Desert Thunderstorms

So we finally got a decent thunderstorm last night.


We've had several predictions for thunderstorms in the last few weeks... but none that actually managed to push over the mountains and into the valley.


Last nights was a big one.


Sitting there watching it I realized two things.

1. I love thunderstorms. It's like mother nature washing all the dust and heat away. There was actually enough rain to hear it as it hit the roof. There's nothing better. (sidenote... it's Las Vegas... with the never-ending hum of air conditioning units - it's rare that we are actually able to hear the rain hit the roof. It's really got to be pouring!)


2. My son does not love thunderstorms. He was scared shitless. These are the problems with being raised in an environment in which you only see 3" of rain annually. He doesn't enjoy it in any way. Add to that the fact that he's a little oversensitive to sound already and we had a recipe for disaster. (My solution??? Just offer to let him watch School of Rock with Jack Black at bedtime with the volume up extra loud.)

Anything Jack Black = Thunderstorms Forgotten.

The Miracle of a Hat That Fits.

Well I've done it.

I've actually finished a hat (on the first try) that properly fits my head!

I'll be honest, it's a tiny bit big.

But the beauty of it is that it's a beret. It's okay if it's a little big.

Here's what I started with.

I really wasn't sure if it was going to be anywhere near the right size since I decided to take it on on straight needles and not the circular the pattern called for.

(I know, I know, I could've worked out the gauge in advance, but what's the fun in that?)

Here's where I was at last night. I had just begun decreasing at this point.

I finished it this morning! I was so damn darn (oops... Michael just came in a proof read my post and insisted that I immediately remove that improper adjective) proud of myself, I actually wanted to wear it to work. 115 degrees be damned!

Here's the back (well, due to my lack of self photography skills it's more like a side/back.)

What's even more awesome? This took me no time at all to make! I actually think I'm going to tackle a second one before we leave tomorrow night to bring as a gift for a good friend who may have stood up with me in Hawaii in March as my super amazing maid of honor.

And maybe a third one in a brighter color for me!

Actually, I'll probably get plenty of wear with this super sweet beret in Buffalo next week. (The high is only in the upper 70's.) That's about 40 degrees cooler than I'm used to.

Ahhh... success feels oh so good!!!

Michael's Sweet New Do

It had been a while since Michael had had a haircut.

He's got this unruly, slightly wavy head of hair that starts to curl into his ears when it grows out.

Of course, he loves it this way.

Me... I say it's 115 degrees outside and he should keep it short, especially in the summer.

Today... after weeks of begging him to agree to cut his hair, he finally gave in and we headed to "the hair place" as he calls it.

The only way I was able to talk him into it was by reminding him that we were going to Buffalo and that it's humid there. Humid = sweat = tangles. It worked.

Here he is right before. I know, it's cute all shaggy like that, but it's a nightmare to comb out in the morning. (I can not imagine what it's like having a daughter!)

And here he is after!

Ahhhh. So much better.

Clean cut and ready to travel.

Now if I could just figure out how not to overpack for this trip!

Yarn Overload (and a new knitting project)

So last night I went searching for a new knitting project.
See... I get bored much too easily with large projects.
(That might be the reason I've never attempted a sweater.)
While perusing Crazy Aunt Purls sight, I found the cutest beret pattern ever!
Then I went looking for yarn.
I knew I had the yarn I was looking for... but I couldn't find it anywhere. So I started just placing all the yarn I could locate in the living room.

(Sidenote: I hide yarn everywhere. I buy yarn constantly. It borders on obsessive. I'd never put all of the yarn I could find in one place before.)

WTF!!!!!!

How and when could I have possibly acquired all of this yarn???

What's worse? I never did find the specific yarn I was looking for to do the cute ass beret.

What does that mean? I've got more yarn stashed somewhere. (Ummm... quite possibly I've got alot more yarn stashed somewhere.)

What's even worse? For a moment, I actually considered driving over to Michael's to grab the yarn that I can't locate but I know I own.

Here's where I'm at on the Never Ending Messenger Bag (which will now be affectionately referred to as NEMB.) I'm still on the back of the NEMB. I'd say I've got about 14 inches of the 28 inches that the back must be. Add to that the front and the strap and anything else it requires... I'm about 1/3 of the way done? I think...

Frankly, I'm just bored with it. There's no pattern. Just stockingette stitch over and over and over. I need a break from it. (Although I totally plan to take it on the plane with me Tuesday night. I get mass amounts of knitting done while flying!)

So here's Crazy Aunt Purl's cute beret that I started last night. It's not in the yarn I wanted.

But I'm happy with the yarn none the less.

Okay... as you know... I always have problems! I can't just follow a pattern the right effin way ever! difficulties in following patterns just right. This beret??? It's supposed to be knit on circular needles. First, I couldn't find circular needles in the size the pattern called for. Second, it called for double pointed needles to finish the hat off. I seriously suck and I still can't figure out how to use the damn double pointed needles I have not mastered the art of the double pointed needles just yet. So it's being knitted on straight needles. What does that mean? I have absolutely no way to tell if the hat is anywhere near the correct size for a human being. Which brings me full circle back to the normal hat issue at hand. Will this hat fit me or will it only be appropriate for Andre the Giant?

Don't believe me that I make hats large enough for Andre the Giant???

Here you go.

Although as I'm looking at the picture... I must admit... it's a cute ass hat!

Anyone have an unusually large noggin? I'll send it to you!

It's all yours!

Hiiiiii Yaaaaa!

Michael and I got home this evening and were in the kitchen together while I poured him a drink...
Unexpectedly, he reached his arms out and hugged me around my hips.

"Mom, I want to be just like you... All soft and cuddly."
"Soft and cuddly, huh Michael. What's that mean?" I asked.
"You know! Like Kung Fu Panda!"
"Oh. Wow. Thanks Michael."
"Anytime Mom. Anytime."



This diet can not start soon enough.

Michael the Poet

Michael's last day of school this year was a big deal for him. He had a big performance and he couldn't stop telling us about how great he was going to do and how he'd written this great poem that he was going to recite for the audience with a microphone.
He kept it a secret...
only telling us that he
a: wrote it himself... and
b: knew he was going to get a laugh.

On the day of the performance, each child had written a poem about themselves using the letters in their names as the beginning of each sentence.
Some of the kids stumbled, forgot the lines, etc... (normal for 6 year olds & normal for some adults I know.)
But not my Michael.
He did great and got the laugh he was looking for.

Here is the lyrical prose my son created:
M - Magic is cool
I - Interested in science
C - Comedian when he tells jokes
H - Having fun playing video games
A - Available for $6.99 (this would be his guaranteed show stopper)
E - Every now and then a little crazy
L - Loving for my mom

Well, everyone loved his availability for the surprisingly affordable price of $6.99.
But me? I was too busy trying not to cry at "L" - loving for my mom .

Every Trip Home is Incomplete.

This will be my second trip home in which my grandmother won't be there.
She left us March 30th, 2008.

I feel like every trip is missing something now.
Like there's somewhere I should be rushing to... but I'm not rushing.
It's still hard for me to imagine a trip that doesn't include multiple trips to Clarence to see her, take her to the park, take her to lunch, and just spend time talking to her and being in her incredible presence.

This was her last birthday. 94 years young!

I flew home to celebrate and god am I thankful that I did. That trip was the last time she could hold my hand, kiss me and tell me how much she loved me. The next time I saw her, she was asleep. She never woke up.

I try as hard as I can to focus on the beautiful memories I have of her and not on the loss that I still feel so desperately.

But still... this trip and every trip from here on out, will always be incomplete. Something is missing.

But Michael... ahh my beautiful son... he tells me that it's all okay. "She's right here with us Mom. She's in our hearts."

Yes Michael. She absolutely is.

Buffalo... A Tourist Destination? Why Yes It Is.

I've had more than a few people question me recently regarding whether we go to Buffalo for vacation... or because our family is there and it's a required yearly trip.

People seem genuinely shocked when they realize that although my husband and I are both originally from there, and our family is there, we would gladly vacation in Buffalo every year because the two of us honestly ♥ ♥ ♥ Buffalo, NY.

Okay... people get this... but I really don't know that people truly understand just how much there is to do in Buffalo.

Yes... it snows for 6 months straight.

But go there in the summer.

It's so beautiful in Western New York.

My husband and I grew up on an island surrounded by the Niagara River.

I did not value the island until I left it and moved to the desert.

You literally have to take a bridge over the river (and pay a typical NYS toll) to get there.

I had no idea how lucky I was to grow up and be able to see the river. (I figured that out real quick when I arrived in Vegas with it's 3 inches of annual rain.)

There are parks everywhere. Parks with real grass that grows without the assistance of daily sprinkler systems to keep it alive.



It's such a family friendly city.
Museums are all over the city.

Michael's favorite? The Science Museum.

We also never make a trip without stopping at the zoo.

(It's Michael's and Grandma's special outing...)

Another yearly tradition? Fantasy Island.

This place has literally not changed from when my husband and I worked there as high school kids many, many years ago. I'm attempting not to date myself too much... but it was a long time ago.


Another amazing thing about this place? It's a small town. So you go to Fantasy Island and you get lucky and run into some great friends. Small towns are awesome in that way. Vegas? Rare if ever do you run into old friends. I hated small town life growing up. I miss small town life desperately now.

Niagara Falls. Tourist trap? Maybe. But let's face it. This is a breathtaking place. You can see the mist from the falls from miles away. The thunderous sound of the water going over can not be duplicated. And it's just plain beautiful. (Although I recommend the Canadian side if you'll be visiting. Definitely worth the trip across the border.)

Looking for stunning historic architecture? It's here. Downtown has some of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. Walking around downtown Buffalo makes you wish that you could have lived at the turn of the century.


How bout a baseball game? Toronto is only a 90 minute drive from Buffalo. Aside from being one of the cleanest and most incredible cities in the world, Toronto is a great place to go see a ML Baseball game.

This is Michael's first baseball game ever. Little did we know that we would accidentally create a lifelong Blue Jay's fan.

Letchworth State Park. The Grand Canyon of the East.

We camp here with our very good friends yearly. During the day we hike, play in the river and have a great time. There's endless places to see here and lots of great trails!

This is Michael and I in front of the river. The gorge here is gorgeous and no trip is complete without going to see it.

I get lucky when I take a trip home. I found this at the park with Michael. My husband claims to never have found a four leaf clover. I, on the other hand, literally trip over them. I'm a lucky girl!

Need a place to stay? Well the Holiday Inn of course. If you get a riverfront room you'll gladly overlook the slightly drab room because the view out your window is perfect!

Michael's favorite though? Spending quality time with Grandma on all the adventures she takes him on. He's a huge fan of her boat. For a desert rat like Michael, hanging on Grandma's boat is as good as hanging on a Carnival Cruise Line.

The best part? Spending time with Grampa and his 12 string guitar! My poor dad is forced to play Mr. Tambourine Man 72 times in a row before Michael is satisfied. Then, like the good Grampa he is... he always lets Michael strum a couple notes.

Here's me at the end of pretty much every trip. Lost in thought, trying desperately to figure out how to make the trip last just a little longer.

I wish I had valued growing up in this incredible area more when I was young.

I miss it terribly.

Vacation Time

We will arrive in Buffalo exactly one week from today.
I am overdue and in desperate need of a vacation.

And this will be officially it.
I'm going to eat everything I want to eat on this trip, then I'm coming home and getting serious about watching what I eat.

Plus I've made a pact with myself to eat no more than 1 chicken finger sub a day.
And Mighty Taco only every other day.
Beef on Wecks... only once a day.

And sponge candy only on the last day we're there.

And John's pizza every other day.

So I think that basically covers breakfast, lunch and dinner for the entire week I'm there.

I'll also be exercising... as there are lots of stairs to take to get to our favorite local watering hole, Turner's. Maybe I'll even take the stairs a few extra times when I arrive to burn extra calories.

All in all, I'm counting down and can not wait for this vacation!!!

Welcome To Las Vegas - And a Little Graffiti.

Seriously. Who does this?

I read it on the Classic Las Vegas blog this morning.

Are you kidding?

The sign that got tagged stands for all that is Las Vegas. It links old Vegas with new Vegas and has been greeting tourists and locals alike for 50 years. We locals love this sign. There's been talk before about taking it down and replacing it with some sort of glitzy, over the top, modern sign. The answer was a unanimous NO! We love this sign. It is one of the few things in Las Vegas that doesn't get removed or rebuilt because it is over 25 years old. It is sadly, some of our only history left standing.

And the sign has NEVER been defaced. (At least not in the 13 years that I've been here...)

So here's what I think of you "LAA, RK and LM" with your red sharpie and you're unoriginal grafitti.

Losers!

I hope one of the 2,364,781 surveillance camera's on the Las Vegas strip is able to identify you.

Then I hope you are forced to spend months beautifying the sign and it's surroundings.

Losers.

Housework = Workout???

Does housework count as a work out?

Cause I did that today.

Alot of it.

And I broke a sweat.
I'm thinking I must have burned at least... 50 calories.

Subtract that from the 1500 I probably ate and... well... you have 1450 calories.

Ah yes. I can feel the pounds melting off. Or wait... that could be my skin melting off from the chemicals.

I'd Like to Place an Order...

So I don't know exactly what products this company sells but I will say that their company name piqued my interest...




I'll take 2 please.

The Incredible Expanding Woman

15 pounds.

15 pounds!

Let me give you a little history.

As a kid... I was skinny. Tall and ridiculously skinny.

(That's me with my Dad and my brother in Cape Cod. I'm guessing I was about 7.)

I ate whatever my heart desired and remained... ridiculously skinny.

This is me (and my hubby!) long before I was 25. These were the days of eating everything I could possibly imagine and always remaining at a possibly unhealthy perfect 118 pounds.

When I hit 25 years old, that suddenly changed. Add to that, the fact that I had my son that same year and overnight I went from light speed metabolism to metabolism I would compare to a tortoise... walking uphill... with the wind blowing against him.

Here's me with my family about 6 months after I had Michael. You can see the weight in my face here but the baggy clothes hide a mulitude of sins!)

I have battled since then with my weight. It borders on obsessive.

I do have some things in my favor here.

I am 5'11" tall. What that means is that I can gain or lose 5 to 10 pounds without anyone being able to see a difference in any way. I guess you could say that I carry it well.

But 15 pounds... that can be seen and noticed. My pants are suddenly too tight. I always seem to gain in my thighs. (Honestly, when I was pregnant with Michael, I asked the Dr. to please ultrasound my thighs because I was certain there must be babies in there as well... they were that HUGE!)

Prior to my wedding, I was carefully watching everything I put in my mouth. I was working out daily (thanks to the 30 Day Shred and Wii Fit.)

But as soon as the wedding was over... I fell apart.

I had been so disciplined that I was desperate for a break.

That break... turned into 3 & 1/2 months and 15 pounds.

I've attempted to pinpoint my shortcomings in the hopes that it will motivate me to get back on track (or at least on the road back to the track...)

So here it is...

My Top 8 Reasons for Gaining 15 Pounds

1. Fast food - Taco Bell (burrito supremes and cruchwrap supremes), McDonalds breakfast (sausage biscuit with cheese), Fox's Pizza (Turkey Wedgie and of course pizza), Capriotti's (The Bobby). I attempt not to go to these evil, evil places. But somehow, (without my permission) my car veers right in. It's awful. And for the record... I blame my car.
2. I work in Food & Beverage. I'm surrounded by food. I do not have the will power nor the self control to make the right choices in a casino buffet. Plus... I just can't survive another minute if I don't eat that piece of coconut cream pie.
3. My son has a terrible diet. He's one of those kids who only eats 8 things total. Unfortunately, those things include Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, chicken fingers, pizza, grilled cheese, and peanut butter & jelly. (It's not that I want to eat his leftovers... I just hate to waste food. People are starving out there! I couldn't possibly let it go to waste.)
4. I've stopped exercising. I make plans daily to workout in some capacity. I then make excuses daily as to why I can't.
5. Snacking. I find myself snacking constantly. Mainly it's because my perpetually thin husband has the ability to eat 3 bags of Dorito's, 2 Snicker's bars and an entire container of ice cream at 11pm, before going to bed, only to lose a pound or two before morning. That late night snack, by the way, is after he's eaten a full dinner and accompanied by NON-diet soda. It's just wrong. And rationally I know I can't keep up with him. But I continue to try. I must master the art of Just Say No!
6. Beer and Wine. I don't drink a ton. But I do indulge enough that I simply look at the bottles in my fridge and gain a pound or two. Ohhh... if I could only be a fan of Michelob Ultra Light or something similar. Nope, I just have to have Fat Tire, don't I? Like the name alone wouldn't be enough of a sign or at least a deterrent. Seriously, if a product has the word "fat" in it's name... you shouldn't expect anything less.
7. Las Vegas. Yes. I blame the desert. It is 108 degrees today. Do you think there is any possibility that I am stepping outdoors for any sort of physical activity? Vegas is like the opposite of the East Coast. In the East Coast, you stay indoors all winter because it's too damn cold to do anything outside. In Vegas, you stay indoors all summer because you'll melt.
8. And... my most recent discovery... thanks to my friend over at Stepford Life, I am perpetually happy right now. Happy for me = eating. I eat when I'm happy, starve when I'm stressed. Not that I'm saying I'd like to be unhappy and skinny. Just that I'd like to find a happy medium. Literally. I'd like to be happy... and size Medium. Is that so much to ask???

An Honor Roll Student? Yep!!! I've Got One!

By the end of kindergarten one year ago, we were in a bad place with Michael academically.
His teacher, sat my husband and I down and told us that the way Michael was going with school and academics, there was no way that he would pass 1st grade the next year.
She explained how much more difficult it is for the kids and how the demands were so much higher and she just didn't think that Michael was going to be at all successful moving forward.
This was tough for us to swallow (and if I remember correctly, there were alot of tears from me).
Kindergarten had been so traumatic and difficult and painful for Michael that he was actually dreading going to 1st grade. You can see from the picture below, he was actually upset on the first day... begging us to take him home.




I had specifically requested his 1st grade teacher due to overwhelming recommendations from every mom I knew at his school. From what I understood, there were parents actually still fighting with the office 3 weeks into school, trying to get their kids moved into her class.
Still, I had never met her, and so when the call came on day 2!!! of 1st grade to set up a conference with us and her... I was nervous. "She's going to tell us all the same things his kindergarten teacher told us... She's going to tell us there's nothing she can do... It's all happening again" I complained to my husband.
Michael, on the other hand, seemed happier about going to school, even though he had been on red and gotten into trouble.
By the time we met for the conference, I had absolutely convinced myself of the worse case scenario and was certain that I was going to have to defend my son and went into the meeting prepared for the worst.

That meeting changed everything. We met the most compassionate, passionate, positive thinking teacher ever. She put us at ease and told us that she absolutely believed the Michael could and would be successful. She asked for our support and promised that she would communicate with us if there were any issues, but basically told us, "leave this up to me... he has the potential, I believe in him, everything will be fine."
And she was right. I have never met such a patient, caring, respected, trusted teacher in my life. She is a bonafide gift to the profession. She brought out the best in Michael and I am forever grateful to her.
Here is the kind of work Michael was able to do in his first month of 1st grade:




He was unable to write the entire alphabet. He couldn't grasp sounding out words phonetically. He couldn't sit still long enough to write more than one sentence.


His "super teacher" used his "special needs" and made them advantages instead of disadvantages. There was nothing she wouldn't try for Michael, giving him two desks if needed, having a special signal just for her and him, etc... But she was tough on him and had high expectations from him. She held him accountable if he got in trouble and absolutely refused to treat him differently than his classmates when it came to discipline.


Here is what Michael completed this week, on his last week of 1st grade:


And to top the above incredible story of Michael's love for Tony Hawk, he made the Honor Roll for the third trimester! I wasn't sure that I'd ever see the words Michael and Honor Roll in the same sentence!
But when it's all said and done, I believe all of his academic success this year was due to one amazing, incredible, gifted teacher.
(I only wish I could figure out how to keep her as his teacher straight through high school!)

How Quickly I Gain...

I've now gained 14 pounds since my wedding.
My wedding... by the way... was March 21st.

WTF???


I'm now going to focus on a skinny lovely photo of myself in Hawaii.

I read The Secret. See me? I'm visualizing. Skinny. Skinny. Skinny. (Oh... this photo would be at Waimea Canyon in Kauai. Honestly one of the most stunning places on earth.)


Tomorrow, I think I'll spend a little time analyzing what it is that I am doing so very, terribly wrong.
For now... I think I'll go grab some Cheeto's Puffs and chill out on the couch.

Seriously. I can't for the life of me figure out where this weight is coming from!
;o)

My Year of Meats

I know... the title probably sounds a little odd. Maybe a little meaty?
If you don't know me, there is something you should know about me.

I love meat.

I am a carnivore through and through.

What type of meat do I love best?

Red meat.

I eat chicken, pork, turkey... I can even occasionally stomach lamb. But red meat. Ahhh... just saying the word makes me hungry for a juicy medium rare steak.

I've blogged about my love for Buffalo foods... One of my all time favorites? Beef on Weck.

This sandwich is the sandwich by which all sandwiches should be compared. And the heart of this sandwich? Beef.

I mean look at it? Tell me your mouth does not water at the sight of the perfectly slow cook beef.

All right... I've made my point. I love red meat.
Knowing that... it may not have been in my best interest to read the fantastically written book called My Year of Meats. It's written by Ruth L. Ozeki. This woman has an incredible way with words and the book had me drawn in from page one.

The book is interesting, funny, heartbreaking and intellectually stimulating. It touches on what an ideal American wife is in reality... and in what the rest of world believes her to be. It also exposes some of the very sordid realities that make up the meat industry. I've read most of them before. Fast Food Nation and SuperSize Me both bring up most of the same points. But it's the way in which Ms. Ozeki expresses them that was so eye opening to me.

Honestly, I haven't touched red meat since I finished the book.

Will I be able to continue that long term? I don't know.

But I do know that it has made me more aware of what I put in my mouth on a daily basis. (Well that, and the 13 pounds I've put on since my wedding in March.)

My verdict... it's a excellent read.

I highly recommend it!

Customer Service for Dummy's

I had a busy afternoon.
As soon as I picked up Michael from school, we had to rush to his yearly pediatrician exam. I always find this funny since we have to see his pediatrician every month for his ADHD, and I don't really understand the point of a yearly physical when we're there every month.
Anyways, the Dr.'s appointment went fine. He's grown a 1/2 inch in the last two months and hasn't gained a pound. It's sad... but we're always happy with this. As long as he isn't losing weight from his medicine, we're winning.
Right after the doctor, we had to run to our local Albertson's Grocery Store to pick up a couple things that Michael has to bring to school this week. Ketchup for his BBQ tomorrow and whipped cream for his ice cream party on Wednesday. (I actually added several un-needed items to my cart just because I felt a little strange buying whipped cream and ketchup.)
I always shop at the same Albertson's. They send me lots of offers and coupons in the mail that I never use, (I know... I should!) I really just go there because it's close and I like the people that work there.
While we were there, I needed to pick up a money order for Michael's pre-school. It's really annoying, but they don't take checks (and I'm too lazy to sign up for the automatic pay) so I have to get a money order every two weeks.
We were already rushed and of course (as it always is when I'm rushed) all the open lanes were 4 or 5 customers deep. Mind you, they had 6 lanes closed. Of course, I'd forgotten to bring Michael's afternoon medicine with me and we were 30 minutes overdue. He was getting edgier by the minute.
When we finally get through the line, I head over to customer service to get my money order. When I walk up I notice that there's a lovely little closed sign. Closed? I waited with my impatient and increasingly fidgety son for several minutes and finally I approached two of the employees gabbing away about their boss at the self checkout area. "Excuse me. Do you know if the customer service area is going to be closed for long?" I can't begin to describe the look she gave me, it was as though I had just walked up to two women out to lunch and interrupted them at their table. "About 5 minutes." she said and continued on with her conversation that was going back and forth from their boss to their anger with Jon from Jon and Kate Plus 8.
So I waited. I know how long it was because I was texting with a good friend in New York and I checked the times the texts came in. I waited 8 minutes and approached the women again. At this point, I was annoyed. I mean, I'm standing here, with a child, attempting to be patient and these two women couldn't take 2 minutes to either assist me or find me someone who could. It probably wouldn't have bothered me if they had been working or busy or anything besides gossiping about their boss.
"Do you know how long it's going to be or should I just go somewhere else?" Now the women looks up at me and says "The customer service employees get a five minute break. It should just be a few more minutes. Don't you think people deserve breaks?" Now I'd had it. I looked at her and started to respond in a not so polite manner but then reminded myself that my son is watching and it would be in my best interest to handle this diplomatically. "I certainly believe that everyone is entitled to a break. I also believe that if they are due a five minute break, then they shouldn't be gone over ten minutes which is where we are at now. Clearly, you have understaffed your store, which is unfortunate." I grabbed Michael by the hand and led him out. It took everything I had not to respond to them the way I wanted to which was to tell them that they were idiots, whose boss would probably love to know that they were A: shit talking him and B: losing customers while they were shit talking him.
As we left, they chased after me, telling me that they could take care of me if I'd just come back.
Too late.
Michael, who just finished his classwork on economics looked at me on the way out and said "I guess they missed the class about the customer always being right, huh Mom."
Yes Michael, sadly you know more about customer service at 7 than they do as adults.

When Children Are Left to Dress Themselves

July 4th presented me with a bit of a challenge this year. I had to work. Which is pretty normal for me. But this July 4th, I had no babysitter for Michael. Luckily... this doesn't happen too often. It is not an easy or fun experience to bring Michael to work with me.

Problem A? I work in a casino.
Problem B? Well, Michael is hyper most of the time. Especially with the sensory overload that occurs from a giant casino full of noisy, video game like slot machines.
Problem C? Cocktail waitresses. Michael literally trips over himself when they run over to greet him. He gets nervous, sweaty and suddenly can't complete a sentence.
Typically when I have to take him to work with me... we bee line it to my office and I set him up with lots of paper and highlighters to keep him occupied while I finish whatever it is that brought me in.
So, I told Michael on Friday night that he'd have to come into work with me for a little while the next day. Out of nowhere, he asked me what he was going to wear. This is a strange question for him. He could typically care less what he's dressed in and manages to ruin more clothes in a few hours than I could ruin in a few years. I told him that I had no idea what he would wear. He then asked, "can I pick my own clothes for tomorrow?" Desperately wanting to avoid an argument, I told him sure.
So the next morning we get up and Michael reminds me right away that he is picking out his own outfit for today. I get to getting ready and leave Michael to find this perfect outfit. I was worried. I figured he was going to come out of his room in his Star Wars costume with the giant Star Trooper mask. Or maybe he'd found his Halloween costume from the previous year, and planned on going to work with me dressed like a zombie.

So I was shocked and surprised and absolutely relieved when he came down the stairs looking like this:


My own little businessman.

July 4th in the Desert

A friend of mine posted a facebook update yesterday about the miracle that takes place year after year in Las Vegas on July 4th. That miracle you ask? The miracle that the entire city of Las Vegas doesn't burn down on a yearly basis.


See, fireworks are legal to buy here. Which is fine... except that it's approximately 110 degrees in July, we haven't had rain since about March, and it doesn't make a ton of sense to allow people to blow off all the fireworks they'd like, in the street in front of their house.

Nevermind the fact that the majority of homes in Las Vegas were built during the housing bubble and were literally thrown together in a matter of weeks to keep up with the out of control demand. What I'm getting at is... these are not exactly strong homes made of bricks. They'd probably go up in flames rather easily.

(I *accidentally* caught this one on my camera... As you can see, a bit of the firework went slightly astray. I've never seen my neighbors yard clear out so quickly! )

Our neighborhood is notorious for having several houses all doing fireworks in the street. Everyone sits out on the street and drinks beer, celebrates our independence and... blows things up.

They sell fireworks everywhere out here... at every gas station and grocery store, fireworks stands pop up, ready to offer Las Vegans all the street safe fireworks you could possibly desire. The limitation here is that the fireworks that you buy within our county must stay on the ground. (Not a bad idea if you ask me...) This year though, several of our neighbors went up to Moapa County where you can legally buy the big fireworks. These things were ridiculous. They were like Disneyland fireworks. They made me nervous but Michael... he was absolutely crazed over these things. It was clearly the most exciting thing he had ever encountered.

Kevin got him these cool 3D fireworks glasses. (They lasted about 5 minutes.)






This year... after several fire safety lectures, Michael was allowed to light some of the smaller ones. As you can see here, as brave as Michael is... he was still nervous and guarding his face.


Don't believe me that it hasn't rained since March? See the lines on the road in the picture above? Those are the same lines that the kids made on Michael's birthday with chalk in the street. That was June 11th. No rain = chalk in the street for months.


Here he is doing just as we taught him.
Light it and RUN!


He was quite proud of himself (in spite of the small blister he now has on his wrist from a spark).


I love their eyes!


Kevin's parents always celebrate the 4th with us. It's a tradition!

By the time we got to the "grand finale", Michael was hyper, excited and loud. You can see from the video below that he had to "announce" the finale and he doesn't exactly stop until it's over.



In the end, there were no major injuries, all houses were left intact, and we all had a great Independence Day!
Happy 4th of July!