a new parenting era

Middle school-er Michael is now old enough to stay home sometimes while we run errands.  He quite enjoys this new independence.  Of course, we've warned him not to gorge himself on cookies and such while we're gone and that parents have ways of knowing when kids have been up to no good.  So far it appears he'd rather just play with Legos while we're out. 

He asked for 'long underwear' recently and I thought maybe preteens had a weird new fad of sporting thermal undergarments, but it turns out he meant boxer shorts.  Tighty Whiteys are so uncool, you see.

Watched some of the Oscars last night.  That what's-his-name host guy was too rigid but Hathaway did pretty good.  I was pleased to see The King's Speech take best picture, though we haven't seen the other front-runner about the nerds that started facebook so I can't compare.

The tattle of the week goes to Nicky - "Mom, Zach licked the dictionary."  Oookay.

my husband, the poet

Yay for my hubby, who composed a poem for me this Valentine's Day and said I could share it:

There once was a woman named Mary
who found a guy named Nate to marry.
They did what they did
and had several a kid
and still are very merry.


Now the sounds of trombone fill the air,
while the cat coughs up his hair.
Homework is scattered,
Curtains are tattered,
But we make such a great pair,
that I really don't care.


I then tried to write a verse with the word jolly
but could not think of rhyming words except holly
so I took it another direction
while hearing about the Egypt insurrection
and its going to the garbage, 'prolly.


One more try to be serious...
and make it about us
Please be my Valentine
and say you'll be mine,
and I'll be very jolly indeed.

He said 'indeed' doesn't rhyme but he wanted to use the word anyway.  I suppose it is a fun word.  Indeed.  Indeed!

Yesterday the kids got out their scooters and bikes for a while.  Funny how temps in the upper 40's felt horrid last fall and fantastic now.

Scooter kid went zipping around and wouldn't look at me for a pic.  Then he chased after Michael and Nicky with chunks of icy snow, and got drenched playing in the water running to the drainage thingamabob in the street.

Feb. 2

It's groundhog day, so ya just try to do a simple search for a 'groundhog graphic,' and ewww - it seems a lot of disturbed people hunt them and then take sick photos.  I didn't mean 'graphic' that way.

 Dunno why, but it made me think of these animals and their appalling risky habit.  I think the duck is my fav.

Now I'm getting a laugh outta the idea that somebody might see this post while at work just when a coworker looks over their shoulder...ha.  Kind of like the time Nate was at a website to buy my mom a Christmas gift a few years ago, and somebody at work saw him looking at a pic of adult footie pj's.  Mom asked for them, really!

This is getting weird.  I think I'll quit now.  I hope all your groundhog day dreams come true.