Two Superbowl rings in Four Years. Two MVP’s for Eli Manning. As a fan, I couldn’t ask for more. Congrats to Coach Tom Coughlin and all of the New York Football Giants. What a season, what a run. TRUE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people have “it” and some people don’t. Tali 2 has “it”. That boy was born with confidence flowing through his veins.
Last week, he came home with a folder full of his monthly tests. Seven tests, all 100′s.
1969: What a great job! I am soooo proud of you.
Tali 2: Who wouldn’t be proud of me mom?
*blank stare*
That led to the following events. On Wednesday, he had a book fair. He asked us for money for a book. We gave him $5 and he came home with two Philly pretzels. No book.
On Thursday, he asked for $1.00 for his school canteen (store) for a treat. We gave him a dollar and he came home with two bookmarks. No snacks.
On Friday, he asked me for 50 cents for the school canteen again.
1969: Tali 2, this is the 3rd time this week you have asked me for money. Everytime I give you money for school, you don’t bring home what you said you needed it for. You get lunch at school so I am not giving you money every single day. If you are going to need money for school every day, you need to get a job.
Tali 2: I have a job!
1969: What is your job?
Tali 2: TO LEARN…..and I do a really good job at it. So, you should pay me.
1969: *hands over 50 cents and walks away*
Clearly, it’s his world and we are just getting in the way of greatness.
Today I have a topic. (Remember back when I used to actually blog about topics?)
What happens when someone you love is sabotaging you? Or, when friends won’t let friends be great!
Let’s pause and think about that for a minute.
Have you ever had a goal and the minute you announced it to your family and friends, they seemed to try and thwart that goal at every single turn? Case in point, a dear friend recently moved to my neighborhood and she has expressed interest in getting her workout regime back on track.
She has since joined my gym and we have been working out together. Lately, whenever it is time for us to go to the gym, her spouse finds something pressing that he has to do at the exact same time (uh dude, do you really have to mow your lawn right when we are leaving at 7am on a Sunday), leaving her unable to go because she has a toddler. Sabotage.
You let your friend know you are on a diet and you go out to dinner and they order that big plate of lasagna, extra fries and the triple chocolate mud pie while saying “I’m not on a diet! You know you want some of this!” Sabotage.
You get a promotion and you start getting the cold shoulder and no support from your former work friends who used to make your cube their daily hang out spot. Sabotage.
And my favorite….you announce a new endeavor or goal and the instant reaction? “Why do you want to do that?” Sabotage.
Why do we do this? I know I have done this to someone in my own life. Our initial reaction with some people is to doubt them, throw salt on their game and be negative. Trust me, as I get older, I really notice it. I am trying to make a conscious effort to be more positive in my dealings with people.
Now I know, we all have family and friends that are total screw ups. They always have a new scheme that never gets off the ground. However, do we react like this to people we love? Are we stomping on someone’s dream?
When you become a parent, it’s even more important to uplift your children and show them that you believe in them, that you support their hopes and ideas. I notice myself doing this for my kids like it’s second nature. Why do I struggle with doing this with adults?
Maybe if we support some of our friends and family and offer to help them with their goals or just encourage them with a simple “That’s great! I can definitely see you doing that!” we could push them in the right direction?
I love when people believe in me and support my goals. It makes me feel invincible and like I can really accomplish anything. I’m sure someone else would love it just as much.
The political events in the United States in the last week have really disappointed and angered me.
The simple fact that the “Birther” movement was able to challenge the highest ranking official in our country and force him to have to show his birth certificate is ridiculous. I am all for democracy. I am all for the people having the right to question the actions of elected officials.
However, I am certain there is someone who has the job of making sure the candidates and people who run for office are legal and have the right to do so. If you want to question Obama’s birth certfifcate, shouldn’t that be directed to the person who verified the information? How do you bypass that individual and go driectly to the President and question him when he has already accepted the position? You are challenging him directly to prove he should be there?
Now, they are calling for him to produce his transcripts? Enough is enough.
When a black man is standing in the room as your Commander in Chief and probably has among the best credentials of any of his consitituents and he is still being asked to produce proof that he deserves to be there, it’s RACIST. Simple and plain.
If we never asked Bush to show his C average transcripts from Yale, why are we challenging Obama who had an impeccable Harvard education? He also didn’t come from money so his “Daddy” never made any phone calls or greased any palms to get him into school. He worked for his.
I am so disappointed by this turn of events. Even if you don’t care for his politics, you have to take a good hard look at our nation when a twice divorced (and he was in my NY hotel when he was served with papers from his first wife as he was lunching with his current mistress) shady real estate publicity seeker can challenge the highest ranking official in our land on his credentials.
Yes, I am going to say it….this WOULD NOT happen to a white President.
We had a friend’s son hang out with us and spend the night last night. The boys had a blast playing together all day. We wore them out! I put them to bed around 9pm, Mr. 1969 went upstairs to watch a game (and fall asleep) and I laid on the couch downstairs reading a book. After a long day…I was planning on having an uneventful night.
Well around 10:30pm, I could hear somebody being violently ill. If I couldn’t hear it, I surely wouldn’t have missed two boys screaming “Tali 2 is puking everywhere!” *sigh*
My boys have bunk beds. The kind where there is a twin on top and a full sized bed below. Tali 2 was in the top bunk which now looked like something spilled in Hell’s Kitchen and he was so dazed and confused, he laid back down and went back to sleep in the middle of all the damage. It was indeed an assault on the senses.
I sent the two boys (who were delighting in screaming and trying to climb up to look at my baby and laugh) in to sleep in our guest room and tucked them in and shut the door. I woke up Tali 2, made him stand up in the bed and take everything off. I scooped him up in a big towel and gave him a hot shower, rubbed him down with lotion and dressed him in some fleece jammies.
“Mom” “Yes baby” “Can I have socks?” Yes, I even got him clean socks….you know how particular he is about his attire….even when sick (Viva la cold pants revolution (c) Jameil).
After he was dressed, I put him in my bed next to Mr. 1969 (who was STILL sleeping).
I went downstairs, grabbed the bleach, rags, my bucket, mop and a pair of gloves and came back upstairs to work on that bed. The pillows went straight into a garbage bag. OUT! Everything else I threw in the boys tub and washed till I at least got them clean enough to put in the washing machine. Then I started scrubbing the mattress. Then I decided to just clean the whole bathroom.
When I was done and finally went back in to the bedroom to check on Tali 2, Mr. 1969 FINALLY woke up and said “What happened?”
I cussed him out for about ten minutes. How are you in the bedroom next to your kids and you don’t hear a thing? I was downstairs and I heard it. I left him with Tali 2 and went back downstairs to sleep on the couch.
Did I mention that yesterday, I left the house at 7:30 am and did a one hour spin class and then swam about 20 laps afterwards? Can I tell you how good my old muscles are feeling this morning after mopping, scrubbing and then sleeping on the couch?
So you know I was more than a little salty at Mr. 1969 this morning right?
He came downstairs and made breakfast for the two older boys. He came and sat next to me on the couch and said “Do you remember what happened the last time BOY “Z” spent the night at our house?”
I thought for a good minute….”Yes. The fish incident!”
“Clearly we can’t have him back over. He causes Tali 2 to react violently.”
See? Even when I’m mad at him, he makes me laugh.
The events of this weekend’s shooting rampage in Arizona leave me saddened.
I just read this article this morning and the following excerpt jumped out at me.
“Giffords expressed similar concern, even before the shooting. In an interview after her office was vandalized, she referred to the animosity against her by conservatives, including Sarah Palin’s decision to list Giffords’ seat as one of the top “targets” in the midterm elections.
“For example, we’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list, but the thing is, that the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have to realize that there are consequences to that action,” Giffords said in an interview with MSNBC.
In the hours after the shooting, Palin issued a statement in which she expressed her “sincere condolences” to the family of Giffords and the other victims.
During his campaign effort to unseat Giffords in November, Republican challenger Jesse Kelly held fundraisers where he urged supporters to help remove Giffords from office by joining him to shoot a fully loaded M-16 rifle. Kelly is a former Marine who served in Iraq and was pictured on his website in military gear holding his automatic weapon and promoting the event.
“I don’t see the connection,” between the fundraisers featuring weapons and Saturday’s shooting, said John Ellinwood, Kelly’s spokesman. “I don’t know this person, we cannot find any records that he was associated with the campaign in any way. I just don’t see the connection”
Really? You don’t see the connection? There are so many unstable people out there in the world and words can be powerful. There are many ways to go after your political opponent without encouraging folks to join you in shooting an M-16. If it is found that the shooter’s actions were connected to these websites or campaigns in any way? Wow.
I am praying for all of the victims of this senseless tragedy, for the people of Arizona and for all of us. We need to learn to celebrate our differences. It’s okay to disagree and have debates. It’s not okay to use smear tactics, preach fear and promote divisiveness. Eventually, to quote Malcolm….the chickens will come home to roost. And when they do, we have to point the finger at ourselves.
This last month at work has been a rough one. I ended up not making my quarterly goal after not missing a goal for the past two years. *sigh* Even though I know that this happens, it never happens to ME. It was not how I wanted to end the year and puts more pressure on me for next year.
Needless to say, I was so looking forward to today. Why? Cause I am out on vacation until the New Year and this week? No kids at home until Friday. What’s that you hear? Music maybe?
Today, I slept in (well 8am is sleeping in for me when I normally get up around 5:30-6am). I hit the gym, I hung out with Mr. 1969 at Lowes and looked at paint samples (we are redesigning our bedroom as a Christmas gift to ourselves), ate a leisurely breakfast/lunch and then fit in a nice visit this afternoon with one of my girlfriends. In short, I did me!
Nothing like a good staycation to clear the mind. We typically travel to see family in New York and New Jersey over Christmas but after hosting family for Thanksgiving, the SixtyNine family is going….NOWHERE!
I don’t know about you, but it’s the gift that keeps on giving for me. Even Wonder Woman likes a lazy afternoon nap every once in a while. Happy Holidays everyone.
I signed myself up to do a Triathalon. Yes, the woman who couldn’t even run two blocks when I started this blog is pushing to do three sports in one. Who woulda thunk it?
There are different levels of triathalons and I am signing up for the easiest one. It’s called a Sprint. 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike ride and 3 mile run. To say I am overwhelmed at the thought of this undertaking is an understatement. I am pretty terrified. However, I do know that it is mind over matter and all about the preparation. I am determined to do this and the race is not until June 26th so I have lots of time to prepare.
What has been interesting to me is the reaction from people I love. Mr. 1969 was so supportive. I asked him if he thought I could do it back when I was first approached about the idea by my girlfriend. He looked me dead in the eye and said “Absolutely”. My brother was the same way…”You can do it. I believe in you.”
Of course, I also heard from some of my other friends, my mama, my cousins, my co-workers. “Why would you want to do that?” “You’re gonna get big like a dude.” “You’re crazy. You’ll never finish.” “You are gonna come out of the Schuylkill River with three extra eyes.” Okay, that last one is probably true. LOL
I have always been the type to allow negativity to motivate me. So I laughed off all of their comments and kept it moving. I know my friends don’t really mean me any harm and I know they love me and want the best for me.
I can’t lie though. Hearing negative comments did put a small chink in my tough girl armor. As I thought about the comments, I wondered why we always feel the need to bring somebody down when they are attempting to do something positive? I know I am probably guilty of doing this myself. I admit, I have the hater gene in my DNA and it does surface more than I’d care to admit. I am sure I have made snide comments to many folks in the past not meaning them any ill will. Just being my highly opinionated self. Why though?
As I get older, I continue to come face to face with the ugly error of my ways. The lessons I need to learn become so much more apparent when they happen to me. I think that’s part of growing up.
For the record, when someone signs up for something like this race, it’s a major endeavor. The physical preparation is tough but the mental test is even more formidable. They are already thinking all of those negative thoughts in their head…they don’t need you to voice it to them. If you can’t support the endeavor just say “WOW. Good for you.” and change the subject. For real, it’s like seeing someone with a not so attractive child. Why would you steal the mama’s joy by mentioning her child’s looks? You wouldn’t. You have home training.
So why would you make fun of someone else’s goal or dream?
For those of you who have had other people laugh or try to talk you down from a goal…do what I do. Laugh with them and go home and work harder. Use those comments as motivation. I typed them all out and stuck them on my office and my refrigerator. Come June 26th, I will have accomplished a huge personal goal and those folks will have helped me to get there. I’m with Nike….. Just Do It.
The other night, Mr. 1969 and I had a disagreement. At first, it was a nice pleasant discussion but as things sometimes go….it got more heated.
As usual, he thought I was not being rational and I thought he was arguing just for the sake of arguing. Either way, I ended up walking away from the whole thing and going to bed. I guess I broke that “no going to bed angry” rule that all couples are supposed to adhere to.
The next morning he called me at work cracking up. Why? Cause he found this little note I left for him.
Fight over. Laughter and the ability to let shyt go always wins.
