Adult ADHD Symptoms/Signs: You Know You Have ADD When | ADDitude: Attention Deficit Disorder Community

I'm just saying....life is fun in my house.

Adult ADHD Symptoms/Signs: You Know You Have ADD When | ADDitude: Attention Deficit Disorder Community

I double dog dare you not to smile

156 Countries Sing Together for the Starbucks Love Project

How I've spent my kids' Christmas vacation

Holding my darling daughter while her foot was stitched and her toe "reduced." That's fancy talk for "grabbing the end of her toe and pulling it as hard as humanly possible until it pops back into alignment, while she screams her freakin' head off."

Holding her again when she got her stitches out. And finding out that if it hasn't started to heal in another week, she gets to have a pin put in. It's a toe. Who cares if it falls off, really?

Watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel." And being durn-fool enough to BUY. THE. SOUNDTRACK.

Finding out we DON'T get to move into my ex-husband's THREE bedroom house (after he moves out, of course)...but we get to stay here in our two bedroom apartment with the world's best neighbors. Too bad they are a couple buildings over, and the ones right next to us have a bad habit of banging on the wall when they think my kids are too loud. Never mind their baby who cries at all hours or their two horse-sized dogs who run up and down the stairs several times a day.

Having the crud come live in my chest, and then giving it to my wonderful kids, so that their coughing could keep me awake at night.

Crying and swearing I'll never date again, ever. Yeah, right. I've said THAT one before...in fact, I think it was on my resolutions for 2008.

I did make one resolution this year. One. Of course, I can't remember what it was, because I can't find the back of the envelope I wrote it on.

Wait, that's right.

Annie's 2010 New Year's Resolution:

To be more organized.

Pffft.

Happy New Year!

Obsession

Hello, I am Annie, and I am an obsessive.

Obsessive about "Glee." Have you seen it? Of course you have. If you haven't, you should. You'd be obsessed, too.

When I was in high school, the small town I lived in had one radio station. One AM radio station. The evening air personality (ok, ok, they were disk jockeys then) was named Capri. Like the car. She was a friend of mine, and I'd listen every night. Didn't like the music she played, but she was my friend. The song she'd sign off with was "I Am...I Said." Every. single. night. I couldn't stand Neil Diamond then.

Glee has converted me...at least to "Sweet Caroline." How could one not love it? Especially as sung by Puck.

Ahhhh. This would be my sign-off song. But then, when I hear "Don't Stop Believing" I'm reminded of meeting Steve Perry in the airport in Kona. And again on a corner in Old Sacramento. Coincidence? I think not.

Do I have to choose one "Glee" song? How could I?

It seems appropriate

I know I haven't been here in a while.

In order to write, one must actually make the attempt. To sit down, to put pen to paper (or more appropriately, fingers to keyboard). Haven't felt like doing this in a while.

And this morning, when I set out to write of my mother, it didn't come easily. It's been 41 years today since she passed away, and I miss her every single day. I am so sad that memories dim, but thankful for the ones that remain. Watching Alfred Hitchcock movies late at night. Making snow angels and lollipops and Barbie dresses. Being held.

She was beautiful, and smart, and courageous, and strong. When I was a baby, I'd cry when she'd sing me to sleep (so she wrote in my baby book). Now I'd give anything to hear her voice.

I wrote about her a while ago. If you haven't been following long, you can read the post here.

In loving memory of
Yvonne Marie Wilson Bakaleinikoff Oakley
June 3, 1919 - December 5, 1968

Roman Cavalry Choirs are Singing

Yesterday morning was one of a kind. Perfect. Wonderful.

My kids and I were driving north on I-5, all singing "Viva la Vida" at the top of our lungs. The prince and princess were dancing in their seats - well, as much as they could, as they were very SAFELY BUCKLED IN (for those who would immediately report me to the authorities).

We love this song. Some people may say that Coldplay is not so cool. But WE. DON'T. CARE. We also rock out to "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, and you know what? It's an amazing song. And we're NOT the only ones who think so. Just ask Jon Schmidt.

Today was also one of a kind. But not in the perfect way. And not in the wonderful way. Let's just say that it could have been worse. Definitely worse. But it still was not one of my better days.

We were halfway home. I was snappish and fretting a bit. And then, the prince turned to me and said...

"Mom, can I turn the CD player on? We'll all sing and make you happy. Let's play the song about the king."

And you know what?

They did.

I don't like you Mommy

So funny.