Most Certainly Not

January 24th -- UPDATE

This just in...UK "researcher" who picked MY birthday as the WORST day of the year failed miserably in his life's work! My birthday ROCKED, thank you very little and I, for one, wish EVERY day were the WORST day if that's what worst looks like! I will support MY hypothesis that January 24th is the BEST day of the freaking year with the following data:

It is my birthday EVERY year on this date. Pretty sweet.

My household experienced a TANTRUM FREE day on the 24th. This included our normal, chaotic morning routine. Each child left the house dressed for the weather with all her belongings AND breakfast. This also included a trip to a real, live RESTAURANT where we SAT DOWN and enjoyed dinner together...wow.

My students remembered my b-day. One class even broke in to song. Now, this could possibly be because I talked about my birthday quite a bit, but it also is a teachable moment for them in that it PROVES they CAN learn and remember important, factual dates.

I went to the BMV to renew my driver's license and there was NO LINE. I had to run home to retrieve my marriage certificate so I could change my name on my license. I returned once again to renew my license and once again, there was NO LINE. Hallelujah...unprecedented.

I received some nice cards and phone calls and even had a nice phone conversation with my ex-husband in which we laughed hysterically over the nonsense which was the one dark spot on MY day. More on that in a moment...it may need an entire post of its own!

And, finally, I had a great phone conversation with my sister-in-law in which I felt validated, understood AND respected...very cool when you are THIRTY-THREE...eeks.

This data, in conjunction with the fact that January 24th is such a fine day in its own right, support my hypothesis that January 24th is the BEST day of the year.

"Worst Day of the Year" Named

According to this article, Monday, January 24th has been named the worst day of the year. Thanks a lot! Like celebrating my birthday alone without being taken out to a kids-free dinner and showered with expensive, sparkly presents ending with a nice romp in the hay wasn't enough. Now, I have to live with the knowledge that my birthday sucks for everyone. I'm torn as to how to react. On one hand, I had been looking forward to my birthday because it's my birthday and all signs point to the fact that my husband remembered. I'm thinking flowers...nothing like the killer brownies I drove to his MOB station's post office back in June, but we've already discussed that here. He can't help it he isn't as mentally ill as I am. So, in this vein, I'm disappointed that my birthday has been names the WORST day of the entire YEAR. On the other hand, if this day truly is the worst of my year, then shouldn't I get to have that distinction all to myself given it is my birthday. Do I really have to share it with the entire globe? Thanks alot, stupid UK researcher with nothing better to do. Bad enough it's my birthday, I'm on my own with no hope of any type of adult celebrating, and it's on a MONDAY. But, now it's also the WORST day in all the year. Wonderful.

I'm Melinda...and I'm a Care Package Addict

Everyone? "Hi, Melinda..." Yes, it's true. I've developed an addiction to sending care packages. It started when my husband deployed. I sent him something nearly EVERY day--daily letters, reading material once a week and packages a couple times a week. Soon, it wasn't enough for me. So, I adopted Justin. A young soldier from the Midwest who was deployed to Iraq--his second deployment since 9/11. He is as old as some of my college students so I identified with him and his desires to come home, figure out what he wanted from life and start college. A really fine young man who thought of his buddies usually before himself. I only adopted him in October and he's coming home soon, so not many packages went his way. However, a FORTY-THREE pound box did and I'm thinking that might have been a record! It was for me anyhow! Justin and Brian are both coming home by spring. I still have all this shipping material...and labels...and bubble wrap...and empty cans to send fragile things in...a food saver...and a desire to be standing in line at the post office EVERY day. Well, not quite, but it's a necessary evil. So, I asked Justin if he knew anyone who needed adopting. He sent me the name and address of a new arrival where he is. Joshua is a young guy too. I googled him--the internet is a wonderful thing--and found an article about his unit's deployment in which he provided some quotes. I'm looking forward to getting to know him as well and thanks to e-mail it will be easy to connect with him, find out what he likes/wants/needs and then head to Sam's Warehouse Club to buy it in bulk and get to shipping! I figure, I'm allergic to cats so I'll never be that old lady on the news with 127 cats living in her apartment. I can completely imagine myself with my computer screen housing covered in post-its with soldier's names on them. I keep the names there so I see them every time I'm on the computer. I think about them, pray for them and hope they are home soon. I'm completely willing to give up my care package addiction, though, because it will mean there are no more soldiers, far from home and living with the knowledge that they don't have mail on the way. Until then, though, I am perfectly happy buying, packaging, taping, labeling and sending ginormous boxes of 'care' all around the globe.

They Grow Too Fast...Even for Themselves

M1 came home from her dad's yesterday freshly bathed. M2, however, was a dirty gertie and needed one. M1 took over the bathtime being all very grown up & helpful complete with hair tossing and talking to M2 like a big sister of 18 would...which is weird since she's only SIX.

She sat on the toilet beside the tub, crossed her legs and said, "You know, Mom, it's really good I'm learning how to do this. If you ever go somewhere on a trip, I can give M2 a bath...you know, when I'm old enough to stay here alone & take care of her. Like when I'm 29 or something."

I smiled and said, "M1...how old do you think M2 will be when you're 29?" She sat there for two seconds all the while wearing the look of "Does EVERYTHING have to turn in to a math story problem?!", then rolled her eyes, smiled and said, "Oh! Right! She'll be able to take a bath by herself by then, won't she?"

Yep...at 25 I'm pretty sure she'll be able to take a bath alone. I told M1 that by the time she was 29, though, she might have a baby of her own to wash.

"Not me! I won't even be married when I'm 29! That's WAY too young, Mom...I won't even be married by then...I need to be THIRTY nine!"

"Really? Who told you that?"

"My dad."

I bet he did!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby J

I have one sibling. My sister is three years younger than I am. She's turning 30 this year. That, in and of itself, amazes me. I'm also shocked (horrified??) that I am hurtling toward 33 even though I don't feel that I've been on earth nearly that long. My sister and I have had our differences, thanks in no small part to our raising--sibling rivalry at its finest! But, we've also forged a different relationship with each other now that we are adults. We're both on our second marriages and we're both now moms...we're old married ladies! My nephew, J, was born a year ago today. He is a beautiful boy with big, dark eyes, sandy hair and an engaging smile. His laughter nearly brings tears to my eyes it is so pure and joyous. He is all boy and yet, I watched him cuddle up to nearly all of his birthday party guests tonight. I was especially enthralled watching him with my father. It was a completely different feeling than I have when I watch my dad cuddle my own two girls...I'm not sure what it was about it, but it was like I was seeing my dad as a grandfather for the first time all over again. I'm not sure if it's because J is a boy or because he isn't my son, but watching him plop himself on to my dad's lap and then lean back so my dad could embrace him just made me smile. I'm so happy that my dad has had a chance to actively participate in the childhoods of his grandchildren as he wasn't much engaged as a dad until we were nearing adolescence...but, that's another post entirely! I don't see J as much as I would like and I'm always surprised by how much he's grown between visits. He's nearly as big as my M2 and she's a full six months older than he is. I remember holding him a year ago today, though...all swaddled in a receiving blanket and sleeping soundly. Such a beautiful baby. I had a really good "Aunt" moment with J tonight. As his father was cutting his birthday cake, J was becoming interested in all those pieces of cake going on to plates and being passed around to the adults. His father had cut a piece for himself to share with J and had it just out of J's reach. They had already placed a plastic tablecloth beneath J's high chair and I had given him a complete outfit for his birthday, right down to the socks...so I wasn't worried about a mess being made. I watched J's eyes become bigger and bigger and his hands clench open and closed faster and faster as he tried to will that piece of cake closer to him. I also knew the video camera and the watchful eye of my sister were trained on the little guy. I reached over and stealthily slid the small cake plate well within J's reach. He pounced on that cake like a starving little man! Two hands shot out, grabbed the piece of cake like a sandwich and shoved it square into his face! The look on his face was a mixture of shock that I hadn't stopped him, pride at his accomplishment and rapture at the taste of the sickeningly sweet icing passing his lips. Crumbs dropped everywhere, icing flaked all over his face and I thought his father would fall over when he saw what had happened. I simply told him that's what aunts do and must I remind him that HE purchased PLAY-DOH for M1 on her 3rd birthday?! And, he had an outfit to change in to if he became too dirty, which he did not. Running interference for the little guy was an extreme pleasure for me and I cannot wait to watch that moment over and over again once I receive my personal DVD of his party. It's hard to believe that J is already a year old. Time waits for no one, they say, and I'm really starting to see that old cliche in my every day life.

Melting Daddy's Heart

My husband has been deployed since this past summer. Our baby girl was not quite a year old when he left. Although I know he is concerned about both girls readjusting to having Daddy home, he's most concerned with M2. In a life of 18 months, 9 months is a hefty chunk to be separated. I think we eased his mind a little bit tonight. He was up late again ( I'm pretty sure he's having sleeping issues, but he isn't admitting that to me ) and on-line. It was well after midnight there, going on 1 a.m. when I saw he was trying to IM me. We turned on the webcam and it wasn't long before M2 was on my lap. She LOVES to see Daddy on the computer. I have a beautiful photo of him on my desktop's wallpaper and she makes sure to talk to that picture each times she walks past. It's especially neat for her when the webcam is on and Daddy waves back! Tonight she was waving and blowing kisses and getting VERY close to kissing the computer screen. When she tried to get Brian's attention on the screen, however, she was out of the range of the camera and he couldn't see her. I finally took the camera and trained it on M2 so it would capture her every move. Brian could see her looking at him. He pressed his lips close to his webcam and M2 said, "Hi, Daddy...my Daddy." She leaned forward, put her two chubby (and sticky, I might add...thanks Tootsie Roll pop ) hands on my computer screen and kissed her Daddy on the lips. Now, this is significant for two very important reasons...1) it was the first time I had the sense to train the camera on M2 so Brian could watch her do her thing and 2) the child RARELY, if EVER, kisses ANYONE on the lips, cheeks or ANYWHERE...me included. She isn't even much for hugs. I could tell Brian was having a rough day just from the look on his face...tired, frustrated, homesick. But, once M2 kissed him, I thought he would start to cry. Big, strong soldiers do cry occasionally especially when they haven't felt the sweet breath of their babies for months on end. Seeing that sweet little face coming right for him was almost too much it seems. I think the two of them are much too much alike not to make up with one another quickly once he's home. I have a feeling it won't be long and I'll be lucky if Brian will be able to do anything around the house given the 21-pound appendage he will be hauling around. I will have to remind him that I successfully maneuvered household chores even with the little chimpanzee clinging to my side. Just a few more weeks and our family will be able to stop blowing kisses through cyberspace...

Welcome 2005

The new year has officially begun...2005. Can you believe it?! I thought after drinking half an Amber Bock, rather than my usual celebratory Moet & Chandon, it might be best to record my year-end ponderings. I technically should be continuing to clean given the fact that my in-laws will be here in less than 12 hours, but let's have priorities, right?! The tsunami's aftermath continues to dominate the airwaves, and rightfully so. The death toll is nearly 100,000 more than when I last posted. It's incomprehensible to me. The stories of survivors, however, really intrigue me. One of which involves a twenty-day-old baby. The baby was asleep in the back room behind the kitchen of her family's restaurant in Malaysia when the tsunami hit. The baby was later found, floating on a mattress...alive and otherwise unharmed. God has big plans for that wee one, I bet. On the negative, political side of this human tragedy is the sorry excuse for an international body known as the UN. Showing their true colors (as well as their ineffectiveness all in one breath), an official who coordinates international relief efforts called the United States "stingy"...I don't want to spend too much time here except to say that if the UN can't deal with the US providing FORTY PERCENT of ALL relief money to the international community, maybe they should ask Kofi Annan's son for a donation? After all, he bilked the Oil for Food "program" for BILLIONS of dollars so he might have a few moldy money bags in his basement he could spare. Dick Clark, America's oldest teenager, suffered a stroke earlier this winter and was unable to emcee the ceremonies in Times Square. Regis Philbin filled in & did an okay job. I also liked that several entertainers sent their well wishes to Dick during the broadcast. Dick wasn't the only one breaking with tradition. This was the first New Year's in a decade and a half where I have not had someone to kiss when the clock hit midnight. Sad, but true. I did get to talk to my husband today which was nice since we haven't spoken on the phone since Christmas Day. IM conversations are nice, but they aren't the same to me as hearing his voice. I'm just glad things seemed relatively quiet tonight where he is as New Year's is a notoriously incident-filled evening in his current locale. I also became "the crazy neighbor lady" tonight, but I can't say that I care. I live in a nice neighborhood, I pay my taxes, and I have certain expectations. Firecrackers being set off on New Year's is not one of them...4th of July, okay, I can deal...but NEW YEAR'S?! They caused M2 to stir and brought M1 down petrified that someone was shooting at the house and what would we do. Idiotic! I walked out on my lawn and saw the perpetrators. Teenagers on the balcony of the neighbor whose backyard butts up to mine. As if the firecrackers weren't enough, they were hollering at one another--so disruptive and potentially disasterous with my NEED for the girls to sleep. So, I took the opportunity to mention to the rabble-rousers that should they wake said children I would be phoning the police...just in case they were interested. "SORRY!" was the reply. "Not as sorry as you're gonna be if you wake up my baby." Mature, I know, but darn it, I don't live in a trailer park or on the West Side of any city so let's just act like we have some sense, shall we?! Where are the PARENTS?! I mean, we live IN TOWN...if you want your children to be afforded the opportunity to blow off appendages with illegal fireworks, GO RURAL. That's where I grew up & by God, we had LOTS of fireworks, underage drinking, parking, and the like and bothered NO ONE. God's will. Did I mention my in-law's are coming tomorrow? Okay, I thought so. 2004 was a big year for me. My baby girl turned one. My first baby started kindergarten. My husband was shipped halfway around the world. I traveled abroad for the first time and did so completely and totally solo. I took the LSAT with zero preparation and did admirably well. I have managed my household without running it into bankruptcy or anything else equally heinous. Resolutions? Are you serious? You're going to make me write these down? Okay...here goes... 1) Restart my homeshow business that suffered so horribly while Brian was away. 2) Be more fiscally responsible so Brian can use all the unpaid leave he has earned. 3) Continue to organize myself, my office and my home so things run smoothly. 4) Make up for lost time with my husband when he returns from his deployment. 5) Continue on my exercise & healthier eating regimen so I can see lots more New Year's celebrations.