And the Bad Mommy award goes to....

ME of course! I had kicked the kidlets and the husband out so I could work on our taxes when the phone call came. "Are you guys coming?" I quickly flip through the family calender and see it there in red permanent marker, "J's Birthday Party 1-4pm". My 6 year old's best little girlfriend. I blew it. I completely forgot about J's birthday party! ARGH!!!!!

But what I want to know, is why is this type of thing all the mom's fault? Why wasn't my other half responsible in some way? He remembered his boy's night out on Saturday, why couldn't he have remembered the birthday party? I laid in bed last night with the worst mommy guilt. How the Hell would I explain this to my daughter before she faced J at school in the morning? While I stared at the ceiling at 2am, the other half was snoring away!

So now I'm sitting here hitting myself over the head, thinking of ways to make it up to both girls. A trip to Build A Bear? A trip to Libby Lu? How about if I just hand each of them a $50 and call it a day? I'm sure my other half is sitting at his desk, worrying about the same thing. (Yeah, right.)

So does mommy guilt ever go away? Is this why we end up in therapy? I love therapy by the way, and highly recommend it!

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On a serious note, please continue to think good thoughts and pray (if you are the praying type) for Tricia and Nate. They received word last night that a set of lungs were available only to learn in the wee hours of the morning that they weren't suitable for Tricia. Bless the family that made the choice to donate organs! Please sign the back of your driver's license and tell your family your wishes to be an organ donor.

To read about Tricia, Nate & their beautiful baby girl, please visit: Confessions of a CF Husband

The New "Nooner"

Remember those pre-kids days when you could sit and watch TV, whether it be Friends, Seinfeld or porn, any old time of the day? Well here I am at 1:30am watching some adult TV. No, not porn! But stuff that I wouldn't want my kids to see or hear. They have heard the word, "SEX" more times that I care to admit, but I have yet to have the question asked. And that is fine with me.

(As the mother of two girls, with more curiosity than most, I had an abbreviated tampon talk with them once. They see the book, "The Care and Keeping of You" as a bedtime story.)

I digress.

So, my new nooner is usually around midnight, with my DVR and my remote. So when I hear the word "SEX" I can remember the good old days. When I had some. At midnight. And not watching others doing it on TV.

Spring Break

It is that time of the year again! Spring break! This is definitely a "man" made thing. Us moms? Nope. The kids would be in school year round without a day's break if you ask me. Not that I don't love my children. I do! But when they are at home, without the structure of the daily grind, they turn into fighting, whining little brats. And I say that in the most sincere of ways!

But what has really gotten to me is the mess in the house. Everywhere I look there are dirty socks, empty cups, video games, and just a mess everywhere I go! And that is just the mess my husband leaves behind! With the girls home, I have Webkinz, Barbies, American Girl dolls, dress-up clothes, baby dolls, clothes (should I go on?) laying all over the place.

Since both children have been nothing but sick this past winter (I am on a first name basis with both school nurses, and all 4 pediatricians in the practice), I vowed that the three of us would stay home this week and stay away from certain childhood cesspools of infections. That lasted a day. My father in law asked if he could take the girls to this local indoor fun park yesterday, and of course I couldn't resist a few hours of silence!

Well, I best be getting to the vacuum. If I can find it. Under the candy wrappers and dirty socks.

I just love it when....

No one is sick in the house! Oh my! I don't know about you, but this winter sicko season has been horrible in our house! It started with the snotty noses and lovely lung butter that accompanies every damn cough. Then it manifested itself into the "headache/fever/sinus" flu. Daughter #2 was affected first. Had her home an entire week with a headache and fever. Then the following week, it was daughter #1's turn. Yep, home the entire week. Just when I thought I would finally have a "normal" week - I got hit with it. That was just two weeks ago, and now daughter #1 has pink eye. Does it ever end?

It's supposed to be in the 50s here in the Chicago area today and I plan on opening up every window and changing all the bedding. I have also warned the kiddos that they have to be bleeding out of their eyeballs to take another sick day before the end of the school year.

Oh, and the end of the school year is being pushed back by almost a week because of all the snow days. I'm not sure yet if having the kiddos in school an extra week is a good thing or a bad thing. All I know is that I can't wait until the lazy days by the community pool start again!

(I know, not really funny today, but when you've been dealing with the crud for the past two months, there is nothing funny to say!)

For Tricia ---

I've been reading this incredible blog for a while now. A wonderful, courageous woman named Tricia who is in a full blown battle with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and awaiting a lung transplant. In the meantime, her beautiful baby girl is in the NICU, gaining weight and smiling for her daddy.

I'm sharing a few comments for Tricia...

- I can't wait until your baby girl throws up in the car for the first time and even though you powerwash the interior, you smell spoiled milk puke smell for months.

- I can't wait until your baby girl says, "mommy" "mommy" "mommy" over and over again, so many times, that you want to change your name your name to Myrtle.

- I can't wait until your baby girl tells you she wants to take ballet, soccer, karate and art - all in the same week, and you sign her up for all of them because you don't want to stifle any creativity or talent in your three year old.

- I can't wait until your baby girl's first day of Kindergarten. You'll laugh, you'll cry. And then you'll realize that life is starting over again for you.

- I can't wait until there is no more CF in the world, and that your baby girl will never know a world where her mom has CF.

- I can't wait until your baby girl makes you a grandma with her own baby girls.

Stay strong Tricia. Make your own destiny. Visualize where you want to be tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. Laugh in life's jokes. Find comfort in shadows - for shadows are nothing without the light that shines behind them.

And always have faith in our God, because He still very much has faith in you.

(All my bestest wishes to Tricia, Nathan and baby Gwyneth. You are always in my heart and prayers!)