My cat likes to play tricks.

We have bi-fold closet doors. I am constantly closing closet doors so I wouldn't be surprised if Jetta got stuck once or twice in the closet. But have no fear. He has learned to open bi-fold doors. I'm never in the closet when he does it, but I'm guessing that he pushes his paw against the inside of the door and it opens just enough for him to peek his head out. I've seen him stick his head out the door and watch me, watching him.

He likes to play games like that. The moment we are ready to go outside, he bolts for the front door so we have to coax him to go back inside.

He sneeks into the girls room at night when he knows full well that he's going to get kicked out.

He runs for the workroom door downstairs and suddenly is very quiet, hoping that I will leave him in there, so he can yowl at me to open the door and let him out.

He runs to use the litter box when I am cleaning it out. And if it is not cleaned out about every other day, he will nip and cry at you until it is done.

He will sit at the office window and yowl at the bus stop kids, because he wants to be outside with them.

He's really not that bad of a cat, minus getting on the table and attacking the christmas tree. It's like he has ADD for cats. He gets plenty of attention just from the girls alone.

He just likes to play tricks on us.

Curtains and cats

I have been looking for curtains for the office and my bedroom. I'm an extremely picky person when it comes to furnishing my home. But the price also has to be right. Sometimes I break down and pay the high price for something I absolutely love, or I convince myself that it will go on sale and I will be the super sale shopper and wait until it does. Then I never go back because usually I forget that I am a super sale shopper.

I found these,






I love the sheer in the middle. I want them in black, which they have.







But I'm not impressed enough to pay the price. Not yet anyways. It might be forgotten.

And with how my window is made, I might have to cut them down to the size of my window and hem them, which I think would take away the total effect of the curtains.

My cat just got into the girls milk glasses and spilled them. Sometimes I really love my cat because he's quirky and amazing, but he drives me crazy when he gets on the table, or attacks the christmas tree.

Yeah.

My cat attacks our christmas tree and it's not even decorated. What is he going to do when I put ornaments on it?

Music

So my favorite musicians right now are:

Brett Dennen: It feels like I'm Darlin', in his song 'Darling Do Not Fear'. I'm afraid of so many things, that this song reminds me that I don't have to be afraid of everything. I also like his song 'Ain't No Reason'. Very visual.
Marie Digby: Does anyone remember the remake of 'Umbrella'? My girls love this song. She also has a song called 'Spell' that I like. Soulful. What an amazing voice. Reminds me of Amy Lee's voice, who is better known as Evenescence.

I guess I'm an imagery kind of person. I envision things when they are sung. It's kind of like when you smell something that reminds you of something in the past. Sometimes when I pass the cleaning carts in hotels, the sanitary smell reminds me of my dad's hospital room when I was younger.

I've wooed my cat into sitting on my lap and not nipping. No, I didn't bribe him. He knows when I'm at the computer and he climbs into my lap, he's going to get scratched on the head. He likes being kissed on top of the head. I guess he knows that he's loved even when I get him in trouble.

Top Ten Gifts for Her.

I just can't leave the girls out.

Girlie Girl- Pink. Everything is pink, frills, feathers, and dresses. Sometimes overwhelmingly so.
Executive Woman- The real power behind the power suits, pencil skirts, and heels.
The Fashionista- Gucci. Prada. The realities that make Ugly Betty so popular.
Super Mom- Who can't but love this group of ever going faithful women who take care of the children of our future. Subgroups in this category include (but are not limited to): Doctor Mom, Soccer Mom, and Mom the Tyrant.
Martha Stewart Devotee- Ahhh, it's the holidays again and we can't do it all; without the simple tips from Martha.
Female Techie- Why couldn't they have had a better name like Gadget Guru that the guys get for this category??? Makes all of the electronic friendly gals sound super dorky.
Accessories Addict- This lovely addition adores the little things in life, and takes an expensive look at your wallet when she is in need of some new jewelry or shoes. Sounds like a perfect match for the Gourmet Connoisseur. Expensive dinners with gifts. It's Christmas at every meal time.

I think that these categories can be put together. A working mom can be Super Mom and the Executive Woman. I put Josh into four different men's groups.

The men's list is so much better.

Top Ten Gifts for Him

I happened to come across a list of top ten gifts for women and men. I call it the Macy's Christmas shopping list except it wasn't from Macy's at all, but it was very Macy's like in appeal. How many men really want a polo shirt for Christmas? I was thinking, maybe a Wii or plasma, but polos, end tables and cuff links? Get real, right?

The best present I saw that Josh would remotely want was a grill and it wasn't a masterful grill (you know, takes a master degree to use). Complete with every gadget known to mankind that could take up your entire kitchen if you let him grill inside.

Then I saw the golden lists. The, what kind of man are you so I can buy you presents for Christmas, list. Let me break it down for you:

Metro Man- Guys who lives in metropolitan areas such as NYC or Los Angeles. Has great insurance and doesn't know it. The kind of man that when he walks out his apartment, he slings a sport coat over his shoulder.
Gadget Guru- The techie. Grab your blackberries and IPods fellas cuz we're going cruising around town counting how many times the GPS is wrong.
Sports Junkie- The guy you can't imagine not being around some kind of field, rink or one of those big foam fingers.
Well-traveled Professional- Italy, France, England, and that's just what his suits are made out from. We know there is a manicure set hidden on this dignified gentlemen.
Devoted Dad- Shirts are made for you. Soccer moms can't compete with your enthusiasm for your sons sports team. Way to go, Dad!
Gourmet Connoisseur- Ah. The smell of lemon pepper chicken with a side of spinach, all placed on a fancy dish to impress the ladies. This guy is the guy you love to date, he wines and dines you then turns into Sports Junkie, Devoted Dad, or Best Gifts for Him under $25 after you marry him. Be warned ladies, be warned.
Mr. Fix-it- There are two kinds of Mr. Fix-its. The kind that can and the kind that really can't (but think they can).
Best Gifts for Him under $25- (I would like to take a moment to say that these gifts were not all under $25. There was a coffeemaker in here for $30.) This is for every other guy out there that simple, rednecked, poor, or the really smart guy who realized that everything was overpriced and could be gotten for a lot cheaper anywhere else. I mean really, a coffee pot for 30 bucks, although it is not unreasonable, sometimes you just want a simple machine with one purpose in mind: to make coffee.

I still don't know what to get Josh for Christmas.

Afternoon Delight - Tea, I mean

So I am absolutely thrilled that my oldest daughter loves tea. She requests for a cup of tea.

Josh calls me British because I like to dunk my tea bag in hot water 3 to 5 times until my tea turns a satisfying light brown color. (Or should I say, colour???) Which, as much as he mocks my British dipping, works for him because he uses the second half of my tea bag and stains it so dark that basically you could mistake it for coffee.

Maybe I got my style from England. I figured that if I was going to try tea anywhere it might as well be in the United Kingdom. I remember standing in front of the mirror of a dresser in a bed and breakfast on my first morning in England. I was looking at the coffee decanter in distaste, and I noticed a small plate with two packages of coffee grounds, and a tea bag sitting on it displayed very nicely with two dainty tea cups that I could only imagine would be in England. I thought, contemplatively 'Hmm, never tried tea before,' as I found myself dunking my tea bag in hot water to a very light, could have been mistaken for the last leftover coffee rinse, kind of tea color. Despite the too light of flavor for my taste I found that I really liked it and perfected my dunking skills while I was in the UK. Now it's really more of a religion. I think I drink tea more often than I pray. Bow to the hot water and kiss the tea bag.

Lately I've grown quite attached to Dragon Eye Oolong Tea. And I only tried it because of it's name. This year, I also had to start drinking decaf after years of not having a problem. You know, because of the strange thing called, youth. It naturally follows my stretch marks, and more recent face lines that I found just this week. I must smile too much. Oh well, I wasn't a porcelain doll anyways.

And truth be told, I give Laurel decaf. I can't stand the thought of giving her caffeinated tea before bed, despite the fact that her body probably could sleep just as well if I did. She'll thank me in 20 years (when she gets face lines) that I was nice enough to introduce her to the magical world of tea.

My cat has mad jumping skills

Jetta can jump up 3 feet in the air to get up on the counter, where he knows he doesn't belong. I thought that counter was safe since there were no chairs or any ledges he could leap from, but no. Nothing is safe anymore. Now that I think about it I guess he's been practicing, since our bed is irregularily high off the ground. It was originally a waterbed frame, which are naturally higher off the ground with storage underneath. We put a mattress on top of it and wa-la super queen sized bed without sea sickness.

We don't let him sleep in our bed at night. He's become really possessive during the day when he naps on our bed. Gives me dirty looks like I shouldn't be coming into the room at all.

He's working on trying to open doors too. He knows you can pop open a door that isn't properly shut all the way by sliding his paw underneath the door.

He's an eternal 3 year old.

Today I am known as Mom the Tyrant.

Tid-bit of the day that's totally unrelated: I hate when people I am close to, don't get excited with me about the happy things that happen in my life. That tears me down.

I flipped off the deep end when my youngest produced numero dos in her underwear. She has developed a habit of fighting me whenever I have to clean her messes. While I was struggling to clean it up she managed to have wiped it all over my clothes. Now that's disgusting. I can handle being thrown up on, used as a Kleenex, food landing in my hair, but when they start smearing crap on me, I get mad. Very mad.

Like I said. I flipped. Today, I thought, was going to be different. I was in the clear to gain back Mel's confidence and identity. I was ready to be me again. Not a facet of me, just me. I even started rummaging through my closet and tried on clothes for my sister's wedding, (meaning: I tried on something other than a t-shirt). I only do that when I feel confident. Imagine my anger after the whole ordeal was done as I thought, 'Just as I start to gain Mel back, I'm reduced to the slavery of being a mom. Lowest of all lows.' I have no confidence in myself. I don't have any faith in the fact that I can do anything at all!!!

Where did Mel go?

I imagine down the toilet with all the other crap I just cleaned up.

And I don't want to hear about all the reasons as to why being a mom is such a blessing. Because today? It sucks. Royally.

ahh. Now I feel better. I think because I just admitted to myself that being a mom can really suck sometimes. And not being Mel really sucks too.

Only one dirty deed left:

I just have to reach into the toilet and pull myself back out.

Wall

So my youngest daughter just tripped and whacked her head on an wall. Of course I saw in slow motion the whoa, and the thwack, so I scooped her up to cradle her in my arms. She pointed to her head so I knew where to kiss, and then pointed at the offending wall. Like usual, I yell at the wall because she thinks it's halirious and then make the wall apologize in a very convincing wall-like voice.

Today, before going on her merry way, she decided to hug the wall and tell it that it was a nice wall. She then told me that the wall said thank you, and proceeded on babbling about the wall being nice.

Alright.