Rest in Peace, little "Rupert"

My little blue parakeet, Rupert, died this morning. I wrote his obituary posted below. My husband came home from work at lunch and we held a funeral for him. My husband played a beautiful prelude song by Alexander Gretchaninof called "Nunc Dimittis". My son read the obituary and we all reminisced about our happy times with "Rupert". I played "Going Home" at the end and we took him out under the pine tree for his final resting place. (I am glad my dog is not a digger!)

I have had that bird for 13 years (minus several months when he lived with my sister while we moved and got re-adjusted). I will really miss him.

Goodbye, Rupert.

*obituary*

At 11:42 am on Thursday February 16, 2012, our sweet "Rupert" bird left his little red cage to fly with the birds in Heaven. He was a good bird, and lived a full and long life- over 13 years. He liked to talk to himself, immitate the telephone, and sounded like R2D2. He couldn't fly straight. He loved chocolate cake and sitting on your head while watching television. He is preceeded in death by Argh Matey (bulimic, and had only one eye), Chirpie (killed by cat 30 minutes after we brought him home), Chirpie 2 (crooked beak), Paul (didn't chirp the first year of his life), Sherbert the Bird (had a song written after him) and those two finches I can't remember their names but sounded like a squeeky bed.
He leaves behind our loving family, and his ex-wife, "Lollie", who will miss yelling at him.


A short memorial service will be held in the Taylor back yard today at 12:30 pm.



Fly straight and true, little "Rupert". Fly straight, and true!

Valentines Brag session...

Yesterday was...well...surreal!

I got home from taking the kids to school to find a pathway of little paper hearts with little love sentiments written on them, leading into the kitchen where there sat a box of nuts and cream chocolates and a big heart with a love note! I was shocked! Soooo unlike my husband to plan ahead for a holiday he despises with his whole heart and soul. (In fact, I wondered if, indeed, there really are "body snatchers" that can take over a person's body!)

Then, I found out he counseled all his friends at work to go get their wives a box of chocolates at the Fernwoods down the street. His one friend said he had already taken his wife out a few days ago and figured he was done. My hubby told him to think like a woman, so he bought her a box of chocolates. Sure enough, when he got home his wife had a valentine gift for him and he was soooo lucky he had one for her! He told my hubby he "saved his bacon"! (Now I KNOW he has been replaced by an imposter, but I"ll keep him!)

So, my day was pretty much great from the get-go. I spent the whole day getting ready for the candlelight dinner I make for my hubby and son every year. On the menu this year was:

shrimp coctails in wine glasses
crusty bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dipping sauce
mixed green salad with prosciutto and gorgonzola cheese
4 cheese ravioli in an asiago cream sauce
pan-seared garlic and herb sea scallops
Shirley Temple drinks
Coconut cream cake with lime curd filling

We indulged ourselves in the delicious food all evening, and listened to beautiful french music. We danced in the tiny kitchen and it was a little slice of heaven. (except for the fact that I had been so busy and hurried I forgot to shower and make myself look pretty...or even presentable...or even smell decent. Well, better not set the bar too high, I'm only getting older and, well... let's just say Botox is not going to be a part of my regular regimen and maybe the hubby better get used to this imperfection that is me. Ok, a shower isn't asking too much, but I just didn't get to it, ok? I can't always be perfect!)

Sooo lucky to have those two perfectly wonderful men in my life! They are worth every grey hair I have!!!!

Saturday night, the unthinkable happened. I convinced my husband to watch "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Pt. 1" with me.

I think he was feeling guilty for leaving me all day to go to work and meetings, and then taking the kid to play laser tag that evening. I was alone most of the day. So, he didn't put up much of a fight when I suggested it at 10:30 pm. I did, however, tell him he could make fun all he wanted.

Well, make fun, he certainly did.
And rightly so. It was pretty laughable, some of those ridiculous scenes. I admit.

However, last night he voluntarilly watched pt. 6 of "Downton Abbey, season 2", and there was no sniggering or fun-making. And at the end said in a mocking tone, "Ooooo.... I bet you can hardly wait for next week's episode! How are you ever going to manage???"

But, you know what? I think the excitement was more for him than me! There just may be a soft core behind the rough, action-movie, blast- all- the- aliens- with- super- machine- guns, exterior.

It helps that the daughters are all pretty good lookers, too.

I'm a brilliant and perfect mother!

Ok, I just had to say that for my own benefit. (We all know it's not true!)
However, I have found a solution to my daily drama I'd like to share.
(Ok, one of my daily dramas- I can do nothing about the tantrums I throw when I have to fold laundry or wash a dirty pan. And the drama with trying to get my hair to do anything remotely resembling something other than 80's ratty poof will never end, I fear.)

I am referring to the daily drama such as this:

"Moooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... I want to play a video game before my homework today, is that ok? I PROMISE I will work really extra hard after I play and get all my work done really fast."

"That's what you said yesterday, and I had to prod you 15 times to focus on your math."

"Mom, that is SO not true! I did my math. And I especially promise I will work really hard today and not lose focus if you just let me play...."

blah blah blah... you get the idea.

People... this scene is NO LONGER an issue!

I found this fantastic web site HERE, and it has this point system online. (Along with printable charts for getting chores done, homework, goals, etc. Just click on Points System at the top of the page.) You set up a list of rules and assign points to each. Your kid then goes online and enters what they have completed and submits his points for approval. You then go online and see what they have done, and approve the points or deny- (I have had to deny a few when I had to prod several times to get something done, but talk about a great motivator! They HATE to see their points being denied!) and then they get to "purchase" their reward.

I set up rewards like:
1/2 hr. video game= 10 pts
Netflix Movie= 8 pts
1 piece of candy from pantry= 3 pts

I also set up bonus points such as:
1/2 hr. creative play (playdoh, dominos building, crafts, etc)=5 pts
Bonus Initiative (taking the initiative to do a chore not asked to do)= 5pts
1/2 hr. exercise= 5 pts

and I've set it up so he has to do all of his homework, AND at least one bonus thing to get enough points for an hour of video games. (heh heh heh) and he is usually so busy doing his crafts or "creative playing" outside, or roller blading for exercise he rarely has an hour left to play video games! (That's where my cleverness comes in.)

Now, he is able to get all his piano practice in every day (which wasn't happening before), exercise, homework, reading, and creativity in, and he feels like he is getting "paid" for it all!

Now, you tell me: Am I not a genious parent, or what???!!!!! Thank you. Thank you! No, really, thank you!

Don't be afraid to dream big!

This morning my husband said he had this awesome dream last night that we moved to a charming little town in the French countryside. He described the beautiful old house and rolling hill we lived on, the babbling brook, the village people (not THOSE village people...duh) who were all so kind to us.
Then he said, hey, let's move to Panama.

What???? (record player screeching to a halt)

"Well, it's a LOT cheaper there than France."

Ok, babe. He certainly can't be accused of dreaming too big.

One week...Poof! Just gone!

Last week was a lot of this:

Cough, cough, ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, cough, zzzzzzzzzzzzz, blow,cough,cough,zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, cough, cough, blow......

You get the idea. I feel like an entire week of my life was wasted! I didn't get my son up for school, didn't cook dinners, didn't welcome my hubby home with loves and warm baked dishes, didn't do a stitch of laundry or cleaning,didn't let my son have friends over... nuthin!

So this week I have a goal to be the best mom, best wife, best housekeeper, best laundress, best organizer, best budgeter, best exerciser, best grocery shopper, best cook, best listener, and best sleeper (making up for all the lack of sleep last week) I've ever been. (And just typing this makes me feel overwhelmed already.)

Well, at least I'm going to try to be better, anyway. It is amazing to me, however, how 1/3rd of our house was sick in bed all week, yet the entire house managed to get 3 times dirtier than when that 3rd is up and around. It's a puzzlement....