I’m floored, and impressed. Let me explain. My particular suburb is one of the largest cities in Illinois, but to me it often feels small. For example, our yearly tradition is the Memorial Day parade; the boys march (with their Boy Scout Troop) in the parade, accompanying the Gold Star Families, and I watch the parade. In the middle of our downtown area on Memorial Day, I always, without fail, see about 30-40 people who I know. It’s a weird thing, living in this “big” town but feeling like it’s Mayberry at the same time. While our town has grown by leaps and bounds since we moved here in the…
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And The Winner Is…A Winner!
Me: “I have a present for you! Close your eyes and hold out your hands!” The bottle gets plopped into his awaiting hands. Me: “Open your eyes!” Him: “Yaaaaaaaay!” He inspects the bottle, and then looks at me. Him: “Seriously, is this really for me?” Me: “Yup.” Him: “Thank yoooooou! I am going to smell…AWESOME.” ©2010 Suburban Scrawl
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Teenaged Boys Often Smell Good! (Really!)
So, my oatmeal raisin shower gel is just about gone, and as you might remember, I’m not the one who’s been using it…but I don’t mind. In fact, I’m off after work, to go and pick up a new bottle for the culprit, just as a fun, “I’m thinking about you” gift. Here’s the problem. I’m having trouble making a decision, and thought I’d go to my readers for help. You’ve got until about 5:00 Central Time today to throw your two cents in, before I make a decision. So tell me, which one floats your boat? Keep in mind who it’s for, and ask yourself, “If this kid walked…
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Three Magic Words
You *may* have heard that we are headed to Munich later this summer. The idea for the trip was actually about four and a half years ago, when the older boy was just getting started with his German I class. Having enjoyed the heck out of five years of German class (8th-12th grade) and having spent one month in Germany as a teenager, I knew that I wanted to get this kid over there, to reinforce what he was learning and to make it real. There’s something about traveling to a place whose language you’re learning that solidifies so much in your mind. Anyway, when the older boy was getting…
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This is Why I’m Hot.
Oh my goodness, how I have grown to despise memes. But here’s the thing, when a friend who you really, really love asks you–nay, begs you–to do it, well, I’m a sucker good friend. And the best part is, now she owes me big time I made her very happy by doing this. If you choose to go crazy and do this meme also, Ri has a Mr. Linky on her original post that you can use to expose yourself and your eclectic musical tastes to others. So I’m not asking you to do it, but lets just say that you could make Ri really really happy too, if you…
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Couch To 5K Update: Mind Games
Remember how I started the Couch To 5K (C25K) program? And remember how, when I started it, I said that my only goal was to finish it but in the fastest change of heart and mind the world has ever known, I signed up to do the Blogher 5K this August? Well, I thought I’d give you an update, not only because many of you asked me to “keep you posted”, but also to continue holding myself accountable. When I started the program, I decided not to stick with the three days per week that the program prescribes. I decided to do what my friend Jen is doing, and go…
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Fruitastic Summer Salad
I’m headed over to my sister’s place this evening. We’re going to watch “Billy Elliott” (I’ve never seen it but it’s been on my list!) and enjoy dinner. I’m bringing what has become my go-to, easy-as-pie-and-tastes-just-as-good-too dessert this summer, the recipe for which actually came from my sister. “Fruitastic Salad” (she made up that name, but it fits!) 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint5 tablespoons sugar or splenda*juice/pulp of one lime Pulse mint, sugar and lime juice in blender or food processor until mostly liquified. You want the mint to be small. (You can use whatever fruit you want, fresh or frozen, in whatever amounts, but here’s a good guideline):1/2…
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A Rant On Raising Children Which Isn’t Meant To Be A Rant…
…more of a Public Service Announcement, really. My kids, though admittedly not perfect (Who is, really? No, no… not even me. Stop it.), are fabulous. They are caring, polite, and unspoiled. Jim and I get complimented often on how well we raised them, and the boys get complimented often on how they, well, ARE. People act as if having well-adjusted kids is something so rare it could be a sideshow act in a circus. It’s not; it’s actually attainable by anybody. Here’s the deal, people. Do you know what kind of voodoo magic Jim and I have used for the last just-about-eighteen years in raising our kids? NONE. What have…
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I’ll Tell You Who He Is…He’s MY SON!
Well, another lacrosse season has come and gone. This year, with both boys playing (the younger boy on the Fresh/Soph team and the older boy on Varsity), our family schedule was jam-packed. On some weeks, I had three or four evenings of games to watch. It was a lifesaver that the older boy has his own car to get himself to away games for pre-game practice so I could join later, as well as the fact that both of their teams did their Monday through Friday practices at the elementary school in our own neighborhood. Each of them had a very different season from the other. This was the younger…
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A Little Bit Can Last A Lifetime
We are always told how the littlest of actions, good or bad, can affect somebody very deeply. Even so, bad things are, for some reason, kept in the “easily remembered” files of our brain, and the good things are more easily filtered and forgotten. Often you’ll hear or read about the long-lasting effects of a negative remark or some other non-event that, when triggered, can cause a person almost as much pain as it did initially. You’re in luck today: I do NOT have one of those negative stories. I have a story about one little kindness, one simple little action, that was performed by someone who, I can practically…