I’ve spent the last 12 hours trapped with a 20 month old. Sure, she’s cute with the blonde curls and blue eyes, but there is such a thing as “too much of a good thing.” I realize that there are a lot of moms out there who spend all day long with their tots and happily so, I used to be one of those moms, honest! But, I went from being a mom of a 9 and 12 year old to being a mom of a 10 yr. old, 14 yr. old, and a monster toddler - I had completely forgotten how much work one of these critters really is.

The kids are at Nana’s tonight, Mike is working late… again and Maggie and I are here at home finding new and creative ways to tolerate each other and entertain ourselves. I’ve had non-stop, concentrated Maggie action all day long and I really miss my buffers.

It’s not that I don’t like being around Maggie, on the contrary, I worship and adore this child… but when the kids are home we get to share the joy that is Maggie. I feel so selfish getting to have all of this… joy… all to myself.

Maggie obviously realizes that she is alone with me for much longer than normal and that I am the only one here to care for and entertain her because she has become increasingly affectionate as time has passed today. Don’t get me wrong, Maggie is normally a pretty affectionate baby, but today I’m getting the “mommy is my best-est friend” treatment complete with giant hugs and loads of kisses - all of which I enjoy immensely, even if I flinch every time she wraps her adorable little arms around my neck and plants a big, sloppy “mmmm-mah” on my cheek for fear that she might not be completely past that nasty biting phase we’ve all endured for the past few months.

As I am typing this she is plopped in my lap wiggling the mouse fast enough to give me a seizure of some sort and taking octopus-like swipes at the keyboard. She’s already deleted my post once and looks as if she has every intention of doing it a second time. I’m coming perilously close to the point where I begin to entertain thoughts of, “Oh… sure, play with the stapler, whatever makes you happy, sweetheart!”

In the past I’ve posted adorable pics of Maggie looking very angelic and sweet. Today I thought that it might be better to post a picture of Maggie as she has been for most of today… mischevious, cute, endearing… and just flat out obnoxious….

Another lighthearted, bubble-headed post here…

Gilmore Girls is becoming quite the twisted mess. After last night’s episode I am more convinced than ever that Rory should get her tail back to Yale. She was inducted into the DAR at the end of the episode and I’m shocked (as shocked as one could be over fictional characters that is) that she would go that far from her mom like that. I can’t believe she has no clue that Lorelai would be less than thrilled.

As for Logan… I like him, a lot. I would hope that he would be instrumental in getting her back to Yale where she belongs, though.

As for Luke and Lorelai not setting a wedding date until things are cool with Lorelai and Rory… I think that’s fairly reasonable… but I think I’ll be disappointed if something happens and they don’t get married at all. That might be the end of my watching this show.

Now on to tonight… Veronica Mars is starting up in its’ new time slot 9pm (Pacific) on UPN. Unfortunately, it is up against LOST. I’m telling you - DVR or TIVO lost and watch Veronica Mars… it’s every bit as good as LOST, if not better and the writing is great!

I watched the third episode of Supernatural last night… it’s absolutely awesome! If you like creepy, spooky, and the occasional make-you-jump type of show… this is a sure winner.

We stayed in a cabin over at Pismo Beachover the weekend. It’s up in the mountains but it’s just a 2 minute drive to the Pismo Pier. It’s a a great way to get the best of both worlds (mountains and beach). We took off Friday when the kids got out of school and stopped at AJ Spurs in Arroyo Grande for dinner. From there we headed off to the cabin. The next day we drove up to Morro Bay and went through some of the shops. That evening we went to Gina’s in Arroyo Grande for dinner. Afterward we stopped at a local Starbuck’s for coffee and took the kids down to the beach to play on the swings.

Apparently my mom didn’t sleep very well that night. Around 4am she heard “claws” clicking on the hardwood floor. Both of her dogs (Jillie Bean and Molly Brown) were snuggled up next to her… so it obviously wasn’t them. She swears she could hear whatever it was breathing under the bed.

We awoke to a draft because Mom insisted on leaving her bedroom door open and the backdoor to the cabin open in hopes that whatever it was would just mosey on out the back door… hopefully without waking any of the dogs.

She told us about her bedroom visitor over breakfast. Everyone seemed to think that what she heard was probably under the house and not actually in the room with her. The boys even went in and checked every corner of the room and under the bed and couldn’t find hide nor hair of anything.

A little while later Mom was out taking something to the trash when she saw what “it” was… a large skunk was milling around the trash cans. Mom ran back into the house… I’m not sure whatever she was throwing away even made it to the trash cans.

Remember that movie with Dan Akroyd and John Candy? Remember the scene with the bat? (if you haven’t or don’t, then I highly recommend this movie… it’s pretty darn funny).

What happened next was a bit like that… although, I admit, much of it was a blur. The kids ran to the backdoor hoping to catch a glimpse of the huge skunk. Mom ran around shutting all of the doors and making sure the dogs were inside.

There we all were crammed around the tiny backdoor peering through the blinds. The boys were dying to sneak out and get a good look at this monster… and every once in a while you could hear a harshly whispered, “you are NOT going out there!”

At some point we realized that as mom put the house on lockdown not only were we all sitting there with our backsides to the bedroom where this thing might or might not have been nesting the night before… but our dog, Zander, was helplessly leashed out on the front deck. For a split second, I was pretty sure that there might be some debate as to who was going to draw the short-straw to go out and rescue the dog… then it occurred to me that for a few seconds longer people were debating how big of a loss the dog on the porch really was or most likely, wasn’t.

#@#$%%$#$%@#$

And those people were the MEN in the group.

My intention, of course, was to bring back a picture of this lovely escapade… but I never did get a good look at the little critter.

How was your weekend?

The forecast was 89 today… it didn’t get anywhere close to 80. Dark gray clouds rolled in and throughout the day the rain spattered and the thunder roared across the sky. It’s finally beginning to feel like fall.

Storms are probably a sore subject now, unfortunately. Still, the roads were wet and the jackasses were driving. Wet road, dry road… doesn’t matter apparently these people still think it is necessary toweave in and out of the lanes driving at top speed. On the way home today I passed 2 different multi-vehicle wrecks. One car slamming into the next, into the next, and the last car took out a tree in the median. Up a block and around the corner another multi-car accident and all the people looking around trying to figure out which jackass was at fault.

Another month or so and the fog will roll in… that seems to be the only time people don’t drive like idiots. Apparently lack of visibility inhibits them just a bit. But, rain… heck no… that’s just rinsed the road off so they can drive faster.

#@@@##$$%

&&*&%$#%$#

$@!#%&%$#*

Well, I’m taking a break from the series of “Sister” posts. I didn’t realize I had that much to get off my chest and the posts just sort of took on a life of their own. Still, I hate looking as if I am whining or complaining. I have a lot of things going on in my life that I am incredibly grateful for and instead of bitching I should be happily counting my blessings and continuing to look for the more humorous side of things.

For those who are interested… don’t worry I’ll complete the “Sister” series very soon.

That being said… yesterday was my wonderful husband’s birthday. A Virgo and an Aquarius… imagine that. LOL - I could never have asked for a better husband. Mike is the most amazing father and best friend. His children adore him and his wife thinks the sun rises and sets in his rear end.

The past year has not been easy for any of us, but it has been especially challenging for Mike. I’m very proud of him, at 40 he started a brand new career as a Real Estate Appraiser and here we are a year later and he is incredibly successful in it. The hours have been difficult and our family has made a lot of sacrifices… but in the long run, I think it’s all been worth it. There are many people who would have backed away from this type of challenge, but when the going got rough, Mike dug in and overcame every obstacle. He does work 6 days a week 12 to 14 hours a day. He’s worked the past several Sundays including Labor Day weekend. Through it all he manages to pull it off with a smile on his face, 95% of the time at least.

Mike has the most positive outlook of anyone I have ever met. He’s funny, intelligent, and incredibly sexy. After several years together not a morning goes by that I am not thankful to be married to this amazing man.

So how do we go about showing him how grateful we are for all that he does? Exactly how does one show appreciation for someone who is obviously God’s gift to the modern family? ;o)

We sent him to work on his birthday. LOL

Actually, our family is known for stretching out a birthday. It’s a running joke in the family that no one can stretch out a birthday celebration like a Doran. We typically start the weekend before and go all the way until the next weekend. Mike’s 41st birthday was no exception! Last Friday we gave him the personal birthday gifts that the kids and I had each picked out for him. Monday a gourmet snackbox was delivered to his office (for late night munchies).

I had a Margarita bouquet delivered to him yesterday with a big Happy Birthday balloon… little did I know, it was a real Margarita (minus the booze, unfortunately) that arrived frozen in a GIANT Margarita glass with a small bouquet of white chrysanthemums and yellow roses floating in a dish on the top.

Tomorrow he’ll get a new salt-water fishing reel and rod bag then in the afternoon we’ll take off for the beach to finish up the celebration.

It’s the least we can do for him. :o)

(Warning, if you haven’t read this entry - you probably won’t understand the following post)

Megan came back from Boston and went into her bedroom for the next 4 or 5 months and really only came out to go to work or go somewhere with mom and I. She was depressed, that was obvious. Although, she did try to hide it. She even contacted the University and got them to agree to hold her spot until the following fall. Talk about a lucky break.

That was 4 years ago. Megan didn’t return to B.U. We watched, helplessly, as her goals and dreams slipped further away. Everyone tried to help from one angle or another. Megan became more unhappy and at times angry, lashing out at our younger brother, my mom, me, and even my kids. Not something I tolerated… everyone else seemed to just step around her as if walking on eggshells. Not something I chose to do.

I think in some ways I’m considered to be “too blunt” by my family. My mom is very eloquent and diplomatic, when I view a situation as serious I tend to just call a spade a spade, diplomacy be damned. It was in that vein that, more than once, I let Megan know that she was abusing the people around her because she was so obviously miserable.

That almost makes it sound as if we didn’t get along, but we really did. Blow ups were rare and, truthfully, what family doesn’t have their disagreements? With us… we’d blow up… talk it out… and life would move on. We begged, encouraged, and cajoled Megan to go back to school. My mom drove her to Irvine to visit Cal Arts and investigate their Masters program with absolutely no result whatsoever.

In the meantime Megan worked at a local grocery store and obviously, had more education in her little finger than 99% of the employees had in their whole bodies. Still, as most grocery stores go - seniority ruled and she was low down on the food chain. The rest of her time was spent working for the local community theater and working for all the big-name concerts that came into town via the local civic center (concert hall). She lived at home because she didn’t make enough to live alone on her own.

Mom, Megan and I had lunch together at least once a week. Every Friday Megan and I would take Maggie to the mall and hang out. We always had a great time and I looked forward to hanging out with her. Even though a lot of things seemed to be wrong in Megan’s life, I was proud of our relationship, that we had both matured and had a friendship relationship beyond that of just being sisters. Megan took Kate to the theater with her and everyone called Kate “Mini-Me” because she and my sister look just alike (thin, cute, red-heads). Kate adored her and lovingly called her “Meg” or “Aunt Meg.”

Maggie adored Megan too. We spent many an afternoon trying to coax Maggie to walk. Megan would bribe her with chocolate or cookies to get her to walk across the room to her.

Ethan and GJ were another issue. They had grown up around Megan. She was only 12 years older than them. When the boys started to get taller and hit puberty they began to resent Megan being bossy and treating them as if they were still 5 or 6. It was as if she didn’t want to accept that they were growing up.

Last February, Megan began hanging around a couple of people she met at the local theater. They both seemed to have issues and Megan was constantly running out the door to go “rescue” someone. She was never around anymore and avoided the entire family like the plague, specifically, Mom and I. She was always too busy to have lunch or even spend a couple of hours at the mall. Pretty soon she wasn’t coming home at night, she’d come in early get ready for work and run out the door. Last Easter she left to go meet her friends… on Easter! Pretty soon she was gone all the time and only ran in to pick up more clothes, DVDs, etc.

We figured Megan had some friends of her own that she was enjoying. We chalked our discomfort up to feeling “left out.” Mom and I told each other that maybe we were a little annoyed that Megan wasn’t always just “there” like she had been before. For a while that worked. But, it soon became apparent that something strange was going on. Megan had a complete personality change. She became distant and cold. Worse yet, she absolutely refused to introduce her new friends to anyone in the family. For the longest time, she wouldn’t even tell my mom where she was staying. Just that she was “staying with friends.”

Update - click here for part 3

Today is my sister’s birthday. She’s 26 today. Normally, I would have bought her a funny card, a new Christmas ornament, and an addition to our super-secret collection that only our mom and my husband know about. Our favorite holiday season is coming up (Halloween - New Year’s… especially Christmas), normally there would be plans brewing already, shopping lists lengthening, and shopping trips planned. But, not this year, I guess.

I haven’t talked to her in a few months. Which is pretty unusual for us. My mom, sister and I have always been pretty tight. Annual weekend “girls only” trips to Vegas, weekly lunches and shopping trips and always together on holidays. There was a time when I could not imagine not talking to my mom and sister at least daily.

Perhaps it is time to discuss my sister. My mother will cringe at this statement, I’m sure. (sorry Mom, but not really, you know.) Fair warning now… this is destined to be a longer than average post. I know some people don’t care for that sort of thing, but there are a few subjects that 3-4 paragraphs just won’t accurately depict.

My sister and I were fairly normal siblings throughout most of our childhood. When our parents divorced we lived with our mother. Mom worked two (and sometimes more) jobs to support us. It certainly was not the secure, family environment that we had been used to until that point, but we made do.

My sister has always been different. Marched to the beat of a different drummer and all that. In many ways were quite opposite. She was much more of a tomboy and I was far more feminine, preferring dresses, make up, and the mall. Megan felt at home in a cute pair of jeans and a fun t-shirt from American Eagle. A size 5 on a “fat” day, Megan has thick, wavy red hair and deep brown eyes. She adorable when she gets dressed up. It’s a shame that she chooses to hide adorable features under a baseball cap 95% of the time. Of course, the last time I saw her she had the worst hair cut I have ever seen and a baseball cap would have been an improvement.

Megan was a theater major in college. Lighting and sound design are her specialty. She’s gifted, unfortunately, she needs to obtain a Master’s degree in order to do anything in her chosen field. A few years ago she obtained one of two spots in the theater program at Boston University. We were all very proud of her. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the local University and we were all prepared to send her off to put the finishing polish on her education at B.U.

I should preface what happened next by explaining that my mom and sister are not strangers to Boston. My mom is a history major and obviously Boston is cornucopia of American history. They’ve spent a few vacations there and are fairly familiar and can manage to get around with few problems and almost constant, near-hysterical laughter. On more than one occasion (on more than one vacation) I’ve taken phone calls instructing me to pull up MapQuest and get them from one destination to another usually as one of them are driving to that destination and getting farther away from it by the second (thus the laughter).

My mom packed Megan’s room up, purchased loads of things to furnish and equip her new apartment. They dealt with the depression of Molly Brown, the Cocker Spaniel, who slept with Megan every night and became increasingly neurotic as the bedroom began to empty and bed disappeared. They flew into Boston and the truck with all of Megan’s things arrived the next day. Just as my mother, aka “Super Mover” planned. I did not accompany them on the trip to Boston and so I cannot give an accurate accounting of what exactly transpired, but needless to say, something shattered that night.

Megan had made arrangements for a roommate and the two planned to share an apartment in a renovated, old, Victorian house near where most of the students from the University lived during the school year. Something about the apartment freaked Megan out. Now, it could be that it was on the opposite coast and would mark the first time she would be living on her own, or it could have been a legitimate security-risk. The latter is the only reason she has provided for what followed. Shortly after touring the apartment for the first time, Megan broke down, freaked out, and had a full-blown panic attack.

Back in California I listened intently to my mother explaining the situation in hushed tones over the phone. Even at 2am, still trying to wake up, I knew that my mom should make Megan stay there. I tried to convince her of that, but whatever my mom was witnessing first-hand on her end, convinced her otherwise.

When the furniture arrived the next day, on time just as mom had planned, it was promptly sent back. I was using a travel website to find them appropriate accommodations, and mom was making phone calls to arrange plane tickets, return shipping, etc. Megan came home.

To Be Continued…

The new house search is over! As of this morning our lot is reserved and our new home will be finished in March 2006 - six months… so I guess we’ll be spending the next several months picking out flooring, fixtures, colors, etc. I’m really looking forward to it. A new, energy efficient house sounds pretty good after living in a WW11-era bungalow for the last 8 years.

We’ve chosen our floor plan and the elevation:

I can’t believe the ball is finally rolling, it feels like it has taken forever to get things settled. We’ve been working on this since last May. Now we just have to wait out the six months for it to be built!

Wednesday morning finds me hanging out at my mom’s (she’s out having her nails done, giving me a few moments of free time to update here) chasing Maggie and the two dogs. Well, not at this very moment, perhaps, but the rest of the morning (aside from the trip to Starbuck’s) has been spent chasing Maggie and the dogs… mostly Maggie.

Now that I have a couple of minutes, while other people are blogging about world events and politics - I’m going to be different and take a moment of your time to allow you to read about something that is VERY important… television. ;o)

Whether or not it’s politically correct or “the thing to do” - every Tuesday from 9-11 (sometimes later) will find me glued to my television with my kids watching “Gilmore Girls” and now “Supernatural” followed by “The Daily Show” and Adam Carrolla’s new show on Comedy Central.

Kate watches Gilmore Girls and Ethan stays up to watch Supernatural.

Gilmore Girls - I loved the season premiere!

Supernatural - awesome! I loved the twist on a classic ghost story, I liked the characters and the plot. I have to admit I was a little skeptical that this was going down a “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” road… I guess I’ll just have to tune in and see. I just hope this isn’t the WB’s way of trying to recreate the glory days of “Buffy” or “Charmed.” They have the potential to go down a different road. So far… so good.

I did watch Reunion last week - I thought it STUNK… big time. I probably will not watch another episode. I’m just not that desperate.

The weather has cooled slightly here and it seems to be getting dark a bit earlier. Everyone has been putting on light jackets in the morning as the temps are in the mid-60’s. By the afternoon we are in the low to mid-80’s and it is beginning to hit home that summer is on it’s way out for another year.

Ethan, Maggie and I have been down with a head cold (the first of the season) for the past several days. Ethan is just about over it, Maggie and I still seem to have some congestion. Green tea and crystallized vitamin C from Trader Joe’s has worked wonders! Kate and Mike have escaped becoming infected and I’m convinced it’s because the two of them hid out at Mike’s office ALL day Saturday. She played games on one computer and Mike worked on appraisals on another. All the while, Ethan juggled Maggie, as he was nearly over his cold. I was just coming down with it so Saturday was pretty much a blur of feverish naps and cold medication.

While I can find something to love about every season, fall and winter are probably my favorites. I love the cooler temps and fall colors. About this time of year I begin to grow tired of salads and barbecue, there is just nothing like cold weather cuisine. I’ve missed roast beef, stew, and home made minestroni soup.

Pretty soon it will be time to do a final cleanout before we close the house up and turn the heater on. Then the pumpkins and Halloween decorations will be out, and before I know it I’ll be digging out Christmas decorations in no time at all. I can’t wait!

Sunday we pulled out Disney’s “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow” narrated by Bing Crosby. I swear that thing gets better every time I watch it. This year Maggie was old enough to really pay attention to it and she absolutely loved it! She danced and even tried to sing along. It was so funny!