My Thanksgiv...ummm Valentine's Loves

This morning Mr Sunshine wished me a Happy Valentine's Day and I wished him a Happy Thanksgiving. In my defense, it was before my morning bucket of coffee.

I don't have a recent photo of my #1 love, but he is sporting some new facial hair. He won't mind if I show you a snap of his new Cigar blog. Tell your cigar-smoking loved ones!

My #2 family love is also sporting facial hair...

 Guess which family love did this?...

That would be my #3 love

Look how big my #4 love has gotten!...

She has doubled her weight in the past month. She's BATSHIT CRAZY for the first 45 minutes we are up in the morning, but then she settles herself under my chin for a nap while I drink my bucket of coffee and play on the computer.

Speaking of batshit crazy...I had a spell of it last week. I woke up with my ponytail in my mouth and the kitty had been thinking it was a cool toy. I walked into the hairdresser and said "Get rid of this!!!!!" I had another 8 inches of hair cut off...
Needs more layers.

I asked Mr Sunshine to please not spend money on flowers and a card today. All I wanted was a manicure, so he left $20 on my bedside table. I'm a happy, happy girl.

Happy THANKSGIV....ummm Valentine's Day to you and all your loves.

Interview With A NEW Cat!

January 22 is National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day! Back in 2009 I answered Tigger's questions.
This year I'm answering questions posed by our new kitten Lily.

She's only 8 weeks old and has only been living here for 18 hours, so I don't think she has too many questions yet.

LILY:  How cute am I?
LMSS: You are ADORABLE!!! Very affectionate with all of us. You are curious, a little bit of a Diva, pretty vocal.

LILY: Is it true that I'm adopted?
LMSS: Yes, you are. You are the first kitty we've ever adopted from a shelter and the Humane Society staff did a great job with you. They said you were very skittish when you arrived there last week. They spent a lot of time handling you and snuggling you and now you're very comfortable with people. You had to leave your former home because your owner's landlord said "no pets".

LILY: Why did you name me Lily?
LMSS: Sorority Girl named you. She LOVES Modern Family. The little girl in that show is adopted and her name is Lily. When we first met you we decided you looked like the name Lily would fit. Speaking of  Sorority Girl, the two of you bonded instantly. I fell in love with you when I picked you up and cuddled you.

LILY: What's up with THIS ANNOYING THING??

LMSS: Sorry baby girl. You were spayed Sat. morning and we don't want you to lick or scratch until your incision heals. I know eating and playing and snuggling is hard right now, but hang in there for a few more days.

LILY: When will you guys let me sleep in a bed with a warm person?
LMSS: I think we need to wait until the plastic collar comes off. Also you aren't allowed to roam in that end of the apartment until you learn to stop jumping onto the bathroom counter. Embrace the soft coziness of the pillow on the living room floor.

LILY: Can I really have that stuffed Monkey Baby?
LMSS: Yes. She is soft and cuddly and you like to chew on her tail and legs. I saw you flip her halfway across the living room, so you obviously enjoy playing with her. I'll take your picture next time you get in the mood to wrestle with her.

LILY: Thanks for adopting me.
LMSS: You're welcome, sweetie. We already love you.

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

We've been having ongoing discussions about getting another cat. The past 16 months are the longest I've gone without a pet since 1974. Actually, Sorority Girl and I have been begging for a dog, but since Mr Sunshine is 100% against it, I guess that isn't an option.

I'm starting to think, if we're going to get one, we may as well get two. That means probably getting 2 kittens from the same litter. SG wants to name them Colby and Jack. Sounds a little cheesy...heh, heh.

I would consider two older cats that have bonded to each other at the shelter.

Yesterday I spent some time looking at 30 pages on the Humane Society website. There are a LOT of black cats for adoption. I'm ruling out anything long-haired or that remotely looks like a Maine Coon. I loved Tigger but a 24 pound cat is like having a perpetual toddler. I couldn't pick him up and he pooped and peed like a 2 yr old who isn't potty-trained.

I've never had a female cat and I'm thinking I might like a petite little calico or tortoise-shell. My sister has a sweet little tortoise-shell girl named Snickers.

I'll keep you updated on the adoption process.

Mom-Crushing

I have Mom-crushes. Some people define a Mom-crush as being a middle-aged woman sexually fantasizing about young men in their 20's. That's not a Mom-crush, that's being a Cougar.

My idea of a Mom-crush is having a fantasy about being a Mom to celebrities in their 20's. These fantasies include having them come for a weekend sleepover, cooking their favorite dinner, watching their favorite movie, pulling out the waffle iron to make them breakfast and then a trip to DisneyWorld.

The following young actors and actresses are my current Mom-crushes.

He's Chris Colfer and plays Kurt on Glee and he's 21. The first season on Glee I kept getting teary about this young kid coming to terms with being gay. Every time someone hurt him I wanted to reach into the TV and give him a hug. When he came out to his Dad I was beyond teary, right into weepy. I wish nothing but continued success to Chris.

This is Damian McGinty. He's 19 and a sweet Irish lad. I first saw him sing with Celtic Thunder at age 14. This past summer he was a co-winner of a reality show called The Glee Project. Starting Nov 1st he'll be in a 7 episode arc of Glee. When Damian comes to my house, before I make him sing for me I'm just going to sit and listen to him chat in his Derry accent. 

 My newest Mom-crush is on Zooey Deschanel. She's 31 and yes, I'm old enough to be her mother. She is funny/quirky, she sings with She&Him, she's pretty and I love the way she dresses. We watch her play Jess on The New Girl and we laugh out loud.  If you need a bigger dose of Zooey, she is one of the co-founders of http://hellogiggles.com/category/special/authors

Do you recognize this pretty girl? Maybe if I show you a more famous shot of her...

It's Abigail Breslin when I first fell in love with her. She's 15 now and growing into a beautiful girl. She'll be seen again in the movie New Year's Eve where she'll play Sarah Jessica Parker's daughter.

If I'm having all of my Mom-crushes over for dinner and sleepovers I need to work on getting a bigger apartment.

Red Bandanas

A lot of the 9-11 anniversary coverage this week has made me a little weepy. I have cried at seeing the ABC news story about the children who were born to women who were pregnant on that day. I have gotten choked up listening to stories of people who were in NYC that day.

I was home, still sleeping when it happened.Mr Sunshine called and told me to turn on the TV. I don't know anyone who died. One of the teachers at our elementary school lost her son at the Pentagon.

Tonight at the UCF/ Boston College football game we are honoring a hero who lost his life that day.
If you haven't heard of Welles Crowther, here is a small article about him and what we are doing tonight. There is also the ESPN video about him.


http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-09-06/sports/os-bianchi-ucf-man-in-red-bandanna-0907a-20110906_1_ucf-students-ucf-fans-bandanna

He was a Boston College grad who saved lives that day. All the people he saved only knew their hero was wearing a red bandana. Fans have been asked wear red bandanas to the game tonight. I'll wear mine as a headband or maybe around my neck. Mr Sunshine will probably wear his on his head. In true Sorority Girl fashion my daughter got all crafty last night and made hers into a big hair bow.

The game is being carried on CBS at 8pm so the tribute may be shown. I'll take my camera to the game.

I'm pretty sure I will cry.

Dear Little Girl In Line

Dear Little Girl In Line,
I saw you staring at me in the Pharmacy line. I tried not to stare back at you.
But it was hard not to stare. I thought I was going to cry. I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't say something to your mother.

I'm guessing you are 3 or 4 years old. I wanted to take you home.

The first thing I would do is fill the bathtub and take those filthy pajamas off you. I'll wash your hair with some shampoo that will make your beautiful curls smell really pretty. While you play with some toys and soak in the tub, I'll play some music on the CD player and we can sing along.

When you are all squeaky clean, I'll wrap you in a fluffy towel and take that yucky red nailpolish off your toes. If you would like, I'll repaint them with some pretty pink polish. I'll put a little sundress on you and we will sit in a rocking chair and I'll read you some story books. If you're hungry I'll make you a sandwich.

I'm sorry I didn't smile at you. I was thinking of buying some soap and shampoo and handing it to your Mom, but I thought it would have been rude. Now I can't stop thinking about you.

The Lady in the pink blouse at the pharmacy.

Valentine Rhyme

Roses are red
I'm wearing blue
My forehead is hot
I might have the flu

I have a sweetheart
Mr Sunshine is mine
We're not celebrating
He's working til 9

We can't eat chocolate
We're both diabetic
Sugar-free pudding
Is really pathetic

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

When The Kids Are Here

•  I still call them "the kids" even though they are 22 and 25
• The little treehouse apartment is very crowded
• There are blankets and pillows on every surface of the place

•  You ask random strangers to take a family photo at Downtown Disney
• There are dinner table conversations about how it is skanky to give a girl something from Victoria's Secret, but it is perfectly acceptable to give her a gift card from the same store!
• You watch Twas The Night Before Christmas and The Wiz
• You watch You Tube videos of an Asian toddler singing Hey Jude and Star Wars Episode IV According To a 3 year old
• You watch the Christmas episode of GLEE 3 times

•  You drag Cape Cod Kid on a road trip to see Manatees
• You drag Cape Cod Kid on a 2 mile walk
• You drag Cape Cod Kid on a daily trip to the grocery store
• There's too much food in the fridge
• There's too much laundry in the hamper

• There's TOO MUCH SUGAR!
• There are not enough HUGS
• When you wake up on Dec. 30, the house is too quiet!

Happy Birthday John. All You Need Is Love.

I took one of those internet quizzes, WHICH BEATLE ARE YOU?

I'm not at all surprised at the results. I AM JOHN LENNON.

In honor of his 70th birthday I'll share a few of my favorite Lennon quotes.

~When you're drowning, you don't say "I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me", you just scream.

~ I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people.

~I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong.

~ All you need is love.

You Had Me At Meow

Last Tuesday we made a very difficult decision.

Tigger had been steadily declining in health for 5 months. We kept putting off the decision, wondering if we would wake up one morning and the decision would have been made for us.
We waited for signs that he was suffering and tried some all natural pain medication. By Tuesday, it was no longer possible to put it off.

On the advice of my good FB/Bloggy friend Bunny, we took Tigger to the SPCA in Sanford FL.
I was okay until my loving husband started crying as I was signing all the paperwork. We couldn't bear to bring home an empty carrier, so we donated it to the shelter.

We have had a pet almost continuously in our 31 years of marriage and I had 3 cats before we got married. The house is very quiet. Mr Sunshine misses Tigger greeting him at the front door after work every night. I miss him in the kitchen when I'm cooking. Before his world became confined to the spot in front of his food dishes, he used to climb in bed with us every night...stretching out between us while we read, one of us scratching his back and the other one rubbing his head.

We have been remembering how tiny he was when he came home at 6 weeks.

We named him Tigger because Sorority Girl was in a production of Winnie The Pooh And Friends that week.

Cape Cod Kid showered his love on Tigger in a very different way. They re-enacted the famous scene where Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a live chicken.

We remember that we have never seen a cat with so much fur before....

...who seemed to be so pissed off that hot summer when we had him shaved!

This is the very last picture I took of Tigger.

April 1998~August 2010

How I Was A Rotten Mother

Sunday is the 25th Anniversary of my Motherhood. Let me tell you what a rotten mother I have been.

A) I waited until I was 28 to have my first child. I'm glad I had the chance and the choice to enjoy 5 years of being married, lots of vacations, a motorcycle, own our first condo and be cute in my 20's.

B) My kids were sick babies. We spent a lot of time on Pedi floors in hospitals. I was HORRIBLE. I would refuse to leave X-ray and Cat Scan rooms, I would tell doctors on the phone "NO, I am NOT waiting until tomorrow morning to have you see my 5 month old that has a temp of 105!!" On the morning of surgeries, I would refuse to let go of my child until they were appropriately knocked unconscious by pre-op meds.

C) I refused to go back to work for 4 years. This resulted in a $21,000/year reduction in our family income. I still think it was the right thing to do. My mother-in-law disagrees.

D)I let them have a rabbit. That lived in a cage. In our dining room.

E) I made the kids go to church. As soon as humanly possible, they stopped going to church.
I don't even care.

F) I spoil my daughter. She is my only daughter. I feel that her sole purpose in life is to make me laugh. She does this often and she does this well. I repay her by (so far) getting her through 4 years of college with no loans in anybody's name (except short-term loans by Bank of Grandma). I buy her purses and dresses and Sorority Sisters. When she comes to visit we watch marathons of bad reality shows.

G) I left my 21 year old son alone on Cape Cod and moved to Florida. I didn't really think that bird was ready to fly out of the nest, but I pushed him out anyway. He didn't want to move with us and I said "Ba-bye, have fun working 3 jobs to support yourself". 4 years later, he is still flying solo up there. He calls me every Monday night. I'm still not going back!! If he calls me on Mother's Day and asks if he can move here and live with us, I will say yes. And give him a 6-month moving out date.

H) I have started making remarks about the fact that I'm almost 53 and not a grandmother. I completely ignore the fact that there are no current spouses or spousal equivalents in their lives. I completely ignore the fact that neither one of them WANTS to give me a grandchild anywhere in the near future. I just keep making sad puppy-dog eyes every time I hear about someone I know becoming a grandmother. And NO, I DO NOT WANT A PUPPY.

So, there's the evidence of my rotten motherhood.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the Moms, Grandmothers and Great Grandmothers.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the women out there who would have been GREAT Moms.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the women who are mothering children they didn't give birth to.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to women who love our kids like they were their own

This Is Dedicated To The One I Love

I'll always love you for the rest of my days

You have won my heart and my soul with your sweet, sexy ways

You gave me hope when I needed someone near

You bring me happiness every day of every year

I'll always love you for all that you are

You have made my life complete. You're my lucky star

You are the one I've been searching for

You are my everything, tell me who could ask for more

And I'll always love you, this will never end

I need you by my side, Honey, you're my lover, my friend

My friend

You gave my world a thrill I've never known

And filled my eager heart with a love to call my own

And I'll always love you, you must know how much I do

You can count on me forever, and I will take good care of you

I'll always love you, I'm so happy that you're mine

I'll always love you, yes, til the end of time

~I'll Always Love You by Taylor Dayne~

Christmas Angels

She didn't know she was going to be a Mom this Christmas.

He's 7 and his Mom doesn't want him anymore. His aunt loves him very much and now it looks like she'll be his Mom.

She has joined the ranks of single women trying to raise a child by herself. She isn't sure how she's going to do it on the salary of an elementary school teacher, in a district where most of her students come from poor families. She had planned to spend some money buying gifts for all the children in her class.

She told him he had to make a very small wish list for himself because she would only have about $40 to spend on gifts. He told her that he wanted to spend $20 of that money on a Christmas Angel gift for another child.

When her friends heard that he was willing to give up half of his Christmas for another child, they were so touched and so proud of him. They dug into their pockets and came up with $100 to buy a gift card for her to buy him some Christmas gifts. One of the friends told her children and they each decided to put some of the money from their piggy banks into a jar for the little boy's Christmas. Another friend put together a box of food.

Today they told her that they wanted to help give her new son a better Christmas. When she realized what they were telling her, she broke down and sobbed. All she could say was "Oh my God, you have no idea, you have no idea".

She told her friends that they were her Christmas Angels. They know that SHE is really a Christmas Angel.

They helped to change a little boy's Christmas.

She's going to change a little boy's life.

Mom's Very Merry Un-birthday

Mom's birthday is in September, but we decided to have her party in August, before the grandchildren all got involved in their school year. That was the first surprise.

She's been telling people that all she wanted for her 75th birthday was to be with all her family. We managed to get all of her children, 8 of her 1o grandchildren and 1 of her sisters to the party.

She had no idea that we had also invited a family friend that Mom has known for 53 years. They were neighbors when they were both newlyweds and through the years they were often pregnant at the same time. Also at the party were 2 couples that live in MA during the summer and are Mom's winter neighbors in FL.

Here's the birthday girl with her cake....

With all her kids.....

And her grandkids.....

And her family and friends....

She laughed a lot. I had mailed small blue cards to all the invited guests and asked them to share a memory of Mom and add a birthday message. She was teary as she read all the messages, especially from family and friends who couldn't make the party.

She says it was her best (un)birthday ever. I promised her that we wouldn't forget her REAL birthday next month.

On Your 21st Birthday 3/18/09

My darling baby. I didn't dare hope that you would be a girl. Another boy would have been fine. Now you were here and 4 days old and I was so thrilled with you.

My funny bunny. You were dressed like this because you wanted to do everything your big brother did. We dressed you up and sent you out with Daddy and Tim for your first Halloween at 17 months old. You really liked your M&M's.


My sweet 2 year old girl. This is everyone's (especially Daddy's) favorite picture of you. All dressed up to take your Grandmommy to the airport. You had just finished sitting in her lap and trying to file her nails. Look at those perfect little shoes. You were into the girly stuff way back then.
You were so happy to go to kindergarten and you really loved school. You really liked wearing dresses and you let me put a bow in your hair every day. This is about the time you decided that you would grow up and teach little kids.

You had been pretending to be a dancer for a few years, so when you were 5 we sent you off to tap and ballet. It was the beginning of your 13 year love of dance, with all it's tears and pain and laughter and friends.

When you were 16 you decided to go for the Gold. You did it and I thought my heart would pound out of my chest. You were beautiful and strong and intense and athletic.

This had to be your yearbook photo. Taken by your best friend in the whole world. You were a beach girl from the first time I took you, when you were 4 months old. You spent your first 18 years and 3 months within 6 miles of the ocean. Just last week, you tried to surf for the first time. There's salt water running in your veins. Someday, Mom and Dad will live near the beach again and we'll watch our grandchildren be beach kids.

This is the probably the last picture of you that was taken on Cape Cod. We know how hard it was to get in the car 5 days later and move 1,355 miles away from the only home you had ever known. The first months were a little rocky, but you hung in there and found your way. You made a new home, new friends and a new life here in the Sunshine State.

Here you are. 21. We have been so proud of you, every step along the way. You are smart and funny. You work hard. You make thoughtful decisions. You have hopes and dreams. You are beautiful. We are thankful every day that you are our daughter.

We love you, endlessly and forever.

Love,

Mom and Dad

What We're Not Doing For Valentines Day

Last week I saw an ad in the paper that made me laugh. I cut it out and told Mr Sunshine that I found something fun we could do for Valentines Day.

SEX AT THE ZOO!

Nooooooo, not us!!! Get your mind out of the gutter.

The Central Florida Zoo is having a special event on the 14th called Sex At The Zoo. For $75 a couple it's a romantic (?) dinner dance at the zoo. Part of the evening includes a talk by the CEO of the zoo and his sidekick Dr Love. They'll explain the "fascinating and very unique ways that our animal friends manage to reproduce and keep their species going". The ad doesn't say if any of the animals will be doing demonstrations. The ad does say that there will be a fashion show by Fairvilla Megastore. Our Orlando store is the biggest ummmm
adult oriented store in the country. I wouldn't know. I've never been there. But that's what their ad says.

Apparently, when it comes to Sex At The Zoo (the dinner dance, not actual, you know, sex at the zoo) you have to act quickly. Within days of seeing the ad in the paper, I saw a notice that says the event is sold out.

Maybe next year.

Meet Matt and Help Some Kids

Matt Logelin is an amazing person. I learned about Matt, Liz and Madeline this past Spring when they had a shocking change in their family. Matt's life will never be the same.

If you click on his name above, you can read his explanation of the events of March 24th and 25th. His blog tells the story of what has happened since then. I dare you to read his story and not have your heart burst open.

So many people have opened their hearts and Matt has found way to help Foster kids through the generosity of others. Kids in troubled families are often taken out of the home with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many of them don't even own anything except the clothes on their backs.
My Stuff Bags Foundation gives kids going into Foster homes something that they can call their own.

If you are touched by Matt's story, please consider a donation through the Single Minded Women website. http://singlemindedwomen.com/womensfamily/657/matt-liz-and-madeline-logelin-charity-gift-registry-.html

Keith Olbermann Made Me Cry

Keith Olbermann doesn't usually make me cry. Last night he did.