Suburban Fizz

It’s been an incredibly busy couple of weeks.

I taught a three-day Risk Management class in Arlington last week, which necessitated a five thirty a.m. wake-up and one-hour commute. 

My parents arrived on the last day of that class for a week-long visit, so I needed to get the house cleaned, shopping done, etc. before my class started.

My in-laws (eleven people) will be staying at our house this weekend and start arriving today.  My parents leave tomorrow, thus creating a nine-hour guest group overlap (and no down time.)

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Our family has been listening to Beatles songs a lot lately.  The “Backyardigans Meet the Beetles” special on Noggin kicked off the topic. 

I explained to the kids who the Beatles were, and we started listening to some of their songs.  “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da,” “We Can Work It Out,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and others turn out to be sing-along crowd pleasers for both grown-ups and the preschool set.

We had just finished listening to “Can’t Buy Me Love,” which the kids know is my favorite Beatles tune, on the way to school this morning.  As the next song started up, Colin piped up from the back of the van.

“Mommy, you know, there’s one thing in the world that money can’t buy.”

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I love Trader Joe’s, but I hate schlepping to Reston to get there (using the IRS 50 cents/mile chargeback rate, that’s a $12 round trip!) 

Rumors have been percolating that there will be a new one soon in Leesburg, so I decided to dig a little.  There was nothing about a Loudoun store on the TJ website, so I called the Reston store.

Me:  Hi, I’ve heard a rumor that Trader Joe’s is coming to Leesburg.  Is this true?

TJ:  Yes, it’s true.  That is a rumor.

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As I mentioned in my last post, the existing local Go Bananas Toys store is located in the Brambleton Town Center on Ryan Road in Ashburn, VA.

I’m also excited that Go Bananas is opening a Lansdowne store sometime in mid- to late-June of this year!  I haven’t been there, but a friend of mine raves about the store.  She says the owners are extremely nice, and have a very kid-friendly vibe in the store. 

My kids have received toys from Go Bananas, and I’ll quickly mention that the Ruckus card game that was purchased there is our kids’ absolute favorite card game.  Serena and Colin and the grownups that play with them love the game.  Ruckus teaches sharing, counting, and sportsmanship; there’s a lot of “stealing,” winning and losing that goes on during each game, so it really reinforces being a good winner and loser. 

Serena has played it since she was two; it’s a sure bet from ages three and up.  Recommended retail price is $9.99.

The Loudoun Food Allergy Network is sponsoring a Food Allergy Awareness event at the Brambleton Go Bananas toy store in Brambleton.  The event will be Sunday, May 18 from 1-4 p.m.

Here’s the info from their site:

LAN and Go Bananas Toys Team Up for Food Allergy Awareness Week!

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I was minding my own business in the bathroom the other day when I noticed writing on the wrapper of my feminine hygiene product.  I took a closer look and discovered several inspirational sayings, encouraging me to “stop stressing, start focusing!” and “dance and be happy!”

I was taken aback by this; this was not a situation where I need a pep talk or a lecture.  I’ve been successfully menstruating for almost 25 years without advice from an overbearing tampon.

With my busy life, the bathroom is the last semi-private sanctuary in my home.  With the exception of the occasional toddler barge-in or emergency summons, the bathroom is the one place I can enjoy two to four minutes of peace and quiet.

Now my tampons are yelling at me.

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Friday started off as a great day.  My college friend, Young, was in town, and we headed to Not Your Average Joe’s in Lansdowne for dinner.

The kids had been extraordinarily good all day, but they were getting a bit restless.  Serena was a little clingy, and my husband, SJ, took her for a walk outside the restaurant as we waited for our food.

After the meal SJ headed out with Colin.  “Can you help Serena down from her booster?” SJ asked me.  I did and she followed closely behind SJ and Colin as they walked down the aisle.  Young and I stayed behind with Bennett, paying the bill and cleaning up the handfulls of food that Bennett had thrown/dropped under the table.

As SJ and Colin came back to the table, I saw an older woman approaching us, holding Serena’s hand.  The woman glared and me and asked,”does she belong to you??!” 

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I once mercilessly teased my BFF, Gwen, for hitting a squirrel with her car.  She was driving, while my husband and I were in the back seat.  Although she said she swerved to avoid the squirrel, it felt to us like she was aiming right at him.

In the days after that squirrel’s tragic demise we were pretty mean to Gwen, who felt terrible.  We told her we drove by the scene of the crime and heard little baby squirrels calling “Daddy?  Daddy?”  We said she’d be haunted by the martyred squirrel, and left her voicemails with a combination of what we thought sounded like squirrel chatter and a haunted howl.

Flash forward ten years and the karmic wheel has turned:  the squirrels are now coming for me.

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Google’s phone directory assistance can save you a couple of bucks next time you’re searching for a business number.

Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone (mobile or land line) for a free, automated business directory system.  It uses voice recognition and will give you the number and connect you for free.

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I live 20+ minutes from my kids’ daycare, so I occasionally like to drop the kids off and then work at the Wegmans across the street.  It’s very convenient; it’s free and I can pick up food for dinner on my way out. 

Unfortunately, the Wegmans Wi-Fi is frequently down; it’s been down about 30% of the times that I’ve tried.

I’m trapped offline, so I’m going to take a moment to vent…

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