Dreaming in Pop!

Mood: Anxiously Awaiting for my Coffee to do the damn thing!
Music: No Doubt "Hella Good"

Whooopppeeeee! Hello friends. No I didn't suddenly become too cool for school and stop writing blog posts. Or maybe I did? What had happened was, (hahaha), Life! LIFE! Life is crazy busy. And when I'm not busy, Ize ty-ud.

When I finally fell asleep last night I ended up having quite a dream. Heard of the group One Direction? They're five guys from London doing the whole boy band takes over the world - girls cry their eyes out - thing. I don't dislike them but I don't follow them really either. I have heard there current hit "What Makes You Beautiful". It's cute and catchy and I have fond memories of my cousins dancing to it. But as far as the latest issue of Tiger Beat with them on the cover, I haven't bought it yet and don't plan on it. (PS, Is Tiger Beat still out there?)

Back to my dream. I must have been a teenager. I was hanging out at my dad's church, like I did very often when I was young (not doing Bible study but being a hooligan). My sister Courtney and my childhood friend Rebecca were with me. Some how or other One Direction showed up outside the church and...well...easiest way to say this, they fell in love with us. We only talked to them through the door. By some weird miracle thingy that only happens in dreams, we suddenly had two more girlfriends with us. We couldn't get over the fact that there was 5 guys, 5 famous British guys at that, and 5 of us. (I even sleep with math on the brain.)

Please note that outside of the one dark haired member of the band, who is of course the hottest, I could not in real life pick those other cats out of a line up. So in my dream, they kind of had blurry faces. But I knew who they were.

So, in the dream, after the initial love at first sight encounter with One Direction we secretly plan to have a slumber party with them! Whaaaaat? Oooooooh (in the voice of kids teasing on a playground). Me, Courtney and Rebecca planned out the lies we would tell our moms about spending the night over each others house to watch a NKOTB special on HBO. But really we were going to be at some fancy hotel, with glass walls mind you, with One Direction.

When the guys showed up, first we just gazed at them, through glass doors, each of us looking at our respective One Directionee, like a prison visit. At some point we do actually spend time in the same room together, drinking huge glasses of white wine and doing synchronized dances. Just as my One Direction guy drops to a knee to, (get ready to tear up), PROPOSE to me, my dream perspective leaves the room and takes a huge look from the top of the hotel and I see people running all over the place.

Turns out Shaq has showed up with a camera crew to film a reality show called "BUSTED", where he catches, and interviews, kids who lied to their parents. People were running all over the hotel. Up and down stairs, in and out of corridors, like on Scooby Doo. The only person I could make out was Shaq because he was like three stories tall. He was running really fast. Suddenly I'm back inside the hotel and I'm running frantically with everyone else. I don't want to get busted. Then my son Bear runs up to me with his arms reaching for me to pick him up. I scoop up my sweet boy and run with him, knowing that Shaq is just steps away..away..away...awake. Then I am awake.

The dream is over. It's 6:30 am in real life. I am a little peeved that my One Direction boyfriend never proposed to me, but I don't have time to focus on that. The real world was waiting. I don't know what the dream meant and I don't really care to. If The Sandman chooses to send me to some alternate glass wall reality where I run from Shaq and have London boys falling in love with me, okay.

(Please note, I did Google the ages of the members of One Direction before typing this up. They are all over 18. Praise God)

Hotel night

Mood: Silly
Music: "Car Wash" Christina Aguilera remake.

Numbers:

9:10 pm, the actual time we arrived at our hotel in Knoxville

3, ice cream sandwiches we ate at a truck stop while waiting for a yuck storm to past

22, minutes the kids were enthralled with the surprise activity and snacks treats I packed for them

45, minutes it took me to make those damn treats

75, the interstate we're on.

1:54pm, Cincinnati ETA

Please enjoy this video from last night when we got to our hotel room.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ7d1YoWHac&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Road Trip Day Two

Mood: stoked
Music: bubble guppies

New video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbcdLmkoN4c

Officially on the road!

Mood: Stoked
Music: Earth Wind & Fire: Boogie Wonderland

NUMBERS: 1 gas station employee almost injured from our vehicle's operator (not me)

3 stops we've made before even leaving Gwinnett County

Knoxville ETA 7:45

Here's a video. Hope this works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o1DPqu2n5Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player

ROAD TRIP!

Mood: Exhausted
Music : Whitney Houston - "You give good love" (I'm singing along and I sound REALLY good)

That's right. I'm exhausted and we haven't even left for our Road Trip yet. "Where are we going?", you ask excited on the edge of your seat. Cincy-frickin-nati! With a side order of Columbus. To all my homeys back in the Heights, I am anxious to share the Ohio air with you. And to my folks here in the south, if you haven't been to Ohio, you are totes missing out. (Shout out to Aimee who uses the word totes, sounds adorable while doing it, and I want to breathe in her fun loving lollipop aura!) The Buckeye State! Home of the..,well you've got your buckeyes. Then you've got your chocolate peanut butter buckeye treats. You've got your buckeye necklaces. And....everything else! Theeee (don't get it twisted) Ohio State University, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (PROM!), Skyline Chili, Out - or - In, The Round Robin, hahahaha, Coventry and of course Cleveland Heights High School! Where my Tigers at???? H.E.I.G.H.T.S!

Yeah I've got school/Ohio spirit!


My mother, who my kids call Magee, is my copilot this weekend as we drive up, in her minivan, packed with my two little munchichis, loads of snacks, toys, books and children's DVDS!

 


I filled the kids lunchboxes, which they never use but are always excited to see, with dollar store fun and yummy snacks. I envision them openings the lunchboxes, squealing with delight, playing with the toys, eating the snacks, and then sleeping for the duration of the drive.

More containers with activities and snacks. Thanks http://www.tipjunkie.com/traveling-with-kids-tips/ for other GREAT traveling tips.



I know you're thinking, "Brooke, why aren't you taking your minivan?" Well, please do believe that between Mommy and me it's always "Who gets to drive their minivan?" She won out this time. Stay tuned for future blog post entitled "My Minivan Memoirs". Until then, please enjoy the crap out of this video.

Back to the road trip. Soooo A.D.D. Like you hadn't noticed. Hahaha. Remember that one time in 7th grade when Pearl Jam...wait, I've done it again.

We head out today, late afternoonish, and will travel as far as some place in Tennessee. I think Knoxville maybe. Mommy raves about some hotel there and some salad place she can't wait to take me to. Gotta love Mommy. Then, tomorrow morning, we'll be up at the supposed crack of dawn to finish our journey until we arrive in the land of the Cincinnati Bengals! Terrell Owens here we come! 

"What do you mean nobody wants me on their team?"


Oh, what? He's not there anymore. Oh, okay. Ocho Cinco! 

"Come on Coach, let me just send out one quick tweet."


Oh, what? Really? Him too? Well who is there? Do they still have a team? Rey Mauluga? 

REY

Oh yes I know him. Oh good for him.

 My fabulous cousin Andi, who is a girl, (see the "i" instead of the "y"),  is getting married in August! Whoot Whoot! We are going to visit now for the wedding shower. My aunts are the most bad ass, awesome, intelligent, strong, Jesus loving party planners a girl could dream of. They are throwing the shower and have sent out marvelous invitations with the title "Hats at High Noon". The aunts don't play. It'll be classy and crazy fun! I've already picked up my Fascinator hat. So hip. So British. So me. 

Fascinator



I don't want to bore you out with all the details of my trip, and the surrounding details that my A.D.D wants to throw in there too. Why not? Cause I'll be blogging on the rode bitches! Yep. Me + Ipad + kids sleepin' the car (don't bank on it) = Blog City! Welcome to Blog City, population me and hopefully you too. "Won't you come with me?" - Mr. Rogers voice and odd gaze.



Just A Little Hot - Part I

Mood: Happy :)
Music: Zoe Deschanel

Wow Georgia! That was one hot ass weekend! And not because I was sashaying around in a bathing suit but because it was 106 damn degrees! I am not much for profanity, even though my first few sentences don't represent that, but it is safe to say that it was hot as Insert Four Letter Word.

So, keeping cool was the goal and having fun was an added bonus.

Friday morning me and the lil biscuits headed to the homey Mónica's house for some pool time fun. Sounds great huh? Welllllll, there was one issue. Bear, for days, was saying that he didn't want to go to the pool. He doesn't like "water play" at daycare when the kids run through a fun sprinkler thing. And he claims that he also doesn't like pools.

I've noticed that my first born has become more apprehensive around all sorts of things that I'd think he would enjoy. Such as, water play, bounce houses, and playing outside with water baloons. I'm not sure what is the cause. Oh, well there is the fact that up until I was 18 I was pretty much a sissy and afraid to do anything that didn't require a television remote or funnel with a plastic tube attached. Maybe he is just being my son.
I really wanted him to get into the pool even if he didn't want to make it his new fave hobby. I want him to walk through his fears and at the end of the day say " I did it. Even though I didn't want to. I ate that calamari or brussel sprout even though it looked different. I smiled at that lady in church even though she wears huge hats and sings very badly, very loud.  I went to bed at 7:30, no problem, and I really did feel well rested in the morning."

So, back to Friday morning, approximatley 10:30 am as we arrive at Mónica's new cutely decorated apartment. Bear has on his trunks already and I've convinced him that they are by no means a contractual agreement to do anything. The kids are very excited as we tour the homey's new place and they get to play with her Ipad.

Mónica applauding my children's fat germy fingers gliding across her Ipad.

Bear then starts getting a tad bit shifty as I take out the sunscreen, 70 spf cause I don't play, and starts to say "Don't want to go to the pool". I lie to him and tell him he doesn't have to get in the pool and he can just watch us.

The pool was beautiful. Best part? There was not a soul in it. I'd had a conversation with Bear the previous night to ask him why he doesn't like pools. It was determined that they are loud and windy.

Bear looking around as if to say "What you talkin bout wind?"

   So having a pool all to ourselves was a dream come true. We could be quiet, calm and ease him into the fun. As far as the wind, I wish there had been more. When it's 100+ degrees wind is welcome. When the slightest breeze occured, like Thumbelina blowing out birthday candles, Bear would complain and get nervous. I told him that the wind was God waving down on us to say Hello. And in response, we looked up to the skies and waved Hello back. That worked absolutley wonderful. When the air was calm from no wind, Bear would say that God left. I reassured him that God never leaves, he just stopped waving. I sure do love when a lesson about the Lord gets worked into our day to day.

The next thing that really came in handy was having a Mónica in my life. As Gia and I entered the pool, and started to giggle with glee, Mónica watched patiently with Bear in their lounge chairs.Then, baby steps to sit next to the pool, baby steps put a hand in the water, then feet in the water. Before I knew it Bear was in his car shaped floating device, in the pool, with Miss Mónica guiding him around. And my baby boy was smiling. He eventually even took off his tank top and played in the water, without the car shaped floaty thing.

"I like this pool", Bear said. My heart melted. Yay team Bear!