My Girl Can Throw...and embarrass the hell out us

My blog – my poor neglected blog; between the kids, my part-time work, my on-line writing and rescuing dogs, I have been using my Facebook status as a way to write the funny things that happen around me.  Many people have asked me why I stopped blogging and I decided today is the day I am going to start up again.  If are reading this, please leave a comment so I know if people are really reading this still. 

The other night hubby, the kids and I went to dinner.  This is a rare occasion because he works nights AND our kids are at ages where being home with the dogs to clean up after them is much easier than spending $60 to be more concerned about the kids behaving than the meal in front of us.  We got to dinner a little late, we probably should not have gone to dinner at that hour with kids 6, 5, and 3 but we selfishly wanted a meal.  I personally wanted a meal that was served to me.  I wanted to ask for a refill, condiments and more water.  I knew this was a recipe for disaster but we filed into Fridays with dreams of being served a warm meal while we chatted amongst our adult selves and the kids giggled and colored on the paper and crayons provided. 

Fantasy over – our 3 year old was over-tired, hungry and not in the mood to wait for food. Her brother got chicken fingers and her sister got a cheeseburger; I knew she was not going to be satisfied with what she chose from the menu. She opted for the chicken fingers like her big brother and the wait was on at our table. When the food arrived, she took one look at her 3 chunks of fried chicken and chucked one of them across the restaurant.  She does not have a normal three year old throw, the food sailed down the aisle making one waitress dodge the greasy blow.  

With apologies to the lady innocently trying to do her job and with everyone watching, I scooped the beast up in my arms and sat in-between the entry doors with her until she promised to settle down.  I did the 1980 threat of having her sit in the minivan which we unfortunately cannot do in 2012, plus back then it was a station-wagon.  While we sat, the only thing I could see at our table was my hubby eating his food.  I was starving and for some reason watching him; I was getting hungrier and more annoyed.  We headed back to the table and sat down.  I was nervous she was going to act up again and she was tense and ready for another confrontation with her food or anyone that looked at her the wrong way.

After sitting for 2 seconds, she popped up on her booth seat with a little plastic dish of ranch dressing in her hand and evil in her eyes. She started to methodically case the restaurant.  As her eyes darted, my heart began to race. I looked at my hubby and pleaded with him to do something before the attack.  He silently reassured me that she was not going to do anything.  I knew he was wrong but I was hungry as hell and wanted to get at least a couple bites in before something embarrassing happened. My teeth were about to sink into my unhealthy chicken sandwich when suddenly I saw her gaze stop at two cute early twenty-something girls all dolled up for the evening drinking martinis at the booth across from us. Before I could react, her eyes twitched and her arm flung into action; the ranch dressing sailed in slow-motion toward the girls, the container landing with a loud clunk and the ranch dressing continuing to silently sail through the air. 

The girls were very snotty which made it all the more story-worthy at the end of the day.  Literally one drop got on one of the girls.  She made a disgusted face, touched the ranch dressing on her arm and swiped it off with a quick twitch, barely even looking at the offender.  While bending down in a failed attempt to clean some of the ranch dressing from the floor, I noticed the ranch dressing stopped short right at the tip of her fancy boot.  The staff came with a big yellow ‘Caution’ sign and set it up, whether it was put over the spill or next to our table, I will never know.

Hubby picked up L and carried her outside.  He was done eating and I guess he assumed I would get mine to go and meet him in the car.   The waitress brought me a container for my food but I could not bring myself to put my warm meal in a box.  I knew when I got home, I would have to get the kids into bed and by then the thought of this succulent sandwich would be the last thing on my mind. When the waitress walked by again, I said, ‘I am not sure how to even ask this without laughing, but can I please have another ranch dressing?’ She must have thought we were leaving because she brought it in a to-go container.  Many patrons of the restaurant watched with eager eyes to witness us leave but to their surprise, and the surprise of my other two kids that were stunned into silence for once, I ate my sandwich, salad and L’s fries, carefully dipping them into my ranch dressing. I am not going to lie, the meal was a bit awkward but what the other diners of the restaurant soon realized was that awkward does not bother me in the very least.  As I sat eating with people staring at me, judging me and talking about me all I could think was ‘I really need to start writing on my blog again!’

I'm back...

Back by popular demand, I am again writing on my blog. The same confusion, another day.

As my loyal readers may remember, our little four-legged dog Chino was very sick this past April and we were told to put her down.  She is still fighting and on the road to recovery.  Yesterday she had her spleen removed.  So, in addition to my 3 kids, 2 other dogs and our beloved parrot, I know have to carry Chino up and down the front porch stairs for the next ten days.  I am not complaining.  Every single day with her is a gift!!

More on that later...

Happy Birthday to MY MAIN MAN!!

On 8/10, P turned 6! He is so fabulous!!  We could not ask for a more perfect son!! Happy 6th Birthday P!!

On our way to dinner for his birthday, he said he wanted to go to a restaurant that was going to sing to him.  I started clapping my hands and began singing 'HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY - MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.....!' From the backseat by beautiful singing was interrupted by my birthday boy.  'Ummmmm, mom, I really don't want my dreams to come true, they are kind of creepy sometimes!!'

Sing it loud - sing it proud

For those of you that knew my dad, you know he loved to sing. He would belt out tunes on the top of his lungs. You could hear him singing in the shower, getting ready for work, walking down the hallway. Believe me when I tell you that he did not care if it was the middle of the night and everyone was sleeping. If the lyrics popped into his head, they danced right onto his lungs and out his mouth.


The songs he sang were the secret to his soul. We soon realized that the songs dad chose were songs that had meaning to whatever was going on around him. He would be heading out the door to the casino and would start randomly singing ‘The Gambler’ or he would look at my mom and start singing ‘You are my Sunshine.’ We would be getting ready for the May family traditional Fourth of July festivities and he would be singing ‘Star Spangled Banner.’ We would be heading to Florida in the wee hours of morning and he would be singing ‘King of the Road’ while we tried to sleep in the backseat. Once we caught on to this behavior, we would skeptically look at one another when he started singing things like ‘Old Flame’ and ‘Your Cheating Heart.’

This morning Chino (our pup) woke me up around 6am to urinate. This is where my dad would be singing ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ ready to start the day. Not me, I was half asleep in the yard thinking about Father’s Day and my dad. I was feeling sorry for myself thinking that we were headed to the cemetery later this morning to wish my dad a Happy Father’s Day. My ‘pity party’ was interrupted by someone talking very loudly. Just another Father’s Day domestic call I wondered to myself….just kidding. I looked around to see what the noise was and a few houses away, I saw a man on a bike. I could see he had earphones on and was clearly enjoying the morning oblivious to anything around him. Once he got directly in front of my house, he belted out (on the top of his lungs) ‘I’LL BE YOUR CRYING SHOULDER!!!’

Dad‘s message was loud and clear this morning. We know he is still with us today and always. If you are missing a loved one today, take a look around you, there are signs everywhere. If you have nobody to mourn on this Hallmark holiday, count your blessing and for the love of G-d, go spend time with them today.

Sing loud and sing proud!!  Enjoy the day!!

Scott Crane

Captured from Scott Crane's profile

In the fall of 2010, I saw a status update on a college friend's Facebook page. She was helping her friend's son reach the goal of 5000 friends on Facebook. I immediately 'friended' him and joined the mission. I updated my status asking friends to also help him reach his goal. His name was Scott Crane. He was an inpatient hospice patient at the time. I watched his numbers jump from 200 to 5000 rather quickly. I am confident he did not need my help.

We chatted on Facebook. We read each other's blogs. As a matter of fact, he became my biggest motivator to keep up with my posts. He would email me asking me to write a blog entry so he could laugh. He would follow-up with emails pertaining to my posted blog entries.

I never met Scott Crane, his family, nor his little dog but over the months, I felt like I knew all of them. His devoted and amazing parents that didn't want to leave Scott and go out for their anniversary dinner. His adorable sister was not only a teacher but also the sparkle in his eye. Her boyfriend that saw he was mentioned on the Chicago Eater blog. His dog that was very much another sibling.

Having three small children, I began praying that my kids would grow up and be as amazing as Scott Crane. I am thankful I shared that with him. I began to pray that my husband and I could be like Scott's parents, giving our children the world at their fingertips. Having them grow up and know that they can take on the world and we would be right there with them. I prayed my children would be as loving and kind as Scott Crane. I prayed our children would be in their early twenties and appreciate us the way Scott Crane appreciated and loved his family.

Scott Crane became my friend and my daily motivation and not only because of his fabulous quotes. One evening we were chatting on Facebook and I said I had to get my hyper children to sleep. He quickly popped back up stating they were kids and they were supposed to be hyper. The day of the blizzard he popped up saying how much he hated the snow. He said it was a four-letter word in the Crane house. That was one of the only negative things I ever saw him write. I wrote back that I was ready for spring. He popped up again saying to forget spring BRING ON SUMMER!!

Today Scott Crane's family is celebrating his life at a service at their temple. I am very sad I can't be there but I keep looking at the clock knowing the celebration will begin in 15 minutes. I know I never met Scott in person but I know the temple will be packed with amazing people celebrating a person that is larger than life. Celebrating a young boy taken way too soon yet he had more insight than people 4 times his age.

Scott Crane your positive energy will live on in my soul and I am confident it will live on in many people as well!! When the sun shines bright, I will know it's because of you my friend! Fly free!

TMI

A well-known lawn care service provider was going door to door soliciting their services today.  Since we have some weeds here and there, I decided to humor him and let him give us a quote.  He dramatically walked around the lawn kicking his shoe over certain spots and shaking his head from time to time.  The kids and I waited on the front porch for him to finish.  In the meantime, my 4 year old, A, went into the house to poop. When he was finished examining our lawn, he came over by the front door where the kids and I were standing.  He started in with the sales pitch when suddenly he was interrupted by my little 4 year old's voice from inside the door.  I turned to look at her and she had her dress up over her head, underwear around her ankles and was screaming, 'MOM - there is poo stuck in my butt!' Anyway, not sure I have moved that fast in a long time.  I excused myself and told him I would be right back.  He told me to 'take care of what I needed to take care of' very kindly and to his credit, he did so without batting an eyelash!!

Honoring my daddy - our Popsie!

I decided what better way to celebrate my dad, Popsie, then to post a picture of him enjoying life (and family) every day until Father's Day!! For those that know him, I hope you enjoy! For those that don't know him, I hope you feel like you know him by the 19th!!

Kind-hearted, fun-loving, humorous, easy to piss off but just as easy to make laugh....gosh, I am a chip off the old block!! Happy Father's Day Daddy!! You taught me well....we miss you so much!