Tales of an Average Family of 5

What to do……..

Well, let’s see…..What should I do now? My “to-do” list has lots of stuff on it, clean the bathrooms, (why did I insist on having more than one?), go to Stop and Shop, do the laundry.  I don’t want to do any of that. I find all those chores irritating, but I guess that is the real meaning of chores, isn’t it? So here I sit thinking, “Hey, maybe I’ll start a blog and avoid doing chores for a little while. Then maybe I will feel like doing them later.”…..there’s always hope! For some reason, I like writing online. I have three children and the two that are away at college have said that I am much more fun to talk to online (very interesting comment)….we’ll see if anyone out there agrees….

Another thing I like to do when I write online is to use dot, dot, dot, like this………… For some reason, it seems like such a natural thing to do. It is a good segway …..so I can change subjects….. way to think while I write….. like a written “ummmmm”….. and it gives people a chance to take a breath when they are reading. (You breathe when you read, don’t you?)

My name is Kathy-Anne or like my husband and good friends call me, Kat. Actually, K-A-T were my initials before I was married…so I guess you would say it is a fitting nickname. I am still not sure why my parents gave me a double name….we were not from the south, unless you consider that Vermont is south of Canada. It also contains a hypen. How many names do that? Then there is the business of no middle name…….huh, what were they thinking? So, I like the name, Kat although I do not have a cat. I don’t dislike cats, but I just don’t have one….I own a dog. His name is Duncan and is a Portuguese water dog. I don’t know how fitting the name Duncan is for a Portuguese water dog. My sister-in-law's family got a dog like ours and named him Magellan…now that makes sense….a Portuguese explorer….why couldn’t we have thought of that?

So it is the fall and the kids are back to school. I am a stay-at-home mom on the brink of an empty nest. It is good that I have 3 kids that are spaced out over 5 and a half years, that way my nest doesn’t get dumped all at once. I honestly do not know how moms of twins, or triplets do it.…

My oldest child, Chelsea, is a senior in college (not wanting to graduate in May and join the real world….unless you are talking about the reality TV show.) She likes to think of herself as the boss of the kids…and the other two let her think she is. She has earned the name “Big C” given to her by her brother and his friends….she commands respect! She has also stated that she is the guinea pig kid child…she may have a point.

Colin is a sophomore in college. I call him Colinboy...it's just one of those family things that happen...probably from saying goodnight...remember John boy on the TV show, The Waltons?  He loves playing his bass guitar and performing in bands. Colin has been referred to as “6 degrees of Colin". Colin seems to know many different people from many different circles, and if you don’t know him, he knows you….does that make any sense??? Okay, quickie story to give you an example…We, the family, were at a Red Sox game and I looked over and saw a man eating an enormous piece of meat, that looked something like a chicken or turkey bone….I’m talking the whole animal and it was very gross. Food was falling from his mouth and the grease was dripping from his face, that he didn’t even bother to wipe off. So being the immature mom that I can be …I say, “Colin, check that man out to your left!” He looks and says, “Oh, I know that man!” I say, “Come on Colin, how is that possible?” He watches the game for a while and then 10 minutes later says to me, “I remember, I’ve seen him at the Y….he goes to the same YMCA I do.” There you have it, enough said about Colinboy.

Then last but not least is Brianna. First of all, she does not like when either I say or write the 3 kids names and say “Chelsea, Colin and Brianna”…she insists I take the “and” out. I guess she feels like it makes her seem like an after thought, but I have to explain that it really distinguishes her and gives her the spot light that she so deserves! Our name for Brianna, other than Bri which the kids at school logically call her…..is Wish, Wishy, Sweet Wish, Wish Queen or Wish Queen of America! Okay, it is a little corny, but when she was really little, I would sing the Disney song “A dream is a wish your heart makes”…and then whisper good night “sweet wish”. Anyway, Wishy is a junior in High School and I am trying to hold onto her before she also leaves for college and leaves me to me!!

So those are my 3 kids, nicknames and all. And I do have a husband, Paul…I don’t have any cutesy nicknames for him like love bug, or babe. Sometimes I call him Pauly or PaulA, as a joke, because on his airline boarding passes his middle initial "A" is run together with his first name and people think it is PaulA….for some reason, I think this is funny! But, other times when he’s traveling, out on the road…(or flying) and he is stuck in airports with late hours, I call him Willy……you know, Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman. He's a great guy working hard for the money. After all, he’s got 3 kids and a wife, who hates to do chores, to feed!

I should end now….I plan on sharing stories of everyday life from an average family and life as I see it (no major life issues solved here)....so …I’ll be back. Not like the Jack Nicholson scary I’ll be back thing, but I’ll talk to ya soon………katOUT