TAGGED BY LETTI!

The Goods on the Hubby

His Name - Bill Shaver

How long have we been married - 15 years Oct. 17, 2007

How long did we Date? From the day we met to the day we got married it was 1 and 1/2 years. He proposed after 2 months, but I told him we need to weather each season dating first before making that leap, plus it took my Mom a year to pull the wedding of HER dreams together.

How old is he? 44 almost

How old am I? 40 in June YAHOOOO!

Who eats more sweets? Definitely him... I think he has a monthly cycle. He craves candy bars once per month. hee hee. I am definitely a salty food junkie.

Who said I love you First - Him. I couldn't say it for months and months. I'm not a really romantic type girl. Even after we were married, I wouldn't let him call me his wife. It freaked me out. So here we are on our Honeymoon in Jamaica, and he kept wanting to introduce me and I would just jut out my hand and say... I'm Saundra.

Who is taller? Him, he is 6'2, I am 5'6".

Who can sing better? me... and I can't carry a tune, so imagine how awful he is!!! haahahaha

Who is smarter? He would say me, but I say him. We are both pretty smart cookies.

Who does laundry? me

Who does the dishes? The kids, I haven't emptied a dishwasher in years!

Who pays the bills? I used to for the first 8 years and our pastor said something about letting the man be the man and the true head of the household, and to give up things we "think" he can't handle, so I gave them all to him, and I haven't been happier. He's good at it, he has owned his own house since he was 19, he's very astute. We both make decisions concerning money together, he's a spender, I'm more of a tightwad.

His guilty pleasure? He would say he doesn't have one because he is a working slave all the time... but I would say his guilty pleasure is really violent video games. He knows I HATE them and I have found a few in his computer bag when he asks me to get something out of it for him.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

Who mows the lawn? Our gardener, of course!

Besides me, who is his best friend... Danny and Carlos

Who cooks dinner?- me, but him on occasion

Who drives? Mostly him, but his commute is 2 hours, sometimes more, one way... so sometimes he is just too tired to drive and he wants me too.

Who asked who out first- We were set up by my Mama, but after we met, he asked me out again.

What was our first date - We saw "Silence of the Lambs" and had dinner at my mom's.

Who proposed- I don't know if he did or not. We were at dinner one night and he asked me what kind of wedding I would want to have when I got married... so i got a napkin and planned it all out... after dinner, I asked him if we just planned our wedding and he said"Yeah, I think we did" I didn't care about a ring. I knew I would get one eventually. We started planning that next week, my mom went into hyper speed, and about 4 months before the wedding he gets on one knee with my ring in a box and asks me to marry him. I, of course, say "Dude, My wedding gown is being picked up next week, do you really think the answer is gonna be "no"?. Yeah, I know... romantic.

Who has more siblings - He has one sister, I have one brother, same, same.

Who wears the pants- I will just say "him' to keep the peace. How's that for an answer.

My favorite thing about him? Ask me another day... I am very upset with him this week.

The Divine Ms. M

I LOVE BETTE MIDLER!

I know, she's brash, loud, comical, boisterous, rude, and baudy... AND I LLLOOVVVEEE HER!

I want to be just like her... except be me, like her, like me... oh heck, you know what I mean.

Caught her on Oprah today, while cooking dinner, and I have to say... at 62 she doesn't look a day over 40!!!

She kicks it old school. Musicals, singing, dancing, jokes... she can do it ALL! I would love to see her show in Vegas. She opens soon. Between her and Manilow, I don't know. They are both pretty fantastic in my book.

Yeah, yeah, Yeah, I know... I'm not supposed to like that stuff. But I do, I do, I do, I do, I do!!!

I think it comes from my 20+ years as a dancer (a real dancer, not a pole dancer... can you imagine!)

Freddie Finn had us dancing to every show tune imaginable, and I LLLOOOVVVEEEDDD IT!

Every single nerd making second of it.

By the time I was 12, I knew every word to every musical from "Singing in the Rain"to"West Side Story", and could name every one of the songs, who danced in it, what steps they were doing and what came next in the dance. It was awesome and very, very, very much something I NEVER admitted in Jr. High. I forced myself to listen to Top 40 music so I could "fit in", but my love of the oldies never waned.

My ultimate favorite is SING, SING, SING written by Louis Prima,(an Italian, ha ha ha!) and performed by Benny Goodman. UNBELIEVABLE music.

I even loved all the music that came out of World War II, the Andrews Sisters. "Bugle Boy of Company B". Our children are sorely missing some really wonderful music.

I try really hard to have my boys listen to at least some of it. They want to go bury their heads, but I think they actually do like it, but it isn't cool to like it, so they say they don't. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

I just recently purchased all of the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis DVD's, and a couple of Danny Kaye's movies. THEY LOVE THOSE! Every night the week of Christmas while we were camping at the beach, they BEGGED to watch another one. Mama was so happy. It was just good clean fun, and I never get tired of that.

Hey wait, I was talking about Bette Midler. Huh! I go off on tangents when I write just like I do when I talk!!! Anyway...

I love Bette!

Too cool for words!

Bette, sweetheart, if you are reading this... score me some tickets to your show!!! I love ya!

wink. wink!

Like she's reading this... hmmmmm.

Who else do I love....George Clooney!! Dude!

Ciao!

WHY I DON'T SHOP ON WEEKENDS!!!

PEOPLE~!! LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE!!! JEEZ!

So William broke his glasses... again!!! Since he kinda needs them to see... almost everything, we had to go to the mall to get new ones, to Lenscrafters, so we could have them "in about an hour". Readers, I have been an at home Mama forever it seems. I made it a rule almost 14 years ago that I was not going to contribute to the congestion all the hard working, working moms have to face on the weekends to get their errands done. My rule is "Don't shop on weekends for ANYTHING, since I can do it during the week." Well... William's glasses broke Friday night at 9 p.m., and if I wanted him to have a good start to his new semester and new classes on Monday, I needed to get him a new pair of glasses pronto.

Holy Cow!!! Where did all the people come from!!! I shop when everyone is at work... THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE!!! I have to say though... most of the people in the mall were under the age of 17.

I have one question... WHERE WERE THEIR PARENTS!!! Not one of them said excuse me when they cut in front of me in the Vans store... the boys and I tried to get into Hollister and a throng of them were at the door, and when I smiled and said excuse me, they didn't budge. I said excuse me again, and they looked me up and down, and one said, "What could you possibly want in here."

Not one to hold my tongue... I said, "Sweetheart, they want me in there... I can actually pay for the items I touch, now excuse me so I can buy my wonderful, polite, mannered children anything their little hearts desire." We went in to shop while waiting for our overpriced, hopefully well made eyeglasses.

I was truly dismayed to see the rude girl from the door helping people in the store. I asked if she worked there, and she replied with a haughty "Yeah" while chewing her gum. I ever so sweetly asked to speak with her Manager. I called the rude girl over so she could hear what I said to her boss.

Here's what I said... "Hello, I am a Mom with money to spend on my children. I am well aware that I cannot fit into anything in this store, but your associate saw fit to let me know anyway. She seems to be under the assumption that overweight people don't have debit cards or checking accounts. Now, can you tell me if it is your policy to only accept monies from people that fit your description of who can/cannot purchase in here?" The Manager was completely staring down the rude girl. FUMING!

The Manager wasn't more than a few years older than the rude one, but I could tell she was brought up better. She replied "Absolutely NOT! Everyone can shop in here! I am so sorry this happened." I looked around the store and saw about 6 or 7 things I would have bought for the boys, and did a mental tally in my head. I then told the rude one that if she is on commission, she should really put aside her prejudices and look at every customer as potential increase in her paycheck, and her attitude would be better served in a job where she does not deal with the public until she can learn some manners and decorum. Then I thanked the Manager for her time, told her how much I was not going to be spending in the store, and that in my past experience in retail sales, a happy customer tells up to 10 people about their experience, and an unhappy customer tells over 100. I then asked her to stay close to the rude girl on the floor if she wants to shine when the secret shopper comes in the store, and how did she know I wasn't the secret shopper? I thanked her again, and walked out of the store with my three little men behind me.

Remember that movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"? When Kathy Bates hits that young chicks car after being taunted by the youngin's? When she says "I'm older and I've got more insurance!"

That's what I felt like!

I know people think stuff like that happens all the time to people that don't look like everyone else... but it really doesn't!!! Most people are really awesome!!! I shop EVERYWHERE, and have never had a rude experience like the one I had today. So weird.

I felt so bad for the Manager. She is going to have her hands full. The rude girls face went from a face of "I don't care what you have to say... to... Oh crap... this lady means business, I wonder if I am gonna get fired"

So... I like my rule of NEVER shopping on the weekends, unless I absolutely have too. There'll be more room on the freeway for all you hard working ladies with 9-5's and no time get anything done after work. You ROCK!

We had a great experience at LensCrafters. They were awesome and the glasses were done really well. The Vans Store employees were great too.

I'm gonna go watch the Miss America Pageant now.

Happy Saturday Night!

Ciao! Ciao!

I just had to tell you!

I was so ridiculously flattered today... I just had to say a GREAT BIG

THANK YOU!!!

Andi Titera and Michele Rossi for what you said today!

Thank you sooooooooooo very much. I haven't shed tears of joy in a long time!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT READS THIS BLOG!

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FLATTERED I AM THAT YOU READ ME!!! I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU!

EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT SOMEONE READING MY BLOG I GET A HUGE SMILE ON MY FACE!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

PLEASE SHARE MY BLOG ADDRESS WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!

LOVE,

SAUNDRA

IIIIIIIIIT'S FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!

WOO HOO!!

It's FRIDAY NIGHT!

The night of endless possibilities!!!

The night before the day I get to sleep in past 6 a.m.!!!

It's Friday... It's Friday... It's Friday!!

Finals are OVER for William!!!

They're Over... They're Over... They're Over!!!

WOO HOO!

Alex's Science Fair Paper is Turned In!!!

It's In... It's In... It's In!!!

WOO HOO!

What a week!!! Rain. Bad Hair. Term Papers for 2 kids... Whew! I'm exhausted!

It is exhausting trying to teach a child how to write. Not cursive or penmanship... but to put thoughts down on paper, and have them make relevant sense! Those poor little brains were working overtime this week. I am not the patient Mama either... so that didn't help the situation. Those 2 boys wanted their reports to sound so grown up and text booky. I spent an entire evening trying to help them understand that writing has to come from a place of just simply talking. They need to write a little bit like they would speak to someone, although not too much in a Science Fair Report. We also had the long talk about plagiarism and how to avoid it. We have the discussion every year, and their school is very good about checking sources, and I hate the idea of taking credit for someone else's work.

I heard there are a lot of Mama's that do the homework for their kids. I don't and never will understand that mentality. How do they expect their children to learn anything, to learn autonomy, or the feeling of accomplishment when the grade comes back? I used to have a friend that literally did every single paper for her 3 kids and probably still does. I remember calling her one day and asking her what she was doing. She was at the library researching a President, and writing the bibliography, WHILE HER KIDS WERE AT THE SKATING RINK!!! I was floored.

Having Immigrant parents was a blessing for me. My Dad (who is the SMARTEST man I know), has a 2nd grade education and my Mom, (she got her GED in this country after she had me) had no clue what I was doing in school, so I had to fend for myself. They wanted to help me so badly, but you know how that New Math changes every year, and they mostly read Italian, not English. I remember every new semester, my Dad would hold his hands out for the History books and would sit and read them for hours. (I secretly think he was looking for all the things the Italians actually invented before the Americans... hee hee) You know, Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Allesandro Volta (volts are named after him) and a host of other people Italians will let you know about during any discussion about the Ole Country! :) What they lacked in American-ish knowledge, they made up for in good old common sense. They were both very successful entrepreneurs and owned a Beauty Salon for 20 years, and my Dad loved to buy Real Estate. He worked at a Steel Mill for 25 years too. They are true Immigrant Success Stories.

So today was the end of the First Semester and we are all so happy, and of course, they did all their own work. I only typed the papers up when they wrote their long hand papers that must be turned in with the typed ones. I love that rule.

So... IT'S FRIDAY!!!

Unlimited possibilities await!!!

I have a date with my washing machine, and bottle of Ms. Clairol #83 Neutral dark brown, a Philosophy Micro Peel, and a can of EZ Off oven cleaner!

Who's jealous of me??? I know YOU are!!! I'm one wild and crazy gal!

Have a lovely evening...

Buona Sera, Amore mia, Buona Sera!

Good Evening, my loves, Good Evening!

HAIR... THE SEQUEL

It's raining here in Cali. Why? I don't know. I suppose we need it... with the drought and all. I would hate to get a ticket for watering my lawn. It happened in the 80's. My dad was watering our lawn out front one hot day... we had just come back from a 2 week long vacation, and apparently they were rationing water, AND ISSUING TICKETS for watering on a non specified day. Too funny! and sad at the same time!

My boys, (affectionately called my Monkeys) use a LOT of product in their hair. With my Mama being a Hairdresser and all, I am forever having her experiment on their hair... bleaching it, frosting it (oh! excuse me NOT frosting it, that's too girly, HIGHLIGHTING it) (Like that's any better! ha!) and cutting it on certain angles. It's fun, for me anyway! They hate it, I offer money, they oblige, everyone's happy. It's getting a little harder nowadays, they are getting older and a few bucks isn't doin it anymore, they are into $20 and $50 zones now... so now their hair is just their normal color. Until Summer anyway. he he he!

ANYWAY... they use a lot of product. Gels, hairsprays, mousse etc... Imagine how awful it would be if they were girls!!! My house would be full of even more junk for hair than I already have!

It usually doesn't rain much here. Have you ever tried to wash, comb, or brush hair with tons of product on it after rain has hit it? It needs a chisel!!! So gross!

Today, they got into the car after school and their hair looked like it hadn't been washed in months!!! Goopy and sloppy. UGH! My boys like their hair just so, mostly spiked. I asked them if they got caught in a wind tunnel full of olive oil and they took one look at their hair, and started busting up. THEY LOVED IT!!!

Is grunge still in? I hope not. They had worse than bed head. I told them the rain was acid rain and they stopped laughing. Then I started laughing!!!!!

Needless to say, they took showers immediately after we got home. Don't worry, I told them it wasn't acid rain for real...(but ya gotta know we do have acid rain... right?)

I have curly hair, and rain is havoc on it. Nothin but frizz and knots from my hairspray.

I can just hear my mom in my mind saying "See, if you let me cut your hair short, you won't have to worry about all that wear and tear on your tresses."

My bangs are super curly, thank you very much!!! Bangs... jeez.

The grass is always greener... huh? Straight haired people want some curl, and vice versa.

I like the rain... but mostly only when I have a hair dryer near by. Once I decided to put a flat iron to my hair... longing for straight hair... it was easy and fun... then it rained... I looked like a strung out poodle.

I love/hate the rain. Just thought I would vent!

Have a great evening.

Ciao Bellas

P.S. How about all the lurkers post a comment? Wouldn't that be fun???

I was tagged, so here are my Top 25 on my Ipod

Okay. Here are my top 25 most played. Don't be shocked. I love to rock out when I clean my kitchen. I swing my head like the Hair Spray bands of the 80's, (yeah, picture that! HA!)

1. Smooth (Santana/Rob Thomas)

2. What Hurts the Most (Rascal Flatts)

3. In the Morning (Junior Boy)

4.Let's get Married (Jagged Edge, remix version)

5. How you remind me (Nickelback)

6. Jesse's Girl (Rick Springfield)

7. California Dreamin (Mamas & Papas)

8. Cuz I can (Pink)

9. Edge of Seventeen (Stevie Nicks)

10. Evil Woman (ELO) boy am I telling my age!

11. Makes me Wonder (Maroon 5)

12. Movin Out (Billy Joel)

13. Sway (Michael Buble)

14. Feelin Good (Michael Buble)

15. Sway (Dean Martin)

16. I only wanna be with you (Dusty Springfield)

17. Wake up call (Maroon 5)

18. We Live (Super Chick)

19.Let's Go (Trick Daddy) I know, I know, Why! but i love this stupid song!

20. It's Raining Men (The Weather Girls)

21. Put your Head on my Shoulder (Paul Anka)

22. 65 Love Affair (Paul Davis)

23. Auld Lang Syne (Dan Fogelberg) (RIP)

24.Stupid Girls (Pink) (great video for girls to see too)

25. Love is a Battlefield (Pat Benatar)

I LOVE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY MORE SONGS! BUT THOSE COMPRISE MY RECENT PLAYLIST. Can you tell I love my 80's teenage years music? Don't ever get me started on my Journey infatuation!!! But I love my Rat Pack guys too! I own every Sammy Davis Jr. song he did!!!

More blog later!! Ciao!

Name Dropping

Being the Mama of boys, I need my sisters of the Estrogen persuasion from time to time.

I don't have any sisters, so my friends become my sisters. I don't get to hang out with them as often as I'd like. Maybe one day life will slow down just a little bit for all of us and we will be able to have smart dinner parties and Girls' Nights and such. In the meantime, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite people and why they are. This is in NO particular order.

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Mary Moses - I have known her since Kindergarten. She is a gorgeous strawberry blonde that is just the perfect of mix of sweet and spicy. She is a social chameleon, and a great listener. Everyone that meets her is instantly smitten with her. I am so happy to have her in my life.

Mary will forever be my sister.

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Letti Byrd - she, to me, is the epitome of a good Mama. I have many, many more steps to go to be like her. Where I am manic and loud, she is calm and quiet. She was made to be a Mama. She lives 2 doors down from me, and I am so grateful to have her as a Mama model.

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Andrea (Andi) Titera - We just recently reaquainted, losing touch because I was a mean person in my teens, and I have to say, it was like starting where we left off some 20 years ago. We can go for months sometimes in between calls, but when we reconnect, it's a 3 hour chat fest! We have lots in common, and the one thing I HATE about her, is that she looks EXACTLY like she did in high school. Still lovely, and she still has the same mannerisms. Oh! She's Italian too!!!

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Cheri Freund - She always remembers me on holidays and such. We are text buddies and always has a hug waiting for me. I love hugs. Her hubby saved me from going crazy and doing something stupid to my backyard neighbors after 2 years of torture from them. He's a cop, they are now quiet, I will forever be indebted to her and her hubby Bill!

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Holly Morris - She is one of those people that you just want to talk to all the time. Low key, but with an edge, I can be exactly who I am at that moment with Holly, with no judgement. I met her at a show, and I think she is just the bees knees.

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Terri Rudder - Another great Mama. She is 11 years younger than me and I have so much to learn from her. She has 4 children all close in age, and all doing commercials. She is quite possibly the sweetest person on earth, but the most interesting about her is that she tells me she has had a "past" when she was a teen. I just can't see it. She is married to a very cute, funny man that tricks me every time I call their house. I haven't seen 2 people more in love in a long time.

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Angela Wagnon - I have the most gorgeous friends! This one could be a model in a minute. A great mama, with energy to spare. I love talking with her because she is very animated and has a way of making you feel like you are just the person she has been dying to talk to. She is a refreshing part of any day I get to talk with her.

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Dee Dee Taylor - our hubbies went to Jr. High together. I don't get to see her much, but when we do, I love that it is a cerebral conversation. She and her hubby are 2 of the smartest people I know, and my favorite thing about Dee Dee is her Mama Bear ness about her kids, and her concern for her children's education. This is a lady you want on your side, and you just can't help but be on her's.

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Annie Waddell - She's Greek, and she is a kick in the head! Our Dad's are exactly alike, and we can both do their accents perfectly. She is a sister to me because we get each others mentality of how to cook for 80, and just don't know how to stop. She is a giver beyond compare and is always going in 2o different directions. She always make me feel like I am worth a million bucks.

There you have it... just a sampling of my favorite people. More to come in the future. I wish we could all get together a lot more often... but I will take what I can get. I love you all, my sister's in life, motherhood and joy!

Have a great day!

Buona Sera!

Dinner Discussion

Hello again!

I hope your three day weekend... if you had one, was well spent.

Now that we are actually back to some sort of routine in my household, I thought I would implement a dinner discussion with the kids and hubby while we are all around the table stuffing our faces. So lately our discussion have been revolving around things like...

Name one favorite family memory in your whole life

or

Say one thing you love about each member of the family... stuff like that.

So today... someone posed the question, (I was actually ear hussling a conversation at the bank)

and asked her friend... "So do you like the girl your son is going to marry?" I waited for the answer but it was my turn at the ATM so I couldn't listen, Dang it!

But it got me thinking. What would it take... me, an Italian Mama, to like my future Daughters in Law? Hmmmmm. Let me ponder for a moment.

I have my top 5 list... Here goes, and before I type this, please know what an absolute control freak I am, and I rule with lots of good ole fashioned Italian Guilt!

1. I pray my boys marry ORPHANS! Please God, let me be the only Grandma (Nana). I will hate it if she has parents and siblings and all that stuff! I am the Son's Mama, I will never get to see them for Holidays and such if she has a family! What's that stupid saying? "A sons a son 'till he takes a wife, but a daughters a daughter the rest of her life" blah, blah, blah!

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2. Please God, let the girl they fall in love with have a history of being a real girl her whole entire life! I'm sure I don't have to elaborate!

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3. I sure hope she wants a man who loves his Mama. Because if you love my Son, I will love you forever.

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4. Please let her only have her ears pierced! All that other stuff is so distracting, and makes me have pain for them!

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5. Please let me be the only Grandma! Oh, did I already say that! Oh well, it's worth another say!

I tease. I don't like thinking about it at all. They are only 13, 11 and 8. I would love it if they waited until they are out of college and have a great job. I think I have to start the brainwashing soon. I wonder if Barnes N Noble has a book on how to get your sons to marry well and with Mama's approval. Nah, if they did, my mother in law would have bought the rights and imbedded it into my hubbys head! Then where would I be!!! Not married to her son... that's for sure!! And she isn't even Italian! ha!

So around the table, they mentioned things like good cook, wants to be a stay at home mom, wants babies, Alex wants an Italian girl, Johnny says she needs to like watching cartoons with him... yeah, he's in trouble ;). Those were pretty good things.

I guess it isn't just Italian Mama's that worry about these things. You know me... I'm not happy unless I have something to lament over! Uncle Vito's rule!

I would love for you to give me some ideas on topics to talk about. Lately I find myself asking myself if every little thing will make a good blog topic. I would love some ideas!

Hit the comment button and let me know!!!

Also, please feel free to forward my blog address to as many people you like! The more the merrier!

http://www.anitalianmama.blogspot.com/

Love to all

Amore Tutti!

27 Dresses

I went to see the new movie "27 Dresses today. SSSOOOO cute!!! My favorite part of the movie was seeing all the great clothes the 2 leading ladies wore. Oh My Gosh, they were awesome. I came right home and drank water and ate a saltine for dinner. We'll see how long that lasts!! HA!

Anyway, while the movie was very good, and by my standards, that's not saying much... I like almost all movies I see, what happened in the movie theater was completely ridiculous, and could only happen to me. It is just my luck. :)

First of all, let me say that I took my monkeys with me. They went to see Alvin & the Chipmunks (I can't listen to those voices, Johnny talks like them all the time), and I wanted to see 27 dresses. A "movie for Mom" day.

When I walked into the theater, it was bliss. I WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THERE!!! So I carefully chose my seat. Not too far up, not too far back, my head could stay straight, no having to look up, you know the drill. I took my time and found THE perfect seat.

Aah! Movie for One!!! Yahhooo! I settled in. I took out my water bottle I smuggled in...(I am not going to pay $5 for a water... yes, I took my own in, so there!) Popped in a mint to help clear my nose, turned my cell phone to vibrate, (but really, who would care, I WAS ALONE!), put my feet up and giggled at the dancing food on the screen.

Then... out of the corner of my eye... I see movement! NOOOOO! 2 people came into MY movie theater. No worries, there were lots of seats. I won't be bothered. But no! Remember Uncle Vito's Law!!! If something can go wrong, ita mosta certainlya willa! (Murphy's Law, yeah, yeah, I know... but Italians take credit for everything, so it's Uncle Vito's Law in my family) Well, these two party crashers walked RIGHT INTO MY ROW!!! I stared at them incredulously and just smiled and looked straight ahead again. Then my eye spots 4 more people, and what do they do?? Yep... right in my row!!! Not only did they come in MY row... but they didn't even bother to go around, they cut in front of me and my other 2 row mates!!!

I was dismayed until... yep, 3 more and they sat in my row too. So here are the standings so far... 200 seat theater, 10 people, all in the same row. By this time I am starting to think I am being Punked, or X'd or am on Candid Camera, because this CANNOT be happening!!!

A few more people come in, and then I started to laugh out loud!! The people sat in my row again!!! So I stood up, turned around, got their attention and said, (laughing of course) "ARE YOU ALL KIDDING ME?" "IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE REST OF THE THEATER?" "DID YOU FEEL SORRY FOR ME BEING ALONE?? I'M NOT!! MY KIDS ARE AT ANOTHER MOVIE!" We all started busting up! One couple spoke up and said they thought it was strange too, but sat in this row because they thought we knew something they didn't!

So before all the trailers started... I started saying really loud to all my row mates. "You just wait, I'm gonna go to the bathroom 5 times during the movie, I'm gonna turn my phone to loud and call my kids in the other theater, and I'm gonna go get popcorn and soda twice, so there!" We all giggled.

It was a very enjoyable way to watch a movie. 12 or so strangers... bound by one row of seats, laughing together, wondering what lurks in all the other seats.

Three sweet ladies told me I never have to go to a movie alone again if I don't want to. One gave me her card and told me to give her a jingle if I ever wanted to meet here for a movie again.

HOW SWEET IS THAT!!!

Yep... 2008,

Cell phones, DVR's, overscheduled lives, always rushing around, and still

a little bit of love and giving.

I didn't have the heart to tell her I LOVE doing something ALL BY MYSELF sometimes...

I just told her I just might take her up on that!!! Thanks Louise! You're a doll!

BUONE NOTTE!

Ciao!

GUILTY PLEASURES (CLEAN)

Have any of you ever watched a show on TV that you would never admit to anyone else? I mean a regular show, on regular cable, not adult content shows? For example... Who watches "America's Next Top Model" or The one about Miss America... "Reality Checked"? Yeah, I knew there were some out there... Here's one I was SHOCKED so many people loved... "The Real Housewives of Orange County". Yeah!!! You know who you are!!! How do I know? I LOVE IT TOO!!! Who needs a magazine to tell me I am inadequate and beneath love if I don't look at certain way... I have the Orange County Housewives on my TV telling me so every single week!!! Johnny, my baby, asked me one night... "Mom, what's wrong with her face. It looks like she got stung by a bee." I gave him a huge kiss and promised him Ice cream the next day. :) My favorite one on the show is Jeana. Why? Because she looks the most REAL! Vicki gives me a migraine and a toothache. The other brunette... I forgot her name... the one whose ex-hubby just died and left his girls nothing... I like her too. Poor Quinn. She is setting women back 50 years with her neediness, if she is gonna choose to continue dating men her sons age... she has to learn to go with the flow. I'm glad Jo is gone... yes, Jo, we know you don't want to get married, blah blah blah...you're a career girl...blah, blah, blah. AAAAh and Laurie. Now there is a breath of fresh air. In the intro she says something like... "I've been rich, I've been poor, rich is better". Can I just shout a great big "DUH" out her way??? People, I am all for the saying "Falling in love with a rich man is just as easy as falling in love with a poor man" mentality. Whatever floats your boat and all that. I appreciate Laurie's candor. I really do!!! She hated struggling!!! The work at Vicki's (I would try to find a rich man too just to get out of that place) ,the upkeep on her condo in OC, having to leave her house to get pedicures and manicures, checking the saline level on her implants at a doctor's office waaaaay outside of OC, in Heaven Forbid LA!!!! Oh the horror!!! All that worrying was necessitating more frequent Botox appointments!!! But when she says she met the man of her dreams... I just wonder. If George had left his wallet out of the picture until they were dating a while and NOT bought her a Mercedes after dating 2-3 months, would he still be her Prince Charming? Luckily George is okay looking. He's no Slade, but he's okay. I'm just kidding. I think she is a hoot, and because she is from Idaho, she says she is more grounded than most in OC. I have personally NEVER met any ladies like these ladies on the show. I have lots of friends and acquaintences in OC and they tell me these ladies embarrass them. I get that this is a TV show, and they are fed things to do and say. But I just love that stupid show! It was major part of my "slumber party experience" in Cincy when my roomies and I talked until 3 a.m. If you look at the show another way, you can actually see many of those ladies' characteristics in ourselves and our friends. How many of us has ever had a Vicki moment or day? ME! And who among us hasn't had a Tamra moment and said in the mirror "I deserve it! I'm the hottest 40 yr old in Orange County!" okay, me either... but YEAH, SHE CAN SAY IT AND SHE DID! Her children have some awesome things to tell their kids someday! If I ever got to meet them in person... which I would love to, I am afraid of what I would do. I have a sneaking suspicion I would stare at Lauries lips and try to pop them, I would put in ear plugs just before meeting Vicki, I would totally hug Jeana and the other brunette (I can't remember her name!!!), I would tell Jo to talk to the hand, and I would tell Tamra that she is beautiful. They all are. I love this show because all that stuff looks exhausting, and it makes me love my life even more. Wouldn't it be exhausting to worry every day that your friends and colleagues would think you've failed it if you CHOSE to move from a 6500 sq ft house way down to a 4000 sq ft house? I mean really... people are starving, our troops are overseas, cancer is still around... but STOP THE WORLD because Vicki wanted to downsize and just couldn't do it so she could say she kept up with the Jones. I would love it if I saw these lovely ladies do some charity work on the show. Let me know which show is your Guilty Pleasure. I promise I won't publish it unless you want me too! OH!!! There is a new one coming out... The Real Housewives of New York. Now THAT will be interesting. It's a whole different kind of money out there!!! I love escapism TV!!! CIAO BELLAS!

I HAVE A COLD.

Well, so much for all the organizing I was going to do. I have a little cold. Have you ever taken that Zicam stuff!!! IT REALLY WORKS!!! I will blog more later. Something interesting has to happen in the next few hours while I sneeze, blow and drink my tea. Have a lovely day.

AAAAhhh Friday Night

I love Friday nights. I always have. Such promise of a productive weekend. I used to be in Drillteam/DanceTeam at Fohi way back when in the 80's, and Friday nights were "Game Night" and we would perform at Half Time on the Field. Friday Night in Fontana was a must. If you weren't at our AWESOME stadium, you weren't doing anything important. And so the feeling lingers. Even though I am MUCH older now, with Grand Canyon growing on my forehead, too short, newly cut bangs, (bangs people... bangs!) 3 kids, I still get a little giddy at the prospect of picking the kids up from school and KNOWING we are FREE for a couple of days!!! What to do!!! What to do!!! A movie? A jaunt to the snow? A frolic over the library to get a head start on Science Fair Projects??? Planting dynamite in my office and garage and start from scratch??? Yeah baby, that's the ticket! I am DREADING cleaning out my office. Hey... you know what! I have a friend that touts that she loves to organize stuff! OH!!! And the best part is... SHE LIVES 2 DOORS DOWN FROM ME!!! Nah! I'm just kidding. I could never pull somebody outside my family into my horror or horrors of an office. My garage is lawsuit waiting to happen. Maybe I'll just take her shopping with me to get some really cool organizational "MUST HAVES". Are there such things as Yard Sales, but IN the house? You know... like... I could have a sign out front that reads "OFFICE JUNK SALE" and a red carpet, my kids greeting the prospective "crap taker outters" like celebrities and asking them, like on the red carpet, what they hope to leave with today... and with every purchase of junk, they can take home a wonderful, neatly stacked stack of used paper to use as kindling!!! When did it become necessary to have... oh, I don't know... 100 pens and pencils? Do I REALLY need post it notes in EVERY SINGLE COLOR OF THE RAINBOW? Do I really have to keep the receipt from Ed's where I bought a Sprite last year?? How many bottles of Purell is too many? My office is approximately 4 ft x 8 ft. Small, and it looks like I run a Multi million dollar conglomerate!!! I don't know what color my desk is, and I have THREE (3) III, of those long cord plug in thingys for all the electronic stuff shoved into every nook and cranny of this little piece of heaven! The rest of my house is surprisingly tidy. I am a total purger of the unnecessary in the rest of my house. They say "clean desk is a sign of a sick mind", so I must be positively enlightened!!! What to do... What to do... BUT WAIT!!! It's Friday!!! The day of infinite possibilities!!! OH! AND THE KIDS HAVE A 3 DAY WEEKEND!!! Yahhooooo!!!! I wonder how much dynamite I'll need for this small of an office space.. hmmmmm.

SNIP... SNIP... CRY!!!!

Well... I've gone and done it again. I've done something before thinking it through. I was watching Oprah last night around midnight, I taped her show yesterday. I wanted to see what Marion Jones had to say. Well... I fell asleep during, and woke up when the writer of "Juno" was on the screen. She had severely black hair and very, very short bangs. Really cute on her. She's young, has no wrinkles, and I'm sure she colors her hair because it is fun for her, not a necessity. But I digress...

I did my usual morning routine this morning... got the kids up and ready for school, made their lunches, drove them to school, drank copious amounts of caffiene, ate an egg white and veggie omelet (yes, I am watching the calories, that is a totally different blog issue), laundry, dusting, checking e mail, calling hosts and customers, then I got my shower.

Those of you that know me in person know that I have long hair. As it tumbles out of my towel so I can spray the gallon of Infusium it takes to detangle the mess, my mind flashes to that Diablo chick that wrote "Juno". Then I looked at myself in my vanity mirror, and saw deep crevasses in my forehead. It's not that they weren't there for the last 5 years or so, but today, the light was juussst right, and I could swear I could see the Colorado River cutting a canyon into my forehead. Am I going to get Botox? Are you kidding? HECK NO!!! NOT ONLY DO I NOT LIVE IN ORANGE COUNTY, BUT DON'T YOU THINK BEFORE I SHOT POISON INTO MY FOREHEAD, I WOULD AT LEAST LOSE A FEW POUNDS??? puhhlleeze. Even if I weighed the 98 lbs everybody is supposed to weigh these days, Botox is not on my list of must do's, in fact, it isn't even on the list. (yahoo for those of you that love the stuff, it just isn't for me.)

So in the spirit of loving myself where I am... I decided to keep repeating the mantra I have told countless other women when they are lamenting about lines on their faces. I looked in the mirror and said "Saundra, those lines on your forehead are remants of years of happiness, laughter and surprise. Look at them lovingly and remember all the good times they represent." I have ONE word for that...

"BULL".

When I stopped laughing and came to... I decided that I needed to do a little something to remedy the situation with as little invasiveness as possible. I was going to apply some cream that I shoved to the back of my vanity drawer that promises to plump up the skin where lines are. Well, Lord knows I don't need anymore plumping of my skin :). Then the light caught something else on my forehead. A long, white, zebra/skunk like line on my hairline. People!!! I just colored my hair last week before Cincy!!! What is going on!!! If I am going through a growth spurt... why couldn't it be a spurt upward to like... 10 ft tall, so I can be the right height for my weight???

So that was it! I pulled open a drawer, reached in and pulled out a...

Before I get to that, let me give you a little insight. My Mama is a HAIRDRESSER! FOR 35 YEARS!!! I have NEVER had anyone touch my hair but her... and my hubby when I need a little 1 inch trim off the length. Bill adores long hair and loves mine. He begs me to never cut it. He is so cute about it. My Mother on the other hand, wants me to cut it to a length more appropriate for my age. Namely, a short do, with wispy ends, OH and she thinks I should also go into a honey blonde color so I don't have the skunk thing happening all the time. WHATEVER! But, the reason Bill cuts my length is because my Mom's idea of one inch is more like 4 inches on my head. She doesn't do that to anyone else but me. Why? Because she can. She's my Mama!

So I reach in a pull out a pair of scissors. Yes... I know! AND you wanna know what?? They aren't the really cool professional scissors specifically for hair that Mama bought me last year... Nnnoooo! I pull out a cheap pair of dull ones that I have once cut roses and herbs with! Yep...I took those stupid things and hacked off 4 inches of bangs! I HAVE BANGS PEOPLE!!! JUST LIKE THAT DIABLO CHICK ON OPRAH! Okay, no, not that severe, BUT STILL!!!! I Haven't had bangs since... I don't remember when!!!

Dudes!!! I have curly hair. I forgot how it bounces shorter when it is cut!!! So I started drying my hair with the hair dryer and up... up...up... it went. I can now be an honorary member of the Buster Brown Club! Maybe I can grow my eyebrows really long and I comb them up to meet my stupid BANGS!!! I HAVE BANGS!!!

Am I on Candid Camera? Did someone slip "stupid elixir" into my java?

Hey, but you know what??? My lines are gone and you can't see my gray hair anymore!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

(how long do you think it will take for them to grow out?) (sigh)

20 things about me!!!

Okay, I read other peoples blogs, and I love it. I have noticed a trend. People are "tagging" each other to tell things about themselves. Well, since those of you that know me, know I am PAINFULLY shy! A real wall flower. HA! I can't keep a straight face. Since I have not been tagged, I am officially tagging myself. You all know how I HATE to talk about myself, so it will be brief... yeah right!!! ONE MILLIONS THINGS ABOUT MOI! just kidding, just a few things. In no particular order. 1. I love being a stay at home mom. I know I joke and make it seem like it is terrible at times, but I know how blessed I am to be able to be home with my monkeys. My husband takes the absolute best care of all of us, and he is ridiculously generous to me. I so do not deserve him. Oh heck, yes I do, I'm fabulous!!!! (wink) 2. I am a total word junky. One day I hope to paint every favorite quote I love all over one wall of my home. I know there are companies that sell the rub on words, but there are too many words and quotes I love, so I am going to have to paint them. 3. Did I mention I love everything associated with the written word, books, books and more books? When I enter a library or a Barnes N Noble, angels sing above me in my perfect heaven. 4. Purple is my favorite color. Not lavender, but plum and deep purple. 5. I collect authentic Italian pottery, and some things with purple grapes on it. 6. I am afraid of heights when there is a glass floor involved. I hate all buildings with a glass viewing floor. Too scary. Tall buildings are fine as long as I have solid ground beneath me and a wall in front of me. 7. I often say things before I think it through. I suffer from "foot in mouth syndrome". 8. I love the BEACH! Everything about it. It is my favorite vacation! 9. I danced at Freddie Finn Dance Studio for 20 years, and did Tap, jazz and absolutely hated ballet. 10. Travel is and always has been a passion of mine. I have been to 11 countries and all but 11 states. 11. I am extremely proud to be a first generation Italian, and profoundly proud of my parents. They came to this country dirt poor, and gave me the life of a princess. I wanted for nothing and got way more than I deserved. 12. I love all songs by Barry Manilow. But I also love Maroon 5, Billy Joel, 80's music, the three tenors, Josh Groban, Bond, and a host of other music. I love almost all music. 13. Even though I sell Pampered Chef, I absolutely love Williams-Sonoma, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Cooks.com. Angels sing for me in those stores too. 14. I am a shoe junky, but more of a purse junky. I think I own over 100 purses. So Sad... I know. 15. I love, love, love foreign films. I will watch anything with a subtitle. 16. Favorite Food - Eggplant Parmigiana (Mom's only), Cheesecake Factory's Lettuce Wraps 17. Favorite Holiday- My birthday of course!!! Flag Day! 18. Dream place to visit - Greece and the Southern most tip of Africa, or Patagonia. 19. I am really happy to be turning 40. I'm in a good place. I am a much nicer person now than I was in my youth. I used to covet lots of things, and now, I am more content and realize I need much less to be truly happy. I feel sorry for people that have to have things so they can impress other people. 20. I have been married for 15 years as of October 17, 2007. Well, that's all for now. I hope it didn't sound too narcissistic.. ha ha! Please tell me about you! Tell me 20 things about you!!! Just hit the comment button!!! Much love... Ciao!

ROLL CALL!!!

Okay people... I FREAKING love this blog thing... and I have heard from a bunch of people telling me they read it. That is fantastic... but I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have those same people post a comment or two on my blog just so I know they are there. Rose, Clara, Annie, Michelle, Michele, Cindy, Gayle, Dolores, etc... Papa can you hear me! The only one I hear from is Letti. God Bless Letti. Can I have a moment of silence to thank God for Letti? She started all this blog thing for me and she comments every day!!! Please, loved ones, send my link to others to read. http://www.anitalianmama.blogspot.com/ I am very needy. I need words written back to me. I love conversation! Cindy told me that when she tried to get into my blog, she had to sign up for something. I know it is free, it is just a way for Google to make sure that an actual human is trying to get to the blog and not a computer. That's why it asks you to type in the letters to unlock the blog. I swear it is totally safe. If any of you want to start a blog of your own, I would be happy to hear from you!!! It is a great way for families to keep in touch and send pictures and all kinds of awesome things. I will be calling all my family in Canada, New York and Pennsylvania to read this thing. Thank you so much for reading. It makes me feel great to know what I write is being read by someone other than my hubby and Letti. Once again. God Bless Letti... oh and Bill too! :) Until tomorrow... CIAO! I have no idea how to get a counter on this thing, but I sure would LOVE one. If you know how I can get one... please let me know!

Back to "Normal"

Well, It's back to work time. Mama work that is. The carpooling, the Tae Kwon Do lessons, the library to look up "Fungus". Fun with Fungus. That's what the Science Fair Project Alex and I are doing should be called. We actually have to grow fungus on food, and see which one grows fastest. Any takers? Any guesses? I thing Dairy and Fruit are gonna win hands down over Meat and Grains. Ah, the many ponderings of life. If only those were our only mysteries in life... huh? This is a far cry from my First Class plane ride home yesterday from Dallas. Yep, I upgraded myself to First Class. It a whole other world up at the front of the plane. I got to choose between Champagne and Pepsi... pulleeezzzzeeee!!! Warm towels, little ramekins of mixed, warmed and salted nuts, Filet Mignon with all the trimmings, and fresh baked, warm cookies and a flute of milk for dessert. Yep, you can have coach. First Class Rocks!!! No wonder they pull the curtain during the flight. There would be a revolt from the back if they saw all the pampering. HEY!!! I'm a Pampered Chef... I deserve a Pampered flight from now on!!! Yeah... that works for me. It is good to be home. It takes me a few days to get in the swing of things. It's hard to go from Room Service to cooking meals, and maid service to being the maid. Then there is the whole... "Mooooom, William's looking at me!" and the "Moooom, Johnny ate my breakfast again..." and so on!! Oh! I forgot to tell you. My mom read my post about Italian Superstition, and she insists I am delusional. There was absolutely no way that any of those things were ever uttered from her mouth... HOWEVER... it IS good luck, she says, to put money in the babies hand at birth, and I wasn't allowed to touch MY face during a sneeze during pregnancy...Yeah, Ma, You didn't say any of those things. Okay... I'll change it in the post. How do you spell denial??? M-Y-M-A-M-A. I love you more than my luggage MA!!!

I'm BBBAAACCCKKKK!!!

Well, I am back. Seems I didn't need that portrait after all. ha ha! Cincinnati was lovely. Much bigger than I remember. Didn't get to sight see. Too busy going to classes and talking with other Pampered Cheffers. There is something magical that happens when you get 3000 women that do the same job into a huge hotel and conference center. It is very much a sisterly sisterhood kind of vibe. Too cool for words. My flight there was funny. The last leg of my flight from Dallas to Cinci, was comical. I called the plane the flying motorhome. It wasn't much bigger than a motorhome. You could hear everyone's conversations, we kept hitting our heads on the roof when we got up, the bathroom may as well have been a spitoon, and the pilot and the only flight attendant were about 17 1/2 years old. (that may not be, maybe I am just so old now that everyone looks like a baby to me.) I spread my arms and almost touched both sides of the plane. I felt like singing the song from "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". I met some extraordinary women. Ruth Grieco, my new heroin, will always inspire me when I think of her. I hope to get in touch with her very soon. She hails from Massachusetts. Waiting in line for my room, I met wonderful ladies from Maryland and gleened many ideas for my business. Conference hadn't even started yet. Come to think of it. All the awesome ideas I got for my business came from chance meetings with fellow consultants. I try very much to be a social butterfly on these trips. Every year I go, every year I see more and more familiar faces. It's a wonderful way to do a business. Sharing ideas with no threat of having your "business" taken from you. Everyone is ready, willing and able to share any and all of their ideas with anyone who will listen. So... I am back. Ready to get back to work. I have been off for a month. Time to put on the ole' apron and get to cookin. I have a new arsenal of products to share, and they are itchin to get out of their boxes. All is well. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers.

OFF TO CINCI!!

I love traveling!!! I love it more when my family and I fly together, but this is for my Pampered Chef business. I am looking forward to the break from all the "Please stop arguing with your brother" and the "Clean your room before you go outside." monologue of my life. The next four days are all about me, me, me. Oh, and my business of course. It is so funny how I wax nostalgic when I am away. The second I step into the airport, all I want to do is be home my 3 little darlings. Then my phone rings when they wake up to go to school before my plane takes off and I hear "MMMoooommm, William pulled my shirt, then another one gets on the phone and says, "Mom, Johnny took my homework!" and so it goes. Waxing nostalgic lasts about 3 seconds and I am over it. I am off to a colder climate and my hot flashes are sooo looking forward to it! I might be the only woman in Cincinnati without a coat on... outside!!! Yahhoooo!!! Be back in 4 days!!!

I'm Freaking out!!!

Hi. I'm off my soap box now. Bill, my dear Hubby, asked me when I posted the Xbox thing. I told him it was Saturday night during the 3 hour Guitar Hero marathon he was playing with the boys. He giggled. I vented... I'm over it. Like every good Italian, I am not happy unless I have something to worry about. This particular hours worry is my flight to Cincinnati on Wed. A little background. I have been flying to destinations all over the globe since birth. My parents were vacations fiends and I loved every second of it. I am not afraid to fly. Never have been. But my family, namely my 10 aunts and 8 uncles from the ole' country (Italy) and my parents, (also born and raised in Italy), had a very superstitious way of life, that was hard to avoid growing up. For every action, there is a reason, and most definitely a reaction. Simply put, when something bad happens to you before a birth, trip, surgery, dental appt, wedding, christening etc..., that usually signals doom for the upcoming event. I know, REAL NICE!!! What a way to live huh? Victim... party of one??? So yesterday, Bill, me and the kidlets all went shopping to spend their Christmas money and then went to lunch. We had a great time. It is so cool to see your kids turn into people you actually like and would want as friends if they weren't related to you!!! We were on our way home on the freeway when a truck (one of those passenger trucks where the owner jacks it up really high) lost its right front tire. Wait, not just the tire, but the entire axle, right in front of me in the right lane, I was in the lane next to him behind him a little. His entire car spins out in front of me... we are all going about 60, sparks everywhere flying around, he spins 2 times and does a great job of keeping his car upright and I SLAM on my brakes like a mad woman. (I drive on short trips because Bill drives 2-4 hours one way to work everyday, and he just needs a break sometimes.) Not one car is hurt but his, no accidents are caused, I am able to keep driving (while hyperventilating) and I pull over to catch my breath. You're thinking, like a normal, non Italian would, oh Thank God everyone is okay, nothing happened, all is well. NO!!! I don't get to do that!!! My first thought after assessing that the boys are okay, not too scared, and show them I am okay too, not to worry, is.... are you ready? Are you sure??? My first thought is IT'S AN OMEN. I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO FLY ON WED! I CAN'T GO TO CONFERENCE! THAT'S IT! Am I kidding? So what do I do the second I get home? I start trying to finish all the projects that aren't done, just in case I don't come home. You are gonna love this one. Then my crazy mind says. THAT'S WHY YOU STARTED THE BLOG... YOUR LAST WORDS, blah, blah blah... and so it went. I started to think I had to tell the boys who to marry, what to name their children, finish the blanket I am crocheting for Johnny, do all the laundry, take a picture of myself (oh the horror), and on, and on, and on... No, I didn't tell them that stuff, it would have scared them to death. But guess what...Every single one of my 68 cousins including me, heard those same things growing up before every trip, surgery etc... Do you know that I was not allowed to touch my stomach while sneezing when I was pregnant. Why? you ask? Because the baby would have a big brown birth mark on the part of his body nearest my hand. And upon birth, money is placed in the babies hand (wrapped in linen) to ensure prosperity (I liked that one, we did that one). The list goes on and on. It was fun when all my cousins, who were born in America, only about 16 of us, would get together when we were teenagers and use the superstitions to watch all the "immigrants" (our parents) squirm. More loving fun was never had. We would step on cracks, promise to never be married in the Catholic Church (I actually didn't, not being Catholic since 12, that still does not sit well with the Aunts and Uncles and I am yet to be officially married in their eyes. I got married in a Presbyterian Church because I liked the way it looked, our church was at a YMCA), and so on... When my mom had me, she had only been in this country for 3 years, so all this stuff was fresh for her. She has mellowed a tiny bit, and is more Americanized now. I can look back now and laugh, but boy was I a worry wart back then!!! I loved my upbringing. It was fun and funny, but boy does some of that stuff STICK!!! I am okay now. I know I'll be fine. Just writing about it makes me feel better. Ha ha!!! But just in case... say a little prayer for me on Wed. I'm flying American from LAX to Dallas to Cincinnati. No harm in making double sure... right??? Well, I'm off to have a portrait taken of myself now. NO!!! Just kidding. Have a wonderful day!!!

XBOX... Friend or Foe?

I think we were the very last people on the planet to get a game system. Bill and I have never been ones for having to have the newest and latest and greatest, but we do like quality items that add entertainment and comfort to our home. Our "biggest" TV in our house is 27 " wide and so far it suits us just fine. I love my DVR (Tivo esque) and use it religiously to tape my favorite programs so I can watch them at my leisure when everyone else has gone to sleep. But about 2 years, Bill started working with really young guys (23-27 yrs old) on his crew who were incessantly talking about all these games they owned on PS1,2,3, XBox, etc... All code to me. Went right over my head. When William wanted a PSP, I thought he was asking to take classes to learn how to read minds. When I was young, I went outside to play when I was bored inside the house. On car rides, we played highway games to keep us occupied between asking "Are we there yet?" But I digress... Bill came home with a huge box a couple of years ago with the writing XBOX 360 on it. I thought we got a globe. I know, I know. I was furious! I loved being able to say we didn't own one of "those" things. I truly didn't care whether or not my kids were "in" with the times. I still don't. All that stuff catches up in due time. As a teenager, I got anything and everything I wanted on a silver platter, and it didn't make me a better person or make me as happy as I thought it would. I vowed to make sure my kids have to work for some of the things they get... especially since they are boys and I am trying to teach them that they should carry the brunt of the burden of providing for their future families. I thought the Xbox thing was going to ruin our family. You never see kids playing outside anymore. They all have their heads pointed toward the big lit up box with a controller in their hands. This thing was just something else I would have to make a schedule for. As it is, there is absolutely no TV during the school week, and I practically have the Ds's and the PSP locked up in my desk until Summer vacation. I am sooo afraid my kids would start to dislike books and the joy of a good book. So anyway, he brought this thing home. Hooked it all up, and all four of my men slumped down on the floor to stare at it for 3 hours straight. The house could have been on fire, and they would not have noticed. I almost cried. Then something miraculous happened. They shut the cabinet it was in... put on their shoes, grabbed their helmets and rode their bikes for the rest of the day. My middle boy Alex asked me why I was so happy when they were leaving the "box". I told him how proud of them I was that they chose to shut down the thing and go get some good ole fashioned fresh (ish) air!!! He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Mom, I'd love to let you think that... but we beat the game and there aren't any more to play, so we had to shut it down." Sigh... I am still happy to say that they would rather play outside or read than play that "thing". I have learned to live with it. I use it as reward system. If they finish all their chores, and do a couple things without my asking and all their homework and reading is done, they can play it until bed time. It works out fine because between TaeKwonDo, baseball or soccer practice, that leaves only Friday night. hee hee So I have deemed the gaming system a friend. Not a close one, maybe an acquaintence. I still don't care whether or not my kids know all the games inside out, whether they have higher game scores or have the lastest and greatest in those things. The scores I care about are community service hours they put in for their school credit for citizenship, future SAT scores, their reading aptitude scores,and how much they love each other. All that other stuff is just stuff. So many people are rushing around trying to keep up with the Jones'. When that happens, we fail to see what in right in front of us. The best game of all. The game of real life. WE only get one turn to play. Make it worth it.

A NEW YEAR WISH FROM ME TO YOU!!

I just received a great e mail this morning from a friend... Holly Morris

and I wanted to share it with you. I mean every word. I wish I had written it myself!

After serious & cautious consideration.....your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2008!

It was a very hard decision to make. So try not to screw it up!!!

My Wish for You in 2008

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.

May the problems you had forget your home address!

In simple words . May 2008 be the best year of your life!

Saundra Again.

I love the New Year. A chance to start over, refresh, renew. You know, every day can be like a new year! Forgive yourself more... Love yourself where you are and others will meet you there. Every morning is a fresh new start!!! Let's all be like the children of the world. They are so resilient.

If I haven't been the mother I wanted to me one day, my kids have the unworldly abililty to forgive and forget by the next day.(let's hope they truly forget! I would hate to be surprised on some Jerry Springer show one day with a title like "My Mama was a raving hormonal lunatic one day and it ruined my life forever... now I only sleep in cars and eat dog food". Unconditional love. It doesn't mean I can just be a crazy mom all the time and they will forgive, but it is a reminder that we should love ourselves and others like our children love us. Kids are great mirrors, they do what we do, right back at us. If you don't treat yourself like someone worthy of love... how can anyone else love you? No, I didn't have a melt down yesterday. I was just doing some long overdue praying last night and I was asking God to help me be the mother I always dreamed of being... and He reminded me that I am having a few more hormonal days than ever before and I need to learn some coping skills this year. Apparently it's only going to get worse according to my always ready with an Italian Anecdote, "Oh Sandra, you are in for some terrible times in your 40's, I did, so you will too" Mama. Thanks Ma!!!

Any suggestions on how to curb hot flashes? Maybe I'll buy a walk in freezer. MMM... sounds like heaven.

Have an incredibly prosperous 2008 and remember,

If you can't pay for it without a credit card, YOU DON'T NEED IT!

Mama's Men Christmas 2007

William, 13 Alex, 11 Johnny, 8 Christmas Eve's Eve Bolsa Chica State Beach, California Only in Cali!

CIAO!!!

Oh, my, Gosh!!! I'm blogging!!! So cool!!! This is exactly what my husband was afraid of!!! Me... writing about my family and life. Bill, you have NOTHING to worry about!!! My Crazy Italian Family had given me soooo much ammo over the last 39 1/2 years, it will take me years to blog about yours!!!! I have sooo much to share!!! Writing is my passion!!! It is the reason for my being!!! I have journals and journals of stuff to pour out!!! No worries, no lame lamenting or crying. Just funny, punny, hopefully uplifting stuff, with a few curveballs thrown in!!! So people, let me know what you think... remember, I'm sensitive, be nice or I will put an Italian Eye on you!!! It's 2008! Make it great!!! Vive Bene!!!