mean girls

Aaaaaaahhhhh! How am I going to write now that I know someone is actually *reading* this? Do I have to go out of my way to seem less stupid than I really am?

Well, I thought I'd make this entry a dual-purpose one. First, it will serve to remind Joe to watch "Mean Girls." Second, it will give me a chance to vent about the same queen-bee situation happening 20 or so years after high school. (Note to self - How specific can I get here? Will I ever want some friends to be able to read this? I sorta think not, but I am still feeling the need to be somewhat generously vague).

So what is it about being a mom and forming playgroups, etc., that starts to revive stupid cliques all over again? I'm not insecure enough to get sucked in (I think) but at the same time I feel bummed when I'm left out of events. And what do I have in common with these people anyway, except for having kids the same age? At first I thought it was a socioeconomic size-of-the-diamond thing, but now I'm not so sure. I think it's more a matter of people starting to cling together with others who think like-mindedly and, as it relates to this specific group, I'm not of the like mind.

Or maybe it's more complex than that - I really like one or two of the women in this group, and I'm just consistently disappointed when I see them get sucked into the peer pressure of the rest of the group. Individually, they're fine.

At the park today I was telling myself - "Maybe it's awkward or frustrating now, but it'll all sort itself out in time." But the only thing that is time-sensitive is this Halloween party. Why do I have to stretch myself to the limits to include a whole group of people whom I don't even like that much?

Ugh. 'Nuff said for now. Maybe it's time to go back to organizing crafts for 22 toddlers.

Luke update: Still jamming with the guitar (and carrying it around for most of the day) but when I put AC/DC on the radio today, he was saying "Off! Off!" Does that mean he actually has better taste than I give him credit for?

Also, one other amazing memory thing: Three weeks ago, we went to the Barnes & Noble and the fire alarm went off and we had to leave. Today, we drove up to the Barnes & Noble, and I asked Luke if he remembered it and he said "Beep! Beep! Beep!" That just blows me away.

The last Luke thing is just a little comment on frustration. I know most of his regular words, but every now and then he says something so emphatically, over and over again, and I sound out every possible syllable and similar sound and I can't for the life of me figure out what he wants. I hope we get past this soon, because I'm sure it's even more frustrating for him than for me.

Tomorrow we're off to Gaby's (Bady's) birthday party and the life-size Elmo who is due to scare everyone. All Luke cares about, however, is "Cake."

memory

Something that amazes me about Luke in the past week or so is his memory of recent events and eagerness to discuss them. Like the "man" at the library who said "Yuck!" Or the airplanes we watched go "up." Or the digging we did at the beach, or Gaby who sleeps on the floor, or daddy's bike with the hat and the gloves. Or how when he walked in and the house was all torn up from the painters he kept asking for "home."

Note to future self, and to parents of young pre-teens: When a mini-person, say, two years old, independently and unprompted by his parents, says "hi" to you, please say "hi" back. This mini-person worships you and it will mean the world to him if you wave back or acknowledge him. He will discuss it for hours, and perhaps even days, on end after the fact.

OK, public service message over. It looks like we're on to host the Halloween party this year, and I am PSYCHED. Why? I'm not sure. A creative outlet? Should I go in to the party business?

Also some food for thought - Now that our homelife has (literally) changed from black and white to technicolor, Dave has a renewed interest in seeing to it that we stay there. I'm cautiously excited - it's still not quite right if we have more than one kid, but as I've told him before, I would be so sad if we got to a point where we had to move for $$ reasons. I am happy to see him happy and in a starring role with his new campaign. And I'm ready to say "I DO" all over again - right, Dave?