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Showing posts from January, 2014

What State is This?

It's New Jersey.  Delaware's on the bottom, Pennsylvania's on the left, New York's (the State) is the on the top and the Atlantic Ocean is on the right.  This is New Jersey. And this weekend there is a big game going on here.  You may have heard about it. It's called the Super Bowl. I am the first one to admit that I don't know too much about the Super Bowl.  I "kinda sorta" know what teams are playing.  I know some guy named Bruno Mars will be performing during half time (which may or may not actually be "half" the way through the game when it comes to time).  I know that the National Anthem will be sung by Renee Fleming.  But most important of all, I KNOW that this game is being played in New Jersey. Many people don't seem to know this.  I'm not sure why. This Super Bowl Game is being played in MetLife Stadium.  MetLife Stadium is in East Rutherford, New Jersey.   It's the home turf of the New York Giants as well as the

Cold Winter/Warm Bed

It's not news...this winter has been brutally cold.  I hate the cold and I hate brutally cold even more!  Even for an early bird, get up and go kind of girl like me, these cold dark morning have made it VERY hard for me to crawl out of bed and do my morning routine (exercise, get snacks and lunches packed, getting my guys up, etc).  Getting out of bed when it's sunny and warm is so much easier. I feel like I have a permanent chill.  My feet are always cold, I'm perpetually wearing the same pair of lined jeans and the only thing that comforts me in the morning is knowing that I'll have a perfectly made cup of coffee courtesy of my husband.  (Don't know how he does it or what his secret it, but he's got the coffee thing down pat.  I don't even try anymore, even on the best of days I can't come close.) Getting out of bed in the morning has been made more difficult this year by two things.  One is the brutal cold.  What is up with this polar vortex any w

Focus on the message

I wish my son had school today.  And it's not just because I have to work.  I wish he had school today where they could focus on what today is.  Who Martin Luther King was, what was his message and why it's important to continue on the path for equality for ALL.  I have a fear that as this "holiday" gets older (after all it was only 31 years ago that President Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday which was not officially observed in all 50 states until 2000) it was become just another vacation day or day where you can find a great sale at the local store.  (As it seems to be the case with "President's Day" which no longer seems to honor George Washington or Abraham Lincoln or any accomplishment of any of the men who have been President of the United States.) I want my son to know that there was a time when black and white could not go to school together.  (A concept he seems to find silly.  He is right.  It is ridiculous).  I want my son to

No More Birthday Cakes

Last June, for the first time in my life, I had a "real" birthday cake.  Don't get me wrong, my mother tried to make me cakes, but with my egg allergies, they just didn't work out.  I had plenty of other birthday treats, but an actual cake was something that didn't pan out.  (Even when I tried to make a cake myself with egg replacer, it just didn't cut the mustard). Then last year my husband bought me a cake from a relatively new vegan bakery in town.  It was delicious and I was so thrilled about it that I devoted a blog post to it.  ( http://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-best-birthday-cake-ever.html ). My husband took photos.  He said it was like looking at a child on Christmas morning.  It was a delicious, if fattening, celebration. Sadly, that will be my last birthday cake.  When I was driving by Pink Frosting Bakery over the past several weeks I noticed that they were not open.  And then, on Saturday, I noticed a real estate "retail s

Speed Up

Yesterday, when my son was sick, I had no choice, but to slow down.  He needed me (and my husband) and so we were there.  No running around.  No going crazy.  (Although I did do more than my share of laundry.)  Best part of the day?  The very end of the day (after the late afternoon crash and burn with tears and finally a nap), when he was feeling better and we all cuddled up and watched "The Simpsons" together as a family; laughing. But today we're back to "normal".  Although I'm not sure "normal" is what I want.  It's time for me to speed up again.  Which isn't necessarily a good thing. It started when I got up this morning and realized that I only had enough lunch for today to take to work.  (Usually I like to have a week's worth ready to go.)  That means that I've got to make a stop after work.  Not my favorite thing to do. Then I went to get dressed.  Went to look for a pair of pantyhose and found none.  That box in the d

Slow Down...Sick Kid

I had been planning to make today (Sunday) a slow down do much of nothing day.  With all the running around I (and the rest of the family) always seem to be doing, I thought it was about time we just took a Sunday off.  A day of doing nothing. The plan was solidified at 3:30 this morning.  That's when my son wandered into our bed room and said his head hurt. I know I am very lucky.  It is rare that he does not sleep through the night.  It is also rare that he gets sick. That also might be why when he does, I'm on high alert.  I had him climb into bed with us, while my husband felt his forehead.  We didn't even both with the digital thermometer at that hour...he was hot.  And although he doesn't get sick often (again, I thank God for that), when he does he usually follows a pattern of a headache and fever.  So it was off to the bathroom for a dose of ibuprofen and a glass of cool water. The television went on for a couple of hours (even with a multitude of child ce

Why You Should Clean Your Walkway

I know it's been a rough winter around the Northeast this year.  Even before it WAS winter we were having snow.  It's a pain in the neck to shovel or use a snowblower...I know that.  Believe me, it's not my idea of fun cleaning out the sidewalk and driveway in the morning. But in my town it is the law to remove snow and ice from your walkway.  And I wish it was one that was better enforced.  As it is stated:  " The owner or tenant of land fronting upon any street or public place (intended to include private streets open to the public) within the limits of the borough where a sidewalk has been graded shall, within twenty-four (24) hours after a fall of snow or after a freezing of water into ice upon any sidewalk of whatsoever kind, in front of such land, remove such snow or ice from such sidewalks in front of such lands owned or occupied by them, and no such snow or ice shall be thrown onto the public street. Where snow or ice shall have become frozen to sidewalk so t

In View of the Recent Snow

So we're three days into the new year and here on the East Coast we're covered in snow.  My child returned to school from winter break for one day before they cancelled school.  My windows are iced over, but I'd have to say that there are about six inches out there already.  (Although I could be wrong...there's a lot of wind and snow drifting.)  I know, I know...it's winter...sigh. Since we had 4 snow storms last month I have to say I'm over the snow. My only solace?  168 days till summer.  Yes, I'm counting...

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

...or maybe it should be day of the year.  For as another holiday song goes:  "And mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again." Yes, it's back to school day here in NJ.  And try as we might to keep some order in the house; there was nowhere as much reading and multiplication practice as I would have liked to have happened.  But then again how can flash cards compete with Legos? So to all those teachers who are today dealing with hyped up kids who haven't had a regular sleeping pattern for ten days or so and who most likely didn't do any over the holiday homework or studying, I say, "Bless You."  I know it's going to be crazy day for you...but soon with your loving care they will be back on track again.

2014

Happy New Year! I know that I am not alone in saying that I'm glad that 2013 is over and have high hopes for 2014.  (Although 2013 was not as horrible as 2012 was.  For my family 2012 goes down as the worst year in the history of our history.  2013 made baby steps forward in the getting better department, but I could stand some giant positive leaps in 2014.) Despite the bumps and lumps along the way in 2013, I found that when I emptied my "gratitude jar" it was full of positive things from 2013.  (Explanation:  My "jar" was simply that.  A jar that that I kept on my desk as of January 2013.  And when something, no matter how small or trivial it might have seemed at the time, came to mind as something I or my family was grateful for I wrote it down on a slip of paper along with the date and then put it in the jar.  On New Year's Eve I emptied it out and sat down with "my guys" and read each and every one out loud. As rough a year as we may have ha