More farm fun

Continuing with my Wizard of Oz theme, I guess I would title this one "He would while away the hours".

The "scarecrows" on this farm we visited were actually pretty scary for most of the littler kids. But Danny thought this one was pretty silly. Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone. -M

Representing the Lollypop Guild...

The faces Benjamin can make right?

The boys had fun at a farm/pumpkin patch this morning, and as I type they are gleefully stabbing innocent pumpkins on the dining room table with Susanne. Ah yes. Tis that most spookiful time of the year...

Greetings loyal readers

Well I know people continue to visit our blog because our cool widget on the sidebar shows the visitors. If not for that, I would guess we don't have any readers as we get so few comments, but that's okay. With the pathetic amount of writing I've been doing lately I'm surprised anyone still tunes in.

As you can tell, our two precious boys continue to dominate all of our time and energy. They are a handful (what little kids are not?) and even though at times I'd like to pull all of my red hair out, I don't. Mostly because if I did I'd look like a crazy woman!

Susanne and I are a good team when it comes to taking care of the day to day stuff, but at times we definitely have conflict over parenting. These conflicts generally occur in the middle of the night when I am, according to my lovely wife, too quick to jump to the call of a crying child. She believes that doing so only rewards the crying. The worst part about having disagreements in the moment, in the middle of the night, is that you can't talk about it. Especially if one of the crying boys is now sound asleep on the floor of our room. It's also worse when the boys are sick. It seems like torture to me to just let them cry if they are hurting.

I'm not saying that Susanne is wrong in her assessment. I'm just saying that it is exceptionally difficult for me to always know the best thing to do, even when everyone's interests are the same. The boys share a room so when one cries out loudly in the night, I want to do all I can to keep the other boy sleeping. Sometimes this means removing the offender to a different space. It doesn't help that Danny clings to me and hangs on when I try to comfort him.

I know that Susanne has a point, but I also think her threshold for listening to the boys cry and scream in the night is different than mine. So I am always wrong. Or at least that is how it feels. It also doesn't help that usually the boys tend to cry out for me (Mommy) and not her (Mama) which I know hurts her feelings. Sometimes, I feel like there is no right answer to some of this conflict.

So Benji just got the fever that Danny has spent the past few days dealing with. I'm not looking forward to this. -Monica

More good times in Germany

 lk

Lots of fun with cousins everywhere we went as you can see here. The last picture is sort of a funny story. You see we'd gone to meet Su's friend Marcus at the main train station in Koblenz when we turned around to see what Benjamin was up to. Turns out his pants were not up to anything. The waist on these sweatpants had seemed a little stretched out but wearable. As it turns out we were wrong. Thank goodness for the "onsie" shirts. And thank goodness we had a suitcase filled with lots of other pants in the car parked not too far away. Will he ever forgive us when he's old enough to understand this post? ;-) -Monica

Traveling Abroad--The Good, The Bad and the...Yawn...

As I mentioned in my last post, we went on a visit (for two weeks) to Germany for a family party. Su's aunt and her husband celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and just about every relative in the family made it to the gorgeous town of Buxtehude which is in the north near Hamburg. We also spent time with Su's 91 year old grandfather closer to Frankfurt which was wonderful.

I was so looking forward to this trip, in part because I was so looking forward to a break from my job. Getting all of our packing organized has become a bit more complex with the addition of our two boys, but how much extra stuff do you need for a 4 year old and a one year old munchkin? Turns out quite a lot. Car seats and many diapers, and snacks and toys/books and a DVD player for the rental car (what a blessing that turned out to by though!)  Anyway, we got to the airport with time to spare and began our 7 hour direct flight to Frankfurt in good spirits.

The flight left at 3:45 local time and with the 6 hour time difference, we hoped they'd just sleep some and then sleep some more in the rental car. But alas, one year old Benji was the squirmiest worm ever--he was only happy when he was running laps around our section of the plane (so sorry fellow travelers). He had scant interest in the movies and shows on the little screen in front of him, nor in any snack, book or toy. When dinner came we hoped he'd be happy and eat then sleep, but somehow he managed to crawl under my legs with the dinner on the tray in its locked and downright position, and I could not catch him. Slapstick comedy ensued (not). Anyway, Su finally coaxed him to sleep and there was peace. Sort of.

Danny was super well behaved, but except for a one hour nap from about 4:00-5:00, he did not sleep. So for 23 of 24 hours he was awake. And talkative. And wanting to watch this and then that. And wanting to talk some more. It was a long flight.

When we arrived in Frankfurt at 5 am local time we hung out for about 1.5 hours waiting for Su's mom to come in on another flight. Benjamin ran around in a circle approximately 750 times. He would not be stopped. Danny started crashing. It was all great fun. After a nice breakfast with Su's mom (she stayed with the boys so we could get and load up the rental car) she went to meet her sister to take a train to the festivities, and we were off on the autobahn. You know, that winding German highway with no speed limits in many places?

When the gagging started in the back seat I was not sure who it was at first. It was poor Benji. One clean up stop later we were on the road again. Then he did it again. Another cleaning pit stop and then we wisely put a bib on him too.

You know, this sounds like a real downer of a trip right? But it wasn't! We had so much fun hanging out with cousins and other relatives. The boys were for the most part well behaved. The weather was lovely. But Su and I realized that we are hardly ever with our boys 24/7. And for this two week period we were.  Everything was new and exciting to the boys and they loved, loved, loved, Patrick and Christoph and Toby and Lisa and Jonas and Jannis and Jonna and all their older German relatives too.

A friend on Facebook called vacationing with kids an "oblication". I like that. It's a lot of work. (There was also the peeing the pants incident on the return flight but who is counting?)

But I'm thrilled that suddenly Danny is interested in speaking German and wants Su to read to him in German. I'm glad that Benji charmed the heck out of everyone and that we'll hopefully see some of our cousins next year when they come to DC to visit us.

And I'm VERY glad to be home. But can't wait to go again in a few years. Yeah, I'm sort of crazy like that. ;-) -Monica

More to come on our great trip to Germany...

Here Benji and his cousin Jannis said "cheese" in German for the camera!

Ask! Tell! This is a great day I say...

Yes Beatle, it's okay now. As of today, the ban on US service members serving openly has been lifted. I am thrilled on so many levels. Even though I have no connection myself to the military (more a Peace Corps type) I was always outraged by the idiocy of making people hide their sexual orientation. So they were held to incredibly high standards of honesty and integrity in their military lives, but basically had to commit lies of commission and ommission to stay in.

In the early 2000's I volunteered for several years help run a big annual fundraising gala for the Service Members Defense Network (SLDN). I met so many great people--many of whom had been forced to leave jobs they loved. Can you imagine how painful that was for them? SLDN was a lifeline for so many over the years. Frightened servicemen and women could call annonymously to get confidential help and advice from lawyers. At the same time the organization worked tirelessly to move legislation to bring the ban to an end.

At one gala dinner I had the honor of hearing Pat Kutteles speak about the horrific murder of her son Barry Winchell because he was "different". The more I learned the sadder and madder I got.

A writer named Randy Shilts wrote a book I read about 10 years ago called "Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military". It really shocked and saddened me. I'll never forget learning about an Air Force Seargent named Leonard Matlovich. He died in 1983 and on his tombstone which he meant as a memorial to all gay veterans at Congressional Cemetary in DC, he arranged for the following inscription:

"When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men, and a discharge for loving one."

Powerful right? I kinda hope that he and everyone who has been on the fatal receiving end of violence against gays in the military is smiling from heaven today.

So, today is a great day. There is more to do though. Being open is great but partners/spouses of gay service members don't get the same treatment as straight spouses. There will have to be wider scale changes for that to happen, but a day like today gives me hope.

So thank you everyone associated with SLDN, including Dixon and Michelle, Jeff, Lara, Allen...the list goes on. You done good! -Monica

Do you think he liked soccer?

That would be a YES!

I really hate pictures of myself, but I'll make an exception...

Yup, that's my left pinky. Nice right? And the best part is that it's been like this since I was about 15 years old when I broke it playing basketball. Never much bothered me til I wacked it on a picnic table this summer. Now it's pretty swollen and irritated. I do remember being able to bend it around in all directions and would joke that I had no bones in that middle joint, but I had no idea that the bones were so out of whack. Apparently the middle joint is hyperextended and the joint at the tip is flexing--both constantly fighting with each other to dominate. This is what happens when you mess with your tendons people.

Anyway, I learned yesterday from a doc that there is a name for this. It's called a Swan Neck deformity (kinda does look like a swan's neck right?) I'll see a hand specialist but I'm not inclined to want to have surgery. Even though it is more painful and annoying than before.

Sigh...now I'm afraid to get x-rays of any other parts of my body. What other surprises lurk under the surface? ;-)

-Monica

Halloween Shmalloween

Why wait for October 31st to dress up? This weekend our neighbors threw an impromptu costume party for the kids. One Batman (the Dark Knight I think), one Super Girl, two Supermen, and a Pirate strike a pose here. Wonder Woman and Baby Skunk were there too, but obviously too fast to be captured on camera! 

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful bunch of neighbors!

Say it ain't so!

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that Benji actually managed to climb out of his crib last night. Susanne was next to him when he got his leg over and sort of reinserted him back in. He was having a fit because I was reading a story to his brother and not to him and was hell bent on breaking out!

I must admit I am dreading life when the crib no longer hold him. If I never blog again, it may be because I'm exhausted from chasing him down.

I think I was spoiled by the fact that Danny did not try to break out and transitioned to his "big boy bed" the month before Benji was born. Danny was about 2.5 years old (or 30 months old) at the time. Benji is 21 months old now. Sigh...

On a brighter note, here are a few observations I've made about our boys on Facebook over the past month or so. Enjoy!

August 15
So I've decided our boys eat like birds. The 4 year old like say, a hummingbird, and the 1 year old like um, maybe a pelican.

August 15
So little Danny caught a bit of the news last night hearing Rick Perry thunder that "Washington is broken!". Of course the poor kid asked immediately if our house was broken?, (no) then exactly what in Washington was broken? I will limit my political commentary here by saying "Politicians say the darndest things don't they?"

August 16
I told Danny that today was going to be a great day. He of course asked why, and I told him "because I said so" which made him really happy. Sadly, I think he's only ever heard those words said in a slightly more cranky and exasperated tone ;-)

August 22
So just when did the piñata become such a ubiquitous part of kids' birthday parties? Every party we've been too this summer (including Danny's I admit) has had one. I guess I sort of love the sharing of cultures part, but the sight of a dozen tiny boys and girls beating the stuffing out of defenseless pink princesses and other cartoon favorites while the adults clap in approval is kind of creepy no? (Danny's was a fish--cuz that's so much better right?)

August 26
I've decided that our Benjamin is an old soul. Wise beyond his year.

September 8
Danny woke up this morning all excited about the fact that winter is on its way (or at least he thinks so). When I asked him what he wanted for breakfast, I burst out laughing when he announced "Snow Flakes". This boy it too funny!

September 8
I find it ironic that the song little Benji asks for constantly is "Da, Da, Da" (think Volkswagen commercial song). It's a fun one, but it always cracks me up that the boy with two moms actually then says "da, da, da" more than "ma, ma, ma" ;-)

September 12
Danny, eying a convertible this weekend with its top down." Look mommy! That car has its head off!" Oops. He did it again ;-)

September 13
Danny wanted one his stuffed Dr. Suess toys while we read a story. Which one is it I asked--Hooey? Yertle?  Nah..."you know mommy, that guy who stole Christmas!" Oh, that guy ;-)

My Favorite Bird Whisperer...

We had a great time last week visiting Susanne's family, and one of the highlights was a trip to the Richmond Zoo.

At the bird sanctuary, while watching Su and the boys with the birdies, I was reminded of a time about 8 years ago when we had taken a trip to Guatemala.  One morning at breakfast, out of the blue, a gorgeous parrot decided that Su was his best friend.

Nice to see her passing on her gentle way with birds and animals to Benji and Danny. -M

I swear I just blinked my eye...

 A year ago Danny was just about the littlest guy in the school. An adorable 3 year old. This year he's just about the most adorable guy in the school. This time a big 4 year old. It is an amazing thing to witness this transformation. Of course baby brother Benji who is only 1 totally wants in on this growing thing!

Great day!

So today I celebrate one of those non-milestone birthdays and I couldn't be happier. Last night we hosted a "Mojitofest" for a group of wonderful friends and today Susanne has been great--I most especially appreciate that she took Danny and Benji out for a while this morning to play at a park and buy me balloons (Spiderman and Mickey Mouse go figure :-) The 2 hours of peace and quiet to read the paper was priceless.

Last night as we were going to sleep I spied a perfect half moon, and as it was my last day of being 50, I decided that it was an omen that my life was only half over (or half begun!) and I'd live to be 100. Danny will be 53 then and Benjamin 51. Hard to imagine.

Which reminds me...we just figured out the other day that they will be members of the high school classes of 2025 and 2028 respectively. For some reason that boggles my mind. Have a great day everyone! -M

P.S. Tomorrow is the first day of PK4 for Danny. I wonder if he'll get butterflies in  his stomach like I always used to?

It takes a village...

sdf

It takes a village to deal with the clean up from Hurricane Irene. Our neighbors had a lovely pear tree come down but we are all grateful that no one and nothing was really damaged (thanks to a great catch by a smaller dogwood tree in their yard.) Onward and upward. Earthquake then Hurricane. What next? -M

Can you guess Benjamin's latest favorite word???

Susanne took these picture in the spring of 2009 when Benji's big brother was on a bit of a locomotive kick. How many times a day do YOU think a one year old can yell "TRAIN!!!!!"?

Milestones...

I know that usually we think of milestones as being those big moments like graduating or getting married or whatever, but I got to thinking about milestones just the other day when our dear Daniel, crossed a threshold I wondered if I'd ever see.

You see, he left his beloved blanket at our friend and day care provider extraordinaire Jenni’s house on Monday, and we didn’t discover this until bedtime. And truth be told, traveling the 10 miles to Jenni’s house (especially when she would be trying to get her own boys to sleep) to get the blanket did not seem like a very good idea to either Susanne or me.

Let me tell you about Danny’s blanket. It’s purple and he got it as a gift from Su’s mom’s friends Peggy and Mike. He has loved that blanket since day one, and as soon as he could talk, he called it his “bye”. (Funny story, Benji now has not one, but two favorite blankets that he calls “bye” and “buh bye”.) Anyway, where was I?  Danny loves his bye and has slept with it every night since he was old enough to claim it as his own.

So, he asked and we told him he could take it to Jenni's, but that it was his responsibility to remember to take it home. Because let's face it, my brain is full and I was pretty sure I would not remember.

Anyway, fast forward to bedtime when he normally curls up on one of our laps with his bye, his sucking thumb (a whole nother blog post) and a good story, he asked us where his bye was.

Rut roh. Trying to quell the wave of panic that began to wash over me, Su and I both explained that he was going to have to use a different bye (like the one he uses at school). We braced for the worst.

He calmly told us which little blanket he wanted and proceeded to go to bed with no fuss.

I gotta tell you. We were really proud of him.

And I also gotta tell you I’m glad he forgot it on Monday night and not Tuesday night. Because that unusual east coast earthquake that hit yesterday shook him up a bit.  From the moment we picked him up at Jenni’s he kept that bye with him until he finally drifted off to sleep. And milestone or not, I completely understand that when you’re a little on edge, it’s nice to have an “old friend” to hold on to. 

Here’s to all of our purple byes.

August showers bring...

Who knew?  Apparently that "having enough sense to come in out of the rain" thing has to be taught. But in their defense, after surviving a summer this hot, a cool rain shower was just the ticket! -M

On Target

So my thought for the day? Target.

As in Target stores.

You are probably wondering whether I plan to rant or rave, but in reality, I don't plan to do either. I really just want to make an observation that has stuck in my mind for a while now--ever since I was in a Target store when my mom was nearing the end of her life.

You see, I can remember Target stores since I was a little kid growing up in Minnesota. I actually worked at T-52 back when I was in college (for those who have ever worked at Target, you might know where that is.)  The very first Target to ever open (T-1) is in Minnesota and if you were a kid growing up in the Twin Cities back in the '70s you probably went to Target.

So here is what I got to thinking about. Target changes all the time but never really changes. You go in, and the women's clothes tend to be on your right, belt and hats on the left, and if you're going to buy jewerly or a watch you go to that same glassed in case as you do in every other Target.

The colors never change either (don't ever accidently wear tan pants and a red shirt to shop at Target. You will regret it.)

To be sure, Target always has the stuff you need. The right clothes that are more or less in style. The latest toys. Again, always new stuff, but in most respects just like the old stuff.

So where am I going with all this? As my mom lay dying and I stepped out to take a break and get some Christmas presents, it dawned on me that Target was the same in 2010 as it had been in 1977. Still clean and sparkly and current. And maybe it's morbid of me to think so, but I just feel like when my time comes in 20 or 30 years, Target will still be the same. 

And for some reason that makes me feel sad.  But also kind of glad about this idea that some things never change--not really.  Maybe it's a bit like how I see myself.  Changing all the time, but in essense never really changing at all. I guess you could say I'm "on target". -M

Our Supermen

Able to leap tall couch couch cushions in a single bound. Cuz jumping on the couch is a great idea right? ;-)

Birthday fun with friends

Adorable little RJ celebrated her second birthday yesterday and pictured here is her ever so cool posse. Happy birthday sweetie! We had a great time. -M

Keeping it Real. Real Fun.

The boys' Nana spent the week with us, and here keeps Danny entertained until reinforcements arrive!

Just in the nick of time Benji (who now weighs just a few lbs. less than D) takes over teeter totter duty.

 Both boys had a great time riding a choo choo, and at the petting zoo. Here Benji prepares to engage in mortal "staredown" with any and all comers in the animal kingdom.

 No contest you cute little turkey. No contest whatsoever!

In a nutshell...

If I were not on Facebook I would most likely have blogged about these things that ended up instead as FB posts. Enjoy, or if you are a "friend" and have already seen them, move along ;-)

July 28

So Danny worries that our smoke detector is going to wail as I deal with a smoky “cooking malfunction.” “Don’t worry sweetie, it won’t go off now” I reassure him. “Won’t go off?” “Does that mean it will go on?” Aww… Chalk it up as another vote for “nuture” in the great “nature, nurture” debate.

July 27

When asked a question at breakfast this morning Danny replied "I can't answer you now--I'm not supposed to talk with my mouth full". Of course it came out as "Ah ca ansa you na--ah na suose ta ta wi my mow fu."

July 26

Our 4 year old delights in stacking and building--our 1 year old in searching and destroying. Sigh...

July 20

So last night as I carried Benji up, his little Glo Worm began playing a snippet of Pachelbel’s Canon. As I gazed as sweet face I suddenly imagined a day far in the future—his wedding day. I'm pretty sure I “wedding marched/glided” the rest of the way. And got a bit misty eyed. Such a sap!!

July 15

Rule #234 for a happy life. All gift cards must immediatly go into wallet. (Still hoping what appears to be lost will be found!)

July 14

Although Benji is too young to speak it's like he and big brother Danny actually plan how they will take turns each night making "night night" time a royal pain. Benji is "on" tonight, sigh…

July 11

Ugh...I've got the body of a God. Unfortunately it's Buddah!

July 1

Thunder and lightning--I always have to think before I say which is which. I also have a problem deciding which is the "open or close" button on elevators. :-)

June 30

Okay, seriously--who decides what to put out as XYZ (insert name of cable outlet here) breaking news e-mails? I know I could always unsubscribe, but I do count on the occasional really interesting one.

June 20

Sometimes a crib is just a crib. But when your 18 month old is particularly cranky some days, I like to think of it as a Self Contained Unruly Baby Apparatus. Yes, that's SCUBA for short. ;-)

June 15

Don't you think they could invent store video monitors that subracted ten lbs. instead of adding ten? I'd shop more at that kind of store.

June 14

"Afterday". Hmm...this new word our 4 year old has come up with is really growing on me. See you afterday!

June 8

Oh children's songs! Why do you infect me with your insidious brain worms? "Five little ducks went out one day, over the hills and far away." My apologies to parents of young ones everywhere!

June 7

"Ocean fish are for eating and goldfish are for loving" -Danny's deep thought while admiring his new orange friend.

May 25

Sigh...does anyone else dread figuring out what to wear to work every day? My entire clothing collection is a wardrobe malfunction I'm afraid.

Three Simple Steps...

Ahh…children’s television.  We like the PBS and Disney stuff but darn if those tunes don’t get stuck in my head and eventually drive me crazy!

Most likely anyone with preschoolers out there will recognize the "three simple steps" I titled this post. Yes, Secret Agent Oso is a cartoon where a cute bear teaches kids how to do just about anything by breaking it down into three simple steps. Tooth brushing, tying shoes, you name it.

Which always sort of humors me because in essence, as those of us who work in project management or enterprise architecture well know, decomposing anything down into its smallest "atomic" components is how you create work packages in a plan or...oh my gosh...what gobbledygook--just do what Secret Agent Oso says.

Have you ever noticed that kid's TV shows nowadays are all about teaching? None of this Roadrunner and Coyote, drop anvils on each other’s head stuff.

No. Today, Curious George teaches us all about how to measure and think critically. Sid the Science Kid? You guessed it. You can learn all about observations and formulating and then proving your hypothesis.  Imagination Movers is all about solving problems too, and of course Mickey Mouse is about figuring out the best tools to do the job (and practice your counting while you are at it!)

I read once that the Flintstones was an ode to “The Honeymooner” which was Jackie Gleason’s show.  “To the Moon Alice” Ralph would rail, much like Fred did to Wilma on the cartoon. I don’t recall much educational value, but maybe there was.  After all, we learned how to lie and scheme our way out of problems that we ourselves caused, (but never really got away with.)  

So I guess in closing, what I’m getting at is that if those of us who grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s were influenced by TV and turned out the way we did, how will today’s kids turn out?

I guess if I thought about it hard enough, I could break it down into three simple steps.

Or could I? -M

Stay cool boys. Real cool.

Dumbageddon

Have you ever wondered how "blogging" became a verb? (Okay, a gerund as I wrote it.) But my point is that the word blog came out of the idea of writing a web log.  If it had been an internet log we'd all be tlogging right?  Words are fun!  Like Staycation and Frienemies. Who comes up with this stuff?  I guess all of us do.

In fact, just yesterday day I told Susanne that I was finding the whole debt ceiling debacle to be a clear case of "Dumbageddon". (Need I say who which party in the negotiations epitomizes pure dumbness?)

Well, I guess I'd better sign off an get back to my stupid job. Which I may just start calling djob.  Although if truth be told, I'm grateful that I have my djob. In this economy. Thanks to the dummies leading us to Dumbageddon. -M

Happy Birthdays!

Today is my sister Mary's birthday and tomorrow will be my brother Paul's. I've been thinking about them both a lot the past few days as their birthdays have approached and I hope they both have fantastic days. I don't talk to either of them super often, but we all know that we love each other.

When I called Mary's cell today, I asked if I'd caught her at work, and then felt rather stupid about my question when she reminded me that she had traveled to see her daughter and that she would be at her grandchild's baptism this weekend. You see, I knew that. She'd mentioned on FB how excited she was to be going to see them. And then I realized my problem.

You see, for my whole life, I and my siblings had the most amazing gift. The 411. Access to all information that was important to keep up with. And the source was our mom.

It's been just about 7 months since mom died. And although I didn't think much about the role she played in being our "glue" when she was alive and well, I think about it now.  Even though I spent most of my life living in distant cities, mom and I spoke at least once a week, often more. She loved to keep me (and all of us) up to date on the latest family news (okay, gossip.)  Sometimes she'd forget she'd already told you something but you didn't mind because, hey, you knew she was sharing that same story with at least 7 children, 4 grown up grandchildren and various assorted other relatives.

If mom were healthy and still with us, she'd have made sure I knew where Mary was and most likely would have reminded me to call her. I'd hear the whole story about baby Ellie's baptism and Paulie's birthday too.

My sister Alice who took such wonderful care of mom is sort of taking over mom's 411 role a bit. Maybe I think that because just like mom was always the hub for our many spokes, Alice is now the one that everyone checks in with (especially the brothers who my mom worried most about.)  But Alice has a busy life and can't possibly play the role that mom did, and she does not need to. No one else ever really could anyway..

Mom, if you can hear me typing, I hope you know that you made life fun. And interesting. And I miss you. -M

What I did on my summer vacation...

Danny had a wonderful time visiting his grandmother in South Carolina as you can see from these pics. It does make me wonder though how easy it must be to get a license to captain a boat. Those passengers look far too comfortable to me at the prospect of a four year old taking them on a tour of Lake Marion! -M

A Parade Worth Waiting For!

The Takoma Park 4th of July parade delighted both Danny and Benji. Who doesn't love a parade! -M

The Dog Days indeed...

I have decided that I'm not a big fan of summer. Heat, mosquitos, humidity. Need I go on?

I used to like summers better when I was a kid because, well, I didn't have to go to school in the summer. I didn't dislike school so much, but I just got sick of it. Summers were a healthy break.

But for some reason my employers seem to believe that summers off are not good for the soul. I disagree.

In thinking about this I guess that I'm mostly not liking this summer, because I'm not much liking my job. I guess self-awareness is the first step to solving a problem.

Thank goodness my children bring me such joy. If only I had the summer off to enjoy it more with them. Sigh. -Monica