Preppy Girl's Guide

So Saturday night I actually got a baby sitter and met my husband out at his place of work for a fundraiser. I'll tell you now that he works at a very nice private high school (prep school) where about 95% of the families are "well-off." I was naturally a little nervous as I wanted to look nice and "fit-in" so to speak. I dug out an outfit from my former life (you know, those ten years before I got married when I worked in a really nice place and wore "power outfits" every day.) I was glad I'd bought expensive shoes, purses, and clothing at one point in my life so I actually had something nice to wear.

I should also point out before going further that my husband works A LOT. He is a teacher but also has after school responsibilities and on top of it, drives an hour each way every day. I don't see him too much and neither do the kids because of this. Neither of us makes a ton o' money, but his salary is markedly more pitiful than mine. We both have a background working in the performing arts and these jobs are hard to come by (especially when you live in BFE like we do). So, for now, he goes the distance so he can work in his field, and we are hoping to find something closer to home.

Once at the fundraiser, the parents all make a point to come up to me and make small talk. Most of the conversations go like this:

Stage Mom: "We all LOVE your husband - but you must never get to see him."
Me: "Well, yes, I had to drive all the way out here to see him tonight." (nervous laughter)
Stage Mom: "Well, have you ever considered moving here?"
Me: (Knowing full well we have no intention) "I suppose it's not out of the question but, I work close to our home so..."
Stage Mom: "Ooohhh, and what is it that you do?"
Me: (Well I make a hell of a lot more money than he does!) "I am a Director at..."
Stage Mom: "Ooohhh, I'll bet that's fun."
Me: (It would be more fun if I could see my husband once in a while) "Yes it is."
Stage Mom: "Is that full time work?"
Me: (I am in charge of a big department.. duh.. hell ya it's full time!) "Yes it is."
Stage Mom: "Ooooh. I see." (blank stare)

And I swear I had this same conversation with 5 different parents. They truly don't understand why we wouldn't just pick up and move to their nice little city for my husband's job where not only is his pay pitiful but his hours suck and he is abused daily by prima donna students and parents alike. Furthermore, they don't think MY job could possibly be more important than his. I guess this is how the "other half" lives. The women keep busy with social groups while the husband works. I'm both offended and jealous. Dammit.

So all day yesterday we had a snow storm. This is pretty normal for where I live. Everyone still goes to work , to school, and about their daily lives - just a little more slowly.

After picking up the kids, I drove home to find a 2 foot snow drift at the end of my driveway. My usual plan of "crashing" through the snow at a high rate of speed to make it up the driveway would not work tonight. The minivan just doesn't have enough power or traction. I wasn't sure what to do. I circled the block and formulated a plan.

The snow was so deep, we couldn't even walk from the street to the house. If I could just shovel two "gutters" for my tires, I could make it up the driveway and into the garage. Let's see, I'll park on the street and let the kids play in the van for a few minutes while I shovel - I'm sure it will only take a few secs...

I started to shovel. I could soon tell that the "gutter" idea would never work. This would still leave two feet of snow in the center of the driveway and there's no way the minvan could clear it. I started shoveling like a mad woman. I didn't want to leave the kids too long and besides, I was feeling pretty muscular with my toddler toting "mommy arms." The superhuman strength didn't last long. About 10 feet down my 30 foot driveway, I "hit the wall." I thought I was gonna drop.

I made a couple of "help me" glances at my neighbor who was using his new slowblower. I got pretty excited when he started to cross the street, only to find out he was headed for the driveway of an elderly man around the corner. Dammit! I trudged on.

It wasn't too bad. Took about 30 minutes and I checked on the kids several times to make sure they were okay - and I actually felt like I had accomplished something - until I woke up this morning to discover the city truck had plowed in the end of the driveway again. Good times.

As tagged by Sherri...

Weird Habit #1

I am a little OCD when it comes to grammar. I think that's why it's so hard for me to blog sometimes. I will read, then re-read, then re-read, etc. I must hit the preview button and make changes about 5 times when I'm posting a comment - and sending e-mails, especially to someone who doesn't know me well, I re-read and have half the office proof it before I can send it out. I am pretty critical of grammatical errors (and I know I am far from perfect) but I still want all my stuff to be error free. Geek.

Weird Habit #2

I have to pick out my clothes before I choose my underwear for the day so I can make sure they all match. That includes bra and undies. If no bra can be found that matches my shirt color exactly I settle for a beige one (because I figure that's close to my skin color). I recently realized I have started matching my 4 year old's undies to her outfits too. Habit. This whole thing is probably why I cringe when I see girls whose bra straps are showing - and worse yet, don't match the outfit.

Weird Habit #3

I always rip the end of the toilet paper roll off in public bathrooms, as if doing this will prevent me from catching some horrible disease. It's kinda silly considering that I just used my hands to touch the "infected" sheets of TP and am now using those same hands to dispense the rest of the paper I will actually use to wipe - but I do it anyway.

Weird Habit #4

I butter my bread for ALL sandwiches. I am finding out that this may sound weird to some people and not so weird to others, depending on where you grew up. My mom ALWAYS buttered our bread whether we were having PB&J or tuna fish or ham & cheese. So, my whole life I have always buttered the bread no matter what. My personal fave is peanut butter and butter. Yumma.

Weird Habit #5

I feel like I should say "bless you" whenever someone sneezes, even when I'm sure they can't hear me. Like, if I'm in a store and three aisles over I hear someone sneeze, I say a silent little "bless you" - just in case my NOT saying it would damn them to he fires of hell eternally or something. In fact, when someone sneezes and my husband says "gesundheit" I always correct him with "you mean, bless you." Another soul saved.

1. CURRENT MOOD? Tired, want to sleep for 3 days.

2. SUM UP IN 3 WORDS TO WHAT YOU'RE FEELING. no end in sight (I know - it's 4 words)

3. HAVE YOU TRIED & DO YOU THINK LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS WORK FOR YOU? Haven't really tried. I can't see how they'd work unless each person was so busy they didn't have time to miss the other that much??

4. ARE YOU AN EMOTIONAL PERSON? Well kinda, I cry at movies??

5. YOU BELIEVE IN BEST FRIENDS? Yepper.

6. EVER FELT SO JEALOUS? Definitely. When you're younger you can't help it. The grass is always greener. But these days, nah.

7. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU DID? Ate lunch.

8. WHO IS NEXT TO YOU? No one! I'm in my office... alone.

9. HOW'S THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Sunny but cold.

10. LAST PERSON TO TEXT YOU TODAY? Umm.. my brother, yesterday.

11. LAST PERSON YOU TEXT TODAY? I don't text much.

12. LOST A FRIENDSHIP OVER SOMETHING STUPID? Never from my side of things, but others have stopped talking to me for their own reasons (get over it, life's too short).

13. BEEN REALLY DEPRESSED BEFORE? Ya, depressing to even think about it.

14. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP TODAY? 6:30 a.m.

15.WHAT PICTURE DO YOU SEE FIRST WHEN YOU WAKE UP? A painting of Sailboat Bend in Fort Lauderdale.

16. WHO DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND? Princess and I live parallel lives.

17. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP? How much longer before I have to get the kids moving?!

18. DO YOU HATE ANYONE RIGHT NOW? Heck no.

19. WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOR/s? Red

20. MISS SOMEONE? not particularly - my grandparents I guess.

21. LIKE TO WALK UNDER THE RAIN? yes

22. SLEEP WITH/WITHOUT CLOTHES ON? With clothes - no free-lipping

23. LIKE SOMEONE? yes

24. THEY KNOW? yes

25. THINK YOU'RE ATTRACTIVE? Sometimes. It's all relative.

26. WANT TO MARRY? Already did

27. WHO? big lenny

28. ARE YOU A GOOD STUDENT? I was a good student. I didn't have to try too hard... so I guess I really could have been better if I'd "applied myself."

29. WHERE ARE YOU BY THE WAY? At work

30. ARE YOU INVOLVED IN SPORTS? Not lately, but I SO miss beach volleyball.

31. BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? Not really.

32. THINK DREAMS EVENTUALLY COME TRUE? They can if you make them.

33. FAVORITE THING TO DO? To be totally free from obligation. No deadlines, plans or place to be.

34. FAVE PERSON? Tom Favorite.

35. FAVE FEATURE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? Sense of humor.

37. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? VP of Finance

38. LOUD OR SOFT MUSIC? Soft mostly.

39. NIGHT OR DAY? day

40. NUMBER OF PILLOWS ON YOUR BED? 4 - but I only use one when sleeping.

41. WHAT'RE YOU GONNA DO TOMORROW? go to work, as usual

42. WHAT'S YOUR BEDTIME? Who knows - 10 if I'm lucky.

43. WHO DO YOU TALK TO THE MOST ONLINE? Princess, Sherri (before she got a real job), and our web guy at work

44. WHAT DO YOU HATE MOST? bureaucracy - also, feeling crappy and having no idea why!

45. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? a receipt printer. Cha-ching!

46. DO YOU BELIEVE IN KARMA? I think I do... or at least I HOPE there's Karma.

48. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AND WITH WHO? He Said, She Said. All alone, after the kids fell asleep. Oldie but goodie.

49. FAVORITE DAY? Friday

50. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? My Friend Mandy Doll (my daughter plays with it now)

51. WHAT DID YOU DO 4 NIGHTS AGO? Sunday night: Len brought home KFC and Taco Bell (yuck) but for some reason I ate it anyway. Folded laundry, how glamourous.

52. FAVORITE SCENT? I like the smell of Christmas candles. Makes me think of being a kid when my mom would light up all those crazy Avon candles.

53. WHO INSPIRES YOU? My children. They make me a better person.

54. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Something happening to my kids, or something happening to me and they'll grow up without a mom.

55. PLAIN, BUTTERED OR SALTED POPCORN? Butter and salt, though I seldom eat it that way.

56. FAVE FLOWER? Daisy. Reminds me of growing up in the country when I was very little.

57. NUMBER OF KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING? 5

58. WHAT'S THE COLOR OF YOUR SHOES? Black

59. WHAT MONTH IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? June

60. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO AFTER THIS? Drink a cup 'o tea and surf the web 'til quittin' time! Ya-hoo!

I couldn't take it anymore! The very long mane of hair I once had has left the building. Impulsively, I went to the mall and had it chopped. It feels great. But now that I'm back to work I've been dealing with a myriad of comments that I'm not sure how to take. For example:

"Oh my God, I'm going to cry. It was so pretty before." - Uh thanks.

"Wow, you look so much younger!" - So I looked old before?

"Why would you cut it? It was so elegant." - Ya, like I need elegant hair for my weekly trips to McDonald's.

"Did you get your hair cut?" - Uh no, I was wearing extensions before.

And the worst reaction... is no reaction. Like, the guy who works down the hall whom I see 5 times a day didn't even make a comment. I'm crushed.

Anyhoo. Guess ya can't win sometimes. But, at least now it will take less time to color the grays.

My daughter is a little mini-me. She wants to do everything the way I do, which is occasionally cute, and sometimes scary. She's been on a kick for a while where she actually wants to make out with me - well, not intentionally but... She'll lean in to give me a kiss and the mouth opens wide. Come to think of it, she probably doesn't see me do this too often (kiss my husband open mouthed? - yuck - just kidding honey). But she has been watching all those fairy tale movies where prince and princess always kiss at the end which has filled her head with ideas. Her poor brother is also very often at the receiving end of many of her failed attempts to get some tongue. But he's not much better. He's at a stage where all he wants to do is touch my "boobies" (at least someone does). I'm sure this too shall pass - I just hope they keep their hands (and tongues) to themselves when they're at daycare - double yuck!

I love the holidays. I can't let go. I am still listening to holiday tunes and have no plans to take down the tree anytime soon. How does it come and go so quickly?

The house is littered with toys and boxes, and toys still in boxes which haven't found a home. How will I ever find a place for all this crap? Time to ditch some old toys while the kids aren't looking. How do you keep the grandparents from buying the kids so much crap! I guess they're allowed to spoil them. It's just depressing to think how much money was wasted on toys that will never get their fair share of play time.

So here's the update on my gifts:

From my Mother-in-law: A big alpaca wool sweater made by some peruvian woman. It is definitely striking (is that what ya say when you're reaching for a compliment?) - but again, HUGE. I'm swimming in it. But this year I found out I'm not alone... my sister-in-law (her other daughter-in-law) got a similar sweater and it was way worse than mine. I feel badly complaining.... they are nice sweaters... just not our style -yikes!

From my hubby: okay..I have to be careful here because I'm not sure if he reads this or not... I got a black & decker power scrubber (this I LOVE) plus 3 DVDs (3 kinda random movies) and an alarm clock. And here's the best part - they were handed to me in a plastic Kmart bag - no wrapping, no bows, not even a gift bag. Jeesh. At the risk of hurting his feelings, I thought I might take back the movies and alarm clock (not sure why he even thought I needed one) until I came home to find him using the alarm clock in the kitchen to listen to the radio. Okay then. I told him I kinda wanted to return it and he promptly announced that he'd lost the receipt - guess I'm keeping those movies too.

All in all it was a great holiday. I live vicariously though my kids anyway at this time of year and they got presents galore!