Category: Conversations with Sydney

Blog Photo Fail

On By AngeliaIn Conversations with Sydney, Mon Dieu! and all that stuff.21 Comments

I tried to get a picture last night (for my blog) – of course – and it didn’t quite go the way I planned.

But let me start from the beginning, I have this bad habit of leaving a glass on the counter and using that to drink out of – a day or two at least. I fill it up from the fridge water and gulp away. I usually drink a full glass every morning. It makes me feel awake (ish) – until the coffee finishes brewing that is.

Sunday morning, I am wetting my whistle and downing the glass of water like I’m chugging beer (I love water). Chug, chug, chug. I notice – a speck – at the bottom of my glass. So, I stop drinking and peer inside. There, in the glass doing the deads man float, a bug. A teeny, slimy, germy looking bug. Ahhh!!!

I poured the water out, threw the glass in the dishwasher and vowed – NEVER – to drink from a glass I left out on the counter again. How many bugs had I ingested in my water chugging delight? My stomach turned just a little bit. But I put it behind me and now my glass stays in the cabinet; clean and germ free.

It was a moment or two after that I thought……..I should have taken that bug’s picture and blogged about it! Surely others would laugh and cry over my close encounters of the bug kind. Surely, they could relate and share their own near bug ingestion mishaps. But, I didn’t and buggy had went down the drain (the disposal drain).

Enter chance #2, which I was NOT going to miss. Sydney comes walking up to me in the living room holding a glass of water. This was last night. I had seen the water glass on the table when I was cleaning the kitchen, but just left it alone. I figured it was hers and she was drinking from it, and all that was true.

Sydney jams the glass in front of my nose, “Mom, what if I had drank from this without looking?”

My mind flashed back to my drinking without looking moment *shudder* and well, her bug was harder to miss, and a lot bigger. It had LEGS. They were thrashing. “Ewwww!” We chimed in unison – a call to action. We took the captured pest into the kitchen light to look at it and make – that’s digusting – sounds. Imagining if she had drank the water with him in it and what it would have looked like when she tilted the glass up to her face.

That’s when I got the brilliant idea to capture the shot – the moment. “Yeah! Let’s get a picture of it!”

Syd,”Why? Are you going to blog about it?”

Heh.

I grab my camera, all the while bugster is in a Michael Phelps free stroke Olympic event. As fast as his legs were going, he might hit the world record. I pick up the glass holding the camera down. I wanted to get him in the moment he would have been seen as Syd was drinking water. It’s all about renactment ya know?

So, I tilt the glass up towards the camera, towards the horizontal position, the drinking position. The water moves up, and so does the bug. Then he gains traction on the slant racing out of the glass, right towards me, and right towards the camera lens. “Ahhhh!” We shriek in unison as I drop the glass and he reaches the rim climbing down to the table.

More panic and screams as I smoosh the bug. I didn’t get my blog photo moment. I have no picture for you.

I think the lesson here is Jason needs an exterminator do not to leave water glasses on the counter when the temps have been over 100 every day and look before you drink.

By the way, the glass is still on the table.

Drink anyone?

Our Participation: The Levity Project

On By AngeliaIn Conversations with Sydney, In my heart forever & ever, Wee Wee Wee all the way home!17 Comments

First let me explain where this idea comes from. It comes from Katie of THE LEVITY PROJECT.

Here is what her post said,

On November 7th, at 12:00 CT, will you laugh in a public place with us? Grab a friend, your iPOD, a good book and sit somewhere in a public place and laugh for 5 minutes. Just start by saying “Ha Ha Ha” or humming ha ha ha to yourself. Then keep getting louder and louder. I like to envision a bubble of laughter in my belly and chuckle quietly as I imagine it rising up in me through my chest, throat and out through my mouth. By the time it escapes my mouth, I let out a big laugh in celebration. Do this for 5 minutes (it will feel like a workout!).

That is all I am asking you to do. Go somewhere in public and laugh. And then, watch what happens around you. Sure, there will be the people that look at you oddly and like you may have a problem. But there will also be the people that look you in the eyes and start to smile. And even the few that start to laugh with you. After 5 minutes, notice how you feel. Do you feel a little lighter? Do you feel a like the outlook for the day is brighter? Enjoy making the ripple effect in the world around you.

Katie- The Levity Project

I thought this was a great idea and decided to take part. The more laughter the better. I recruited my daughter Sydney to laugh with me, trust me, she has the BEST laugh. Since this was decided last minute, my other recruits did not have the ability to join us. I’m sure they will want to have some WICKED fun with us next time.

I decided to go to The Parks Mall in Arlington. It’s probably the most crowded place I know. Jason opted to film the event. Thank goodness too! His height and steady hand was spectacular!

I have to admit, you feel a bit like a mad hatter, walking around laughing your head off. But it’s also very freeing. Just let go, laugh, and have a ball.

Without further ado, here is how it turned out.

Angelia: I think it turned out great! We had a lot of funny looks but some people smiled and waved.

Sydney: It was great seeing their faces. They couldn’t figure out what we were doing.

Angelia: I think my favorite part was knowing I was participating in an event going on in other parts of United States. We were all spreading laughter together.

Sydney: My favorite part was Santa waving and pointing – I mean smiling.

Angelia: I will definitely do it again. Maybe wear a smiley face shirt, hold a sign, or wear a silly hat. It was great fun!

Sydney: I’ll do it again, just to see everyone’s surprise. I wonder what we will come up with next, and if the cops will shut us down again. HA!

 

Carry laughter with you wherever you go. ~Hugh Sidey

Confession Wednesday!

On By AngeliaIn Conversations with Sydney, Mon Dieu! and all that stuff.26 Comments

Okay, this comes from a fellow blogger KAREN . A featured SITS girl today.

Love the idea, so I am posting my confession, errr one of them anyway! Feel free to add to your blog and join us.

Confession Wednesday Button

The first thing that comes to mind as a confession is my daughter. My daughter can not ride a bike. I didn’t teach her. That’s on me, yes?  That’s what I thought.

Actually, she will tell you she KNOWS HOW to ride a bike. You know, the inner workings and concept of it, but she just CAN’T. Got all that? Here is how the conversation goes.

Sydney: I know HOW to ride a bike, I just can’t.

Me:(???????) No, sweetie if you CAN’T ride a bike, then you don’t know how.

Sydney: MOM! I know HOW to ride a bike. I know what to do. I just can’t.

Me:(????????????????????) Noooooooo, if you CAN’T, then you don’t know HOW. If you knew HOW, then you COULD. (Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!)

*This could go on for hours, you get the idea*

Yesterday, I took her to get her permit at the DMV. She has to pass an exam of driving questions, and she DID. She made an 84, she passed. Let’s not confuse my little text message to Jason. 84 she passed, which made him unsure of who passed and where the funeral was. Ahem. No, SHE passed, Sydney passed. She knows HOW to drive. DMV said so, they gave her a driving permit.

Mkay?

We leave the DMV and she is all smiles, how about letting me DRIVE YOU. Uhh, heck NO! But nice try. A small argument ensued.

Sydney: How am I supposed to learn how to drive if YOU won’t let me?

Me: That’s what the driver’s ed car is for!

Sydney: Mom! You are supposed to TEACH me, the parent, that’s what the drivers ed teacher said.

Me: (Whaaaaaaat??) Uhhh, NO that guy is crazy! Didn’t you say he only teaches to pay for his Harley. (OMG!)

(Sometime later) Sydney talks me into letting her drive my car around in a parking lot. Harmless right? It’s just a parking lot, no moving cars, the business was closed. Easy.

Let me just say, she knows HOW, but Lordy! She can’t. I have never been so scared in my life and we were in a completely EMPTY parking lot. An empty parking lot with a BIG light pole encased in a round concrete barrier, two small medians at each end, curbs outlining the lot, and let’s not forget the building home to this lot. (YIKES!)

Despite my desperate pleas of SLOWLY, SOFTLY, EASE IT! It was PUNCH, JAM, and BRAKE suddenly. Somehow the wheel wouldn’t turn. Uhhh, Actually you have to physically move the wheel, TURN IT! TURN IT! TURN IT! Use your muscle, because softly rotating it from side to side does NOT make the car turn, it will only drive you from a parking spot into the median it’s parked next to. (Ahhh!)

I’ll give her some credit. She did finally manage to make a turn around the median without hitting anything. ONCE. Just as I was starting to relax (she’s getting it), she drove straight into the curb (again!).

I have a confession, not only did I not teach my daughter HOW to ride a bike. I have a feeling I WON’T be teaching her HOW to drive a car. Not with my nerves intact, my sanity, and let’s not forget any bodily harm.

Driving tips with Sydney

On By AngeliaIn Conversations with Sydney, Wee Wee Wee all the way home!20 Comments

My daughter Sydney, 15, is in Drivers Ed class after school, about a week and half now. Unfortunately, she already knows more about driving than I do. AND,  she really likes to “test”  me for a good time. Fun, right?

*These are the conversations that take place.*

Syd: Mom, I got my Texas Driving Handbook today.

Me: Oh Yah, cool! (opens up flipping through, frowning – it’s kinda got a lot of pages) Hey!! Here is something on highway hypnosis! I always wondered why I got so sleepy on the highway. Says here,  the hum of the tires on the road can put you to sleep. I knew it! I knew I wasn’t just old.

Syd: (takes the book, finds a page, smirking) Mom, Do you know what sign is a Pentagon shape?

Me: Huh? Pentagon, what in the world? I never heard of such a thing.  Pentagon, hmmm, gotta have a bunch a sides, maybe a stop sign?

Syd: MOM!!! Stop sign is an OCTAGON. It’s a school crossing sign. ( laughs hysterically)

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Me: (shrugging) HA, Okay. I never noticed that before, like ever. (Whatever! GEE!)

Syd: What signs are in white?

Me: White? (White like snow)  Um, I don’t remember any signs in white. (What the heck?) White signs…white signs….I give up. What are white signs? *All I can think of is green road signs/street signs*

Syd: MOM,  SPEED LIMIT signs. White means information. Duuuuhhhhh! (snorts from laughing so hard)

Me: DOH!!! (Smacks forehead) I knew that.

Syd: (Smiling) What about brown signs?  What information is on those, huh?

Me: (okay, now she is just showing off) Brown? You know I’m kinda color blind right? I don’t remember any brown signs. I bet brown is hard to see at night.

Syd:  MOM!! Historical marker signs.

Me: Oh yeah!! Those are good, they tell history,  and stuff. Totally forgot about that.

Syd: How far  from a corner are you supposed to park?

Me: (HA! She told me this one the other night going to Sonic) 15 FEET!  HA!! *I have no idea how far that is by the way*

Syd: Yeah ,  Well how far away is an oncoming car when you should dim your bright lights?

Me: 15 feet?

Syd: No.

Me: 50 feet?

Syd: No.

Me: 500 feet?

Syd: Yes. (rolls eyes)

Me: (shakes fist in the air) HA! YES! In your face!! (can’t believe I got that on the third guess)

That’s all for today folks, stay tuned for the next episode of Driving tips with Sydney. It will be another embarrassing time lesson learned, plus I will tell you all about how Jason FAILED his first driving test. Gasp!!! You don’t want to miss it.

And remember, pay attention to the colors and shapes of those road signs! There will be a test later.