ESPN (Excellent Scooter Presentations Network)

Note: I tried to post this last night; however, it took like for-evah for the videos to upload!
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Today, Iz got to use her new scooter for the first time.
The one truly brilliant thing about being unemployed is that it has made me realize a lot of the stuff I have missed seeing my kids do, because I have been working full-time for the last 25 years.
That is, in some ways, NO, many ways, this has been a blessing, giving me time to do things that I never had the time to do before.

I was lucky growing up, because my Mom stayed home with us 'til I was about 8 or so.
Even then, she only went back to work as a nurse every other weekend, but to this day, I still remember missing her horribly those two weekends a month.
Of course, I also remember her getting totally frustrated with the three of us (Jack was 10, I was 8, and Julie was 7) and locking herself in the bathroom a lot, too!
Poor Mom.**
Anyway, in retrospect, it was probably good for her to get out of the house every now and then at that point in her life.

**As my Aunt Ethel said two years ago, "Isabelle is just like you when you were that age. Somewhere your Mother is laughing hysterically, because it's pay back time!"
Yeah, I never did like that Aunt Ethel! Just kidding, she's a total sweetie.

Anyway, at 4:30 today, Iz said, "Can we go out and try my new scooter?"
I first thought, "Oh, jeez, I have so much to do, and...."
Then I thought, "Ah, wait a sec, I have nothing much to do, cuz I have no job, ah, yeah, let's go!"

After I wrestled with the box for about 15 minutes and almost had to resort to using a machete to break it lose from its ridiculously strong plastic restraints, I freed said scooter, and we were on our way out of the house for.......ta da....the maiden scooter voyage!!!

(Post-it Note to self: Write a blog about how ridiculously toys, or any other things for that matter, are packaged today.)

Take one: Iz kept complaining about her helmet. But, I thought, well, that she was just complaining!

Take two: Um, George, hit me!
I had her helmet on backwards.
As an avid cyclist, I should SO not be allowed to watch the Tour de France this year for that mess up!

The ESPN Interview: K, in case anyone doesn't know this already, I need a job.
I might make a fine journalist or Diana Sawyer-type!
So, please, tell all your friends at ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, ESPN (the real one!), and heck, I'm desperate, even QVC!

Crazy Girl on a Scooter with a Big Butt!
Aw, come on, we all know that the camera adds 10 pounds to your butt!
Iz wanted to make a movie of me, and then a car was coming down the road, so, at the end, this is me feeling ridiculously foolish (a constant state for me!) whilst racing to get Iz out of the road before the car came!

At the end of the day, a job would be nice.
I miss everyone at work so very much...Gil, Brenda, Jeff, Sarah, Nancy, DaveB (the only person who is allowed to call me "Krazy Kat"), DaveH ("Jean, it's not that funny!") Amrit, TomS and so on.

BUT, I do like to think that the Great Cat Goddess, my diety of choice, has given me a bit of a gift here. The gift of a bit of time, which I've never really have had before in my life, well, at least not for the last 25 years anyway.

Now, there's time to unwind, time to be with Nathan and Iz, time to make cookies from scratch, time to brush Liam (he SO loves that -- not!), time to run, time to enjoy my lovely friends, time to blog and so on.

It's trite, but this might very well be the lemons to lemonade kinda thingy.
Well, I like to think it is, and I'm certainly going to live like it is.

"Stay on the sunny side, always on the sunny side, stay on the sunny side of life.
You'll feel no pain as we drive you insane if you stay on the sunny side of life!"

Hell ya!!!!!