Winter Games 2010:Lesser-Known Jersey Location

As the Olympic Winter Games are wrapping up in Vancouver, I am simultaneously sad to see them end and glad to finally get some sleep again. You see, despite the wonderful invention called the DVR, I feel the need to stay up and watch the events unfold on television. And you know all the good stuff comes on after ten p.m.

Apparently, my kids have taken note of what is on the television as well. Friday, while Noah was enjoying yet ANOTHER snow day, he and Zoe were in his room playing. I had no idea what they were doing and frankly, I didn't care. They were not fighting for a change and were occupied. You couldn't have paid me a million dollars to go back there to see what they were doing at risk I would break the spell.

So, when Noah went parading through the kitchen with his bicycle helmet and sunglasses on, I knew there was a story there that I really wanted to hear. So, I casually asked him about his attire.

"We're playing Olympics."

"Oh? That sounds like a great game! Are you a skier? A bobsledder?"

"No. I made up an event. It's called the Dirty Clothes Hamper Roll 500."

**pause**

" I'm sorry, the WHAT?"

" The Dirty Clothes Hamper Roll 500. Zoe zips me up in my hamper and then rolls me around in it. We won the gold medal."

I grabbed my camera and asked if I might get to watch their next run.

They happily obliged me.

Noah, preparing for his run:

With the efficiency and speed of the world's top two-year-olds, Zoe zips the hamper:

...and begins to roll

...and roll

Team Jersey USA is victorious and displays the fastest time and the highest marks for Zoe's lyrical and liberal interpretation of the word "roll".

Here they display their gold medal trophy- which looks suspiciously like a soccer trophy- but the Jersey Olympic Federation, Pinelands Branch is severely low on funding and might have recycled a previous award.

GO TEAM JERSEY USA!

You will both always be gold medalists in my eyes!

Flashback Friday

This is where I bring back an old post for your enjoyment a second time. Except that this time it isn't such an old post, it is actually a pretty new one. I just wrote it on February 8. But, I fear that Mother Nature has been too busy unleashing her fury to read my blog. I'm hoping she stops to rest and catch her breath and says to herself, " You know who I haven't heard from in awhile? Jennifer. Yeah.. I wonder what she's up to. I should go read her blog."

Who Ticked Off Mother Nature?

Okay, Mother Nature, I get it. I live in the northeast- even though I did not CHOOSE to live here. So as much as I hate cold weather and snow, it comes with the location. Get over it. Fine. I'm over it. I am SOOOO over it!!

I do absolutely love having seasons here. I love the stunning colors you create in the autumn.

I appreciate, perhaps more than I ever did when I lived in the south, the first signs of life in the spring. I am absolutely elated when the bulbs start peeking through the ground and the earth magically comes back to life seemingly overnight.

I realize you have given me a reprieve from a large amount of snow for the past few years. But, do you have to catch up for that all in one winter? Have I done something to offend you? Yes, the snow IS beautiful when it covers the otherwise, dull, lifeless landscape. But, it's cold. And it's wet. I don't like getting my pants legs and feet wet. I don't like tracking all that dirty moisture in the house. It's messy.

I had to make an unexpected trip to Texas at the end of December and I was excited to get a little break from it and enjoy some warmer weather. But, you sent it with me. The entire time I was there, they had record-breaking temperatures. It was COLD! When I left, it warmed back up.

Because of the lack of significant snow in the past few years, I tried to be tolerant of the December storm.

I was happy to get the big event of the winter over with and out of the way. So, imagine my surprise when you decided to bring another one our way this past weekend.

Well, ok. We had a really good time sledding on Sunday.

I'll give you that. But, COME ON! Another one? The forecast shows us getting another twelve to eighteen inches on Wednesday.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". What has happened, Lady? Have you been wronged? I am happy to atone for my transgressions, but you must let me know what I've done.

Or.. is it, that you are a child at heart? You thought I needed the glare off the snow to brighten the darkened days? You wanted to hurl a few snowballs playfully in my direction? Well, I can appreciate your wanting to play. I enjoy communing with you. But, as one of your dear children, I feel it necessary to be honest.

I think you are more beautiful in the spring. I enjoy your company much more in the summer and I like to quietly reflect with you in the autumn about the glorious year you are wrapping up. But, I am not a fan of winter games. I came out, I played and now I'm going back inside.

I'll see you in the spring. I'll be wearing my flip flops.

**note: all photos are my personal property- autumn photo- Smith's Woods Fall 08- Smithville, NJ; daffodil- my flower bed, spring 09; ladybug- Johnson's Farm, summer 09; first snow photo- my front yard, Dec 09; next two snow photos- Feb'10; sledding photo- North Hanover Twp Feb '10

Haikus for You

Hey.. why not? Who doesn't love a good Haiku?

And, get your mind out of the gutter, you filthy scoundrel, you're thinking of a limerick- totally different.

Mother Nature, you

are on my very last nerve!

Stop it already!

Math, my evil foe

Why doest thou torture me so?

Crazy, I shall go.

I saw you tulip

barely peeking through today.

Please don't go away.

Hey, Mister Haiku!

Why are you stuck in my head?

I should be in bed.

I think I'm done now.

So I'm off to chase dreams of

a tropical beach.

This is the end of

tonight's Haiku obsession.

See ya tomorrow!

I Have a Superpower

Invisibility.

I had no idea I was invisible.

As a mother, I am often the invisible force behind my children. For the most part, I can handle it. There are times when it is unnerving and I feel like I am not noticed or appreciated.

But this post isn't about that. That is part of motherhood and it happens to everyone.

This post is about the fact that I have become invisible when away from my children. When I am trying to be me. The old me. The real me that is not defined by my children.

In the past, people liked to be around me. I've never been attractive, but for the most part, I was funny, fun or at least interesting enough to be able to capture someone's attention in a conversation for a few minutes. People liked to hang out with me.

Since we have been in New Jersey, I have increasingly noticed when I'm talking to someone, that they aren't listening to me. They are looking around at other things, distracted, or interrupt me in the middle of my sentence. My husband convinced me it was just the area. The people here are in more of a hurry. I accepted that, but now I'm not so sure.

Last night, I went to rehearsal. The woman that normally prints and distributes the tickets to our concerts to each band member has been very ill. So, another woman passed them out for her. A woman that has been in the band for many years. A woman, that sits on the front row directly across from me playing clarinet. In a band that I have been a part of for the past FIVE years.

So, I was talking to another member before rehearsal and Woman approaches and gives the tickets to the other member and moves on. I didn't think anything of it, I just thought mine were probably further down in the stack and she didn't want to dig for them. But, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her talking to the tuba player and pointing to me. She was asking what my name was. And the tuba player threw her hands up in the air and said, " I don't know!!"

Seriously? Five years. FIVE YEARS! I am also on the executive board of the band. I co-chair the scholarship committee. But, people don't know my name. Wow.

Later in rehearsal, there was a part where the flute section has the melody and we missed it. I say "we" meaning the section as a whole. But, I actually played the first measure and a half, realized noone else was playing and thought I messed up and quit. So, when the director stopped us to ask what happened, everyone was laughing and talking about how we ALL missed it. I mentioned that I played. Everyone just kept laughing and talking about how the entire section missed it. I said again, " I played." and then the director said, " I just didn't hear ANYTHING there!"

I PLAYED!

Do you ever feel invisible?

Motherhood Math

Q: A mother is in the back of her house putting away clothes and hears her daughter happily bouncing her ball in the front of the house.

Daughter: " BALL!!!" **bounce bounce bounce**

After a few minutes, the mother notices a difference in the pattern. This time she hears:

"BALL!!!" *slight pause* *bounce-slight pause-bounce-bounce bounce*

Next: "BALL!!!" *bigger pause* * BOUNCE- pause pause- bounce-pause-bounce bounce bounce*

What condition has changed or event has occured to cause the increased amount of time between exclamation of "ball" and separation of individual bounces?

Condition A: said daughter was standing in kitchen throwing ball

Condition B: daughter was standing on chair throwing ball

Condition C: daughter was standing on kitchen island throwing ball

I can only infer that given a little more neglect on my part, there would have been a Condition D where daughter was throwing the ball from the pot rack hanging over her head.

Number One

Ever get an inflated ego, only to immediately have something bring you back to reality?

Yeah, me too.

Tonight, actually.

Before bedtime, Noah, Zoe and I were sitting in the recliner having cuddle time. I kissed Noah on the head and said, "My baby number one"; then kissed Zoe and said, " My baby number two".

Noah replied, " No, Mommy. YOU are number one, Daddy is number two, I am number three and Zoe is number four."

My heart filled with pride.

" *I* am number one!!??"

**eye roll**

"Well, YEAH. You ARE the oldest!"

Ahh.... I see. I get it now. Right.

Thanks, little man.

Foreshadowing

Sometimes God gives us little sneak peeks into our future, but we don't realize it. In the literary world that would be called foreshadowing. Who knew God was so freakin' hilarious?

This was taken the end of June, 2008. Zoe was 10 months old and we were getting ready to go to a performance and fireworks show. Zoe got her first black eye (trying to figure out how to get over/through a safety gate) and I took this picture of her because I thought it was cute, yet sad. My beautiful sweet little innocent baby girl with a boo-boo.

I found it while browsing through older pictures on the computer last night and chuckled to myself. I had no idea this was just the beginning. She AIN'T no sweet little girly-girl. She's tough, stubborn, fearless and sometimes a little bit mean.

Rock on, Zoe. Rock. On.