Kicking Myself.....

This past week, Declan got his gold stripe belt in karate...until he turns seven, his belt levels consist of a number of striped colors....so proud!!

He's been taking karate at his daycare (sponsored by National Karate) since he was three. His teacher, Ms. Langley, has said that ever since he was three, his concentration level was mind blowing - and she's thrilled that now he's entering kindergarten, he's going to begin classes at the National Karate dojo near our house.

I was all very excited about this until we went to the school for him to get tested for his new belt, and I saw a class of 6 year olds, in full body pads, sparring and kicking the f*ck out of each other with serious pleasure....and they all come walking out of class, sweaty and breathing hard, ripping off their face masks and spitting out their mouth guards like a S.W.A.T. training session just ended....and half of them are cute sweet little girls....
What did I get myself into here?

The Shape of Things

Today's Backseat Commentary, by Declan J. Foley:

"I love circles, I love ovals, I love squares and I love rectangles, but I really hate pentagons."

A Natural....to never B flat.

Every parent has moments where you find yourself in awe of your child, wondering how they could possibly be as amazing as they are at their young age. You also hope that the things you love or that you had some sort of talent at are passed in someway onto your child, so that you can share that special bond for the rest of your lives together. Declan's very first guitar arrived today...and this picture is five minutes after picking it up. Look at the finger placement.....I did not show him anything. I am practically in tears with joy. He is going to his first lesson in the next couple of weeks and I cannot wait to see how he does. Move over, John Mayer....there's a new a new stud in town!!! Now I start the piggy bank for the piano.....*grin*

"Excuse me, but..."

My mom is in Florida right now, weeding her garden. My parents spend most of the year in the Sunshine state, but run from the extreme heat in the summertime back here - although I think it's just an excuse to steal as much grandson time they can. I certainly don't blame them. Yesterday, Declan and Grandpa spent the day together. They stopped by the local library to pick up a couple of DVD's to watch as well - but when back in the car, Declan opened one to find the wrong DVD in the case. "We have to go back!! They have the wrong one in here!" He's very insistent and confident for a five year old. Once back in the library, Declan marched up to the librarian and calmly explained to her that someone made a grave mistake, and mixed up the dvds and cases and that he was certain he knew where the correct one was. Grandpa watched in amazement as he quickly found the other case on the massive shelves and brought it back to her. The security device was on so the librarian had to open the case - and sure enough, the other (correct) DVD was in there. "How did you know that?" she exclaimed...Declan simply reassured her with a "Someone just made a mistake, it's ok..." and happily put the right DVD in its case and turned with Grampa to head home.

Grandma is missing all the fun. I think my favorite age is 5.

News You Can Use

Now THIS is the kind of headline I want to see - enough of all this Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan crap:

Per today's MSNBC.com.....

Smelly camels keep marauding elephants away

RANCHI, India - Forget mice — Indian villagers have recruited camels to protect their farmlands and homes from marauding elephants, saying the beasts' stink was enough to keep the pachyderms at bay.

Officials said on Thursday that villagers in Jharkhand state had earlier this month hired two camels for $46 a month each and were using them for patrolling.

"We cannot comment how far it will be effective," S. Nandkuliyahe, a senior forest official said.
More than 400 people have been trampled to death in the last seven years in Jharkhand by elephants, which have also destroyed crops and homes, officials said. Villagers in the past have used chilies and fire crackers to keep elephants away.

Chilies? And I thought I had problems!!

208 Days To Freedom....

....From National Embarrassment, that is.

The chimp in the big white house continues his extremely successful crusade to prove he is the biggest imbecile in the free world.

Curious George met with Filipino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today at the White House. While her country tries to recover from a typhoon that devastated areas and overturned a ferry carrying over 800 passengers last week, Dubyah demonstrated his unquestionable tact....

PRESIDENT BUSH: Madam President, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the Oval Office. We have just had a very constructive dialogue. First, I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House.

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Yes.

PRESIDENT BUSH: And the chef is a great person and a really good cook, by the way, Madam President.

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Thank you.

You can't even make this stuff up.....

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Hairy Stuff

Pets rock.

But they leave way too much hair on my bed. Since we lost Butkus last year, Miles and Jaq have been allowed upstairs....and subsequently, much to the chagrin of my boyfriend, they have become my bed snuggle partners. I have since taken stock in Zyrtek D, seeing that I am allergic to cats, and Jaq's preferred snooze location is atop my head. But indeed, the bigger issue is the overnight accumulation of enough locks and fuzz to stuff Shaq's Superman comforter. Now, I've taken to covering the bed with a large sheet....in hopes of sparing the bedspread relentless washes. But mysteriously, these wirey and stubborn blades of animal sweetness somehow manage to weave themselves through the sheets, onto the comforter and subsequently, into the smallest, darkest crevices of my covers.....and when I awake in the morning, I had better not be wearing flannel, or I will look eerily similar to Big Foot's lost cousin.

Forget those pet hair rollers. Even my Dyson can't save me. Hmmm. Perhaps a Flobee can help.....or wait......

What's In a Name?

According to the Social Security Administration, Jennifer was the number one girl's name for FIFTEEN consecutive years, between 1970 and 1984. There were 9 "Jennifer's" in my third grade class of approximately 50 girls. Freshman year in high school, my homeroom had four Jennifer's in it. And one casual trip through my cell phone directory will net you over 17 (yes, seventeen) Jennifer's. Thanks to it's commonality, I really am not fond of my first name. There's simply too many of us. Needless to say, originality was important to me when it came to naming my son, although I didn't want to curse him with too oddball of a forename . My love of Ireland, a branch of his genealogical roots, and the fact that his father and I were married in County Clare made my decision to name him Declan very easy.

Every once in a while, I get someone who has never heard the name, or needs help pronouncing it. But once they've heard it, they notice it...they remember it. It's a good solid name. It's a handsome name.

Today, on the way home in the car, he told me that he really would like to change his name to "Larry."

Generations

Earlier this month, my Aunt Dorothy passed away. While I do not buy into the usefulness of wakes or funerals, I do appreciate that often times, they bring together family that hasn't seen or spoken to each other in some time. Being able to catch up with people who meant so much to me in childhood, but had faded into their own distant and busy lives reminded me how important family can be. In addition, seeing these people always brings back reminisence and stories, some old...and some new. This here is a picture of Auntie Charlotte and Auntie Dorothy (right) standing with my dad, with what I believe is a bicycle Santa brought him for Christmas. How cute is he? And how eerie that he looks some much like his grandson...I wonder if he sees what I see.....

Rock Star

Declan and I are huge fans of the movie "August Rush". I could write ten paragraphs on why this is now one of my all time favorite movies, but I'll just say if you haven't seen it, it's is absolutely worth your time.

He's always been interested in music, but after watching the movie, he has a whole new appreciation of it...he now finds music the way little August Rush does....in the sounds of trees blowing in the wind; in the bump bump of cars going over potholes; in the pattern of a dog's bark. It's magical to watch. He will "conduct" the sounds of nature.

While I have every intention of setting him up with piano lessons in the next few years, he has expressed a serious interest in learning the guitar. I'm currently on a hunt for a decent teacher willing to teach a five year old the basics of acoustic guitar.

Here he is doing his best Eddie Van Halen.