Dear Big Boy,

Really? You really had to get up before 6am on both days this weekend? And why I ask? You have been around long enough to know I'm not exactly a barrel of sunshine first thing in the morning let alone on Sunday morning. Please child, and I am begging here, learn what it means to enjoy sleep. I swear on all that is holy we are not outside playing with your bubbles or having the circus come through for our own private party after you go to sleep. Honestly kid, it's quite boring around here after you go to bed, just the way I like it.

Just because the sun is creeping up does not mean you have to pop out of bed and instantly run around like you just finished a pot of coffee. Why oh why could you have not inherited my love of sleep. We all know how the rest of the day will play out. Around 3pm I'm going to crash from exhaustion with no relief in sight. Since you stopped napping over two years ago, that isn't an option and I know I won't be offered to go hide in the bedroom or out on the hammock for an hour to close my eyes for a few minutes.

Basically, I'm begging you to please pick at least one day over the weekend to sleep past 8am. I don't think I'm asking much and 8am is still pretty early kid but I'll take what I can get. Please just give it some thought.

Your completely sleep deprived Mother.

This Is Starting To Get Old

Let me start by saying, I really do love the rain. There is nothing I enjoy more than being home in comfy clothes on a nasty rainy day. Maybe because I'm able to justify laying around and doing nothing all day. Well, it seems like it has been raining here for months on end. We have been getting a few nice weekends mixed in here and there but overall, I just don't remember having it rain so often.

I'm also thinking that something about the weather patterns have been off. It's not unusual around here to have low clouds lingering around that will literally cling to the coast and make it look like a scene in some Stephen King book. Everything on the island will have this dreary damp mist and all you have to do is drive over the bridge about three miles west and the weather will be perfectly clear and sunny. Weird, right?

I know this isn't an exciting post but I was completely shocked when I went to let Lucy out before only to find it's raining yet again. Rumor has it, it's supposed to push out tonight and turn out to be a beautiful weekend but I'll believe it when I see it.

***I had to edit this to add it is absolutely gorgeous out!***

A Mother's Intuition

When I was younger, I always heard people talking about intuition or a sixth sense and honestly I never believed a word of it. Of course since becoming a mother, I now understand exactly what they were talking about. I'm sure this is the case with most Moms but today was especially "weird." I can always tell when something is going on with Big Boy. Hubby laughs and always asks how I knew he was going to have a bad night or be cranky. I just know. I don't know how or why, I just do.

This morning started out like any other morning. By a little before 8am BB and I were in the car and heading to school. I dropped him and made my way back over the bridge but had a real uneasy feeling the whole time. I always stop home for about fifteen minutes after I drop him off. I eat a bowl of cereal, let the dog out and hop on Facebook for a few minutes. Before I logged off FB, I updated my status to "leaving for work but have a gut feeling I'll be getting a call from the school nurse." All morning at work I kept checking my cell phone and wouldn't you know it, at 12:30 my phone rang and it was the school nurse.

Big Boy was running and I guess he got ahead of himself because according to his teacher he tripped forward and fell into the door rather hard. The poor thing has a huge egg on his head and was crying for over twenty minutes. I just can't believe it happened. How on earth did my mind know something would go wrong with him today? Thankfully, he doesn't have a concussion but I took him to the Pediatrician just to be on the safe side. My goodness, it could have been so much worse.

These intuitions if you will, happen all the time with him. I don't know how to describe them. All of a sudden, I'll just get a feeling and know something isn't right or is about to happen. Obviously, I know I'm not a psychic or anything but I think it's really cool, kinda like he and I are connected on another level. I mean we are pretty much attached at the hip except for when I'm at work and he's at school.

Anyway, I would love it if my wonderful readers would share a few of their own "Mommy Intuition" stories with me. I guess what I'm saying is, having a child has turned me in to a believer when it comes to intuition, something I used to laugh at when I was younger. So...if you have something to share....PLEASE share it with me!

Should I Charge Them Rent?

The weather is finally breaking which means Big Boy is starting to feel like a caged rat in the house. He would be outside from sunrise to sunset if I would let him. Lucky for him, Hubby and I have been wanting to get outside and finish up some work in the yard. We are planning on opening the pool next week so today we focused on the back yard.

I was cleaning up the deck when I kept hearing birds chirp. I knew it sounded like babies but there was no way it was coming from a nest in one of the trees. I just happen to look up at the right time and spotted this little baby bird sticking it's head out of a small hole in my house. Interesting. I informed Hubby we had a family of birds living in the soffit and after a few grumbles under his breath he went over to check it out. The next thing I knew he was ran for the camera and was able to catch some really amazing photos of the Mother feeding her babies. Introducing our family of Sparrows...


I just can't get over how cool these pictures are! It was so wild to watch both the male and the female taking turns feeding the babies. I'm also impressed by Hubby's photo skills. Every time he saw one of them, he dropped what he was doing and grabbed the camera. Big Boy got a kick out of it too except he doesn't quite grasp the concept of being quiet so the birds were spooked at one point and we had to quickly set his attention to something else in the yard.


Now comes the next dilemma...after the birds leave the nest, do we patch up the hole or let it be for them to come back next year? I know having birds living in your soffits isn't exactly the best thing for your house but I like my houseguests and just may welcome them back next year.

I need to give my little sparrow family a name but for some reason my mind is drawing a blank. Any ideas? Now on the other side of the house, we have a much bigger problem. Carpenter bees have invaded those soffits and they are not welcome to stay. We have tried everything short of an exterminator to get rid of them. I've heard WD-40 works so I may have to give it a try. Luckily, they are on opposite ends of the house so I know I can't hurt my new friends. Check back often, I hope to update with new pics in a few days!

Sniffle Sniffle

The lack of comments is really starting to make me a little sad. If everyone who lurked here left one comment a week I would be a happy girl. Just one little comment would brighten my day. I'll make you a deal....you leave me some comments, and I promise to update at least every other day. I'll even go a step further. I'll throw in a contest in a few weeks. I already have one in mind. Deal?

This Will Forever Make Me Laugh

No matter how many times I see it, hear it or think of it, I have to laugh. Kudos Family Guy. Well done.

And So It Begins.......

I woke this morning to an empty town, only a few cars on the road and blissful peace and quite. As they day went by, more and more of them started to appear. First the cars, then the accents and finally the "Yeah Tony, I'm down da shore for da weekend." The Bennies have arrived and for the next three months my beautiful town will be invaded by some of the nastiest, rudest and most disrespectful walks of life that you couldn't even imagine in your worst nightmares.

I love where I live. I don't think I would ever want to live anywhere else. I'm surrounded by both the ocean and the beautiful Barnaget Bay. I can hear the ocean at night and the pungent salt water smell drifts through my house. It is heaven. However, with that being said, there is nothing worse than being pushed out of your own town for three months. Obviously,many of our local businesses thrive on tourism and the summer crowd is what keeps a roof over their head but at what cost?

I guess my main problem is...Why do they treat our towns like a doormat and behave in ways they would never do when they are home. Would you walk in to your grocery store in bare feet when you're home? NO! So why do it here? How would you like it if I blocked your driveway just so I could park ten feet closer to the beach? So why do it? Some of the Bennies have absolutely no respect for the locals and each year it's getting worse and worse. I almost wish I could erase all the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day from the calendar. The other nine months out of the year is like living in a paradise very few people know about but like I said earlier, at what price? Three months of hell. I would like to add though, it's not all of our summer friends. There are quite a few people I am quite happy to see and it bums me out when they leave to go home in September.

So now I will leave you with this wonderful blog I recently found. BennyGoHome. And...we ask that you remember you are guests in our beach towns.

What Is So Funny Boys?

I'll start by saying I am glad I finally caved and allowed hubby to bring the camera to the Yankee game with him on Saturday. It isn't that I didn't trust him, I was just worried that he would out it down somewhere while grabbing a beer of leave it under his seat. Considering it's a Canon Rebel, I have every right to be paranoid about the damn thing. Anyway, the camera made it home in one piece and the shots he was able to get are UNBELIEVABLE. Of course my digital editing program won't allow me to zoom in as close as I would like but I really can't complain.

I would love to know what these three knuckle heads found so funny?

Like I said, I can't zoom in close enough to get the full effect. Johnny Damon(right), may I say you look so much better in pin stripes than you ever did when you were part of the Red Sox Idiot Crew. It's amazing what a hair cut, shave and attitude adjustment can do for a players likability.

As always, thee are no words to describe the awesomeness that is Derek Jeter. By far, one of the greatest baseball players...EVER. I can even get past the whole Mariah Carey fiasco. I do have to ask though, what the hell were you thinking with that train wreck. Yikes.


I have so many more pictures, even better ones but I simply can't choose. I'll leave you with this last one. The yanks seem to be on the past few nights. They have also been treating each win like it's the World Series, which is fantastic. There is nothing better than seeing a team celebrate like every game is the big game.


Ah yes, I forgot to add my moron husband was given a $100 citation for jumping a subway turnstile after the game. He claims he didn't. Either way he gets the asshat of the day award.

Everyone Needs An Update...

Dear all my blogging friends,

I think it is time we all updated our blogs. My pathetic blog roll has had the same posts on it for months. I need updates. Please log off Facebook and get to it!

With Love,

The Beach Life

Light A Candle, Say A Prayer

It's been two years. Two years ago today, my oldest brother lost his battle to a cancer that he had been fighting for ten years. I wasn't sure how I would feel today. I think more than anything I feel overwhelmed. I look at Big Boy and I'm sad he will never get to know his Uncle Kenny. I think of my mother and only now, after being a mother myself, can I imagine how she feels yet, I pray I never know exactly how she feels. I have four other brothers who I'm sure, are all dealing with this in their own private way, trying to be strong for their own children. I want to call my sister in law and my niece but I'm sure they want to be left alone. I know they are still trying to pick up the pieces. Even two years later.

I have a difficult time expressing my feelings so when I came across a website which allows you to light a candle for someone you may have lost in your life or simply for someone you love who may be in the need of a prayer, I began doing just that. Unfortunately, I don't get to church nearly as often as I should and this allows me to light a candle and pray for someone in my won way, as weird as it may be. If you would like to light a candle for Kenny, you can search the group under the initials KH.

Thymic Cancer is such a rare cancer, many people have never even heard of it. I doctor friend of mine even told me my brother was the only case he had ever heard of in his thirty plus years of practicing medicine. This is a great site if you would like to learn more or make a donation to Thymic Cancer Research.

We all love and miss you very much Kenny.