• Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  How To,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  Too Funny To Ignore

    The Best AND Creepiest Way To Discourage A Door-To-Door Salesperson. Maybe.

    August 18, 2012

    We have lived in our current home for nearly twelve years. Our neighborhood is on the smallish side, and our elementary school is smack-dab in the middle. Both of my boys attended that school from Kindergarten through fifth grade (D started Kindergarten there when we were living in a rental home in another subdivision nearby). One of the things I love about this neighborhood is that it feels a lot like Mayberry: it’s quaint, neighbors know neighbors (for the most part), and until the last couple of years it was not very transient compared to other areas in my town. I have seen lots of kids grow up here alongside…

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  • Friends,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Spreading the Bloggie Love,  Too Funny To Ignore,  Travels,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    Flat Sue Goes To #BlogHer12!

    August 7, 2012

    I have attended the BlogHer conference four times now: Chicago ’09, New York ’10, San Diego ’11, and, just this past weekend, New York ’12. When I tell non-blogging friends about these weekends away, I get a goofy grin on my face and say things like, “These have been some of the best weekends of my adult life.” It’s totally true. Say what you want about any online presence you might have; it’s when you connect IN PERSON with friends–old and new–that really solidifies relationships. Sue from As Cape Cod Turns was my roommate for the first three years, and was unable to make it to New York this year…

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  • My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Too Funny To Ignore

    There Are Definite Disadvantages To Having A Tall Kid

    May 10, 2012

    On Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. I was in my usual spot on the couch, typing away on my laptop. Seventeen-year-old J, who was getting ready for school and had been in the kitchen just a moment before–presumably eating his breakfast–entered the room. I looked up as he walked towards me, and noticed the huge grin on his face. He said, “You will NEVER guess what I found!” Without allowing me even a second to give it a shot, he held his hand out to me. In his palm were two Hershey’s Eggs. Easter candy. It’s like gold around here. He sat on the couch next to me and scooted over…

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  • Reflections on Parenting,  Too Funny To Ignore

    Teen Interpretation Gone Wrong

    April 27, 2012

    Seventeen-year-old J came home from his after school job and found me upstairs in my room, putting away laundry*. I asked him about school and work and then we talked about family plans for the weekend. He mentioned that his girlfriend wanted to know if he was busy tonight. I said, “I don’t know. Are you? All I need for you to do tonight is put away your laundry.” He said, “Okay, I’ll find out if she wants to hang out and…” His text notification went off and he looked at his phone. “Yep, she wants to hang out. So I guess I’m going to put away my laundry, make…

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  • My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Too Funny To Ignore

    I Guess My Job Is Done. (Alternate Title: I Didn’t See THAT Coming!)

    April 6, 2012

    D is home for a four-day weekend, and he took a ride with me earlier today to run some errands. We made four stops and then I said, “I’m starting to feel like we might need an Icee before we go home.” Besides the fact that Icees aren’t our “normal” treat and that made the offer special in itself, D is a typical college student in that he would never, EVER turn down something like this. (I remember practically jumping for joy as a college student whenever my mom asked if I wanted to go to the store with her because I always came home with stuff I didn’t have…

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  • Too Funny To Ignore,  Tough Questions

    Stupid Autocorrect. Or Is It?

    April 1, 2012

    Yesterday we took J up to the college that D attends, as a part of his own college search. When we arrived on campus, I decided to check in on Facebook. Along with the check-in I added a description: College tour with the sob who isn’t currently a student here. Um, yeah. I added a comment below: and of course i meant SON. Stupid auto-correct. #embarrassing This kind of thing has happened before. I know I should, as a good friend advised, adjust a setting so that whatever I type isn’t changed into something that provides tons of embarrassment and/or hysterics, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Does…

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  • I'm Apparently Old.,  Too Funny To Ignore

    Old.

    March 14, 2012

    I had an appointment at the doctor today, just for a normal exam and a follow-up on my high blood pressure. (Who knew I would be the type of person to have high blood pressure, right?) I was not very excited about this appointment due to the blood pressure thing and the getting weighed thing and the probably waiting on the doctor thing. I had no idea. I got there at 10:50 for an 11:00 appointment and checked in. It did not get past me that there were six women already seated in the waiting room, and they had ALL checked off my doctor’s name on the sign-in sheet. I…

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  • Best Thing Ever,  Music,  Too Funny To Ignore

    Lenny Kravitz In Chicago: A Summary In Tweets, Pics, And, Of Course, A Few Words…

    February 2, 2012

    It seems like months ago when I first wrote about the Lenny Kravitz concert in Chicago for which I, at the time, only hoped our family would be able to procure tickets, but it’s been less than a month. In that time, my sister and J got the tickets for us (two in the fifteenth row on the floor and three on the second row of the front balcony) while Jim and I were on our cruise by setting up an elaborate “Lenny Ticket Headquarters” which was made up of several computers, with phones on standby. They worked really, really hard to get those tickets. After they got the tickets,…

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  • Roxie,  Too Funny To Ignore

    The Warning

    December 23, 2011

    Due to the fact that every single day I get a bunch of hits on this post from searches like “I don’t want a dog but my kids do”, “how to tell your child no dog” (ahem, how about saying “NO DOG”??), and even “how to get rid of my dog”, I feel the need to start this post with a disclaimer about how what I am about to share here is meant to be funny. If you are a regular reader you will already know that, but if you get here on a random search, please know that my trouble-making dog is very well-loved. Thanks for your time and…

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  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  Too Funny To Ignore

    Kickin’ It Old School

    December 15, 2011

    This morning I got dressed and headed down to the kitchen where I found J making his lunch for school. He looked at me and said, “Um, I have a minor problem. You know how I have finals next week? Well, I can get out early on Wednesday because my second final is my lunch period. The only thing is, I need a permission note from you, it’s due today, and Julesie is still sleeping downstairs.” “So?” I said. “Well, she’s still sleeping, and so you can’t go down to the computer to type out a note and print it out for me.” This time, I was the one who…

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