Happy 25th Birthday Brianna

Happy 25th Birthday, Brianna

aka Wish, Wishy, Sweet Wishy, Wish Queen of America

A quarter of a century  is a milestone birthday and comes with a big perk.

The Budget rental-car is easier to rent. woop woop

I recently found our calendar from the year 1991, the year Brianna was born.  

(yes, I am a pacKat).  

I had circled June 14th  on the calendar and  written Baby #3 due .  

Apparently Brianna had decided she was tired of being cramped in that womb without a view, 

so she busted out 9 days early.
My pop-up timer had popped, Bri was fully cooked.
It was Wishy time.

Born on a sunny day…

Bri came home to a Big Sister and Big Brother bearing gifts...

got chicken pox?
Nothing says Welcome baby sister...more than a highly contagious virus.  

Our Bri = sweet, happy, thoughtful, determined, creative, FUN and adventurous.  

If I were to pick a color that reminds me of Brianna, it would be yellow.  

(Hence, her old room color.) 

With her sunny disposition, she makes the world a better place.  

And off she will go soon…spreading her yellow around the world.

(Ever since Major Healy…aka PaulA  agreed to that Semester-at-Sea, 

we haven't been able to get the  "Jeannie" back in the bottle.)

Anywhoooo……

Brianna has always loved a celebration…especially hers!  

She's been a Party girl since 1991.  

Make a wish, Sweet Wishy. 

It's Your day to make a wish...

our wish came true 25 years ago.

Have a great day and do whatever makes you happy…

even if involves eating with your hands.

June 5.1991…25 years ago…

we became a Party of Five...

...And Sweet Wishy continues to have me eating out of her hands.

Love you, Brianna

to the 25th power

Reflections of a Reflective Blogger

From this blog title, you might be expecting a blog about

something deep...

a theoretical/philosophical topic

but alas...

that would be someone else's blog.

This blog deals with matters that are skin deep...

the full-length mirror.

This is...

A Tale of Two Mirrors...

(Charles Dickens has nothing on this Kat.)

where one mirror makes you look like

Lady Godiva

and the other makes you look like

the horse she rode in on.

 It was the best of reflections. 

It was the worst of reflections.

Anywhooooo...

Today on "Today" 

Jeff Rossen did an investigative story on a new mirror...

The Skinny Mirror.

The Skinny Mirror is made of curved glass and gives your body a slimming hourglass effect...

knocking off between 5 to 10 pounds.

The inventor claims that 

"a normal mirror actually makes you look five to 10 pounds heavier than you do in real life."

(I knew my mirror was plotting against me.)

The Skinny Mirror was originally designed for the home market 

to inspire a positive self image 

but is increasingly selling to retail clothing stores...

because retail stores really really care about our self image.  

(I love it when I make a funny.)

Apparently clothing sales are increased by almost 20 percent 

when The Skinny Mirror is used in their dressing rooms.

Nothing like a magic mirror 

in a dressing room to get me to

Say "YES" to the Dress.

Do we really want a mirror that reflects the TRUTH?

ummm...not always.

Happy Colintine's Day #28

Colintine's Day # 28

the perfect combo... 

Colin's Birthday and Valentine's Day.

28 years ago, the day Colin was born

was a pinch me…full circle life moment.  

Colin's birthday on Valentine's day

THE day of love, with my love…

was perfectly fitting.  

Love all around. 

pass the hugs and kisses.

Anywhooo….

I love full circle life moment stories 

and this is one…

When Colin was in the 6th grade, 

he asked for a bass guitar for Christmas and 
when Santa said Yes to the Bass....
it was music to his ears.

To say that Colin rocked our house through the years 

is an understatement…

you could always find him jamming away…

and practicing his rockstar moves

for the big stage...someday.  he hoped.

In Y2K when Colin was 12 years old, 

his dad (such a nice guy)

took him to see the band Lit in New Haven, CT  

THE band that he LOVED…and 

THE song…"My Own Worst Enemy."

Fast Forward...2016, 

Colin is (almost) 28 and he is playing bass
on the big stage 

with Dustin Lynch and Lit 

at a show in Anaheim, California…

playing THE song "My Own Worst Enemy."

I'm guessing Colin was picturing his 12 year old self 

in his room 
jamming and jumping to Lit.
A pinch me...full circle life moment.

Those rockstar moves he was working on 

16 years earlier

probably came in handy.

Happy birthday to 
a son 

who is talented, creative, funny and fun to be around.  

And most of all 
a son 

who is nice, sweet, thoughtful, kind
and
always loving and caring to his mother...

and that will always and forever 

make Colin 
a rockstar in my eyes.

Happy 30th Birthday Chelsea

Chelsea is 

XXX

(Don't worry…she's not X-rated…

 just roman numerals for 30.)

Today Chelsea 
is staring down the barrel 

of a new DECADE.

No worries my dear Chelsea, 
30 is the new 20

and at 30 

you have the benefit of learning from past life experiences.

Every day has brought you to where you are now…

the sweet spot…

older and wiser than those in their teens and twenties…

and a youngster to those in their 40's, 50's and BEYOND

Enjoy that sweet spot.

A birthday on January 21st puts Chelsea 
under the Aquarius Zodiac sign. 

I find it hard not to sing the song 

"The Age of Aquarius" by the 5th Dimension…

a song that was big in the late 60's.  

Chelsea actually makes a great 

flower child of the 60's 

with her flower crown and Free People threads.

Sing with me….

"When the moon is in the Seventh House

And Jupiter aligns with Mars

Then peace will guide the planets

And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius

The Age of Aquarius

Aquarius, Aquarius"

Anywhoooo….

30 is a milestone birthday…

a mile marker along the road of life.

As much as Chelsea is thinking about 
her age now starting with a 3, 

her birthday is also a 
milestone threshold moment for PaulA and I.

A threshold where I can't help but pause and
 think back to her past milestones...

her first words (dog, dog),  
her first steps (1/31/87), 
her first birthday (St. Louis-1/21/87), 

her first haircut (1/6/90),

her first wheels (Bri made Chelsea a car for 16th bday)

her graduation day from BAMA (mother's day, 2008), 

her marriage to Austin, her college sweetheart (9/27/2014).

But along with the many milestones...
I like to think back to the 
small quiet moments with Chelsea…
moments with no particular dates on a calendar
just wonderful memories I carry with me...
holding baby Chelsea on my lap, 
putting bows in her hair, 
reading her Berenstain Bears Books,
making her favorite grilled cheese sandwiches, 
pushing her on the swings, 
Chelsea waving goodbye from the school bus window, 
her big smile getting off the bus to come home, 
Chelsea playing with Colin and Brianna,
Chelsea hugging her baby doll...
...the small things.

1/21 is a big BIG day for Chelsea

…and also a big BIG day for me...
(I can't jump that high)

...the day Chelsea 

and our dear Lord 
made me a mom...
the best job. ever.

Happy XXX birthday Chelsea

I'm  adding a couple of O's to your X's

XOXOX

Cyber Monday Shopping

The monday morning after Thanksgiving I woke up 

(from my tryptophan coma)

to find I had 76 emails and said out loud 

 "hot dang, 

I am popular today." 

So I scrolled through my peeps…

to see who was checking in...

okay, there's

Tiffany, 

(hey girl)

Joss,

Dot,

Max,

Ann,

and

Joe 

Then I took a closer look...

more like...

Tiffany & Co, 

Joss & Main

Dot & Bo

Max Restaurant Group

Ann Taylor

Joe Photo

It hit me….

It was Cyber Monday and 

I was being 

Cybersolicited.

anywhooo…..

I totally understand the attraction of Cyber Monday.  

If you can get a deal on something online and 

spare the crowds and 

long wait in lines 

at the Taj mamall…

why not?   

But this Kat has never been an online shopper...

call me old fashioned  (not old)…

I like to pick the item up, 

turn it over, 

shake it, 

try it on, 

and

smell it 

before I buy.  

It must pass the smell test before I buy it. 

You can't do that on the internet. 

  

After being bombarded by all the

 cybermail for cybersales 

I decided to hit the cybertrail

and hit up Target for a little cybershopping... 

only to find

I was stuck in a virtual line

behind thousands. 

(Bring on the 10 people that would have been 

ahead of me at the brick-and-mortar Target.)

I wished I had a cyber sword to cut the line.

For me...

Cyber Monday shopping stinks.

And it has to pass the smell test.