Class reunions - go or no go?

Well, it's a few months of my high school graduation which means reunion is this year. It will be my 25th. Reunions are a funny thing, they are kind of like traveling back in time for about five hours, unless the planning committee plans a barage of events for Thanksgiving weekend.
At first glance of reunions, the idea of the 5th reunion being on a boat did not sit well with me, especially since I still had some underlying anger with a certain ex best friend. Would I have pushed her overboard? I can't say for sure.
The 10th was at a hotel in Dedham. It wastrue fiesta a albeit a surreal event but people were really nice. The truth is, I was happy to be there. I was engaged yet recently fired but whatever! I hated that job anyways. It was fun to catch up with old friends and classmates.
The 15th was in Norwood and it was a smaller crowd. I was now a mom to a very handsome 18 month old and showed off with pictures. I was amazed at how many people looked the same and how some had changed so drastically. One person, who I didn't even know in school but I knew who they were looked so different. I won't try the old back handed compliment so I digress. We were all wearing nametags with our senior class pictures on them, and wow, what an amazing change this person had.
However, I looked the same, it was the person inside that emerged and became the opposite of my younger self- happy, confident, and full of life.
The 20th was at the same place my wedding reception was at, Concannons' in Norwood. Oh My God, what a fun night that was! This was by far the best turn out, and I only wish I'd worn better dancing shoes. I now had Frank and T.J. and well, I was pregnant but unfortunately, i lost the baby soon after the reunion. :( . On a positive note, I sort of talked a classmate(from elementary school all the way up to the end of our high school days) into attending the reunion. and he told me he was very glad he had come, he was having the time of his life-at least he looked like he was, but i think he may have quite a few cocktails. I wish I had been up mingling more because I missed a few people that I later saw in pictures.
Reunions aren't for everybody, my husband doesn't go to his and this year we were in England when they had his 25th. I may not still hang out with my old friends but the 20th spawned some new peeps that I try to see once in a while now.
High school reunions are good because you get to get inside a time warp for a night and have fun! So, do you go to your class reunions?

Me vs Food

Food -

Like a friend it lifts me up and makes me feel good. It is always there for you. However, it doesn't talk back, or give hugs, and it can't go out with you to a movie or shopping.

Like an enemy, at least depending on what you are eating, it can creep up on you and make you miserable. Maybe it might be easier to turn away a real enemy as certain foods are hard to resist. It's later on that we might harbor a regret for scarfing down that whole bag of chips.

If you are often reassess what you have eaten all day and regret more than half of it, you are not alone. I have to make a concerted effort to think before I eat at night. - I say to myself, do I really want to undo my whole day? The next day I wake up a little better about myself. Life seems to take on a whole new meaning once you get in the zone to live healthier.

I have periods where I've been really healthy, and at what was a healthy weight for me. (Even my doctor thought so. She checked my BMI and said everything looked great. I was not a slave to the scale then. One thing I did do was make healthier choices for my snacks, exercised a lot, and had a well balanced diet. With the occasional potato skin or brownie sundae thrown in. Plus, I had cut back on alcohol.

I am currently losing the battle and need to get back on top. I am ready! no more "I'll start tomorrow!"

Ignorance is NOT bliss!

My son Anthony has Down Syndrome - He is amazing, sweet, cuddly, and he has his moody days. Today he doesn't want to nap and seems to have a tickle in his throat.

After his playgroup at the library today, Valerie, the nana of Ant's friend Nathan, informed me of the ignorant behavior of a mother-yes, another mother. Apparently a few weeks ago, when her son, Rock, went to sit next to Anthony, she said(and outloud supposedly, cuz i amazingly didn't hear this ugly comment) outloud how Anthony had Down Syndrome and she didn't want Rock to sit next to him. --It's so sad that people actually think this way. It's probably a good thing I did miss her say it. Between the MDSC(Mass. DS Congress) and the national DS e Congress, strides have been made where ALL the individuals who have that extra chromosone will be treated like the rest of us.
More people need to be educated about all special needs. DS is not contagious. The love and goodness of Anthony is contagious as he makes most people we encounter smile and they would all be more than happy to sit next to him and even give him a hug. :)

A paid writer

Back in January of this year, I became a paid writer for the Patch. Patch.com is an online newsletter/local newspaper of sorts that is spreading like wildfire throughout the country. A friend of mine was working on a fundraiser, and the editor. Abigail (who is now my editor - I Love saying that!) for Patch was covering the fundraising event. Editor Abby was looking for local moms to be on the mom's council - we would be given a question every week about being a mom and it is now a weekly article.

My thoughtful friend, Dee, had remembered I am a writer, and when Abby mentioned they are looking for writers for Patch, she informed me of this opportunity. That was the beginning of my writing for profit. My weekly article is called Patch Picks. I have a different topic every week. My most recent article was on local parks for families to visit. Much like my recipe for french toast, I spice it up to make things more interesting. By using my own flair, sense of humor mixed with good advice to go with my selections, I feel proud of every article I do. I am grateful for Patch.com!

THE hardest job in the world...

I have been a stay at home mom(SAHM) since 2005. March 12, to be exact. I have days where I feel blessed to be able to stay home and others where it seems more like a job I canit never ever quit. I LOVE my kids so much, and often think that someone else would be better at taking care of them all day. It is so hard to please everybody all the time, not that I try that hard 24/7. It's hard to be around kids all the time. Sometimes I want a break and more than often, especially lately, it's hard to find someone to help me out. My days in the MOM's Club were a huge help. Lately soowas a ave three kids now - aall boys.
Frankie is 10 yrs. old and is going on 27. While he is brilliant,

forgettableness

I totally forgot I had this blog. As a Stay at home mom, how can i have time to blog?

I will work on it starting this week, even though i officially started this blog in 2007. My two year old is ready for night nights...til next time...

writing in frequently

i have been writing since i was 13, yet not had much published aside from the world wide web...

but i love to write short stories, cuz i can never get very far with novels, and i love to write about movies, music, and books. My dream job would be as an entertainment writer.

I wish i could get the motivation and time to write more...