Guess Who Won the Poetry Slam??? Lily!!!

She walked off the bus sad, because they announce today who won yesterday's Poetry Slam...and she fooled me!! Yay!!  Look at that trophy!!

She wrote her poem about her dalmation pup, Belle, who she plays with every day, and takes care of and feeds...but Belle is only in her imagination because her daddy has allergies, and so the only Belle she can have is the one in her hand (she was holding a little dalmation pup).   She really did read it with a lot of drama, but I am her mother!!   So proud of her!!  

Lily's Poetry Slam-April 28, 2015

                                            My Lily..taken about a month ago.


Yesterday I went to Lily's Poetry Slam at McKinley.  It is the second year there was a Slam...the children sign up to read a special poem that they wrote, or read another poet's work.   They wear black and white outfits,  we all snap our applause, and then they give you a soft pretzel....the whole thing lasts half an hour or so.   It is very nice.    Lily wrote and performed an original work about her puppy, Belle (who exists only in her imagination).  It was very good. She was very dramatic.

But what I will remember is what happened afterwards.   I was going to get a pretzel for Lily, when I started talking to Lisa, Bryson's mom.  Lisa was talking to another mom about her sons taking drama classes, and she asked me if I knew where they had drama/acting lessons around here.  I said "Oh, I do.  I have been thinking about signing Lily up for some drama lessons."   And then this other mom, not Lisa said "Oh, you have a child here?" and I said, "yes, I have Lily", and I pointed to Lily, who was nearby.     She said "Oh, she is yours?'


And that is when I heard it, for the first time.  The tone in her voice was "oh...you have a child that age......?"   because, I guess...it is surprising that I would have a child Lily's age.  I am sure that other people have thought that, but that is the first  time I ever heard the thought/tone.  Oh well...it won't be the last time, I am sure, and it is a small price to pay for having a perfect, gorgeous little girl!!

Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse Sale 2015 is coming in 40 days...June 4, 5, and 6, 2015!!!

So, with all that has been written about the Target for Lilly debacle at Target this past Sunday, I didn't bother to write a post about it. In a nutshell, I got there at 8:00 and 30 seconds, missed out on getting anything, and was at my gym class by 8:20...it started 5 minutes earlier, and I was bummed that I was going to miss it to be at Target.   I got nothing.  Actually, I got one size 4T dress that I called my friend  to ask if she wanted for her daughter.  by 8:01, there was nothing left.   Two thoughts...

1) Good for those people who got there early.   They worked harder than me...they deserved to get it!

2) I don't really see why people are mad at the Ebay people for putting things up on Ebay.  It is called capitalism, people!! 

So, I didn't miss not getting anything at Target last Sunday.  Why?  Because in 40 days (and yes, I am aware of the biblical reference of things happening for 40 days), it will be day #1 of the Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse Sale in Oaks, PA!! 

Oaks, PA is just a little bit down the road from Valley Forge, where the warehouse sale was for years.  I actually like the new space much better...Easier to see where things are, where the samples and clearance items are, etc. 

I will be doing another post about the warehouse sale soon, but, in the meantime,  don't forget these dates....

I don't know if you will camp out for days, or just show up later on the first day, or wait until Saturday, but no matter what, it is worth going to get good deals.  And for those who got nothing from the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection...who cares...this is so much better!!

Anna's Junior Prom--April 24, 2015

Tonight was Anna's Junior Prom.  This is how she was at 5:15...over something crazy.....

And this is what she looked like an hour later--I am so blessed to have such beautiful girls!!

 

Her date was a guy named Brian...he seemed very nice.   They all fix each other up with childhood friends.  

Lilly Pulitzer hits Target tomorrow-My two favorite things--April 19, 2015!!

My two favorite things...Lilly Pulitzer and Target are coming together tomorrow.  In case you really don't care about either, and there are lots of people who don't, the Lilly Pulitzer collaboration with Target is going to start selling tomorrow at Target (and Target.com, although I don't really ever shop online...I don't know why).   So, you know where I will be tomorrow at 7:59 am.   Lily and Anna are coming with me....just so they can pick their own stuff, while I look for the only thing I really want...the hammock.

I was doing something in my kitchen when I heard this adorable commercial playing this fun song, "Keep it Comin' Love" from K. C. and the Sunshine Band, and I actually put my stuff down to go see what the commercial was for....and it was Target's Lilly Pulitzer collection.  The funnest commercial....great music, fun party...and the lesson is that we are all invited to join the party.   I'm in.

As an aside...I started thinking about song, actually.  It is very catchy...but, K.C. and the Sunshine Band....seriously?  I liked them in high school.   This is what is so cool about marketing...who ever thought of this song?  Do you think they liked the song, and keep in in their mind  for the next time they have a fun commercial to do, or do you think they looked for a fun song?  I was so curious, I looked up the lyrics of this song.  I think there are a total of 15 different words in the entire song....it just repeats the lyrics, over and over and over.  Very catchy.  Either way, it is a great commercial.

In a nutshell, what you need to know about this Target for Lilly stuff:  It is a Target collection of Lilly prints.  It is Target sizing (i.e. larger sizes), and Target quality (not sure there is really that much of a difference to me....more on this later.)  Most importantly, it is Target pricing (which is what is making people mad...see below).  From my point of view, this means that you can buy an adorable Lilly Pulitzer print swimsuit for cheap!!

And there will be  a lot of housewares....like coasters, glasses, etc.  I think.  I actually haven't looked on the website.  Anna and I will do that tonight once she gets back from Delaware, where she is rowing today.

Finally,  I think it is hysterically rude and obnoxious the comments the "real Lilly" people were putting out there on the websites for the world to see in January when they first announced this collection---things like "I hate this idea...my cleaning lady shouldn't be able to buy the same clothes I wear."   REALLY??  Do you really want people to know that you are the most pretentious, obnoxious, ill-mannered person ever!!??  Or, "Lilly would be rolling over in her grave if she knew you could get her clothing at Target."   I think YOUR grandmother would be rolling over if they knew you used such bad judgment to put those thoughts on the Internet....talk about bad etiquette!   Lilly's granddaughter put them all to shame by coming out and saying, in essence, "my grandmother would have loved this Target collection."

Some girl in her blog had some time to reflect, and still was, in my opinion, really obnoxious about it....see here.  I almost don't want to give her blog the traffic.    I think if you are over the age of 21 and still hold onto your sorority with utter devotion (and full disclosure, I was in a national sorority...one for which Lilly Pulitzer had a pattern, I think), it is a little bit...questionable.  

As far as the quality question...who cares?   I can't believe that Lilly Pulitzer would agree to do this if it/she (??) thought it would be poor quality.   I think most of Lilly's stuff is 100% cotton, so really, 100% cotton is just 100% cotton.  Lycra swimsuits are just lycra swimsuits.   Glassware is just glassware.    So, for all those non-sorority "fake Lilly" (yes, that is what people were calling you!!) Target shoppers....get out and get your Lilly Pulitzer stuff tomorrow!

Target Easter Clearance at 90% off----April 11, 2015

Today the Cedarbrook Target had all of its Easter stuff at 90% off (candy was still at 50%, which means it will be 70% off tomorrow).  I will post some of my stuff later, but it is definitely worth going if you have little kids, or like to decorate for Easter...there was a ton there!

I got some stuff, but I really try now to keep it to a minimum because, well, my children are getting a little older, and I don't need to buy the toys I used to need for presents, gift bags, etc.  I cannot believe the amount of stuff my favorite Target has....this photo was actually taken on the 12th, at the end of the 2nd full day of 90% off!   The candy is now at 70%, but tagged at 50%

   The amount of toys is ridiculous.  There is so much there....

It is literally spilling out on the floor.  I did get lots of Hot wheels and Barbie dolls for my Operation Christmas child boxes, but I limited the toys otherwise.

These are some of the things I did get included several of the BPA free plastic glasses, which I will use for casual dinners....we need new ones.  They were 3.99 originally, so .39.  These came with a silly straw, that I just slipped off to make them regular glasses.   Those straws are fine for one use, I think, then you can never get them clean inside...I just got rid of them.  

I went back to Target tonight, and just kind of walked around for an hour.   As I was walking down, I saw this Oral B toothbrush on the end cap of an aisle.  These toothbrushes are often part of holiday clearance, and sure enough, it rang up .49.   I went back to the aisle to see if there were others, but none of the others rang up clearance, even though these are all identical.....see?

   The only way to know which one is on sale is that the clearance ones have a white sticker over the UPC code on the back:

So, I spent a few seconds running my hands down the back of toothbrush packages, and found these two--each .49 cents.  I am sure there is an Oral B coupon, but I don't really care--I am thrilled these saved me 9.00, and both my boys at home told me they needed new toothbrushes (I doubt Jack would be okay with a Hulk toothbrush in a dorm, but no one other than us will see these!!)  

A woman who works at the front desk at my gym is having a boy in a few days.     It is her third, and she is definitely not expecting something from me, but I bought these for her.  The outfit was .99 (it says "on the hunt for hugs"...maybe I am kidding myself, but I don't think that is too Easter-y.  The onesie says "Chicks love me"--same thing...I think this is generic (am I crazy?).   It was .59 cents.  And the socks were .39, and the book about a lamb was .49.  So, for 2.45, I got a really cute baby gift for this woman's baby boy.

I also got some 3-packs of Crayola Crayons:

These amazingly cute paper plates and napkins were .15 each:

Notre Dame at Easter--our Trip to see Jack-April 2-April 5, 2015!

This year, we decided to go out to visit Jack at Notre Dame for Easter.  It seemed like a very good place to be for Easter, because it is Notre Dame.   We went back and forth about him coming home, but he really didn't want to travel for two days to be home for two days, and he only has about a month left of his freshman year, and I didn't want him to miss out on any of those days.

Art Class--beginning on April 7th

I am not an artist.  I am a lawyer.   And a mom of 5.  I am not artistic, nor creative....I can't think out of the box.  I am not clever, and I don't come up with ideas.   I am a rule follower.  I like rules.  That is how I know how to act.    I am not daring, and I don't risk fate.....I carry vaseline and an umbrella everywhere.   And tissues up my sleeves (something you learn when you have five children, and then you get used to doing it, and it starts to make sense to store them up there....easy to get to, etc.).

So, two weeks ago, my friend, Meg, asked me to go to an art class run by this wonderful woman, Elena, who runs this art class for non-artists on Tuesday mornings.   Of course, I wanted to say no.  I am not an artist.  But my friend Meg assured me that she isn't an artist, and that it would be fine.   I said Okay.  I am a good sport, also.

Then we got this email from the instructor, this lovely woman named Elena, about our first class, which was going to be this morning.   She is really kind, and I like her, and  I really like her husband, Dan, who was my son's AP Physics teacher.   But this email was a little intimidating.  Be at the door by 10, so she can let us in (I am always a few minutes late...now I have pressure.)   The class will be a little large...there will be a period of drawing, using different medium, and then a period of group critique.

Whoa, whoa, whoa......Drawing???   I can't draw.  That is why I am going to the class.   And medium???  I am definitely in over my head.   But I am a lawyer, and I have handled en banc court motion arguments...I could handle those things.   But the group critique???   I am sorry, but critique sounds an awful lot like criticism, which is another thing I don't do very well.   I don't like criticism.  I actually don't like criticism of my family or friends, for that matter.  The only thing I like about criticism is when I am doing it, which certain people think I do a lot, but that is another story.....maybe told in a legal brief some day.  

So, I texted Meg, and said words to the effect of "whoa, whoa, whoa...what is going on here??"   And Meg assured me I would be fine.   That is kind of what Meg does, which is why I like her.

So, today, I peeled into the parking lot of the place at 9:59.....just in time.   As soon as we went upstairs, I knew I was in trouble.  We said our hellos, and she kind of went around the room, describing the artistic background of each person.  I have no artistic background, and so she stopped at me, and just kind of jumped over me.  There was a lovely older woman sitting next to me, which I soon discovered was her mother-in-law.  Elena referred to her as Mom, so I started calling her Mom. She was adorable....until I started to annoy her.

But at first, Mom was adorable.  Her son, who I like so much, is Dan, who is a teacher at my son's school.  He is a really good person.  Like when one of the teachers was really, really, sick last year, he just kind of stepped in for the sick teacher so the sick teacher could rest, and because he knew the boys in this particular class needed a good instructor (it was AP Physics).   Dan is just, as my aunt would say, a really good egg.

But, for his mother.   She claimed not to be an artist, either.  I never learned her name.  I called her Mom the whole class.    We chatted and talked a little more than we should have....I told her how much I liked her son, etc, etc.  We liked each other, at first.   Even though she turned my sketch book without me asking her for advice.  But I was willing to let that slide.

Our first assignment was a still life of three objects.  I didn't do too badly, except that I put an artist's palette on the ruler, and made the palette too small, which I tried to cover by shading...it didn't really work.   But I was okay.  I wasn't horrible....yet.

But then we had to pick out one, and do it larger, in a different medium....charcoal.  I thought it was good for me to pick the tape dispenser, since it had lots of things to draw, but I was wrong.  It is too complicated for a non-draw-er like myself.

Meg, on the other hand, was great!!  This was her large single object charcoal.   Seriously...she obviously has some latent talent.    Can you see the detail on the lid??

Sorry, Meg, I am publishing this without your permission.  Some day, you will thank me. 

My favorite part, though, was the group critique.    Elena is unbelievably affirming.  She said something about my drawing to the effect that "I love the way you weren't afraid to use the whole space."   Yes!!   I wasn't afraid!!      

Mom and I had been sharing a table as workspace, we also shared a large piece of paper.  We were standing out in the hallway with the artwork on the floor, and  after my group critique, Elena said words to the effect of "does anyone have anything to say about Mom's drawing?" and Mom turned to me, and all 5 feet of her said "Shut Up!"    Not in a mean way...in fact, I think I laughed, but obviously I had worn out my welcome with her.     We did hug at the end (she was visiting from Boston, and was on her way to Clark's Summit to see one of her daughters), but I don't think she will miss me.  

Hello....Switzerland??? Gruetzi mittenand!!

I don't do this blog for anyone other than my own family, so I am always surprised when I get more than two page views on any given day (which I do quite frequently, but you know what I am saying).  So, I was really surprised when I saw that my page views today was really high, even for me.   What was even better was when I went to see who was looking at my blog (I am not really sure how to describe how I did this), it turns out that 95% of my page views today were from readers in Switzerland.   That really cracks me up.    

I went through my posts for the last several days, and I can't imagine what about any of them would attract Swiss readers, or whether perhaps something I said could have pissed off the Swiss people, so that they circulated my blog posts around (unless they have relatives who work for Chick Fil A in Cedarbrook??)   I don't see anything.

So, today I am just going to welcome my Swiss readers.   I looked up how to say hello in Switzerland, and there were four choices--German, French, Italian, and Romansh (I have never heard of that, and I am not sure it really exists for more than a few hundred people).  Apparently, the most common way is German, and thus, to say hello for a large group (and you know who you are), it is best to say Gruetzi mittenand!!

I hope Wisconsin wins tonight.....NCAA Final Game--April 6, 2015

I have to say that I am glad Wisconsin beat Kentucky on Saturday.    I was getting annoyed with them (especially after they beat Notre Dame),  but Jack thinks I am wrong, and thinks they were not obnoxious.     I think I just like the underdog.

Chris went to Duke, and while I love a good Duke game, I almost cried watching those Wisconsin fans going crazy after they beat Kentucky.    It was fantastic.  And the coach was originally from Philadelphia, which makes me like him more.  They haven't been in the finals since 1941.   Duke has won a lot.  And I like Nigel Hayes.   So, I hope Wisconsin wins.

Not a very analytical approach, but it works for me.

Chick Fil A Cedarbrook location...get a free Lemonade on April 6, 2015 when you wear Phillies clothes

In my top 5 favorite restaurants, Chick Fil A is right up there.   Seriously, that stuff is delicious, and I have convinced myself that it is even healthy, because it is chicken (I know, I ought to stop thinking that...the mirror definitely is telling me otherwise).

Anyway, on Monday, April 6th, the Chick Fil A in Cedarbrook section is giving away these new Lemonade drinks between 12 and 8 if you wear your Phillies shirts/hats, etc.   I don't know how all out Phillies you have to be, but it may be worth it to get your favorite shirt on and head over there if you live close by.