GAME ON

From this:


To this:

It's still gonna be as good as always. The only thing that makes it sweeter now is being married to a Laker fan. The fun is just beginning. I was actually pulling for the Lakers tonight so I could enjoy the series to follow. We have all kinds of crazy bets going, which frankly...either way you look at it... I can't lose.

Bring it on. Thursday night. Choose your sofa wisely... I'll be sitting on the green one.

Love/Hate Relationships

I love that my son is growing up and making good choices in life. I hate that he is growing up. Go here to see him looking far too grown-up for me to handle.

I love the new house. I hate the thought of decorating it. We took a trip to check its progress this weekend. This is the entry hall. Seriously? What would you do to this? I'm scared.

I love taking pictures. I love our babysitter. I loved taking senior pictures of our babysitter. There was nothing I hated about this. She is darling, loves my children, and knows how to handle them. I guess the hate part would be leaving her behind when we move.

CALLING ALL BRILLIANT HOUSE DECORATING TYPES!!

i need to decorate the girls' room. the carpet is "earthen soil" which is like a nice warm dark-beige color. the walls are "nomadic desert" which is also a warm tan color. the trim is all white. i am not painting any walls. the paint on them will barely be dry as it is when we move in.



samie is old enough not to want something too kiddish. and she doesn't really dig on pink. noe is young enough to want something very kiddish, and is obsessed with pink. there are 2 twin sized beds in their room. i'm thinking something in some shade of purple might appease the palettes. but green is also a winner. some shade of limeish?

i do not enjoy interior decorating AT ALL. some people would consider my situation heavenly: a brand new home with lots and lots of rooms to decorate. i, on the other hand, am begging my realtor to stop asking me to make choices. the boys' rooms will be easy because i already have stuff for their beds. but the girls are going from sharing a queen bed to having their own single beds. hence the need for new bedding.

so gimme whatchya got. i know some of you are really good at this kind of stuff. if you tell me what to buy and where to buy it, i probably will. if you even find fabric, i would be happy to MAKE the quilts. some giant patchwork squares would be nice. i just loathe the process of making the choice.

thank you in advance.

Consider This The Hint of the Century

I had the occasion to spend four hours in the car with my firstborn this week. I took advantage of the obvious teaching moments, and hooked us up with a little ipod playlist that I like to call "Still Livin In High School." Oh, it's classic. Classic. It includes such artists as Bon Jovi, Biz Markie, Salt-n-Pepa, Skid Row, Guns n Roses, Slick Rick, REM, Digital Underground, and I won't lie... a little Wrex n Effex.

I am pleased to report that said child knew many of the lyrics to these richly historical tunes. I felt accomplished as a parent. I was so inspired, in fact, that I decided to school him in the fine art of vehicular vocalizing. The rules are as follows:

1. Sing. Really, really loudly.

I cannot understand how it's possible that from day to day, I have difficulty remembering where I put my shoes, when I am in charge of carpool, or whether or not I put on deodorant... and yet... every word from every song comes back to me with a clarity that is not to be believed. And suddenly, I want to dance. I want to shake what my mama gave me, and driving becomes secondary in importance to my performance. I can only think of channeling my inner Axl.

Thank goodness I have that sweet son o' mine to keep me in line. After a few minutes of slack-jawed horror, he finally snapped me back to reality by saying, "Mom. You should probably settle down before you throw your back out again."

And just like that, Axl has left the building.