Monday, September 27, 2010
Two Housewives on a Power Walk
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Another Self-Checkout Adventure
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Purging - It Hurts So Good
Well, there's hope on the horizon. Thanks to my friend "A," I am now engaged in weekly de-cluttering sessions with a buddy. Once a week, A and I spend 30 mins (okay, it's more like 2 hours) on a de-cluttering project at her house and then at my house. It's not a new concept, but we finally decided to do it and I highly recommend it. The beauty of it is, we're both very organized. We just can't let go of our own stuff so the other person purges it for you.
Ah, that feeling of space. I'm embracing it.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sticker Shock
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Do I Have Choice?
I enjoy using the self-checkout lanes at Giant. With each swipe of a barcode, I delight in hearing the "Beep! Beep!" sounds of a successful scan. I've also grown accustomed to the mechanical voice. When a new voice was recently introduced in one of the self-checkout lanes, I was a bit taken aback; I thought, 'I'll have to use another lane next time. Maybe I'll -- in the words of Peter Gabriel -- hear that voice again.'
Sometimes the voice can be a bit impatient. At the end each transaction it commands: "Use the electronic pen to sign the signature tablet. When you are finished, please press DONE." Too busy putting away grocery/credit cards, bagging items and loading my cart, I'm often not quick enough; I then hear "USE the electronic pen to SIGN the signature tablet. When you are finished, PLEASE press DONE." If I am still fumbling with my wallet or chasing rolling fruit/cans, the voice insistently repeats: "USE THE ELECTRONIC PEN TO SIGN THE SIGNATURE TABLET. WHEN YOU--" and I sign quickly just to cut it off.
The most fun I have using the self-checkout aisle is talking back to the user screen. It always flashes the final sum with the question: "Amount Okay?" As if I had a choice. Do I have a choice? I didn't know I had a say in the final total!
"No, the amount is not okay," I retort, "I think the amount should be 50% lower." So far, no mechanical voice has replied, except with "Thank you for shopping at Giant."Signs, Signs, Everywhere they're signs
Thursday, September 16, 2010
You Just Can't Fight Mother Nature
Keeping the house clean. Hmm, who thought it would be so hard? Why do we care? Is it only the mom that cares? (okay, I know there are some neat husbands out there).
So now, in addition to having to pick up after two kids and the various pets, I'm having to chase after stink bugs and squirrels. It's not that the stink bugs are messy, it's just that they're, well, weird. They remind me of manatees in Florida. They're harmless, but they're not pretty to look at and you don't want them in your living room. This morning I unpacked my suitcase from the weekend away (no, I don't unpack the minute I get home), and as I pulled out my blouse, there was a stink bug stuck to it. I don't think it was alive anymore but that's what's weird about them. You can't tell if they're alive or dead until they move. I'm happy to report that I've never actually smelled one but I can only imagine how bad it is if they've been coined with the name, "stink bug." The animal that's really driving me insane right now are the squirrels. I must have the most self-actualized Dogwood Tree known to man because it 'lets go' of so many things all over my patio all year long! Right now it's dropping these big prickly cherry things. The squirrels have decided these are as good as maraschinos because they're eating them voraciously. The problem is that it's creating the biggest mess on my patio. These things are tough to sweep away when they're whole. After the squirrels have worked on them, they're in a billion sticky pieces! If they're going to eat them, why don't they just eat them cleanly and not leave a chewed up mess! (note: I've said the same to my kids) I'm constantly sweeping!
As I sit here writing, a squirrel has just strolled onto the patio and picked up a cherry and is eating it! Right now! This minute! In front of me! It's like he knows I'm writing about him. Oh well. Always the mom, I guess it's good to know that he's getting a full stomach in time for winter.
Back to School Olney Housewife Style
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Moving on Up in Olney
Wifey would love to go to open houses on Sundays. Sometimes I'd go with her and sometimes not. We were checking out a townhouse in the Cherrywood development when we saw what appeared to be an empty dwelling a few townhouses away. We noticed a piece of paper taped to the screen door. Upon investigation, we found out it was a HUD home and would soon be up for bids. We submitted our bid and presto, we got it. We had to get the back window replaced since there was a hole in it. Some new carpet, a family painting party, and the place looked good as new. We painted the bedrooms, re-did the bathroom, knocked down a wall, got new windows, new kitchen appliances, re-did the basement, got a new heating/ac system, started raising our girls there and then . . . we moved.
We've been in Olney Mill for almost five years. Great place to live, great neighbors. I was just telling my neighbor about our Olney journey. We're glad to be here.
Real Housewives of Olney - Sneak Peek
Coffee and pastries at a home, while the pre-schoolers play. Conversations with complete sentences.
Breakfast out when youngest start pre-school, "We're out!"
When pre-schoolers start all-day school - Quick lunch of every appetizer on the menu. "Real food for lunch, I will never eat another PB&J sandwich again."
Used to all the children being in school - Leisurely lunch. "What teachers do you kids have?" "Mrs. So and So." "Oh no, I hear she is awful."
Oldest children entering middle school and becoming tweens, someone (Patty Party) suggests ordering a glass of wine with lunch. "Cheers"
Older children are starting high school (teen-agers), younger ones starting middle school (tweens) The wine becomes a martini. "Did Johnny pass his driver's test?"
Older children college, younger children in high school, keep the martinis coming. "Another round." We don't need to be home in time for the school bus and we are living with men and teenagers.
What will the ladies talk about this year, check back on Thursday.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Fields of Dreams
Throw in Gatorade and a tasty snack, and you've got the perfect way to spend some quality family weekend time!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Hoop Dreams
Real Housewives of Olney
Sally Sport - 5'6", 120 lbs., blonde hair, OBGC sweatshirt with comfortable jeans and athletic shoes. Ponytail thread through the back of a Norbeck Country Club baseball cap, light make-up, minimal jewelry. She is a stay at home mom who is never home. She drives a Ford Expedition which is where she spends most of her time. Her motto is, "I am Olney's biggest athletic supporter."
Valerie Volunteer - Short with a few extra pounds, brunette, nice jeans and a cute top, think Ann Taylor Loft. Tasteful jewelry, low heels, neatly applied make-up. Works part-time, is involved in everything from the PTA to the HOA. She is even starting to get involved in local politics. Her motto is, "They couldn't afford to hire me, so I do it for free."
Wendy Walker - Fit and tan, petite and trim. She is usually in fitness wear. Hair is almost always in a ponytail under a baseball cap. Minimal if any make-up and jewelry. She works from home as a consultant. When she is not walking the streets of Olney she is at Fitness First on the cardio machines, in spin class or working out with a personal trainer. Her motto is "I am all about multi-tasking. I can walk the dog, visit with friends, book parties and work out at the same time."
Patty Party - Tall, slim, beautiful and always ready for a party. She is always dressed in the latest fashions with high heels, bling and a new designer bag. Her hair is cut fashionably short and her makeup is expertly applied. She makes an entrance when she walks into a room. She attends everything usually to find out where the party is. She is a full time travel agent. Martini lunches, happy hours, if there are drinks and friends she is there. Her motto is, "If it is happening in the greater Olney area I'm there."
Kelly Knowle - Her motto is "I may not do everything, but I know everything." Kelly is medium height, appropriate weight with medium length brown hair. She wears her hair down as often as she wears it in a ponytail. Her wardrobe is the most diverse of all the housewives with athletic clothes, casual and some more fashionable items. She always looks great, no matter where you run into her. She is a work from home mom. She knows where to be seen and who to talk with to stay in the know.
The Real Housewives of Olney are fictional characters, any resemblance to actual people is purely coincidental. The events and places discussed in this series of blog posts will mostly be real places and real events. I am not reporting on events so creative license will be taken. Let me also say that I have the utmost respect and admiration for all the housewives in Olney who give their time, their talents and their knowledge to make Olney the wonderful place it is. Our children and husbands are lucky to have us and the community we make.
Check back every Thursday (maybe Friday) to find out what the housewives are making happen in our little corner of the world. Note: Cross posted at www.BlogByB.com
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Five good years
We chose Olney.
I remember the moment we pulled into the not-yet-ours driveway to look through the house we now live in. The sun was low in the sky and the whole street looked golden. Two or three families were chatting in the middle of the street, and I remember thinking, what a lovely quiet street. It must receive so little traffic if everyone just gathers in the middle like that.
We walked through the home and thought it might be just want we want. We had one other home in mind, one in Rockville, and every feature in this house was compared in our minds against the Rockville address.
This one had a bigger yard. That one had a bigger bathtub. This one had a longer commute. That one had a more congested neighborhood. This one cost more, but that one needed a lot more work. We walked through the rooms again and again, thinking, is this the one? Which house is right for us?
We walked outside in the summer dusk and one of the adults from the conversation on the street called over to us. "So are you going to be our new neighbors?"
"I don't know," I called back. "Should we be?"
"For this street, you have to have kids!" called a second person, gesturing to the crew on bicycles and scooters and blowing bubbles in the last light.
I pointed to my rounding belly. "Four more months," I called out. "We'll have one soon."
"So buy the house!" yelled a third prospective neighbor. "You'll love it here!"
And we did. The strangers who encouraged the most hope-fueled purchase we've ever made are now our friendly neighbors. We had that first baby and added another two kids and we finished the basement. We took out some tree limbs and we chatted over fence posts and bubbles, now blown by our own babes, floating into sunsets.
There's a house down the hill at the end of our street that's for sale now. If we saw any prospective buyers looking about, I'd tell them:
Buy the house. You'll love it here.