Vicarious Rocky

Well, OK, Louisville and Memphis and Atlanta and Gainesville first. But then Orlando. :) I may be off the grid for a while. My mother doesn't want me to post travel news online for fear my house will be robbed, but I've got to say, I have absolutely nothing worth stealing.

Hopefully, I'll have time to post pictures and occasional updates. Ciao!

Took one of those card deck default work style/personality tests via COSE for my Women's Business Group. I thought it was interesting that most of us ladies default style incorporated pieces of the highly organized, dominant, less emotional types. However, we all agreed that those styles, after 4 years together, didn't seem pervasive in our group discussions or manner together. I proposed that perhaps older women in business (think 35+) are overcompensating for stereotypes with rigidness. When I interviewed for my first job in the early 90s, my future boss asked if I would be "crying" in my office when things got difficult. Yeesh. How unacceptable is THAT question now-a-days?

So it's no wonder women who faced those attitudes are not emotionally available at work and not interested in asking for help or talking to people about their troubles. Now, thanks to years of overcompensating for the "office weeping" misconception, it seems to me the new stereotype to overcome is -- "Queen of Ice / Bitch on Wheels." Today made me think of all this because our meeting had 4 women and 4 men -- all with various levels of seniority and job descriptions. I liked that.

Made it early to my meeting and watched a homeless man talk with himself. Why are the monologues the homeless have so animated and serious? I guess life is too difficult to simply chat with yourself about the weather. But I digress. Pictures. One from Alex's Preschool Graduation yesterday. I love her attitude in this pic! They announced that she would be in the High School Graduating Class of 2022. Holy Crap, was THAT depressing. The rest are from our Memorial day lake trip.

I have 14 minutes to update my blog! Go!

Memorial weekend at the Lake was amazing. Alex and Indy were inseparable and lovely together. Both such nice kids. I don't think I can play non stop with anyone for 36 solid hours over 3 days, but they obviously can. And this means Mom can chill out occasionally! Hooray!

They painted rocks from the creek, looked for frogs, caught a caterpillar, caught some fish, went for walks and bike rides, went to a kiddie park, had a campfire, a row boat ride, donut breakfasts. I can't imagine why they both had to cry about leaving! ;)

Now, it's time to push out some serious work and vacation prep. I have never left town for 17 days with a kid in tow, so this will be an adventure. "This" meaning packing. But the planning is still only 1/2 done as well. But I plan to use the time in the car, on the way to Memphis and from Memphis to Orlando to really nail down all the loose ends. And, if ends remain loose, who cares?!? It's vacation after all, not the "Johnson" account!

OK, times up!

I should just be working on crossing things off the list:

Today and Tomorrow
SageRock Blog Post
Shopping for School Shindig and Alex B-Day
Packing for This Weekend

Then Next Week . . .
All Regularly scheduled life activities +
2 Accountant Meetings
2 Client Meetings (one for 4 hours!)
A 3 Hour Networking Event
Preschool Graduation Party
Kid Birthday Party
SageRock Party?
Disney Packing -- For 17 days!!

School / Work

Reading out Loud = Conference Call
Giving Book Report or Speech = Presentation / Big Meeting
Solving Blackboard Problem = Explaining Excel formulas at a meeting
Pop Quiz = Paperwork
Teacher Conference = Evaluation
Homework = Take Shit Home, Working Late
Paper Writing = The carefully crafted email and marketing material
Xtra Credit = Volunteering to do hard stuff
Film Strip = Webinar
Recess = Work Happy Hour
Field Trip = Out of town meeting/conference where you don't present
Show and Tell = Your clever desk toys and twitter account
Extracirriculars = Organizing your overscheduled day
Study Hall = Friday, Late Afternoon

What's a stellar 4-yr-old Thursday look like?

Wake up, eat pancakes, play Nick Jr. games
Go to Class, show your most prized craft at circle time, pet the 7th grade guinea pig named chocolate
Get picked up early to go play with cousin Alex
Get to play in basement at Nana's because it's raining
Get to make a cool egg-carton car at Nana's
Get a good hug from Alex for the Goodbye
Go home and have a "party"
Nigel takes you over to his house during said party to show you his sister's new bunny and you pet it
Grandpa gives you gifts at party
Gifts include batteries and you fix your prized light-up. spinny toy
For dinner you eat chips, cheese, crackers, chocolate cake, and ice cream
You play superspy with Mom before bed
You fall right to sleep and sleep all night without a single nightmare
:)

And the Escort jumps up the hill here for a moment! Shit is reaching the toilet and the kid has asked for (and accomplished proudly) "drop off" at school. The mother is feeling some heart string plucks as he hops out of the car, throws his backpack on upside down and walks into the building alone. But he is un-phased. He did this for the first time yesterday and said (mind you this whole thing was his idea), "I will be scared, but I will be brave." And brave he is.

I take no credit for this and give all credit to Nigel, the neighbor boy, who is 10 and amazingly cool to my son. He represents to Indy why growing up is more awesome than scary. A reality I couldn't convey through words and one Nigel embodies with every move.

He first met Mr. Cool when we were going for a walk past Nigel's house, and I was talking to his Mom and Nigel asked if Indy and I wanted to see his Gecko in his room. So we all proceed to Nigel's room and my son was floored by all the coolness. First, he has a laundry basket collection of superballs and gave one to Indy! He has a similar sized collection of Nerf guns. He has a Gecko, three hermit grabs, and a hamster in his room. The entire house also cares for two Chinchillas, a rabbit, 3 cats, 3 dogs, and 3 fish. Yes they're hippies. Yes, it's very sanitary. In fact, I have no idea how Holly manages to keep house as she does considering the 2 kids and 17 pets, but it looks amazing.

Nigel can do skate board tricks, has a cool bike, rides a scooter. And, bless his heart, (I would have PAID him to say this to my son) he said to Indy all on his own:
N: Indy, you have to use the pedals on your bike.
I: I don't like too.
N: Well, you have to learn so you can ride a bike like Mimi and Me when you get big.
I: (speechless!)

We were at a kid party yesterday for Riley and Deb was talking to me about trying to make 5 mothers (sisters, etc) "happy" on mother's day since they were all staying at her house. I believe the celebration of mother's day is as much a balancing act as motherhood itself. Swing a cat, hit a mother, so it's tricky for each and every one of us to have a "special" day. There are bound to be specialness conflicts since each person on earth knows between 1-5 mothers that probably expect a bit of specialness today facilitated by that person.

This is why every restaurant has a buffet. It's the easiest solution for the men folk -- take all three or so of your resident Mother types out in one sitting with a variety of food that should please everyone. Get the card, get the plant, take the kid somewhere else when he gets whiny, and Wah-Lah! Celebration!

I am having the perfect morning as my own personal party -- coffee, chocolate, a Holly email, and messing about online. I also had some "Mother's Day observed" shopping with my Mother on Wednesday. And a Mother's Day-esk night out with Sage on Friday. I guess, what I'm saying is, my whole LIFE is mother's day, so I'm doing just fine. But my heart goes out to the brunch ladies that would really rather be somewhere else and can't mention it. I suggest you get "swine flu" Monday and sneak off while no one is looking.

Last night we saw Star Trek and The Onion Review is correct.
Today it's a kid birthday party for Riley.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day!

Then we have a week of school with a Akron Symphony concert in there for Indy. Followed by Poppy's Bday. Then, the FINAL week of school w/ an Akron Zoo trip. Alexandra's birthday. Then off to Memphis and Disney!

I am finally getting off my ASS and planning for Disney. All that's left now is to buy the park tickets and figure out what events are going on at the parks on the days we'll be there. Now it's time to plan for the Van trip surrounding the Disney stint.

So the summary is: Summer is Fun. Summer is Coming. Life is Good.

He's back to chewing his sleeve, having nightmares about his friend's dying, tells me he's not going in the pool this week, and he didn't want to go to school this morning. The teachers asked for a conference because they are tired of cleaning up after his toileting accidents. They want me to take him to his pediatrician.

This parenting thing often feels like driving up a hill in a Ford Escort with a bad clutch.

We decided to become members of the Akron zoo Friday -- you only have to go three times to make up for it and there's a zoo in Memphis we can get into and we're going there in June. Anyway, kid LOVES the zoo this year. We went two days in a row because he is so into it. His favorite is the bat cave because, as he told a tiny 2-yr-old yesterday who said,"Hi," -- "I am a boy, I like scary things, and I like the dark." :)