Life With Frenchie

MM has been growing and developing by leaps and bounds! EP and I have already started developing a master plan for scaring off the boys, just in case. With this in mind, everytime she says “Mom! Come here, I need you…” I fear the worst.

Today, the worst finally happened - she took the final step in development! For one time in my life, I actually hoped MM was sick, or had some infection. No such luck it seems. Dr. says he’ll run a few more tests to see if she may have an infection but he thinks this is it.

Dr. asked if she had learned about puberty and all that goes with it. She’s been faithfully reading her book, but they haven’t gone over it in school yet; that’s Monday. I’m not joking. Now that FCATs are over, the kids go right into learning about their bodies and the changes happening.

I’m not prepared for this! I want my baby back!!!!

Is this post the cyberspace equivalent of pulling out naked baby pictures to show to all my friends and embarrassing her??

Here it is boys & girls. EP & I picked our brackets last night. There is absolutely NO rhyme or reason to mine, so take it for what it’s worth - nothing!

Actually, it’s more like Planes, Planes, and Planes! 

A few weeks ago, EP & I booked a spur-of-the-moment trip to Las Vegas for the end of April. Since then, we have found a crapload of deals for all the destinations that we have to go to this year — trip to visit family in DC in June, EP has another trip to Las Vegas in June for cousin’s 50th b-day, trip to NY in July for friend’s wedding, trip to Boston area sometime this fall for MOH wedding, trip(s) to GA this May for niece and cousin’s high school graduations - will drive unless get a Spirit $8 deal on this.

So here’s what we just got:

1) 3 one-way tix to DC for June trip @ $54 each
2) 1 one-way tix to Las Vegas from DC for EP @ $99
3) 1 one-way tix back to Tampa from DC for me @ $54
4) 1 one-way tix back to Tampa from DC for MM (she’s staying for all of June until July 4) @ $61
5) 1 round-trip tix from Tampa to NYC in July @ $0 for me using my SkyMiles

We just found out one of his probable groomsmen is getting married this August, in DC, so that just added another trip for at least 2 of us. This means, we have left to purchase:

6) 1 one-way tix to Tampa from Las Vegas for FH
7) 1 round-trip tix from Tampa to NYC for FH
2-3 round-trip tix from Tampa to DC in August
9) 2 round-trip tix from Tampa to Boston this fall
OY!! This is not a good year for us to decide to fly our arses off! Needless to say, I will have lots of trips to blog about!

Oh goodness! I almost forgot! I have my AVON Walk for Breast Cancer the first weekend in October. I’m going to go cry now…

I’m beginning my attempt to catch up my dear readers on my happenings as of late.

I think I will start with the most recent events and work my way backwards, so I don’t fall even further behind!

The most important of the news is shameless pride in MM.

Here in The Sunshine State, children in grades 3-8 usually have to read some, or all, of the Sunshine State Young Readers list. Some schools use the list and participate in Battle of the Books while other schools hold their own, internal, competitions to help encourage reading all of the books on the list.

This year, at MM’s school, kids were awarded prizes after reading books and successfully passing tests about the content. The “grand prize” for having read all 15 books and passed all 15 tests, is a sleepover at Busch Gardens. I’m guessing, dear readers, that you have all figured it by now, but I still have to say it - MM was one of the winners! In the midst of the God awful FCATs (I can go on forever about the evils of them, but I’ll spare you!), she managed to finish her final book (she’d read it once before and failed the test, so she decided to reread it after she finished the other books and take the test again) and take and pass the test! I’m so proud of her…and jealous that I don’t get to go with her! LOL

I don’t want to overwhelm you boys and girls, so I’ll come back later with a little more…

Isn’t that the name of a book? Still, that’s how I feel! I’m so overbooked and overscheduled these days. I have to find time to just be…

Lots to come though…I have lots of pictures and stories to share. But for now, I’m trying to catch up on my American Idol! I will have to critique later boys & girls!

Right now, Chick-fil-A has a promotion on Fridays for free chicken biscuits during breakfast hours. I lurv me some Chick-fil-A breakfast, so I stopped in this morning and order a biscuit and lemonade. “That will be $3.69.” Say huh? I was in drive through so I waited until I pulled forward to ask, but there was no need because there was a big sign next to the window saying “Free chicken biscuits!!” Still, the guy repeats, “That will be $3.69.”

“Ummm, I thought they were free today.”

“Oh! You want the free one?”

 That’s what minimum wage gets you!

MM turned 10 last year, and has quickly embraced her double-digit status. She is very eager to learn all she can about what’s coming for her. A few years back, she “bought” The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls. It wasn’t very interesting to her when she first got it, but now she’s always reading it. It has a lot of information in there for a young girl entering adolescence. MM seems to be jumping in with both feet at light speed!

Aside from physical changes that have signaled her entry into adolescence, this weekend she asked me some questions which were 100% guarantees that she’s not so little anymore. We had breakfast together Sunday morning and she drew a picture of  a leprachaun. When she was finished she asked “If the Tooth Fairy isn’t real, does that mean leprachauns are not real?” This line of questioning continued through Easter Bunny, Santa, etc. I asked her what she thought and she said “No, they’re not real,” to all of them. I figured she’d catch on but she still wanted me to say it, so I ‘fessed up to being all of those rolled into one. As sad as it is that she’s growing up, I’m jumping for joy that I don’t have to sneak around anymore to keep her fooled! YAY!!

But that wasn’t the end of it. It gets even better!

Last night, EP & I went grocery shopping and decided it was time we all started taking our vitamins. MM also is in need of calcium because she doesn’t like to drink milk. When we got home, EP tried to play on her fascination with entering adolescence. The conversation went something like this:

MM: Who are all these vitamins for?

EP: Those are for all of us. We need to start taking them to stay healthy. You also need to start drinking more milk. It’s very important that you get your calcium in because you’re about to enter adolescence and you need this stuff to make sure you grow and develop properly.

MM: “Adolescence”? What’s that?

EP: It’s what you’re always reading about in that book of yours?

MM: What book?

EP: The book that tells you about proper hygiene and skin care and stuff.

MM: OH! You mean “areolas”?

I haven’t stopped laughing yet!