Supermom

Allow me to toot my own mom-horn tonight.

After a rough day at work, all I wanted was to come home and take a short nap before dinner. I was exhausted. But I suddenly remembered that this was the one night this month that the LEGO store was giving out free snowman mini kits. I barely had time to use the toilet before I loaded the kids in the car to head for the mall. Little did I know that the store had beefed up their advertising over the holidays, and the line was very long. I was not willing to disappoint my son, who had been begging me to attend this event, and I declared that we would wait in line, no matter how long it took.

Two hours later, we exitted the mall - one snowman and one smile richer.

Book Club

I have been invited to participate in a book club. This creates both excitement and anxiety. I LOVE to read. But I love to read for pleasure. I hated my literature classes in school. Reading books, stories, and plays that were assigned to me were a struggle, and discussing them was like pulling teeth. I didn't ever understand the things I was supposed to or draw the same conclusions that my teacher did. Some assignments were disturbing and haunt me to this day. (I still can't see a rocking horse without feelings of unease.) Others, I just plain didn't understand. (Later, I realized that Shakespeare was meant for the stage, not a high school English class, and Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet have become two of my favorite movies. But don't ask me to read them!)

I have high hopes for the book club. Selections will be chosen by other women, nearer to my own age. The only deadline is that I finish the book before we meet. There will be no worksheets. No grades will be given. But will I still have feelings of inadequacy? Will I be judged for my opinions? What if I don't have any intelligent comments? Will it be acceptable for me to simply enjoy the books?

Patterns

My son likes number patterns. His favorite time of day is 12:34. He was elated on July 8, 2009, when at lunch, I pointed out that the time and date were 12:34:56 7/8/9. I expected him to enjoy yesterday, which was a palindrome day (01/02/2010), but he was unimpressed. Of course, that could just be that I told him while he was in the middle of a battle on Wizard 101. Ah, priorities.

Rotten Allergies

Can a person be allergic to the cold? I don't remember a skin prick to determine a reaction to a cold air allergen. But, all the same, I walk outside and begin to sneeze. I breathe in the freezing air, which triggers an asthma attack that can last all day. I would stay inside, but with my heater "on the fritz" (no pun intended to my landlord, Mr. Fritz), the air in my home is almost as cold as the air outside. And, ironically, I appear to be allergic to a nice, warm, cozy fire, too.

New Year Haiku

keep a cleaner house
be kind to my family
move more and eat less

Resolutions

As 2009 comes to an end, I took a look back at my great attempt to keep a journal. The writer in me came out strong in January, but she went quickly back to her old habits. I think I'm so busy living my life that I just don't want to take the time to write about it.

Or maybe it's just one more website I have to check every day. I already maintain 2 emails and a facebook account, as well as enjoying 2 daily blogs.

If I can't keep my house clean, should I really spend so much time on my computer?

Almost...

My son's friend, X, said to me yesterday,
"So, Craig tells me that you're almost a whole teacher."

Is that my status when I have an education degree, have certification in 3 different areas, but don't have a job yet?