Maggie's Farm

At the risk of being dismissed as a bitch by all, have to say that these Hallmark holidays cruelly taunt middle aged mommies like me....In our house, Valentine's Day is yet another festival of gifts from Mama to everybody else. Certain long established family traditions: a 2 lb bag of Lindt truffles for each of them (husband and kids get the same, a soft fuzzy animal for each (got adorable new bears in hand knit sweaters for $1.50 apiece that the thrift shop got from a store going out of business). This year also found from the same place a grey cableknit cashmere twin set for one kid ($40 perfect shape), Brooks Bros blue blazer ($15) and cool black leather jacket ($25) for son and heir who has grown 8 inches taller this year, assorted sterling silver earrings and necklace for other kid who is into minimal stuff ($12 total), but not sure what to get a man who buys himself everything he ever wants, and whose idea of Valentine's giving is to go to CVS the day after and buy the discounted cheap candy boxes....

Valentine's day is a fun excuse to shop for the kiddies, who are always thrilled with my finds for them, but after 20 years of marriage, it is about as romantic as having your teeth scraped at the dentist. You make an effort to do it, but you just want it over.

It was a fun holiday when I was young and single, tho! It's just for young lovers. Us Punch and Judy types would be better off forgetting February 14th....

Things have to get better...back from church meeting just now, picking up PISSED teenager on way home,early from her movie watching with friends because she didn't contact us and we coudn't reach her and were worried because of kid walking places after dark....The infamous teenaged howl "Don't you trust me!!" "Nope. We were teenagers once in the Dark Ages." Sulk. Slammed door. "Go away! No, I don't want to see the cat. She doesn't want to see me, you are just saying that to get me to open the door!" Guess I won't be getting any homemade "I love Mommy" valentines this year....

But gaming geek younger one found this hilarious thing on what geeks do on a Friday night...the best part is right at the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h54TQv61IsU&feature=related

You have to have a bunch of crazed gamers in the family who would rather have a souped up gaming computer than a car and would rather play D and D than go to a party to truly appreciate it, perhaps....

AP, I'm guessing, perhaps 8, perhaps only 6 or 7, perhaps in a year and a half? Certainly he looms over me now! His father and grandfather had the same pattern of growth... I'm bad with maps, measurements, guesstimating size. I used to look on the top of his head, now he looks down on mine... His pediatrician is not unduly concerned....Tho certainly one would worry about that in a dog (Great Danes). One always appreciates cautions these days, especially given the annual two minutes a physically heathy kid spends being rubberstamped by the HMO-protocolling pediatrician...