I'm writing this while at Eileen's cheer class. Should you need the definition of over-stimulation, this is it. Roughly 7 classes simultaneously going on on the floor.  Music playing loudly, same song over and over while girls practice routines. Instructors hollering various instructions. Girls with side ponytails (Eileen included) running in every direction. 

Parents sit up on a balcony thing where we watch.n the parent area. Oh my. The stories. The people watching. There are the moms who gossip the whole time, about what I don't know. There are dads who look like deer in headlights. Bless them, they're generally the ones who have a second or third kid with them, without fail falling off the bleachers onto the concrete. There's the one lady, I guess a grandma, who might have spent 24hours a day in the sun on the equator for 15 years straight. Shes also got a blinged out iPhone case. She fascinates me. 

Then there are the ones like us, who watch their kids and also pass the time reading or playing on various digital toys. It's an hour a week that I dread and also can't wait for. Am hour a week that is loud and chaotic. An hour a week where I'm somewhat held captive and I can't try to do 12 things at once. It's like an hour of forced relaxing, albeit loud relaxing. It's an hour where I get to watch Eileen runaround and interact with her friends. The girl is going to need a serious cheer tutor should she pursue the sport, but watching her run at insane speed makes me super excited for the day she can go on a jog with me. 

 We got our appointment for her kindergarten evaluation. It will be in a couple of weeks and she.cant.wait. I told her about it and she said "oh ooh!! Can I tell them all the math I know?!". She's quite ready to go to the Big K. May her enthusiasm for early mornings and homework stay so strong (riiiiiight). 

 Saturday she and bill had gone to Target. They detoured to the toy section. Where Bill was apparently fascinated by the latest in light sabers. 
 Bill: look at this light saber! Have you ever seen anything like it!? 

Eileen: um. Have I ever seen an ADULT playing with a light saber!? 


 HAHAHA! I died when he told me that. In other news. 


We are the proud owners of a new dishwasher. Bonus: those of you living on the Left Coast can no longer HEAR our dishwasher. Welcome to 2012. We also now have ice-maker that makes cubes- fully frozen individual cubes! The fridge is three years old and ice maker always been screwy. Usually producing large chunks of ice impossible to use. And in all honesty, it simply was NOT at the top of my list of things with which to deal. 


So when purchasing dishwasher, we got the 5year warranty. Which prompted Bill to inquire if I'd purchased it for the fridge. Hell, like I know this!? Our super friendly salesman offered to check.. And what do ya know? Yep. I bought it. So one call, two days and a service visit later.... We have cubes! And you seriously wouldn't believe how goofily giddy we've been over this development. 

Well folks. I've successfully passed most of the hour. I'm gonna watch Eileen do her version of cartwheels. Carry on.

let's talk pet peeves..

we've all got them, right? pet peeves I mean. Most of mine are no secret. And frankly, I'd like to think most of them are legitimate. Not just me being a brat. Then again, it could be I am the definition of brat just because I opted to do a post all about things that drive me up the wall.  I've even got categories..


Meals

• chewing - This is a life necessity. Albeit, a gross one. Could you please at least try to not smack your lips, swallow loudly, and OMG - keep your mouth closed. If your parents, for some ungodly reason, did not beat this into your head as a child, and you are now an adult.. then good grief take a moment and watch others around you. Two exceptions: if you have a cold, and  must breathe through your mouth while eating, at least please cover your mouth with your hand. And /or, should you dig into your food while it is still molten lava hot, thus needing to open your mouth to allow in some cool air, again, please cover your mouth with your hand. And then wait 3-4 minutes before taking another bite.
• while we're discussing table manners -  If you have not been schooled in this very necessary skill-set you have been done a major dis-service. Take note: 
• napkin goes in lap
• do not touch your food until all at the table have been served
• utensil down between bites, non-utensil hand in lap during meal
• do not scrape teeth on fork or slurp your drink/soup. does that not make your head shiver?
• politeness & tip - If, for whatever reason, you absolutely positively can't bring yourself to practice the above.. there is no excuse ever for not saying 'please' and 'thank you' to your server, and treating them as if they are a king or queen. I never worked in a restaurant, but have plenty of friends who did. And the stories they'd tell of some of the pretentious egotistical ignorant people they had to serve.. just mind  boggling. So. BE NICE. And. if you still think 15% is an appropriate tip, go back to your hole. If you can afford to be eating out, then you can afford 20, if not 25%.  It's easy. Move the decimal point over one and multiply x2. 
• $76.27 bill = 10% is $7.63 x2 = $15.26 - and OMG round up. make it an even $16.

Office

• morning routine. Just like you have a routine at home (brush teeth, wash face, shower, feed dog, etc...) most people have a morning routine at office (boot up computer, make tea, scan emails and calendar, review to-do list).  There are always those who feel the need to jump right in! if you walk into my office (or anyone else's) and you see me with coat still on, tea bag in hand, laptop in hand - anything indicating I have just arrived - you have two choices:
• turn around and walk away, assuming I didn't see you
• say 'good morning. when you get settled, give me a shout. just wanted to tell you about ABC.'  See how easy? 
• food. People. Shared spaces. Ever heard of those? Do not bring in last night's fish leftovers and heat in microwave. Do not bring in frozen meal of mystery meat chunks in brown gravy and heat in microwave. (Actually, the terms 'chunks of meat' and 'gravy' are somewhat foul on their own, certainly in the same sentence, and BY FAR in the same dish). If you want popcorn, by all means have it. If you are that freak that can't understand using the POPCORN button on the microwave, thus always burning your popcorn, you better watch your back. 
• hygiene. Hey. we all now and again need to perk up. some people brush their teeth after lunch. perfectly acceptable as long as a) it is in the bathroom and b) you rinse out the sink! do not leave blue toothpaste globs everywhere. Flossing and doing hair- again, acceptable in the bathroom. Cutting nails. NO. never. Not at the office. And OMG. whoever you NASTY people are who use the facility and then walk out - hello!? Those of us still in there can hear you. We KNOW you did not stop at  the sink and wash your hands. WHO ARE YOU?!
• phones. Several areas to discuss...
• Land line. for the few humans who still opt for a phone call instead of an email you know I won't answer the phone if I don't know you, and a lot of the time, if I DO know you. If you leave me a VM, I may or may not listen to it in any sort of timely fashion. Send me an email. Even if I DO answer the phone, I will then follow up with an email - that is the only way this girl will be able to keep track of details. 
• Land line part two. if you call me, and I don't answer.. DO NOT CALL MY CELL PHONE TWO SECONDS LATER. unless the building is on fire. I have either ignored your call because I don't want to talk to you, OR I am not in my office. wherever I am, I can bet you that I have my blackberry or laptop with me, and if you would just email me I will TOTALLY get your message. 
• Unless you are a transplant surgeon waiting on the arrival of a living organ, you have absolutely nothing so important to discuss that it needs to be done while you are using the facilities! i mean GROSS. you're really gonna sit there on The Throne and chat on your phone about the new paint color in your kitchen? 
• illness. two schools of thought here:
• man up. K, we were raised that unless we were coughing up a lunch or bleeding out our eyes, we went to school. If you wake up with a headache, take some tylenol. You're really gonna say you're too sick to work and the rest of us have to cover for you? 
• spare us. on the other end of the spectrum, if you are legitimately sick, stay the hell away. if you have a fever, a brutal cough, chicken pox - stay home. You are not a martyr, you are not a hero bc you come in and spread your germs. Colds are subject to both situations - if you are sneezy and runny nosed but feel sort of OK, then come in but stay in your own space. Wash your hands and keep to yourself!

ok one more topic and then I'll hush..

Kids

• tantrums k. I admit it. I'm ridiculously lucky as Eileen rarely threw that 2year old tantrum in the middle of a public place. And of course it happens. A toddler throwing a fit is a fact of life. If your toddler is the one throwing the fit, you are granted a pass.. temporarily. If said fit should go on more than 5-8 minutes, you then owe it to the innocent bystanders to remove your toddler from the situation. We know you can't help it, but still.
• tantrums. Age 5 and above - not acceptable. We all know kids at this age have mastered the instant cry  when they don't get their way or the earth-shattering whining. If at this point you have not mastered The Look, and your child isn't immediately silenced when given The Look, you may have a problem. Age 5 and older is the age to know better, and certainly the age at which discipline and learning how to behave is expected. 
• conversation. K. I know I talk about Eileen a good amount. Hell, this blog is supposed to be about her. But OMG, if all you talk about is your kid(s)  - get.a.life.  Yes, kids are great. And if you have awesome kids you are proud. And you want to tell people. But surely, SURELY, you still have some of your own interests? Surely you watch movies or read books or social media or play tennis or have a job? Surely you can carry on a conversation revolving around something other than Johnny's new haircut or Lisa's new hair bow. (note: new mommies are excluded from this rule. the first year of kid-hood truly is exclusive to all things kids. at 12 mos your pass expires).

That's all. Well for now anyway. I imagine I've annoyed some people, made some laugh, and possibly have a whole new fan base. :)

Cheers!

holding pics

I keep meaning to talk about Pinterest. Which is the latest (well for the next five minutes anyway) innovation in Social Media. It is open to all, but certainly dominated by females.  It is like a giant massive bigger than you can imagine CORKBOARD.  Everything and anything a girl (or boy) could want. 

DIY crafts, decorating, recipes, celebrities, clothes, jewelry, workouts, art, photography. Even blogs and brands are jumping on.  Inspiration. We all know I am the least creative person on the planet. But there are ideas on there I think even I could do. like this cool idea for storing jewelry - made out of cutlery trays....

Source: maillardvillemanor.com via Erin on Pinterest

And. it is addictive.  I mean, you thought Facebook could suck you in. You have no idea. Not really any other reason for me to blog about it other than it is lately how I spend all of my free time. 

<-- this is Princess Gracie getting superbly annoyed with me. Somehow, this new habit has developed of giving her a rawhide after each meal. Not entirely sure how we developed this habit. And should you think we should break this pup of her twice daily (or more) rawhide habit.. yeah. right.  Have I not told you that Gracie is the Super Stalker? 

If, after a meal, a rawhide has not been offered in an acceptable timeframe, she will Stalk. She is a large dog, and she knows it. She morphs into the biggest, furriest, gangliest shadow known to man. You know how you walk into a room, realize you meant to go to another room (don't even ACT like that doesn't happen to you), then turn on a dime to head to the correct destination? Yeah, not advisable. Unless of course you want to get cut off at the knees the instant you move, flailing arms to keep balance and not land on the dog breaking her back.

Back to that picture. She was contentedly gnawing away on it. Does a cute little thing where she holds it between her paws. Which I attempted to capture on film (ok, memory card). Several flashes later, she actually sighed at me and got up to leave the room. So that shot is the only decent one I got, which is the moment she made a move to gnaw in private. 

Not a lot else to tell at the moment. Just like that we've morphed back into regular routine. School. Work. Gymnastics. Force Feeding Vegetables. Twenty Minute showers Eileen has taken to now that she does it all by herself. (oh, and yes, I will rob her piggy bank to pay the water bill...)


Happy Tuesday. 

a day in the life..

So Eileen gets an allowance. Tonight when she counted the money at mommy's house and daddy's house, she realized she's not poor. And this dance is just part of the celebration. 

And that was just the a smidge of the treat that was Eileen today.  She came back from Josh & Sarah's on Saturday afternoon. She was here perhaps an hour, and then bolted across the street to Bella's. About an hour after THAT, she & Bella appeared at the door asking to have a sleepover at Bella's. Which Bella's mommy and I are pretty sure the two of them concocted, but she was fine with it.

So, whattya know? Eileen spent the night, and actually stayed all night. The only other time she's attempted a sleepover she came home around 11:30. 

This morning she's home early, she & I head to church. Towards the end of Mass, she's wanting to color. I whisper "no sweetie; we'll be done in about 5minutes."  At which point she whispers LOUDLY "YES" while putting those arms into a solid cheerleading "V" for Victory. Hey. Those Monday night sessions are paying off.

After leaving Target, as we pass PetSmart, she insisted on going to the pet store. WHY? we asked her. 

Quite exasperated, she told us "because. I want to smell Mice. I have never smelled mice before."  no words. none. needless to say, we did not go to the Pet Store. 

As most of you know, my birthday was last Friday. We went out with friends and had a blast.  Next day Bill and I headed to Josh & Sarah's to visit, see Edie, and pick up Eileen. While there Eileen gave me the gift she'd picked out. Sarah said Eileen was stoked to give it to me bc it was completely her own idea. 

Now taking guesses on what exactly that was. That my five year old Mini Me had picked out for her Mommy's birthday gift. 

WINE. RED RED WINE.

She had seen "Cupcake Wine" and decided that was for me. (of course, I'm stoked bc it will be good... ).  She also had picked out an uber cool ceramic planter that will look phenominal on the new screened in porch. 

I keep forgetting to tell this story, which may not be as funny when not in person, but I still chuckle when I think about it.

It was Friday 12/23. Bill & I were home, wrapping last minute gifts and such. And a liquid (not mine... ahem) got spilled on the table runner.  In most cases I would have taken it off and sent to the cleaners. In this case, there was not time. So the options were a bare table (which didn't thrill me), or seeing if we could snactch up a neutral yet holiday runner for not an arm and a leg.  So off Bill went to Bed, Bath, Beyond. 

In the store, he's looking around. Can't find the runners. Sales girl walks up. 

Sales girl: Hi Sir - may I help you find something?

Bill: Yes, I'm looking for table runners, but I can't find them. 

Sales girl: Sir, she said "Bed, Bath & Beyond. This is Bath and Body Works."

BWAHAHAHAH.  The funniest part is NOT that he went to the wrong store, but that apparently men do it so often, the sales people automatically know it, AND they know the men have been told by their wives/girlfriends/partners where to go.. 

oh fun times. ok. time to get the Monkey to bed and gear up for Monday. 

happy little erin bubble

this morning... chatter while getting ready for work... i'd been to the gym and seen some news updates and of course the early morning edition of SportsCenter...


me to bill: (referencing the Sugar Bowl) oh Michigan won last night. OT, they won by a field goal. 


bill: oh wow. i hadn't checked scores yet. 

a minute or two passes...


bill: who won Iowa? 
me: wait - what? Iowa had a game last night? what game!?


bill: stunned silence. mouth open. THE CAUCUS?


me: OH! umm. Romney. yeah. Romney. but like barely. over Santini or whoever. (ok, i know it's Santorum, but way funnier to say Santini, right?)

 It's not that I'm not aware of current events. Or that I'm not somewhat paying attention to the candidates or what they have to say.  


For the most part I tend to lean much further to the left. And so for the most part I tend to sort of let the early stages of this race float past me. 

So yep. My brain was all about football. But oh I got a good giggle out of myself. Hopefully you got a good giggle too. Hey. if you can't laugh at yourself, you may as well go ahead and get the custom made straight jacket, right? 


In other news, you'll note these pictures. All summery. Winter has arrived. And I know I really shouldn't complain. The last two winters have been horrid (by Southern Standards).  By this time last year we'd had at least two, if not three, "snow events," AND the pipes to my washing machine had frozen. This year, so far, it has been super mild. 

 Just in time to have to get up early and go to work, it turned Arctic. Ugh. So I opted to post a load of summery pictures. 


Look how TAN Eileen & Syd are in that picture. Sheesh. 


Anyway. That is all.  Just the daily funny from the Happy Shiny world of Me.