Kid Stuff

What a great day I have had! Marshall is spending the week with us and he, Ethan and I have had so much fun. They took a bubble bath this morning and as soon as I could get them bathed and dressed, we headed out for pancakes. After a brief shopping session at Target (hey, he needed a toothbrush, okay? Any excuse will do...) we headed out for the playground. Of course, they got all sandy which basically nullified the bath this morning, but oh well. It was a so nice outside, although my Chicagoian (is that a word?) stepson exclaimed "It's hot out here!". Apparently his memory is not long enough yet to recall the 105 degree days of July from last year. Anyway, we came home and had grilled cheese and grapes for lunch and alas, they fell asleep, but not before blasting off to outer space in the Buzz rocketship.

I love having these kids together. They are like a PBJ sandwhich....Mars is the smooth, easy to spread peanut butter, Ethan is the sweet, jiggily jelly and Hallie is the bread that keeps them in their place. There's no escaping that bread, boys. You're surrounded. Of course, they have moments that call for mediation. There can only be two Buzzes and nobody wants to be Zurg. With Hallie in the game Buzz has a wife, baby and toy car seat in his rocket. Zurg is a grumpy bachelor who always loses and only has a laundry basket for a vehicle. Who can blame them?

Well, I better go wait for the school bus. Hallie's first softball game is tonight, so she needs a hefty snack. Later, folks!

Target Therapy

No, it's not a new breakthrough in treating mental illness. It's not some kind of psycho-babble for a form of cognitive or behavior therapy. It's exactly what it says. Therapy...at Target. You know, the store known all over the world for it's red circle logo and vast selection of items you really, really need and items you really, really don't need but that would look great in the guest bath? Need a laundry basket? Got 'em. Need organic strawberries? Got 'em. Need a digital camera? Got that, too. Need to feel better about yourself without spending tons o'cash? Well, . I don't know what it is about that store, but when I go through those automatic doors and reach for that red buggy, something happens. It's kind of like "Breakfast at Tiffany's" except there's no expensive jewelry or fine china and I am not Audrey Hepburn, no matter what my husband says. However, I do feel safe there. How could I not in the presence of every form of candy imaginable and clothes I can buy and not feel guilty about it later? I can wake up in the morning feeling like an ugly, horrible person and then somehow after an hour in the aisles of bliss walk out with a new pair of capris, a gallon of milk and a new point of view. How much does it cost? Maybe 50 dollars...and let me tell you, that's about 1/3 the cost of psycotherapy in the office where, I must point out, you cannot buy an icee that will turn your mouth blue and slurp it through a big red straw. There's just no contest. Target therapy is the only way to go.

I'm Here...

Sorry it's been so long, folks, but I've had a very sick daughter. She is improving, but had a fever of 104 and nausea yesterday. She had to miss softball and a birthday party and I am waiting to see when Ethan is going to take it. All of this plus the fact that a tornado passed over our house Friday night at 11:00 and golfball sized hail battered two of our cars. We are all okay, but squeezing into the storm cellar with our neighbors, my mother in law and a very sick little girl in the middle of the night was not the highlight of my weekend. However, my daughter's face when I brought her flowers from the grocery store yesterday is. Okay, I also got her the pair of "Krocs" (sp?) she has been asking for. I tend to indulge my kids when they're sick. So sue me.

Anyway, I hope all of you had a better weekend than I did. I'll write something more coherent later...after my nap.