All posts by ihatehardware.

Staycation, All I Ever Wanted? – Day 1

So far, not good. I decided to take some vacation time this week so that we’d all enjoy spring break more than winter break, when I spent all day every day trying to work around the monsters. I planned a fun local activity for each day this week, with the idea that after a fun (and tiring) day, I would have the late afternoon and evening to keep up on email and phone calls.

I made my first mistakes very early on in the day…1) I allowed them to have a vote on the planned activity, and 2) I had a couple of chores on the agenda before the planned activity, with expectations that when we completed the chores, we’d have our activity as a reward. I guess there was also a mistake #3…I expected this to work with Norah home from day care. She is in a pretty bad phase right now – extremely adorable and extremely naughty – a bad combo.

So the plan for today was that we’d pack a picnic and go watch the marathon for a while. My trainer from the Y was pushing a guy in a wheelchair for 10 miles and I wanted to support her, plus it’s fun to watch the runners…well, for me anyway. The pre-fun task was to fill a box of crap from the playroom that could go to the school yard sale. The playroom is not currently passable. It is SO FULL OF JUNK.

Well, nobody wanted to go to the marathon, so I came up with the backup plan of a picnic at the playground followed by free swim at the Y later in the afternoon. With all of the screaming, fighting, and general disobedience that went on all day, everyone spent time in time-out (at least 10 times for Norah) and we did nothing fun. The highlight of my day was to clean the shower grout so I could hide in the shower and the screaming would be slightly muted.

Oh well, tomorrow’s a new day. Norah will be back at day care and I’m going to take the other two to the early show at the Imax at the aquarium. It will be crazy with all the tourists, but we are members so hopefully we can get in and out before the throng arrives.
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Firefly Lane

I finished this book today and I can’t remember the last time I was so emotionally affected by a book. For most of the book it was just an entertaining read with lots of 70’s and 80’s references, but I cried through the last 20 minutes. I had to hide from Ben and the kids so they wouldn’t think I was losing it.

From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . .

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship—jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you—and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget . . . one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.
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Breaking News

Late last night I heard tons of police cars and helicopters so I knew something big was up. It happened in downtown Framingham, not that close to our house, but only about 2 1/2 miles away.
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Framingham Officer Shot in Face
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FRAMINGHAM – A Framingham police officer was shot twice last night, once in the face, while responding to a report of an armed robbery on Beaver Street.
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The officer, who was not identified early this morning, was struck in the face and wrist. He was rushed by MedFlight helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital. His condition was not known, but police said his injuries were not considered life-threatening.
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Police Lieutenant Paul Shastany, the department spokesman, said the shooting occurred at about 10:45 p.m. Shastany would not say where the robbery occurred.
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When the officers arrived, they saw two men who matched the description of the robbers. “The suspects immediately shot at the officers,” Shastany said.
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A chase ensued as more police officers arrived. At one point, one officer chased a suspect behind a building, where the officer was shot, according to Shastany.
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At least one of the suspects was arrested early this morning, Shastany said. He would not say whether the arrested suspect was the person who shot the officer. The man was not identified.
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A search was in progress early this morning for the second suspect. Framingham police were assisted by law enforcement from Ashland, Sherborn, Natick, and from the Massachusetts State Police and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Police used helicopters and dogs to search the area.
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“It’s obviously a tragedy,” Jason Smith, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said last night. “My compassion goes out to him and his family.”
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Bribery Makes The World Go Around

I’m not afraid to admit it. I use bribery as one of my core parenting techniques. Don’t get me wrong…there are things that they are responsible for, and there’s no cash payout for doing them. I don’t bribe them to brush their teeth or go to bed. BUT…there are times when a buck can really ease the pain.
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The problem now is…they’re getting a little greedy. Last week we were getting ready to head out in the morning and I announced, “Whoever finds my bra gets a quarter!” Woohoo! 25 whole cents! Aliya gave me “the look” and said, “I’m NOT finding your bra for a quarter.” Me: “How much?” Aliya: “A dollar.” Me: “Not likely. Adlani – do you want a quarter?” And off he ran. 25 cents is a small price to pay to protect the other parents and teachers in the drop off line from seeing me braless.
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My bribery technique has backfired a few times though. One day I had all 3 kids in my office…I have no idea why since not only did I get no work done, everyone else got no work done. It’s hard to walk an architect through the components and operation of a delayed egress system when the child in the desk chair is vomiting as he is spun at warp speed by the other 2. Anyway, as we prepared to leave my coworkers in peace, I said, “Let’s see who can find my keys.” Adlani said, “What do we get?” in hopes that the reward would be one of the yummy snacks we have stocked in the office kitchen. I said, “You don’t have to have your daily beating today.” And off they ran. Thirty seconds later they were on their way back, with Adlani leading the pack holding the keys aloft and screaming, “YAY!!! WE DON’T HAVE TO GET OUR BEATING TODAY!!!”
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Oh well…I guess it’s probably good for my coworkers to think I’m on the edge of losing it too.
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