You say RodEEO I say RoDAYO

Last night, my last night in LA, we went to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Loved it. So fun, wish we could have seen more of that area. But, I feel lucky to have seen so much for a work trip. I had a wonderful, gracious host and it was a blast, work and all.I bought more Hollywood souvenirs for my husband and kids yesterday, than should be allowed be law. Hollywood Star Mug Shot playing cards, half a dozen t-shirts, fake California Drivers Licenses with Zac Efron, Nick Jonas and (of course) Brad Pitt,...

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Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Texas anymore

My last night in California. Just when I am used to the time zone, time to go home. Funny how that works.The first morning here, I woke up at 6 am and just started working since it was 8 am back home. The second day, I made it till 6:30 and got up.Yesterday and today I hit snooze and rolled right back over. Dang it. Now I've gotta reverse the whole process. (Me at the Mann's Chinese Theatre with my hands in Judy Garland's handprints. I thought she was the most appropriate since I'm so far from...

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The Beach, Barbra and Bee Stings

After I realized yesterday that there was no pool to strut around in my bikini in, nor was Brad Pitt delivering my room service, I decided to hop in my car and go somewhere-anywhere and see more of California (no, not in my bikini) before it got too dark.I knew Malibu was relatively close, I quickly Googled the directions (where was life before Google?) and found a restaurant on the beach and headed to the coast.Immediately, I came upon a huge difference in between Houston, which has a beach an...

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Bikini Blues

I am working this week in sunny Southern California.My kids are at camp. (I keep thinking I will get a call from camp that one of the kids has the swine flu. Or that one of them smells like a swine. I paid $475 per kid, they can deal with the smell.)My husband is at work.I've never been to this area of California. It's really beautiful.I'm starting to feel like one of the rich and famous while I drive around in my rented white Toyota Camry. I wanted to rent a Bentley. But, I thought that might raise...

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Birth Order

We had dinner this weekend with our neighbors. Alright, well not much dinner, more like cocktails but who's counting.We hit the neighbor jackpot 5 years ago when we moved in (new parents, pay attention.....)Our wonder neighbors have 3 kids, just like we do. But (and this is critical) their oldest child is two years older than our oldest. And, our 2 younger kids are the same age as theirs.While we've ridden the teenage roller coaster together for the past few years (me doing most of the watching...

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Fear of Flying

I intended to write today's blog on a totally different subject.But, in my comic book strip of a life, things never happen quite how I intend so I've changed gears and the other post will have to wait. Sorry, Mr. D. You got a reprieve.I flew from Houston to Los Angeles today for a week long work trip. I've flown my whole life, all across the globe, but I still don't like it. I've gotten better at it, I accept it, but there is just something to me that feels completely unnatural about being 35,000...

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Zoo? Not.

Jordan arrived home last night from his friend Daniel's house.He had been there a few days, laying low ever since he decided to call Charlie a pansy without thinking Charlie might not appreciate that and reciprocated in a less than friendly way.The husband and I are watching TV, Jordan comes in and says, 'oh yeah, Daniel's dog had puppies, can we get one?'What is it lately with my kids and animals? Do they ever out grow this?We've got a 3 year old pug, a 15 year old Australian Shepherd who is on...

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What's normal?

Guess what.I actually had a day. An entire day. With no drama.My coffee pot worked and I got the lid screwed down the first time, there were no strange women peeping in my front door window, no Lucky Charms in the grinder, no fist fights, no extra children, no incidents of Jordan using inappropriate language around large groups of people, no requests for snakes or pets....no nothing?I am almost scared to type this because I know that just as soon as I hit PUBLISH, something will happen.My biggest...

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24 Hours

A snapshot of 3 scenarios in our little piece of heaven in the last 24 hours.Yesterday evening, I made all 6 boys, including my own, check out of our hotel and re-locate elsewhere. Let another mom feed them for a day or so.About 2 hours later, Jordan and his friend Daniel, magically re-appear, well before their intended return date.And I can hear Jordan crying. Loudly.You've gotta see Jordan to appreciate his sort of 'Grown Man/Baby Hueyness.' He looks much older than he is, but inside he's really...

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Coffee Karma

You would think in my house, people would know by now not to come in between me and my caffeine. It's really taking your life in your own hands.Most mornings, I sort of blindly half stumble and half crawl to the coffee pot, which as we all know, doesn't always work out so well.Two weeks ago, my husband decided to buy us a new coffee maker.Just like any good husband would do if he went coffee pot shopping without his better half present, he bought a coffee pot probably designed by a man and made...

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The Real World....on a Tuesday

I still have people reading and responding to me in various ways about the blog yesterday regarding teens and the talk and beyond the talk.By the way, the reason I have decided not to use the S word is not because I dont want to use it.Please, no problems here with the word.But if I put the S word in this blog, it will appear in all sorts of Google and random website rankings where I don't want the blog appearing.So for now, we all know when I say the S word, it ain't swimming or surfing.Besides...

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Boys, Birds, Bees and Faith

As if my life is not dramatic enough right now. Somewhere in my own personal book of life, God apparently decided to write: 2009. Shannon: MAJOR EXAM ON FAITHI think I am passing the test, I hope so, but some days I am not so sure I'll make it. These last few months have felt like a never ending SAT exam, I cannot leave the room, I forgot my pencil, and the examiner just keeps looking at me like,'too bad, you've just gotta wait till the time is up.'Latest drama:I had a long conversation this weekend...

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The Day After NKOTB

As it turns out, I was completely wrong about the New Kids on the Block concert last night, and the shrieking girls.Before I even go on, a quick reminder that Jordan asked to go to this concert. As you read further, it's might sound like I bound and gagged three tween boys into going to this for my benefit. He asked, he likes their music and I could have thought of a million other ways to spend a Saturday night than held captive with thousands of screaming women.We pull into the parking garage,...

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Duh....

So less than 24 hours after I posted about being both surrounded and nearly deafened in a hotel by a bunch of preteen girls dressed in pink, I realize I may have made a huge mistake.I volunteered to take my almost 12 year old son and 3 friends to see:New Kids on The BlockYep. Tonight, it'll be me, three boys, and several thousand of our friends made up of pre-teen girls, or 30 year old women, take your pick.And I'm sure their shrieking is going to far out-do whatever noise the girls were making...

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Road Signs

Tales from the our Lampoonish mini-trip to Dallas last weekend to pick up my wayward youngest two children:-Four hour trip, barely out of the neighborhood, much less the city, and my husband starts discussing where we were going to 'eat' on the road, as if we were going to pick from 5 star restaurants that were Zagat rated and we had never eaten at before. His choices were the same places that have lined I-45 from Houston to Dallas, for as long as I can remember: Texas Burger, Dairy Queen, Jack...

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Hair Therapy

Tonight I went to go get my hair cut and colored.I love my hairdresser, she's been doing my hair for a few years now. She's as cute as a button, 5 feet tall, weighs about 90 pounds wet, wears 6 inch wedges and I love going there.I come walking up the stairs and she gives me a hug and says:"Hi, how are you! You're not stressed are you?"Okay, seriously? Do I have a tattoo on my forehead that I cannot see? Just to be sure, here's a photo of me in my glory, getting my hair done today. Anyone see a tattoo?...

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The Big Red Truck

I have an announcement to make to all of my friends and family and even the strangers who have for whatever reason decided to follow this blog:Yes, I know I'm stressed.(picture that with a giant floodlight beaming down...)I get it. I know. I'm working on it. It's become apparent to me that managing stress is a learned skill for some of us.To me, it's almost like learning to ride a unicycle. I see people doing it every now and then and think wow, how did they learn how to do that, that looks kinda...

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Reconnected Mom

What's the worst thing after being totally disconnected from the work world for two days?Getting reconnected.I was really hesitant to turn my Blackberry on last night, fearful of the onslaught of e-mails that were sure to arrive, the issues I was certain I had managed to miss.I stared at the phone off and on for a few hours.Do I REALLY want to turn that thing on?I knew I did not, but knew it would eventually become necessary.Eventually, I turned it on, left the volume off, and left it upside down...

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Disconnected Confessions

Well, I made it through my disconnected day just fine.For the most part. But, I learned a few lessons.I had a nice lunch with my mom and took the kid's cell phone with me, just in case there was any crisis like my house burning down.I also took their phone because no one knows the number or how to find me on that phone.What I didn't think about was that I don't know how to find anyone either.Seems I'm so used to speed dial, the only numbers I know by heart are my mom, the house, my husband, and...

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Disconnected Mom. Sort Of.

Well, today is the my day off of work so I'm trying to be disconnected from the online world.As disconnected as someone who has been known to use the Blackberry in a bathtub can be.I wasn't sure if I would actually TURN OFF my phone today, you never know?Then, I recieved an email from my mom (see, there is a good thing to being connected) which to most people would have kindly appeared to say something like:"Why are you on the Blackberry tonight?"It was Sunday night...I guess she forgets that I...

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Fair Warning

Sorry for the numerous posts today if you are on my e-mail list. I must be on a roll of some kind since I am not working tomorrow. I promise this will be a quick rant.To the lady in red who was just at my Target. Well, to all Target shoppers everywere.I love Target, I really do. Most of our disposable income ends up in their coffers.But there are some of us moms who want to get in Target and get OUT and other moms who mosy through Target like they are at a Sunday flea market.Which brings me to my...

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Quote of the day

I'm walking out headed to Target because we are once again 'OUT OF FOOD MOM, THERE'S LIKE NOTHING TO EAT!'Hand on door, one foot out, sudden big exclamation from Chase, who is upstairs with Jordan and a friend.'OH GROSS, THAT IS SICK, GROSS!' (note the term 'sick' here did not mean 'sick' as in a good thing, which I went over in an earlier blog. This was obviously sick as in not good, bad terrible, awful.)Pause. I'm thinking that Tank the Pug left a gift on his bed. Or his head.Based on the racket...

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BFF

It's hard to appreciate the humor in this photo if you don't know these two kids. One of them, the short one (I say short, the kid standing next to him is 6'8 so all of us would be short standing next to him) is my oldest son, Tyler. The tall one is his best friend, Chris.My husband and I were having dinner with our next door neighbors, while Chris and Tyler made the daily Saturday night rounds to the local Dairy Queen. We did not see them before they left, Tyler sent me a text and said they were...

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