Trick or Treat

Today I participated in the office Halloween festivities by dressing as Sarah Palin, complete with black power suit, red blouse, glasses, updo, and Son #2's hockey stick.  Son #3 dressed as a snake (yecch) and his brothers kindly took him out trick or treating before I got home from work.  I took over as it began to grow dark.  Quite the haul.  All the candy we won't use is going to a local library to be boxed up and sent to the troops.

It was close to 7:00 when we were finally ready to go to dinner, and Diabetic Man's sugar was on the low side when he took his insulin...so we decided to hit the local neighborhood Italian place.  The entrance to the restaurant is through the pizzeria side.  As we're walking up to the door, I see a woman with her back to us who looks a lot like my mother.  When we were nearly inside, I said, "Kids, that IS Grandma!"  She was waiting to place an order for a couple of slices to take home, and it was a mob scene.  So we brought her next door to sit down and eat with us.

As we were leaving, the kids said good night to Grandma and we all got into our car.  When we were getting ready to pull out of the parking spot, my mom's white SUV pulls up next to us.  She lets down the window and jokingly says:  "Hey lady!  You wanna get that hunk of junk outta here?"  I jokingly gave her the one digit salute. 

After she'd pulled away, Son #2 asked what she was talking about.  Son #1, without missing a beat, answered him.  "She meant Dad!"  Even hubby had to laugh at that.  I practically had a coughing fit myself.  We were giggling the entire way home.  OK so it's only a five minute trip, but still.  Happy Halloween!

Why Have a Dull Saturday Night at Home?

Son #1 received quite an exciting call on his cell phone today.  It was a police officer, telling him that his dad had been found sitting in his car in a hypoglycemic state.  (He'd been out doing electrical work, and had just finished his last job of the day.  He had intentions of grabbing a snack but never got that far.)  Local homeowners, seeing him unresponsive, notified the authorities.  So Mom had to go over to Nassau County Medical Center, where they were bringing Dad in an ambulance.  I was on the phone with my sister-in-law at the time, listening to her excitement with plans to adopt two kittens tomorrow.  Knocked me right out of my reverie.

Hubby was just fine, of course.  He's been on insulin since age 9, the only child diabetic in his family (the others have the adult onset version).  Too little food, too much insulin.  The EMT stabilized his sugar level before taking him to the hospital.  We were impressed that, within an hour after I arrived, they'd taken his vitals a few more times and had all of the lab results.  Grandma and the Three Amigos ordered in pizza for dinner, and were nice enough to order extra for Mom and Dad (since they were famished when they arrived home eventually).  Of course, we discovered that this was only because the first pie didn't make the $15 minimum for delivery.  Sigh.  This was knowledge I could've done without...

Clubbing

Our eldest joined the math club at the middle school (yeah I know, he's a chip off my old geek block, what can I tell you) and had his second meeting yesterday after school...they meet each Wednesday and have to get a special late bus pass from the club advisor.   (Did anyone check bus passes when you went to school?  We used the bus system like free public transport, taking a different one when we wanted to go to a friend's house or to an after school job.)

Middle son asked permission to join the art club, which will also meet Wednesdays after school, beginning in a few weeks.  They have no late bus from the elementary school, so if hubby can't pick him up at 4:30, he has our permission to walk home (about a 15-20 minute stroll, crossing only one secondary road at a traffic light).  Not sure whether that will fly with the school administration, but if it doesn't we can ask Grandma to head over to fetch him.  It is indeed nice to have Grandma three miles away, but we can't impose too much because she also has a full time job...luckily she quits for the day at 4:00.  Our little art enthusiast is excited that he and the other club members will be making decorations for the fall and spring musical concerts, among other special events.  So Mom can take pictures of her bass clarinetist along with his art work in the background.  What could be nicer?

This club experience also brought forth a charming expression of brotherly love yesterday afternoon.  I called home to see how my fifth grader was doing, because he was home by himself for a little while until his brother came home from Math Club.  However, at 4:45, brother had still not shown up...about half an hour overdue.  It might have been heightened by anxiety of being home alone, but younger brother was quite concerned about his "missing" older brother, and was quite relieved at 5:00 when he finally walked through the door.  It turns out that a clueless bus driver had to go through his route twice because he missed several stops, and our kid had the misfortune of being the last one left riding.  I took him aside and told him that his brother was genuinely worried, and he seemed pleased in his somewhat smug and superior style.  Those two didn't fight at all last night.  Sigh.  Swoon.

How Proud Should I Be?

Recall that Son #1 has a cell phone now.  (And he's figured out how to download games onto it...so much for emergency calls only, harumph.  But I digress.)  He gave it to Dad to hold during soccer practice today.  Mom picked up Son #3 from after care and met Dad at home after he dropped off the other two at practice.   This stuff is kind of typical in our house, although I understand that some others feel like ping pong balls when they hear about what we do...

Anyway, I'm making dinner when the dad comes into the kitchen and says, "Let's see how well you know your children."  Huh?  He flips open said cell phone to show the wallpaper picture, and I have to guess what it is.  OK.  At first glance, it looks like four bean bags that are overlapped in the middle.  It also looks a bit like four Pillsbury biscuits-in-a-can baking together on the tray.  I have a third thought, rather absurd, which I immediately discount.  After staring blankly for another few seconds, I return wide-eyed to thought number three.  "This is Son #2's butt, isn't it?"  Yup.  Hubby did seem mighty impressed that I recognized my ten year old son's naked butt cheeks and upper thighs in a postage stamp sized fuzzy photo.  As he walked away, I found myself smiling and thinking, "Heh heh heh..."  But then I wondered:  should I really be this pleased?  Ugh.

Well, 'tis true that I have three boys (FOUR, if you count the 44 year old who is the natural spawn of my mother-in-law) and they do resort to loud raucous play which involves the occasional nudity.  Mooning.  Extreme wedgies.  Rat tails with wet towels after trips to the beach.  Shower shenanigans.  Sigh.  Must I be the sole tie to civilized behavior here?  Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Holiday Preview

I become annoyed whenever I'm in a retail store before Halloween and see all sorts of Christmas merchandise.  Happens earlier every year, it seems.  However, I don't mind at all when the kids begin practicing the music for their winter concerts.  Today I was treated to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town on the clarinet.  The arrangements alternated between melody and harmony because Son #1 is a "clarinet one" instead of a "clarinet two" which is most prestigious for a seventh grader, or so he says, and all the other seventh graders are in the "clarinet two" section.  OK aren't we glad we know all that?  Anyway, I sang along to both songs as I was working in the kitchen.  I didn't sing along to Carol of the Bells because I didn't quite recall all the words and it's kind of monotonous anyhow.  I am now reminded that I have to begin making lists for holiday shopping (we do both Hanukkah and Christmas in our house).  Arggh!

Slaves to Technology

Tonight I have to pick up Son #3 from after school care because hubby has a medical appointment.  Before he goes there, he is dropping off the other two at soccer practice.  Son #1 will call me, on his new cell phone, to let me know what time to fetch them from the field.  I find myself straining to remember what I would have done before cell phones were an option.  I guess I would have gone there, with Son #3 in tow, after about an hour and waited in the car until practice was finished.  Now I can go home in between and at least get dinner started.

I was having similar thoughts last night.  Son #1 had to make a family album for his French class, with a photo and short narrative about each person.  Of course, we took the pictures with the digital camera and loaded them onto the computer so they could be interspersed with the text.  Years ago, we would have had to get film for the 35 mm camera and go over to one hour MotoPhoto or other such place.  Once we had the pictures in hand, we would have had to crop and glue them to each typewritten or handwritten page.  Yuck.  Seems ridiculous now, doesn't it?!?  

Since we have the photo images, I'll include them in the blog.  Isn't technology fab...

Good Food Weekend

I should've known that it was a good sign that hubby said he was in the mood for pizza on Friday night.  He almost never is!  

Saturday I bought some boneless pork ribs for the BBQ, and marinated them in a combination of barbecue sauce and lemon juice.  A winner.  I also baked some banana bread in the afternoon (which I often do when we have bowling night -- guaranteed night out once a month on a Saturday).  I mixed in 1/2 cup of plain nonfat yogurt, which we happened to have in the house, and it got rave reviews at the bowling alley.  I had to write the recipe on the back of an advertisement flyer for a friend.  

Sunday morning breakfast was pancakes with Canadian bacon.  I grated a fresh pear into the batter (first time for that -- normally I do applesauce) and my ten year old said it tasted just like the pancakes at the diner.  High order compliment!  Yesterday evening we ended up having two families over for a BBQ through an unexpected chain of events.  In addition to chicken, burgers, and franks on the grill, I made a pasta recipe as a side dish (which I'd planned to make if it was just the five of us).  I had bought an 8 oz. package of imitation crab legs, and went to the manufacturer's web site for meal ideas.  King Crab Pasta Alfredo was a big hit, including my kids and my friend's five year old.  Saute 3 cloves of garlic in 1/2 cup of your fave margarine, and then add the fish (chopped or shredded) along with 3/4 cup of fat free half and half and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan.  Season with parsley or chives and black pepper to taste.  Add skim milk to thin out if desired.  Heat through and mix with 3/4 pound to a pound of cooked pasta (we used spaghetti).  My twelve year old helped cook it.  After all, he IS taking Home Care Skills now...

One Day Maryland Boomerang

Yesterday I arose at 4:00 so I could travel to our Maryland office for the day.  7AM Southwest shuttle, with two coworkers, to Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI).  A cohort of mine who works at the Maryland office was nice enough to fetch us on his way to work.  I only get to do this trip a few times a year at most, so it's a real treat.  

I work for a science publisher, in the editorial office.  Our other office does all the other functions it takes to run the business including financial services, marketing, and HR.  Many of the people in the Long Island office (over 125) have not been to the Maryland building, and I have been doing my part to try to bring someone new with me each time I go.  I'm lucky enough to have business with their marketing and IT folks that will keep me making trips.  There are some very bright, personable folks whom I wish worked closer to here so I could see them more often.  One thing that has struck me during my last two visits:  some of their operations are organized in the exact opposite way from ours, but theirs works well and so does ours.  Strange and nice, all at the same time.

Although I could've probably made productive use of a couple more hours, we left at 3:00 for BWI.  A friend who works in the area, who is also one of our remote editors, met me for dinner and a lovely chat at the airport, so I took a 6:50 flight home.  When the driver pulled up in front of my house, at 8:45PM, I noticed that the trash cans and recycling bin hadn't been taken down to the curb yet (we have Friday pickup for both).  Harumph, welcome home, Mom!  They all seemed happy to see me, though...but I was not at my most energetic this morning after such a long day.

Jazzing It Up

Last Thursday, Son #2 called me at work to tell me that he had the chance of a lifetime.  Being that he's only 10, I figured this had to be something pretty awesome.  To him, it was!  His band director chose him to try out on the bass clarinet (instead of the regular clarinet which he has played since last year).   There are about 15 clarinets in the school band but only ONE bass clarinet!  Plus, his older brother has only ever played the regular clarinet so this would be all his own (and I do try to be sensitive to the competition and the middle child dynamic).

Ever seen a bass clarinet?  It's huge!  The size of a saxophone, with the same curved mouthpiece and curved bottom -- but the overall look of a clarinet otherwise.  And it is possible for an instrument with bass tones to squeak when it's first being learned...they're just not high pitched squeaks like you get from the B flat clarinet.  But the enthusiasm is there, so we're going with it.  This was the first morning he had to bring the new instrument to school.  Good thing he's tall and broad for a fifth grader, so he could manage the case by himself.  The kids in the before care center were pretty impressed!

Speaking of transporting instruments this morning...at 9:40 last night, when I had both eyes shut, Son #1 wakes me to tell me (oops) that today is the first day of Jazz Band for the school year.  We did this in the sixth grade too...no complaints on principle since it's a select group and he passed the audition.  But we have to leave the house at 6:40 Tuesday mornings to get him to the middle school by 6:50.  Not that I mind the early schedule, since I'm an uber morning person, but that's the window of time when Son #2 and Son #3 have to be rousted out of their beds.  Well, we just about did it this morning to get out of the house by the customary 7:20, but it was awfully close...this parenting thing really is a huge commitment ain't it... 

Happy to Do Dishes?!?

Normally I cook dinner six nights a week.  Friday is the end of the work week for me, and I'm exhausted; we go to the food court at the mall or the local Italian place etc.  Well, yesterday Son #1 had a soccer game at 4:30 which was approximately 20 minutes from the house.   They started late and we didn't get home until 6:45, which gave hubby all the time in the world to cook dinner after he got home from work.  Striped bass (which they caught on their fishing trip Saturday night) plus rice and black beans and broccoli.  He's a good cook -- certainly better than I -- but rarely takes over in the kitchen.

Last night after we finished, he said that he would like to cook Sunday dinner from now on.  I tried to control my exuberance but now I can say YIPPEE WAH-HOO OH BOY WHEEEEEE!!!  Y'mean I don't have to spend an hour and a half cooking various dishes, and timing them to be ready at the same time, and I have to do ten or fifteen minutes worth of dishes instead?  Maybe I can force myself to sit on the couch and watch some sporting event while a meal is being cooked for me.  Heh heh evil grin...

I'm Bracing Myself

I have been wearing clear plastic (Invisalign) braces on my teeth since the middle of June.  My dentist (a friend from high school) had been telling me for years that it would be a good idea, but insurance doesn't cover it for old folks over 19 like me.  Finally he told me he would give me the braces at his cost.  It didn't seem possible until my company gave me a bonus for my 20 year anniversary (this past April).  

I had to bite down into a tray of pink gooey stuff in order to create an impression of both my jaws, and then we waited for the Invisalign company to make a computer model of what my teeth would look like after the treatment was complete.  Tres cool.  My bottom teeth needed the most work by far, due to my wisdom teeth pushing everything around when I was a college freshman. 

I receive a new set of plastic aligners every two weeks.  Each set is part of the progression of straightening the teeth.  They are always pretty tight for the first couple of days, and my teeth become sore until they have moved to match the aligners.  Whenever I eat, or drink anything other than water or seltzer, I have to remove the braces beforehand.  Afterwards, I have to brush my teeth and clean the braces before I pop them back on.  This cuts down on casual snacking, since eating now requires a process.  I have also curbed my tendency to be a diet cola junkie -- at least temporarily.

Tonight I received tray 9 of 9 for the top, and tray 9 of 13 for the bottom.  Assuming that all has gone according to plan, I could be done with the upper jaw in two weeks, except for wearing the last tray as a retainer at night.  Eight more weeks for the lower jaw.  Yippeeeeeeeee...

Some Dreams Really Don't Come True

I now get agita every time I hear one of those "dollar and a dream" lottery commercials.  Sigh.  If it were really only a dollar.  I'm not talking about the gambling addicts you see on the A&E program Intervention, I'm talking about run of the mill people who lead otherwise normal lives but hang on to a shred of hope that a lottery will put them on Easy Street and it's just a matter of time before they get there.

Someone I care about has just fallen for an international lottery scam for the second time, for the sum of thousands.  The first time caused him to start living paycheck to paycheck, and to eventually rely on bus transportation because he couldn't afford to replace his old clunker when it conked out.  The second time has left his bank account seriously in the red because he deposited a counterfeit check and drew against it to pay "processing fees" for a contest he thought he'd won.  It seems certain that he will lose his apartment and become a ward of the county. 

Could friends and family lend him enough to start over?  Last time we said yes, and did.  This time we no longer have it to lend, and some of us now need what we previously had lent, but it's all gone to some scammers.  PLEASE tell everyone you love about this heartless cruelty that's being dished out by con artists around the globe, via email and via snail mail.  Here are some authoritative web sites (including the Federal Trade Commission):

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/intlalrt.shtm

http://www.fraudaid.com/scamspam/lottery/index.htm

http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/lottery.asp

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/email-lottery-scams.html