This Charming Man

My husband is surrounded by women. When he’s at home, that is. He lives with me, our daughters Bridget and Tessa, and our dog Ginger. He is the only source of testosterone in our household. I sometimes wonder if that bothers him, but he seems to love it.

He is such a good sport about playing with our daughters. As you can see from the photo, he lets them dress him up in crazy clothes and fix his hair. He is just a wonderful dad in general. He pitches in giving them their baths and putting them to bed. He wrestles with them and carries them on his shoulders. He plays board games with them. This past weekend, he even took them to a birthday party on his own. I had taken Bridget to the most recent party, so he figured it was his turn. He wasn’t the only dad there. In fact, he recognized some of the other dads from the “Donuts with Dad” get-together he attended at Bridget’s preschool a couple of weeks ago.

He’s a very involved dad and a very supportive and loving husband. It is so wonderful to have a real partner for a husband.

And, what did I do whilst the hubby and kids were away for 2-1/2 hours on Saturday? Watched videos on YouTube, natch!

p.s. I did ask his permission before I posted this funny picture. Once again, he was a good sport.

Wait 'Til Next Year

I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl yesterday, but it was a mixed blessing. I was happy to see Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning vindicated. So many observers of the sport had tagged them both as guys who “couldn’t win the big one.” It was nice to watch a Super Bowl where I liked both teams. The halftime show this year was the best one outside of U2’s halftime a few years back. There was a lot to like. But it was all bittersweet because it means that football season is now over until the fall.

As a longtime (25 years and counting) diehard Atlanta Falcons fan, I am very familiar with the phrase “wait ‘til next year.” My team has never won a Super Bowl, so I utter that phrase ad nauseum at the end of each unsuccessful season. The Falcons have never even put together back to back winning seasons, so it is often frustrating being a fan. Still, I stand by my team. I will continue to do so, but my patience has been tried a lot lately, between the questionable decision on a new head coach and the Vick airport controversy.

I thought the firing of Coach Jim Mora was necessary. As a person, I liked him. He is young, fit, enthusiastic and very friendly. I met him at training camp the first year he was coach and he was very approachable. As a coach, I really think he was too friendly with his players and that his personal relationships with them got in the way of him holding them accountable for their on-field performance. The level of play was so flat so many times last year and this year, like guys didn’t feel like they had to continually earn their jobs. When Mora was first hired, I was shocked because I hadn’t even heard his name mentioned as a candidate. I really thought the Falcons would hire Lovie Smith, who had ties with Rich McKay from his Tampa Bay years. At first I hated the Mora hire, then convinced myself it wasn’t such a bad decision. I am trying to do the same with the latest hire.

Like Mora, Bobby Petrino wasn’t even on my radar. I really thought (and hoped) the Falcons would hire Ken Whisenhunt or Ron Rivera. Whisenhunt seemed like an obvious choice. He went to school at Georgia Tech and even played with the Falcons a few years. (Yes, I do remember his playing days. I am officially old as dirt.) When I heard about the Petrino hire I was first puzzled, then upset. I really don’t like the idea of a college coach leading my team. Yes, he’s had some NFL experience, but not much. I think he must have been hired because owner Arthur Blank and GM Rich McKay think that he can design an offense that will utilize Michael Vick’s special talents and help him reach his potential.

I hope that will be the case. So many people are so down on #7 lately, and I truly think it is unwarranted. The man does everything in his power to help his team win games, but he can’t do it all. The whole idea of trying to turn him into a “West Coast Offense” quarterback was ill-conceived. That style of quarterback play was designed for QBs who don’t have the arm strength to throw the long-ball, so it relies on a shorter passing game. We all know that #7’s arm strength is one of his great assets, along with his legs. Greg Knapp’s offense had a lot of “designed runs”, but I think Vick did better pre-Knapp, when he just ran if a passing play broke down, or if he saw a big hole that he could run through. Those broken-play runs he made during 2002 and post-injury 2003 were the plays that cemented his reputation as the NFL’s most exciting player.

Well, I could go on and on about #7 and how I feel he is unfairly maligned, but I’ll just stop here and say that one day he will be vindicated and the selfsame bandwagon fans and media know-it-alls who are hating on him now will be loving him and claiming they never doubted him. I hope that vindication will come in Atlanta under Coach Bobby Petrino. But, if that is not to be, I still think it will come sometime, somewhere in the NFL.

As to the Falcons in general, I am anxious to see the Falcons’ offseason moves and looking forward to next year. I can once again officially start saying, “Wait ‘til next year” and “The Falcons are undefeated this year."

Addicted

I have found a new drug of choice to which I am becoming increasingly addicted. I admit that I have even encouraged my husband, and to a smaller extent, my children, to become users. I guess I am behind the times, since I only just discovered it this week. But, better late than never, right? My new addiction is www.youtube.com.

I got turned onto it by a link posted to John Taylor’s message board, which directed me to an 80s quiz show where Duran Duran battled Spandau Ballet for trivia supremacy. Of course, DD walloped SB 52-40, in no small part due to my man John Taylor. I don’t think he had a single wrong answer, and if he did, I didn’t notice it because I was blinded by his ample charms. I could discuss my 25-year obsession with His Royal Hotness Nigel John Taylor, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog entry. Suffice it to say he is worth my attentions -- as the recent photo posted here shows, he is still gorgeous after all these years.

From the starting point of this one very entertaining video, I started searching for and finding all kinds of stuff. I found old clips from Saturday morning kids shows that haven’t seen the light of day for 30 years or more. I found a great clip of Morrissey and Johnny Marr of the Smiths appearing on some weird 80s British kids’ show called “Charlie’s Bus”. They take a trip to a park with a load of kids. One of the kids asks Morrissey, “Where are we going?” to which he replies, “Mad.” That Moz – who knew he was so good with kids?

I also found some very raw footage of the New York Dolls performing “Frankenstein” live in 1974. Priceless!! I was able to show the girls Queen’s video for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which they love. (Tessa is so cute singing, “Galileo”). I also showed Bridget a KISS video for “I Was Made For Loving You.” She was hugging and kissing my screen whenever Paul appeared. Too cute!

For years, Dwayne has told me about this 70s game show he used to watch called “Make Me Laugh.” I’d never seen it until last night. We found a clip of Frank Zappa appearing on the show. Gallagher and two other comedians had 60 seconds to try and make Mr. Zappa laugh. As I expected, he was able to keep a straight face. It was hysterical to see Frank Zappa and Bobby Van (the host) in the same clip. Does anybody else remember Bobby Van? He used to be a “celebrity” panelist on a lot of 70s game shows. I don’t know what he ever did to become a “celebrity” other than being married to Elaine Joyce, a minor actress who didn’t do much acting, but did manage to appear in two of my fave cult movies, “Motel Hell” and “Trick or Treat”. Anyway, this clip was classic!! Bridget loved it, too, and wanted her papa and me to play the game with her. She laughed every time Dwayne or I made a silly face. I laughed when she made silly faces and danced all funny. Dwayne, of course, kept a straight face through all our antics.

This site is a veritable treasure trove!! I’ve only looked in the music section so far, but there are also sections for sports, news, pets, travel, the arts. It’ll take me a long time to plumb its depths. In case you’re worried, I am not letting my addiction go to the point where I am neglecting my house, kids or husband. But, let’s just say, when Bridget woke up with a nightmare at 2 a.m. this morning, she found me at my computer watching a Suede video . . .

Beauties and the Beat

A couple of weeks ago, I finally got around to playing the first record on the stereo I got for Christmas. Tessa was already asleep and it wasn’t Bridget’s bedtime yet, so I decided to let her choose the record. As she thumbed through the albums, a few caught her eye. She stopped at Queen’s “News of the World” (which has really cool cover art by Kelly Freas), but passed on it. She looked at the Go-Gos’ “Beauty and the Beat,” Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at the Moon,” and Alice Cooper’s “From the Inside,” all of which have interesting artwork. The album she finally settled on? “Night of the Living Dolls” by The New York Dolls. Couldn’t have made a better choice myself!

The cover doesn’t have any jazzy artwork and is not a double cover that opens up or anything. It just shows the Dolls in all their teased-hair, lipstick-wearing, platform-shoed glory. Bridget seemed to like the music pretty well. We played the record while coloring in our favorite book. She liked the song “Looking for a Kiss” (at first she thought it was talking about the rock group KISS – that’s a whole ‘nother blog). I told her “Chatterbox” could have been written about her. After perusing the cover further, she decided she wants to marry Johnny Thunders. EGADS!! It’s hard for her to understand that he would be old enough to be her grandpa if he was still alive. She just likes the way he’s dressed on the album cover. I dig the music, but the guy was a junkie . . .

Of course, she also wants to marry Rooney Doodle from the Doodlebops. What? You haven’t heard of them? According to the Disney channel, they are “kids’ favorite band.” They star in their own morning t.v. show. I actually like the show. It reminds me of the psychedelic kid shows I watched in the 70s. There’s not a hint of “realism” anywhere – everything is very colorful and slightly surreal. I’m not sure what species the Doodlebops are, but they have really fat fingers all have different skin colors. Dee Dee has lavender skin and pink hair, Rooney has blue skin and two-toned blue hair and Moe has yellow skin and orange hair. Doodlebop Central, where they hang out, is decorated with very bright colors and populated by puppet characters like a talking moose head and Mudge, who’s a cat version of Oscar the Grouch. Tessa loves the Doodlebops, too. Moe is usually the one she wants to marry, but sometimes she wants to marry Rooney, too. I don’t have the heart to tell them that Rooney seems a little bit “light in the loafers.” They don’t have any knowledge of that kind of stuff yet, thank goodness.

Their songs are actually kinda catchy. Pure pop with kid-centered lyrics. They ain’t the New York Dolls, that’s for sure, but they are wholly unobjectionable and I actually have fun watching the show with the girls. I’d much rather listen to this “kid music” than a lot of what passes for pop music nowadays.

A cute thing happened on the way to preschool on Friday. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” came on the radio and Bridget was totally enthralled. She was disappointed when she got to school before the song was over. Today, I put the CD in the car and she got to hear the whole song. She really loves it. It doesn’t surprise me because it is a very dramatic song and she is a very dramatic girl. Tessa loves it, too. She sings along with all the parts where it says “Mama.”

The girls have pretty diverse musical tastes so far. I wonder what kind of music they’ll like when they get older . . .

Dominic's Baptism

Our newest nephew, Dominic Tristan, had his baptism December 31. It was the first time we’d gotten to meet him in person. He is so cute and has a very calm disposition. He behaved wonderfully during the baptism and was very patient through lots of picture-taking afterwards.

After mass, Jimmy and Tori threw a party that stretched into the new year. They had tons of great food that covered all the bases for an all-day party. We had turkey and ham, country company potatoes, baked beans and other yummies around lunchtime. Later on, we had taco dip and chips, veggies and dip, cookies and other delicious snacks. Bridget discovered she likes cauliflower at the party (thanks Jimmy and Tori!). Of course, there was a cake for Dominic and the girls had 2 or 3 pieces each (it was really good).

The kids had a blast playing with each other. They all get along so well; there is very little refereeing of fights, etc., when they all get together. Desiree had gotten Dance Dance Revolution for Christmas. She and Ashley tried it out for the first time at the party. It’s a video game that uses a dance pad. You replicate the moves on TV to move on to the next level. They both were getting good at it pretty quick, even though it was the first time they’d played it. All the other kids tried it, too. Marshall was pretty good on his first try! True to form, I remained a spectator, but I loved watching the kids dance. I think it would be fun to try it out in the privacy of my own home when the girls and Dwayne are asleep and with the curtains drawn so there’d be no danger any neighbors would see me. Can you tell I’ve absolutely no confidence in my ability to dance?

I got to hold Dominic for a good long while at the party. He is so precious!!! Can’t wait to see him again.

The photo is of Jimmy, Dominic and Tori.

Our Trip To Illinois

We took a trip to visit Dwayne’s family after Christmas. It’s about an 8-hour drive to Pinckneyville, Illinois, if you drive straight though. When we go, it takes more like 9 or 10 hours. We always stop at about the halfway point and eat inside a McDonald’s so the girls can run around in the playland and work off their excess energy. We have DVD players in the car so they can watch movies. That really helps pass the time on a long trip. But, they don’t want to watch movies all the time. We got stuck in a traffic jam in Nashville and their movie went off. I asked if they wanted another, and they both said, “No.” Bridget said she “wanted to talk.” So, we looked at the people in the cars around us and made up stories about who they were and where they were going. The girls are so good-natured about traveling that they can even make a traffic jam enjoyable.

The girls love going to visit their Babushka and Dyedushka. They have such a great time playing with their cousins. There are 9 kids in addition to Bridget and Tessa. Seven of them are boys! Their only other girl cousins in Illinois are Desiree and Ashley, who are both teenagers. They love seeing them and think they are both so pretty and grown-up. They really love playing with their boy cousins. Their Auntie Dee’s older boys, Marshall, Wesley and Robert, are so sweet about playing with the girls. They make a big deal out of them and watch out for them. They will even play house with them! Amazing!! The girls love them all. They love to play with Uncle Jimmy’s kids, too. Anthony is the same age as Bridget, so they have lots of fun. L.A., Vincent and little Dominic are younger, and the girls see them as cute little “babies” (which is funny because Vincent and L.A. are physically as “big” as Tessa, though they are younger). When they girls get all boy-ed out, their Uncle Travis’ girlfriend Sarah and her daughter Abby are there for them. The girls love them some Abby. She is a couple years older than Bridget and teaches them new things and “mommies” them. They always love that.

We all got Christmas presents while we were there. Dwayne got some Richard Pryor DVDs (“Moving,” “Greased Lightning,” and “Hear No Evil, See No Evil”) and a cool light that you wear on your head, (for when you’re working on cars or something). I got a very pretty Emerald ring. I was very surprised and pleased to get it. My godson Marshall got me a light-up Christmas pin. It’s very cool and the batteries are replaceable, so I can wear it in years to come. Bridget got a new Leap Pad that’s all about learning to read. Tessa got a train set and some musical instruments (xylophone, tambourine and maracas). They both got Cabbage Patch newborn babies from Sarah. They love the babies so much; they are just the right size for carrying! Bridget loved the whole “adoption” theme and wanted to fill out her adoption form for her doll right away.

On New Year’s Eve, when the clock struck midnight, we went outside and rang bells and blew car horns. We didn’t stay out too long because it was really cold. It had been unseasonably warm, but rained and then got cold on Sunday. You know it’s cold when my kids are ready to go back inside after 5 minutes!

The trip home was uneventful. We got home around 10:30. The girls were excited to be home and both stayed up way too late. It was about 1 a.m. before Bridget finally nodded off. I didn’t mind that they stayed up late; it gave me a chance to sleep in a little bit the next day . . .

The photo shown is of Marshall and Tessa. Aren't they cute?

Moments

“Another rainy day, we’re trapped inside with the train set,
Chocolate on the boil, steaming windows when we met.”
From the song “Another Sunny Day” by Belle and Sebastian

I love this line because it captures a moment. Moments are really all we have in life. I recently had a conversation with someone about whether the joys of having kids outweigh the loss of freedom, the weight of responsibility, and the work involved. Lots of people speak in generalities about how great it is to be a parent and make it sound like one big party. That’s definitely not the case. But, then life is never one big party. Like any relationship in your life, parent/child relationships have their ups and downs.

To me, it is all worth it because of the way my girls can make me feel. The week after Christmas, we had so much fun together. We just stayed at home, playing with all their new toys and watching their favorite TV shows together, nothing exciting but somehow it was magical. They are at such a wonderful age. Everything is new to them. Sometimes when I am really in tune with them, I get a glimpse of the world through their eyes and commonplace things and events take on a new luster. Those moments make me indescribably happy.

It’s similar to the way places and things seem to look and feel better when you’re in love, but I think it will last a lot longer with kids than it does with romantic relationships. The “new” wears off those relationships relatively quickly; hopefully it will take years and years before my kids start being jaded and cynical about life. If I have my druthers, they’ll never get that way. I used to be the eternal optimist, but age and life experience have somewhat dampened my enthusiasm. I am so fortunate to have my happy little daughters to restore my belief in magic.

I am also very lucky to be able to stay home with them. Nowadays, there is so much talk about “quality time,” but I value the quantity of time we have together. Time just doing ordinary things. Going to the mailbox. Making up our own ball games to play outside. Watching TV shows, then acting them out together. Singing and making up the words as we go, like now . . .

“Chicken noodle on the boil, sticky doorknobs at our house.”