DC Metro Moms

What are YOU Doing this Summer?

I have plans to leave town in the middle of June and my mother is going to take care of my kids when my husband is at work. "Maybe I'll just take them to the beach", she says.

"You can't," I say. "They will still be in school."

I don't know what it is like in your county, but my kids go to school until June 24th. A big part of it is that we were snowed in for the entire month of February, but our school system usually lets out later in the summer anyway.

It is strange that the kids don't get out of school until the end of June, but I wish people would stop looking at me like I am a liar when I tell them this.

Dude. I didn't make the calendar. This inconveniences me too.

The Most Popular House on the Block

Some mothers aspire to be the cool neighborhood mom. They want all of the kids to want to come and hang out at their house.

I've heard the upsides. If all the kids are at your house you know exactly where your children are and precisely what they are doing.

Point taken.

My kids have been in elementary school for just over half of a year (can we even count February? I think they only had two days of school in February this year. *shakes fists wildly at sky and curses the Snowpocalypse*) and suddenly we have become the cool house.

I find this odd because I have to kindergartners, and while I think they are cool it seems sort of fishy that everyone else suddenly wants to come over to play every day after school.

Here Comes the Sun

Have you noticed a difference this week? I have. People are nicer this week. There are waits at the restaurants again. Traffic is worse, but it doesn't seem as bad.

I think it is the sun.

After the snowcpocalypse(s) and the generally crappy winter we finally seem to be coming out of it is no wonder that everybody is suddenly in a good mood.

It was probably only in the 50s today, but I went for a walk in my neighborhood and kids were playing outside. People were smiling and waving. 

I opened up my windows.

Sure, it was kind of chilly in my house, but I had fresh air! I had natural light. It was lovely.

It is almost Spring and I am going to hang on to that.

Sarah writes and takes pictures at Sarah and the Goon Squad, Draft Day Suit, BlogHer, MamaPop, Loser Moms and Sarah Reviews Stuff Here .

Girl Scout Shenanigans

You think I don't see it, Girl Scouts? Oh, I see it.

I suspected as soon as I saw my new box of Thin Mints. They seemed... off. Marginalized. Smaller.

But I found proof, girls. 

I had a box of Thin Mints in my freezer from last year.

Has the D.C. Area Gone Crazy? Shopping for the Snowpocalypse

The impending snowpocalypse had made everyone completely insane.

Did you go to a grocery store yesterday? HOLY COW. People were going nuts. There is no bread. There is no toilet paper. There is no kitty litter. Everybody bought four gallons of milk.

I grew up in Florida. I am familiar with storm preparedness.The summer my twins were born we had four hurricanes come through Tampa. (Yes, I said four. It was a crazy year.) When a hurricane comes you buy bottled water, batteries, duct tape and plywood. That I understand.

I don't mean to question the wisdom of the masses but - oh wait - I do mean to do that. Here is my query: Why are you buying so much milk?

Sock Issues

I realize that sock issues are not unique to my household, but I am beginning to believe that my sock problems exceed all others.

My unmatched sock basket must have sixty socks in there.

This blows my mind. First of all, I would have guessed that as a family of four we only owned about sixty pairs of socks, but no - my husband and I still have clean and matched socks in our drawers.

My unmatched socks defy reason. They defy the laws of nature.

I have tried everything. I have tried buying only large packs of socks where every sock is exactly the same for easy matching. I have tried buying socks that are so different you couldn't possibly not see a match. I have matched up ever sock in the house and then thrown away all of my socks without partners.

In fact, I did this not six months ago. How in the name of all that is holy do I have sixty unmatched socks? It isn't as if I go around buying socks all of the time. I am not a compulsive footwear shopper.

What I am is frustrated.

Reality TV Meets Real Life

I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. I watch a lot of television. I write about reality cooking shows. My husband and I pretty much record any show that involves food and contests on our DVR. I can't believe we didn't see this coming.

The other night we were watching the new Food Network show "Worst Cooks in America". It was the very first episode so they showing all of the people who were trying out when my husband said to me "Hey, is that Simon?"

We rewound the thing four times and I'll be damned if it didn't look exactly like my neighbor. He was the tall guy standing in back in a red shirt.

We kept watching and when the teams were chosen there was a tall guy in a red shirt that looked nothing like Simon at all. I was starting to wonder what we had been thinking when they panned back out and showed all of the people who weren't chosen (presumably the second worse cooks in America?) and there he was again.

It was totally him. There was no question.

I Didn't Win a Door Prize but I May Have Won Something Better.

We spent Saturday night at my husband's work holiday party. We had a nice time. He has been with the company for almost five years now so we are starting to really know a lot of people.

Every year my favorite part of the party (well, besides the open bar part) was the raffle. Every employee gets one ticket but you can buy extra tickets when you check in. It is a really nice system because the company pays for the prizes but all of the proceeds from the extra tickets that are purchased go to a charity.

Every year we spend $20 to get a 10 extra tickets.

We never win anything.

The prizes are amazing. This year there were iPods and televisions and laptops and gift certificates for places like Tiffany's and Coach.

At my husband's last company we won something almost every year. One time it was a free video rental but one time it was tickets to an NFL game.

Ever since he has been with this company we haven't won a thing.

There is one guy that he works with that wins two or three things every year, but I suspect he spends hundreds of dollars on tickets.

How Am I Supposed to Parent Well If I Am Not Well?

How is one supposed to parent well while sick?

I feel like garbage. My throat is killing me and I barely have a voice. My daughter wants to fight about if it is appropriate to wear a pair of capris to school when it is 40 degrees outside and I just don't have the energy to argue.

So I let her go to school in an outfit more appropriate for April than November.

I also forgot to pack her snack.

I just can't do it. I can barely make it into the kitchen to make a cup of tea.I feel awful that I am failing at parenting this week, but I just feel awful in general.

I know that if I am ill I should be taking extra precautions to make sure that my children don't get sick. I know I should give them vitamins and lots of fluids and that I should dress them warmly, but I am too tired to choose my battles. I am too weary to even have one battle.

I can't even yell properly.

How are we supposed to do this? How do you do it? Honestly, I am pretty sure I am doing it wrong.

Sarah also writes at Sarah and the Goon Squad, Draft Day Suit, MamaPop, BlogHer, and Loser Moms  when she is well.

My Ears are Ringing

My phone has been ringing off of the hook.

Do I know some really sweet gossip? Did I do something astounding? Did my team win the Super Bowl?

No. I've been insanely out of touch, only if you count quitting my old job as something astounding and none of the teams I root for are above .500.

My phone is ringing like crazy with pre-recorded calls asking me to vote for Creigh Deeds or Bob McDonnell or some guy for school board.

This is driving me crazy. I sit down to dinner with my family. *ring* I hop in the shower. *ring* I have just tucked my kids into bed. *ring* *ring*

Honestly, if it weren't already annoying enough to answer the phone and have it be a recording now I have to answer the phone six or seven times a day to a recording.

And don't even get me started on volunteers who call my house after 8:30 at night when my kids are asleep.