** Just sit right back & you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip **

"And that's the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind."
~Dave Barry


"In America there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children."
~Robert Benchley



I don't know why I had the bright idea of cleaning out the car today... just to load the kids in for a trip to my parent's for the Holiday.... a three hour tour... The kids will just mess it up. Not to mention Milo, the dog. Little dog nose prints cover my back window.

We'll be leaving tonight or tomorrow and staying until Monday. (I will be back to blogging upon my return home)

I always over pack. I mean... we're staying at my parent's house. There is a washer. There is no need for 18 outfits per house member. I will pack lighter this time... I will pack lighter this time...
The good news is... my mom will dye eggs with the kids. My least favorite Easter Activity. My favorite being eating. (of course... again see survey blog and question #1)

Here are some things that I can tell you WILL happen on our 3 hour tour.


* The kids will argue before we are out of the driveway.

* Mac will need a bathroom break right before we go by the Jamestown, NY exit... because he knows that there is a McDonald's there.

* I will tell Mac... "oh darn McDonald's is closed" (while crossing my fingers, of course, because it makes my little fib okay)

* Someone will drop their Nintendo DS pen... which will cause another argument.

* My coffee cup will be empty and I'll want more...

* Mac will ask to stop at EVERY rest stop... He is an avid collector of travel brochures and maps.

* Madi will fall asleep and Mac will steal her DS games.

* Milo will take a 3 hour nap (I will secretly be jealous of him)

* By Salamanca, NY I will be on "eagle watch" I've been fortunate to spot Bald Eagles between Salamanca and Bath, NY at least 4 times since this Fall.

* As we draw nearer to my parent's town... Mac will start the "how many more minutes until we get to Mom Mom's and Grand Dad's" to which I will nicely estimate a number.

* Madi by this time is more than just annoyed with Mac and will make "ugh" sounds

* "how many more minutes until we get to Mom Mom's and Grand dad's"

* "soon Mac"

* "how many more minutes now?"

* "not many, Mac"

* "now how many?"

* "I DON'T KNOW MAC"

* we will arrive safely and the first thing my dad will ask is "Did you take Route 6?"

* To which I will giggle and say "No, dad"

(He truly believes Rt. 6 is the best way to go... and it just may be for a retired couple who do not mind the extra 2 hours it adds to a trip... who aren't traveling with kids and a dog and just want to get there as quick as possible. Let's think about it... 3 hours on the road with kids vs 5 hours... YOU PICK)

Then I'm home... where everything is OKAY!

My plans for Easter are baking with my Mom, going into the woods with my dad, and a whole lotta nothing.

May Easter bring you many blessings of love and family... also yummy chocolate bunnies and jelly beans!

If you are traveling over the Holiday... may you have peaceful travel... and may the volume on your radio work. If all else fails... Play the "who can stay quiet the longest game"!


Peace, love, and Cadbury Eggs.



"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!"
~ Lucy Van Pelt in Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz

** Lucky Duck **

I never leaf through a copy of National Geographic without realizing how lucky we are to live in a society where it is traditional to wear clothes.
~Erma Bombeck

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The bus was coming down the street and Madi was in a pink dress and black tights. *SHOOT*... I quickly struck a deal with her that I would take her to school.... to make up for forgetting that one must wear green or get pinched today.

I wore pink. No green. I didn't get pinched. Guess I'm not so lucky... JUST KIDDING!

I am lucky in many ways...
* I have warmth and shelter
* I have a loving family
* I have friends who value trust, honesty, and unconditional love
* I have a great haircut
* I have my mom and my dad...
* I have books to read
* I have children who say "please" and "thank you"
* I have food to eat and jeans to fit my butt
* I have St. Joseph buried in my yard.... whom is working so hard to sell my house
* I have a contingency contract on said house
* I have myself

I also feel lucky tonight because I went to the Redbox at the grocery store (Redbox... little red, well boxes, that you can rent movies from for $1 plus tax. Keep them however long you want... $1 night. If you keep them 25 nights... it's yours.)... anyways... lost my thought... oh... I went to the Redbox and they had Int0 The Wild and Dan in Real Life... both movies I have been dying to see. I read Int0 The Wild. I loved it. Many people didn't like it... my dad and I both shared a love for it.

So tonight... and tomorrow... I will be in movie bliss.

Short blog tonight... tired and anticipating the movie!

Peace, Love, and Green Lucky Things.


I think people that have a brother or sister don't realize how lucky they are. Sure, they fight a lot, but to know that there's always somebody there, somebody that's family.
~Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park

** sMiLe **

"If someone is too tired to give you a smile, leave one of your own, because no one needs a smile as much as those who have none to give."
--Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch

I was one of those people today... too tired to smile.

And it was as if this lady at the mall could sense it... when she nicely said "I love your hair"... I could have hugged her. I said "thank you"... and sampled the perfume she was selling. Maybe she offered me the compliment to get me to buy the perfume... or maybe she knew that if she smiled at me, that it would in turn make me smile. I walked away a little lighter... with a flip and toss of my hair and a smile upon my face. Thank you, Perfume Lady.

My day went much better after that quick walk through the Bon Ton.

Friday I had a scheduled showing for my house. The call came late in the day Thursday and I had a fun hair appt scheduled with friends Friday morning... So I knew I had to clean, etc late into the night Thursday so that I wouldn't have to worry about it. (I now will take a few minutes to offer a few hints... hide laundry in your washer and dryer. If you have laundry that you don't want to bother taking care of... put said laundry in baskets and keep them in your car! *not that I would know this*)

Then today I had an Open House from 1-3. I threatened the kids with banishment to their bedrooms if they made even the tiniest of messes from Friday until today. So as a reward we went to the "Red Crab" (aka Red Lobster) for lunch and then to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center... we checked on the progress of the new roller coaster at Waldameer Park... and came home... where I crashed on the couch with the Sunday paper scattered around me.

So to put it simply: I'm exhausted. A long weekend. Too tired to smile. But my hair looks great! *WINK*

Remember... that person who might look irritated or angry, upset or bored... might just be too tired to smile... offer a compliment. Offer a smile... my guess is that they will smile back. And if they don't... and if they say something mean or grimace more... just smile anyways. Know that you tried, and that's all that you could do.

Peace, Love, and Ralph Lauren Wild perfume.

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day."
~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness."
~William Arthur Ward.

** Mom, Mom, Mama, Mama, Mommy, Mommy, Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma...**

"You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back." ~William D. Tammeus.

If you are not an avid Family Guy fan, as I am, then the title of today's blog might not make sense to you.
It.
Is.
My.
Life.

Please take a minute and click the link below.... if you are a Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mommy... you'll relate. If you are not... then you'll at least understand where I am going with today's entry.

** just watch the first section of the clip... whoever put this video on youtube also did a few spin offs. Not so funny ***

The Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sumoyp61rGg

That. Is. Exactly. How. Mac. Woke. Me. Up. This. Morning.
White Kitty was missing and it was a national disaster. White Kitty comes in 2nd to his Lovey. Both are not white. I think White Kitty was at one time white... but we really should be calling him "Gray Kitty" My mom shivers when she sees Lovey and White Kitty. I'm confidant that they should be sealed in plastic to not endanger anyone. I'm happy to announce that we found White Kitty, he was merely hiding under the comforter... Mac thinks he was scared of the horse sounds on his Nintendo DS "Horsez" game. I think he knows his days as "white" kitty are over and heard me threaten to throw him in the washer. (the Kitty... not Mac)

Madi had a friend spend the night last night. They made a fortress under the pool table and stayed up until 3am. 3am? *GASP* I don't think I saw my first 3 am until way into my teen years. While I should be impressed... I know what the day holds. I won't speak for her friend... but I can tell you that Madi is MISERABLE. Just the way she looked at me when she came up the steps from the basement made me know instantly... that I should "back the hell up" and give her space. And while some mothers would have faced that beast head on... I "backed the hell up" and poured another cup of coffee.

Today's going to be a LONG day. I said "Madi... warm clothes please.... " to which she replied "MOOOOOOOM, I KNOOOOOOW." Does she think I'll understand and hear her better if she drags out the words?

Luckily... it's the St Patty's parade in Erie. I have to take them. I used it as ammunition to bribe Mac to go to bed last night. There is still snow on the ground and mixing among the crawlers of State Street should be interesting.

**pausing** it's time to head out for parade...

*resuming*

Note to self: think twice before attending a parade on State St. in Erie, Pa in February. Yuck, Gross, Melting Snow, Yuck, Gross. Whenever someone threw candy... it landed in the big piles of melted snow water... *shivers*... so gross. Needless to say... I told Mac and Madi that I would buy them a bag of candy each *IF* they promised to not eat any of the candy that was thrown at them. Mac promptly shoved a soggy Tootsie Roll in his mouth.

I, however managed to score a "Geek Squad" tshirt and a channel CW water bottle. Small glitches of goodness on a rather bleak day.

The "3 am Princess" is slowly fading... I see a 7pm bedtime for both her and Mac. And this "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama" will watch some Tivo'd programs that she needs to catch up on.... and enjoy the silence.

I leave you with these words of wisdom....
Peace, Love, and soggy wet Tootsie Rolls....

"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them."
~ Phyllis Diller

"Any mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease."
~ LisaAlther

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it."
~ Mark Twain

** Quotes and Written Wisdom **

I love quotes. I love quotes almost as much as I love lyrics. (lyrics... coming soon to a blog near you) Maybe it's an equal love.

My love and obsession of quotes comes from my Grandmother "Neena". One of my favorite gifts of all times is a calendar. Just an ordinary calendar that she kept by her chair and all year wrote quotes in it... and then she passed it on to me. It's in my hope chest right now... I'm afraid of it getting lost, or mistaken for just a calendar.

I read quotes like they are A'ha moments... totally wishing that I had thought of them myself. But the reality of it is, I'm not a quote maker'uper. I simply find them... write them down on scraps of paper, in my journals, cut them out of magazines, write them in the margins of books, etc... and hope someday that I'll be able to pass them on. I'm sure that when I'm old and passed away that my family and friends will find little pieces of paper with quotes hidden everywhere.

Recently, one of my close friends bought me the book "This is Not the Life I Ordered". (how fitting :-} ) Now, even if you don't need this self help book... (tho. I do recommend it) and you love quotes... THIS is the book for you! Seriously... it's one goody after another. I started reading this book... fully intending to read it and gain some perspective on my life... but I find myself flipping through the pages reading the quotes and writing them in my journal. After Chapter 2... I know nothing of the book but quotes.

Maybe I need a Myspace AND Quote intervention? Call A&E.... I bet they'd have a field day with me.

So, I'm choosing this wonderful Friday to share a few fav's. Just a few tho... because I might be hard up for a blog topic someday and need to use a quote or two to start a stimulating blog entry.

"You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims."

- Harriet Beecher Stowe.

(Think about it... we don't have to hurt people to be the best possible person we want to be. I'm sure along the way I've "stood" on someone to make myself "taller" and I wish I could take those moments back. So for now... I'm going to accept my height and hang out on this level. And... if I've ever stood on you, and you're reading this. I'm sorry for using you as a step stool to gain my own glory. If I did... you should have let me fall right on my laughing butt *see blog from yesterday* darn butt.)

"Let the world know you as you are, not as you THINK you should be, because sooner or later if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then... where are you?"

- Fanny Brice

(advice every person should take to heart. We've all posed. I've posed. You've posed. Hopefully, the only posing I will be doing now is striking a pose taught to me by Tyra and America's Next Top Model. Pop. Pose. Pop. Pose. Hair flip. Pose.)

"It's not who you are that holds you back; it's who you think you're not."

- Barbara Walters

(My hero... my imaginary mentor... Barbara... AMEN SISTAH!)

"When life is not what you ordered, BEGIN AGAIN."

Could it be that easy... to begin again. Or do you just pick up from where you are and "make it better"... I'm currently in that limbo.... but the fog is clearing. *fanning the air* Out, damn fog, out.

Peace, love, and Barbara Walters.

*Silly Surveys and Myspace*

*Silly Surveys and Myspace*

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a Myspace addict. Pretty darn close to needing an intervention. Bless you Myspace for connecting me to friends I've lost track of, for being able to call some celebrities my "friends", and for giving my phone a break from texting. Also thank you... for silly surveys that enlighten my day... Never in the course of a day do I wonder... "when did so and so have their last kiss"... but when I read a survey on Myspace... and I learn about so and so's last kiss... I think "Huh... that's nice"

That said... yesterday 'my' Libby posted one... it was different in many ways so I thought I'd fill it out and send it out into the land of Myspace Bulletins. But then, *gasp* these weren't silly questions... and worse yet... I found myself pondering, even searching myself for the answers to the questions. After answering only 3... I quit and walked away. x'd out the screen and thought nothing more about it. But then I did... and it bothered me that I couldn't honestly answer some of them. Some of the questions are simple and not as heartfelt as others... those were easy for me to come up with an answer for. Like #1. Because frankly... my butt hates me. I might just skip those.

So it's my goal today... even if I have to stop on a question and walk away and search my heart for the answers... I will. This might seem silly to most... but it's so not. To me... it's just another "I'm lost and can't find myself" moment. (I've been having these a lot lately) Frankly, It sucks. Fa la la la la la....

And now... folks... the "survey"

1. I have come to realize that my butt: Hates me. Literally, it laughs at me when I grab a pair of jeans. I mean... even before I put the jeans on... I can hear my butt laughing.

2. I have come to realize that when I talk: that there are people who listen and take the time to understand... and people who only half listen and could care less what I'm saying.

3. I have come to realize that, if I love someone: it takes work. Some love is so unconditional and forever... and some love breaks your heart more than it hugs it. And some love is forever....

4. I have come to realize that, I need: to get back on track... to remember how strong I am.

5. I have come to realize that, I've lost: me.

6. I have come to realize that, I hate it when: I let my guard down. When the shield goes down and the hurt comes in.

7. I have come to realize that, if I'm drunk: I must be lost... because it's been forever and a million days.

8. I have come to realize that, marriage: is harder work than loving someone. And that without trust, honesty, and belief... it's a struggle.

9. I have come to realize that, work: plays into so many things... and that I'm getting better at the commitment.

10. I have come to realize that, I will always be: who I am. But that I don't have to be sad forever. That I don't have to be weak forever. But that it's okay when I am... because I find a little more of myself when those feelings leave. I will always be: the silly me... that some people don't understand. And letting that personality out once in awhile... is okay. Even if when I'm singing Wind Beneath My Wings in Wegmans and people are looking at me... it's okay. I will always be: a girl who still calls her Dad... "Daddy"... I will always be: that girl in the red Nissan jammin' to the 'Dead and thinking she could beat the world. (sometimes it just takes a minute to find her in my heart)

11. I have come to realize that, I like: Being my own friend. Being alone. Finding out that I don't need to have the presence of another person around me at all times. I like the silence of being alone within myself.

12. I have come to realize that, the last time I cried was: Yesterday. It's a daily thing.

13. I have come to realize that, my cell phone is: making me feel connected kind of like Myspace.

14. I have come to realize that, when I wake up in the morning: I'm okay. I know what I have to do and I do it. Having a system is a great thing.

15. I have come to realize that, before I go to sleep at night I: enjoy checking on Mac and Madi... and knowing that while they are sleeping.... they are in a peaceful state. That while they sleep... they have no worries and hopefully dream of Kittens, Butterflies, and Raindrops.

16. I have come to realize that, everything: Will be okay someday. Everything: gets worse before it gets better. Everything: is within reach... just maybe my arms aren't long enough to grab it yet.

17. I have come to realize that, babies: Are something I wanted a ton of... but mine are 9 and 4... and will always be my babies.

18. I have come to realize that, when I get on Myspace: I enjoy checking in with everyone... and smiling at messages... and that I might need to go on Intervention for my addiction to Myspace. Also, that I stalk Lib.

19. I have come to realize that, today I will: Say some things that need to be said. Leave it at that. And walk away.

20. I have come to realize that, tonight I will: Relax.

21. I have come to realize that, tomorrow I will: Get "My hair did"... feeling pretty is such a mood booster!

22. I have come to realize that, I really want to: Prove myself... to myself and no one else.

23. I have come to realize that, working out: should be a priority, but... well it's not. *see question #1*

24. I have come to realize that, friends: Keep me strong. Tell me I'm okay in sweats. Love me with fire starter hair. Know when I need Big Mac. Know when to let me be. Know when to pull me back. Are blessings.