The Stage Is Good....

Asher and I were at a local frozen yogurt shop the other day and were sitting next to a couple of high school girls in the next booth.  Their conversation was centered on a girl they knew and were somewhat friends with.  They were discussing how mean the girls friends were to her because she was "fat."  They talked about how the girl wouldn't go to any activities like swimming or boating or sitting in a hot tub because she wouldn't be seen in a swimming suit.  They said how unhappy and miserable she was and that they should try and be friends with her because they didn't care if she was a size 0 and that even if she was a size 4, they could still be friends.  SIZE 4?!?!  Her "friends" were telling her she was fat because she was a size 4!?!?!  I was dying inside...

Then I had a new appreciation for my stage of life.  Please don't ever make me re-live high school again.  I thought it was tough for me then, I can't imagine what it's like now.  I'm grateful to have sons and not have to deal with all the body-image issues that girls do today.  I'm so happy being the overweight housewife who puts on a swimming suit no matter whose around because I just really don't care what anyone thinks anymore.

Oh, the joy to be the overweight housewife with a house full of boys.  My life is just perfect....

Protection From Cartoon Characters...

There is a popular cartoon character named Diego that the boys used to like watching when they were younger.

They have recently decided that they are too old for Diego and like to make fun of him and say he is for babies to watch.  Scott likes to tease them and tell them that Diego comes with him on his overnights for work and hangs out with him at his hotel.  Scott makes up big elaborate stories about all the things that he and Diego do, which gets the boys all riled up and it leads to a lot of bantering between them.  One night Asher got all mad at Scott and was telling him he hated Diego and that he didn't believe he was real.  Scott told him he would find out just how real he was because Diego was going to come and beat him up that night. (How quickly a parent drops to the maturing level of their children...)

That night, when Scott was checking on the boys before we went to sleep, he noticed that Asher had a knife next to his pillow.  Our guess is he took it to bed to defend himself against the all-powerful cartoon character Diego.

Scott felt bad he had upset Asher that much that he felt like he needed to take a weapon to bed with him.  He had to come clean and the boys now know Dad does not have Diego to hang out with on his overnights.

Generosity...

Today when Scott picked Asher up for kindergarten he told him, "I know you're kinda mean, but you still get a Father's Day present I made for you."

Third and Final...

My third and final trip in my Turning Forty Celebration was out to see Ellen in Virginia. We didn't stay at her house long, she was ready for a get-away. I don't envy the stress of her senate job. She had heard about his darling little town in New Jersey called Cape May. We were both delighted at how unbelievably wonderful it was. The town was all Victorian homes that were immaculate maintained and right next to the beach.

I saw this billboard on our drive and had to send a picture
of it to Scott because it made me laugh. 

This is the gorgeous bed and breakfast we stayed in.

The B&B even provided bikes for us to ride around town on.

The beach was gorgeous and the weather couldn't have been better.

Meanwhile, Scott kept me posted on what was going on at home. Asher celebrated Friendly, his stuffed dogs, first birthday. Asher baked cupcakes and the family sang Happy Birthday to Friendly.

We had bought a new dog bed for Harley, which Harley wouldn't go anywhere near. He would make a wide berth even when he walked by it, the weird dog. Unfortunately, we threw away his old bed before we realized there was no way he was going to sleep on the new bed. Well, Harley may not have liked it, but Asher loved it! He got some blankets and pillows and slept on it himself. At least Asher and his stuffed dogs like it. Like we've said several times, we think Asher is part dog. This serves as another  confirmation.