Random Thoughts #2

Things about my kids that I think about:

I used to think that 3-5 year olds weren't as cute or fun as babies and toddlers. It turns out that as my kids get older, I think whatever age they are at that moment is the most fun age.

I also remember looking at my friends with older kids and being unable to understand what it was like to have a 3 year old. Now my oldest baby is almost 4. I wish I still didn't understand what it's like to have a 3 year old. Well, some days.

I love the words M comes up with for things. Besides "Zebras" which will probably always be my favorite story, this week she went to an "All Comers Track Meet" which I had been telling her we would go to for a couple of days. She insisted on calling it the "meatball." I thought it was the greatest. I miss her mispronounciations like "bapes" for grapes. We actually have tried to keep them going, but most have faded away. She still calls Grandma "Amma" sometimes though. K hasn't mispronounced the same things.

Speaking of K, I am guilty of that ubiquitous "Mom-to-more-than-one-kid" syndrome, where he doesn't get nearly the attention that his sister received at his age. Although his sister didn't have a cool older sister to look up to either. I know K gets to do things that we tried to not let M do (he climbed up and down stairs alone much sooner) and he learns many things we'd rather he didn't from M.

Something that is scary, just plain scary. A man that I went to school with, and used to see almost daily at a former job was arrested this week. I won't write what for exactly, but I'll say it involved kids, and photos. I'm so glad I didn't have kids when I knew him.

Things I love: (not including people, because those are obvious)

1. Making fun of our local weekend weatherman. He says things like "soupy" and everything is always coming or going to the "east, northeast" or "west, northwest"...it's never just one direction. Sad thing is, he shares a name with my son.
2. Getting stuff for free. It’s just wonderful. During the Olympics, Coke had a promotion that if the U.S. won, you won 5 free 2-liters of soda. So I won a few coupons for 5 free 2-liters. I’ve redeemed some (not all) and this is not even all that
   I’ve redeemed. At the stores, more than one cashier has said “You get ALL FIVE FREE?” Yep! Put those bad boys in my cart. Depending on where I’ve redeemed it’s been from $5 to $8 of product for free at one time. I think I have won something like 70 free bottles of Coke products. That makes me happy.
3. Thunderstorms. And Blizzards. As long as I don’t have to go anywhere.
4. Okay, even tornado warnings. I get a weird cheap thrill out of the possibility of danger. But if the sightings get really close, then I am a big baby.
5. Reading books. Real (frivolous) books. But I hardly have time to do that anymore. I’ve been trying to read this memoir by a lady who was a Bay City Rollers groupie. Maybe it’s not that good, but it’s taking me a long time to read. But I’m not a book quitter. I can only remember quitting one book I started. And I don’t cheat. I never skip ahead. (I haven’t read many books of consequence since I graduated college, after all that reading I’ve taken a very long rest from thinking when I’m reading…I should probably read something of importance soon.)
6. Reading comments on my blog. My 4 readers...thank you! It takes so little to make me happy sometimes. And I reread comments...over and over. Because I am a praise junkie.

I've been getting ready to go on vacation next week. I've been buying the non-perishable groceries for the last couple of months to try to defray the cost a bit. I'm not sure how we'll get all the crap we need for a week away from home up there, but we're leaving the 17th. So no posts for that week. I'll be in major withdrawal. But I'm sure I'll type multiple posts per day when I get back. Because I love my own blog (oops, that belonged in the list above.)

Ni-night!