I've Got My Sister With Me

Francesca of Three Bay B Chicks here today. On Laura's last day of vacation, she allowed me the pleasure of hijacking her blog. Rather than writing my own introduction, I'll just say that I hope Laura doesn't regret giving me this type of power...


As I sat with my sister, Gianna, at an outdoor cafe last week, watching my two toddlers run around, she suddenly turned to me and asked, How old are you? I laughed, I am not really sure. I'm somewhere in my early thirties. How old are you, I asked her. After a few minutes of debate, we calculated that Gianna is 25. I, on the other hand, am 34, and not 32 or 33, as I normally tell people. You're getting old, she joked with me.

Gianna's right. I am not quite the spring chicken that I once was. The years seem to be passing more quickly. Somehow, I ended up married, with two kids, living a fairly normal suburban life. And even though there is a nine year difference between my sister and I, it seems not that long ago that we were living in my parent's house, working on our homework, and eating dinner together every. single. night.

The world is a changed place since the time my sister and I were kids. However, as we have gotten older, the fun lies in looking back and remembering...


Television. For us, this translated to the TGIF line-up on ABC: Step by Step, Family Matters, Full House, and Boy Meets World. Gianna and I lived for Friday night TV. There wasn't a single problem that couldn't be solved in 30 minutes. Everything was right with the world.


Jump rope. When it came to jump rope rhymes, nothing could ever compare to Miss Mary...

...Mack, Mack, Mack, all dressed in black, black, black, with silver buttons, buttons, buttons, all down her back, back, back.
She asked her mother, mother, mother, for fifty cents, cents, cents, to see the elephants, phants, phants, jump over the fence, fence, fence.
He jumped so high, high, high he touched the sky, sky, sky and he didn't come back, back, back til the forth of July, ly, ly.
He jumped so low, ow, ow he stubbed his toe, toe, toe, and that's the end, end, end of the elephants' show, show, show.


Being Green. In our house, this meant watching Captain Planet on Saturday morning TV. Recycling, biodegradable products, sustainable agriculture, what? Captain Planet taught us everything we needed to know about the dangers of toxic waste from nuclear power plants.


Slang. I'm not sure if you can even call it that, but phrases like, talk to the hand, then why don't you marry it?, and I've fallen and I can't get it, really made us laugh.

It was a good life. A time before the MySpace frenzy, Internet & text messaging, Sidekicks & iPods, and even cellphones. Sometimes I look back and think, how did we survive without the million and one different ways to communicate?

My sister and I seemed to manage just fine, laughing through it all. I imagine that we'll still be smiling in the years and decades to come. I've even gone the extra mile and picked up outfits for us when we are old and gray.


If that doesn't keep us laughing, then something will surely be wrong.

-Francesca

Blogging Neighbors

Jill is the kind of witty blogger I wish I could be, but somehow all of the witty ideas in my head never come out when I'm sitting at my computer. So I won't even try. For those of you who have ever wondered....Jill is NOT scary at all in person. In fact, I think she's even funnier and cooler now that I've seen her "live." Isn't it funny that we corresponded for month before figuring out that we lived within an hour of each other?! Thanks, Jill, for filling in for me while on vacation with my mom!

~Lolli
___________________________________________________________________

Although I've only been blogging at Scary Mommy for a year and a half, I can barely remember life before. Somehow, this world I've discovered through my computer has become an enormous part of who I am. Thanks to blogging, I have a new perspective on my days with three children. Before my blog, a kitchen drenched in water or children decorating the house in permanent marker would have driven me to tears, but now these moments are simply blog fodder.

I have discovered a newfound appreciation for photography, something I never understood before. I spend the days trying to document the little moments-- the glances exchanged between siblings or the pure bliss of an ice cream cone.

I have created a baby book of sorts that my children love to read before bed. I hope that, someday, they'll take their own copies to their college dorms or future homes and appreciate the early days we spent together.

Perhaps the best result of a blog is the amazing community I have discovered. I love that I am never alone. Through my blog, I have found that support, sympathy or laughs are never more than a click away. It's really an amazing thing.

Heather Spohr, in the blog post she delivered at BlogHer, spoke of the line between real life friends and blog friends being blurred. They have become the same. I spent last week in Chicago with a slew of good friends whom I met in real life for the very first time. The week before, I met a fabulous group of bloggy neighbors at a nearby park.

When I look at the pictures below, all I see are friends. Great friends, who I just happen to have met through the computer.

Chick Chat Sisters

You will be able to tell right away that my sister Andrea (The Hatchers and Their Hatchling and Andrea Marie Photo) is way cooler than me. And despite the fact that we are both photographers, we are NOT very handy with the video camera. Seriously, I think we had 8 takes and about 2 hours of goofing off in fron tof the camera. We tried outside at the park, at Andrea's house, and finally at my house. Some of the other videos are funnier, but it would have taken me 2 weeks to edit them. I also could have made the video 45 minutes long and included some of the silly stuff, like bribing the kids with Papa John's Pizza to keep them quiet. Or the time when 4 of the kids had their faces pressed up against the sliding door trying to get into the house. Whatever.

A few of the key things that didn't make it into this video:

~Andrea was 12 when I got married


~my sister calls my kids the crazy climbing monkeys
~the Story about a boy and a girl (Andrea is my kids' favorite story teller)


~we are obsessive thrift store shoppers.

So without further babbling, here we are:




Also playing along today are these other sister pairs:

Grand Pooba from Pooba and Lindee from The Orr Family Est. 2006

Christie from My Life…A Work in Progress and Joan from Joan of All Trades

Lolli from Better in Bulk and Andrea from The Hatchers and Their Hatchling and Andrea Marie Photo (that's us!)

Angie from The Arthur Clan and Drew from Happy Chaos

Kacey from Three Bay B Chicks and her sister, Mindy

Tuesday's Tribute with 7 Clown Circus

I hope you are up for a little work today (if you are so inclined).

Not only have I highjacked Lolli's blog so that I can ramble in her turf (isn't it always more fun somewhere else? I'm like that little kid who isn't hungry when the food comes from their house, but offer me food from a friends and I'm suddenly ravenous), I've added my blog carnival here today because I know you all want to play along. Don't you? :)

Here's a little background:




<center><a href="http://angiescircus.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp291/halftimelessons/pinkbutton.jpg" style="border-style: none" alt="Tuesday's Tribute" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></center>

What is it?
Well, we'll tell you what it is NOT... It's Not About YOU. It's about SOMEONE ELSE. It's our chance, each of us, to shine our light on someone else.
Huh? Whaddya mean?
We each spend a lot of time talking about ourselves and our lives, but we are also fairly GIVING people too...Tuesday's Tribute is a chance to talk about OTHER people, OTHER blogs, OTHER lives.
Now's your chance to shine your light on someone else.

Today I'm shining my light on my sister.

(that's her on the right, and me on the left)

I've been meaning to do this for some time, but I've reigned myself in because I have these stories that I want to tell you. I'm just not sure that she'd appreciate me telling you.

There's the one about when we got in a fist fight in the band room in Junior High. It was really more like a hair pulling, kicking fight, but fist fight sounds better. I don't remember ever actually using my fist. I'm pretty sure I got in some mean slaps though.

Or the one about when we were in high school. She was on the top bunk and I was sitting at the desk to the side of the bed. And she got sick. And covered me from head to toe in the nastiest-projection-ever. I would have elaborated that I'm still bitter that not only did she cover me, she pooled it in my shoes as well. I LOVED those shoes.

I would have told you about the time that she and I did my brothers paper route for him at the crack of dawn and trying to go back to sleep when we got home. I'd recount how Rachelle told me that her leg hurt, like something was stinging it, and how like 5 minutes later (I'm not exagurating, I swear) she jumped out of bed because she figured out she was being stung....by a hornet.
I would tell you that when our mom died, if I didn't have her, I think I would have died.

Since she wouldn't want me to tell those stories though, I'm going to keep it short and sweet.

Today I'm tributing my sister because she's amazing and I love her to pieces and my life wouldn't be the same without her. Enough said.

If you'd like to play, go forth and add yourself to MckLinky. It'll be fun. Promise.

A Giant Game Of Deja Vous

Hey! Mama Kat here...I'm jumping in as a guest poster for Lolli this week. I'm not nearly as sweet, but love me through it. Lolli thought it would be fun to go with a sister's theme and I gladly stepped up to the plate. Here goes:

It was so easy to get my little sister Baby to do what I wanted. She was easy to convince. She was agreeable. And she adored me. All three components necessary for sibling manipulation.

I could get Baby to give me her dessert when I finished all of mine after a large spaghetti dinner. I could get her to sneak into the kitchen and steal one of Mom's Tabs for me quietly and discretely. I could convince her to play any game of my liking with the simple threat of not playing with her at all hanging in the air if she so much as whimpered in disagreement. I could get my sister to do or say anything simply because she loved me too much to disagree. (ususally).

We grew up. Happy. Wholly functional. Best friends.

It seemed only natural when I got pregnant a second time, that I would yearn to give Maile a sister too.

And I did. Laina was born and I couldn't wait to see my little girls grow up to be best friends. What I didn't realize was that I had been cast as the "mother" in a giant game of deja vous. I watch my girls in utter disbelief as I am taken back to my childhood day after day.

Maile can get her sister to break a rule instead of breaking it herself and therefore attempts to spare herself from getting into trouble. She laughs hysterically when Laina does something she’s not supposed to be doing (like trying to drink water on all fours from the kitty bowl) or when she falls down and hurts herself. And if Laina is not excited about executing whatever plan Maile has set for her, Maile will say, “you wanna spankin’?? Ok then get me my water… Well do you wanna spankin’?? THEN GET ME MY WATER!!” and the threat that Maile might just stop playing altogether hangs in the air just as it did for me and my sister years ago. She can get her sister to do or say anything simply because Laina loves her too much to disagree. (usually).

I just hope they complete the cycle and grow up happy, wholly functional and best friends. It seems the only natural reward for a mother who currently spends years of her life refereeing.

Out of Office

I'm making a midnight run to the airport tonight. My mom is coming to town! And in celebration of her visit and our trip to Pennsylvania, I am taking a blogging break. Don't worry, though, I am leaving you in good hands while I am off eating chocolate at Hershey Park and ice cream in Lancaster. A few of my favorite people will be guest posting all next week...PLUS, I have scheduled a video of me and my sister to be broadcast on Wednesday's Chick Chat with the 3 Bay B Chicks. You don't want to miss that one.

Actually, maybe you do.

FYI--there will not be a Give Me Your Best Shot posted next Friday, so save up your best shots and we'll swap when I get back in town. Sound good?

I also wanted to introduce all of you to the Blog Frog. You may have noticed the Blog Frog widget in my sidebar. But did you know that the Blog Frog has a brand new, redesigned website? Even if you've been there before, you have got to check it out. And while you are there, stop by my forum and start chatting. It's been too quiet around there, and I know there are questions you'd like to ask me. You can always get to my community and forum by clicking on "Visit the Better in Bulk Community" on my widget. The cool thing about the Blog Frog is that it allows blog readers to interact with each other, and to start discussions outside of what is posted daily on the blog. If you're on twitter, you can follow @rustinb or @hollyk or search the hashtag #blogfrog to see updates and what's going on at BlogHer. Hop on over to the Blog Frog!




Until I get back in town, this is me, signing off......
Chao!

Give Me Your Best Shot - Hiking

Sometimes I am still amazed at the beauty of this place. Growing up in California was fabulous--beautiful--but a trip to the mountains took a couple of hours, and I certainly didn't have anything like this in my back yard:

AJ and I joined some friends for a day trip to a local Falls and lake area on Tuesday. The mountains (granted, they're nothing like the mountains in the West, but they are still considered mountains) are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which in turn are part of the Appalachian Mountain range. There is nothing quite like it.

AJ was excited about the hike, but when we told the kids that we would be crossing over the stream by jumping from rock to rock....well, he was pretty excited. He didn't even mind the fact that one of his feet slipped and got wet.

We did a little (OK--a lot) of off-trail hiking searching for two geocache "treasures" hidden under a fallen tree. Take another look at that first picture. We never found the geocache, but we had fun trying. And we ate a lot of wild raspberries along the way, too.

I obviously didn't take this last picture, but I couldn't NOT include it. I love my buddy.



What have you been photographing this week? I'd love to see your favorite shots. To find out more about Give Me Your Best Shot, read this....And come back to leave the link to your best shot (please link to your actual Give Me Your Best Shot post). And grab my button below so that we can get more people to stop by!

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(I'm also adding this to Photostory Friday!)

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Giddy

Am I giddy? I don't know. I don't think I get truly giddy very often. Giddy is a pretty strong word, and it makes me think of 13 year old giggly girls.

But if I were giddy, I would be giddy about meeting a whole slew of area bloggers last week (Scary Mommy, parenting BY dummies, Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom, Pajamas and Coffee, Barely Domestic Mama, and my friend and neighbor Living in Maryland). And I didn't even have to fly to Chicago for it!

Lara (from Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom) and I are both Fishful Thinking ambassadors....another thing that I'm kind of giddy about. Except that I'm not giddy about the fact that this week the program officially ends. I'm going to miss it.

Lara and me!

The reason behind this bloggers meet-up was to film an end-of-program Fishful Thinking interview video (being on camera is NOT something that makes me giddy) and we decided to see how many other women we could gather together at the last minute. I was pretty giddy when people said yes.

I was also feeling giddy when someone asked if the chocolate chip cookies that I had baked for the lunch were homemade. "Wow, they taste like they're from a store!" I considered it a compliment. :)
I'm giddy that my friend, Safire, is back in town. We've been keeping busy. She makes sure that I don't get bored.

I'm also giddy about meeting Jill (Scary Mommy), who I have been emailing a lot lately. I think we emailed for a month before we discovered that we live in the same state. Crazy. I'm giddy about what we're planning....and I'm giddy about the fact that although I won't be in Chicago for BlogHer this weekend, I will be meeting more of my eBFFs in Las Vegas on my birthday in October.

Me and Jill

PS--if you haven't clicked on any of my Fishful Thinking links lately, go peruse the links on the right sidebar over there------>> They will eventually be gone. And they really are filled with amazing ideas--articles, activities (and even a chance to win $10,000!). I would be giddy for sure if I stayed in the top 10 for the program. :)

This post was inspired by MamaKat's writing prompt, "What are YOU giddy about?" Go see what other people are saying today.....

Gimme Some WNBA Basketball! Washington Mystics Game

I have a daughter who is obsessed with basketball, and despite her height she's actually pretty good at the game. So when we had the opportunity to go to the Washington Mystics WBNA game (vs the New York Liberty) at the Verizon Center in DC, I jumped at the chance. It didn't even take much to convince CandyMan to come along with us.

And thank goodness CandyMan came with us because I don't know if I would have survived the adventure alone with my 5 kids.

We got a "slightly" late start. A friend from Palestine was in the area for the day, and we were having too much fun visiting. We got to the Verizon Center without too much hassle (thanks to my husband, who knows DC streets. It would have been a nightmare for me!) and found the parking garage. And here's where the story gets exciting. The parking attendant would not let us in without paying the $25 pre-paid parking fee or handing him a little green card. I explained to him that we were supposed to get a parking voucher with the tickets, and so he allowed us to pull the van over to the side while I "ran" up to will call to get the tickets.

Up at will call, I was directed from window 2 to window 8. Window 8 had a line. I waited until it was my turn, told her my name, and watched her skim through the entire will call box. "Could it be under another name?" she asked. I gave her everything I could think of: Better in Bulk, One2One, 1momof5, Lolli.......Nothing. I went back to the garage away empty handed.

I figured it was worth calling the contact I had for the event (thank goodness I'd written it down!). She didn't answer. So I went back to the line and asked again about the contact person. Apparently, that sparked something, because she disappeared for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the contact called back and told me that they would be with the Mystics reps (the ones at window 2!). The lady came back with our tickets (what a relief!), and I walked away towards the parking garage. Wait! No parking voucher. Shoot.

Back to window 2 to ask about parking. A few minutes later, I was walking back the the garage, fuming that my name had been on the list that the parking attendant had in his hand the whole time. Thanks for checking, dude.

Herded everyone inside. Picked up hot dogs. Got the last 6 hot dogs at the concession stand. Had to visit another one on our way to the seats. Finally sat down.


We were almost immediately visited by a rep who gave us all swag bags full of basketball fun-ness. The kids were in heaven, and I was quickly relaxing. Hot dogs, chips, soda, and basketball maracas. What could be better?

The game ended sooner than we would have liked, but it was still great enough for Necco (my basketball lover) to declare this "the best night of the whole summer." And our team won by one point. Talk about an exciting, energy-filled ending!

And THAT was before we met two of the players and got their autographs. Necco's walls are now covered with Mystics paraphernalia. She can't wait to go back.

And, who can beat a view like this on your way home?


Thank you, One2One Network, for sending us to the game! It was not without it's challenges, but it was well worth it! We can't wait to go to another game.

(PS--was that Wordful enough?)

The Best Taco Salad Recipe Ever

When I saw that the MckLinky Blog Hop theme for this week was recipes, I decided it had been far too long since I had shared a recipe. I skimmed through my recipe blog (which has been as neglected as my dinners lately) and found this recipe for Taco Salad that had my mouth watering instantly.


My Mom made this for us growing up, and it is one of those recipes that I have continued to make for my own family. I simply love it! The only thing I've added over the years is the can of black beans. It stretches the meat filling. Yum!

Brown together 1 lb ground beef and 1 small onion, chopped
Add:
6 oz can tomato paste
8 oz can tomato sauce
3 6-oz cans of water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp each: oregano, chili powder, and cumin

Cover and simmer slowly for 40 minutes. Add 1 cup cooked white rice and a can of black beans.

Serve on top of fritos corn chips and garnish with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, ranch dressing, sour cream, avacado, or any combination of the above! Beware: it really adds up—don’t overload that plate! ?

How CandyMan likes to eat it:

How Reese likes to eat it:

Can you imagine what a great collection of recipes there will be after this week?

What's YOUR favorite recipe? Feel free to visit my recipe blog to see what else we like to cook!