Boston you're my home

We decided to venture out to Boston last Saturday, mainly because the forecast was for sunny skies and warm temperatures, but also because we've been slipping lately with our Friday Family Fun Nights. Seems the weekdays get away from us and suddenly it's 8:30 on a Friday and we're rounding up the kids for bed. Plus, this winter we were overloaded on the weekends with ski, skate and swim. It was our first Saturday in a while without anything on the books for a change.

So we spent all afternoon disconnected from the computers, TV and DVD players and enjoyed a stroll around our fair, little city.

We started our day at the Boston Fire Museum down by the Children's Museum on Congress St. I had one goal - stay outside. I didn't want to find myself inside on a sunny, warm spring day (only exclusion was grabbing something to eat at the Sinatra Brunch at Lucky's - kids complained the Frank impersonator was singing too loud).

The Boston Fire Museum is small, but free, however they do take donations. And they have the pump trucks from the 1800's which the kids thought were very cool. Along with displays of old helmets, badges and memorabilia.

We then walked towards the water to inspect the new buildings that seem to be popping up everywhere along the Seaport area. That landscape sure has changed since 1994.We showed the kids where Mommy and Daddy met at work...and where we met Uncle Fugi, Uncle Ben, Mr & Mrs. Black, Auntie Jocelyn, Uncle Dave, Fairly Odd Mother and Father, Lily & Paige's Mommy...ahhh the list went on and on.

After the stroll down memory lane, we made our way along Rowe's Wharf where my son was excited to see the guy from 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" at the Boston Harbor Hotel. We are assuming he was referring to the Bell Captain - but we're not totally sure.  There were some people tooling around on Segways which looked like great fun.  Too bad those never really hit mainstream.

There was a police boat cruising the harbor as we made our way along the water. That's all my son needed to see to make his afternoon complete.  We continued our stroll over to the Aquarium where the line was one that could rival the lines during summer vacation - so we took in some time with the seals out front while they were fed and did some tricks. 

One promise I made last year (and the year before) to my daughter was that we'd take a horse drawn carriage ride around Boston one day.  So when she saw them parked out front of the Aquarium, her face lit up.  I, of course, insisted there were more over by Fanueil Hall so we continued our stroll across the street to the Rose Kennedy Greenway.  I'm still amazed that was the smelly, old, crumbling Expressway.  They have done an amazing job of creating walkways, parks and seating all along the surface road.  It was so pretty.

Across the way was the entrance to Fanueil Hall, where we took in a street performer on a pole, juggling knives.  In my traditional fashion, I saw tragedy so I kept trying to get the kids to back away a bit.  He was pretty entertaining.

Naturally, the horse and carriages I imagined on the other side of Fanueil Hall were not there, but we did find some tucked away by Sissy K's and the Hong Kong (which sadly is still boarded up from a fire. RIP old happy hour memories).  Note: the carriages by the Aquarium are 100 times nicer, but a promise is a promise and she wanted in on one of those buggies, so off we went.

Our horse went nice and slow, so we got to enjoy the sights of all the closed office buildings and restaurants in Post Office Square.  But seriously, it was cool to just trot around the side roads and get off our feet. The rest of our afternoon was spent wandering around Fanueil Hall, enjoying some ice cream and cookies for dessert, and picking up a few gifts from our trip.

At the end of our day, we made our way back over to Congress St. via the Intercontinental Hotel for a potty break.  Abby was fascninated at how soft the paper towels were in the ladies room.  I told her to work hard and aim high in life and she could have those same towels in her own bathroom.  She had no clue what I was talking about, but did exclaim she wanted to move to Boston with her husband some day so she has a dream - those are important. Alex saw another guy from "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" at this hotel, too.

The best part of the whole day was that we spent almost all of it outside, strolling and observing the city before the rush of tourists sets in. No real plan. Just the family spending time together in Boston, for no particular reason.

The sigh heard round the world

Oh yea, people...that huge sigh you heard on Saturday was the collective "Yes!" coming from the suburb-dwellers of New England.

If you weren't here to enjoy it, you missed a great spring weekend! We know better than to get too excited, but it felt fantastic to walk around outside without boots, hats, mittens, scarves and heavy jackets. The kids played. The adults drank relaxed. The burgers and dogs hit the grill.

The neighborhood seemed to wake up from it's sleepy, winter slumber as every one emerged from hibernation. And except for the man who cut me off today, and then proceeded to block me in while he rolled down his window to scream a myriad of insults and profanities at me, the world seems happier, alive and pale ready to welcome the rebirth season.

So, as I write this blog with a sense of calm and relief that we could be rounding the corner, I am reminded of the snow storm of April 1, 1997 that dumped 3 feet of snow the day before we were to leave on a trip to Texas...I hope the next sigh you hear from New England isn't the "Come on!" one as we're shoveling one last time.

Get out! Enjoy it while it lasts!!!!

Big business meets inspiration

I have about 3 or 4 TV shows that I watch religiously; they all happen to fall on Sunday nights. They are left over from my solo Sunday nights when my husband used to work the overnight shift. They are the shows that would keep me company after I put the kids to bed and needed a little time to myself to regroup for the hectic Monday morning schedule.

So after the Super Bowl when I sat intently watching a new Sunday program Undercover Boss, I thought, "I can't get sucked into another show on Sunday nights." Too bad, sister, I can't stop watching it.

Luckily, it's available online so during a lunch break here or there I get caught up on the episodes, but if you haven't watched it yet, it's worth viewing. In a sentence, it's C-level execs of HUGE consumer-facing companies that go undercover to see how the employees out in the field feel about the corporate office, and to see if there are ways to improve business. The sad part is if it's successful, it's going to be hard for season 2 to fool anyone when a stranger shows up saying they have a camera crew with them as a documentary to view entry level employees trying to find work.

Having been a white collar worker most of my life, I'm always fascinated by the employees and jobs that keep our great country moving forward. I will always appreciate my early working years as a waitress which began when I was 14 1/2 and ended at 23. That job seriously taught me how to communicate with any type of person from any background; how to react to unpleasant situations (say, perhaps, you spill a whole glass of tomato juice on a customer) and how difficult it is for service companies to survive.

The workers profiled out in the field during this show are inspiring. Could you spend hours during your work day straightening cheese onto burgers as they come off a huge conveyor belt? Or how about urinating in a can because you are a female trash collector and potty breaks throw your schedule off track and could get you in trouble? Could you be in charge of cleaning the port-o-potty at an amusement park, all the while joking and smiling and being thankful you have a job? Or stuff hamburger buns into a bag (it was apparently much harder than it looked)?

Sometimes I forget how comfy my desk chair is - and how I'm able to start work and end it according to my schedule - or how I can stop and chit chat with a colleague without worrying about clocking in and out, down to the minute. I know I'm fortunate, but what I do for work doesn't feed America, keep it clean, save the planet or make much difference to the world outside of my house.

So, thank you to all the workers out there who do the tasks that go completely unseen by many - yet keep the system working so the American Dream lives on. The jobs I've never had to consider applying for, yet are the jobs that help people keep their homes, feed their families and move industry forward.

And a little thanks to CBS for reminding me that this country is made up of all types of workers - with all types of stories of their own.

The Generation Gap

It appears the generation gap is shrinking these days. I have more in common with my parents and children than ever before. In what ways?

My Mom is officially on Facebook. She has accumulated 3 friends so far. That is as of 3:00 on Saturday, February 27. Go Pat!

My dad will go out to his SUV (the same model we now own - see the gap shrinking?) after a storm rolls through and they lose phone and cable. Why? Because he's cooler than us and has a phone number just for his SUV through OnStar.

My grandmother is a little frustrated by her TV in her den. It's not an LCD TV like the one in her living room. She's also been contemplating getting on the internet because "You can't do a God damn thing without an email address." (Her words, not mine.)

My son wants the Lady GaGa CD for his CD player in his room. If he's going to take to Pop music, I hope he can find the rhythm needed to do it proud, just like his mother has. Bwahahaha!!

My daughter asked me to put the news on her radio last night when she went to bed. I found the NH NPR station - and 2 mins after I turned it on, they cut to a infomercial about inflamed prostate treatments. While I appreciate her efforts to learn about the world, I'm keeping the prostate gap RIGHT where it is. Back to Disney CDs!

Oh, and one last little, semi-related story. While my son was eating breakfast this morning, this is what we overheard coming from the table:

"Mmmmm...Yeeaahhh. That feels awesome. It's so warm when I stick my finger in it."

He was talking about the yoke of his fried egg...I leave you with that.

Dodge Ad: Shed a tear for the guys

This commercial irked me the first time I saw it during the Super Bowl. I was hoping it was a one time showing. But now that an abridged version greets me at various times of the day on TV I'm even more offended by Dodge. It's a shame men have it so hard these days. I mean all that pressure to co-exist with the women they're in love with must be tough. Buy a Charger. It'll make you feel better. Idiots.



So I was more than pleased when I discovered Woman's Last Stand as a rebuttal. I mean, seriously, at the end of the day the list of the sacrifices that are made by both men and women could go on and on...but I'm glad someone took note of the idiocricy of the original ad and poked fun at it.

*note: little profanity at the end but we can all use an f-bomb in our life every now and then

Get me outta this sweater!

I'm grateful for winter clothes that are big and bulky and can hide the added cushion during the cold winter months. Between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day it seems we are given ample opportunity to eat poorly and pack on some extra blubber to keep us warm. It's the New England way of life.

But around this time I start to get a little tired of pulling on pilly sweaters and heavy pants. My feet are sick of being crammed in boots and fuzzy slippers.  I've officially hit my "sick of winter wardrobe" time and long for flip flops, crop pants and short sleeves.

With that being said, I better start to long more for the gym and a fresh glow from sunshine, otherwise the yearly sighting of the Sierra Whale emerging from hibernation will be more than many can handle. Fifteen weeks til bathing suit season?  *Screeeech*

Study Group

This morning before leaving for school and work, we were studying for our first grade religion test. I say "our" test because I'm learning right along with my 7 year old, as is her younger brother who loves to sit and listen intently. 

This week's test is on the seven sacraments.  You know them, right. Yeah, well I thought I did too, but man was I wrong. I don't remember one called the Holy Orders?  But now I do and I'm hopeful my daugther knows them well enough to pass her test.

And while studying we were discussing how we show our love through words, singing and actions.She explained that there is a thing that you pull down in church when it's time to kneel and so that's an action. Close enough.

Then we talked about the special symbols in church which help us share God's love and they can include candles for light, bread for the Eucharist, grapes and wine...

Leave it to Mr. Never-Miss-An-Opportunity to blurt something out before I was even able to get the "..ine" out of my mouth:


"Hey Mommy!  Wine? You drink wine! You drink wine!"


"Yes, buddy, you're right. And that apparently makes your Mommy a very good Catholic."

I love study group....

Suburban Updates

Looking for some juicy, drama-filled neighborhood updates like you find on Desperate Housewive's Wisteria Lane? Well, you're out of luck. Nothing like that here. But I have been a little busy so I thought I'd just share the fun tid-bits from our month so far.

Have I mentioned I'm currently dwelling with the Student of the Month? No. I didn't share that news? I must have. Well it's true!! And I'm ecstatic because she reeeeallllyyy needed that boost from school and it has been a complete turn around since early January.

The SOTM (student of the month) has been bringing home these puppies, too:

 

Yes, that's a 100 and not the only one she's brought home recently. Buh-bye 12's, 13's and 40's (for now anyway)

Also, we've all started wearing rubber soles and have stopped wearing fleece. It's a tad dry around these parts:

It's Electric!!  

Little guy is thriving in skating lessons. Okay, not thriving - more like surviving - but he seems to like it:

 

 What? What are you laughing at? Oh, I know. His big helmet, right? Yeah, looks kind of funny. (p.s. he's moved onto using crates for balance. This shot is purely blackmail for his first date)

Other than that, the kids have started up skiing again, but it was too damn cold to try and use the camera last Sunday to share with you, so maybe we'll get some money shots this weekend for a future post. 

Everyone is looking forward to February vacation - hubby took the week off too.  I"ll be working most of the week so no vacation for me. Luckily I have Monday off so we'll do something fun in the snow - or on the cement depending on how the latest snow storm tracks.

Happy February!!! And give your loved ones an extra squeeze on Sunday for Valentine's Day.

Go out and play on the hard, solid dirt

You done with this winter yet? I sure am.

Especially as I hear from friends in the Mid-Atlantic region who are bracing for another blizzard to make this officially the snowiest winter on record for them. I mean, what's up with that? How did they get all the snow this year? Care to share just a little?

All we got was a few dumps of the white stuff in December and then icy tundra-like cold for the next 6 weeks that only froze up what was left of the white stuff after a freak 50 degree day and then created rock solid, frozen dirt.

Can't send the kids out to play because who wants to play outside in 12 degree weather on an ice covered film of snow covered in frozen dog poops - oops, sorry, too much information?

I will complete this rant with an upbeat thought: Punksutawny Phil is only right 38% of the time, so the odds are good we won't have 6 more weeks of winter - unless you live in Washington D.C.

Note to self: You are lame

So, guess who gets to go to Daisy's tonight?  I know - I'm LAME. Say it with me L-A-M-E! Remember this? Well, the troop leader's husband called me out on it and now I'm going to admit it to the blogosphere - we're not following through. Damn blog. Oh, Hi Chris! *wave*

But when the little lady came bouncing home with a 100 on a test that she studied really hard on, and an 80 on a surprise quiz - welllll - we still held the possibility of missing Daisy's over her head all weekend to keep her in line - but we caved.

Plus, it's Catholic School week so in celebration they have the night off from homework, which makes a huge difference because she won't be completely overloaded from her day.

It just seems that coming off of the weekend with a full day at school, an hour at after school, the hour at Daisy's and her usual homework tasks makes for an unusually combative daughter by dinner. And tears by bed time.

Do you have one day of the week that seems to push your kid over the edge?  And are you a big wuss like me and can't follow through.....? Support me here people...please...