Secret Service Agents, Cheese Samples on Pretzel Sticks and a Scary Twinkie Cowboy

All I wanted was a roast, people. Really.

Our new grocery store, Kroger, opened today. The sign out front read "Grand Opening." Hmmm, the inner bargain shopper in me immediately thought "deals"...so off I go. There are some discounts that are just not worth it, folks.

First of all, this is no normal grocery store. This was a department store/shopping mall that happened to have some canned goods and frozen items. As I passed through the front doors, I was pelted with a flurry of "WELCOME!!!'s" and was handed a stack of flyers, entry forms, sales ads.

Wow.

Juggling my paperwork, I grabbed a shopping cart and proceeded among the stream of shoppers who were, like me, trying to find their way into the store. At every turn, there was a sample station which clogged the aisles--making it nearly impossible to pass. I'm sorry, but I do not have it in me to wait in line for a thumb-sized morsel of Sara Lee pound cake but apparently I am alone in that thought.

There was the world's largest Chiquita Banana display (I kid you not, it was printed in one of the flyers), the bed and bath department, and the picket-fenced in area near the greeting cards with adirondack chairs and a double-decker fountain. A fountain?

What intrigued me the most was the enormous amount of FBI/Secret Service-looking corporate employees...all clad in crisp black suits and wearing walkie-talkie-earpieces as if guarding the life of the President himself.

"Aisle 4B. Roger that." Roger that? What in the world is happening in Aisle 4B? Did a jar of pickle relish break or is a peace treaty being signed?

It's anyone's guess.

Every single check-out lane was open with perky cashiers chirping happy thoughts and wishes and inquiring about my experience. As anyone who has known me for 5 minutes is aware, I am ALL about some customer service. But even this was over-the-top for me.

I am just waiting for the time when I can come in, try to find a buggy that does not have a leftover drink cup in it, find my way to the meats without exchanging pleasantries with a costumed character and then wait in line for the cashier in the only lane that is open.

That's when it will really feel like a true trip to the grocery store should.

That is, after I sit for a spell next to the fountain reading magazines.

It's a Miracle, A True Blue Spectacle...

OK...sorry for the Barry Manilow song lyrics title...it's seriously what gets stuck in my head when I think about the fact that my 14 month slept in his crib for ELEVEN HOURS last night without waking. Woo hoo!!!

I know in my absence I haven't been updating you on the situation that is my child's penchant for waking at 2:30am and REFUSING to go back to sleep unless he comes into our room. Before you jump all over me :) I TRIED. I've rocked the child for hours. I've slept on the floor next to his crib. I've held him and paced the floors...antyhing to get him back in his bed. No dice.

BUT! Alas, we may have turned a corner!Last night,he slept from 7:15pm to 6:30am. In his OWN BED. Which effectively means that Momma neither had a foot in her back nor a finger up her left nostril. Both of which can make for a less-than-restful night's slumber.

It's a miracle...11 hours in his own bed. Woo hoo. Let us pray this is a NEW phase we're in.

:)

Reflections on Your Seventh

I thought about something as I woke this morning
That you have now been on this Earth seven years
With five of those years being spent in our family

But that is entirely untrue

Like we've always talked about
You were born in my heart instead of my tummy
And my heart knew you
And loved you
Long before your time here on Earth

And seven years ago I have no doubt
My heart smiled on this day
Knowing my son had come into this world
And that is the day our journey began
Our journey to find each other...

Flesh and blood do not always a bond make
But you, my child, are a reflection of me
We are one in the same you and I
Our determination and, yes, stubborness
The spark of mischief in your eye
So reminiscent of my own

Your competitive nature so familiar to me
And your humor and your laugh
Always desiring to be among friends
You are a delight to me child
You are a piece of me, of my heart
And on this, your seventh year,
I celebrate all that you are...

...every wiggly, goofy, determined, loving, stubborn,
funny, frustrating, sweet and wonderful ounce of you.

I celebrate you today.

~Momma

One of Those Times

I've written before about those little nuggets of time that make life just a little more than ordinary. These seem to pop up when you least expect it--making them all the more special.

I did not expect to have one of these moments as I waited for the bus with my son Daniel this morning.

Because it's so cold outside, I offered Daniel a drive down to the end of our long driveway so he could be warm while he waited for his bus. He eagerly accepted the offer. So, clad in my PJ's, we scurried to the car, cranked it up and and made our way down to the road.

As soon as we came to a stop, one of my favorite songs came on. If you haven't heard it, "I'm Yours" by Jason Marz is an upbeat, almost reggae-like song and, before I knew it, Daniel and I were bobbing our heads and singing along.

This may not seem like an earth-shattering, hallmark-card kind of moment but it was that and more. Because I got to spend a few precious moments with my son...not nagging him to brush his teeth or do homework, not getting onto him for throwing his basketball in the house...no this was just Daniel and Mommy time. We sang, we laughed and simply had a ball. When Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You" came on next I even taught it to him in sign language (cause it's the only song I know in sign language thanks to an old boyfriend). Capping it off with a stellar air drum solo just as the bus pulled up, he kissed me goodbye and hopped out of the car.

I watched my child climb onto the big yellow bus and then I put my car in reverse and slowly backed up the driveway. We had done more than just wait on his school bus. We made a memory he and I....a memory of head bobbing and air drumming and laughing together.

Those are the times I live for.