"Mommy Are You Going to Jail?"

That is what Sunny asked me today after I was pulled over by 3 police officers (3 seemed a little excessive) for speeding [in my defense (I clearly know there isn't a good defense for breaking the law...take it from me kids) I was taking Jack to the doctor after not sleeping all night. I thought the speed limit was 45...which I was going...but, apparently I had entered a school zone. For the record I did slow down once I saw children]. I made it 33+ years without being pulled over, but today was my lucky day. I asked my attorney to "take care of it" which he laughed at. Thanks honey.

And so begins my life of crime. That's right. I'm a perpetrator of the law. A perp. We all know it's a slippery slope. Next thing you know I'll start shop lifting and probably grow some marijuana in my back yard. Actually, I do believe I am a reformed criminal...I consistently drove 5 miles under the posted speed limit for the rest of the day. Honk away people I am not going to risk it!

Some Things You Have Been Dying to Know About Us

How long have you been together? We met at the end of December 1995. We went on our first date on Jan. 1, 1996...and started dating "exclusively" a few months later.

How long did you date? almost a year. He was in Philadelphia and I was in Mesa.

How old is he? Justin is 36 (he'll be 37 next month) and I am 33.

Who eats more? probably me...but he can eat cereal like nobody's business .

Who said "I love you" first? Justin did. I believe I have the email to prove it!

Who is taller? Justin, by 6 inches.

Who sings better? I don't know who sings better, but I sure enjoy it more.

Who is smarter? Definitely Justin...but I'm better at Sudoku and practical things like knowing how to change a roll of toilet paper!

Who does the laundry? Me, Justin will if he gets desperate. He does iron his own clothes...well, the clothes that don't go to the cleaners.

Who does the dishes? Me...Justin has been known to put a dish or two in the sink...I'm a lucky gal.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Justin. I have had 4 babies. I need to be closest to the bathroom.

Who pays the bills? Me, but he keeps track of everything.

Who mows the lawn? Neither of us :)

Who cooks dinner? Me...but Justin can make a mean oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and he can do amazing things with asparagus on the grill.

Who is more stubborn? I would say Justin, he would say me (and we both know he is probably right on this one).

Who kissed who first? Justin kissed me in his dorm room at Penn...he took his sweet time too...it was perfect!

Who asked who out? Justin asked me out...he also asked a friend of mine out for the next evening...this was typical of J...he had a reputation to uphold. We went to the Phoenix Zoo for the Zoo Lights. Incidentally he took my friend on the identical date...how original!

Who proposed? Justin...in Oak Creek Canyon...so beautiful!

Who is more sensitive? Justin...he cries all the time. Clearly I am the more sensitive one!

Who has more friends? Me, because Justin doesn't really like people. Just kidding...kind of.

Who has more siblings? Me, I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters (the real Brady Bunch). J is his mother's only...he does have a step-brother and step-sister.

Who wears the pants in the relationship? Justin...stinkin' only child...he thinks the world revolves around him. Really, I think we both have one leg in the pants.

I tag: Anyone who reads this!

Do You Smell That?

That, my friends, is the smell of clean carpet. I got my carpets cleaned today. Yeah! It is amazing how something so small can change the way I feel about my home. Everything seems a little brighter, a little better. I even forgot for a moment that Jack has snot, at least an inch long, hanging from his nose and what the...? That's not clean carpet...someone needs his diaper changed!

Remember When?

My mother's brother, Joe, sent our family a gift after my youngest brother, Jon, was born (summer of 1981). A puppy. Just what my mother needed after having her 6th child (she cried). "Tawnie" is what our family voted to name her (because of her coloring). She was a dog superior to all others in the neighborhood.

I don't want my siblings to feel bad or anything, but I was her favorite...I could see it in her eyes (they all probably saw the same thing in those beautiful eyes). Tawnie loved me. I took great pride in her...after all she was beautiful and lovable. Even the vet loved her.

She and the vet became quite close after she got hit by a car (I will never forget my brother Geoff holding her and crying after it happened) and then later hit by a delivery truck (she had a metal pin in her leg and walked with a limp for the rest of her life). Now, I didn't say she was street smart, but she was people smart. She protected our home from some delinquent teenagers when they tried to break in. That's right. She was tough!

Tawnie was thoughtful of others. Later in life, when my brothers were in their rabbit faze, she was known to let rabbits (she could sense their boredom) out of cages and have wild games of tag! She also looked after orphaned bunnies and mothered them. She was patient. She was selfless. She let us dress her up when she clearly thought it was beneath her. She was the family garbage disposal. She was a soft place to rest your head after a bad day at school. I miss you girl.

A Few Things That Make Me Happy

PBS' "Masterpiece Theater" is airing the stories of Jane Austen. I just watched "Persuasion" and loved it. I have read the book a couple times and it is a great read...I really liked the movie rendition. "Northanger Abbey" is going to be on (I believe) next week. This is a lesser known Jane Austen book, but entertaining. Hopefully the movie will live up to the book. ANYTHING by Jane is fun!


I did 6 loads of laundry today. Typical. One of my favorite products, that is helping me in my battle, has changed the way I do laundry. I love Shout Color Catchers...thank you Angela for telling me about them!

Remember When?

So, to make this blog somewhat useful (at least for me), I will be sharing something (a memory...a thought...who knows what!) about my younger self. So that, when memory fails, and it is failing, my kids will understand why their mother is so CRAZY! I should apologize before we begin for the many run on sentences and horrible grammar. Unfortunately my memory is one long run on sentence!

5th Grade - Mrs. Olson - Cherry Hill Elementary School (Mission, B.C.)

Fifth grade was the beginning of the end for my hair. Not only did my mom finally relent and cut me some bangs (a decision that many people would later regret), but this was the last picture I have where my mom did my hair...everything after this was a crap shoot...literally...a crappy photo shoot.

During 5th grade I was coming to terms with being a girl. Sure, I still loved to catch frogs and caterpillars [my brothers and sisters and I caught tons of caterpillars in the cherry tree out front and then had little caterpillar "circuses" (complete with ramps and obstacle courses) until one day when they all disappeared...hmm...Mom?] and I was delighted when my best friend, Carla, found a newt on the way to school, but it was the beginning of my lifelong love for "Anne of Green Gables" and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". What could be more girly than that?

I started babysitting in 5th grade. My sister, Natalie, and I babysat for a family with 3 kids (2 toddlers and a baby). One Saturday we watched the kids for 10 hours and earned $15! Wow! We were raking it in. What is that...like 75 cents, each, an hour? I was 10 years old and Natalie was 9! What were the parents thinking?

So until next time...

My House Stinks...

like burnt sugar! Apparently this is what happens when your seven year old (Chef Minnie) makes "Dinosaur" oatmeal in the microwave without adding water.