Countdown is On . . .

A week from tomorrow we take Jamey to college. Yikes, how did this happen? I am freaking out; how can my baby be going to college?

I think about it every day even before my eyes are open. It's the last thing I think about before drifting off to sleep. I know I'm not alone; I've spoken to several moms who are also loosing their babies to college this year. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones cause at least Charles is back home for a while. Momming him should take up some time and keep me busy.

It's just that I'm worrying about Jamey being there. I'm worried about me here without him. I'm so used to having him around; and with four years age difference between him and Charles; it's been only him home for four years (give or take some time that the girls were home). I guess it's safe to say I'm spending a good deal of time just plain worrying. And the crying I'll be doing; you can bet your bottom dollar there will be plenty of that. I just hope I can hold it together at least til I get in the car after we drop him off.

Ughhh - whose idea was it anyway for kids to go away to college without their moms????

High Alert - Momaholic Style

It's me. I'm on high alert, kid alert, right now for two reasons and their names are Charles and James. First, Charles is flying to Paris today to play basketball with his college team. I didn't realize it until today that today is Friday the 13th. I don't consider myself to be a superstitious person by nature; however, flying on Friday the 13th, just in case, would not be a choice I would make. He didn't happen to put the two together until today either. Needless to say, he left with my rosary beads in tow - just in case he needs them. I'm happy for him and all the experiences he'll have, but nervous all the same. The momaholic in me just doesn't feel comfortable when my kids are so far away, can't help it.

Second reason for high distress is that I also woke with the realization that two weeks from tomorrow we will be moving Jamey into college for the first time. YIKES!! I am not ready for this at all mentally. I'm holding it in too, which is even worse. I hope I can hold it somewhat together for his sake, and that of the rest of the family. This could prove to be a very long two weeks. I'll keep you posted.

Oh God, it's 9:25 and Charles takes off in 5 minutes!! I know that I won't get much sleep, that goes without saying. I'll just say a quick prayer for a safe flight - Godspeed my sweet Charles! And have a good time. Tear up Paris a little for me . . .

!!! Think Twice Before Returning!!!

I bought a cute shirt about a month ago. Ruffled tiers of different fabric, but made out of t-shirt knit. The kind you could wear with jeans or dress it up. I wasn't sure whether to keep it or return it, and decided on the latter. It was in my car, and Rachele happened to be home and we were going to that store. When I showed her what was in the bag, she advised me not to return it, telling me how cute she thought it was. I guess you all know by now that nine times out of ten, I listen to Rachele (classic who's the mother and who's the daughter role reversal). Needless to say, I kept it.

About a week later, our neighbors were having a little Saturday night get-together. I thought the shirt would look cute with cropped white jeans that I salvaged from Kristin's throw-out pile (never worn) that happened to fit me really well. Finishing off the outfit were flat sparkle sandals (another Rachele-advised purchase). I really liked the way all the pieces came together and felt stylish and very comfortable.

I brought the outfit on our beach vacation thinking I might like to wear it again. Well, to make a long story short, I wore it to the parents/sisters dinner, and again to the dinner with our friends. It doesn't end here. I also wore it that Saturday night to Christine's party. Did I really wear the exact same thing three times in one week, and the same thing one week prior? Yessiree, I sure did. And I loved it all four times! It did not disappoint, in fact I would wear it again tomorrow if an event presented itself.

Moral of the story of course ladies is - think twice before you return something you originally liked enough to purchase. Oh, and yes, Rachele, you were right again!

Birthday Girl

!Happy Birthday Sugar! This past Saturday, the day we got home from the beach, was Christine's birthday, a special birthday, and I was thrilled to be able to see her. Usually we are on vacation on her birthday, but this year it just worked out.

Christine, you are my special beauty girl. You look absolutely fabulous, a good ten years younger than you are, and I'm not just saying it! Keep up the good work - Love, Plum

The Beach

Who doesn't love the beach? We just got back from a week at LBI - Jersey Shore, and it was such a great vacation. Friends of ours are also there, and two of my sisters also rent a house for the week. All the cousins come, and family friends, it's just one big party. And then there's the beach. It's magical, no matter which beach you happen to be at. It's a force of nature too mystical, too powerful to understand. It's mesmerizing, isn't it?

Anyway, this year my parents came and stayed at our beach house. It was so much fun having them. It brought me back to many years ago when they rented a beach house every year in Ocean Beach. I kind of felt like a little kid again. I hope they can come next year too. The week goes by so quickly, and with so many people there with us, it's hard to do everything that you'd like to do while you're there. This year, though, I made sure I did the important things.

The first important thing was making sure my parents came. They also managed to have a good time, and relax a little too. This made me really happy.

Next was to make sure I spent some alone time with my friend Dar. When we're home, it's hard to see each other because of our work schedules. (Have to try a little harder with this.) Anyway, we had a nice heart-to-heart over a morning cup of coffee. An hour very well-spent.

Had to go to Cafe Bacio, a really cool and delicious dessert-only place. I had no trouble at all polishing off a giant marshmellow chocolate cupcake. I even went back later in the week for a take-out and a frozen hot-chocolate! Yummy.

Important to take my parents out to dinner with my sisters. Delicious Italian food surrounded by family, a great night. So glad we went.

Long overdue, a dinner with our friends Janet and Jeff. Another delicious meal, and then back to their gorgeous house where the kids were partying up a storm, really having a good time, as were we. The stuff memories are made of.

The rest of the week was comprised of bike riding with Kristin, walking with Rach and my Mom, cooking, shopping, and spending lots of time on the beach.

Were there some things that I didn't get to do? Sure, I wish I could have stayed just a couple of days longer. But then again, there's always next year.

MIA

Hey remember me? Seems like just yesterday that I was apologizing for not blogging for a while. Here I go again. I guess I could offer up a million and one excuses, none of them really valid, but here goes.
Charles' computer was broken, so he was busy using mine for all this time for business. Okay, so I could have used another computer, right? Yes, we've been busy too - family busy. But isn't everyone? A good blogger would be typing away about all the so-called busyness, wouldn't they? As always, my mind blogs away, every day, about tons of interesting ordinary occurences. It's just sitting down to type it all. I must make more of an effort. And I will. I promise.

A Month Has Gone By?

Sorry - wasn't that I didn't have any thoughts, to the contrary some of my thoughts would have blown you away, maybe not in a good way. Did you ever have a day or week or month of such busy-ness, such chaos and lunacy, that you thought maybe you'd loose it? This was how I rolled this past month. Don't get me wrong, some really nice events presented themselves, including Charles' graduation, Jamey's prom, etc. It just seemed that each important event flowed into the next. Hard to catch my breath. Then of course Sal and Charles had to go on their manly-man adventure trip to California. That totally put me over the edge. It took weeks to shop for all the elaborate 'real cowboy' attire they needed, not to mention lots of remedies and specific toiletries. Next on the list, Luke had gotten a hot-spot on his beautiful little puppy face and I had to take him to the vet to get 'coned' up. This was my first experience with the dog cone. What a horrible (but necessary) invention. It took me a few days to find a kinder gentler alternative, after visiting every pet store within 20 miles of my house, I found one. It's called the 'Cozy Cone', and it's a padded fabric velcro cone shaped device. I gladly plunked down the forty dollars, and home I went. Luke actually likes it, and it's easy to take on and off for walks, so it worked out. Anyway, these are probably very normal things to most people, and yes, even to me they are. But at this particular time, with everything happening at once and working so much and taking care of everyone, it was just a lot. I'd find myself just driving to the next errand and tearing up for everything and really nothing. Most of the time I like to think of myself as everyone's rock, but during this particular time, I was no one's rock, not even my own.

I don't mean to be overly dramatic here. I just wanted to share because I think many of you have probably been a little fragile at least once if not more during different stages of your life. Maybe you just brought home your first child, and all of a sudden you have this baby, but you're not entirely sure what you're supposed to do when they won't latch on to your breast, or maybe they just won't stop crying. Maybe your two year old woke up in the middle of the night screaming with an ear infection and you can't take him to the doctor until morning. Or maybe it's a particular fight or bouts of fighting with your husband that drive you to the edge? Point is, any one thing or series of small things consecutively can cause you to crack just a little. The important thing to know here is that it's normal, and probably won't be the last time it happens. What's more important is knowing you're gonna snap out of it, and probably - just maybe - be that much stronger for it.