You Know You're A Grown-Up When ......

I just read this article in the May 2009 edition of Redbook Magazine and wanted to share. It's titled "You Know You're A Grown-Up When ..... "

"... HGTV trumps MTV"

"... you can spend an hour in complete, cozy silence with your guy without wondering if he's mad at you."

"... you finally appreciate what all the fuss is about on Mother's Day."

"... someone you went to high school with shows up on the cover of a magazine as "entrepreneur/philanthropist/artist of the year."

"... you figure out a graceful way to get off the phone quickly when your friend starts one of her hour-long rambles about kitchen renovations."

AND MY FAVORITE ...

"... you still roll your eyes - but only when no one is watching."

So true. So true.

Picoult - Not For Me

Even though I don't have a lot of time to read, I'm always on the lookout for a great book. I e-mail friends seeking recommendations. I ask strangers standing by the book section at Target for suggestions. I check out "People" magazine to see which new books are getting four-star-ratings.

So for many, many months I've been told by many, many people to read "My Sister's Keeper," by Jodi Picoult. I put it off because I know that Picoult's writing typically ventures into disturbing, real-life topics that will leave me, not uplifted, but upset and sad. My friend finally got me to start the book because the movie is coming out and she insisted I read it before we go see the story on the big screen.

Here's what I discovered: I didn't like the book and I'm not going to see the movie!!!!

I love Hollywood endings and that book definitely did not have a Hollywood ending. Yesterday, I sat in the big red chair in my family room and bawled as I finished "My Sister's Keeper." Let me tell you this: every day I read real news that is depressing and sad. I don't need any help worrying about what happens in the world. I do that on my own. A lot. Ask my husband.

I also figure that if I want cry, I'll do that in the privacy of my own home and not in some crowded movie theatre where everyone will need a tissue. So I told my friend that she's going to have to go to the movies with someone else.

Don't get my wrong. Piccoult is an amazing writer, weaving through storylines and creating memorable characters but I don't think I want to read any more of her books right now.

I think I'll just stick with my "beach" book or what I call "light" reading. i.e. trashy novel. All kidding aside, I do love a trashy novel once in a while but I mostly enjoy women's fiction that deals with relationships. If you have any suggestions, please pass them along. :)

Happy reading!

Flag-Day Celebration

Every year on June 14th, people across the United States honor the American Flag and all is symbolizes. It was on this day in 1777 when the flag was adopted by the US by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. (Wikipedia)

June 14th is also my wedding anniversary.

Do you know this story?

My name was Flagg. My husband's name was Day. We got married on Flag-Day 12 years ago. Our color theme at the wedding was red, white and blue. (It was not tacky! My wedding party wore blue and white dresses and carried red flowers.)

One year later, on Flag Day, our wedding photo and "Flagg-Day" wedding announcement was on national television. It was on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" during his Monday night headline bit. I sent it to the show and we watched for months but it never showed up on air. Then a year later, on the next Flag Day, the show aired it.

We missed it but lots of people called to tell us they saw it.

So this weekend, we celebrated Flag-Day with a wonderful dinner date and some time to reconnect.

And every year it's the same. Neither one of us gets in trouble for forgetting our anniversary because all of our friends and family remember .. and call to remind us. :)

What Did You Say?

What that's thing called? Ya know ... that thing ... the thingie ... the whatchamacallit ... the hard thing ... the plastic tube at the end of your shoelace?

Yep, it has a name.

Everything's got a name.

It's called an aglet.

I don't know if you knew that or if you even care but I came across this tidbit in my new "O" magazine. If you want to impress others with your expansive vocabulary you can check out a new book called "The Whatchamacallit: Those Everyday Objects You Just Can't Name (and Things You Think You Know About, but Don't)", by Danny Danziger and Mark McCrum (Hyperion)

It's filled with all kinds of words that you may not have known existed: words like muselet or borborygmus (I found this one amusing).

Now you're asking yourself, "Why would I use those words in a sentence, anyway?" Well check out their definitions. Who knows .. maybe you can impress your friends, significant other, or ....

Okay, you're probably not going to impress anyone .. maybe you'll just find them amusing like I did. Enjoy!

Here's the short list I found in "O" magazine:

aglet : the plastic tube at the end of your shoelace.

borboygmus: (pronounced bor-buh-RIG-mus): the rumbling sounds your stomach makes.

interrobang: the punctuation mark rendered as "?!"

muselet : (pronounced mew-zeh-LAY) : the four legged wire cage on a Champagne bottle

tmesis (pronounced tuh-MEE-sis) : the division of a word by the insertion of another word; e.g., abso-bloody-lutely or un-freaking-believable.

You're Healthier Than You Think ....

We try to do what we can to stay healthy .. eat right, get enough sleep, exercise. And now it turns out that you're doing a pretty good job. Woman's Day Magazine put out a list of five signs that you're healthier than you think. Here they are :

1) You have several cups of coffee each day - A recent Swedish study found that people who drink 3 to 5 cups of coffee daily at midlife are less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's later on.

2) You say "thanks." - A new study reveals that expressing gratitude may be the key to happiness and overall well-being.

3) You laugh a lot. - Research has shown that laughter expands blood vessels andmigh even lower your heart attack risk.

4) You tidy up your house - Just 20 minutes of sweeping, scrubbing, and doing other household chores can boost your mood, not to mention burn calories.

5) You surf the internet. UCLA research shows that it stimulates brain activity.

So, you have my permission this weekend to grab your cup of java, click on your laptop, log onto your favorite entertaining website, giggle a little when you come across something funny .. and then, of course, say thank you to your husband/partner for taking care of the kids while you take care of yourself. Enjoy!

I Will Not Teach My Child To Curse ....

I will not teach my child to curse ..
I will not teach my child to curse ..
I will not teach my child to curse ...

Maybe I should write that 100 times as punishment for teaching my son to curse. Back in the day, as a young student, I vaguely remember having to write "I will not talk" on a piece of paper, front and back, for talking repeatedly during class. I remember detesting the busy work but who really knows if it deterred my motor mouth.

Now I have to curb my naughty mouth. I've slipped up a few times over the past couple of weeks, muttering the words, "What the hell!" It didn't happen once. It didn't happen twice. Okay, it maybe happened three times and Logan, my five-year old picked up on the words and the frustrated feeling behind them. Oooops!

So last weekend I'm in the yard planting some flowers when my daughter walks out the front door and says, "Mom, Logan cursed."

"What did he say."

"WHAT THE ... DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS."

The tattle-tale didn't want to get in trouble for repeating the bad words.

So I told her to go inside and tell him that "we" don't say those words and he will be in trouble if he says them again.

He said it at least two more times that day.

Finally, at the end of the day, I had a sit-down with Logan and explained to him that mommy shouldn't say those words and he, definitely, isn't allowed to say those words. He knew it, too. I warned him that if it happened again he would lose his DS Game for a week.

The threat of losing a video game is powerful and useful. Nobody has heard him mutter those words again.

By the way, I'm not saying them either .. at least not around the kids.

Lovin' The Spring Weather

This weather makes me so happy!!!!!

Yes, in general, my life is good right now for lots of reason. I have three great kids and a wonderful husband. I have a job. I'm not obsessing about some illness I think I might have. Yes. I am happy. But I'm serious when I say this weather is contributing in all ways to my happiness. Every spring I enjoy walking around my yard, watching my hostas thrive. I love to plant annuals and then just sit and enjoy them. I also get lots of pleasure sitting on the sidelines watching my children play soccer at Detweiler. (sigh)

Spring weather is just so invigorating.

It must be all of the colors. Because of all this rain we've had in Peoria, everything is green.

The red, white, pink, and yellow tulips have come and almost gone.

And most importantly, blues skies and plenty of sunshine. (sigh)

Storms are again forecast for tomorrow. I'll just hold on to the idea that another day just like this one is not far away.