal than I am truly comfortable with. So much for the idea that the kiddos are not allowed to eat in the car, but I digress and that is not my point in writing this letter today.

My girls also really enjoyed the benefits of the warm and sunny weather. They were able to enjoy their first picnic of the season and just so you know it took all my strength to get them back inside the house for dinner and a bath. The fact that we had to empty and refill the bath tub twice to remove all the sand and dirt from them is a testament to how thoroughly they enjoyed being outside all day long.

So why the change of heart? Why tease me/us with a nearly perfect day (Cause let's face it - a perfect day would have included that same kind of weather, but it would have also included a beach, an icy/fruity drink and someone named Hans at the ready to give me a foot massage . . . while someone watched my kids . . . and hubby sat rubbing my arm . . . and the gentle breeze kept me from getting too hot . . . yah - that's perfect.) But again, I digress.

So, I must ask that if you are planning to continue with the snow-and-ice torture method you are currently favoring, could you please just let me know how much longer I am going to have to deal with it? I mean seriously, it is the middle of April and the tulips and daffodils don't look very happy with the weather selection either. Just so you know that it is not just me who is suffering here.

I would also like to be able to send my child to school in a outfit that will be good enough to keep her comfortable all day and not have to worry about her coming home and freezing her little legs off because you decided to switch things up mid-day and she is wearing little leggings and glittery shoes that really don't work well with snow.

I understand that the snow pack is 150% and going great. The ski resorts are still open and people will be able to water their lawns this summer. Thank you for all that you did to make those things possible. As I now see it, there really is no longer a need for more snow.

So, if you could please get back to me with a potential date for Spring and warm weather to arrive for good, I would really appreciate the heads up. My hope is that it is sooner rather than later. It is time to break out the flip flops and short sleeve shirts and time to put away the boots and parkas.

Thanks again for all the you do . . . but seriously, enough with the snow already! Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Me

Full Disclosure

In an effort to be fair I should probably share the things that I used to sneak and hide from my parents. Atleast the things I can remember and am willing to admit too! :0)

For the most part my memories consist of sneaking things from the kitchen pantry. That was where my mom hide the good stuff. Jello (unmixed, of course) was my favorite and it didn't matter the flavor as all were good to me. For those of you who never sampled this yummy package of goodness, just think of it as a giant pixie stick in a box. Yummy.

Of course there were other things that tempted my childhood pallet as well. Like handfuls of Parmesan cheese. Chocolate Frosting. Chocolate chips. And don't ask me why now, but Bacon Bits - again by the handful. All were delicious. I think I even once ate a package of Tums, all the while thinking they were Smarties (not the chocolate Canadian kind, but the American fruity powdery kind), but I could never quite convince my tummy that they were all that good, even in their larger size.
Oh, and there was this one time, in the middle of the night, when I got the brilliant idea to sneak into the candy cupboard and get into the package of skittles my mom had up there. After about 4 or 5 trips back and forth between the cupboard and my bedroom, each time adding to my little pile of rainbow candy goodness hidden under my pillow, I made the fatal mistake of going back for a sixth time. As luck would have it, I dropped one of the skittles and it made this killer BANG - BANG - BANG sound as it skipped across the counter and then the floor. I jumped off the counter and ran as fast as my little night gown covered legs would take me back into my bed with my heart pounding in my chest, just praying that no one had heard anything.

Of course that was not the case as 2 seconds later my dad walks into my room and quietly asks me if I have anything I am not supposed to have. My guilty little conscious could take no more of his torturing questions and I turned over my candy stash with tears in my eyes and said I was sorry! I think I was too scared to get out of bed for anything for the next week. And I am pretty sure I didn't eat any skittles for quite some time after that. I guess I felt too guilty.

So that's the extent, as far as I can remember it, of all my sneakyness! (as far as I will admit!)

Sneaky Little Things

Apparently now is the time in the life of a 5 year old where sneaking things begins. It starts with a simple twist of the wrist to hide something in the hand, then to a lowering of the hands either under the counter top or behind the back, all in an effort to keep mom from being able to see what is going on.

Usually these little acts are not that big of a deal, like who as a kid didn't try to hide that piece of candy they knew they weren't supposed to have, but really really wanted. Unfortunately, the sneaking is getting a little worse and a little big bigger than a simple piece of candy.

It has turned into an act of sneaking things - bigger things - into other things in an effort to take said things to places where they do not belong, like A's recent attempts to take the camera to school in her backpack, a host of miscellaneous toys, all of her Littlest Pets and even more recently, my cell phone. And those are only the items that I have caught her trying to sneak out. Who knows what items I have missed and may have lost track of forever. Of course when I ask her why she is sneaking things around I get the very generic and not so helpful answer of "I don't know".

Yesturday, she snuck her Breanna Bunny to the park (a place she knows she is not to go to - the bunny that is) by putting Breanna B in the garage and then heading out the front door (where she knew I would see her) and then running around the house, picking up BB and running off to the park, thinking she had gotten away with her pirated bunny and mom not knowing. Too bad for here the office is at the front of the house and looks out onto the park and as I sat reading blogs on the interent (hey, a girl likes to keep up with what her family and friends are up to), I look up and across the street to see A with BB galloping around the playground.

So not only is the sneaking growing, it's become more planned out and detailed in the execution.

Plus, K (who is only 2) has been picking up on said sneaky behavior and is starting to follow in the footsteps of her big sis. She has taken to sneaking my purse into any remote corner of the house, as far away from where mom is as possible and emptying the contents, all in search of who knows what, but I suspect candy/gum or my cell phone. She is also doing this with the diaper bag, which always has something yummy to eat inside, but still, why all the sneaking? Is this simply a case of monkey see, monkey do?

I mean it's not as if I don't feed my kids enough good food during the day, that they are scrapping around for something to eat. I am pretty sure they wouldn't even know the meaning of the words "famine" or "starvation", especially K. I am also more than reasonable about letting them do the things they want that make them happy, even if I don't understand it. So why the secrecy and the need to hide things from me.

All in all - it's driving me crazy, so I ask you - what is a mom to do?????