Four year olds don't get sweeter than this!

Umm...  This is an old, old draft.  I think I meant to upload pictures to it and forgot.  It made me laugh :)

She never forgets...
Jocee: Mommy, I'm glad you don't wear socks anymore.
Me: It's too hot for socks right now.
Jocee: No, you can't wear them. They're not good for you.
Me: [I just turned and looked at her, confused.]
Jocee: Remember, Mommy?? You fell.
Me: I didn't fall...
Jocee: Your socks were making you slip everywhere. So when you got me my milk you slipped across the floor and fell like, that [smacking the table for emphasis]. Over there...[pointing to the family room].
Me: Oh, that. You still remember that??
Jocee: [Nodding her head] You falled and slided. You screamed a little bit, too. Like, 'Eeee!'

Note: That was months ago; maybe March. She must think of me in the most flattering light. ;)


She's such a back seat driver!
Jocee: "Mommy! Red light! STOP!!"
Me: "Joce, I will when I get to there. It's far away."
Jocee: "Ooh! Hehe! Sorry!"
[Pause]
Jocee: "It just turned green! Don't stop!"
Me: "How's that Princess book you're not reading??"

She is always so forgiving.
Like the other day when I was getting ready to leave... Both girls where following me from one room to another. They wanted to "help" clean, put makeup on with me, and just be underfoot.

My patience was lacking, and I had been raising my voice too much. I started to feel bad.

Me: "Jocee, I'm sorry for being cranky. I haven't been very nice today. I will be nicer."
Jocee: "No, Mommy. You're nice of all."
Me: "Not today.."
Jocee: "There is nicer, nicest, and nice of all. You, are the nice of ALLLL."


She is fashion conscious.
Jocee: "Is this string supposed to be my sleeve?"
Me: "Yes...it's a strap. That's a tank top."
Jocee: "But it's so teeny..."
Me: "Do you not like it?"
Jocee: "Could you not buy me a sleeve?"

She sees the best in people.
Like when she introduces me to her little friends at the park...
"This is my Mommy. Her name is Ginny. Isn't she soo pretty?"


I love my Jocee M.

I'm just so retweetable!!

I'm not a big tweeter. People will follow me, and then drop me days later from boredom. No biggie. Tweeting for followers would be exhausting. And I'm not much of a people pleaser.

So...last night I was catching up on DVR'ed Dr. Oz episodes.
I was so excited for today's show with Dr. Mercola. He's so legit, and his advice has really helped me. He's one of my favorite people to follow. I just had to tweet him.

So here it is...
My .0015 minutes of fame :)

So nice of him. :)

Win

Pharmacist: "What was the weight?"
Ginny: "15 minutes."
Pharmacists: "Haha! I meant the weight of the child. Haha..."
Ginny: "Oh! 40 pounds! Ha..."


He called me, "Miss Hill." :)

Ginny Moments

Have you ever tried to blame your blondish hair on a legit personality quirk?

Have you ever smeared turmeric all over your face and then posted photos to your blog, just to later find out how much people Google "turmeric facials"??

Have you ever had a BFF just not get your kind of humor??


Have you ever questioned why your favorite Masshole keeps calling you a "Utahhhd" when it's clearly, UtaRd??



Have you ever been accused of being a little too much like a certain drag queen??


Have you ever thought you were in the wrong month? Like got MLK day mixed up with President's day? And then didn't send your kid to school for a few extra days?



Oh, you haven't??
Good. Neither have I.

Thank you, 2011!

Isn't this photo so cheesy?! Ha! So is my title!

2011 started off feeling a lot like 2010, but I'm really glad it didn't end up that way. I remember talking to a friend in May. She was talking about how much she loved being in her 50s, and it made me wish I could just fast-forward 20 years. But since that's not an option, I've decided to embrace each year as an opportunity to grow into who I should be. From that vantage point 2011 was everything it needed to be.

• The widow brain fog started lifting.

• And because I could feel myself thinking more clearly, I made plans.
  

• And because I had legit plans, I started school!

(I know I mentioned it already, but it's the best GPA I've had...ever! It's the first time I've cared about school too...)

• Getting proactive felt right (and good).

(Not that I didn't figure that one out 2+ years ago.)

• I learned to be kinder to myself; meaning more patient. Things don't have to happen as quickly as I want them to.

• I learned more of what it means to sacrifice for your child when they need you. It's limitless.
  

• I got a little reckless... And learned how much I love it!!

(And jumpsuits make everything that much more fabulous.)

• I cut energy drainers out, and replaced them with funner people.

(Side note: If you're playing the role of victim in your life, in need of a therapist, or can't stop being such a drag...we're not meant to be! But I wish you all the best! :))

• This statement couldn't be truer!
  

Hahahaha!! It's a T. Thorpe original.

• I adopted a mantra.

It will be.


Love.
xoxo

"Mommy, just be Rapunzel!!"

Mommy is a Disney Princess.
Buggy is sure of it.

PS...

To the majority of you that didn't get that inside joke posted on 8/17...

It's the Lazy Sunday SNL skit!


That was one of Ben's favorite junk food snacks. So naturally this was one of his favorite SNL skits. He'd sing it every time he got Redvines and DP.

I would get soo annoyed! haha




(Thanks to my friend, Ryanne! Not only did she get it right away, but she knew the name of the skit, too.)

:)

Sometimes, I jump out of airplanes...

Here's the deal... With Ben's birthday creeping up on me, I haven't quite known what to do with myself.

So, my solution?? Something totally out of character. Something to get me way outside of my comfort zone. (For five minutes, I even contemplated a tattoo. But I'm too...noncommittal. And I can just picture the girls eventually wanting one...or 50. Yikes!)

Anway! Jumping out of a perfectly good plane, (while strapped to a guy, strapped to a parachute) made perfect sense! ;) And I kind of always wanted to. It's one of those bucket list items.


Dad and Laura jumped, too!
He has wanted to for...forever, and she actually went two weeks before we did (and loved it).


When I first met my instructor, and he was going over the basics with me, I asked him, "So, can we do a back flip?! I think that will help me be less nervous!"

He just kind of looked at me confused and slowly nodded, "We...can do a flip..."
(Maybe he wasn't expecting that! But eventually I think he got me. :))

I've decided that skydiving people are the funnest people! It was impossible to not have fun, too! Everyone laughed, joked, and chugged Red Bull on the way up!


Actually jumping was crazy, and too fun for words!

Once the parachute deployed, he told me I did really good. He even complimented me on not screaming. Ha!! I got to steer, too!

THEN he told me that I should look into getting certified, because I have the personality for it (??!!). After brushing him off, I realized he was completely serious! So most of the conversation down was about what it takes to jump alone. How much ground time... How many jumps... How safe it really is...

I think he talked me into it!


Anyway, I have over 100 amazing photos, but this video will have to do!


Apart from marrying Ben, and having two perfect babies....
Funnest thing ever!

:)

Ben & Laura

A while back, when my sister knew that I was looking at Ben's FB profile (and laughing), she told me to go look at their wall conversations. Maybe it's only funny if you know how Ben and my sister could be. But I'm posting it here.

:)

Ben >> Laura
And I was like, Yeah Whatever
September 24, 2007 11:25pm

Laura >> Ben
C.R.E.A.M. cash rules everything around me. dolla dolla bills yall. MONEY, POWER, RESPECT.
September 25,2007 11:37pm
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ben >> Laura
"Laura sucks at cars, phones, and black eyes."

Laura is good at adderol.
October 31, 2007 at 11:31pm

Laura >> Ben
hahahahahaha! I FREAKING LOVE YOU MAN.
November 1, 2007 at 11:59 am
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ben >> Laura
Do we need to take you to Sexburg? My current plane can do it in about an hour an 15 minutes.
November 17, 2007 at 10:04 pm

Laura >> Ben
okay, i'll be there in about an hour and ten.
November 18, 2007 at 1:30 pm
----------------------------------------------------------------
Laura >> Ben
it's thanksgiving and you have my family. awesome.
November 22, 2007 at 12:00 pm

Ben >> Laura
They are my family now
November 23, 2007 at 12:12 pm

Laura >> Ben
honestly if you want to be like that, then just be like that okay.
November 25, 2007 at 12:03 pm
----------------------------------------------------------------
Laura >> Ben
so you have signing time with jocee..as in sign language? wtf is this!
December 15, 2007 at 11:57 am

Ben >> Laura
Sign language for babies. WTF did you think it was?
December 15, 2007 12:48 pm

Laura >> Ben
your status said baby signing time, maybe it should say singing? singing as in sign language yo.
December 16, 2007 9:50 pm

Ben >> Laura
it is SIGNING, as in sign language; are you snorting pixie sticks or something?
December 16, 2007 10:39 pm

Laura >> Ben
pop rocks ben, pixie sticks are for kids.
December 16, 2007 10:41 pm

Ben >> Laura
smoking beer is bad for you as well
December 16, 2007 at 11:51 pm

Laura >> Ben
well i guess it's a good thing I only smoke vodka. didn't you know i was hardcore?
December 17, 2007 at 9:38pm

Laura >> Ben
i'm a lightweight? you wrote on your own wall! hahahahaha!
December 23, 2007 1:37am

Laura >> Ben
howdy ho.
December 23, 2007 at 1:37am
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ben >> Laura
When the crap are you coming again?
December 26, 2007 at 9:27pm

Laura >> Ben
hey, my plane comes in on january 7 at 4:20, coincidence? i think not.
December 30, 2007 at 3:56pm

Ben >> Laura
Stoner
December 30, 2007 at 10:48pm
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ben >> Laura
Trapped like rats.
February 18, 2007 at 10:51pm
----------------------------------------------------------------
Laura >> Ben
happy birthday yo
August 18, 2008 10:33am
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ben >> Laura
...and I was like. Yeah whatever.
September 23, 2008 at 9:32am

Laura >> Ben
thank you kind sir.
September 23, 2008 at 11:59am
----------------------------------------------------------------
Laura >> Ben
original gangster, olive garden, orangutan gay, anything you want, but mostly original gangster.
March 15, 2009 at 8:52pm
----------------------------------------------------------------
Laura >> Ben
happy birthday dawg.
August 18, 2009 at 9:38am

It gets sad after that. But I'm keeping this one light.

It's what BFFs with blogs do.

They blog about you for your birthday.
And since they are T. Thorpe... They do it with the most fashionable kind of lateness. ;)

(And since this is my favorite, and sweetest birthday present, I just had to copy&paste!)

Meet My Best Friend GINNY

Part II

In honor of Ginny's Birthday Month! ;)

1. Your Best Friend’s name. Introduce her/him.
Ginny Hill (click on her name)


2. Their Characteristic Traits...
Ginny is the most genuine person you will ever meet. What you see is really what you get. Factual... always has her facts together/straight. She still wears makeup even though there is no one to impress (and trust me in Massachusetts, that is BIG deal!!!!). She has great witty comebacks. Health conscious always aware what she is putting in her body. Yoga & Pilates buff. Intuitive In-tune... we are always on the same wave length.

3. Long-Distance or Close-Distance?
Long distance for right now...

4. What you do with you Best Friend when you hang out?
Eat Soy Ice Cream or eat a artichoke(without butter) while watching old movies or chick flicks. Hit up a health food shop. Laugh until we are crying. Go get Energy Massages.

5. Common Interests...
We are Boston Girls, Mommy of 2 (kids same ages), We both married guys that challenged us to be a little less girly, Health Conscious, Old Movies, holistic alternatives, Blood Type Diets, Exercising, Same Tv Shows, Makeup and Hair Care, Paranormal, Bloggers, Reiki,

6. Different Interests...
I really like Meat and I LOVE a great Steak... Ginny not so much aka she's vegetarian.
I LOVE Makeup... Ginny would rather have amazing Hair products.
I LOVE doing Cardio workouts...Ginny LOVES Yoga.
I LOVE Oprah... Ginny LOVES Dr.OZ.
I LOVE Cookie Dough Soy Ice Cream... Ginny LOVES Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Soy Ice Cream.
I have a built in GPS In my head... Ginny has one on her dash board!(Garmin is her bf! ;))
I have never shot a animal... Ginny has!!
I like Classic timeless clothes/colors...think Ralph Lauren... Ginny wears more bright & takes a chance on what she wears, think Color Block!
Ginny is more likely to read a Book... I'm more likey to watch it on TV.
GO SOX!!!... Ginny is more whatev!

7. Recall any fights you’ve had?
Let's just say dogs and pregnancy don't mix well.


8. Best Memory?
Honestly there are to many to choose from... Every time we get together is a Best Memory!!

9. A Letter to your Best Friend...

Dear Ginny,

It's Summer time again which means You & I turn another year older. Thankfully we are able to do so gracefully! ;) Whether its hair, makeup, skin, weight, eating habits, emotional, mental, or even spiritual I believe we will always keep each other young!!

We have both grown a lot in the past year. Unfortunately not all by choice. There has been a lot of heartaches, tears, and disappointments. Some how in the midst of all that, we have seemed to keep ourselves some what grounded. Help keep each other in balance, and most importantly laugh most of the way through it. :) Naturally we have had alot of fun & great Memories too!!! Some of the best times/ highlights this past year has included you visiting.

I can truly say you are one of the very few who knows me best. Even though we are so different, we are so much alike. Sometimes we are so in tune with each other its scary! (A good scary of course!) Its not a good week without spending a few hours on the phone talking and laughing after kids have gone to bed! Even Alan would agree... hes able to catch up on his shows and read! ;) I love how no topic is silly or dumb. And how most people would probably feel stupid if they talked about the things we discuss.

Whenever I think of our friendship a quote from William Shakespeare always comes to mind.. "A friend is one that knows you as you are, Understands where you have been, Accepts what you have become, and still, Gently allows you to grow." My Mother always told me its always best to have 1 friend who gets you than to have a whole group of people who don't. I am so grateful and fortunate that I have a BFF like you!! :) And extremely thankful that our kids are following in our footsteps with each other! I have no doubt we will be friends for the rest of our lives!!

~Fire & Air~
Tiffany

10. Any Photo's of You and your Best Friend?

Thank you so much, T. Thorpe!!

I hope I can live up to all the sweet things you say about me! Love you, chicky!!

28 really useless Ginny facts

Ya know, the kind that are soo random that even I haven't blogged about them.
It is my birthday month; in case you forgot. ;)

1. This is hard. I feel like I've blogged it all. Hmm...

2. I've been wearing the same toe ring on my right foot since June, 2003.

3. I feel antsy when my toes aren't painted. (They're currently in dire need of a touch up.)

4. I'm pretty hesitant to embrace new technologies. Like smart phones... I'm sure it's nice to stay connected to the internet (and everyone else) all day. But I cringe at the thought of being so accessible.

5. Oh, and Twitter just seems like the never ending FB status. Blahhh. I doubt I'll ever get an account.

6. Lately I've been the worst ever at checking my email. If I check it once a day, I'm doing really good. And I love turning my cellphone off sometimes, too. Silence is sweet.

7. I love real books with real bindings and paper. I hope they never get totally replaced by those e-reader thingies.

8. And with all this talk of tech-ish things... I just have to go to Indonesia. When the girls leave for college, so am I! I'd be so content to just live with monks for a few months. (I am serious.) That probably sounds Eat, Pray, Love-ish. But, whatever. I wanted to before I saw the movie.

9. I hate crew neck tops. Ben hated turtle necks. So now, I mostly only wear scoop or v-necks.

10. I'm completely convinced that the Canadian geese in Sharon, MA should be added to the "birds of prey" list. If I win this battle (that I kind of started with them...), I will blog about it.

11. When I was little, I used to envision myself growing into a tall woman with long, straight, brown hair. Hahh!!

12. So many people have told me that when they first met me, they thought I was snobby (and how I'm so not). Weird, right?!! It kind of bugs me when I hear that.

13. I take like 6 supplements a day. Love them.

14. LLB calls me a Dr. Oz worshiper. I wouldn't go that far, but I do take almost all of his advice to heart. (I say "almost all" because he has a lot of stuff for the middle-aged Oprah fans. It doesn't apply to me yet.)

15. One of my goals for this next year, is to meditate at least 3 times a week.

16. Another goal is to stop falling asleep with the TV on. (That makes me sound like such a hypocrite with all the technology bashing I've done in this post! Haha)

17. I have not finished a single book I've started in the last...21 months.

18. I'm a horrible liar. The guilt just eats at me, and I'm not convincing at all.

19. I'm starting to realize that I can't shop at Forever XXI, forever...

20. Today a 21 year old kid asked me where I go to college. He thought I was like his age! Hahahah :) It was a good day...

21. Jocee knows that my favorite number is 21. She thinks that your favorite number should be your age, so she often asks me if I wish I was 21. I always tell her that I'm happy to be my age. But when I stop and think about where I was back then, sometimes I do.

22. I'm more of a cat person, than a dog person. I appreciate they're independence.

23. I'm not a fan of jerky pickup truck drivers. I feel that they are overcompensating for something...small.

24. I never watch scary movies. And if I ever do, I'm notorious for covering my eyes.

25. Sometimes I feel kind of bad for all the people who search for bloopers from that MTV show, and land on my blog instead. But seriously, do you really think a series that poses as a reality show, is going to post bloopers on the internet??

26. I LOVE that the story of how Ben and I met, gets the most hits. That makes me happy. :)

27. I've been trying extra hard to be happy lately. I definitely don't always want to be branded as that sad little blonde widow, with that sad widowed blog. It'd be like playing the same 3 cords for the rest of my life. I've stumbled across blogs like that, and I cannot stand them.

28. I can't believe I'm 28 this month. Ben only got to be 30. He'd be 32 this year. This is bothering me a lot. I don't really know what to say, or how to say it. But I get sad when I think about it.

Happy Beats

As of late...















What are some of your's??

xo

Ginny, circa 1985

Back when Precious Moments, pinkish sweaters, PB&J, yogurt, chatting on the phone, and being two were some of my favorite things...

:)

(NOTE: My parents didn't cut my hair like a boy or anything. That's just as long as it was.)

LOL'ing

I laughed a lot today.

I laughed at myself (and kinda screamed) this morning as a bottle of sparkling water exploded on me. Sophie laughed too... It was awesome.

I laughed when some classy broad flipped my off in Braintree. For the record, I'm not quite sure what I did to make her so angry. But I'll just blame it on her minivan and frizzy hair. I'd be having a bad day too...

I laughed when I asked Jocee why she was in timeout, and her answer was, "Because I don't like it, and you know it." --It's a good thing we talked about it after!

I laughed when Sophie yelled, "Mommy, Mommy! Let down your hair!"

It's her favorite movie, and the only one she'll watch the whole way through. She tells me I'm Rapunzel all the time.

I know! I don't see it either!

But if you're looking for a true likeness, I found this pretty accurate!

Thanks, T.Thorpe!

Oh, and I laughed really hard when I watched this...

Seriously, watch it 5 times. It just gets funnier! The poor kid...

Yay, Genetics!!

Back in high school I used to go to Washington DC with a group of friends. We'd usually try for once or twice a year.

When I was 15, we went for the 4th of July. We were walking around that day, before the fireworks, and we ended up outside of the Pentagon. My friend Marci started talking to some official guy in a uniform. She was asking him all kinds of knowledgeable questions...

In all seriousness I asked, "So why do they call it the Pentagon anyway??"

That guy just kinda gave me a baffled look.

So I asked again, "No. Seriously, I want to know."

Some guy that was with us (I can't remember his name anymore) just put his arm around me , and said, "You'll have to forgive her. She's blonde."

I just knew something simple, and maybe painfully obvious was flying over my head.

The answer to my very blonde moment question, came to me days later on the ride home. I felt a little foolish, but mostly glad that my hair got the blame...


Anyway, today while I made the girls' lunch, I started laughing to myself at the memory. When my mom asked what was funny, I told her the story.

Her response: "Okay. So why do they call it the Pentagon??"


Yup. I get it from my mom!!

I guess it's story time tonight!

So, I posted the other masterpiece before this one.
Then I checked FB real quick.
Lizzie B's status made me "lol" for real.

"Spilled beef stew ALL OVER the kitchen floor... the dogs are very happy!!"

Then I went and took a shower; and ended up laughing the whole time.
It reminded me of when I was all prego, and got to be clumsy with legit reason too.
And so I'm back!

Story time!!

December 2006
I was six months along with Jocee, and working 50 hours a week. Awesome. Ben only cooked on special occasions, so we ending up getting takeout a lot.

One night we went to Jason's Deli, because all I wanted was their tomato-basil soup. We had rented a movie, and were going to have dinner on the couch. For no real reason, that cup of soup slipped through my hands and sloshed all over the classy turquoise carpeting (turquoise) and down the side of the couch.

I felt lame, and mostly annoyed that I couldn't eat the soup anymore. I remember saying. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to do that at all! WTF??" (Yes, I really said just the letters, "WTF" and not the whole thing.)

Ben: "It's cool, babe. This is totally normal. You're supposed to drop things."
Ginny: "Wait. What??"
Ben: "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's in that What to Expect book."
Ginny: "How did you know this, and not me??"
Ben: "I don't know. You've been dropping stuff a lot."

Soo...I cleaned the mess while he got me more soup...

THEN...

August 2008
I was five months along with Sophie. Jocee was 15 months old, and always underfoot. I was cleaning the bathroom one morning, while she "helped." I went to screw the cap on the glass bottle of olive oil tighter, when it slipped out of my hands and shattered on the floor.

For maybe three seconds I panicked. Jocee was right next to me with little bare feet, and there was oil and glass all around us. Reflexively I balled my fists and let out a, "Ffffffffuuuu!!!!... Uhhh, hi!"

I had looked down mid F-bomb, and saw her big brown eyes looking up at me. She never heard the word. ;)

For weeks thereafter, Jocee would walk around shaking her fists and say, "Fffffff!!"
It really stuck with her...


Now I don't really have an excuse when I drop things.
But for 18 months of my life..I did!

:)

(Note: I had olive oil in the bathroom because I would use anything and everything to prevent stretch marks; IE: cocoa butter, vitamin E oil, Palmers, Shea butter...anything! I'd just use it all, and baste myself like a turkey twice a day. Maybe that's TMI, but whatev! :))

My Two Girls

So, I have these two girls...

They love to shop.

They both know exactly what they want, every single time.

One little chicky always gravitates towards reptiles (I.E. snakes, frogs, lizards, dinosaurs--whatever!) without fail.

And if I happen to lose track of the other...

She comes equipped with pink radar.

If there's any pink to be had, she'll find it.



Anyway, they're the sweetest that I know!
:)

"Look, Mommy! I'm really stronger!"

Gotta love that sweet, patient cat...

But I love my girls more!

Team Work

I love when I hear giggling in the next room, and find something like this...

These little chickies can be resourceful!

And just for the record, they didn't have any help from Mommy.


So lucky to have them!

:)

Cabin Fever

Thank you, Megan McGlover, for sharing my same sentiments.

Happy Groundhog Day!
:)