Trying to think of what's going on around here to write about, without saying, "Gah! Busy!"

Because, lately, that's kind of all I say.

The next couple of weeks are out of control, and just as I was trying to get a grip on them, my dad up and needs a heart cath.

We're not entirely sure why, but he went ahead and scheduled it like the nurse said to do, and we'll just ask questions later.

No, we're not morons, I can go into more detail if you'd like, I just thought I'd summarize it for you.

I'm a giver like that.

I suppose it wasn't urgent since no one seemed really worked up over when he should have it.

But, it's now the day before I leave for BlogHer.

Of course, it is.

And, that day, Busy Dad has to work, Busy Girl has volleyball (will this child EVER be old enough to drive? One month from Sunday.), and Busy D. had soccer practice and games 45 minutes away.

Other than the obvious fact I don't want anything to be wrong, we need to pray that he doesn't have to have a stent placed (or, yikes, surgery) because then he'll have to spend the night.

Did I mention I leave for New York that next day and he lives alone and I have no siblings?

That Wednesday was already comical because everyone but Busy D. has school obligations that day?

He's 8. While I'm sure I could leave him a debit card and Domino's phone number, the law kind of frowns on leaving him alone.

Evidence of him being able to take care of himself, though: he kicked my arse in a putting contest the other night (for real), and apparently, I was so bad he considered it a golf lesson and invoiced me for his time.

Apparently, he is serious, because I've gotten 2 overdue notices costing me $13, each.

Anyway, mind scrambled.

Busy Boy comes home from camp Saturday, and will immediately (as in that day) have to work on his summer reading paper because he starts school Wednesday.

You can imagine how that will play out since he can be rather pig-headed and he's been away from home for 3 weeks.

Blah, blah, blah...

Heh, now I sound like Ke$ha.

Speaking of Ke$ha, this just makes me laugh and laugh:

Glozell is big in our house, I love her.

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I have been meaning to get that last whiny post off the top for, uh 5 days now.

It did, however lead to my losing my "meet for coffee" virginity.

Since then, I have met Cheryl AND Laura for coffee.

OK, Laura and I both had iced tea if you want to get all technical about it, but we still "met for coffee", and I'm sticking to it.

But still...friends I can see and touch!

I think I'll make this a regular thing.

I will travel all over the country meeting other bloggers for coffee.

Why didn't anyone think of this before? I am brilliant.

I think will call it Busy Mom's (No) Tea Tour, it'll be the talk of the Internet.

Alright, you got me. There's no way I can go without iced tea.

I think my next tour stop will be in New York in a couple of weeks, I wonder if I can find anyone there?

Yes, I am going to BlogHer.

Every year, I feel bad if I talk too much about it here since there is always some BlogHer fatigue leading up to it, and most certainly afterward.

But, that's what I'm doing, and I'm looking forward to it, so I may tell you about it.

However, I may also tell you about brushing the dogs and getting so much hair that I made a 4th dog out of it.

Hard to tell what you'll get over here.

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This month really needs to be over.

I want to relish summer and the warm nights and sunny days, but for lots of reasons, this month is mostly just a prelude to school starting in about 2 weeks.

Things are a bit nuts, but you can't really admit to it because it's the lazy, hazy crazy days of summer.

Part of it is having a high school athlete that doesn't drive, yet. There's a whole lotta practice going on, and sometimes more than once a day.

If you have young kids, you can vow that you'll never be like us, and summer will always be sacred, relaxing etc.

But, fact is, you will be me someday, there's just the potential for more going on in their lives when they get older. It's mostly a good kind of crazy, though.

Still, this month has been weird, and it's time to move on.

Today is the 4th anniversary of my mother's death.

I never quite know what to say or do on this day.

We're not really grave visitors, though I suppose my dad could have gone today, and I didn't know it.

Most of you have learned over the years that he is a man of few words, so I can't really find out how he's "feeling".

So, I usually call about other stuff, and test him out.

Today seemed good enough, so I left the topic alone.

I say this every year, but it's hard to believe it's been 4 years.

I remember many parts of that day very distinctly, and other parts not so much.

If you've never had someone close to you die, the whole thing (at least for me) is a bizarre combination of feeling like they've gone forever with a side of feeling like they didn't really go anywhere.

Yeah, I know. I thought it was dumb when people said that, too, but whadya know? It is kind of like that, after all.

Just when you thought my jet lag was fatal, I'm back.

I know I've said this a lot, but I swear it didn't used to be this hard to blog about stuff.

Maybe I'll try to fix that.

I'll just write about whatever comes to mind, and I won't worry boring you.

I say that a lot, too.

So, here we go...

This week has been a little distracting what with Busy Girl's volleyball season gearing up, and Busy Boy going off to camp.

As for volleyball, it's the school season coming up. I don't get to go to those practices, so, my digital dumplings, you'll be spared the blow by blow of my boredom, unlike club season.

She's excited, but finds herself in a unique situation that she wasn't expecting, so she is going to have to work extra hard, and she has a bit of a load on her shoulders.

In other sporting news, Busy D. had his first indoor soccer game the other day.

If you're not familiar with indoor, it's kind of like hockey. It's fast paced and a lot of fun, he loved it.

He played goalie a lot, and obviously the coach did not follow my directive of "No Busys in the Goal."

You see, both Busy Girl and Busy Boy played goalie at the same time, so I was the mother of the goalie for many years.

I am done.

No Busys in the Goal.

I even taught Busy D. to say that when he was very small, but I guess it didn't work.

Also up for Busy D. is his first season of travel soccer.

Yes, we are those people with an 8 year old in travel sports.

It's a place I never thought we'd be, but here we are.

It's not because we think he's a prodigy, or that we are going to retire on his mad professional skillz after a full ride to college or anything.

This kid has a passion for soccer, and (at least for right now), he is very good at it. He's played rec soccer since he was 3, and we were running out of people he could play with.

He's not very big, so it wouldn't have been wise to move him up to the next age group, though he had to be moved up to the middle school group at soccer camp so he wouldn't hurt the little kids.

I know it's fashionable to declare that your kids all stay home and play with an unstructured block of wood or something, but we've never had a one with this kind of passion for anything before, and we feel like we need to give him the chance to really learn it, and put him with kids who are there to play the game like he is

We'll see how it goes.

In news that actually matters, one of my kids has a friend that's been diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening illness.

The whole thing has just consumed me. I cannot imagine.

I really need to get myself together, though, because I don't know the family all that well, and am afraid I may flail on the ground and wail the next time I see them, and that would be awkward, I suppose.

I finally bought my plane ticket to BlogHer, so I won't have to drive to New York from here after all.

I hate buying plane tickets.

It's not that I don't know how, I just always second guess myself about prices, times, routes, etc. and I wallow in indecision.

It's much easier when people do it for me, and I just fly when my ticket says.

I'm ready for BlogHer. It's time to get away and relax with thousands of my closest friends.

Speaking of friends, I've (still) never "met anyone for coffee".

You know how people with actual friends they can see are always 'meeting for coffee"?

I've never done that.

I've also never "savored" a bowl-sized cup of coffee with both hands like you see in all the stock photos of "women" and "moms", because that's totally how we drink it.

I feel cheated on both accounts, really.

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Finally home from my jet setting ways, and getting back to reality.

After our family vacation in St. Louis, Busy Boy, Busy D. and I took a quick trip to Los Angeles.

Or, "LA" as we can call it now, since we're practically locals.

Nevermind.

Neither one had ever been on a plane before this trip, so I was a little nervous about the whole thing, but they loved it, and I survived (mostly) intact.

After 4 flights in 2 days, they are seasoned pros:

Busy Girl didn't get to go on this one, and she was bent out of shape about it, as she has never flown either, and we were quite near Beverly Hills.

She got over it, but the boys were so cute, they took hundreds of pictures so she could see what they were doing, and were very concerned about when it will be her turn to fly.

People can't believe my kids have never flown, but we really don't have anywhere to fly since our families are reasonably nearby, and the beach is only 8 or so hours away.

I love to fly, and I'm glad I get to do it some, but we really can't afford to take all 5 of us anywhere by air.

However, I don't want Busy Girl to get to college or her first job never having been on a plane, so I'm going to troll the airfares and buy tickets to wherever is the cheapest, and we'll go.

"Come on, honey. Pack a bag, we're flying to Toledo!"

I actually have a friend who had never flown until the day he was on his way to training to be a pilot.

Anyway, we had a great trip which I'll tell you more about later, but our final leg took us to Dallas, and I was a little worn out and hungry when we landed, so I really wanted to eat.

I looked for a restaurant near our gate, but could only find taco or Southwestern places, and that wasn't at all what I wanted.

I got frustrated and exclaimed rather loudly, "What is the deal with all the Tex-Mex restaurants here?!"

Even Busy D. (age 8) stared at me after that one.

So, this week, we return to the mundane, the mundane which includes us being "those people" with an 8 year old in travel soccer.

I know.

The mundane really needs to include me sitting down and buying my plane ticket to BlogHer since I have just realized it's less than a month away.

Why yes, I am alive.

Been traveling a bit. For those of you following along at home, we took our yearly family beach vacation in St. Louis.

Thank you, BP.

While not exactly the beach, we did have a nice time.

We visited with friends, and did a few touristy things we'd never done before.

We stayed in a nice condo in St. Charles, it's a cute little town filled with history.

I'd show you pictures, but I lost control of my camera ages ago as all 3 kids suddenly want to be photographers.

"Why so far out (from St. Louis)?" You may ask...

OK, you're probably not asking, since you really don't care where I went on vacation, but humor me...

Well, since we are a family of 5, and my dad goes with us as well, we'd need at least 2 hotel rooms/suites (and at least 2 bathrooms), and well, that's not really what I want to pay to vacation in that area.

On a whim, I VRBOed (that is too a verb) "St. Louis", and found a great condo here, and that's how we got to St. Charles.

OK, that may have also been the only result.

I mean, really, how many vacation rentals in St. Louis can one expect?

(Side note: this totally reads like I'm SEO-ing vacation rentals in St. Louis, and I assure you I am not. I'm thinking that wouldn't be too profitable, anyway.)

We had to do a bit of driving, but the location worked out nicely,and for less than half of what we would have paid at a hotel.

Our vacations are always interesting since we have 6 different people with 6 different interests, and, my dad has a bum knee that prohibits a lot of activities.

We defaulted to history attractions, including the Lewis and Clark Center, The Missouri History Museum, and the Cahokia Mounds.

Lest you think we are entirely boring, we did do other stuff including Ted Drewe's and Rigazzis, where "all you can eat" may or may not be "all you are allowed to eat" or, "Youse sleeps wit' da' fishies, capiche?"

That's some authentic Italian, yo.

In the next installment of my life as a travel blogger,Busy D. and Busy Boy's first time ever on an airplane when we flew to L.A. yesterday.

Hey, L.A.?

You are cold.

It's summer.

What up with that?

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Extra points to the first person who tells me I should never! ever! do something like that.

I live on the edge. I can't be tamed.

1. It's 2AM and you are not home. You are more than likely:
Somewhere else. (This quiz isn't very hard, so far.)

2. What's the last thing you spent more than $100 on?
Busy D.'s soccer.

We are now those people with an 8 year old in travel sports.

Yeah, I know.

3. What do your bank checks look like?

They're rectangular, and they're...somewhere.

I think they're yellow.

4. Where did the shirt you are currently wearing come from?
My closet. (This quiz isn't very hard.)

OK, it's from Old Navy.

5. Name something that will be on your Christmas wish list:
A lawnmower.

No, we still don't have one

Wouldn't you like to be? My neighbor.

6. What color is your toothbrush?
I have no idea, it's upstairs.

What? Are you planning to use it or something?

7. Name something you collect and tell us about it.
Volleyball trip receipts. I think you already know about it.

If you just joined in, my daughter plays volleyball. A lot of it.

My readers LOVE hearing about it in detail, don't you?

Go on...tell the nice new people how interesting it is when I talk about volleyball...

8. Last restaurant you ate at. Who were you with? How was it?
One without a drive-thru? Let me think...

I probably went to Dalton's with my Dad. I'm sure It was the usual.

9. Who was the last person you bought a birthday card for?
How would I know the "last" anything I do?

I'm not dead yet. (/Monty Python)

10. What is your worst bad habit?
I'll answer that later...

11. Name a magazine to which you subscribe?
I'm partial to OMFG Magazine and Sheep!, but I'll bet everyone names those.

12. Your favorite pizza toppings?
The ones on the pizza yo paid for.

13. Whose number were you looking up the last time you used a phone book?
Why? What did you see?

I swear, it was for "research".

I'm serious...

14. Other than family, who is the person that you love most?
Me!

Wait, am I my own family? I'm my own Grampa...

15. What is the last thing you cooked?
A plan to find the money to go to BlogHer.

It's way underdone.

16. Name something you wouldn't want to buy used.
Kleenex.

17. Which shoe do you put on first?
Neither. I jump into both of them at once every morning.

You gotta watch it with the stilettos, though.

18. What is the last thing you remember losing?
A foot. (see above)

Seriously? If remembered losing it, then it wouldn't be lost, huh?

19. What is the ugliest piece of furniture in your house?
I'll take "the entire upstairs" for $500, Alex.

20. Last thing you bought and ended up returning?
One of those $8 polo shirts I keep blabbering about at Old Navy.

21. What perfume/cologne do you wear? If none, why?
Origins Spring Fever.

I don't think they make it anymore, and I am bent out of shape about it.

I am also stinky.

22. Your favorite board game?
I really have to be in the mood to play a board game.

I do play Uno and Words With Friends (Busymom64) Busy_Mom on my phone, though.

23. What was the last board game you played?
Checkers, I think. I'm not very good.

24. Where did your vehicle come from?
It was my mother's, I usurped it from my father after she died.

It's good to be the only child.

25. If a movie was made about your life what would the theme song be?
Oh, that's easy (has sound): Chacarron Macarron.

What?

26. You're sad, who can cheer you up easily?
How can I be sad with you guys around? I mean, really...

27. What was the color of the bridesmaid dresses of the last wedding you went to?
I'm in a weird demographic: too old for all my friends to be getting married, but too young for their kids to be getting married.

I did almost flush myself down the toilet in a black and white bridesmaid's dress one time, though, does that count for anything?

28. What house cleaning chore do you hate to do the most?
Folding and putting away laundry.

I'd give you visual proof, but I have standards.

By "standards", I mean the pile of clean clothes would scare you.

29. What is your favorite way to eat chicken?
With my mouth.

30. It is your birthday. You hope the cake is?
For me.

Even though it seems we've gotten away from it sometimes, blogging (at least for me) is about personal connections.

So, I was delighted when Cooper and Emily of TheMotherhood asked me to be a part of a special project where I get to thank a mom blogger each day this week.

1st day: Thank you, Mrs. Flinger!

2nd day: Thank you, Tori of Babybloomr.com

3rd day: Thank you, Headless Mom!

4th day: Thank you , Amie of Mama Loves!

5th day: Thank you, Jenn of Mommy Needs Coffee!

Be sure to check TheMotherhood to see all the moms we're thanking this week, and submit one of your own.

Or, tell me here who you'd like to recognize, don't be shy, let us meet your friends!

I was driving to work the other morning after dropping Busy Girl off at volleyball (rest assured, my digital dumplings, volleyball is returning, soon), when I noticed a police car in the other lane.

He wasn't going especially fast, so I didn't feel guilty for passing him.

I got in the turning lane, and he moved over and got behind me, and we waited for the light to change.

I laughed at myself for feeling a little uneasy with him behind me.

I even told myself it was ridiculous that I thought he was running my plates when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw him fiddling with that computer.

The light changed, we made the turn, and sure enough, his pretty blue flashing lights came on.

I turned onto a side street, stopped, and he came up to my window.

Officer: "Do you know why I stopped you?"

I cringed internally when I suddenly remembered I had a brake light out. I bought the bulb a while back, and just never put it in, but I wasn't going to say anything.

Or, maybe he thought I stole that shiny new hubcap?

Me: "No..."

Officer: "Is this your car?"

My car was my mother's, and I got it after she died.

OK, OK, I just kinda never gave it back to my dad when I usurped it to drive her around to the doctor all the time.

Whatever.

Geez, you people have good memories...

Anyway, I finally got around to getting it out of my dad's name (he surrendered), and into mine last year, but it was a bit complicated.

I carry around a death certificate just in case, and was mentally prepared to tell him the tale of the title transfer.

Officer: "Your tags expired in April."

Me: (thinking, "They did?!") "They did?!"

Officer: "Yes, ma'm."

I seriously had no idea they had expired, I have no idea why.

I think I had it in my head that our cars expired in June and August, but obviously, not.

Whatever, it didn't really matter.

I handed him my license and registration, and he went back to his car to do whatever it is they do.

Upon his return, he asked me for my insurance card.

I reached into the envelope where I keep such things, pawed through the papers, and it wasn't there.

There was really no other place it could have been, and I had no explanation why it wasn't there.

I stammered, and sputtered, and said intelligent stuff like, "I swear I'm insured, the card is supposed to be right here!"

He just kind of looked at me, and I had an idea.

Me: "I know this is weird, but I can show you proof of insurance on my phone, do you care if I pick it up? (It was on the floor)

Officer: "Sure..."

So, I signed into my USAA mobile app, and could at least show him where it was paid for, and get the cards sent to my e-mail.

He said, "I believe you, don't worry about it."

That NEVER happens.

He started to give me back my documents and stopped to look at my driver's license.

Officer: "Wow, you live there?"

Me: "Yes, sir... (?)."

Officer: "What about the flood? Were ya'll OK?"

Me: "Yes, we were very fortunate, but much of our neighborhood was not."

Officer: "Wow, you were lucky. By the way, you need to check your right brake light."

He handed me my papers, and drove away.

I prepared to put them away while I tallied the probable cost of my transgressions.

There was no ticket in there.

I'm sure he knew my address at the beginning of the stop.

I realized he had patiently pretended to look at my insurance (which was in the envelope the whole time, don't know how I missed it) while I bumbled around with my phone, and he just wanted to make sure I was safe regarding the brake light.

I'm telling you, that flood changed my city forever.

I was coming out of Old Navy the other day, and stopped to look at my tires before I got in the car.

I think I need brakes and an alignment done, but that's neither here nor there.

I'm also missing a hubcap (wheel cover, whatever).

My poor little Toyota Corolla became a Toyota Hoopty somewhere between Montgomery and Destin back in January, and I've had neither the time nor the inclination to do anything about it.

Actually, it bothers me quite a bit, and I'm a little self-conscious about it, but apparently not enough to go buy a new one.

I was about ready to start the car, when a man jumped out of his car a few spaces away and came running over.

He came up to my window, and I cautiously cracked it a little as it's apparently a popular pastime around here for people to troll parking lots pretending to be stranded travelers and asking for money.

He excited said, "Hey! You want a hubcap?!"

I intelligently said, "Huh?"

Man: "I used to have that car, I just got rid of it, and I still have a hubcap."

Me (rocking the English language since 1964): "Uhhh, OK?"

He gave me his business card and told me to call him.

I called his cell phone Saturday, and he said he wasn't at home, but that he'd call me back.

I though, "oh well", since now it had probably become more work for him than for me at this point.

But, he called back Sunday and said he was at Lowe's, and that I could come get it.

I drove over there, and was presented with a brand new, still in the package hubcap.

Now, I don't have a missing hubcap, but my car stands out because I have 3 old hubcaps and one shiny new one.

But, I do have a new friend.