tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-374228502011-10-04T15:58:38.172-04:00Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.comBlogger5511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-25009285521733696412011-01-06T22:59:00.001-05:002011-01-06T22:59:01.055-05:00

I have sat down to write this post a dozen times already but none of them ever seemed quite right. This time, whatever flows out is what I will post. Just a few days before Christmas one of my mother's best and dearest friends passed away. If you are one of the few people who read this blog regularly you know her as CatMar, faithful comment leaver and known to me as "Aunt" Marilyn. About a

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-28260728774590075662010-12-26T16:43:00.001-05:002010-12-26T16:43:55.278-05:00

Harry wants to know if God is the king of heaven because he was the first person to die and He got to the pearly gates before anyone else. Next question? If God was first, who was second? George Washington? Join us next week for more "Tough Questions Kids Ask!" Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-85712086444517941282010-12-18T01:44:00.001-05:002010-12-18T01:44:04.725-05:00

Ad agencies throw the most interesting holiday parties, with karaoke and dancing and sushi. The grand prize? Two airline tickets anywhere in the world. Had I won, I'd have gone away alone. Twice. Merry merry! Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-88212069364877422010-12-07T20:22:00.001-05:002010-12-07T20:22:12.230-05:00

If you are pressed for time there is a Hannukah Mobile parked at Rockefeller Center his holiday season. This city never ceases to amaze me.Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-29470269904140440012010-12-07T20:21:00.001-05:002010-12-07T20:21:47.275-05:00

If you are pressed for time, there is a Hannukah Mobile parked at Rockefeller Center his holiday season. This city never ceases to amaze me.Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-82573240885997746202010-11-26T08:37:00.001-05:002010-11-26T08:37:27.024-05:00

We met up with family in D.C. this weekend for Thanksgiving. We ordered a fully-cooked turkey dinner from a local supermarket which freed us up on Thanksgiving morning to visit the Washington monument, the Lincoln memorial, the Vietnam wall, WWII memorial, the Korean war memorial. Hope your Thanksgiving weekend is just as fun (but with less whine and more wine!) Published with Blogger-droid

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-13279500387968773162010-11-21T00:27:00.001-05:002010-11-21T00:27:05.707-05:00

There is a canal in our neighborhood that is one-part mafia dumping ground, one part ecological wunderkind. Interestingly, one of the canal crossings is a wooden bridge, flanked with cobblestones.Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-63995103921761581422010-11-19T09:30:00.001-05:002010-11-19T09:30:04.140-05:00

I see this status every morning on my way to work....it makes me smile.Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-64255982862771646122010-11-11T12:09:00.001-05:002010-11-11T12:09:41.086-05:00

Every so often you see something in this city that makes you think "huh, how 'bout that." This, I think, is one of those things.Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-56365260140976394212010-11-09T21:38:00.001-05:002010-11-09T21:38:58.933-05:00

Finally! Here is my first cabled knitting project in all its cabled glory. This baby blanket was knit I'm a cotton-poly blend and is machine washable so the new mom (well, newish at this point) can use it every day. Next up is baby blanket knit in the round for another new baby and that's knitting up quickly, thank God (that project's got a deadline, too. Yikes!) Published with Blogger-droid

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-34048371416187311962010-10-02T18:39:00.001-04:002010-10-02T18:39:27.796-04:00

Every October our local family-owned hardware store hosts a fall festival with other local merchants. It's their way of thanking residents for their patronage. Even when that patronage comes from me...the lady who always comes in asking for thingamabobs to fix that thingamajig on the whatchamacalit. We love our neighborhood. Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-69085018682500644312010-09-25T16:10:00.001-04:002010-09-25T16:10:06.029-04:00

George W. Child's park. Fall isn't really the best time to visit waterfalls, especially after such a dry summer but it does let you go out onto the river beds and take photos from angles that aren't possible in spring.Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-25322127939809527772010-09-25T08:49:00.001-04:002010-09-25T08:49:13.890-04:00

Sophie and I are up in the Pocono Mountains for a mother-daughter weekend. We left the boys back in Brooklyn to fend for themselves. We will enjoy a morning hike, a visit to an historic house and fine dining in town. The boys will go to an inventor's fair and eat beans out of the can over the sink. (Probably.) (Maybe.) The weather right now is beautiful...68 degrees, sunny.Tonight's low,

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-56400828657485178242010-09-23T20:21:00.001-04:002010-09-23T20:21:16.358-04:00

So both kids have already come down with colds since starting school, which is a record for us. They're not usually sniffing until Columbus day. Yesterday both kids woke up complaining that they were "dying," and couldn't possibly attend school with such a serious malady. "OK," I said. "You should definitely stay home and rest. The BEST medicine is rest, so back to bed. Avoid straining

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-10250473476975423552010-09-19T00:03:00.001-04:002010-09-19T00:03:00.365-04:00

We had not one but TWO tornadoes in New York City on Thursday evening. One went through Brooklyn and another through Queens. I missed all the drama at home but watched the storm (and the spectacular lightning) at the office. Today, while running errands around the neighborhood, I saw lots of branches as well as whole trees ripped out of the ground or snapped in half. A neighbor a few doors

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-45240966560577585262010-09-15T22:15:00.001-04:002010-09-15T22:30:31.447-04:00

My cell phone was dying a slow, painful death and after a trip to my local cell phone dealer I find myself the owner of a ridiculously snazzy (but since it will be used for work wholly tax deductible) 4G smartphone. And would you look at that...there's an app for blogging...along with a Facebook app, an app for Sophie to practice math and a GPS and a camera and...oh yeah, apparently I can call

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-20645083703937865082010-09-13T07:00:00.002-04:002010-09-13T07:05:02.914-04:00

The obligatory first day of school picture: It was actually last Wednesday, and because of a weekend plus one Jewish holiday, today is only the second day of the school year for NYC public school kids.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-64917442949840291882010-09-07T05:56:00.000-04:002010-09-07T05:56:00.410-04:00

Last Monday, my mother asked me "so when are you ever going to write another blog?" It dawned on me that I haven't updated since just after the 4th of July holiday. So without further ado, for my mother Cheryl, here is a blog post on how I spent my summer vacation:I traveled to the lovely Marlborough region of New Zealand to explore a winery I drank a lot of wine, most of it from New Zealand.I

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-9408290263760384752010-07-08T20:07:00.002-04:002010-07-08T20:43:26.141-04:00

I turned a 3 day weekend into 5 days of:Camping. Fishing. Hiking. Swimming.Visiting family, friends. We ate barbecue chicken. Pulled pork sandwiches. Watermelon.We lit sparklers. We drank wine (lots). Beer (much).Perfection.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-42507070506947044302010-06-23T23:17:00.003-04:002010-06-23T23:39:39.603-04:00

Phillip Seymour Hoffman has ants in his apartment. Our exterminator told us so. This has nothing to do with the rest of this post but it made me feel better about having ants in our apartment.As I write this the kids have 2.5 days of school before they are finished with The School Year That Ate My Brain. Seriously, this year kicked my ass. I thought it was because this was our first year having

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-77525565657148277842010-06-02T19:37:00.001-04:002010-06-02T19:39:08.984-04:00

Hello, June. Thank you for bringing sunshine and warm weather. Last year you really sucked, what with your 10+ inches of rain. This year will be better, right? RIGHT?Despite making sure to charge the camera batteries prior to leaving, I failed to document any of this Memorial Day weekend with photos, which would have shown the red marks on my arms and legs where I was bitten by mosquitoes, the

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-19420252988283919562010-05-20T14:55:00.003-04:002010-05-21T08:33:25.550-04:00

Soooooo....yeah. How you doing?We attended a wedding last week. On a Friday, which required taking a day off and that was nice. The wedding was for the son of one of my mother's good friends and his gorgeous bride. Other attendees included a very special lady that frequently comment on this very blog: CatMar, or Marilyn as we call her offline. At the end of the night, CatMar said "get writing on

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-26108363046016788502010-05-05T09:20:00.001-04:002010-05-05T09:20:00.523-04:00

Today, Sophie and the rest of the kids in her grade will take the first half of the state math exam. The one for which she's studied, been tutored, taken practice tests and spent four mornings a week arriving at school nearly an hour early for help. I don't know who will be more relieved that it is over, us or her. (Probably her, but we're still on the edge of our seats!)

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-65738461861404440652010-05-04T23:01:00.000-04:002010-05-04T23:01:00.070-04:00

Harry (building a lego structure): "Mom! Look at my building!"Me: "Very nice!"Harry: "I'm going to live in a building like this when I'm all growed up."Me: "Great! I can't wait to come visit you."Harry: ?Me: "You know, when you're big. I'll come visit you in your luxury building."Harry: "Mom, you'll be dead by then."Me: "Uh, I think I'll be alive for awhile when you're an adult."Harry: "Will you

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-15417147657162580992010-05-03T20:37:00.000-04:002010-05-03T20:37:00.307-04:00

I like the music....The facepainting.... The fun..... The food....

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-12180805405469008502010-04-24T06:45:00.000-04:002010-04-24T06:45:00.562-04:00

Knitting, for Babies. I'm tackling a cable-knit blanket for one baby and will likely duplicate the effort for another. I'm also attempting to crochet flowers for a baby hat in a groovy eggplant and lime green color. Beets, Roasting.Wow. Super easy way to get a really good vegetable in you. Scrub 'em, wrap in foil, seal and roast in hot oven for an hour or two, depending on the size of the beets.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-62154996637685109832010-04-11T07:34:00.003-04:002010-04-11T07:34:00.717-04:00

There's been much going on in my world. For you, too, yes? I hope it is all good. Work for me and John has been chock full of deadlines, meetings and other assorted craziness. As for the family life...it feels like we spend so little time with the kids lately. Although they seem fine, I thought (hoped) that perhaps they hadn't noticed it as much as we have that we are getting home later in the

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-54209757654923017582010-03-25T06:58:00.000-04:002010-03-25T06:58:00.857-04:00

More proof that spring is springing. I'm anxiously awaiting the sighting of the first robin, the real harbinger of spring. In the meantime, these hedges will do quite nicely, thank you.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-44794962569014713102010-03-24T21:38:00.003-04:002010-03-24T22:13:28.826-04:00

I survived my first 13 mile round trip to and from work well enough to want to do it again. Twice more, to be exact. (HI, MOM! Yes, I'm still doing this! No, I'm not crazy! Love you!)Here's what I've learned about commuting by bike: Bright clothes, reflective gear, lights, whistles....you needit all in order for cars to know that you are there, as well as people, who have a real knack for

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-63335524416998314312010-03-10T14:05:00.002-05:002010-03-10T14:12:43.391-05:00

From Brooklyn, NY to Manhattan. Over the Brooklyn Bridge.This seemed like an excellent idea six hours ago. Now, I can't feel feel my butt and my legs are screaming at me.Back in January John wanted us all to join the Y so we could get healthy together. Here's the thing about joining a gym: I'm not going to go. I just know I'm not. First, I would have to go at a very ungodly hour in the morning OR

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-29397733098088298602010-03-07T09:06:00.000-05:002010-03-07T09:10:39.503-05:00

I've completed my second week of permanent employment. It took nearly that long to complete the reams of paperwork that goes along with it. Health insurance, life insurance, I-9, W-4, FSA....I'd forgotten how much information it takes to employ someone...but who cares? I'll see your FSLA status and raise you one family vision plan, thank you very much. I'm still the editor of one bilingual church

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-51051842865587995122010-02-26T07:11:00.003-05:002010-02-26T07:13:33.288-05:00

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-63462230652538812892010-02-23T06:15:00.000-05:002010-02-23T06:15:00.170-05:00

Our snow has almost melted so I spent a few minutes in the garden on Sunday to see what was going on. It appears that Spring is springing! Those a couple of crocus coming up. AND NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-22855289167802449972010-02-21T07:38:00.002-05:002010-02-21T07:47:21.002-05:00

Tomorrow, at 9:45am, I will sit down with my benefits coordinator and discuss things like health insurance, life insurance, 401k options and all the other fun stuff that comes with a full time staff position at a company.I am so thrilled to have landed this full time gig where I've been freelancing. I still want to return to school, that's not totally on the backburner. There's still some stuff

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-60481609949238279632010-02-15T16:30:00.001-05:002010-02-15T16:34:50.220-05:00

The only excuse I have for not posting is that when I sit down to write one, I stare at a blank post page and then give up. I turn the computer off and walk away. Just like that. I come up with BRILLIANT posts when I'm lying in bed doing the crossword puzzle, though. I jot down a line to remember the idea and the next day, when I sit down to write....all the funny things I had thought up are gone

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-3937598220556624882010-02-10T06:58:00.002-05:002010-02-10T20:32:56.635-05:00

It seemed to come in cycles. I knew that much was true. There are times-weeks really-when Harry is a pleasant kid, so easy going and mild mannered. Those are the times when Harry, I think, is surely the gold standard in sons.Ever since he turned two (maybe three), the flip side to being the gold standard in sons is when Harry just can't seem to get a grip. He cries when he runs out of blue Legos

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-22874188712994659332010-02-01T14:56:00.001-05:002010-02-01T14:58:29.220-05:00

Harry got fever. Not too high today but enough that he cried in school and wanted to come home.Now that the patient is home, he is very happy that he got his first visit to the school nurse over with. Apparently, as the oldest kid in his class, he was falling behind on this all important milestone. Younger boys in his class go "ALL THE TIME!" so at the very least his pre-k reputation remains

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-9929520696114318222010-01-27T06:54:00.000-05:002010-01-27T00:55:22.912-05:00

So the last birthday party of the season was for Sophie, 9 year old Sophie, seen below flashing me an "OKjusttakethepicturealready!" smile. She and 15 of her closest friends rocked the bowing alley on Saturday and ate their collective weight in chicken nuggets and birthday cake.Here are a few of the kids that I was able to corral onto the three lanes. The weird lighting you see is called Cosmic

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-82650353541343882662010-01-26T07:31:00.001-05:002010-01-26T07:31:00.564-05:00

The celebrations are finished! We only have one more set of thank you cards to send and then the January celebrations are behind us and we can commence the season of hibernation, aka February, or, the month in which my butt and the sofa become reacquainted.I spent yesterday evening organizing the 1500 photos we've taken since November. In an attempt to try to blog more regularly, I thought I'd

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-79253822750367578842010-01-22T06:02:00.001-05:002010-01-22T06:02:00.142-05:00

Happy 9th birthday to my wonderful daughter!

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-77055068600872827082010-01-21T20:27:00.002-05:002010-01-21T20:31:47.349-05:00

It is birthday party season at This Charming Life and if there's one subject my kids know how to talk TO DEATH, it's birthday parties. Specifically, theirs. Harry's birthday was on January 10th. Sophie's is tomorrow. Since, oh, January 1st, all we've discussed is party location, party theme, party activities, party attendees, people who can't make it to the party, people who still have not

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-44279765065210929872010-01-19T19:58:00.003-05:002010-01-19T20:03:59.077-05:00

One of the Christmas gifts Harry received for Christmas was a LeapFrog Tag reading system. We finally remembered to buy the batteries for it so he could use it and we set it up for him tonight. We haven't heard from him much since he began playing with it. I think he likes the freedom of being able to read books without us but the one thing he did say was "This is great! Now I can read where ever

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-34995259656170673232010-01-18T16:46:00.002-05:002010-01-18T16:58:58.902-05:00

On Saturday John and I celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary.None of our regular sitters could watch the kids so we spent the evening drinking wine and maky snarky comments about an awful 80's movie we were watching.While it would have been lovely to drink wine in a fancy pants restaurant, I was glad we could spend the evening in and celebrate quietly, then drift off and sleep a solid eight

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-73824540212000466622010-01-14T19:04:00.003-05:002010-01-14T19:11:02.941-05:00

So. Haiti. Wow.I mean, really. WOW. I'm not being glib. I simply can't peel my eyes away from the news and slideshows and interactive features that are all over the media. And I don't know else to say except WOW. I did not know the earth could move like that and create such disaster.My heart is heavy for the people of Haiti, for fellow Americans who are living there, many for missionary or

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-78174904205044601092010-01-03T07:27:00.000-05:002010-01-03T07:27:00.269-05:00

New York City. There is no end to the variety of people you meet on any given day. Most are alright. They're like you, commuting to and from a job. Some like to tell you to Repent! The End is Near! Some like to ask you for money. Some like play a song for you, or read you a poem. Some people seem perfectly OK. Then they appear to be looking at something that only they can see.Then they start

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-60214442037347827252010-01-01T23:47:00.004-05:002010-01-02T10:27:42.203-05:00

I had planned on spending a long, leisurely day on the sofa alternating between the Honeymooners and Twilight Zone marathons but SOMEONE decided the best thing to do on New Year's Day would be to trek to Manhattan to take the kids ice skating. It was hard to get up and get moving but I did it. And since exercise more is one of my resolutions, I'm happy to say that I got some, even though there

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-14386860740708850622009-12-31T08:11:00.003-05:002009-12-31T09:02:44.790-05:00

I really wanted to write a post about how awful this past decade was, so long to the aughts and good riddence, yada yada yada. There was a lot of bad stuff that happened. Terrorism. War. Two, count 'em TWO recessions, one of which nearly collapsed the global economy. Nearly everyone in my family lost their jobs or was forced to take early retirement packages at one point or another over these

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-56375266728530146442009-12-28T06:11:00.003-05:002009-12-28T06:39:44.031-05:00

I took almost 800 photos on our trip and over Christmas. As you can imagine, it is a challenge to really weed through them all.I'll spare you the pictures of the orange groves along SR-60 and the pictures we took of the Florida geckos and share this one with you. Taken in Sea World at the underwater viewing area for the dolphins during a quiet moment, which are so rare on a family vacation. It

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-61663567201398077892009-12-27T07:32:00.002-05:002009-12-27T08:10:24.106-05:00

That's Post-Christmas Stress Disorder.I hate the first few days after Christmas. After weeks of having it shoved in our faces and 24 hours of Christmas music and daily reminders of how many shopping days are left and retail sales figures, it sorta feels like it never happened. There are empty boxes waiting for recycling day, stale cookies and hundreds of Legos that prove otherwise. Also, my pants

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-81227464909704342982009-12-26T12:33:00.003-05:002009-12-26T13:30:52.146-05:00

We were in Florida having a ton of pre-Christmas fun, then returned to New York where we jumped right into Christmas. Here's a quick run-down of what we've seen and done, Harper's Index-style:8.12: Inches of rain that fell our first 24 hours in Ft. Lauderdale12: Inches of snow that fell in our hometown while we were gone 20: Number of relatives we've seen and visited with over the past 1.5 weeks2

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-75566595474150990182009-12-14T21:45:00.002-05:002009-12-14T21:58:05.198-05:00

The lost cat I sheltered for a night turned out to be a boy.He made himself quite at home in our basement and was comfortable enough to request food. At 5 a.m.I could not be in his sights at all times so the cat, nicknamed "Cat" for practical purposes, preferred to sleep on our doormat.A strange cat on the other side of a door induces craziness in resident cats.A neighbor from two doors down

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-46901854905785524022009-12-13T07:35:00.002-05:002009-12-13T09:03:49.638-05:00

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most. It all started when I went to shake out the tablecloth. It was full of crumbs from dinner. I shook it, then stopped to see how the Christmas lights were looking. Were they straight enough? A bulb hadn't burned out, had it?Everything looked great and when I turned to head back inside, I heard this tiny meow. I looked and saw this scared, half

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-73078092346531112752009-12-10T21:58:00.002-05:002009-12-10T22:02:45.830-05:00

Present buying, holiday card ordering, work deadlines, school functions. I'm feeling the holiday pressure big time. My shoulders have been hunched up and my mind is constantly racing.For a while I've really felt like I was right on the border between Crazytown and Loony Bin Falls (which happens to be closer to Cuckoo Junction than one would think). Then I took the subway home this evening and

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-7114568609525778662009-12-06T06:29:00.000-05:002009-12-07T00:44:25.206-05:00

I have no idea where the previous 7 days went. My last post was Thanksgiving wrap-up and now here we are, 7 days into December and the holiday season. How did that happen?In the past week I have worked lots of late nights, published one bilingual church newletter, washed eleven loads of laundry, found 1 lost backpack on school grounds, chaperoned one school dance, bought and returned one

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-55352949796884813652009-11-30T06:15:00.001-05:002009-11-30T06:15:00.278-05:00

I learned that no matter how many times you've made the same exact menu for Thanksgiving, it still takes all damn day. I learned that our 40 year old oven could be repaired with hours to spare before Thanksgiving, work beautifully cooking a large meal, then totally conk out after broiling a steak two days later. I leaned that it is possible to not really give a shit about the oven

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-64264380726983505652009-11-26T14:42:00.002-05:002009-11-26T15:34:12.263-05:00

So many things to be grateful for this year, so little time to list them all before we sit down to eat. I will give you an abbreviated list:My family near and far, our children, my friends new and old, good neighbors. You, dear reader. Living in a wonderful city like New York and our community. Our freedom and those who sacrifice to keep it.I hope you are surrounded by love this Thanksgiving.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-62883172828330523492009-11-25T07:14:00.000-05:002009-11-25T07:16:32.915-05:00

Our oven still does not work.We rolled the poultry dice and bought a turkey anyway. Fingers crossed!Our school is applying for Title I funding, which means every family fills out an application.You are not permitted to cross anything out, so when I accidentally filled out that I earn $0 as a foster parent to my two kids I had to leave it or fill out the form all over again. I chose the former.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-79220969873847842272009-11-23T06:38:00.001-05:002009-11-23T06:46:43.418-05:00

It's been Fall for awhile, but now that the kids have jumped into their enormous pile of leaves it official.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-23290378994838560032009-11-20T06:40:00.001-05:002009-11-20T06:40:00.341-05:00

How often do you talk to your mate/husband/wife/partner/significant other during the day? John and I each work deadline-driven jobs while we're raising two kids in a NYC apartment the size of a Barbie Dream House minus the dream. It isn't very practical to phone one another several times a day to see what's happening and more often than not there isn't time at the end of the day to have

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-37706250783059310942009-11-16T18:58:00.004-05:002009-11-16T19:19:45.784-05:00

Every Prevention magazine cover currently in my To Be Read pile (August -December) says "Shrink Your Belly!" "Defy Your Age-Flatten Your Belly!" "Walk Off Belly Fat!" "Flat Belly Foods-Beat the Bloat!" and "Flat Belly Fix: Fast Solutions for Every Body Type."So Prevention magazine, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME?

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-26697454367975205642009-11-15T06:13:00.000-05:002009-11-16T19:22:52.052-05:00

There's been little going on in my world lately except work and work. Also, work, with the odd load of laundry. Our oven is broken, so between work and work I call Vinny, the oven repair man who may or may not show up on Monday night to fix it. I say he may or may not because I didn't make an appointment for repair work with an assistant or manager of the Oven Fix-It Store. No, I did not make an

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-14169812827295733932009-11-06T06:31:00.000-05:002009-11-06T06:31:00.607-05:00

Harry's always been stingy with affection. He is a boy, and as such, has no time to spare from his busy collapsing bridges/super-fast speedways/ultra-high Lego tower building schedule.Lately though, Harry's been quite the little charmer and knows exactly how to use a little well-timed love to get what he wants.I went out to feed the birds this morning and noticed him following me. "Stay inside.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-31908250753859135702009-11-05T06:53:00.001-05:002009-11-16T19:22:21.972-05:00

I'm coming down off my sugar high (I'd forgotten how good 100 Grand Bars are! Also, Raisinets, Mary Janes, and fun size Snickers, Kit Kats....). Moldy pumpkins went into the trash heap, costumes have been stuffed back into drawers and closets. The only thing left to do is get rid of the decorative webbing on the fence out front and put away the jointed paper skeletons whose hands the kids

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-44956740943128317632009-10-27T19:17:00.010-04:002009-10-28T22:28:20.166-04:00

The PR team for Calico Critters reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in reviewing their Halloween-inspired Costume Critter pairs. Sophie's eight now and I wondered if she was getting to be a little too old for these toys but when I asked her about it she was all for it."What do you like about them?" I asked."They're so cute!""Beyond that, why do you like them?""They're little. And cute!"

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-48167826701932609402009-10-27T19:10:00.001-04:002009-10-27T19:16:37.028-04:00

Today it it was gray and pouring down rain. Sophie was due at school at 8am this morning. Harry's drop off wasn't until 8:45. In between, we went for donuts. Donuts at 8:20am = stomach ache. I sat in a meeting at work this morning and realized 3/4 of the way through it that my fly was open.But it's not Monday, right? That's gotta count for something.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-29788606643841611772009-10-26T06:33:00.001-04:002009-10-26T06:33:00.770-04:00

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-66927400455699716602009-10-24T08:07:00.004-04:002009-10-24T09:02:20.493-04:00

When you raise kids, you sometimes have to repeat yourself in order to drive a point home. "Don't pull the cat's tail," and then that is exactly what they do until the cat scratches them. "Don't hit your brother," "don't eat the Cheerios off the floor," "don't lick the bathroom wall." You say things, again and again and you wonder if they are GETTING it. Last night I discovered that they are

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-21707069716114974242009-10-20T06:56:00.000-04:002009-10-20T06:56:00.383-04:00

We scored tickets to the community association's annual Halloween party over Columbus Day Weekend. All the kids that we normally see at the pool with swim goggles and floaties wore their Halloween costumes and watched a comedic/magic performance at community rec center.Our kids watched from the sidelines, a strategic position for cupcake eating.There were a lot of other kids dressed at Star Wars

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-14919632196392250812009-10-19T17:13:00.002-04:002009-10-19T18:44:25.225-04:00

I went for a check up last month and while I was there the doctor told me that it was time for another routine mammogram."Why? It's only been two years since my baseline. I didn't think I had to go for at least three more years.""You're getting to be that age when routine testing becomes important," she said. I told her to watch her language.I called Friday (during the great Flu Hoedown of 2009)

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-84525794811862766312009-10-16T16:49:00.002-04:002009-10-16T16:58:14.342-04:00

Wow. This flu business is no joke. I don't think I've ever been so sick in my life.When I wasn't better after sleeping 12 hours Monday and resting all of Tuesday and Wednesday, I went to the doctor, the same easy-on-the-eyes doctor that treated me for my finger infection two years ago. Dr. Dreamboat cut to the chase after listening to a list of symptoms as long as his arm and said "Yeah, you're

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-45845399299824354602009-10-05T17:49:00.002-04:002009-10-05T17:58:21.232-04:00

There is a lot of panic on our block these days, courtesy of moi.One of the neighboring families are working on their house, which involves a lot of digging, which is on top of the digging the gas company did a few weeks back.I was standing around with my peeps a few days ago (peeps being all the mature (read: retired) women on our street) talking about the pantry of one of the women, and the

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-10747606182270870362009-09-29T19:10:00.002-04:002009-09-29T19:17:41.800-04:00

Attending a wedding was not the only thing we did during our jaunt to West Point.Ronan Tynan, one of the Irish Tenors (and doppelgänger of a good friend of mine), gave a concert at the famed Ike Hall and after the nuptials we decided to take in the performance.Now that we have kids, concerts are one of the activities we've given up in exchange for bedtime rituals. I miss concerts. Oh sure, we've

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-26304317346452195422009-09-28T19:24:00.003-04:002009-09-28T19:50:58.070-04:00

This weekend we attended a wedding at West Point.And all you need to know about West Point can be summed up in three words: MEN, IN UNIFORM. The only other thing you need to know: Go Army, Beat Navy.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-77288503860990969472009-09-25T13:56:00.001-04:002009-09-25T13:58:47.416-04:00

The one above, to be exact. I plan on wearing it to an Oktoberfest that I am helping organize. Then I will wear it for Halloween. Who knew ethnic costumes like this could cost so much? Real, honest to goodness authentic dirndl dresses can run you several hundred dollars. I bought this one on ebay. The other vintage, authentic, imported dirndls were getting as pricey as the new ones but this

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-44499186860659140562009-09-24T06:52:00.003-04:002009-09-24T06:58:16.519-04:00

Once upon a time there was a working mom who had two kids, two cats, two hamsters and one husband. Often, the working mom could be seen skipping to and fro between activities, which she rather liked, although at times it could be a bit much. But to and fro she went between church fundraisers and school meetings and work and multi-family block-wide events and dead car batteries, laundry, playdates

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-77446274071819352402009-09-18T13:24:00.001-04:002009-09-18T13:31:53.542-04:00

Today is last day of the first full week of school. Overall, things are going well. We've had a few good days and a few bad days, which is to be expected I suppose.Earlier in the week. Harry was anointed appointed Line Leader on Monday, which in his mind makes him Line Leader for life. He thought he'd secured a great position in pre-k, one of power and authority. I'm sure he thought it would give

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-46460207748795402812009-09-17T14:24:00.001-04:002009-09-17T14:39:22.246-04:00

We're currently in the process of getting the kids their yearly physicals and medical forms filled out for school.The problem isn't in getting the forms filled out and the physicals completed. The problem is trying to find the pediatrician that up and retired and explaining to everyone along the way, yet again, why we don't have a yellow card for either of the kids.It's not that I don't want to

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-64211323840382520172009-09-11T13:06:00.000-04:002009-09-11T15:13:06.460-04:00

Today marks the eighth anniversary of 9/11. It is hard to believe that eight years have gone by but here we are. And the anniversaries have not gotten easier. I thought they would but they don't.Today's anniversary is different since it is the first to be commemorated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. This is a day set aside for everyone to give back, to pay it forward if you will, as

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-35231949602641355212009-09-09T16:37:00.002-04:002009-09-09T16:55:01.352-04:00

Today was the first day of school. Sophie started the 3rd grade and Harry entered pre-kindergarten.This photo doesn't show the stress involved in getting them ready for the 1st day of school, which is good because in 20 years I'd really like to stumble across this photo and not remember spending the past four weeks trying to track down our now-retired pediatrician for the completed medical form.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-85448186508165395812009-09-08T10:51:00.003-04:002009-09-08T11:46:52.287-04:00

Yeah. So this blog? Totally ignored for a few weeks. Terrible, I know.We haven't been up to much these past couple of weeks. At least nothing bloggable. Very little cooking. Back-to-school shopping. Movie watching. We saw Ponyo and I highly recommend it. Got around to watching Slumdog Millionaire and I think it has a shot at winning the Oscar. Oh, wait. It did already, didn't it?Anyway, we are

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-85723302389760475612009-08-21T06:20:00.001-04:002009-08-21T06:53:06.024-04:00

More on the block party.There were few pictures taken that day. This is a result of two things: having too much fun and having too much, wine. The party at our place started around lunch time and the last table on the street was put away at midnight. In between there was much revelry, carousing, visiting of friends, neighbors, former neighbors and making of new friends.Every year we have the

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-26282244544713881572009-08-18T21:07:00.001-04:002009-08-18T21:12:11.922-04:00

What is it about a county fair that makes me want to high-tail it out of the city and live in the country? Maybe it's the country livin' wisdom. Waste Not, Want Not, according to the Grange hall.Maybe it's knowing those peaches you put up inJuly will taste sweeter with a blue ribbon hanging from the jar.Maybe it's that Harry looks good in green. Maybe it is the rabbits. I would like to raise

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-13353893220223470902009-08-17T21:55:00.003-04:002009-08-17T22:08:03.941-04:00

At the swim championships last week, Sophie won her event, or as they say in swimming circles, heat.She swam the freestyle, and helped keep her team firmly in 7th place for the season.To celebrate, she got herself a temporary tattoo.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-53258413952357213322009-08-16T08:23:00.005-04:002009-08-16T09:08:38.286-04:00

By city permit, our street was closed at 9:00 am yesterday for our annual block party but it didn't officially begin until after one of our elderly neighbors who passed away earlier this week was driven by her house for the final time on Saturday. She so loved our block parties, it was only fitting that she kick it off.Yes, you read that right. We kicked our block party off with a funeral

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-5793317722024324982009-08-11T22:33:00.004-04:002009-08-11T23:09:38.083-04:00

On neighbors: the neighbors with whom we've become acquainted with and make activities at our weekend place such fun? Some of them also get a tad out of hand when tensions are high at swim meets and can be...shall we say, prone to irrational and borderline violent behavior. (But it's still all good.)On social responsibility: I was reading a book to the kids recently about the ocean. When we got

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-85679889074263658922009-08-04T06:56:00.000-04:002009-08-04T06:56:00.766-04:00

For a long time now, whenever we would go up to our weekend place, we used to keep to ourselves, offering just a nod of recognition as we passed our neighbors, maybe a "good morning" if we were feeling particularly friendly and talking over the fence to only our closest neighbors in proximity.Now that Sophie's on the swim team, we've been meeting a lot of new families (well, new to us) and they

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-56972928040906299922009-08-02T22:22:00.004-04:002009-08-02T22:56:40.739-04:00

The camp the kids are attending this summer puts on a show every Friday for the parents. The kids create the performance themselves, which is based on the theme of that week.Last week's theme was the Wild Wild West.Harry made himself a cowboy hat, surrounded himself with cowgirls and sang "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" with gusto.And for his next act....Harry made all the other parents

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-73481844030164205392009-07-28T08:49:00.000-04:002009-07-28T08:49:00.337-04:00

I thought the theme of this summer's cocktails would be mango. Oh, sure, I've been eating plenty of mangoes, especially in salads, but I've yet to work mango juice into anything remotely alcoholic. Mainly because we've been drinking other things, like wine, beer and this raspberry rum concoction, first introduced to me last year by a friend when we went to their house for dinner one hot, muggy,

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-59032865078745625302009-07-27T19:36:00.004-04:002009-07-28T09:53:02.027-04:00

I feel like a broken record. Monday posts usually start with "Oy, we're tired because we had So. Much. Fun."This Monday is no different. We are recovering from fun. And you know what? Good! We are having a hell of a summer. And I hope you are, too.Sophie recently joined the swim team and so we watched her swim in her first meet. She swam two races on Saturday morning, one 25 meter freestyle and

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-64610354819141369722009-07-21T15:25:00.003-04:002009-07-21T15:43:22.436-04:00

Random.org chose winner #9 in the ecostore USA giveaway.Congrats, Kaz! Check yer email and enjoy greenin' the cleaning!In other news, I thought you'd like to know that I'm slowly killing myself.I'm positively addicted to banana chips. I buy them in the bulk bin in the supermarket, and certain lovely relatives have been known to give me tubs of them because they love me and know I like them. (Hi

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-45524516427746350732009-07-16T07:24:00.001-04:002009-07-16T07:32:27.701-04:00

A few weeks ago ecostore USA approached me and asked me to do a product review. Me. The woman with an small arsenal of cleaning products under her kitchen sink that emit enough fumes to let the entire neighborhood when she's finally gotten around to cleaning the bathroom. In my defense, I prefer vacuuming but whatevs. They want me to clean? I'll clean. (Dear Dyson: send me a vacuum and I will

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-70586003768802755112009-07-14T21:24:00.007-04:002009-07-15T19:03:27.234-04:00

I mentioned in my last post that we'd recently been farm touring.Over the 4th of July holiday we took the kids to visit Bobolink Dairy in New Jersey. I stumbled upon their website when I was searching for u-pick berry farms close to where we spend weekends. I revisited their site several times to read more about their operation. I had no idea they sold their cheeses and breads at the farmer's

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-85356038169577785482009-07-13T21:19:00.002-04:002009-07-13T21:23:39.883-04:00

Bike riding. Gardening. (This sorry patch of dirt became my perennial gardenbut I forgot to take an "after" picture. Duh.) Watching the brothers pitch a tent.It must be nice to have a back youngenough to sleep on the ground. Thinking about Thanksgiving..... Farm touring... Celebrating Indpendence.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-87553995776869224332009-07-07T15:26:00.000-04:002009-07-07T15:29:41.958-04:00

We recently attended Family Scout Night/American Girl Night/Facebook(?!) Night at a Brooklyn Cyclones game. This was the first baseball game the kids have ever been to.First there was patch distribution. Then my kids complained about dying of hunger. But by then it was time to take the field and march in the scout parade.Then it was time to schmooze with the players and take photos. Next, the

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-70161285299803566822009-07-06T22:02:00.010-04:002009-07-13T22:21:03.464-04:00

We're back from the Killer Fun Weekend and a week spent camping. Now that the photos have been downloaded from the camera I can consider myself officially unpacked.Before I show you what we've been up to lately I want to say I stand corrected on a few facts listed in a post I did a few weeks ago. The Achilles Track Club is not solely for wounded soldiers. They are a non-profit organization that

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-62944055298129234052009-06-27T22:26:00.002-04:002009-06-27T22:50:09.289-04:00

This is what our weekend is looking like:Friday 4:30 pm - Saturday 10:00 pm Slumber partySaturday 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Birthday partySunday 8:30 am -10:30 am Achilles RunSunday 4:00 pm Girl Scout Parade at Keyspan parkSunday 5:00 pm Cyclones vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (Girl Scout AND American Girl Night; American Girl post-game movie shown on field; bring blanket, doll)In between there's been

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-69512266296891657682009-06-26T13:27:00.006-04:002009-06-26T15:08:56.154-04:00

Today is the last day of school. Usually, kids count down in anticipation of the last bell of the school year but Sophie spent the last few weeks months dreading this day. But don't let this picture fool you. There was no joy in mudville today.Sophie's class has spent two years together as first graders and now as second graders with the same teacher. They loved it and were together for 364 days

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-55066036358601141812009-06-22T16:26:00.003-04:002009-06-22T16:55:27.803-04:00

We've gotten a lot of rain in these here parts. Out of the first 19 days of the month of June, 15 were rainy in one way, shape, or form. 15! It was brilliantly sunny about an hour ago. Now it is pouring. Louie, the guy that owns our local pizza shop told me "I donna know. Alla thisa rain. I maka me feel.....ya know....moosh. Lika I no wanna work. I no wanna do nothing. Moosh. You know?"Totally.

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-3272455113618665762009-06-17T06:52:00.001-04:002009-06-17T06:52:00.322-04:00

I'm still at the ex-job and it's been really busy. There is more work coming up and I'm acting like an immature jerk whining about having all this employment lined up when it was just a few months ago when I was succumbing to Bread Line Hysteria. It's all good though, just a bit tense at the moment but I'll have a couple of weeks off between gigs to relax a little.Next week I will attend the 2nd

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37422850.post-66255632791976005072009-06-16T06:11:00.001-04:002009-06-16T23:02:00.124-04:00

Take three parts Ralphie..... Add two parts Harry Potter....Add a smidgen of Groucho...Mix well.....

Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866053796647681141noreply@blogger.com4