The LeBron fire is going a bit to far...

OK. I admit it. I was as sad as everyone else (not from Miami) when I watched the train wreck on ESPN called THE DECISION. I was sad that we were not going to watch number 23 work his magic on the Cavs court anymore. I was sad that there would be no more 'across the way' sightings of the hometown hero. I was (most) sad that I could have bought a NICE Coach purse for the amount of money I had spent the season before to get the girls JAMES 23 team jerseys. I was sad the same way you would be sad that you lost one of your favorite $5.00 flip flops from Old Navy... meaning, I woke up the next day and I realized it was no big deal; life goes on. Then the backlash started! Listen people, I understand that I am not a sports fanatic like some out there. I enjoy watching the occasional game, but I won't be in a bad mood if 'my team' loses and I won't throw things at the TV if there is a bad call (both things I have seen adult men do {not Ben}. The radio coverage has been brutal (some deserved by The King) and really rude. Questioning his loyalty and values... c'mon. Get over it. YES, the Akron/Cleveland area has relied heavily on LeBron for 7 years and he has done great things in that time, but it is not fair to say that he is going to 'cause Cleveland to go bankrupt'. People should know better than to 'put all their eggs in one basket' and rest their futures and fortunes on the shoulders of a child (let's face it, I could almost be his mother). Yes, it was wrong how he dropped the bomb on those of us who have loved him in a Cavs jersey all these years. He should have came door to door and told us his intentions and apologized individually. Let's face it, if you are an adult and are still harping on this, you need to find a hobby! This was a business decision, plain and simple. He knew he was going to be disowned by his hometown with this decision, but it was his decision to make. Doesn't mean he has no loyalty to Akron and Cleveland. It means he is growing up and leaving the nest. Clevelanders will survive this 'crisis' and Akroners will embrace him again (when he comes back for his 50th SV/SM high school reunion, but LIFE WILL GO ON! Just put all that energy into cheering for the rest of the CAVS team! They are good. They played great in the finals when James was hurt... they pulled off the W's! They can do it without him... Lord knows they have more determination than ever to win now!!!

Really? It's half over?

Seriously, July! You couldn't have taken your sweet time getting here? Here we are, going on our merry way, enjoying relaxing pool time and then you have to come and ruin it! I LOVE summertime with the kids. I LOVE not rushing around. I LOVE not having hours of homework... I LOVE summer! But here comes July, like some Debby Downer at a party, and brings with it (GASP) school supply ads! COME ON!!!! Give me a break here! We still have lots to do, but once July rears it's ugly head, the rest of summer flies by! I guess I am going to have to drown my sorrows at the pool :)

It's a small world after all...

OK, so I love a good 'small world' story and I have a good one indeed! Tonight we took the dogs to the dog park, same one we go to all the time. We always have a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and a Rat Terrier in tow and almost everyone there knows Hank and Zoe. So they were playing with their friends tonight and we look at the walkway and see two women walking in with what appears to be a Chesy and a terrier. Well, this is ironic that 1.)they have as pets the exact dogs that we do and b.) it's a Chesy...other than his mom and siblings (an hour away, we haven't seen another). So they come in and Hank and this other Chesy hit it off like gangbusters! They are running and playing and having a great time. As we are watching, Hank gets a little 'Hanklike' and starts jumping on this dog. I said to the owner, "he's really friendly, he's just a pup. She said, 'It's OK. She is too. She is only 10 months old". I said, "so is he". Then we start looking at them and they look A LOT alike. I asked her where she got him and she said 'Doylestown'. I said, "oh, we got him in Uniontown'. She looked at her mom and said, "that sounds right". "How many was in his litter?", she asked. "10" I said. She said, "her too". Then she said, "is his birthday August 2nd?". We both cracked up. Hank had found his long lost sister!!!! These 2 had never been to this dog park before and we went later than usual! It was awesome!

The Hankpire Strikes Back... again

Forgive me bloggers, for I have sinned. It has been 2 months (gasp) since my last confession! The thing is, I am not a writer, per sa. I can't just sit down and put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard, if you want to get technical). I need inspiration, and aside from the daily chaos of this house, I haven't had anything out of the ordinary happen...UNTIL YESTERDAY!

In the summer, the kids and I are very busy; what with our hectic pool schedule and all. Well, yesterday was a particulary long day. We had lunch with a friend, then went straight to the pool, followed directly to Caty's soccer practice. Needless to say, this is WAY to long to leave even the most Dennising the Menacing of dogs in a cage. So, with MUCH thinking (but mostly guilt), I decided to go against all my better judgement and motherly instincts, and leave THE HANK out of his cage for the day...

I called Ben at work and told him he needed to leave work a little early just to go home and check on him and to make sure the house was still pretty much intact. Aside, of course, from the carpet, wood floors, and drywall that he has already destroyed (see previous blogs). He was so excited because the 'Ice Queen' has finally relented and left his beloved dog to roam freely in the house for the first time, that he happily agreed to the task.

All was well on the home front for the first check. Ben called and was happy as a dad could be about the progress that his baby was making (see previous blogs to be reminded of the his affection for this dog). So, off to soccer practice I go and off to get a hair cut he goes. Now, I have to admit, I am feeling really proud of myself for 'biting the bullet' and giving this dog some freedom AND that he is proving that he can handle it. (Time lapse here, and just picture what is going on at the Karacia's this go-round)...

Well, I pull on to my street and see that house still standing (good sign, #1). I pull in the garage and it is silent, which means he is not terrorizing Zoe (good sign #2). I walk into the house and it smells really good, almost dessert-like (good sign #3, no accidents)... then I start to wonder why my house smells chocolaty...

Backtracking a little here. For those of you that have been in the Karacia casa, you know that the majority of the downstairs is wood floors, which comes in really handy when you have pets. They only go onto the carpet when they need to get sick or have an accident (reason for the purchase of the bad ass carpet cleaner). So, you can imagine my surprise when I notice that Hank has carefully carried a container of cocoa powder from the kitchen island (a large area covered in wood floors) and not so carfully distributed said cocoa powder ALL OVER my beige carpeted living room floor. It was a beautifully display of brown and beige, and the cherry on top was a tiny little rat terrier rolling around in it marking her territory.

The best part was that Ben walked in the door right after me so he saw first hand the shock on my face (laced perfectly with and "I told you so" smirk. His only sound was a long, drawn out "DAAAAMMMMMNNNN". He then proceeded to the closet and was able to use that bad ass carpet cleaner himself, and I proceeded to the grocery and bought some cocoa powder. I only wish I was in the right frome of mind to snap pictures of this... and just so you know, the BACC works AWESOME!

Soccer Mom Daughtry Groupies Rule...

Yes, you heard it right. Just like O'Doyle ruled in Billy Madison, Soccer Mom Daughtry groupies (or SMDG's) rule here in the real world. You may be asking yourself what a SMDG is? Well,SMDG are women that have a love/obsession with the Rock band Daughtry. This is a VERY selective group of women (so far there are 2 in our sector). If you are wanting to know how you too, can join this awesome group, you need to meet the following requirements: (1)attend at least one concert a year (if you have to drive to a different state, that will get you bonus points), (2)own multiple pillowcases with the likeness of THE MAN, (3)buy T-shirts, key chains, jean jacket buttons for no other reason except that they have his name and face on them, etc, (4) have a personalized license plate (Oh, sorry, THAT one belongs to a man...SHOUT OUT TO MIKE HEFFNER), (5)pay crazy amounts of money to attend meet and greets to wait in lines and spend 2 minutes in his presence, and(6)make scrapbooks of each concert excursion. These are the simple rules...I hope to invite some of you in very soon!

MMMMM, tastes like chicken...

This weekend I went away to my annual/bi-annual girls only trip (more to come on a separate blog)... you know, the kind where you leave home at home and indulge in a little 'just me and the gals' time?! After a two hour drive I made it safely to Columbus, where I met up with Nickie, Carrie, and Audra. We had an eventful afternoon, me and my gals, eating and attending a little get together at the Schottenstein (hee hee, more to come in a separate blog). Then we headed back to the hotel and met up with Ang and Lisa, for some more girls time. The plan was to unwind, catch up with each other, have a pillow fight...you know, the usual. That is when I saw the text... Ben sent me the above picture with the caption *Hank's new chew toy. He misses u*. That's right, now, not only do I have to worry about my children (Ben included) rebelling and causing trouble while I am gone, I have to worry about a dog destructing my house because 'he misses me"? Really? Seriously? How long does this 'puppy' stage last? My bank account can not take much more of this phase.

I honestly don't understand people that don't appreciate and/or enjoy their children! I LIVE for my girls, and I am proud of it. I hear people make comments about how much their kids drive them crazy and not being able to wait until their kids are out of the house...this does not make sense to me! All that I do is wrapped around the simple fact that I want my girls to love their life and KNOW THAT THEY ARE LOVED MORE THAN ANYTHING! I am proud of the fact that my girls know, without a doubt, that Mom and Dad will be there for them, WHENEVER they need them. I love the way that my girls, at 9 and 13, still want me to tuck them in at night. I love the fact in a room full of empty seating, that my girls will choose the spot on the couch right next to me. I love the fact that my daughters' friends like to be at our house, not because it's the 'cool' house, but because there is always laughter and hugs! I love the fact that my girls expect there to be cupcakes/cake for celebrating first and last days of school, not because they think they deserve it, but because it's just how it's always been. I especially love (more than anything else) how my girls are the best parts of both Ben and I wrapped up into one, fantastic individual! I know in my heart that I was put on this earth to be the mother of these two wonderful girls and I thank God daily for that joy and blessing. The only wish I have for my girls is that they continue to be healthy and that they grow up to be wonderful, Godly women, that will ALWAYS know the joy I get from being their mom. I am the luckiest girl in the world just for knowing these girls, so getting to be their momma is the icing on the cake.

So, for you parents that have been blessed with wonderful children and fail to appreciate what you have, I say shame on you. Shame on you for not letting these beautiful babies feel the love they deserve and NEED. But mostly I say this... I feel sorry for you. You are missing out on the most magical time of your life. Spend quality time with your kids and always, ALWAYS, make them feel wanted! Now get your head outta your ass and LOVE THOSE KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! After all, they will be the ones choosing your nursing home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND TO ALI AND CATY... THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME YOUR LOVE EVERYDAY AND ALLOWING ME TO LOVE YOU BACK. I HOPE THAT I AM ALWAYS THE MOMMA YOU NEED AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS FEEL LOVED, PROTECTED, SHELTERED AND SAFE. YOU ARE MY GREATEST GIFTS!!!!