Remember the time I missed out on BlogHer Chicago 2009 and was so sad?  Remember the time Sister Cousin Amy was here for Camp Runamukah?  Remember when I used to have time to post timely posts?  Remember when I was a decent enough writer that I didn’t have to use the same word multiple times in one sentence?  Remember the time I didn’t ask so many effing questions!!?

Grip gotten.

OK so when Amy was here for Camp, we decided to have our own BlogHer conference with our then virtual, now REAL friend Ann (Zeghsy) who also happens to live in Madison. 

We are pretty sure our conference was just like the Chicago one.  Almost.  Close.  75% like it, for sure!

Just like Chicago, we had a group of Bloggers; Zeghsy, myself and Amy.  

Just like BlogHer Chicago we ate gourmet food (Noodles and Company) with refined company (two nine year old’s, one six year old and a one very fine three year old.)

Just like BlogHer Chicago we also had wild and crazy activities.  However, substitute wine and Cosmos for ice lattes and Diet Coke.  In addition substitue panels of amazing women talking about their lives, with going to a huge playground in a feeble attempt to talk while the children played.

Also like BlogHer Chicago, BlogHer Madison had some great photo ops…

taken by our very talented and skilled photographer. 

BlogHerMadison was so fun that we might just make it an annual thing.  Yes, just like that other (real) BlogHer. 
Although next year, instead of Madison or New York, the destination will be Seattle! 

Who’s in?  Reserve your non-existent $0 tickets now!

In honor of this being one of the best summers I can remember, I am saying goodbye to my favorite season with as much gusto as a firework finale.

PLANS! BAM! WE HAVE PLANS! KAPOW! GO HERE! POW! GO THERE! POW!

For a girl who normally doesn’t travel that much, my addled brain thought it would be a great idea to do a Tri-State tour in these last few weeks of summer.  Sadly, my car doesn’t give me frequent flier miles.
Last weekend it was Minneapolis, tomorrow it’s Chicago and next weekend, for Labor Day, it’s Northern Wisconsin.

Don’t get me wrong, these are all very fun activities but sweet mother of Judea, a Saturday without two hours in a car would be interesting.

It’s not just the traveling.  I have literally been going for two weeks straight.  Ben and I haven’t been home before 8:30 pm for, well, so long I can’t remember.   In fact, last night, I was supposed to get together with TBFDE and some friends who wanted to meet this human who actually wants to DATE ME.

That was until this very mature, 37 year old, mother of one, found herself not playing in the sandbox very nicely.  In fact, rumor has it, she was throwing sand!

You see, yesterday over my lunch hour, with what felt like a vice around my temples, I tried to pack in at least three hours of errands into one and came dangerously close to tears when Doris, my friendly Walgreen’s cashier, said I couldn’t combine my coupons.

When a Walgreen’s employee makes the tears start to well up in your eyes an intervention is needed.  You have hit rock bottom.

Once in the safety of my car I said out loud (which is what the mentally insane are wont to do) “This is ridiculous, Becky.  Something has to give…”

So that’s how I cancelled plans with TBFDE (who rocks even more because not only did he totally understand, he was SWEET about it) told my friends they could meet the Mythical Creature Known As Matt later, picked up the boy from Camp Grandma and Grandpa, raced home and proceeded to lock ourselves in the apartment by 5:15.

It was heaven and just what I needed to recharge my batteries for Chicago (GO CUBS!), the start of school, the start of baseball and soccer fall season and the first meeting of TBFDE’s friends.

Yes this self induced “Time Out!” was quite necessary.  I needed to make sure things were kept at a “throwing-sand” level rather than escalating to the ”using-one’s-shovel-as-a-weapon” level.  That one is harder to explain.

Wordless (Better Late Than Never) Wednesday

Last night I introduced The Best First Date Ever to Ben. I probably should work on a better nickname for him. Or maybe just call him T.B.F.D.E for short.

What better way to get boys to know each other than in a setting where they can interact but don’t really have to talk. This is also known as SPORTS!
Ben and I were playing catch in the park when, weird, TBFDE showed up. With his glove no less. (OK this is getting annoying. Matt. His name is Matt.)

I backed off and let the boys do their thing. Every once in awhile I would get a courtesy “Girl Toss”. God forbid I missed it or it hit my glove wrong and therefore hurt. That’s when the true bonding between those two started. Hey if it takes laughing at me to bond, laugh until the cows come home.

Somehow I got them to stop playing long enough to get ice cream. Amazingly that was a very difficult task to do. If it was a couple of girls you would just have to think ICE CREAM and they would come running. Not these guys. In fact they continued to throw the ball as we walked to the ice cream shop. It was mildly annoying as I was worried I was going to get hit but it was also endearing enough to quell my “getting hit in the kidney with a baseball” fear.

When they finished their ice cream (and I “helped” Matt with his shake) Ben and I invited Matt to come over and hang out. My normally shy boy sat right next to Matt on the couch talked in detail about his baseball game on the DS.

At one point in the middle of their love fest, Ben asked for more water. I said, “Sure but what do you say?” He smiled and said, “Please Mom?” and off I went. Only to get into the kitchen to hear him say on the sly to his new BFF, “My mom will do anything if you just say ‘Please’.”

And that, my dear friends, is the very reason the boy doesn’t meet more of the men I date.
That and the simple fact that none have been as “meet and greet” worthy as TBFDE.

This post is inspired by the fantastic first date I had on Tuesday night and the perma-grin I have had glued on my face ever since…

10) you have to go to the bathroom so bad but don’t want to miss a beat of conversation; so by the time you finally go you can barely walk and hope he doesn’t notice that you look like his great aunt Bessie waddling.

9) while securely in your stall you give a large fist pump and mouth “YES!”

even though you are in a college town and therefore 15 size-four-21-year-old’s walk into the bar you’re in, your date doesn’t bat an eye as he continues to look only at you.

7) your cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling so much.

6) the only time you look at your watch is to pray the night isn’t over yet.

5) the only time he looks at his phone is when he gets a text message from YOU while he was in the bathroom. He says nothing as he reads it. Just smiles a huge smile and leans over to give you a kiss.

4) even though you have only just met and been together for no more than three hours, you already have inside jokes.

3) the “good night kiss” at your car takes your breath away.

2) once at home he writes the sweetest message to you on your Facebook wall. For all the world to see and admire.

1) you don’t need to look at any of these “signs” to realize this was The Best First Date Ever because you already know in your gut that it was.  And you can’t wait for the next one.

Wordless Wednesday

Dear Summer,
Hey! Where’d ya go?

I just went into my bedroom to change for the big Fourth of July parade only to come downstairs and have it be the end of August. What happened?
Camp is over, back to school clothes have been purchased and I’m registering Ben for fourth grade on Thursday! Not to mention all my library books are now due in September.

I guess all good things have to come to an end but before you go I wanted to thank you for a really great, well, YOU!
Some may have thought you were sort of on the cool side this year but I love the new you. Keep it up! That high in the 90’s with 100% humidity is so 2000 and late.

I know you aren’t over quite yet. In fact I still have this weekend where I’m going to Minneapolis to pretend it’s 1994 and party with a lamp shade on my head. (Yes I really did that, can we move on now?) and then there is NEXT weekend where Ben and I are going to the Cubs game at Wrigley Field.  But you already know all that since you are the all knowing, sunny, warm and powerful SUMMER!

So thanks again, Summer. 

Oh and one more thing, on your way out. Could you please remind Fall to man up and try to last longer than three weeks?  And if you wouldn’t mind putting Old Man Winter in a good mood however you crazy seasons do your thang… I’d appreciate that too. Maybe spike his hot chocolate.

You’re the best, Summer.
I miss you already.

Love
Me

I am a terrible person. I have so much to do including uploading pictures from “BlogHer Madison Style” and posting about it. And of course there is the ever growing pile of laundry and that pesky child of mine that needs to be fed. But I can’t help myself. I’m obsessed. Over a woman no less. She’s just so cute and feisty I can’t help myself.

I love me some Sally.

Have you met her before?

She has this Spa and you have to make sure to make all the customers happy. If you do that you make more money and with more money you can buy new things and with new things you can make customers happy who will then tip you more and… WHOA. Breathing is important.

Because in all true addictions you have to blame someone (right?) I blame this solely on Cousin Sister Amy. When she was here for Camp, she showed me this cute little app on her iPhone and said “Oh have you ever played ‘Sally Spa‘? You have to! It’s so much fun.”

Well then my mother just had to run out and get an iTouch. Because really the poor woman only has one desktop, two laptops, a Wii, and a palm so duh, of course she NEEDED an iTouch. And then once again that Amy girl had to open her big mouth and say, “Aunt Natalie, you have to add Sally Spa!”

My mother did, I played it once and that ladies and gentlemen was all she wrote. The fat lady sang loud and clear. I was hooked.

I found myself asking to go over to my parents house just so I could get my hands on “Mr. Touch.” I fought with my kid on who’s turn it was. Mature Parent of One? Your table is now available.

Because my poor poor mother had no time on her OWN new toy she suggested we buy and download the game on our PC’s. Which was pretty much like taking an alcoholic into an open bar with free booze that never closes.

And that is how, my dear friends, last night, after playing for, oh, I don’t know, one million hours I finally went to bed at one million o’clock with both hands and forearms in massive Carpal Tunnel pain. That’s the downside of being ambidextrous… I was switching between hands, depending on which one hurt less. Therefore this post has taken me 3.5 hours to write because I’m pecking it out with my chin. I have never been more envious of Jay Leno.

Like all obsessions I promise I’ll get a grip. But if I don’t answer your emails, don’t play my turn on Lexulous or don’t come to the door when you knock, it’s because I have 5 customers who are waiting to get into the sauna and don’t even get me started on how many are waiting to check out!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Today I went back to work after being off for what seemed like a month. I rarely take week long vacations and this one was even longer than that! I left work in July and came back almost in the middle of August.

Dudes, work is hard.

My alarm went off this morning at a time that should only be reserved for roosters and the Dunkin’ Doughnut Man. Who gets up this early? Ben and I were both staggering and puffy eyed.

My car was on autopilot going to the office.  Which is good because I’m pretty sure I was still asleep.
When I got to work I realized that I actually HAD WORK to do! LOTS of it!  What? You mean I can’t come in to a clean desk and a Inbox that says (0)? How rude.

Don’t even get me started on a lunch HOUR. Only an hour?  And then back to that office thing that looks like a prison cell cozy room with computers and a fax machine? Why isn’t my lunch at the pool? Why aren’t there lots of kids around me? Where is the concession stand? WHERE IS MY POOL!?

And then there’s the “Having To Wear Pants All Day” rule. Totally lame. And the “Can’t Play Facebook Games All Day” rule. Harsh.

At 1:30pm I yawned and declared “NAP TIME!”  I went to turn off the lights and find my blanket but Josh gave me a weird look, a shake of his head and led me gently back to my desk.

At 2:37pm I looked again at this co-worker guy and said, “So how long does this “Work Day” thing last?”

Somehow I made it. Barely but I did.  However I heard an evil rumor I have to do the exact same thing tomorrow. And the day after that, and the day after that…

Dear Vacation,

I miss you.

Love,

Me