Don't Leash Your Kids

Kiddie Leashes. Just typing it makes me cringe. I hate those things. Leashes aren't for kids. They are for dogs. Kids are not dogs. Ergo, leashes are not for kids. 

The other day we were in a restaurant I saw a mom put a monkey leash on her kid. She said "I didn't think she'd like it but she LOVES it" and strapped her kid in. The kid plopped to the ground, pulled and tugged and cried. It was pathetic. Mom was happy though because she got to sit down and drink he mimosa and have a grown up conversation. While her 2 year old was strapped down to a dog leash disguised as a monkey. 

So here's what I suggest:

1. If you want to have a mimosa at breakfast while talking to your friends, don't bring your two year old. Two year olds like to walk around and touch stuff. It's developmentally appropriate for them to do that. Not to be tied to a restaurant booth.

2. Teach your kid to have boundaries. Rather than strapping her down, give her rules and restrictions and teach her that she can get up when she is done eating and take a little walk. Then have something for her to do at the table while you indulge in an alcoholic beverage (or three) before your drive your child home.

3. Have your own boundaries. Kids at breakfast mean coffee or OJ. Not champagne. Sorry. It's called being responsible. 

4. Don't be an ass. 

That's all.

It's been a while

Well it's back to school time! I've been back in the office for a few days but the kids come back to school today so the real fun can start. I'm hoping this year involves fewer bruises and less spit than last year. Autism is fun. 


Anyway, this summer was crazy. A lot of going out and partying and enjoying the city we live in. The result has been puffy skin, weight gain and (GASP!) acne. So I decided it was time to take some time off. 

So it's back on the health wagon. I'm giving up alcohol for a while. I'm shooting for 30 days. I need to give my body some time to recover from all the drinking we did this summer. After that I am thinking I will stick to the occasional glass of wine and Sangria for a while. We are playing kickball though so I'm not sure I will be able to give up Bud Light Lime's, especially since I really suck at kickball. Drinking gives me an excuse other than "I'm sorry guys but I really suck at this sport that 3rd graders excel at!". 

We're also going back to clean eating. This morning was a good start. I had my coffee black and skipped the cheese on my breakfast (although I am not completely removing cheese from diet, I am going to refrain from putting it on top of everything....). 

So that's where we are at for now. A lot of my posts will probably involve food, pictures of food or bitching about the need for more than a glass of wine and trying to get someone to pry the bottle of tequila from my hands after a bad day. 

That's all for now kids. Good luck to all my CCSD friends and my teacher peeps back in good ol' Massachusetts, as they embark on another year of the craziest profession any person could voluntarily get into.

Peace and Bacon Grease :) (that's for my husband) 

xoxoxo 

Thankful

Today I was talking to my Auntie on the phone and the subject turned to my cousin Kevin and his fiance Dina. They are getting married in a couple of weeks. A running joke in our family has always been that my uncle Ed loves it when people reply no to invitations. Less people to pay for hahaha. So anyway we were talking about how someone replied no and I laughed and said "After 4 weddings we all know how much he loves those No's".


4 weddings. That's something I know he and my aunt never bargained on. 2 extra kids to help plan a wedding for. 2 extra kids to have call them when anything and everything goes wrong. 2 extra bodies at the Inn every Christmas. 

In the hours and days following my mothers death I freaked out over everything. The how, when, where and why. How was I going to take care of myself and my sister? When was I going to get to be a kid? Where would we live? Why, why why did this happen to me? 

And at the end of each and every day in those following hours, days and weeks there was a constant. A phone call that came without question. My aunt or uncle checking in. How are you doing? Do you need anything? 

One night my uncle came over with a file box, some file folders, a calculator and a stapler. He spent countless hours patiently teaching me how to be the head of a household I wasn't ready to head. 

That winter when our heat went out because I had no idea you had to call and order oil, he talked me through it and made sure it was all ok. 

When I was mad about everything and feeling abandoned and sad and angry Auntie was never ever too busy. She always listened and she was always there.

It was a seamless transition for them. They just did it.  They took us in and just like that they had 4. My cousins... oh those boys. They both took it in such stride. They never complained. They never even made a peep that now they had to share their parents. And they too looked out and watched over us. 

4 weddings. 2 girls walked down the aisle on the arm of the most amazing man I have ever had the privilege of knowing. 2 unexpected children that they took in and saved. 4 weddings that they helped fund and plan and in once case they even hosted.


Without them I don't know where I would have ended up. Without them I don't know that I would have come out of the darkest time of my life with only minimal scarring. 


I couldn't be more thankful for the family that I have. For ALL of the people who helped us through that time. For the two people I admire the most in the world. I have the most wonderful family in the world. 

They may not have bargained for 4 weddings but I hope they know how forever grateful I am that they are there, that they have done everything they have for all of us and that we are the luckiest kids in the world. 

Hero: 

1.a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal:
See below.