What's For Dinner?

In this historic age of Covid-19 home quarantining, with restaurant and bars shuttered down for the near future, I like everyone else, have been cooking almost every meal at home.
You may be asking yourself why this is a big deal?
Because My Guy and I eat out nearly every single night.

I don't tell you this to brag or to sound pompous, I tell you this because since the kiddos left the nest, our lifestyle is such that we both work and enjoy a dinner out that has been prepared for us. No dishes and no clearing the table. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook and when I do, it's always a treat, but it's a rare occasion indeed.

But it wasn't always this way. Back in the day, when Frick and Frack were little, I used to make dinner every night. After the morning school rush, the kids safely tucked onto the school bus, I would call my friend and commence our usual conversation. "What are you making tonight?", and we bounced culinary ideas off each other and let the inspiration flow.

Back in those 'olden' days we didn't have the internet to look to for inspiration. No Pinterest, no food blogs, no wealth of recipes at our fingertips. Nope, we only had our good old recipe box filled with family recipes and cook books for guidance. So cook at home, I did and it's a pleasant but distant memory. I can't really remember any family favorites from back then, other than my home made spaghetti and meatballs and tacos, which are still in the rotation on those rare occasions that I do cook, but these days I am left to my devices. Literally, hello my trusty iPad.

And you know what?
I'm killing it!

Yup, so far, dare I jinx myself, I'm on a roll! Even My Guy, who is the PICKIEST eater in the world, a fact that has been well documented through the years here at The Daily Dandy, is loving everything I have cooked! And I've added caterer to my list of skills because I'm sending dinner over to my parents, who live next door, almost every night. But I think the silver lining in all of this madness that our life has become today is that we eat dinner together, at the set dinner table every night.

Fritters (my son's girlfriend who lives with us, and her name is an inside joke) and Frick set the table and we all clear the table and clean up, together. It's a silver more valuable than any sterling you can string on your neck or adorn on your fingers. It's the true familial bond that illustrates the age old adage 'Food is love".

Yes love. Its is what's for dinner....

Mini Me

I got the chance to spend some quality time with Frick this weekend before she headed back to the Big Apple and you know what I discovered?

She is a total Mini Me.

I guess I always knew this to be true, but the older she gets the more I begin to see the similarities in our personalities. She is totally me.

She's been going through some stuff recently, and that stuff is stuff we all go through. Growing pains, heartache and the kind of stuff that challenges the foundation of who we are. And she's handled it much like I do-or would have. She even made some statements that I have made when faced with a similar situation. I was kind of surprised.

She's a mini me.

We talked...a lot. And we discussed things and I gave her advice as best I could. I think she gets it, but because we are so similar I feel her pain, quite literally.

We both work hard and are focused on the end result.
We both play hard and enjoy play as a satisfying reward.
We both love hard-sometimes to our detriment.
And we both feel really hard, which in turn makes us vulnerable and obvious. We wear our hearts on our sleeves.

She too, has integrity and a great capacity to "over think" things, which gives me the unique opportunity to provide her with some perspective. Something I sometimes seek in my own mother. I can hardly believe this amazing young woman came from me and is like me in so many ways. I'm left to question whether this is a good thing or a bad thing?  Of course, I hope she has a different outcome with her life. One that is better than the life I have lived and I wish for her not to duplicate the mistakes I have made. Let's hope history does not repeat itself here.

Like they saying goes, "Mirror, mirror on the the wall. I am my mother after all...."

21!

Do you remember your 21st birthday?
I tried to remember mine, but I got nothing. I know I didn't have a big bash, because I was a senior in college and it was during school, but I vaguely remember celebrating at the school pub. Which is precisely why I don't remember much of it! I do remember being excited that I was finally of the legal drinking age and that I was the very last of my friends to turn 21, so drinking was the plan. That's what your 21st birthday is mainly about, isn't it?

Well my baby girl Frick turned 21 last week-which makes her not a baby anymore. She's all grown up and legal now! And we did have a big party for her....

Her birthday was last Thursday, August 13th, so she had decided that she wanted to paint the town of Boston red with her new LEGAL ID. My nephew is a club promoter in Boston, so he hooked us up in the city's most happening Thursday night spot with VIP treatment and bottle service with 12 of her closest friends. The plan was to start out at our house with a BBQ with friends and family then we would all grab a bus (that we rented) and go into the club.

The week before the party I spoke to my nephew and told him to expect us in Boston around 9 or 9:30. He nearly fell over laughing, "Auntie, the club doesn't open till 10:00," he said. My Guy and I were dumbfounded. 10:00 on a Thursday night is past our bedtime, so needless to say we were second guessing the entire night. But it wasn't about us, so we let it roll. Then our friends started to drop like flies.

"I've got a big meeting in the morning, so we will come to your house but we are going to pass on the club, " one friend said.
"That's kind of late for us, so if you don't mind we will see you at your house and then go home from there, " another told us.

Did I mention that we were feeling the same way? After a chat with Frick, she reluctantly agreed to go to the club with 12 of her closest friends sans her parents. After the BBQ, cake and a bit of merry making and  pre-gaming, the van/bus came to collect Frick, Frack and her friends and off they went! Funny thing was, once the kids left, those same friends who decided to opt out of the club ended up continuing the party at our house till about 1AM!! The kids were sending us pics and videos from inside the club and a few of my older nephews showed up at the club to celebrate with Frick! Which can be both a blessing and a problem when you weigh about 95 lbs like Frick does...

Poor Frick. I'm not sure she ever consumed that much alcohol in such a short time, but just as I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed I started getting text messages from her friends.
"We gotta get her home-she's not feeling good"
"She may need a dry cleaner for her outfit."

Oh boy, I thought, we've all been there but it's not fun once you get there. And I felt a bit guilty, like I sent her out to the lions...

Frick arrived home safely and without any major incident, but I think her dress and her dignity have seen better days. The silver lining in all of this? Frick continued to tell me what a wonderful brother she has! She explained that Frack totally took control of her predicament and took such good care of her. All in all I think that is the best present any one could ever ask for.

Our Thoughts And Prayers Are With You

Accidents happen, and the latest tragedy to hit Amtrak is a sobering reminder of just that. Seven people were killed and hundreds injured as the train they were traveling on derailed somewhere in Philly. This one hit home especially hard for me as I travel to New York on Amtrak frequently to see Frick. Amtrak is our chosen mode of transportation to get her home time and time again, most notably this Sunday, as Frick has a ticket booked to return home.

I'm not feeling too good about sending my kid home on an Amtrak train right about now.

I am saddened for the families of the loved ones lost and I pray for the recovery of the injured, but how can I knowingly put my child on a train after this? Some would argue that this might be the safest time to ride the train, others may decide not to press their luck. I'm more of the latter way of thinking, yet life goes on. It has to, don't you think? The train service has resumed, everyone more than likely exercising extreme caution to prevent against further accidents, but still I worry.

Maybe I'll drive down to pick her up myself.

Mommy Dearest.

Would it be considered "over parenting"? Lately I have been guilty of taking on the problems of my grown, somewhat adult children? This is a new sensation to me because in the years leading up to now, it was my JOB to take on the problems of my kids. Now that Frick and Frack are 20 and 19 respectively and out of the house, I find myself obsessing over the silly little day to day stuff that they complain about which really has nothing to do with me.

For God's sake wouldn't you think I have better things to worry about??

Yet here I am worrying and thinking about their small stuff. Things like social issues, romance issues, the influence of peer pressure, academic pressure and I worry that they are unequipped to deal with these things. Despite my worry, they seem to be handling the world without me just fine, and its not like I am constantly calling them or texting with my advice. I silently think about their stuff and find myself wondering how they may have handled a situation, ever careful not to let on that I have been worrying about it. Sometimes I think I worry about their crap more than they do.

I finally realized that despite what I think, my children are equipped to handle these minor navigations through their lives. Dare I say it, it's probably good for them to handle these things alone, even though I don't want to admit it. I have taught them well. Then it dawned on me-maybe they are happy? Maybe something that I may not agree with was actually born out of a choice. A choice that they made for themselves to keep their lives in harmony. After all, it is their life to lead.

It's never easy, this parenting thing, is it? But I realize that no matter what I'm not going to change who I am. I just have to learn to let them be who they are. If they want my advice, they'll ask for it and I will be ready and waiting to give it. Yes, hard as it is I'm going to have to learn to keep my mouth shut when it comes to my kids and their small stuff.

Whether I like it or not.

The Curious Case Of The Missing Takeout.

While away on a small respite with my family, we indulged in one of our favorite traditions back home-Sunday Chineese dinner. The food was great, the company better and we enjoyed our family ritual in a different state and atmosphere. After dinner was done, we asked for the left over food to packed up and then headed to our home away from home where we safely ensconced said leftovers in the fridge.

Important to note-there were 5 boxes of Chineese takeout. 4 large boxes and one small box.

Day 2 of our fabulous vacation, and the family decided to grill dinner on the fantastic grill out back. That morning, we went to the supermarket and got all of the needed items for the feast. The menu was planned-including some of the stir fry veggies from the Chineese take out. I confirmed the veggies were still a viable entity, by opening the box and tasting a cold piece. Frick, who is here with some friends, informed me that she would be eating some of the leftovers for lunch. I know that the veggies are safe around a bunch of young girls so I then went on about the rest of the day.

It's now later that afternoon and I come back to the house to begin preparations for our cook out. I had to start the water for corn, marinate some of the meat etc, when I noticed that there was only 

1 takeout box left in the fridge- and it wasn't the stir fry veggies. No biggie, I thought, the girls must have eaten the veggies with lunch and I thought I probably should have told them of my intended use for the veggies for dinner. When the girls come back, I jokingly say to them, "hey, you must have been hungry because you ate the veggies too, huh?" Frick is surprised. "No mom, we only ate what was in 2 of the boxes." Really? I asked where the other 2 boxes had gone. They had no idea. 

I then asked My Guy. He had no knowledge of the whereabouts of the 2 missing boxes. Ok, I thought now this is curious. I'm so curious that I decide to satisfy my curiosity by checking the trash can. Interestingly enough, the trash had just been taken out. I inquired with everyone in the house as to who had taken out the trash? My Guy said he had taken out the trash, but did not throw away the missing 2 boxes. Now I'm more than intrigued. WTF had happened to the 2 missing boxes? If Frick and her friends had not thrown them away, and My Guy had not thrown them away, and I know for sure that I had not thrown them away, then where were the 2 missing boxes? 

I tried to dismiss the whole incident as unimportant, but the nagging mystery poked at my psyche. Who was lying and why? And was there a stranger who came into the house and took the 2 boxes of leftover takeout? The empty trash can held the answer and my curiousity was just about killing me, so I went out to the garage and I opened the trash can. The nearly empty can held the white kitchen garbage bag clearly visible, so I reached in and retrieved the bag. Yes, I opened it because at this point I needed to know if the 2 missing boxes were in there. Just as Frick and My Guy had said, the 1 large box and 1 small box the girls had eaten for lunch were inside the bag but not the 2 missing boxes. 

I can't say I wasn't disappointed. Now Im really perplexed with this strange situation and I tie up the white garbage bag and throw it back into the trash can. It was then that I spot 1 of the 2 missing boxes thrown at the bottom of the can! Right next to it is the other missing box, but curiously they are without a trash bag, just thrown randomly into the can???!! And none of the food had been touched, as they were both still full of food and veggies.

What the? And here's the kicker- no one is admitting to anything. It has now become a running joke between us, with everyone accusing one or the other of lying about the missing boxes of takeout.

What do you think happened here bloggers? I'm just about ready to think there is a ghost on vacation with us. 

I Was Just Thinking....

• BAG LADY: I have serious issues. In the past month I have bought/received 5 handbags. And not cheap ones. I have very expensive taste and once I get one I am on to the next one. Each one unique and expensive. My Guy is constantly telling me that he is going to sell my old, expensive handbags on Ebay and finance a trip around the world for BOTH of us. Like I said- I have serious issues.

• REAL EYES: Remember I told you about how blind I am? Well guess what? I got CONTACTS!!! Yes, me-I got contacts for what's called monovision. One contact is for distance and the other is for up close reading. So far so good! It's been 4 days and I haven't reached for my glasses once while I am at work, which is highly unusual for me. Most people comment on my FAB Tom Ford glasses, but the contacts are working great, so I don't need them for my day to day work duties. There is one small problem though-I am not the best at inserting them and removing them. They say this comes with practice and I really hope so because it took me over an hour the first day to put them in, 45 minutes the next two days, but today? 9 MINUTES TOTAL! This could be a good thing!

• PEACE YET SORROW: They found the wreckage in the ocean off Indonesia of the AirAsia plane that disappeared a few days ago.Words cannot express the sorrow I feel for the victims and families of the passengers on board. I am, however, grateful for a resolution to the tragedy for the loved ones. Unlike the Malaysian Airline plane that disappeared and was never recovered earlier this year. I cant help but think that those families must live in some kind of "Lost" fantasy from time to time.

• I WANNA BE A BILLIONAIRE: Saw "Guardians of The Galaxy" last night. What a terrific movie! I absolutely loved it. Here's the thing, I have seen this movie advertised on iTunes, On Demand, Apple TV and thought it looked stupid so I breezed over it a million times. My BFF, who sees every movie imaginable in the theaters, also commented that it was a great movie, but I still considered it  to be what looked like a dud. Then I saw an "Best movies of 2014" end of year list that had it at #1. It grossed over 1.8 BILLION dollars so far, so My Guy and I decided to watch it with reservations. Boy were we wrong! There are 1.8 billion reasons to love this movie. I highly recommend it.

• NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: Frick is BACK and we are going to NYC on Thursday to get her situated in her most beloved city. I am so happy that my baby is back on American terra firma and going back to the place she calls home. I miss the city too-I haven't been back since the summer. I love seeing her in her element. It warms a mother's heart.

Marcel Is Back

Just so cuuuute...

Monday Minutia

• First things first Bloggers! I am going to NYC with Frick today-to return tomorrow night-so I will be away from the Bloggersphere tomorrow, Tuesday July 22, 2014. I thought you'd like to know rather than me say nothing....Considering I was with Frack last Monday and Tuesday in High Point, NC, I'd like to think I am one lucky mama to be able to spend some one-on-one time, alone with each of my kids! Frick's NYC visit is strictly business too! My kids are killing me-becoming adults so fast...

• Interesting things going on here in Beantown-Market Basket, one of the most successfully run, independently owned supermarket chains in the country, is seeing an unprecedented stand of unity for it's former CEO. The company, run by the Demoulas family, operates 71 stores in two states. Long time CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was ousted last fall by the Board of Directors in favor of his cousin and chief rival, Arthur S Demoulas. The two have clashed over how to operate the business started by their grandfather.  The employees are not happy about this. They have staged a strike and  walked out on the job until Arthur T Demoulas is restored to CEO. Get this: On Friday over 2000 employees gathered at the company headquarters in Tewksbury, MA to demand the return of Arthur T Demoulas as CEO. As of today, 8 long time employees have been fired from the company. Talk about loyalty. This is fascinating to me. Market Basket must be one hell of an employer.

• Rory McIlroy wins the British Open at the age of 25! A great story. This his third Major victory on his quest for a Grand Slam title. The elusive Masters in April is the only victory he needs to secure the title and join Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus in the Grand Slam club. The victory was especially poignant for his father, who reportedly placed a bet on McIlroy while he was still a teen on winning the prestigious tournament. 

"His father, Gerry, and some of his father’s friends, who reportedly made a wager when McIlroy was still a teenager that he would win the Open within 10 years. Ladbrokes, a British-based gambling company, confirmed in a Twitter post that it would be paying out 180,000 pounds (about $310,000) to them." 

Nice work Rory! It's nice to see a talented, young golfer do well!

• Why does it already feel like the summer is slipping away? July 21, and its seems like we are rounding third on the summer thing. Am I right?  I dunno bloggers. BBQ's aren't tasting so great anymore and the weather lately has been undecided on summer. It's like it's not quite sure of what it wants. Maybe it's just me. What do you think?

Just Say No

So Frack went to a concert last night. It was the DJ Avicii Concert at Boston's TD Garden venue. As a full fledged member of the "Moms That Are Overly Protective" club, I had a brief chat with Frack about concert safety and drugs and drinking. It was one of those talks that when finished, the response is ALWAYS...
"Ya, I know mom". I am a strong believer in sharing all the wisdom and warnings to my children so that maybe, just maybe, they will hear their mother's words in their head and think twice.

Well that mother's intuition thing I got going on was dead on....

Today's Boston Herald had this headline:

Dozens hospitalized during DJ Avicii show at TD Garden

EMS: Many teens were being treated

I immediately texted Frack a pic of the story. He was at work. Last night when Frack arrived home safely, I was waiting up for him. We had a pleasant conversation and off he went to bed warning me that he had to get up early for work today. I saw no evidence of hard partying, to which I was grateful. Frick, Frack, My Guy and I have had many a conversation about drug use. My Guy and I shared our experiences with them both, as they don't amount to much, and by that I mean neither of us had ever even tried hallucinogenics of any kind. Call us square, but I'm not completely innocent. I may be part of that 80% of adults that recreationally use marijuana, or I may not. But it always stopped there.Whatever the case, at the ages my kids are, My Guy and I try to have honest conversations about drugs with the kids. 

And Frack's  response to my text this morning?

"Yeah, I know" 

"A lot of kids on Molly. That would suck to be those kids."

I'm glad that Frack is a very good listener. 

Taco Bell

Tonight is taco night in our house.

The thing about taco night is you think about it all day long until the time comes to bite into the juicy, meaty concoction. Nothing says lovin' like a spicy, delicious taco. My kids love to stuff theirs with all their favorites and My Guy has come to like them too. 

We make two different kinds in our house: chicken and beef and we serve lots of delicious fixins'. I buy the Gordita Kit from Old El Paso and season the chicken from the recipe on the box. I may or may not add diced onion and use chicken broth instead of water when I cook the chicken. But when it comes to the taco meat, my kids like it just the way the taco Gods intended; plain and spicy. We always have two kinds of "shells": soft and hard. Frick likes hard shell and My Guy likes soft shell. I like to use a lettuce wrap for my "shell".

The toppers are crucial in my house. We dice tomato, (has to be super small) shred lettuce, and of course shredded Mexican cheese. We also crush nacho cheese Doritos to sprinkle on top, sour cream guacamole and salsa, and recently we discovered a spicy Chipotle Ranch dressing that is a fantastic taco topper and now a staple on our taco night. 

The last constant on our taco night is unconventional and started out as a bit of an accident, but it is always there. We make couscous. Sometimes the couscous goes on top of theTaco and sometimes it's a side dish, but it's a constant on our dinner table on taco night. It's a great way to get my family together at the dinner table, which is becoming increasingly difficult these days. For that, I am grateful.

Is it dinner time yet? Suddenly I'm really hungry. 

My Guy's Making Time

My Guy and I set off on Friday for a fun filled weekend in NYC with Frick. She was performing her "final exam" project Saturday night (which was amazing). I was excited to spend a great Mother's Day weekend in the city with my favorite daughter. All week My Guy and I talked about the time of departure on Friday. We were set to leave around 11AM, so around 10:15AM that morning My Guy started stressing about "making good time" and beating the afternoon traffic.

It's a funny thing. Why is it that men worry about "making good time?"

The ride, door to door from my MA home to NYC is usually about 4 or 4.5 hours. In the 2 years that Frick has been in college in the city, My Guy found this easy, non-traffic-ed way that usually takes about 3 hours. Amazing right? But one can never predict the traffic, road patterns and obstructions. Here's my take: What does it matter what time we get there? We didn't have an appointment. We wouldn't be seeing Frick until about 4PM that day and leaving at 11 gave us more than enough time to make it with some to spare. Yet My Guy poured furiously over his GPS trying to calculate his route and predict what we would find along the way.

"It's all about making good time," I teased My Guy. "It's about proper road management," he replied. The ride took us about 4 and a half hours total, with a 20-30 min stop for lunch. And yes...we hit traffic. Lots of it in some areas, but not enough to make for a major delay, so I'm not sure that would qualify in My Guy's top ten "making good time" rides. I say who cares? It's adorable and strange at the same time but I'm left to wonder is this a man vs woman thing?

"Making good time" for a guy is like scoring bragging rights. It's a male equivalent to "sticking it to the man" and somewhat like a mobile version of a free lunch. Why is that boys? If I had to venture to guess, I would say women worry more about what to pack for the trip than getting there in record time. Guys? It would seem to be all about getting there quick and navigating a Houdini route that will ensure less time traveled. Don't get me wrong, I like getting to my final destination in record time, but my stress is much more about whether or not I need the black Louboutin strappy pumps or whether I really need the two different face bronzers that I cannot seem to part with. If we were traveling under a time constraint of some sort, I could justify the stress and the strategy, but we weren't.

What do you got to say for your yourself fellas? Be honest.

Let The Sunshine In

• With such a warm and gorgeous, sunny Saturday, I was struck by how many of us were "amazed" by the warm weather. It has been so cold here for so long that we forgot what good weather felt like....

• Frick and Frack spent the weekend together in NYC. Yes, I know they are old enough to handle it without Mama and the fact that I called and texted them both six thousand times has nothing to do with the fact that they ignored 90 percent of those calls and texts. Does it?

• Busy week for me. I have one of the biggest days ever at The Candy Bar on Wednesday..,wish me luck!

• I can hardly believe it has been a year since the Boston Marathon bombings. This week the news media of the world will descend on our fair city to tell the amazing stories of the victims and survivors. I pray God will keep the city safe and watch over us as we commemorate the tragic events of last year. I personally believe that this year's Boston Marathon will probably be one of the safest places in the world to be during the race. 

• I baked two incredible pies for Easter yesterday. Jus sayin...

• Looking forward to seeing "The Other Woman". Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Brooklyn Decker all team up to bring down Leslie Mann's cheating husband. I have a personal interest in infidelity since I have experienced it first hand. Cheating men are scum and deserve everything bad that happens to them because karma is a bitch and you don't want to piss off a bitch who is pissed off. I love it when Hollywood dramatizes the sweet vindication!

• Nurse Jackie on Showtime is BACK....speaking of bitches who you don't want to piss off..

NY-Seeee

So I was in New York yesterday, seeing my baby girl Frick and taking care of some business. While I was there, I experienced something I had never seen before. Snow in the City. Sounds like the title to a  bad HBO series, but it was quite a feat to behold. 

When I entered Penn Station on Sunday afternoon, the entire place was a see (sic) of color. I never saw so much blue and orange in my life. Denver fans to one side, Seattle fans on another and the orange and neon green wigs they were sporting were popping color all over the station. Once in the city, life returned to normal because by then everyone was safely ensconced in New Jersey. The best of all was the view from my hotel room where the Empire State Building was lit up in both neon green and neon orange. Too bad the game didn't live up to the hype. 

In the wee hours of Monday morning, about 4 am, Frick and I were awoken by some angry Denver fans who were taking out their anguish on the floor ice machine. The kicking and the screaming I'm sure, woke everyone on the floor up. But there was another sound in the wee hours of that morning...it was the sound of ice and snow hitting the window. That morning when I woke up I could see the rooftops of TriBeCa covered in white and whatever green trees around were covered with crystallized snow. For me, it was an amazing site. It was snowing pretty hard by the time I got on my way to work and all the majesty of the snow was lost. It turned into a slushy, black mess. 

NYC is not really conducive to snow, and that was evidenced by the traffic and slush that everyone tried to ignore. Yes it was a pain in the ass, but I have to say it was beautiful. And the snow continued all day, never tapering off, creating a huge inconvienience to all. Bonus for me, that it did not delay my train! The ride home was a spectacular site. The snow covered trees and rooftops proved to be a gorgeous distraction and it majesty, restored! 

In all the years I have been traveling to and from the city, I can't believe I have never seen snow in the city. It's kind of hard to believe. I actually had to see it to believe it.

Another Day In Paradise

Coming home to this Arctic cold really makes me long for another day in our recent Puerto Rican paradise. It was a much needed break from everything, but most of all a great chance to bond as a family. Team Building, as I like to call it, was a great success! From the great weather, the hours spent enjoying recreational activities and the hours spent just relaxing, the trip was well worth it.

I would have to say that the Europeans have it right...

I may be lambasted for this in this public forum, but part of the success of this trip was the fact that my children both of Puerto Rico's drinking age, were for the first time able to experience the "adult activities" legally. It is no secret that Frack-my son-has been pushing the limits of our patience since this summer. I get that he is of the age of experimentation, but every weekend dude? And-forgive me-but Frick probably did all the same things he is doing and never got caught? Having said that...we were a bit worried about Frack and his antics while on vacation and legal to drink.

As a test of sort, we decided to give him some rope and see if he would hang himself with it. The first night we arrived I had come down with that unfortunate vomit bug that seems to be going around, and was unable to do anything except crawl into my hotel bed and die. That left My Guy, Frick and Frack alone to go paint the town without me. My Guy reported that Frack (Frick is a college student in NYC ya know) had announced at the dinner table that evening that this was the first time he was able to order a cocktail legally. A milestone for him, and absolutely to be celebrated. My Guy wondered quietly how much he would celebrate.

After dinner and two cocktails for all, the group then ventured about 50 ft over to the hotel casino. My Guy, a brilliant business man, told our children that he would finance and monitor their gambling for the evening. The only caveat, was that they split their winnings with him. Much to Frick and Frack's surprise and delight, a deal had been struck and off they both went to their first choice, the Roulette table. My Guy sat across the pit at the Blackjack table where he could monitor their progress. He was pleasantly surprised by how the children stood together and watched the game take place for the first 30 mins or so. They then got their colored chips and began to play. When the chips piled up and the winnings being tallied were "colored up"; (meaning the more chips, the more the color of your single chip) my children began stowing these brighter colored, more valuable chips in their pockets. A tip they learned from their mother, a notorious chip hoarder.

After an hour or so of some really fun gambling, Frick and Frack left the table victorious! Both had won quite a bit for their first time. But the amazing this was this..after a great night of gambling and drinking, both children retired with My Guy early. We could hardly believe it. My Guy and I told them that they could go out on the busy, touristy strip-not too far-but far enough- to explore the city TOGETHER. They were not to leave each other. They declined that first night and unbelievably every night after.

I bounced back the next day, and joined my family at the beach and for all the festivities that followed. But amazingly Frick and Frack never left us. And they hardly drank alcohol. After the first day or two of being able to drink at lunch and dinner and the casino, I noticed that they weren't interested in the drinks that much. They would enjoy one with dinner, maybe, but I never saw them order one at the casino again. And the drinks were free!! I know they didn't because by then they had graduated from the Roulette table to the Blackjack table. Gambling Blackjack was much more fun when your mom and dad are right next to you, walking you through it. All in all-Frick and Frack both left Puerto Rico a few hundred $ richer and with a much different perspective on drinking. (I know it would have been a different story if their friends were there) But I am encouraged by the maturity of both of them. Again, maybe the Europeans are onto something...

We are still basking in the glow of the great family experience, and I think we all have a new found trust for each other and the decisions that we make. All of that accomplished in a plane ride to the Caribbean. If you ask me, it was truly a trip to remember and a true paradise.

Toilet Paper Tales

So I'm watching those crazy Kardashians, and the episode is all about how Khloe and Kris go out, get drunk, and proceed to toilet paper Kim's house. Right? I know what you are thinking, but his post is not about those crazy bitches. The episode make me laugh so hard because I've got some Toilet Paper Tales of my own to tell.

Back in high school, I was kinda wild. Are you shocked? Me wild?? But it's true, we were a pack of wild kids. We used to stay out late, drink and get this...steal our parent's cars and cruise around after hours without our drivers licences!! How the HELL we got away with it I will never know, but I would KILL Frick or Frack if they even attempted some of the crap we pulled.

Having said that...

We were "the coolies" as my dad dubbed us, and one night "the coolies" decided that we were going to toilet paper the football team's houses. We were probably sophomores, none of us old enough to drive, yet we hatched a plan to stay out all night and create mischief. The first thing was to secure the all nighter..we each lied about a sleepover at so and so's house, then we were free! My BFF's parents owned a gym for gymnastics and they had lots of vans that were unattended at night. We took a cab down to the gym, My BFF had the keys to a van and we took off to pick up the others! There were about 7 or 8 of us and like a team of Navy Seals, we set out on our stealth mission dressed all in black.

We needed lots of toilet paper, and being young and wild, we soon realized that the four pack that we had each stolen from our houses just wasn't going to do the job we needed to do. Steal being the operative word here...
It was then that we decided that every late night fast food joint would outfit us with all the toilet paper we would need. It took about 4 or 5 trips to different Burger King and McDonalds within a 5 -10 mile radius, but each bathroom had an ample supply of overflow toilet tissue which we heartily helped ourselves to. Rotten kids, we were, but we thought it was the greatest thing. When we were supplied to the brim with extra toilet paper, our mission began.

Oh what fun it was to throw the rolls over the trees, creating the effect seen above at each house. Trying to stifle the giggles and voices of 8 sophomore girls in the wee hours of the morning was a feat in itself, but we somehow managed to pull it off. I can still remember the rush of excitement when one or more of the houses were decorated in our special way. And it continued all through the night. One after the other, each home properly vandalized, the team we had assembled joyously worked, creating laughs and memories. It seemed like such good clean fun until....

The next day.

At the football game, it spread like wildfire that we were the ones responsible for the mess at each residence. And would you believe that no one thought it was as funny as we did?

The things a bunch of crazy kid will do for the hell of it.

I'm sure today if we had completed such a mission, all 8 of us would have at least received a visit at our homes from the local authorities with either the threat of criminal action or forced to clean up what we thought to be a hilarious mess. Thank God for the good old days. Beside a few snarky remarks from the guys on the football team about how they themselves had to clean it up, we escaped the consequences of our actions.

Again, it's a good thing I didn't know Frick and Frack back then. And I'm sure I never relayed to them the exact details of the story.

I don't think the world would find it as funny..

We Are, At Times, A Very Sick and Twisted Society.

So I remember when Frick was little, we were planning a big birthday party for her and she was pumped!!! I'm not sure why, but I thought it would be funny to tell her that I wasn't going to her party. I think the gag lasted a whole 10 minutes, but I remember she wasn't too happy about it. The moral to this story?

She has never let me forget or live it down, still to this day. It's become a cautionary tale in our household.

So why is this so funny to me? The answer lies in the title of today's post.

Watch it through to the end, as there are some redeeming moments and a hilarious twist at the end. And I have to tell you....I guess I'm just sick and twisted enough to laugh out loud through this whole thing.

Enjoy!

Move In Day!

So I have been up to my elbows in packing up Frick for college. Sorry about my absence.

A few things:

Yesterday was my 3rd wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has been three years because it feels like I have been with My Guy forever! We are so lucky to have found each other and I just want to say Happy Anniversary to the best husband, father and to one of the greatest men I know. 

I am currently in New York city about to embark on moving Frick into her dorm. I will then enjoy the rest of my Anniversary weekend with my husband and daughter in the Big Apple. (Frack had to stay home with his grandparents. Golf team practice has started) I will be absent from the bloggersphere from today, August 29, 2013 and will not be returning until Tuesday, September 3, 2013. 

Happy Labor Day bloggers! Make sure you BBQ all your summertime favorites and enjoy all the outdoor activities you can! 

He's Bringing Sexy Back

So I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z concert at Fenway park last night. It's Frick's birthday and we went with a couple of friend of hers and a couple of friends of mine. It was SPECTACULAR! I was very impressed with both artists and the music was great. 

While there I noticed a few things I thought interesting:

The crowd was eclectic! Lots of women and men in my age demo and lots of people in Frick's demo.

There were plenty of couples, which was interesting, to say the least. I would have thought it would have been more of a "chicks" thing, dripping with young women. Not the case at all.

Sexy was in the air. Beside the great show, we had an interesting show going on right in front of us. Three young, handsome guys and two girls in the row in front of us. You couldn't help but notice that they were feeling sexy. Very sexy. There was a lot of bumping and grinding going on and a lot of "tonsil hockey" and swapping of partners. So here we are trying to enjoy the concert, but the show in front of us was unavoidable. Being much older than the people in front of us, I tried to focus my attention on the stage but Frick and her friends were mesmerized by the side show. They were horrified and kept commenting on the logistics of what was taking place in the row before us. I guess I'm lucky I raised her right, and after the show the girls involved beat a hasty retreat. It was then that we asked the boys if they had decided which one of the two they would take home? "No matter," the boys replied. "We have a deal. Whoever scores tonight will no doubt share the wealth with all of us." What the hell? 

Ok and yes he really did say that. I'm just grateful it wasn't Frick and her friends in that row.

Justin and Jay-Z put on a killer show and Justin played at least three instruments during his sets.I had no idea that the former Boy Bander was so talented. While Justin danced and sang, Jay-Z came out and rapped during his set, but he seem tired. Kind of like I was tired at that point. Then we googled his age and I immediately knew why. Jay-Z is in my age demo. Hell yes he's tired! We're old...compared to the others. 

All in, it was a great night and something I truly enjoyed doing with my daughter. They superstars commented that this was the best crowd of the entire tour, which made the place erupt! 

But, I bet they say that in all the city's they travel to. 

Fun, Fun, Fun, Till Her Daddy Takes The T-Bird Away

It's been so wonderful having Frick home from college. Everybody is happy to be a complete family unit again. Even the dogs! I notice that Frick and Frack have a new found love and respect for each other, which is VERY rare and something I do not want to disturb. Part of this new buddy relationship may relate to the fact that they do not have to share a car anymore.

Quick back story: Frick left for college in August of 2012. Frack did not have his driver's licence at that time, so Frick's car sat unused until Frack got his licence in Feb 2013. Said car then became Frack's car, and you know how  a boy feels about his first car. When Frick came home on the occasional weekend during the year, it wasn't always smooth negotiations between the two of them for the car. BUT, lucky for us, we have 4 cars, and My Guy and I only need a car each for driving to work and back. Precious evenings out with their friends were salvaged by the parents carpooling at night. Problem temporarily solved right?

Wrong.

Now that we have Frick all to ourselves for the summer, the need for everyone to have their own car has reached a crescendo.Summer jobs, Frack still in school, my job, My Guy's job, we all need our own wheels. So what are we to do? Again, I said we are fortunate enough to have 4 cars. The fourth car is what we will call "the race car", and it's a two seater, five speed. The only one's that can drive a five speed in the family are My Guy and myself. The race car is a a little showy for My Guy to pull up to his office everyday, so guess who has to take one for the team and drive the rag top, race car everyday???

Oh hell YES! It's meee! and I'm loving it!

I have to say, driving a five speed is very freeing, especially when the top is down and the wind is blowing through your hair, but it's a lot of work too. It's definitely not as smooth sailing as an automatic, but who the hell cares? The work out, (I'm definitely getting an arm workout) and the power I am experiencing daily is a complete blast!! Heck, I may never give up this car. If it weren't for the severe winter weather here, one would have a hard time prying the key from my hand later in the year.

Nothing erases the stresses of a long day at work like the ride home, top down, in my race car and I'm taking downshifting to a whole new art form. I'm also feeling like I want my kids to experience this kind of joy, so I'm thinking it's time to teach them.But then again, if I do that, I may never see the race car again.

In fact, they may start fighting over the race car, and then we would be back to square one again.

No, I'm going to wait on Frick and Frack's stick shift lessons until later in the summer and keep on having my own personal fun. Because once I bring them in on the party, I know exactly what will happen.

It will be just like dear old dad taking my T-Bird away.