Life Changing News . . .

Today in my SPAM folder I had an email.

 It is quite possibly life changing.  See . . . I received an email from Joseph Kentwa.  Joseph was emailing me to let me know my life will never be the same.

I am a millionaire!

You Have to Promise . . .

Last Friday night we went to dinner with some school families.  We decided to meet immediately after the International Festival was over for an early dinner. 

I have a small group of good girlfriends.  Ones you can confide in, who have your back, who you and your children do things with.  Almost all of my good friends have only boys. Once they hit 1st or 2nd grade - you really only know the mom who have the same sex as your child.  Gone are co-ed birthday parties, sports teams, parties, play dates all are the same sex.  There is only one of my good friend with a daughter my son's age, 10.

My friend, with a daughter, and I met four shorts years ago.  We both happened to be at the same event for new families to the school.  We set at a table near the back and another couple asked to sit with us.  It was both out first year at the school . . . we both had 1st graders . . . we both had the same teacher!  We hit it off . . .

Many meals, girl's night out, play dates, Christmas parades, charity galas and volunteer shifts later . . . we are still good friends.  Our kids are close.  We see each other often.  We talk often and we are good cheerleaders for each other.

Second One . . .

There were many years between baby number one and baby number two.  I was infact - certain there wouldn't be a number two.  I stood in Houston's . . . on Beltline . . . talking with a friend of my MIL . . . and she asked "so, will you have any more children?"  NO . . . NO - We are done.  My MIL is an only child . . . my husband is an only child . . . and I was certain . . . we would have only one child!

I have found in life - as soon as you make proclimations, life pulls a fast one.  While making my proclamations on no more babies . . . I was already pregnant.

Pinterest . . . The New Martha Stewart

Damn you  . . . Martha Stewart.

For years Martha showed us how the top 1% of crazy, bitchy, over achievers do it.  And for as many years as I can remember . . . I have wanted to be her! I TRIED to be her!  One problem . . .

I don't possess Martha's  . . .

ability to bake

ability to garden

ability to craft

ability to reupholster furniture

ability to whip up a five course meal with just mayo, frozen pizza, lime juice and freezer burned pork ribs. 

I Failed Him . . .

I failed him . . . clearly I did!  It is all my fault!

I have previously mentioned we were going to have Jake re-tested.  We want to figure out if his testing results were a fluke or a trend.

We feel it was important for us to know - we would hate to set him up to fail by placing him in a very rigorous school, or cut him short - based on one test that we are not so sure was an accurate picture of his intelligence.

Therefore . . . last Saturday, while Goo, Mimi, Scoots and I were at the St. Patty's Day Parade, Jake was being retested.

The tester did a series of test.  She used the Stanford Binet IQ test, a Kindergarten readiness test and a visual/vocabulary test.

Previously he was tested on the WPSII-3 IQ test.  You might wonder why didn't he take this test again.  Ethically, he can't.  There is an assumed learning, called a halo effect, about the test once someone takes it.  I am not sure how accurate this is since the test administrator doesn't tell the kids if they get it right or wrong - she just marks her paper accordingly.  BUT . . . for this to be a fair process - we had a different IQ test performed.  This IQ test is still being used by the top private girls school for Jake's age, among a few others.  It is still widely used across the US, just not by the CATS Texas testing organization, the same organization that tested Jake the first go around.

Good . . . Clean . . . Fun . . .

FOR YEARS, my mother hounded me.  She wanted to take our oldest to the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Greenville Avenue, here in Dallas. 

For probably the same amount of years, my sister and her friends have had a "float" in the parade . . . and I want to use "float" in the loosest sense of the word!  It is more like a . . . delivery device . . . for a throng of green beer drinkers . . . to get from point A to point B.  They even have a port - o - potty!!

I protested for years . . . years!  I'd say things like "I don't want him exposed to all that alcohol."  "I don't want him to see alcohol glamorized", clearly I thought green beer could be!  "I don't want him exposed to all that trash and nonsense."

Spring Break . . .

I wanted more from this Spring Break . . . in fairness, I want more from all of them.  But I am not willing to make the sacrifice.

Long ago we established a trend on Spring Break.  My husband would schedule trials, depositions, mediations, settlement negotiations during Spring Break.  It generally forces the other side to compromise since they want to leave town.  Usually speaking - he gets favorable results with this tactic.

In typical form - he did the same this year - and guess what it worked so well - he is all settled, negotiated, mediated and trialed up - and now he has nothing going on this week.

Despite My Best Efforts . . .

I was just watching Bethenny Ever After . . . in full disclosure - I wasn't EVER going to watch her show especially since I am a Team Jill fan. Clearly - not only have I seen season 1 - I am knee deep in season 2.

Go ahead say it . . .

1 - I watch ALOT of TV, especially late at night

2 - I draw ALOT of ideas from my TV shows.

Who better to dispense advice?

So, I am watching Bethenny . . . and she is having marriage issues - WHO DOESN'T?

But what I find most compelling about her story each week is the therapy part of it. I love how she seems raw in it. I like how the therapist pokes at her - cracks her shell and she as well as the watchers are better for it.

Not Gonna Deny it . . . .I am sad!

Not gonna deny it . . . I am sad.

Approximately two months ago I wrote about our youngest applying for private school.  We got our answer today.

So, I am sitting here in my study, the lights are low, blinds open and it is raining outside. AND . . . I am sad.  I am going to give myself the time to write this to be sad and then I am moving on.  Enough of this . . .

See, he is in a great school - we have been happy with his school.  We cannot argue with the success they have with their students.  I highly recommend his school to families looking.  We just wanted our boys at the same school - a 12 year school.

Love it . . . and Hate it!

 OK . . . so I love this and . . . I totally hate it all at the same time.

When Scoots was about 3 I attended a January training through the Junior League of Plano, now JLCC. As a member who HAD to attend three meetings within a year, I could attend January training or learning sessions and it counted toward my total of meetings attended.

So, I went with some girlfriends to the Love and Logic training. We arrive at the JL office, after having had dinner and a couple of drinks, for our training. We sat on the right about mid back. My entire Provisional Year, I was back row Betty, perhaps it was the drinks that made me move closer to the front.

We had a speaker who was probably early 40s. She had on a demin prairie skirt (my sister is gagging herself right now - demin . . . prairie . . . skirt) a long sleeve, thin shirt material blouse, not tucked in but buttoned up the front with probably .25 inch lace trim on the cuffs and collar. She had mousy brown hair just beneath her shoulder with the top part pulled back in a clip. She was semi-petite in height and probably mid to average build.

Immediately, I see we are nothing alike. She could have come from the Little House on the Prairie set; I am rolling in to the meeting in a very different getup!

She tells us her name and that she is Jewish. She says she has 9, COUNT THEM 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 - NINE, children, oh and 1 on the way. No, she was not from the Duggar clan. She laughs that they had to buy a used extended cab van to hold the family for going to Church.

I think . . . "BLESS HER HEART!"

Girl . . . Friends ? ? ?

Just to recap . . .

Here are the players in this tragedy . . .

Me -

GCG - Good Christian Girl - mom of two, beautiful girls - both promised to my boys . . . another story, both she and her husband have full time jobs that pay and she has flexibility during the day.

SG - Single Girl - Works a full time job, no children, travels freely, extremely dedicated to family and friends but expects the same in return.

PRG - Practical, Reliable Girl - has two boys, she worked until having children, husband is a VP of a small company, they are comfortable.

UTG - Up Town Girl - has one early elementary school age child, husband is very successful, and she is very busy but does not have a job.

So . . . and we are sad . . Our friend isn't the same girl we grew up with. That we went to school with, that was a bridesmaid in our wedding. She is different from who we know her to be . . . we are at a loss.

Girl . . . Friends?

It is Sunday night . . . the house is quiet!  Both of my sweet baby boys are fast asleep, and I am grateful for it! It was a long Sunday!

My husband who is also an early to bed/early to rise (how did I marry this type?) kind of guy is laying next to me.  He also is fast asleep but I am watching the latest episode of Khloe & Lamar! I love me some reality TV, cannot explain why, and it is only certain reality TV.  I am going to save that for another day . . .


Khloe & Lamar . . . in this episode Khloe is taking the "taking care of my man" a little too far.  She means well, but he is feeling like it crushes his manhood . . . COME ON Lamar . . . just get over the fact she cares for you a little too much and move on . . .