It seems like only yesterday that we were singing our favorite song from Sesame Street together. Then I turned around, but only for a moment. And I just don’t understand how, in the blink of an eye, we got from here ….

To here …

Congratulations, Dean – Class of 2013

You make me proud every day. I can’t wait to see what high school holds for you.

— Photo courtesy of Loupe Photography —

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“The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born. Your life, as you know it … is gone. Never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk … and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life.” — Bob, Lost in Translation

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People with this name are excited by change, adventure, and excitement. They are dynamic, visionary and versatile, able to make constructive use of freedom. They fight being restricted by rules and conventions. They tend to be optimistic, energetic, intelligent, and to make friends easily. They may be changeable, restless, untidy, and rebellious.

Wow. I don’t think that name fits her at all. (wink)

Happy birthday to the amazing girl who brings glorious color, music and whimsy to my life every day.

I love you, little face.

He … stands firm on the ground underneath him.

I … am reticent.

I … am scared, needy.

How will I ever make it through?

It is quite the paradigm shift.

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Yeah, I really think it can.

I’m honestly considering wearing waterproof mascara to the ceremony. Or possibly none. And did I mention that my girl is celebrating yet another birthday the day before my boy’s big day? My babies are getting too big.

God, but the passing of time blows.

What do YOU like? … hate? … hear is the next big thing?

I was fifteen when I first discovered him. The assignment? Read three books by the same author. Back then, he had only five. (1) Garp and (2) Hotel New Hampshire. Both also movies. Done. But I needed three. I closed my eyes and pointed. (3) The Water-Method Man. The best of the three and still one of my all-time favorites.

My original copy, purchased at age 15. It’s still on my bookshelf.

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For a quick explanation of this link-up, click here. In short, Mel and I will post a picture or video with a writing prompt on the 1st and 15th of every month. You can write your entry in any form. We love creativity. And, with each prompt, we’ll feature a writer from the previous link-up. Which reminds me …

Our esteemed Ketchup With Us Featured Writer for today is …

Kiss My List

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RULES? WHO NEEDS ‘EM?!!?

The rules are … THERE ARE NO RULES! Just guidelines. And we’d love it if you posted our button and followed us on Facebook (Michele /Mel) and Twitter (Michele/Mel).

GRAB OUR BUTTON!

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‘KETCHUP WITH US’ – Prompt 18

In 57 words or less, tell us about a favorite book or author. We’re all looking for good summer reads, right? (I mean … except illiterate me.)

Despite the fact that I am most definitely not 13, THIS is the song I’ve had stuck in my head.

The story line has these two “misfits” addressing the popular kids. They lament about how they’ve never been popular and are only now getting attention from the in-crowd because they sing (professionally, one can only assume) popular songs that these jerks actually like. Who’s speaking … the gothy characters or Mika and Ariana? The song is multi-layered, like a bubble-gum flavored onion. (sarcasm face)

The video was just released a few weeks ago:

So, did you watch the video? Or did you just skip down to this paragraph? Cheater! Watch the video, especially if you know the song from Wicked. They did a good job weaving the original melody in with the new one. But seriously, at what high school IN HELL would these two not be popular? I’m supposed to believe that beautiful Ariana Grande would lose the attention of a boy to the goofy, blonde, horse-toothed, dead girl? Please. Miss Grande is one of the prettiest teenage girls I’ve ever seen. And this is coming from a (static noise)-year-old woman! Oh, and Mika? At the very LEAST, I would think his British accent and talking car would have managed to get him a little social action. I’m really not buying that they’re the dungeon-and-dragony outcasts here.

Still, I LOVE the song and its video. Here are just a few of my favorite lyrics:

Standing on the field with your pretty pompoms
Now you’re working at the movies selling popular corn

You hid during classes and in between them
Dunk me in the toilets, now it’s you that cleans them

You were singing all the songs I don’t know
Now you’re in the front row ’cause my song is popular

DO YOU PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!!?

Exactly! If I can just get ODNT to be number one on Google … or write a NY Times Bestseller … or (ooh!) maybe win on Wheel or Fortune or something, I can exact my revenge on all the jackasses who gave me a hard time as a kid. Plus, apparently all the cool kids are now pumping gas and scrubbing toilets. (My apologies to gas pumpers and toilet scrubbers who were not mean to me.) Also, I really like the idea of turning these people to stone. Although I might actually want to keep them around to serve as an example for any future jackassery in my life.

Who wants in on this project? I get to be Ariana!

Plus the resemblance is uncanny, isn’t it?

I … SAID … ISN’T … IT???

8:00am – Wow. They’re still sleeping? Well, they told me to stay in bed this morning until they came to get me. So, I’ll just do as I’m told. What a compliant mom I am.

8:30am – Okay. Dean’s up. No surprise there. But he’s going to have to wait a while on his loves-to-sleep-late sister.

8:35am – Scratch that. He apparently just woke her butt up.

8:40am – And now, I just need to stay in this room … in this bed … while my two amazing kids make breakfast for me without any help from their (traveling) father. One half of me is thrilled … and the other terrified.

8:45 – I am trapped in my bed in total darkness playing with my phone under the covers so I don’t get caught for not sleeping. What am I … 12???

9:05am – I haven’t heard any bickering. I haven’t heard much of anything actually. Are they shitting me? Did they just want to wake up early to watch TV without me interrupting them about studying for their tests this week?

9:10am – I hear a loud crash followed by scampering feet. May we please observe a moment of silence for my kitchen?

9:20am – Okay. That’s it. I’m starting to get stiff and uncomfortable. My kids wouldn’t want me to be stiff and uncomfortable … especially on Mother’s Day. What if I just get out of bed but still stay in the room? Would that be okay? (Oh, God. I am 12.) Plus, I really have to pee.

9:30am – I’m pushing it …. still out of bed. Brushing my hair, straightening the bedroom a little. God, why can’t I just do what I’m told?

9:35am – Jumped back in bed in case they’re about to walk in. I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Plus how could I ever get away with “I only asked you to do ONE THING and you couldn’t even do THAT!!!” again?

9:39am – Oh, dear God. I just heard the blender. Where’s my rosary?

9:46am – The door opens and the singing begins. They start walking the “long” and somewhat obstructed journey to my bedside carrying the tray together. The delicious-but-stainy beverage nearly bites it. Twice. “Oh, shit!” my mouth wants to shout out but I stifle and just smile catatonically through their shared panic/enthusiasm.

9:48am – Breakfast is served! OMG … and it’s Gluten-Free! My kids actually read labels for me.

I am told the red jelly represents the highlights in my hair. And I have blackberry eyelashes.

Thanks, Mel, for writing the article that inspired my morning with me. I have the two best kids ever.

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How was YOUR morning?

Happy Mother’s Day to MY mom and to all of my fellow mamas out there.

gluten /ˈglo͞otn/ (n.) – the ingredient in food, especially dessert and bread, that makes it delicious

Now when I say “diet,” I’m referring to the kinder, gentler form of the word as in “daily regimen” (not “restrictive punishment”). But I’m not opposed to dropping a few pounds. I’ve fought with the same 5-10 SOBs for twenty years. They love me but I keep sending them back to the curb. (One of these days, I’m changing the locks.) It’s just that lately I’ve been feeling not quite myself … as in beaten down, achy, even dealing with a few skin issues. Long story short … everyone keeps touting the benefits of eliminating gluten from my diet. And I figured … if I could eat nothing but baby food for five days … then ditching gluten for the same five (or longer) should be a piece of cake.

Cake?!!? (Why did I have to say cake?)

(underpaid lackey runs in) “Okay, everybody. ODNT, Ditching Gluten, Take TWO!” (clack)

(Back to me) …”And I figured … if I could eat nothing but baby food for five days … then ditching gluten for the same five (or longer) should be a piece of organic, free-range, skinless chicken breast.”

Here are just a FEW things I’ve heard it can help:

• Eyesight
• Headaches
• Sleep
• Skin Problems
• Chronic Fatigue
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Depression

So, you know what? I’m trying it. Along with Elizabeth Hasselback, Chelsea Clinton, Zooey Deschanel and a bunch of other “celebrities” I’ve never heard of. It’s already my third day. I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, does anyone want to …

• offer any helpful tips?
• slam me for trying it?
• take bets on how long ’til I cave?

Am I serious?

Well FYI, I had to make brownies for my daughter’s bake sale today.

You wouldn’t believe how fast I grabbed the Palmolive!

Game On, Gluten!

Because right in the middle of breakneckedly packing up THIRTY-SIX YEARS worth of clothing, kitchenware, bedding, electronics, furniture, tools, pictures, books, music and other cherished family artifacts, she stopped to make a practice test for my daughter who had an English quiz the next day.

Because she NEVER says no.

(Well, almost never.)

I love you, Mom.

Me, between the best moms in the world, future and present. 

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For a quick explanation of this link-up, click here. In short, Mel and I will post a picture or video with a writing prompt on the 1st and 15th of every month. You can write your entry in any form. We love creativity. And, with each prompt, we’ll feature a writer from the previous link-up. Which reminds me …

Our esteemed Ketchup With Us Featured Writer for today is …

Mod Mom Beyond IndieDom

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The Rules of Play

1. Submit your entry using the linky at the bottom of our KWU posts.
2. Follow us on Facebook (Michele /Mel).
3. Follow us on Twitter (Michele/Mel) & tweet us your entry using #KetchupWithUs.

Grab our Button!

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‘KETCHUP WITH US’ – Prompt 17

In 57 words or less, tell us about a special mother in your life. You can pick anyone you want. We won’t tell.

Yes, I am talking about a house. A home really. My parents are moving out of my childhood home. Today is their last day. Our last day. We’re all very excited about the change and working hard to make the transition as smooth and as seamless as possible. Still, it’s hard to say goodbye to something that’s been in our lives for so many decades.

The house has been in my family since early 1977. Let’s try to put that into perspective.

• Jimmy Carter was elected President.
• Elvis Presley was alive (but would die later that year).
• France was still executing by guillotine.
• The World Trade Center construction was just completed.
• Movies like Star Wars, Annie Hall, Rocky & Saturday Night Fever were playing in theaters.

But those are the world’s memories. I was just a wee pup when we moved into the house. I’ve got lots of my own.

(screen goes blurry, sound of harps playing)

My father designed our house. Much in the style of the Swiss chalet he and my mother had come to love. Together, they found a spacious lot on a cul-de-sac in a brand new neighborhood called Tall Timbers. The area previously was completely undeveloped and all of the houses were just going up. Since living there, the amount of raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, possum, armadillos, snakes and so on that my father and brother had to learn to wrangle was innumerable.

Just another day in the life of our cat, Sodapop. (Yes, she was named for The Outsiders.)

Of course, we had contractors, builders, plumbers, electricians and everyone it takes to build a dream house. But my dad also did a lot of the work himself with his own two hands. I can still remember being a small child and holding up every vertical piece of the railing for him … there must have been fifty or sixty … as he nailed them to the giant beam across the balcony.

My parents, both of whom had full-time jobs, worked their asses off to get us in to that house. We were living in a crappy apartment complex (where my only real memory was getting pink eye) and it was more than time to go.

The first few nights we slept in the house we didn’t even have furniture there yet. We all just slept on sleeping bags on the floor of the den together. It was a big, beautiful house and it would take a while to complete and furnish lovingly. And nothing … from drapery to flooring to wallpaper to fixtures … was taken lightly. Some of it even managed to stick around for the entire 36 year run.

Anyone remember where this most unique wallpaper hung?

Of course, with this kind of attention to detail construction and decorating, you would think that the house was a museum. Right? You would think that my brother and I were stymied in our ability to really live within its walls.

But you’d be wrong.

Take a look at what they let me do with my room.

And, when that wasn’t enough, I toilet papered the whole thing for a few weeks.

But my youthful antics weren’t confined to my own room. As I flipped through old pictures I found while cleaning out the house, I found proof of party after party they actually allowed me to have in their beautiful home … as a teenager. And they were all a lot of fun but the one that takes the cake was when we hired a band to play in the driveway. My parents were way cooler than I can EVER hope to be.

Thanks to Facebook, I recently tracked down the drummer (my old friend, Bill) to send him the audio cassettes I made of the show that night.

After leaving for college, I just kept coming back. It was always such a warm and welcoming place to be.

My parents are turning over the keys tomorrow so today … well, it was hard. It was just my dad and me, puttering around that empty, dark house. I watched him move from room to room, still fixing things, still making improvements. They just don’t make houses like they used to. People either. The immaculate condition in which my parents provided their baby to the new owners is a testament to who they are.

Thanks, Mom and Dad. For absolutely all of it.

The family who called 3850 Red Cypress Drive “home” (1977-2013)

Taken April 29, 2013

And one more thing, we did something a little silly during our photo session yesterday. The earliest picture we have of the house was in 1976, near the end of its construction with my Dad and brother. Yesterday, we recreated it. ‘Cause we’re a funny, little family.

Right now, wherever you are, will everyone please join me in raising a glass to 3850 Red Cypress Drive?

She was a wonderful place to live, to grow and to be.

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Old friends, have any memories you want to share? I’d love to hear them.

New friends, welcome to my childhood.

Whoever is last to leave, please lock up on your way out.