it's friday

but it seems like saturday. the little laners have the day off today (and monday as well of course) so while i got up even earlier than normal (RATS!) it will be a slow day full of pajamas, no schedules, and hopefully no drama (almost impossible with 3 girls!) oh, and it's raining, so no park or outside play for us. boo.

this

is one of those things that makes me want to go back to school and become a marine biologist!

feeling creative?

Scrapbooks etc. would like to help you out. they have a free kit right now, you can download the whole thing, or just certain pieces - which i like, because while i like free, i rarely like or need an entire kit, only 1 or 2 pieces. go check it out!

i'm sick

not mentally deranged or anything, but literally sick. my throat hurts. my head hurts. i'm exhausted. and i have to suck it up and just keep going. why? well mr. fast lane's heart surgery trumps all. it was 2 weeks ago today. but because of that, the burden of everything falls on my shoulders. all the cooking. all the cleaning. all the yard work. all the kid stuff. all the errands and driving. it's really no surprise that i got sick, my system is waaaaaay down. let's compound all the above with the fact that we have a family member visiting which means that another family member (who lives here) will be here all weekend as well. don't get me wrong, i love both of these f.ms dearly but of course, there is much more to the story.

it's our day

happy mom's day to us! i'm quite enjoying mine right now. the house, is quiet. only happens in the morning here. ok, it happens at night too but by then i'm too tired to care. while i'm mentally making my list of things for the kids to do today, let me direct your over to blonde mom blog. why? she's having a give-a-way for a peacelovemom t-shirt that i would love to have, but every time i contemplate buying one, even on mother's day, i get the guilts and think of a myriad of other things i could/should spend the money on. so.....i'm trying to win one. or maybe you will. good luck. oh yeah, enjoy your 'quiet' today!

it feels like sunday

everything is 'off' with mr. fast lane being home from the surgery and all, but compound that with the fact the fact that all 3 kidlets were home yesterday because of a teacher in service day, and it is the perfect recipe for day confusion. even though i kept forgetting it was actually friday, it was a glorious day; if it hadn't been for a breeze, it may have actually edged over into hot. as it was, it was pretty warm, or maybe it was because i was actually being physical and weeding the front flower bed.  as a kid, weeding would be a punishment, and because of that, i despise weeding. it's too bad, because i love flowers and would love to have one of those gardens you see overflowing with flowers and plants, all meticulously weeded. it doesn't help that mr. fast lane is very utilitarian with the yard work. he mows, but rarely edges or weed eats, so the grass has slowly creeped into the flower beds. i want to get some of those concrete edger things, but every time i think of them, i can find something better to do with the money. ironically, we are not the eyesore yard of the neighborhood. will see if have time for more today, between the FOUR birthday parties and t-ball game.

i've been thinking

with everything that has gone on with mr. fast lane's surgery, i've come to a few conclusions, and i'm going to share them - chances are, other people feel the same way, i'm just stupid enough to voice them, because trust me, i know how this sounds.

while flowers are nice, and i in particular adore them, i may never send them again; don't get me wrong, i totally understand the caring behind the sending of flowers - i've been an avid flower sender myself - but frankly, mr. fast lane really doesn't care if he gets flowers, balloons either for that matter (i, myself, am not a fan of the balloon bouquet), and things that remind him how he can't be in the fast lane and won't be for quite a while seem a bit cruel. the most appreciated? grocery cards and meals. let's face facts, surgery=no work=no money, so gift cards to grocery stores? GENIUS! and even though it's mr. fast lane who had the surgery, the whole family 'had' the surgery with mrs. slow lane taking the brunt of it (except for the whole pain part). petulant, yes, petty, maybe, but i am in effect a single parent (with an extra kid) for at least a month. the simple act of bringing a meal to someone in a situation like ours is an absolute sanity saver. a big thank you to everyone who sent flowers, balloons, etc, but to those of you who brought meals or grocery cards? i am nominating you for saint hood.

conclusion #2: you can tell the true character of a person by how they act/respond/behave in a situation like this. which are you, the person who says 'let me know if you need anything' or the person that mows the grass, makes a meal, brings the kids home from school - without being asked?

mama's day

it's coming up isn't it? i've been poking around the internet looking for my mom - haven't seen her in 23-24 years. there are times i've missed her. my wedding. the birth of my first daughter. the birth of my twins. these are times a mom should be around.....at least. i look at my own girls and wonder how she could be absent for so long. does she think about me? does she care? i pray that the relationship i have with my girls lasts a lifetime - i want to be there for all the big things of course, but it's the little things that mean the most to me right now. the monkey hugs; the 'massages' i get from my oldest at night - granted, she just wants to stay up later, but i cherish those intimate times with her; walking hand in hand to school; even yelling at telling them to clean up their rooms is a gift, one i wouldn't trade for anything.

speaking of gifts, have you heard of lisa leonard designs? she's a fabulous jewelry designer. i've been lucky enough to get some of her stuff for mother's day before. it's not in the cards this year, what with mr. fast lane's surgery and him being off work for so long, we simply can't afford extras right now; something about a roof over our head and food in our tummies seems much more important. however, maybe i can win something - or maybe you could. one of the blogs i read is i should be folding laundry, and right now she has a give-a-way for the fabulous lisa leonard. head over, check them out, it could be your lucky day....i know it's mine.