Oh yes. The holidays are upon us. I’m swamped. Work, graphic design projects (the most fun of all) and everything else. Just 4 more days and I have 1 week off! Woohoo! I can’t wait. I’m building a little Williams Sonoma kitchen. I’m thinking about buying an apron, but that might be over the top. I was never that June Cleaver, but again, the WS ones - so cute, so Italian.

I want this:

and this:

and doesn’t everyone need this?

I’ll show you some photos of my kitchen later. Michael built it for me. I love it.

Next week. All cooking. All the time. (and maybe shopping too) Stay tuned.

Made ya look? I hope so. If you haven’t made it over yet, despite my urging, you simply must visit my dear friend San Diego Momma. Not only is she brilliant, charming, and entertaining (it’s possible to be all of that and 40 years old), she is giving away stuff. Seriously! Check it out…

Now is the part where I offer my apologies for having reduced myself to such drastic measures to get your attention. But did it work?

My dear friend, San Diego Momma, posted this journaling prompt a little while back. Everyone took her up on it. Even Jake. And now it’s my turn. So here I am. This is me.

I am from

I am from rolling, muck cornfields and endless, salty, sandy beaches
I am from chewy soft chocolate chip cookies and cheddar cheesey, green bean casseroles
I am from fields of sparkling fireflies and cabinets of hidden cockroaches
I am from Mennonite coverings and curve-hugging leggings
I am from Dutch Blitz and never-ending Monopoly games
I am from K Mart and hand me downs
I am from Pennsylvania Dutch and crispy fried corn mush
I am from hearty, dirt-rich farm country and sameness, concrete suburbia
I am from bookmobiles and dusty, public library shelves
I am from canned corn, pickles, homemade ketchup and applesauce
I am from oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, Breyers ice cream and Texas sheet cake
I am from road trips with quarrels over window seats
I am from huge families with potholes and patches
I am from Looney Tunes, Sesame Street, The Cosby Show
I am from sandboxes and swingsets, endless bike rides and family walks
I am from Ford LTDs with cassette players that played stretched out tapes
I am from hard work that teaches blood, sweat and tears will prevail
I am from strained laughter and measured silence
I am from sharpened number 2 pencils and college ruled note paper
I am from Red Rover, freeze tag and kick ball
I am from “What the world” and “The craziest thing I ever saw”
I am from reading in bed until the last possible moment
I am from crowded rooms and longed for privacy
I am from playing in summer rain showers that drenched our streets
I am from Phil Keaggy, 2nd Chapter of Acts, and Paul Clark
I am from Van Halen, Duran Duran and Michael Jackson
I am from large families of good intentions

With every milestone, I think: this is really it this time. My baby is no longer a baby. It’s slipped through my fingers, gone forever. But this is really, really it. The big one. He lost his front tooth.

My phone rang at my desk this afternoon. I checked my caller ID as always, and when I saw it was home, something told me to pick up, even though I was in a meeting.

Michael: Honey, it’s me, and Jake has something to tell you. (I instantly knew)

Jake: Mom, I lost my tooth.

Me: Really? How could you do that without me? (Yes, I really said that.)

Jake: Mom, it hurt really bad. I was eating my dinosaurs and tater tots, and dad pulled it. He used a paper towel.

Me: Did it hurt? Did it bleed? Did you save it? I meant to take one last picture of you in your tooth…

This is where I started to cry. If you believe I am a hopeless sap, I will own it. I can’t help it. But geez. Why couldn’t they wait for me?

Now I need to know this. What does the Tooth Fairy pay?

After Jake endured yet another seemingly endless political debate between his father and me, it suddenly occurred to me how awful it must be for him to hear us drone on. So I turned and asked, “Jake, who would you vote for? Democrat or republican?”

Jake: Mom, I don’t even know what you’re talking about.

Me: We’re talking about the election for the office of president of the United States. The president is the person who is in charge of the country, makes decisions, and leads America. We’re going to vote for the next president on Tuesday.

Jake: (without missing a beat) I sure hope it’s me.

I just love how this kid thinks. Why shouldn’t it be you little man - in another 40 years or so?

San Diego Momma posed this journaling challenge:

Tell us who you are, what’s inside, where you’re from. Share your memory fragments, those visions in your head, those figments that make you, you. What bits and pieces formed your whole?

I wrote mine, and as I was journaling, Jake wanted to participate too. I think his is much more interesting. It’s fascinating to see how his world is shaping from his point of view.

Journaling reads: (completely his words and no editing by me)

I am from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
I am from applesauce and juice boxes
I am from my family
I am from candy
I am from Wall E
I am from Chester
I am from everybody that I know on the whole earth
I am from robot books
I am from homework
I am from writing
I am from everything
I am from my mom and dad
I am from God.

Happy Birthday Michelle! If you read this today, I hope you’re having the most fabulous birthday ever. Love you.

I live with two boys (and a male alpha dog). And my house is filled with things that boys like. Right now, my lovely, terra cotta tiled sunroom floor is covered with a digital slot car race track. It’s high tech. I should be impressed. But I’m tripping over it to get to my lovely table on my said lovely tiled floor.

This morning, I woke up and decided to be in a good mood. It was my turn to sleep in. So I did. Until 10:30. I never do that. Ever. And it was delicious. I skipped my workout, but there’s tomorrow. I opted instead for time with the boys. That meant going to our property where big and little boys can run free, ride dirt bikes, play with RC cars, and do what boys do.

This is what it looks like:

It was a good day.

I just love the way that sounds. Since lately, everything that is creative seems to have been sucked from my very being, I Googled “blogging inspiration” and came up with The Imagination Prompt Generator. Ok, now imagine me saying it in the voice of Marvin the Martian. Because I can. One click, and here is what it spit out:

Ten Things I Am Pessimistic About (and I am in that kind of mood, so bear with me).

1. The election. Sorry, but I’ve never felt so apathetic. And I’m not un-American. In fact, I consider myself decidedly patriotic. But this is a strange and bizarre time.

2. Healthcare. I am very optimistic about technology and advances in healthcare. So many amazing things have happened in the last 10 years. But I am watching a growing divide form between the quality of care available to those who have means compared to those who don’t.

3. Accountability. Think it will return? I hope so. But the lack of it leaves me in a funk.

4. Economy. There is a bottom. The question is where.

Wait a minute. This is not me. I can’t do this. I’m not a pessimist, and I’ve run out of things to add to my lame list. This is a moment in time. And I am convinced that this phase is going to provide a great opportunity for all of us. It’s a defining moment for our country, an opportunity for greatness.

So next post will be the things I’m grateful for. That will be much easier. Oh, and how much chocolate I plan to score on Friday.

Jake fixes his attention like a laser beam on the latest affections of his little 6 year old self. He is single minded, decidedly type A (hmmmm, wonder how that happened) and the most focused little kid I’ve ever seen. He’s been on a Wall E kick since spring break when we went on vacation and he discovered the little character on the trailers of the Ratatouille video. Coincidentally, it was the same time I met San Diego Momma, Steph, MommyPie and so many others who have drug me right into the blogosphere.

See any parallels?

I digress.

Anyway, this kid wants nothing more than the super ’spensive Wall E robot for Christmas. He’s wanted it since he first heard of the character, and makes me help him Google it and do searches on YouTube so he can see it in action. Wanting to be conservative, I suggested that we not preorder it, thinking it would go on sale closer to Christmas. Instead, I have watched the price go up, not down, as Disney decided to limit production because of the economy.

And so I ask, is it worth it? Do I really want my son to have a robot that is so sophisticated that I’m a little scared of it? What if it makes him a geek? We could get him the cheap one, but he’d totally know the difference. Michael and I have been debating this for the last few days. Is it too much for a six year old?

Jake hasn’t spoke of the beloved toy for awhile now. And then tonight, there was this prayer.

“Dear Jesus, I wish I had Remote Control Wall E but I don’t. I wanted to have it sooner, but I’m working on the money. I’m also happy that Halloween’s coming up.”

Now what am I supposed to do? And just for good measure, he got back out of bed and whispered in my ear, “mom, I’m never going to forget that I love you.”

I’m thinking that we should help Santa do his part to support the economy. Don’t you think?