Use Your Words: Small Celebrations

Hey-O friends!

Today’s post is a writing challenge created by Karen @ Baking in A Tornado.  8 participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words for someone else to use in a post. All words must be used at least once. All posts will be different as each writer has received their own original set of words. No blogger knows who received their words or in what direction the writer will take them. Until today.  

My words are:

music ~ magic ~ dispel ~ dime ~ day-to-day basis ~ punish

They were submitted by the extremely creative Jenniy@ https://climaxedtheblog.blogspot.com  

***             

This little man is graduating with his engineering degree in a few weeks. 

Now, as if by magic, he IS a man. I never can get over how quickly time passes. He's been working so hard in college, and now he's going to be on to his next endeavor.

We'd have to dispel the rumor that COVID-19 is ruining any graduating ceremony or party for him. It doesn't feel like a punishment to call off rounding up family, sending out invites, and expecting gifts from people he never sees.  We've always been a family without grandiose plans. For his high school graduation, Christian wanted to go to...a buffet. No joke. And he was as happy as a clam. I get that it is going to be truly difficult for many graduates this season; I'm so sorry for that.

I decided to plan out a truly grandiose party invite, and then change it up ala our "Stay At Home" orders that are in effect for the next little while.

Congratulations, Christian. Can't wait to celebrate with McDonald's or something. 

Happy Friday, friends. Please stay safe.
-Michele

Be sure to check out the other cool kids participating in this month's challenge:

                   Baking in a Tornado

                   Spatulas on Parade

                   Wandering Web Designer

                   On the Border

                   Part-Time Working Hockey Mom

                   Sparkly Poetic Weirdo    

                   Climaxed 

Fly on the Wall: December 2015: Questions

Welcome to the December Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 11 brave bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Buzz on over!

In the cast this month:

Me

The man
C., The middle (son, 17)

J., The youngest (son, 11)

I'm usually asking, "WHY?" around here. A lot. And pretty loudly. But you already know that. This month, a fly on the wall might have heard more questions.  Some of the queries even had answers.

Just wondering:

Me: "What is that contraption sitting on my towel bar?"
C.: "It's an automatic soap dispenser."
Me: "Where did it come from?"
C.:  "Oh. Our store's bathrooms got new dispensers, so I brought the old one home for you. I thought it would be cool. Plus, you're always talking about not spreading germs, so I figured you'd love it."
Me: "You brought that home. From your store. Used?? Do you see anything wrong with that?"
C.: "Mom. I didn't steal it. My manger knows about it. It's totally okay."

Germ free?

***

***

Well?

Me: (rolling my eyes) "The weather channel is calling for a measurable snowstorm. Are they over-reacting?"

Mother Nature: "Um..."

My front yard. After all was said and done: 15 inches

***

***

Me: (to C., panicking). "You are NOT driving to school in this weather, are you?"
C.: "Of course!  Quit worrying."
The man: (to C.) "I shoveled the drive, but you're going to have to clear off your own car."
C: "Okay! I will." (Because it was no big deal.)

 3 hours later. He took the bus, people.

***

***

Really, Mom?:

Me to C.: "All you've been doing with your free time is playing that video game. What happened to the days of 'making art, or doing something creative?"

C: "Really, mom? 'Making Art?"
Me: "You know what I mean. Something OTHER than playing that video game."
C: "The video game is called 'Fallout'."
Me: "Yay for 'Fallout'.  Just do me a favor and do something other than "playing" Fallout all night?"
C: (not looking up from the controller) "K."

A few days later.

The man: "Did you see what your son made?"
Me: "Which son?"
The man: (in a super-impressed voice) "C.!"

I follow him to the basement.

The man: (pointing to 5 bottles) "C. made those!"

Me: "They look kind of cool. What are they?"
The man: (questioning exactly how I fit into our family.) "Haven't you ever heard of 'Fallout?' They're from that game. C. made those! " (He shakes his head at me.) "I swear. That kid is so creative."

***

***

So?:

A friend: (after last month's post) "Did you ever finish the fireplace?"
Me: "Partially. I still have to put another coat on the bricks and paint the brass insert black. I'll definitely have it done by Thanksgiving."

before

Thanksgiving (with room decorated to defer the viewer from seeing the brass insert)

Me: "Okay, so I didn't paint the brass-y part. It will absolutely be done by Christmas." 

December

Me: "I have a REALLY strong feeling that brass may be back by Spring."

Speaking of the holidays:

Me: (to J., C., and The Man) : "Can we please talk about something other than Legos, video games, or computer stuff?"

J., C., and The Man (in a united front): "Sure we can. There IS a movie showing soon..."

Me: "Is it Fallout?" 

Rhetorical questions of the month:

Me: (to the dogs, in my semi-annoying 'mama' voice) "Who loves their new sweaters, huh? Who wants to go outside and play in the snow? Huh???"

Not them.

Check out this month's participants:

Baking in a Tornado                         

Spatulas on Parade                          

Follow Me Home                           

Menopausal Mother                          

Never Ever Give Up Hope                                   

Someone Else's Genius                            

Southern Belle Charm                     

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                  

The Angrivated Mom                

Go Mama O                                       

Juicebox Confession                    
Not That Sarah Michelle               

Happy Friday, friends!

-Michele

Fly on the Wall: July 2015

Hello, Friends!  Welcome to the July Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 12 awesome bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Buzz on over!

Cast:
Me
The man
Alex, the eldest 
Micah, Alex's husband 
C., The middle (son, 17)
J., The youngest (son, 10)

The fly on the wall would have to be using his eyes a lot around here. We spend most of our days keeping in contact with our family via texts. It's not ideal, but it's the way things are for us right now. Still, I'm glad for the phones that keep us in reach. Here are a few of this month's favorite texts. I'm always touched that my family can keep the sarcasm alive, even when we're not in the same house.

***

Alex: So. I'm being asked for thirtieth time if you're ever going back to "work".  Am I supposed to go with the same response?
Me: Which is?
Alex: That you're perfectly happy spending your days collecting drug money and making our father work his fingers to the bone?
Me: I don't know. Collecting drug money sounds like I'm contributing. But I guess I'm still good with that.

***

C.: Mom. Who is your favorite child?
Me: Robbie? My long lost son, is that you?
C.: Wrong answer. If you would have said that it was me, I would be bringing this home:

Me: Ask me again! 

C.: Who is your favorite child?

Me: Robbie, is that you?

"C. has left the conversation."

***

Alex: (getting her new classroom ready) Should I write my first name inside all of the books I bought? Or my last name? My phone number? What did you write inside yours?

Me: "I wrote: Don't steal this book or I will find you. You will think you got away with it, but one dark night, I WILL find you, and make you give this book back to me."

Alex: So you weren't beloved. Everyone was just terrified of you?

Me: Pretty much.

***

Alex: Holy hot, mom! It's 102 degrees. How are we supposed to function in this heat?

Me: Take a lesson from your family...

***

Me: So. This is what happens when I'm doing laundry and trip over the crate my husband left out this morning.

Mark: You know that you're texting your husband, right?

Me: Am I?

Mark: Ouch!

ME: Really? That's all you have to say?

Mark: Um, at least you can hop around on your good foot to put the laundry away?

Two Hours later.

Mark: Hello? Is it safe to come home?

***

Random texts that don't get a response:

These are texts that are either rhetorical or meant to cause a blood pressure spike.

Alex to Me:"Should I get a perm?"

Mark to me:"By WHOLE GRAIN, do you mean the soft, white Wonderbread? That's what I think you mean."

Mark to me: "Do you mind if the new fridge sticks out about six inches into the hallway?"

C. to Me:"Whatever you do, don't go in my room!"

Alex to me:"Is it bad to wear tights in July?"

C. to Me: "If I'm not back by dawn, delete my internet history."

Me to Alex: "A family Taco cart. Don't say no. Just think about it."

Me to C.: "I'm starting to wonder if the moon landing really WAS staged..."

C. does NOT kid around when it comes to Space, so I must do that for him.

***

We had a plumber working here for hours trying to hook up a water softener. Our house was not fitted for one, and of course, everything had to be brought up to code. Ugh...

I was downstairs working in my shop which is next to the utility room.

Me: (texting Mark, who was upstairs) Hey. The plumber just came in and asked what I do in here. I showed him the shop and gave him my card.

Mark: Did you invite him to dinner? We're paying him a ton of money. By the hour.

Me: So. I shouldn't have given him a discount code?

Mark: Did he give you a discount code?

Finally:

Group Text:

Alex: I just spent the whole day lesson-planning. I still have two papers to write :(

C.: I just found out I have to close all weekend.

Alex: Thanks for making us responsible people, mom and dad.

C.: Yeah, thanks. We should be out partying with our friends.

Mark:

"Alex has left the conversation."

"C. has left the conversation."

Fly over and say, "Hey!" to this month's fly participants!

Baking in a Tornado 

Spatulas on Parade 

Follow Me Home

Menopausal Mother

Never...Ever...Give Up Hope

Just a Little Nutty

The Momisodes

Someone Else's Genius

Sanity Waiting to Happen

Southern Belle Charm

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

Eileen's Perpetually Busy

The Angrivated Mom   

Happy "Love your family, wherever they are", friends!

-Michele            

Fly on the Wall: May 2015

Hello, Friends!  Welcome to the May Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 16 amazing bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Buzz on over!

Cast:
Me
The man
Alexandra, the eldest 
Micah, Alex's husband 
C., The middle (son, 17)
J., The youngest (son, 10)

Questioning our eating habits:

The man and J. have a weekly donut date...

***

We offered to meet up one weeknight with our daughter and her husband for dinner. I was thinking of eating at a steakhouse or somewhere along those lines. The kids had other ideas. Every one wanted to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Really? Really. The downside of this was that I wasn't able to visit with any of the kids. They were too busy getting up and down, while eating all 16 possible courses the buffet offered. The upside was listening to the kids for the two days up until that dinner. They were texting and reminding each other to wear elastic pants and to not eat breakfast or lunch so they could fill up. It was much like preparing for a big event, except that they were preparing to eat three days worth of food in one sitting. It was, in their words, a "big success".

***

These were my actual Mother's Day cards from the kids. No vegetables or fruit, unless you count the flavors...

Look closely. The kids made all of that by hand!

Questioning our down-time:
I can't tell you exactly how many days it has rained this month (too many!) or what we have left in the fridge. I CAN tell you though, that my son introduced me to Netflix. I didn't want to go down that rabbit hole, but I did. I also can tell you anything you'd like to know about the 8 seasons of "Scrubs" or the first three seasons of "Chuck." I need help.

***

Remember the rule, "No animals on the sofas?" This is how you get around that.

Lucy balances on the man's hip.

Random Family Quotes:

"I'm at the game and there is a lull, but the lady in front of me (on her iPad) is on Tinder, so there's that."

"I'm sitting in a classroom and I kid you not. The teacher said the Sun is a planet."

"I was on Reddit and read about these crazy guys who eat oranges in the shower. I thought it was a little weird. (pauses for my reaction) I'm telling you in case you're wondering why my bathroom smells like citrus."

"Can fried dill pickles be considered a low-residue food if I chew them up really well?"

"I hate driving your car, Michele. I feel like I'm riding in a clown car. I took it early this morning and put gas in it for you. I felt ridiculous."

My friend texts me later : "Hey, I was on my way to work this morning and I saw Mark driving your car. His head was bent sideways. Tell him to put the top down before he breaks his neck."

Questioning where the time is going:
May really has been a crazy-busy month.

J. worked hard to get his 4th grade "Phd".

C. went to prom and will be a High School Senior tomorrow. No, he's not a vampire. My flash was on!

Alexandra is now a college graduate! She received her B.S. in Elementary Education.

3 words left for this crew: Bring on Summer!

Take a look at what the other bloggers have going on inside their homes. Go on! Leave them a comment. You know you want to!

Baking in a Tornado                          

Spatulas on Parade                          

Follow me home                          

Menopausal Mother                          

Stacy Sews and Schools                        

Battered Hope                                   

Just a Little Nutty                                  

The Momisodes                                        

Someone Else's Genius                            

Disneyland in Kentucky                               

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                  

Juicebox Confession                            

Eileen's Perpetually Busy                    

Searching for Sanity                        

Southern Belle Charm                           

Sanity Waiting to Happen                                   

People Don't Eat Enough Fudge        

Fly on the Wall: February 2015

Hey there!  Welcome to the February Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 13 amazing bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Buzz on over!
Cast:
Me
The man
Alex, the eldest (daughter, 21) 
C., The middle (son, 16)
J., The youngest (son, 10)

Hot Pockets:
The man, C., and I were watching a TV show. Something really "saucy" came on and I was uncomfortable. That doesn't happen too often, but still. A few awkward sexual innuendos, an elbow shove from the man, and I blurted out "Hot Pockets." I didn't just say, "Hot Pockets." I sang the words. Like the comedian, Jim Gaffigan. C. and the man started laughing and rolling and none of us could look each other in the eye. It's become our thing. Any topic that's a little inappropriate? Someone sings "Hot Pockets." That's how we deal with the hard stuff, folks.

From the kids:
Alex: "Mom, now I understand why you love puzzles. I know you told me not to touch yours, but I couldn't stop! When I put together the border, I felt empowered. There should be background music for that kind of glory."

***

J.: (eyes closed, he holds his finger up to stop me mid-sentence) "Wait...Okay, go ahead. I was singing 'Don't stop Believing' in my head and I had to wait to finish the song."

School:
I was helping C. study vocabulary for his Anatomy class. I'd say the word and he would tell me the definition.
Me: Pre...Pres..(looking closely) pres-by-opia?
C.: "It's 'Presbyopia'. That's poor vision caused by aging, mom. Go get your glasses."

***

Alex: "I'm graduating from college!! On May 1st! Feel free to tell everyone you know, including any person you pass on the street, see at Target, meet at Costco or happen to friend on FB."

Um, Yeah.
In my fight to "Use up the paper goods", I've vowed to not buy any paper cups/plastic forks/napkins until we've used up our old ones. That means Thanksgiving napkins for last Sunday's dinner or Gold graduation napkins for Superbowl Sunday. The best came this weekend. I reached in the closet for napkins to use on Valentines day and found these:

Only two of my three children had Elmo-themed 1st birthdays, which means: These napkins are either ten years old or twenty. Wow.

What weather?

First off, let me say "Thank you" to the big man above for blessing my little part of the world with unusually mild weather. There is no bragging here. After 25 years of living in Michigan and almost twenty years living in Utah, I know snow and cold. And grey and wet. Wind chills, dreariness, and snow days... all of it. Somehow, we've dodged major storms and I couldn't be happier. After I publish this, we will probably have a blizzard of epic proportions. But for now, I'm smiling. Current weather: Sunny and 55. Practically balmy. 

Love Day:

Alexandra texts me about an elaborate Valentine's Day plan for her husband:

Michele:

It's a cute idea :)

Alexandra:

        Haha I tried to make a treasure hunt around the house but it's too small to divert him so I could make breakfast haha

Michele:

Nah. Just buy donuts. 

Alexandra:

Hahaha mom... It's our first Valentine's as married people.. I need to at least try this year. I figure I have the next 95 years to buy donuts. Plus, deep in my heart I hope one day he will catch on to these romantic gestures and he'll realize that he should be doing them, not me ;) LOL

Michele:

I get it. I hope dad brings donuts.

Finally:

Superbowl Sunday. Commercials and food galore. One commercial is for the "Little Blue Pill". Great commercial; not kid friendly.

J.: "Mom! You need one of those blue pills for your Fiat!"

Me: "Nope. I like my car just the way it is."

J.: "Come on! It would be so cool. Where can we buy those pills?"

The man: "Ask your Grandpa."

C. and me: (in unison) "Hot Pockets."

Happy Friday, Friends!
-Michele
Fly on over and check out all of this month's participants:
Disneyland in Kentucky                        

Baking in a Tornado                          

Spatulas on Parade                          

Follow Me Home                          

Menopausal Mother                          

Stacy Sews and Schools                        

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                 

Juicebox Confession                    

Battered Hope                              

Eileen's Perpetually Busy          

Go Mama O                                  

Someone Else's Genius                       

Just a Little Nutty                             

The Momisodes