Notre Dame Football!!!

To be honest, we aren't really a football family---definitely more baseball and basketball for us.   When I was growing up, I can recall my father watching Notre Dame football games.    But that was 40 years ago.  

Now, for the first time, I am excited for today's game against Rice, which starts in 5 minutes!   I am taping it, because we are headed down the shore, but I want to learn the names of the players, and know what I am talking about when we go out to the game the weekend of October 3rd-4th!

My pumpkin patch

Every year I buy seeds to plant with Lily-flowers, fruit, vegetables--and I never plant them, or if I do, they die immediately.    This year, I bought two packets of pumpkin seeds, and then I forgot about them.  


On July 14th, I was cleaning up, and I found the pumpkin seeds.  I sent Timmy and Lily out to plant the seeds.   They planted 5 seeds in 3 small little patches around an old tree stump we have in our back yard, which gets lots of sun.    It was going to rain the next day, so we just kind of threw a little water, then forgot about them (which is why everything I plant dies).


The next week, I was looking out the window, and I noticed three little sprigs of green--pumpkin plants!!   Every day, we empty the de-humidifer in the basement, and use the water to water the pumpkin patch (which we now call it).     When we got back from Notre Dame, I was worried what being away for 5 days would do to my pumpkin patch, but this is what we saw--it was at least 2 times bigger than when we left!!!   This is what it looked like on August 25th:

                             

My kids have been making fun of me--I have been watching youtube videos about the development of pumpkins, and getting tips on how to get pumpkins to grow.    Apparently, we really need bees to pollinate the female flowers with the male flowers.    I haven't seen too many bees, so I have been worried.  In addition,  I started hearing about things that hurt pumpkins, including something called Powdery Mildew (PM).

This is what it looks like on 8/30---can you see the yellowing leaves?

So, today, when I went out to water my plants, and to see when I might finally see a little pumpkin growing, I was horrified to see that my leaves have PM on them--not all of them, but a good amount.  It is really bad, and can devastate a crop (which is what I now call it), so I read up on what/how/why PM is.

As I was doing what I was told to do, I noticed my first tiny pumpkin--it is about the size of a really small plum, but I am thrilled!!!

Coming home, or as Lily calls it--"Home without Jack"

The rest of the weekend was equally amazing--the orientation session at the residence hall relieved any fears I could ever have had about leaving my child so far away--the advisers/rectors in the hall were so reassuring that "we have your sons covered."   Everything from driving them out to Target to dealing with medical emergencies.   Definitely reassuring.

We did meet Jack for lunch, then went over to sessions at the schools Jack is interested in--Engineering and Business.   Funny thing about Notre Dame that if I were in charge I would change--no maps or "this is where you are" signs on campus, and the halls/school buildings all looks the same, so it is really hard to find things.    We eventually got there.   I was so happy to see that the Mendoza school of Business, which is what he now thinks he wants to major in, was voted #1 in the country for undergraduate programs--higher than Wharton, which is the one we always hear about, coming from Philadelphia!

After the end of the open house sessions, we ate dinner with Jack in the South Dining Hall, which looks exactly like Hogwarts, and has an amazing selection of food--my younger kids were so happy!! We headed back towards Jack's dorm  around 7:30, because he had an 8 pm. Orientation session.    We were driving all the way home on Sunday, which is a 12-hour drive, so instead of hanging around, with little chance of seeing Jack super early on Sunday morning before he headed of to do another orientation session,  Chris and I decided to leave early on Sunday morning, which meant it was time to say goodbye to Jack before he left for his session on Saturday night--for the last time.   Chris was really sad, but honestly, I am just way too happy to be sad.    There was the slightest feeling of desertion when he walked into the dorm, but I know he is safe, secure, at a great place, and we all have cell phones and can text if we need to--how sad can you be?


A little later, however, Chris and I were dividing up with the remaining four kids to go someplace, and he said he had the girls, and I should take the boys, and I started counting kids, like I have done unconsciously for the last 19 years, and I only counted to 4--then I realized Jack wasn't with us--that was weird!

Friday night at Notre Dame!

After the picnic, we had to go--Jack had to be back at the hall by 8, for this mandatory orientation session.    After we left, we walked down to the Grotto--I prayed that my son LOVES his four years of college--the best four years (I must admit--I loved college, but I always think that these years with my children are the best years of my life--hard to differentiate)!!

The Grotto at twilight--which we noticed is an hour later than we get in Philadelphia--it is on the western end of Eastern Standard Time.

                                                       
                                                                      Anna

Then we walked around to the Basilica, and all around the northern part of campus.

The night was amazing--beautiful weather all weekend, to be honest!!   I couldn't have asked for a better school for Jack!!

Notre Dame First Year Picnic, and my little conversation with Governor Christie!!

I usually try to respect "celebrities" when they are out in public, and, other than Rosie O'Donnell (more on this later), I don't really stalk public people.   On the first day of First year Orientation at Notre Dame,  they throw a little Picnic (for 10 thousand new freshman and all their families!) at one of the two dining halls.   Jack lives nearest to the North Dining Hall, so after we did all we could do, we all headed over.  It was about 90 degrees, and hot--perfect weather for a picnic!

My kids were in heaven--in addition to the picnic food, they had unlimited ice cream, unlimited soda (which I usually don't let them have), and the best--TruMoo chocolate milk!  We sat near the back, and as we were eating, Jack noticed Governor Chris Christie walk in.   He looked like just another parent, and, I must say, I was pretty unimpressed with the size (that I could tell), of his security detail (although I have no idea what kind of weapons they may have been carrying!)   I kind of heard that his daughter was going to be a freshman at Notre Dame, so I realized he was just like me--a parent dropping off his child.    See, they are just like us!

Anyway, I went over to get some ice cream, and Governor Christie was in the vicinity.  I realized that being that he may be running for President, and that he may win, this was my chance to speak to a President of the United States.    Kind of like my Clinton with President Kennedy moment.

So, I went over, and said hello.   He might not remember me, but honestly, he couldn't have been nicer.  I asked him who he was dropping off, and we talked about how this was his second child (his son is at Princeton), but that this was his oldest daughter, which is a little different, that this one would be far away--not like his son, who is close.

I know there has been some bad press about Christie yelling at people, but I have to say that I was very impressed with how kind, polite, and talkative he was with some random mom who spoke to him by the ice cream freezer.    He could have blown me off, which I would understand, but he didn't. He was approached soon by other well-wishers, and he seemed just as polite to them--when I think he probably just wanted to go back to his family and enjoy the picnic.  

As we were leaving, Maddy, a friend from our town who is a sophomore, took this photo of Christie--just a regular dad dropping off his daughter at college!!

Notre Dame!!!

So, on Friday, August 22nd, we headed over to move our son, Jack, into his new home for maybe the next four years--Siegfried Hall.

One of the many things I learned to love about Notre Dame over this weekend was that they only have single sex dorms on campus.    I am not opposed to coed dorms, and I loved it when I lived in one at Bucknell in 1981, but I don't like it when colleges have some coed dorms, and some single sex--I like all or nothing.   That way, there aren't some people who get "better" dorms than others.  At Notre Dame, all the dorms are single sex, which means that everyone starts out on the same playing field, so to speak.


These residence halls have evolved into small family/fraternity type places--and you can live in your hall all four years, if you like--over 80% of undergraduates never leave their original residence hall.

Of course, I am prejudiced, but I was so impressed, right away--there were a bunch of upperclassmen helping the new first year/freshmen move in, and the guys were all really nice.   As a parent, I couldn't be happier.

Jack's roommates (he has three), all were in the room before we got there (I think they cheated--we weren't supposed to show up until 11:30, and we pulled up to the dorm at 11:25, and they were already in the room).   Anyway, he is in a quad, and shares a room with a kid named Cal from Iowa.  


When you look out of Jack's room, the first thing you see is the Golden Dome!!  How amazing!

Jack got the top bunk...not good when you are almost 6'5"!!

                                                     This is Lily checking out the top bunk!

                                                     
                         Chris and Jack checking out the view--that is the whole room--bunk beds,                                                            a desk, and closet space on the right side!

After we moved him in, we walked all over campus--getting him a bank account, signing him up for laundry service (yes, we are paying for someone to do his laundry, but for $8/week, I know he will have clean clothes and sheets, and for a kid who is 660 miles from home, and is taking 5 courses including Engineering, and Chemistry--it is a small price to pay!), and got his ID photo taken, it was time for dinner!

Heading out to Notre Dame!

So, after all the preparations, we finally headed out to Notre Dame after dinner on Wednesday, August 20th.   I drove the three boys, and Chris headed out with the two girls.   We planned to meet to spend the night together outside of Pittsburgh, but we ran into them after about 3 hours of driving at one of the Pennsylvania Turnpike rest stops!!



We arrived in Monroeville at midnight, and then we all fell into bed.    By the time we got up the next day, and got on the road, it was almost 10:30.   The Ohio turnpike is just gorgeous, with beautiful, clean rest stops (they even have showers for truckers to use--honestly, I think I would use one if I needed to--they were really nice!  We stopped at lots of these Ohio rest stops!)

                                                        Hanging out in Ohio rest stops!


Then we arrived in Indiana.   I'm not sure I've even been to Indiana, and I'm not saying anything about the state, but the rest stops along the Indiana turnpike (Route 80) in Indiana are dirty, small, and have no food choices except McDonald's or Burger King.   Honestly, the Indiana people just have to drive over to Ohio and see how to run a rest stop.    We decided that we aren't ever going to Indiana rest stops anymore.  Also, the road was bad--The highway is small, with pot holes--just terrible!!  Luckily, it wasn't long before we arrived in South Bend.


I have never been to Notre Dame, but I have heard so many stories about it.    When we pulled up, at 5:30, the marching band was out practicing (honestly, the marching band was out practicing every time we drove by that field, all weekend long-there is a reason they are so good!!), and I heard a few bars of the Notre Dame fight song--I immediately got choked up, but they would be the last tears I shed all weekend!!    

Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale!

During the middle of all these going-away parties for Jack, I took some time to order an adorable swimsuit for my youngest from the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale.   This sale is held, with a different name sometimes, every January and August, and the prices are always amazing!!  

I am lucky enough to live near the Philadelphia area, so every June, I head over to the Lilly Pulitzer warehouse sale in Oaks, PA.   If you are lucky to live nearby, and you are a Lilly-lover, you know I am not exaggerating when I say that this sale is beyond belief.   There are shoppers who camp out for 3-4 days before the first day of the sale, which is usually the first Thursday in June.   The warehouse is enormous, and is packed with all types and styles of Lilly clothes--from men's ties, to baby dresses.   I always get stuff there for my two daughters, but it is sometimes hard to get everything because you are dragging around these bags, and the place is so packed.

That is what I love about the Lilly online sale--you get to browse at the items in the sale, at your convenience and in your own home (but you do have to buy quickly so you don't lose your choices--there are millions of people all trying to buy at 8 am on Monday morning!).

I got the cutest suit for Lily for $24--you can barely buy a swimsuit at Target for less than $20 these days, and these suit are adorable!!

The next online sale will probably be sometime in January--put it on your calendar, and google it if you haven't heard by the first few days of January--it is soooo worth it!

Goodbye Dinner at Five Guys!

One of our favorite places to eat, I am a little embarrassed to admit, is 5 Guys restaurant.   For those of you don't have these near you, you should maybe be a little bit thankful.   Five Guys serves only burgers,  hot dogs, and french fries.     But these are absolutely delicious!!    It gets all kinds of awards every year, and yet it is super casual, and a great place to bring a lot of kids.   They just got these new soda machines that allow you to choose any kind of soda you could think of
--things like Vanilla and Cherry Diet Coke, etc.

The Sunday before we left for Notre Dame, we met my sister, and her daughter, Reily, at 5 Guys in Warminster.  There are a few of them around the Philadelphia area, but the Warminster one is our favorite one--maybe because we go there so often!!

Getting ready for Jack to leave for Notre Dame!

The week leading up to Jack leaving for college was all about Jack--lots of going away dinners, parties, and pizza!!  

Ten years ago this month, I did something out of desperation--I gave my oldest son, Jack, $100 dollars to try a slice of pizza.   I was, as I said, desperate.   He was 8 years old, and didn't like pizza.  Pizza for a child is a main stay of every birthday party, Saturday night sleepover--and for us, it was every Friday night's dinner.   I needed him to eat pizza, which I knew he would, if he just tried it.   Finally, I offered him $100 to try a piece of pizza--and I don't regret it at all (parents--do you realize that all the money you give your child eventually comes back to help you--he may use it for ice cream, or a magazine, or a movie, but it is ultimately money he isn't asking you for...just my way of thinking about it).   Anyway, I accomplished what I wanted--he loved it, and we have never looked back.

The first un-paid for slice of pizza was at Cosimos, a place in Chestnut Hill.   It has taken us 10 years, but to celebrate Jack leaving for college, we went back to Cosimos and had pizza the Friday night before he left for Notre Dame--I can't believe it took us ten years to make it back there, but there have been many Friday night pizza dinners since then!!

And of course, we walked down to Bredenbeck's for some ice cream--it has been an absolutely beautiful Summer here outside Philadelphia--low 80's every day, very few days in the 90's.   A gorgeous night!!  

7 piles of Laundry

Today is the day I've been anticipating/dreading for 19 years.    Jack leaves for college today.   I have been asked so many times "how do you feel?"   Well, I don't know how else one is supposed to feel about dropping off one's baby/child in a new environment that isn't home after being with/thinking about/worrying about/loving that child every day for the last 19 years--yes, even before he was born.  I am incredibly happy for him--he will be so great at this school!!   I am also incredibly sad for us--the remaining 6 of us at home.

I can vividly remember talking to Jack about going away to college when he was barely a toddler.   Explaining to him about that he will live in a place called a dormitory.   No, I won't be making him dinner, but he will eat in a place called a cafeteria.   No, I won't see him every day, but we can talk on the phone (this was before texting!), and that if he was really sad, I would come visit him.   We've talked about this day since he was three.    He wanted to know why you have to go to college, if you already know how to read and write after going to Kindergarten?  I explained it all, and I would silently think how sad that day would be.   And now, I am at that day.

Lots of people have said "Oh, well you'll still have 4 at home",  as if you can lose one child, and make up for it with the others.   I know they are well-intentioned.   Maybe they could just say "oh, that is going to be hard."

This morning, at 5 am, I got up, and I started folding laundry,  finishing up packing for our 5-day trip to his new school, and it me hit again.  I was folding laundry into the 7 piles of laundry I have folded for the last almost 8 years since Lily was born--and I realized that when we get back, there will be no pile for Jack.    I know he will be home for Christmas and summers, maybe, but on Monday, there will be no pile of laundry for Jack.  That really makes me sad.

We are all driving out, leaving this afternoon.  Of course, we are barely ready to go...so much to do today.   I woke up wondering if I had forgotten to get one of those little things to hold the soap in when you travel for when he walks from his room to the shower.     I will have lots of other reminders of him leaving in a few minutes, but for right now I am thinking that for awhile, at least, there will only be 6 piles of laundry in our home.   Among all the other dozens of ways I will miss about not being with Jack every day, I will miss that other pile of laundry.

LIlly Pulitzer After Party Sale starts in less than 2 hours!!

Just making sure you all know the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale starts in less than 2 hours--if you don't know, you should get up now and get ready!!

Dog Days of August...

August may be my favorite month, but it is also my least favorite.   I love the August heat...but  I don't like the creeping thoughts that school is about to begin, and that the weather will be turning cold.    I really love being at home with my children--I am thankful that I can be home with them.   I know lots of mothers who say they can't wait for school to start--I am so happy they are home now.   It just really works for us.   Everyone is always doing something--usually with each other, or just doing nothing, but  at least they are doing nothing with each other.

I spent a lot of the last week or so reading other blogs to figure out what to do with this one (because I really don't read a lot of blogs), and spending time with my family.   Summers are crazy with 5 children--always a doctor's appointment, or the free movies at Regal to go to, going to the pool several afternoons a week,  and I try to get them out golfing at least 3 mornings a week... so we/I get even less done in the summer than we get done in the colder months!  Still,  I love it!

As I said, my oldest, Jack, is leaving for college in less than 72 hours, and we have actually just started thinking about packing up for him, because we have been so busy doing all that needs to be done to get him there--dentist appointments, doctors' appointments,  etc.    Still, we've been busy these last two weeks (more on that later) since my last post....Here is a partial list:

Anna's Birthday!!

Anna turned 17 on August 8th!!   She had the greatest day!   It all was semi-unplanned, but it all worked out so well.   After she took her morning run (she trains/runs year round because she rows Crew for her high school),  she came home, I woke up whoever would wake up  (which means Jack and Matthew missed the fun!!), and we headed over to Valley Green, right outside of Chestnut Hill.   This is where I grew up (literally---the house I grew up in is at the bottom of the horse bridle path), and we have taken my children there before, but Lily was in a stroller the last time we were there.   This time, we went hiking way up into the paths into Fairmount Park, walked along the bridle path (I grew up there, so big mounds of horse manure don't mean anything to me--they were completely grossed out!).

Watching them walk ahead of me...gorgeous light streaming down....

       This was a path-- but most of our hiking was far more difficult, but I couldn't take pictures and hike                                                             at the same time!!

Then, we ate lunch at this adorable restaurant/cafe that used to be the home of our friends the Kerpers--now it is owned by the Philadelphia Park Commission, and is now a restaurant called Cedars House.

It was amazing!   Anna and Timmy both had delicious smoothies,  and they all had these delicious meals, eaten in this rustic outdoor setting, on an old porch, in the shade of Fairmount Park!!  It was so great!!

     Waiting for our food--I am just using my iPhone for these, so it was hard to get a good picture with            all the streaming light/being in the shade under all the trees, but this one is good, I think!

Decided to change our seat!

Lily--tired of waiting for our food, decided to climb!

As we were leaving for home, Anna got a text from two friends, inviting her to go downtown for her birthday.  I just dropped her off at the one girl's house, and then took Lily to the pool for a few hours.   After showering, I went home, we all got ready, and then I picked up Anna and her friends when they got off the train from Philadelphia. The timing was perfect, and she had a great day!

But it wasn't over yet.   Jack had to work late, but the other 6 of us went over to eat at this favorite restaurant we celebrate lots of birthdays at--it is called Cake, and is in the old greenhouse of Robertson's Florists in Chestnut Hill.   It is just lovely--sparking white lights, a great menu, lots to look at,  and fabulous desserts.

Timmy, Matthew, Lily (wearing Lilly Pulitzer--our favorite!!), and Anna, the Birthday girl! 

                                                         Everyone--except Chris!

                   Mommy, Lily, and Anna (notice that we both are wearing Lilly Pulitzer--honestly, we didn't mean to and they are matching prints-Anna was embarrassed!)

We got desserts to go after dinner, but then we walked next door to this new-ish frozen yogurt place called Chill, and we all sat there, ate mountains of frozen yogurt, and hung out. We didn't get home until 10 p.m.

                 Timmy, Lily, Chris, Anna, and Matthew--chilling at Chill in Chestnut Hill!!


I  was so happy it worked out for us/Anna--I think there is a lot of pressure to have a great birthday, and I am so glad she had one which really involved no more work for me than making dinner reservations!!

One Direction Concert--August 14!!



Last February, we bought several One Direction tickets for a big stadium concert in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field.    Our thinking was that our two girls would go to see One Direction with maybe a friend or two--Lily has a very serious thing for Niall, Anna just loves the music, but REALLY loves the warm-up band, 5 Seconds of Summer.  As it turned out, Chris and I ended up both going, along with several of Anna's friends, and I must admit it was unbelievably fun!    I always have to be careful now not to embarrass my kids, but I was definitely up and dancing at times (Chris and I sat away from the girls, so they never knew!).

Anna and Lily heading into Lincoln Financial Field!

                                                                     
                                                              Friends (and two sisters! )

                           65 thousand screaming girls!!  Seriously, there were NO boys there!!


Going Away Picnic for Jack's friends--going to college!!


Last night, we all got together at the Robinsons for the last get together before Jack's friends start to leave for colleges.   He has had the same group of four friends since roughly Kindergarten--Nick, Chris, and Max.  He, and the three of them, have stayed friends all these years, even though Jack left public school after 8th grade to go to a private boys' high school in Wyndmoor, right outside of Philadelphia, called La Salle College High School.

I was a little nervous when Jack went to La Salle that he would lose his public school friends.   I don't think, with the exception of a few dances and school functions, that Jack has missed a beat with these three kids.   They are all so much alike--in fact, the three moms there last night were laughing that the four of them will probably move in with each other after college.

Last night, Marie Robinson, Chris' mom, asked us all over for a last cookout.   I haven't seen these families in a long time--now that Jack has been driving, I don't drop him off/pick him up, and their youngest children are no longer in the elementary school my youngest go to, so I just don't see these parents very much, and we had some catching up to do.

We had a great time.  All the other families are all-boy families, so there were 10 boys between the ages of 12 and 18, and Lily.   Anna decided she had to begin (!!) her summer reading assignments, so she stayed home.   After catching up, we began to reminisce about the old times, when they were younger, and what lay ahead for these four boys/young men.   I must admit it made me a little sad on the way home.   Next time I see them, they will all officially be college freshmen!   That is crazy--I met these boys when they were 5!    I  see it more it other kids than my own--how big they have gotten!

No photos--just a great night!!


Jack--is Leaving in less than Three Days! !!!


As I said, we are leaving on Wednesday for Jack's college.   I think we got the photo thing down, so I will try to document these events with more pictures.   Right now, I am good about him leaving.   My friend, Brian, said that when his oldest went to college 5 years ago, it wasn't that hard, because he just was so happy for her.   I thought that was remarkably well-adjusted, and I decided at that time that that was the attitude I was going to adopt when my children go off to college.

Still, Jack is my first baby--I can remember talking with him going to college cuddling in bed when he was 2--he used to cry and say he never wanted to leave me--and I assured him that when the time came, he would want to leave, but if not, I would come visit him every day for lunch.   To his two year old mind, that made him feel better.   That day has now arrived, and now I wish I could visit him every day for lunch!!!  

Initial thoughts about this blog...

I have been so excited about this blog for the last 24 hours!!   As I said, I started it primarily so my son, Jack, could check in on what we were doing at home after he goes away to a major college located in the midwest well known for its football program  (well, there are other reasons why I started this blog.....more on that later), but in the last 24 hours I started reading up on blogging (honestly, I never really read anyone else's blog, with some exceptions, which I will describe later), and the whole nature of blogging.

Reading other people's blogs gave me a little reality check.   First, it made me realize I can't control who will be reading this blog, now, or in 10 years from now.     So I should be careful in what I put down.   You never know who I may encounter down the road...maybe a set of future in-laws for my children, or a future employer, and I don't know that these people need to know all the little details of my mind.   Seeond,  while I will always try to be honest, that doesn't mean I have to reveal all the details of my life.  One of my kids asked me "are you ready to handle negative criticism?" Well, anyone who knows me knows that no, I am absolutely not ready to handle negative criticism!!   Let's just say I'm not the kind of person who can smile when criticized and thank the person for sharing his/her feelings.   I usually want to go for that person's jugular.    Not something I am proud of,  just being honest.

Which gave me the next reality check.  I have to be honest....about myself.  However,  I can't always be honest about what I think about other people--especially my family members and friends.   Specifically, my children are not going to want to read about what I thought about his or her performance last night in the school play/game/performance.    You probably know that most mothers think anything their children do is amazing....well, I do not.    I am honest in my evaluations about my kids, but I try to share that only with my husband (who always think they were the best), because it would hurt his or her feelings to know that I think they really messed up that game last night with all those bad 3-point shots that came nowhere near to going into the basket.   So, I probably would not put that in this blog.    Likewise,  for example, my friend, Missy (a super clean eater!!)  doesn't want to read that I think that thing she showed me in her nice clean refrigerator that looked like coagulated cottage cheese that she eats every day for her digestive health made me revolted, because that might hurt her feelings, which is something I don't want to do.

 My oldest son,  Jack (yes, I did decide to use my children's real names...I couldn't keep a cheat sheet straight), would NEVER want me to reveal anything about his life, so I will not  do so (or so I say now).   When I would go to pick him up at his high school,  an all boys school in the suburbs of Philadelphia,  he didn't want me around at all, so I made myself as inconspicuous as possible.   I never made direct eye contact with anyone, and I avoided all human contact--just drive in, open the door, and let him in.   Avoid talking to him until we were safely away from the school.      I will try to do the same thing with this blog--or so I say.

Lastly, this little blog has made me realize that I will have to come up with something to write several days a week, which is not going to be a problem, other than finding the time to do it.   I tend to be very loquacious, which spills out onto this blog.   I will try to keep it short and sweet, but I can't always promise that it will work that way!

How this Began.....

As they sang in the Sound of Music..."let's start at the very beginning."

I am  Leslie, a mother of 5--son Jack is 18, daughter Anna is 16, son Timmy is 14, son Matthew is 12, and daughter Lily is 7.   Married to Chris.   We all live in an old house outside of Philadelphia that is cluttered, chaotic, and crazy--and we all seem to love it (not so much Chris, who really wants a clean house--that is something I am working on!).

I am starting this blog because, well, honestly, I have been hearing for years "Leslie, you really should be putting these stories down in a blog!"      So, now I have started that blog.   I hesitated for years because I am not very computer savvy (which means you won't have any crazy web design pages until I learn) and because I really never thought that I had all that much that wasn't out there in the general public, and that most people wouldn't really care all that much about what I have to say.

Then something happened....my oldest son is leaving in a few weeks to go to a fabulous university in the middle of the country that is well known for its football team (I can't say any more than that about what college it is because my son wouldn't be happy about it--he doesn't like other people to know that we are related!).    Fabulous school, but it is really far away from our home--about 11 hours the way regular people drive, about 15 hours the way we drive (we seem to stop way too often!!!).    And don't ask about why don't we fly--flying 6 people anywhere is expensive, and this university is located 2 hours from the largest major city, so we have to rent a car, etc, etc.   So, while it is something we will definitely do for him to come home for longer breaks, etc., it is unlikely that the other 6 of us will go out other than to drop him off as a freshman,  and then go back out to his graduation as a senior in 4 years.   I have been told by other parents that this university makes a big deal about having an amazing Thanksgiving dinner for its students because so many of them come from all over the country (at my college, which I love dearly, they locked the doors to the dorms at 6 pm on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and didn't open them up again until the following Sunday!).  Frankly, I would have wanted to stay at my college for a fun Thanksgiving dinner with all my freshman friends, so as I see it, I may not see my oldest son from the end of August until Christmas break!!!

And so, the push for this blog.   This gives my son a chance to catch up on what he may be missing at home (he will probably not be missing it, I know!), and it also gives me a chance to start talking about all those little things in my life that all these people always say I should start a blog about!!

Which is where the title of this blog comes from--one day, years ago, I was talking to an older friend, Carol,  about how I am always battling the clutter in my house with 5 children, and she told me she went into her uncle's house to clean it up after he had recently died.   Carol's uncle was a little bit of a stockpiler (the name I prefer over hoarder!!), and one of her favorite discoveries was a bag of little pieces of twine and string in an old Stroehmann bread bag.   On the bag, this uncle had written in black marker "Little Bits of of String too small to use."    For some reason, I loved it---this man had saved those little pieces of string because he couldn't bear to part with them in case he, or someone else, ever should need them.   I loved his dedication to that string...little pieces of string that the rest of the world probably would view as worthless.    I thought it was touching.

Hence, this blog, and its name.   What I have to say is probably not much use to the rest of the world, but something which I feel like I should save (these moments of time, so to speak).     Which gets to what I will be talking about.   I imagine that at first I will be blogging about typical stuff--what I did, what I enjoy, and my family.   I am also a big lover of Target, clearance and coupon shopping, true-crime murder shows, Rosie O'Donnell (there, I said it--I am thrilled she is coming back to the View!!) , Zumba,   and sadly, for now, the Philadelphia Phillies (although that love has taken a bit of a backseat these last few years!).  

 As I said, I'm not very good with computers.   I am going to hit the publish button, and I think that will mean I am now a blogger.   I hope you enjoy what I have to say...or my little bits of string!!