life is more fun with boys around

boys like andrew, mason and brody. 

we loved having these guys around this weekend. 

we only wish we had more time with them.  thank you jake and lynn for coming over and please come again super soon.

eeee gads.

call it murphy's law...
call it tempting fate...
call it jinxing...

call it margo.

maybe i should have knocked on some wood when i told tony that the upside to our children growing up is that we can have our pretties out again.  in this case the pretties are apothecary jars,  a pair of bell jars and little glass candle holders that i have lined up on the window sill--- just a whole lotta sparkle to behold as we eat our dinner each night.

did you know that an eighty-eight pound pooch doesn't even startle when they jump up at the window in a moment of jealousy and crash through four apothecary jars, one bell jar whose mate is now so lonely and three more candle holders?

my little mommy

i love little notes.
i especially love giving little notes to my family.
a little note lay on each dinner plate for st. patty's day.
a note is always tucked in their lunch.
if i have to spend the night away from my wee chickens there will be one for each night i am away.
sometimes i include a corny joke. 
sometimes it is a drawing.
sometimes a little poem.
sometimes i put a touch of my perfume like you see in old movies.
sometimes i tell them of all of the things i love about them.
but always it is just a little piece of me for them.

and she is just like me. 
maybe not just. 
my head-in-the-clouds-noni seems to know how to say what people need most.


when she went to her very first sleep over for one of her bff's, she left a little note for each of us.  on papers a touch bigger than a fortune, she told aidan to be good to mom and dad, and she told dad to be good to aidan, margo and duke. 

to me she wrote i appreciate you mommy.  she asked aidan for help spelling appreciate, but come on! would anything melt your heart more than finding a note from your baby girl that tells you she appreciates you?!?

i am keeping her forever. 

this doesn't mean that i am growing up to be a fuddy duddy, does it?

what would you do if you saw a pair of lacy electric blue underthings in the middle of the hallway of your beautiful high school while 1800 teenagers were dashing out of the building?  would you

a) walk right on by.  no way, no how are you going to touch someonelse's chonies, let alone in public.

b) quarter off a 10 foot section of the hallway.  this is a crime scene people.  alert the authorities.  a girl wearing fancy pants like that is up to no good.  besides, we are dealing with a possible bio hazard here. 

c) discretely pick up the drawers and put them in the lost and found.  someone will be missing those pricey panties and will want them back.  maybe you could even post it on facebook so the lady can find her undergrunders.

d) locate the nearest, nicest adult and report the sitch because you are way too squeamish and way too young to handle this without backup. relay the story in hopes that they will at least run interference between the thong (yes, i said thong people) and the hormonal, giggly teens who just might think they are yours.

any bets on what this super cool, straight shooting, ask me anything i am a biology teacher after all, freakshow did?

around the island

so aidan was saddled up to the island snacking on some girl scout cookies and trying in vain to organize the garbage dump he calls a backpack while i was on the other side chopping some onions and cabbage. 

i don't know how we got there, but he asked if i would give a test to who ever he planned to marry.  Of course i said yes because really what mom would pass up that opportunity?

i asked him what kind of test i should give, to which he answered, "they should be able to hold my lizard".

then after much thought he said that they must be smart enough to understand him. 

this is where i held held my breath because that is a seriously tall order and i wasn't quite sure what he meant...

and then he said with a scoff, "you know, like when i talk about pokemon, they should at least be able to recognize that it is a pokemon"

boy i'm glad he is just nine.

oh me oh my

what a week this has been. 

not my finest week of coping with stress.

but we survived.  together.  as always. 

and by together i mean tony was there listening, picking up the slack, making me think and making me orange rolls.

and andria was there texting me encouragement that i needed more than she will ever know.  maybe that is not true.  she always knows.  that is why she always does it.

and sara was there listening and making me laugh with off the wall note passing during trainings at the exact right moments i needed to let my mind wander.

and there was an email from a dear friend sharing unbelievable fantastic news that told me all is right in the world.

and there were a lot of little everyday niceties from people who probably didn't even know it is what i needed most.

even my nadia was there for what should have been the nerdiest most boring day on earth (robots, pokemon and 16 year old boys...serious nerdfest people).  but she kept it lively and lovely.

oh me oh my together we survived.  on to a new week.

trying not to freak the freak out

apparently announcing on this little blog that i am so painfully aware of my biological clock tick-tick-ticking away causes alarm. 
...again, sorry tony.

so no.
         there are no plans to add to our foursome. 
and yes. 
         i am not handling getting older gracefully.
and really. . .
         i do think that maybe just maybe this is what it comes down to. . .

if he is old enough to sport one of these. . .  

even a sparse 'stach. . .

exactly how old does that make me?


and no. . . it is not dirt.  i tried to spit shine it off, and you know how a nine year old loves that.
and andria. . . if you say that you thought this pic was me too...
well i am not sure exactly what i will do
but we might have to reenact the great porch brawl of '94. 

like weeds i tell you

it is no secret that my biological clock has been ticking like crazy. 

i think you can hear it chime half way around the world. 

i have been baby crazy to put it mildly.

i am sure part of it has to do with my bestie having her own little bundle of absolute perfection and another on the way. 

i am sure another part of it has to do with the fact that every other person i run into at work is expecting...

      like seriously...i found out another one is today. 

i know for hurtin'-certain that a big part of it is hormonal...yeah that's fun.  just ask tony. 

but i think the biggest part is missing my lovies at all of those little stages. 

especially four. 

i absolutely flippin LOVED four. 

i loved four year old voices, all squeaky and excited about everything!
i loved blond, blond, super blond hair that more than once lead someone to the question of their paternity. 
or maternity for that matter.  good times. 

i loved being able to rock them & crack them up & unabashed kisses. 

i miss my four year old lovies.

people always say enjoy it while it lasts.

but now...

my wee boy wears my shoes to swimming lessons

and my sweet girl can put her own hair up in a ponytail. 

but...

that also means i am that much closer to stealing their clothes
and they are that much closer to getting themselves ready for school,
not to mention sleeping through the night
and edging ever so close to being able to go out on a date without a sitter. 

bright side ladies and gentlemen...
always focus on the bright side.

my biggest fan...keeping it real

yesterday scientist karen and scientist mel made spectacles of themselves in front of 400 fidgety science progenys.

and yes we were rocking snappy lab coats. 

and one of us may have had on a pair of rhinestone safety goggles,

& the other a pair of sassy black rimmed ones. (take a wild guess as to who wore what) 

(let me pause here & thank my lucky stars for karen. she is calm, fun & articulate and she helped me solve a little decorating dilemma that had been niggling me, while coming down with the sickies. all in a days work for her)

those shining little lovey faces who were beaming because their moms were the guest speakers made it totally worth it. little lovey hands raised hi.  whispers to neighbors.  running, jumping, i don't care who sees me hugs.

enter my biggest fan. 
my little man. 
that's right, ai-dan.

he said he was sad that 7 of his classmates missed seeing how impressive his mom was. 
oohh! be still my lovin heart.  i mean really? it does not get any better than that.

then tonight he offered to feed me a hunk of sauteed cabbage right off his plate. 
it wasn't until it was halfway in my mouth that he told me he had just regurgitated it from his throat.