hey Celtics fan!

Hey you! You Celtics fan!

You know who you are.

Dad2Amara hasn't forgotten that he still owes you pierogies from the last bet he made.

But I think he's learned his lesson -- no more betting against you on sports!

He promises to send pieorgies soon!

why I could be the world's worst mommy

I'll give you three choices. You decide.

1. Amara's school was holding its Mother's Day "tea" Monday afternoon. Afternoon. You know, the ideal time for a working mom. I promised Amara I would go. But then I realized I was working by myself that day. Then we had breaking news. That's television speak for not-a-chance-in-hell-can-you-leave. I was so torn. Luckily I had Dad2Amara. He told me "how could you?" then reminded me, "she's your daughter." Ain't he sweet and supportive. So after an agonizing afternoon at work, I finally made it to her school for the last ten minutes of the program. I sobbed the entire drive from work to her school. I was the only mom not at her school.
2. Amara told Dad2Amara that she wanted to watch her new television show tonight. Hell's Kitchen. And yes, my four year old said hell.
3. Before turning in for the night, Amara told me she was "sad" because I was late to her school yesterday. It made her "nervous." Bad mommy.

I just don't win. Another typical day for a mother.

gas tank milestone

Are you kidding me?

I know gas is more expensive in other parts of the country. But I reached a milestone that I thought I never would.

It took me $50 to fill up the mom-mobile today.

Driving is a necessity for me.

Public transportation is not readily available to me due to where I live and what times I work.

And the bus can't drop me off at the nearby Target.

So I take the mom-mobile everywhere.

But can you imagine what else I could have bought with $50?

Manicure and maybe a pedicure.

A pair of shoes perhaps.

Drinks with the girls at another wine bar.

The list could go on and on.

Have you hit the $50 mark yet?

that kid on the block

Babysitter2Amara is an angel.

I don't know what we did before her.

She picks Amara up from school.

She limits TV time.

She even bathes her when I'm running late from work.

So imagine my surprise when I arrived home to find two bikes in my drive, neither of which were Amara's.

I checked the backyard. No kids there.

I peeked into the kitchen. No one their either.

Amara and those neighborhood kids were in the Yellow House.

I scrambled to get them out. Dad2Amara is not a fan.

But it was too late.

The brother-and-sister-duo had already broken our gumball machine and Amara's not cheap American Girl carriage.

We all have them. Those kids who come from shady homes. You know what I'm talking about. No manners. Rude as all get up. Simply a bad influence.

And what bothers me most is that their dad had no qualms about letting play at the Yellow House while Babysitter2Amara was there. We are most definitely not friends. So what makes him think he can use my babysitter too?

I can't wait to move.

where's a 24 hour place when you need one?

I spent the last 20 minutes of my life searching for a store that was 1) still opened and 2) had party supplies in stock.

Honestly, is that too much to ask for?

In true Mom fashion, I found myself first at Target then at CVS with only a few moments left before closing.

A co-worker had asked me a few days ago to pick up the goods for another colleague's birthday. And again, as the ever overachiever mom, I said yes. I mean, what else do I have to do with my free time? Nothing like adding on to my to-do list.

Sure I haven't seen Amara in two days.

And yeah I had plans for a little mom's night out at the local wine bar tonight.

But how hard could it be to find this stuff?

Well mom's night went a bit longer than I expected. (I needed an extra glass of wine.)

And before I knew it, I was racing to the stores before the doors were locked on me.

But that left me wondering: where the heck are all the 24 hour places?

I hear of friends in other parts of the country actually buying goodies for Easter baskets, birthday parties, and Thanksgiving dinner at 3 a.m. because it was the only time they could get out of the house.

And here I was hunting down crepe streamers and balloons at 9:59 p.m.

I was afraid my Mom-mobile would turn into a pumpkin at the strike of 10.

I have one open all night grocer by me. But after hitting two stores, I wasn't about to try a third. Plus it was just that, a supermarket. So my chances of let down were pretty great.

So I'm left with some none-exciting supplies. But at least I have some.

I'll just have to use some Mom2Amara magic to make it work.

eight years already?

Dad2Amara, has it already been eight years?

One Amara. Two apartments. One house. Two washers. Several trips to Chicago. And the Shore. Many restaurants. And more car leases than I wish to admit to.

But we've made it through. And we're stronger than ever.

I love you, Dad2Amara.

Happy anniversary.

sleeping beauty

No amount of coffee can keep me awake these days. I'm tired. And cranky. And there's not much I can do about it.

A mom just needs her sleep.

Apparently so does a preschooler.

I arrived home a bit late Monday. Dad2Amara had started dinner. We were moments away from eating.

And all I wanted to do was hug Amara.

"Amara?" No response. "Amara?" Still no response.

My little princess was in bed fast asleep. Hours later, she's still down for the count. But even a kiss from Mom2Amara isn't going to wake this beauty from her slumber.

I didn't get my hug today. Guess it's one of those things a working mom has to sacrifice every once in awhile.

cute girl in a hard hat

Amara's school held a ceremonial groundbreaking to celebrate their new building.

The morning was chilly, following bouts of on-and-off rain for hours. Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to trudging through muddy fields.

But the rain held off. And dozens of kids joined Teacher2Amara at the construction site.

First the kids were invited to put on a hard hat, take a shovel, and sweep up potting soil break ground.



They even managed to pose for pictures and release some balloons.



Between this, taking Aunt and Uncle2Amara to the airport to see the Mouse, Amara's dance class, and taking Bean to a friend's birthday party, I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a nap.

Want to know what's going on with Amara's new house? Follow the cute girl in the hard hat.