Life After 30

Some of you already know that I have been anticipating my 30th birthday this summer with a mix of dejection, superstition and dread. All that changed last night with a wise revelation from a childhood idol Cyndi Lauper, or as I referred to her back then, Cyndi Lobster (hey... she had bright red hair and I was 5). I was in a state of self-pity over not being able to attend Zumba class because Rich unexpectedly had to work late, when I decided to do something out of character: sit and watch TV. It was during a dramatic scene of Celebrity Apprentice that Cyndi revealed that nothing happened for her until she was 30. She said, "Sometimes life begins AFTER you're 30." A quick Wikipedia search confirmed this. Cyndi Lauper was 30 when her breakthrough album was released,  resulting in a previously unprecedented (for a female artist) 5 consecutive Top 20 singles. The multi-colored hair, outrageous apparel, tassel bra worn OVER her shirt, her romp with the Goonies and the release of her iconic anthem of "girls having fun" were all done by a woman 30+. Hurrah!! Not that I have aspirations of becoming a pop icon or that it would even be a possibility. If anything, it validates my current behavior and future desires to adventure and experience life and new opportunities. So my friends 30+ or close to it, enjoy this video with the thought in mind that most likely ALL of the women in this video are over 30. So dress up, run wild, dance while cruising the sidewalk, pursue your dreams and be free because I don't think we should ever grow out of wanting to have fun nor actually having it. Middle age .... bring it on!!

Dollar Store Extravaganza

Since David had diligently completed all the tasks on his chore chart for the last few weeks, he was rewarded with a trip to the Dollar Store. It's amazing how cheap child labor can be! The boys were ecstatic to be able to roam the store and choose any single item they wanted. David carefully took inventory of the store's contents and settled on a bag of bugs, convinced he was maximizing his dollar purchase by getting the most items in one. Jack chose an alternate strategy of piling all of the desirable items on the floor of an aisle (and screaming when I attempted to put anything back) then settled on, amidst many toys and a package of kleenex with Buzz Lightyear on the cover (those devious marketers), a double package of soap. Coast soap. I have no idea why. He ignored my explanations that his item could neither be eaten, nor played with. He was not about to be swayed in his decision. So David and I agreed to let him take home the coveted happy face balloon too in the hopes that it would cheer Jack up once he realized the limitations of his Dollar Store purchase. He loved the balloon but not as much as he loves his soap. Still, a week later, he carries it everywhere tucked under his arm (still in its original plastic wrapping) and snuggles up to it at night.  He won't go to bed without his panda bear and his COAST SOAP. These boys never cease to surprise me! 

Easter Rocks & Confetti Eggs

Despite the stormy, cold weather, our Easter was bright and fun-filled. The festivities began with egg coloring. Jack took over the task of dropping the egg into the dye, usually sending splashes all over and leaving cracks in the egg (which made the colors look even cooler with lightning bolt-looking streaks). It was worth the giggles, though, that erupted from both boys each time. David considered his placement of face stickers carefully on his eggs, while Jack attempted to cover his solely in multiple pairs of eyes. 

Then Easter morning we were surprised to find Grandma Pam and Grandpa Rick lurking in our front yard. They were secretly hiding some Easter treasures until I spotted them out the window. Actually, since my contacts weren't in yet, I spotted colorful blobs who could have actually been bunnies (or our neighbors) for all I knew, so their covert mission could have been completed unsuspected. Thinking the jig was up, they joined us inside for a visit. It worked out for the best because they were able to see the kids' cute reactions and our gratitude over the beautiful bouquet of flowers (for me) and the package of bologna (for Rich). They know what we like! 

Then we headed to Uncle Mort and Aunt Lacie's for Mort's savory salmon dinner and an egg hunt that was equally fun for the adults. Jack, still not grasping the concept excitedly darted around the yard, ignoring the colorful eggs and collecting large rocks in his basket instead. We all enjoyed the confetti eggs, which were smashed on heads until everyone was covered in enough confetti to cause us to leave trails of it everywhere we walked for the remainder of the day. David, convinced that ALL of the eggs were confetti-filled was found stomping on and smashing REAL eggs, which everyone found amusing (good thing they were hard-boiled) except cousin Eli who had carefully painted those eggs to display. Lacie provided the kids with surprise filled baskets and these amazing talking eggs that call to you until you find them. We've been simulating hunts with those eggs everyday since. Genius! The boys also received a prize in the mail from Grandma K and returned to little Easter bags from mom and dad (last year they were buckets... one of these years we will upgrade to actual baskets). The hunt included simple readable words for David to put together to discover where the bags were. It was amazing how well he read with such an incentive! (THE BIG BAG IS IN THE CAR IN THE BACK. GO GET IT!)