Old News But News To Me. And It’s Feel-Good-Friday!

Apparently, this is old news. Three months old, to be exact.

But it’s news to me. So I’m sharing.

The Allegheny Window Cleaning company, in Pennsylvania, surprised a client (a local children’s hospital) with this:

 

Not to be outdone (honestly, I don’t know who went first…it just fit my internet surfing timeline) the window washers at La Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennesee did this:

 

And this great idea is now a movement. If you Google “superhero window washers” you’ll find similar stories popping up all over America. From Pittsburgh to Memphis to St. Petersburg, Florida and beyond.

Bringing joy to these children’s faces, allowing them to forget about their illness for even just a moment is such a precious and amazing thing.

Now, that’s my definition of a Superhero.

 

Speaking Of Happy Dance, This One Is Pure Joy!

I just had to share this pic, taken from the Maria Montessori site on Facebook.

Pure, simple, utter joy.

May you have a little in your day today.

 

 

Yes. A Spring Break Staycation Can Be Chock Full Of !!!

First, there was no money for a spring break vacation. So, we cancelled our reservations.

Then, #1son, followed closely by #2son, caught a virus for the first 1/2 of spring break. (#1daughter followed soon after, of course.)

Things were not looking pretty at Chez Jane’s for spring break.

And then, the unexpected happened. Brady Bunch marathons. Cookie baking. Magic tricks. Card games. Reading aloud and finishing The Borrowers and The Hobbit within days of each other.

Games of Chutes & Ladders with Sorry game pieces because the Chutes & Ladders pieces were vacationing at the vintage Fischer Price jail and barber shop and couldn’t be disturbed.

Lunch out at Cheeseburger Bobby’s because mom had coupons. (Yay, Mom!)

Hanging with our friends and a  chance to see and be seen at the Imax theater for a showing of Born To Be Wild. Loads of fun!

No, I didn’t get a tan or any closets cleaned out. But there was lots of cuddling and plenty of laughs.

The perfect spring break staycation.

!!!

(It’s been so long since I’ve participated in this wonderful meme. I want to give a shout out to the wonderful creators: Bad Mommy Moments and Momalom! Thanks for encouraging us to celebrate the !!! in our lives!)

!!! At The Airport

I had to fly to Michigan this past weekend. And I’m not fond of flying. Oh sure, it gets you places oh-so-quickly. But you have to rely on the skills of a stranger and the ability of a 200,000 pound airplane to glide effortlessly through the air.

Because my daughter needed the car to pick up her brothers from school, I had to arrive at the airport very early. Plenty of time to enjoy some of my favorite things….

People watching. One of the best pasttimes ever.

courtesy of http://richmanwisco.blogspot.com/2006/02/no-travel-this-week.html

I never understood why people worried about the comfort of their earbuds. I’m never able to listen to my ipod for more than a few minutes at a time. But alone in the airport? I’m so grateful to my daughter for lending me these…

 

There is nothing like uninterrupted reading time. No xBox controls to fix. No disagreements to moderate. No dinner to start preparing. Heaven.

What else brings me !!! at the airport? Valerian. Two little capsules before I fly to settle my nerves. And two little capsules before encounters with my mother. Peace in a bottle.

I don’t chew gum. I blame my orthodontist. He banned gum chewing during my braces years and then kept me in them for most of my adolescence. I never picked up gum chewing in adulthood. When I fly, Starburst candies do the trick to help relieve the pressure. Tasty, too.

There you have it. Jane’s !!! for flying. What makes your flying adventures more bearable?

(For more !!! visit Momalom or Bad Mommy Moments.)

Spotting Signs Of The Ever Elusive Teenager

If you have a teenager in your home (or you think you do) you know what I’m talking about….

After a long, hard day you clean the kitchen after dinner. The dishwasher is humming. The leftovers are safely tucked away in the refrigerator. The counters shine and the sink sparkles. Passing through the kitchen on your way to bed you smile and admire your handy work. And then, you wake up in the morning and you find this…

Or, after dropping your two youngest off at school and running errands all morning you come back to the house, hoping to enjoy a few minutes of peace before school is out and a whole new set of chores will be begging your attention. And you find this blocking your way…

And then, of course, there are the times when you find little notes like this one on your kitchen table…

Yep. That’s when you know you have a teenager in the house. And I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Meet my elusive teen! She’s my !!! for this week!

For more !!! visit Momalom or Bad Mommy Moments.

Take The Time To See The Magic Around Us

This is such an interesting experiment.

And a huge reminder for all of us to slow down.

Breathe.

Enjoy. And see the magic.

There IS magic all around us if we would only take the time to look.

!!!

For more !!! visit Momalom or Bad Mommy Moments.

!!! At The Movies

When I need to escape where do I go? The theater. The movie theater.

I typically go during matinée pricing (I’m all frugal that way) yet I’ll pay almost $10 for popcorn and coke. A movie experience isn’t a movie experience without my popcorn and coke. I usually go alone. It’s the only way I can guarantee I’ll actually see the movie in the theater before it goes to DVD. I love to sit in the very back row so I can enjoy the audience experience, as well. See them laugh or jump. Or notice the shoulders gently bobbing during a particularly sad scene.

There are certain movies I could see again and again. Movies that bring !!! every single time.

I know every line to every song in this movie. I played Maria in our elementary school production, Liesl in high school and Sister Margaretta in a community production. When I visited Austria in high school my friend and I hunted down places of interest to take pictures. You could say I was a little obsessed.

And even though I know what happens next, Psycho still gives me the creeps.

I could watch them all, but the first one is still my favorite.

From my childhood and now my kids love to watch this one over and over. So many sweet life lessons in this film.

So thought-provoking and so many layers. I’ve seen it a few times and each time I get something new from it.

One of my favorite comedies. So fun. So funny. A classic.

I could go on and on and on. This tiny little sampling doesn’t even scratch the surface. Just some of the few movies that bring me !!!

For more !!! visit Momalom or Bad Mommy Moments.

And Now A Word From Our !!! Sponsors

So many things tickled my !!! fancy this week.

First off? CK at Bad Mommy Moments reminded me a few weeks ago (or was it months? Oh. How time flies!) how much I love the smell of freshly washed baby/kid hair with Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. It lowers my blood pressure.  I had a bottle under the sink and I decided to heck with it saying “Baby” on the label. I’ll just sneak it onto my kid’s heads. I did. And they love the smell, too! Now they ask for the “orange shampoo.” A little bit of !!! for my week. Ahhhhhh.

 

 Speaking of showering, I adore Noxzema. The original. In the pump. (Which I can’t find anymore in my local stores so I’m stuck with the cumbersome tub) I’ve tried the fancy stuff at the make-up counters. I’ve tried the not-as-fancy-but-still-more-expensive stuff at the drug stores. But good ol’ fashioned, plain, cheap Noxzema does it for me. Now, if someone can please tell me where I can find the orignal formula in the pump container again, my morning/evening ritual will be complete.

I have a killer banana bread recipe that actually slices like cake. It’s fairly low in sugar and my family loves it. Of course, we usually amp up the sugar content by covering a slice in cream cheese frosting, or like last night, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then caramel sauce. Mmmmmmm. My over ripe bananas brought the whole family a little extra !!! this week.

Speaking of cooking, I found this cookbook at the library and I’ve been entranced. I enjoy cooking. I like a good cookbook. But The Amish Cook has been such an enjoyable read. Beautiful photography. Homey recipes. Interesting details and stories of Amish life. It’s been the kind of book where I set aside time during the day, get my glass of tea, curl up on the couch and just thumb through the pages, savoring every delicious word. I’ve already renewed it once. And I’m going to renew it again. Then, I’m going to have to buy my own copy.

For more !!! visit Momalom or Bad Mommy Moments.

!!! Therapy At Its Finest

I used to swim competitively.

Now, almost 30 years later, I’m finding that a good swim workout is not only good for the body.

It’s good for the soul.

It’s my therapy.

Therapy at its finest.

First, gotta have the swim suit.

Then, the goggles. Speedo is my personal favorite.

And finally, a lane. All. To. Myself.

Heaven.

For more !!! visit Momalom or Bad Mommy Moments.

A Must See !!!

I know time is precious. But take the four minutes to watch this video. You WILL see your life differently after this.

Here’s to all the precious !!! in YOUR life.

Today and every day.

For more !!! visit Momalom or Bad Mommy Moments.