Happy Birthday Dylan!!!

 

   My baby turned 7 October 14th. It is hard to believe that he is already seven. It only seems like yesterday that he was born. I bet every mom says that. There are some days I wish he would stay this age and there are other times I wish he would just grow up already. I love the fact that he needs me so much and pretty soon he will not need me as much anymore and that makes me sad. Sure, he will always need me in some way shape or form, but it is a different kind of need. When they get older, it is more of a “want” than a need. I have two teenagers and it seems that the only time they talk to me is when they need a ride somewhere or they need money. Dylan will join them soon in that aspect.


   Right now he needs me to wash his clothes, help him with his homework, sound out words when he is reading and the occasional butt wipe. He is still dependent on me but at the same time learning his independence. He is my little man.
  
   Saturday, October 23rd I will be throwing a birthday party for him. He has given each student in his class an invitation. So far there are many kids coming. When I go down the list, I notice that there are a lot of girls coming. I teased him about this and then he reminded me that there are 13 girls in his class and only 7 boys.

   He is very excited about his party, and I am excited that he is still young enough to want a party. According to Dylan, I may just be the BEST mom in the whole wide world and universe! Lucky me!!

Dollinger’s Pumpkin Patch

   Last weekend my daughter, son, and I went to Dollinger’s pumpkin patch. Not only was this free to get in, parking was free as well. It was also very conveniently located minutes from my house. I was quite impressed upon arrival. I have never been there before, and did not know it was so large!

   We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day as far as the weather was concerned. The sun was shining and there was just enough of a breeze to waft away the smells of the horse droppings.

   We started with a walk around the place just to see what was around. There were a lot of tents with real life characters from the Civil War and the costumes were stunning. There was a reenactment of the Civil War, but we did not see it as it cost extra money. I am thankful that the breeze that was in the air did not take away the smells of the wood burning fires. I absolutely love that smell!

   We strolled past the food area. Mmmm, it sure smelled good! I kicked myself in the ass for not bringing enough cash with me. I managed to scrape enough cash to get a Lemonade Shake Up which I never did get a sip of. I really wanted a funnel cake, but I let Lauren have her cheese fries and Dylan have his nachos. I am considering buying a funnel cake maker.

   We continued on trying to decide what to do first. We stopped along the way to pet a few horses and I took many pictures. We decided the first thing to do was to take a ride on the steam train. The cost of this was reasonable, only $3.00 per person. If you are like me, cost is a factor these days. The train was definitely not for adults. Instead of sitting in one of the regular cars that are open on top, I decided I wanted to ride in the caboose. Bad move. I had a hard time entering and an even harder time exiting. Being as short and small as I am, sitting in the caboose sure made me feel bigger!

   Next on our agenda was the hayride. This was reasonable in cost too, only $4.00 per person. It was a bit uncomfortable on the behind, but that is expected. During our ride, we were entertained by two employees telling ghost stories and silly jokes. Lauren was the official photographer for the day.

   I would recommend this place for anyone with or without kids as it was a nice time. I will definitely return.

A cruise to remember

    I have been invited to take a beautiful cruise to the Greek Islands. I will be traveling early spring of next year. I will be going with four wonderful women in my life. I feel honored and very lucky to be taking this once in a lifetime trip.
    
    I have been doing my research and am trying to learn the language. There are so many differences and they are challenging to learn. If anyone out there has any pointers, hints, suggestions, or any information that would be helpful to me, please feel free to post.

    The picture above is one of the Islands I will be visiting. Santorini. Just beautiful!

What is a date?

 
   Everyone has their own ideas on what a date is. Men’s ideas are very different that women’s ideas. I don’t think there are any special “rules” when it comes to dating, but I am going to list a few “rules” that I, as a woman dating, have. Sometimes if these “rules” are not followed, they can make or break a second date. Listen up men, because I may not be alone on this.



• Always pick the woman up at her house. (Unless it is a blind Internet date)

• Always go to the door to greet her. Don’t beep and make her walk to the car. And most of all, DON’T text her from your car and tell her you are there.

• Open the car door. Yeah, we still like that.

• Open ALL doors throughout the night. Yeah, we like that too.

• Pay for the dinner.

• She orders first.

• Don’t pull my chair out. I am not sure if I trust you at this point yet. You may not push it back in when I am ready to sit down.

• Dress nice. No matter where you are going, shave, wear cologne, and comb your damn hair. We take the time to make ourselves look good for you, you can do the same.

• No white socks with black shoes. And, no black socks with white shoes either. Your socks should match your shoes. And please, oh please, NO socks with sandals.

• Please have clean hands and finger nails. Yes, you may be a mechanic, but you can scrub that shit out from under your nails before you see me. Anyway, your nails should be properly trimmed so that should not be an issue.

• At the end of the night, walk me to the door to make sure I get in safely. Even if the date did not go well, that is the polite thing to do.

• And lastly, just because you did all the above, DOES NOT MEAN I WILL HAVE SEX WITH YOU.



Those are my “rules.” I don’t ask for much. Respect and cleanliness. Oh, and flowers the day after a date is always nice.