He's thrilled

Cooper is currently obsessed with the song "Thriller."

He's learning the dance moves.

Proud mom moment. 

I mean, everybody should be able to do the Thriller dance.

"Have you seen the cool video?"

"Ummmm, yes, just one or two thousand times."

Then I told him about that great thing known as MTV.

And how it was all VIDEOS.

He couldn't believe it. 

"What? I TV station that was only videos?"

He thought that was the coolest thing ever.

It was.

All hail music videos from the 80's.

For that matter, all hail 80's music period.  Best. Music. Ever.

Such a lovely place. No thanks.

Confession: I hate the song Hotel California

I know. I'm probably the only one in the world.

But really, I absolutely can't stand it.

The Captain thought it was because it was "all spooky and about ghosts and stuff".

Oh? It is?

I thought it was about some icky, run-down one-star hotel.

He explained to me that it me that it wasn't.

Right after he gave me the "I Can't Believe I Asked You Out That Second Time" Look.

Humph.

The Eagles came in town a few years ago and two of my long time friends talked about our all going together.

"Do you think they'll sing Hotel California?" I asked.

Ummmm, yes they were pretty 250% sure The Eagles would sing Hotel California.

Then no, I'm not going.

So, there you have it. Another fascinating factoid about me.

I'm really surprised you people keep coming back here.

Bless.

Doot doot doot

It was a big day in the 4th grade yesterday.

The kids got their recorders.

I SAID THE KIDS GOT THEIR RECORDERS.

As Connie put it, "Doot doot doot."

Yep, that's what it sounds like.

Doot doot doot.

And lots of it.

And every time the Captain sees Cooper's recorder, he grabs it and plays the intro to the Star Wars theme. He is quite proud of himself.

All of this musical activity gives me flashbacks to this summer when Cooper was obsessed with his new harmonica.

And he played it for three weeks.

Constantly.

And all he knew was Jingle Bells.

Over and over and over and over.

For three weeks.

Jingle all the way.

And now, the recorder.

The joy overflows.

Big fourth grade doings yesterday also included learning the middle row on the keyboard and so now they can type "without even looking down!"

Oh, and they learned e and i.

So he can type words like dig and hit and leg.

But not doot doot doot.

A lotta' yee haw and a little yawn.

Last night was fun.

We saw this guy and this guy and this guy too.

Yep - all three of 'em.

The concert was great.

It just turned into a very. late. night.

The show wasn't over until after 11pm.

Thirty minutes back across town toward our house.

Thirty minutes PAST our house to take Jordan's friend-boy home.

Thirty minutes BACK to our house.

That put me home at 12:30 am.

And in bed shortly after.

My alarm goes off at 4:00 am.

(Ridiculous, isn't it?)

Isn't it illegal to go to bed on the same day that you wake up?

I'm pretty sure it is.

Anyway, for all you non-math majors, that is about three hours of sleep.

THREE. HOURS. OF. SLEEP.

Seriously.

So needless to say, I'm a bit weary this morning.

*yawn*

Coffee please.

At least it's Friday.

And my boss it out of town.

Which translates to "Hooray! I can sleep at my desk today!"

I'M KIDDING!

Kind of....

Have a nice weekend people.

I plan to spend the whole weekend in my pajamas.

Sleeping, and watching football, and finalizing my Thanksgiving grocery list.

Pssssst - Did you know Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?

Mercy.

Alrighty, gotta' go find some shoes to match the bags under these eyes.

Peace. Out.

Blink

Warning - this is a deep and sappy kind of post....Come back another day if you don't want to hear my "life is too short" blah blah blah...

So much always going on.

Life. It moves so fast.

The beginning of a new school year makes me all weepy. My kids are another year older. And sometimes it's hard to bear. Seriously. Time has marched on. I have an 8th grader and a 3rd grader. Stop. It.

My heart is all wigged out right now.

My heart still aches for my physician whose 20 year old daughter was killed in a car accident.
The Captain's grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and started chemo this week.
My 96 year old great aunt is dying. Literally. Dying. As I type this. Is in the last days of her life.
Nick B. continues to daily fight his brain tumor and have radiation and chemo.

Life. It's heavy.

And sometimes I get caught up in all the stuff that we are doing. Cooking dinner, driving kids around, buying school stuff, driving kids around, laundry, driving kids around. Did I mention driving kids around? I do a lot of that. Just so much stuff to do. Lots of it. And we're about to factor homework and school routine back into all this.

And I whine. And get all stressed out about it. And I chew on my lip. And get all splotchy. And fret. Cause it's just what I do...

And right now a lot of these things are causing my heart to experience some "inner turmoil".

And I realized -- AGAIN -- {head slap} -- that I am so hung up in the DOING the stuff that I sometimes am not just enjoying the STUFF. I have my to-do list and concentrate and focus on checking things off. But I wonder if I'm missing the THINGS.

Then yesterday - when I was driving Jordan to get her some of her braces put on - I heard this song. And yes, I've heard it before. Many times. But wow - it just smacked me in my Type A head. It's "Blink" by Revive. It's good stuff people.

And it goes something like this....


Teach me to number my days
And count every moment before it slips away
Taking all the colors before they fade to gray
I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink
It happens in a flash
It happens in the time it takes to look back
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink

Teach me to number my days
And count every moment before it slips away
Taking all the colors before they fade to gray
I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink
It happens in a flash
It happens in the time it takes to look back
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink

Slow down, slow down
Before today becomes our yesterday
Slow down, slow down
Before you turn around and it's too late

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it takes to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it takes to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink.


Wanna' listen to it? Here ya' go...



Maybe I can't change life. And its pace. And its never ending to-do list. Or the laundry. Or carting kids all over the place. But I can slow MYSELF down. And live with a little more purpose and enjoyment right now. In the NOW. It's hard people. Because my to-do list chokes me at times.

OK, I think I'm done now. For the two of you who stuck with me and are still reading this post, thanks.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Enjoy your day my people.

I survived.

I made it through the weekend and lived to tell about it.

I made it through the Justin Bieber concert. And in case you haven't been at a concert full of 20,000 high-pitched squealing and screaming pre-teen girls, you just haven't lived. And you also still have full use of your ear drums.

I tried to get out of it.

I bribed everybody I saw. I offered to trade jobs with our waiter at dinner, the restaurant manager, a couple in the restaurant parking lot, the parking lot attendant, the security guy at the arena, the gal at the will call window at the arena....everybody I saw. I offered to do their job for the rest of the night if they would take Jordan and her friend to the show. No takers. Nobody even considered it. Not even the waiter -- who I offered not only to work his Saturday night shift, but to also pick up his Sunday shift, do his laundry for a week, and make five casseroles. Nope. No way.

Oh it was fine. It was fun I guess. In a loud, screaming kind of way. I enjoyed watching all the teeny-boppers who like him just as much as his music. And let's just say, it's a good thing he's cute. I was kind of over it when he got in a heart-shaped crane and floated across the audience. {cue groans}. But if Shawn Cassidy had done that when I was 13, I would have screamed my head off too.

In other news, I am happy to report that school supplies have been purchased. I think we have everything -- including the quadrangle something or other graph paper -- also known as notebook paper with little squares on it instead of lines. Well, we may still be in need of some book covers. Oh - and uniforms. Still have to get those. I do think the school administration will frown on kids wearing pajamas or birthday suits....

Finally, the heat this week is going to be beyond brutal. We are under an Excessive Heat Warning. Whatever that is. I think that means the high's are in the 100's and the heat indexes (indices?) are in the 300's. Coop has football practice this week (so does Nephew T). And I am a little bit concerned all this hotness. I am looking today for a 38,000 gallon water jug.

Stay cool people. Hydrate.


PS - Thank you for continuing to remember the LaVelle family. The memorial service on Saturday was very difficult. But an amazing testimony to that family -- over 1,000 people were at the service. Thanks for your prayers too for Nick. He is continuing his treatments for his brain tumor. There are so many people out there whose hearts are hurting....

Teeth, Treats, and Tickets

Well, first things first. Jordan did great. And they didn't even have to put her under. I was glad for that. She spent most of the afternoon with ice packs on her chipmunk jaws and wiping bloody drool off her lips. She felt well enough to be mad that I wouldn't take her to the last night of the volleyball tournament. Seriously. You just had four teeth pulled out of your head and you are cracked out on narcotics and you want to go to the volleyball tournament. Yeah right.

I went by a "frozen treat establishment" to get her some milkshakes. Since I was going to want to have some too she was going to be recovering over the next few days, I bought four large milkshakes. And the gal at the window proceeded to hand them to me one. at. a. time. Seriously. Ummm. I am in the car here all by myself. I need a carrier holder thing. Oh - and would it be too much to PUT LIDS ON THEM??? Sixteen dollars worth of milkshakes. Most worthy of lids. And a carrier holder thing.

The incident at the "frozen treat establishment" had me so rattled, that I ended up going to the bank drive through instead of the pharmacy drive through to pick up Jordan's prescription. Pretty sure they don't have narcotics at the bank. Hello teller ladies. Just passing through. I seem to have a poor track record with drive thru windows.

Now from the I Drew the Short Straw Department I Am So Lucky Department ... guess where I am going tomorrow night? I am going to the Justin Bieber (Beiber?) concert. Be very jealous. Anyway, I am the "chaperone" for Jordan and her friend. My mother-in-law gave Jordan the tickets for her birthday. Wow thanks. I think SHE should be the one taking her. Anyway.... we had a little snag with the tickets because my MIL kind of....let's see, how can I put this..... she .... THREW THE TICKETS AWAY. Yes, she threw away the Justin Bieber (Beiber?) tickets. She thought the little unidentifiable envelope was trash. Oh well. It's handled now (I think....) But I do have 36 hours to find some ear plugs.


Both kids are spending the night at my mom's tonight and I'm spending the night at home. Alone. With the Captain. And I'm sure all our grand plans will end up out the window after we fall asleep at 8:15 pm.

It's been an exhausting week. Emotionally and physically. I'm ready to show it to the door.

Have a nice weekend my lovelies. Hope you can rest and recharge.

I'll see you tomorrow night at the Justin Bieber (Beiber?) show. I'll be the one in the cardigan. It's what I wear to all my concerts.

Friday Party Train

Fri. Day.

Hoo. Ray.

I think it's a good day to watch this.

Because a day with some Laurel & Hardy and some Gap Band is a good day.

So everybody all aboard.

We went. We rocked. We came back home.

Let me just start by saying the Bon Jovi concert was totally awesome.

Even awesomer than awesome.

And let me also say that Jon Bon Jovi looks and sounds just as good as he ever did.

He has great jeans genes.

And he still has the greatest rock and roll hair.

And he just rocked it.

For over two hours.

It was a most excellent show.

And Bingmama and I had a most excellent time.

And we laughed and talked and talked and laughed.

And we may or may not have taken all of this with us:

• 7 cardigan sweaters
• 15 necklaces
• 2 bracelets
• 9 tshirts
• and a partridge in a pear tree

And yes we were only gone 24 hours.

But we needed options.

And I am absolutely, positively 100% certain that I was the only person at the concert wearing a cardigan sweater. That was yellow.

I am also absolutely, positively 100% certain if you weren't wearing a halter top and boots, you were a nobody.

Hi, I'm nobody. I'm the one that wore a yellow cardigan to the Bon Jovi concert.

And Bingmama told somebody that I was her mother.

We had some interesting cab experiences.

First, we totally stole a cab that had showed up at the hotel for another group. We did think it was ours, but found out later it wasn't. Ooops.

This before-the-concert cab driver had an orthopaedic walking boot on his left foot. And had a prosthetic on his right foot. And he would drive real fast. Toward people and other cars. And then say "Shut your eyes if you're squeamish." And he made a very, VERY wide right turn which put us on the left side of the road for a terribly long period of time. He must have thought we were in England or something. And I thought we were gonna' die.

The after-the-concert cab driver was a bit odd. He kind of talked real low and quiet and slow. And made it a point to show us the court house and the jail. And for about 3 minutes I was certain he was driving us off into the warehouse district of Nashville to murder us. And I even texted Bingmama WHERE ARE WE GOING?!?!? Because all we could think about was the movie "The Bone Collector". I got real worried because Bingmama's knee was flaring up and I was concerned that she was not going to be able to outrun him once he started chasing us. And I thought we were gonna' die. But never fear, we made it back to the hotel.

Yep, we made it back to the hotel and got in bed at 12:15 in the morning. Which is about six hours past my bedtime.

So apparently we think we are still 21 years old and can work half a day, drive to Nashville in the afternoon, grab dinner, go to a 2+ hour VERY LOUD rock and roll concert, sing and dance and clap and fist pump and scream WOOOOOO!!!! every time we look at Jon and Richie in the binoculars, and hit the sack at 12:15 in the morning and get up, FIND A STARBUCKS, drive back to Memphis and go to work.......because that's exactly what we did.

We were rockin' mamas.

Who wore cardigans to the Bon Jovi concert.

And had a great time!

Rock on!

Who knows

By the time you read this, one of two things will be happening....

Either Bingmama and I are on the bus with Jon and Richie joining them on tour...

or....

Bingmama and I are headed back to Memphis to make it to work by noon.

In the meantime, you can watch this.

We're half-way there

Yes, I made it through the expo alive. Thank you for asking. And yes, people are obsessed with getting anything free. I could have been giving away dog poop and they would have taken it. I saw people with their little trade show bags just loaded with fabulously valuable stuff like chip clips, post its, and rubber jar openers. Seriously people.

Anyhoo, that is over and I am glad.

And finally it's Wednesday which is the day that Bingmama and I head to Nashville for the Bon Jovi concert. WOOT!

Last night's dilemma....packing. What on earth does an almost middle-aged frump wear to a rock concert? I'm pretty sure I'll be the only one wearing a cardigan and a little scarf thing. Oh - and I didn't want to carry (or be responsible for) any binoculars, so I'm taking these little mother of pearl theater glasses too. They really are pretty. They belonged to my great aunt. And I'm fairly certain they have never been used at a rock concert. But they are needed so we can get up close views of Jon & Richie. Hubba.

And it all works out pretty nice because I like Jon and Bingmama likes Richie so there won't be any fighting over them or anything like that. Cause you know there is nothing worse than two chicks fighting over a rock star.

I have the tickets in my wallet. I am POSITIVE they are in my wallet. And now my OCD kicks into over-drive because I will check to make sure they are STILL in my wallet no less than 382 times. I hate that. But I can't help it. It's a sickness people.

Mucho thanks to Connie for keeping my dependents while I am out partying it up with Bingmama and Jon and Richie.

I thought about loading my post with Bon Jovi lyrics which I would feebly attempt to turn into corny puns. But I decided against it. You're welcome.

So, I'm outta' here people. Have a Nice Day. (Sorry!)

Rock on!

Ummmm, not the same show

Bingmama and I went to see Jersey Boys Tuesday night. It was part of our season ticket package. Remember, last time we went?

People - listen to me - you MUST go see this. It was excellent. It was good. Very. Very. Good.

You know it's the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. This band really has a story. And it's quite interesting. And so many hits. Wow. I guess I never realized just how many big songs they had.

Anyhoo, it was good.

Have I already mentioned that?

And I have been singing Who Loves You Pretty Baby non-stop since Tuesday night.

Before the show we stopped for a quick bite.

We told Stephen, our very cute, very 20-something waiter, we were going to see Jersey Boys.

He said he had seen it watched it a lot (Really?) and all the people did was just hang out and get in fights in stuff (What?).

I said "And then they sing?"

He kind of looked at us and said, "Welllll I don't remember much singing."

Huh? No singing?? The whole show is singing. It's about a musical group for gravy's sake.

And that's when it hit us people.

Cute little Stephen had never watched Jersey Boys.

He watched Jersey Shore.

And Bingmama and I laughed so hard and so loud I thought we may get kicked out of the restaurant.

Cause there's a big difference there.


So sing your favorite Frankie Valli song today people. Or your favorite song from Jersey Shore. Whatever makes you happy.

Rain, rain, go away

It has been raining.

And raining.

And raining.

We have had over 8.25" of rain this month. The normal for September is 2.50". Seriously people. I think it has rained every single day. I'm gonna' grow rice in my back yard.

If we had all this rain AND cold temps, we would have had almost 7 feet of snow. Just in case you were wondering about that. Personally I do wonder about that. Because I'm obsessed with the weather.

The Weather Guy is saying the sun will come out tomorrow.
He bets his bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun.
Just thinkin' about
Tomor--

Oh sorry - got a little carried away there with my Broadway tunes. (Did I tell you I went to see A Chorus Line the other night? I didn't? Well I did. And since then, I've been practicing my high kicks. Cause if I really wanted to, I could be a thin, long-legged Broadway dancer. I just don't want to.)

OK, no more showtunes. Let's sing a little Milli Vanilli. Want to?



Remember them? The whole lip-sync fiasco? And then one of them died. Not sure if it was Milli or Vanilli. Oh well. We can blame it on the rain.

Hope you have a good weekend regardless of the weather.

Everybody all aboard!

I can think of no better way to start a Monday than a little Laurel & Hardy synced perfectly with some Gap Band. Have a Party Train kind of week people. Peace Out.

Take Five

The next five songs on my iPod....

• Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran
  
  
• Burning Down the House by Talking Heads
  
  
• You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi
  
  
• Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band
  
  
• Lonely Is the Night by Billy Squier

Yes I like 80's music. Because I think it is the best ever. The end.

Two for the price of one

Two posts in one day! Well aren't you the lucky ones.

Random thoughts....

What a wild week it has been. For a news junkie like me, there's been lots to keep up with. And it's hard to be on top of all this breaking news. Especially since I work. Because while I'm here, they really kind of expect me to work. I know. At times it is totally style-cramping. There are days I can't get anything done because of this work business. OK....on to the issues at hand.

The Governor who went for a little walk was in South America with his girlfriend. What on earth is that all about?

The resignation of our Mayor. Amen. Personally, I think this story is not yet over. So stay tuned.

The death of Farrah. Lllllloved her when I was a kid. Oh how I wanted to be a Charlie's Angel. And her hair! Be still my hot rolling heart. I was always in search of the perfect Farrah feathers.

The death of Michael Jackson! Seriously. How out of the blue was that. No lie - I had just been emailing a friend about "Who would be the third celeb death?" and we said oh maybe Walter Cronkite or Patrick Swayze. I hit send -- opened up Twitter -- and there is was. The King of Pop -- DEAD. And I think if you can get past the weirdness (I know, I know - there's a lot of weirdness to get past), his music was just so good. Everybody join me in a few bars of Billie Jean. While we dance. On the floor. In the round. Good stuff people. Repeat after me: Mama-se. Mama-sa. Mama-coo-sa.

And yes, I drove the Captain nuts yesterday when I would only respond to him with Michael Jackson lyrics.

And all he would say to me this morning while I was singing was "McCauley Caukin".

Anyhoo, for those of us who grew up in the 70's and 80's, we relived lots of memories yesterday.

Oh - and don't forget that Shaq is now a Cavalier.

And Antonio Anderson didn't get drafted. *sniff*

Jordan is home from camp. I just emptied her whole suitcase in the washer. She heads out again on Monday for another camp. So I'll just lather, rinse, repeat, repack. She hardly has a voice and sounds like she has kennel cough. And I am questioning if the total hours of sleep she got for the entire week even start with a "2".... But she did stay awake last night long enough to tell me all about it. "And so then....and so then....and so then.....and so then.....and so then.....".

So I think that's it for me.

Unless we get yet more nutty news today.

Peace out.

Topping the charts

What was the world singing on the day you were born?

Thanks to Bingmama for this neato site that shows the number one song on any date in history.

I was not surprised to learn that "We Can Work It Out" by The Beatles was topping the charts when I came into the world.

Sing along people...

Try to see it my way.... Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on.....


Cooper has his first baseball game tomorrow morning. And then we are going to see the Redbirds take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the afternoon. Base-ball-o-rama! My friend the weather guy promises that the "ballgame weather will be GREAT"! Can't wait.

Enjoy your weekend. Peace out people.

Idol questions

Did you watch Idol last night?

Any favorites?

Was there really anybody good?

Did you like the girl from Memphis with the pink hair?

Didn't she rock it?

Was she the best one of the night?

Is Tatiana a nutcase?

Was some of it just painful to watch?

Speaking of painful, did you think it was uncomfortable to have the parents there?

Are these people just kids?

Or am I old?

Or both?

So, who are your favorites from last night?




OK, that's all. Have a great day people!

A long, long time ago...

Today is "The Day the Music Died," marked by Don McLean in his classic song, "American Pie." On February 3, 1959, 50 years ago today, singers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.

Raise your hand if you know all the words to the long version of "American Pie"? (The LONG version....the one that's 8 minutes and 33 seconds.)

Man, I love that song.

Sing it with me people!

Bye, Bye American Pie...

Monday again?

I'm back among the living now that I have my internet working again. It was an awful feeling for me to not be connected to my email and the internet. Yes, I'm addicted...

Time to be the Monday Morning Quarterback while we talk a little football...

How about the Alabama-Georgia game? Wowie. There was a chance Bama would have come out #1 in this weeks poll, but they didn't quite make it. Altho pundits now have them projected to play for the BCS national championship.

The upset of the weekend was Ole Miss & Florida. Can't believe Mississippi won that - in the swamp even. I was at a volleyball game, but Connie kept me informed with play by play texts. (I thank you and everybody in the bleachers thanks you!)

I don't even want to talk about the whipping Arkansas received from Texas. We play Florida next week. Thank you sir, may I have another....

The Bloggie Doggie thinks he has found his long lost litter mate. He's so funny - he will just sit there - holding this big stuffed dog that is as big as he is - and just look around like he really thinks we won't notice. La la la....

Sad to hear about Paul Newman's death over the weekend. Sad too that my kids don't know who he is. Not that they really would. (Although Jordan had heard of Newman's Own dressing.) But I thought maybe they would have at least heard about some of his movies, especially since the Captain watches some of that old stuff.

Me: He was in Cool Hand Luke. Haven't you heard of that?

Kids: Nope.

Me: Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid?? You've seen Daddy watch that.

Kids: No.

Me: Towering Inferno? The Sting?

Kids: Ummm, nope.

Me: Hmmmm. He was the voice of Doc Hudson in Cars.

Kids: Ohhhhhhh, HIM!!!

I was talking about how good looking he was and I showed Jordan a picture of him.

Jordan: He's not cute.
Me: No, he's not cute. He's HANDSOME.

Speaking of great looking old men, Huey Lewis on Friday night just totally rocked. He still has it. He sounded great - his music is so fun. And even though it's 80's music, it doesn't sound like 80's music. He's 58 years old - looks good. He has some great jeans genes. Great show. Nice venue. Good time. I loved it.

Happy Monday people!