Today is Tempel’s tenth birthday. T-E-N.

10.

Ten is a big deal. Ten is double digits. And the annoying world of tween. And the funny word of figuring out sarcasm and rolling eyes and newly developed dry humor.

Ten is good.

Scott decided he wanted to do something special with Tempel to mark the occasion so he gave her [...]

Ok, so their camera kept messing up. Or something. I can’t remember but there was a reason we had to do the interview several times. Which made me dork out by the time they got to this version. And there were two wedding parties roaming through the room. It was really loud. And there was [...]

Yesterday I walked into the Urgent Care Clinic three minutes after they opened coughing up the majority of my right lung, left eye swollen shut, face pink with fever, and looking as bad as I felt.

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Surly round Oompa Loompa receptionist lady: What seems to be the problem?

Me: Seriously? *cough*cough* I’m clearly infested with germs and [...]

I was not eaten by a bear. Or tossed in the lake. Or trampled by hundreds of screaming girls singing Party in the USA. All in all the Camporee was a great success.

The weather did not cooperate as much as I would have liked. Who do I talk to about that for next year? But [...]

It is T-minus 4 hours and counting until I leave to spend the cold wet weekend at a mountain lake camp with 350 girl scouts and I am a Camporee Hot Mess.

Oy.

I’ve seen Friday the 13th. I know shit can go bad. And I’m pretty sure there are bears in the mountains. Are there bears [...]

We’re at the tail end of a 4-day weekend. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s to celebrate Columbus’s conquering of the New World with his germ warfare and fancy metal guns. Whatever. But my kids have been under my feet since Friday and it’s been raining and that means anarchy and Wii for an ungodly [...]

I’m starting to feel like the garage construction will never be finished. It’s turned into some perverted version of The Winchester Mystery House. Except her construction went on 24 hours a day 7 days a week for years and years to keep the ghosts at bay. We aren’t being bothered by ghosts OR construction crews. [...]

I won’t even bother describing the apocalyptic shit storm that precluded this note from Parker being shoved under my bedroom door. Let’s just say it turned out to be a good learning experience.

I’ve been AWOL again this week. I know. Sue me. Not really. Please don’t sue me.

Scott has Swine Flu. For real. It’s been a long week. He sucks at “taking it easy.” Yesterday I found him vacuuming the sod. I’m not kidding. I have a picture. Maybe Tamiflu is the pharmaceutical generic for Crack [...]