When Harry Met Priss...

Tonight, Harry will meet me, Ms. Priss, for the first time ever.

(I just know he is just as excited about this as I am.)

 

He has been dreaming of this moment for years.

Can you tell?

Okay, I'VE been dreaming of this moment for years and I won't technically get to meet him.

My bucket list is very short, but seeing Harry Connick, Jr. play the piano is one of the great desires of my heart.  

He is so amazingly talented!

I also admire his sense of humor and his passion for his family.

You can tell he is one of the good ones.

I just know we are going to be BFFs. How could that go wrong?
Mrs. Priss
Knowing he will be singing directly to me because I'm...

Organized Chaos

We all have a closet or drawer that we cram random stuff into, piles of stuff that we need to deal with.  Sometimes, those piles accumulate more than we planned on.  After a while, the thought of cleaning it up gets overwhelming.  I'm pretty sure we have all been there.

I have spent the last two weeks helping a friend clean out their mess.  My friend was beyond overwhelmed with the tubs and tubs of paperwork he had not dealt with over the years.  He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named prefers to remain anonymous on this post.

In the tubs of paperwork, we found empty envelopes, unopened junk mail, unopened important mail, napkins, wrappers, receipts dating back to 1995, paper scraps, money, mold growing on files, balls that chime (no joke) and even a pair of baby-sized scissors.

It was a mess.

Here is a picture taken towards the end of week two.

For those of you who are wondering how to find your way out of this mess, I have some suggestions.

1.  Motivation and procrastination books do not work.  In this case, they just got buried with the rest of the junk.  I was even told, "Save that!  I'm going to read those!" by my hoarder friend.

2. Make lists and prioritize them.  I'd probably pick #4 to go first.

3. If you are not a naturally organized person, ask a friend to help you.  This would work best if you have an OCD friend (like me) who thinks organizing people's stuff is fun.  I know it is a sick and twisted trait, but it is the truth.  It brings me happiness.  Maybe you have someone like that in your life too?  Just know that if you have a friend help you will have to suck up your pride and get a sense of humor about it.

4. Reserve a day or a set of days to get to work.  Got a Saturday or Sunday you can stay home?  Perfect.

5. Find things to sort your piles of stuff into.  I have used bankers boxes (Walmart sells them by the 10-pack), paper sacks, and laundry baskets in the past.  You can sort files this way or even sort by which room of the house things will go to.  

6. If you are doing this at home alone on a Saturday, try to find a way to make it fun.  I like to bring everything to my living room and watch a chick flick (or two if I have that much stuff).  If I can't be in my living room, I listen to fun music or load a movie onto my iPad.  I usually pick a movie that I have seen a million times but still love (Pride & Prejudice or Bridget Jones' Diary are my usual picks) so that I won't be glued to the screen too much.

7. Set up a system you will be able to use. Be realistic.  Too often we make things too hard and it all goes right back to the way it was.  If you aren't going to file or deal with paperwork daily, put a basket somewhere to throw stuff in and promise yourself to get around to it one day a week.  Then do it.

My favorite thing about getting organized is that the rest of my life starts feeling more relaxed.  It's true!  When I get unorganized my thoughts start to scatter.  

Now if I could only get paid to organize for an actual job, that would be a great deal!

What is your favorite organizational tip?

Mrs. Priss
Using my OCD for the greater good like...

Gentleman-In-Training

Do any of you other boy moms ever think about what kind of husband your sons might be someday?
I thought about it a lot over the summer while I was doing ALL of the dishes, ALL of the laundry, and ALL of the straightening up around the house.  I won't claim I did ALL of the cooking, because summer is grill season and I leave that to the Doc.  I wouldn't want to take all of that fun with fire away from him.  Or maybe... I just never learned how to use the grill and the Doc is so darn good at it.
But I digress.
Admittedly, in a moment of anger, I hit the ceiling one day.  I had enough of waiting on these boys hand and foot and decided I was no longer going to be bound by servitude to these young men in my home.  What the heck was I thinking when I cleaned dishes for a 14 and 9 year old boy every day?
It was time to rock that boat.
One month after my meltdown, my boys are still grumbling, but this mama is a whole lot happier. These are things they need to know how to do someday when they are on their own.  It's all about training, right?
And as I started to pat myself on the back while thinking their future wives will love me someday, I had another wake up call.
The date.

I took my 9 year old on a date.  

The Doc took our oldest to the high school football game and let Jacob and I have the Blue Man Group tickets.  Jacob and I would always choose a show over a hot and sweaty football game.
Jacob and I were really excited about our night out.
As we began planning our evening, I realized that I had a long road ahead of me in preparing my little Romeo for his dating future. The following is a list of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Bad - He fussed about having to wear fancy clothes.  Fancy clothes meant a shirt with a color (Underarmour, of course) and khaki pants.  He wanted to wear flip flops with athletic shorts and a t-shirt. Good - He kept telling me that I looked pretty and he loved my hair. Bad - He wanted to take me to McDonald's. Worse - His alternate option for dinner was Taco Bueno. Worst - His third and final dinner offering was Sonic. The Compromise - We ate at Chili's.  I didn't want Chili's but at least it didn't have a drive through. Good - He wanted us to sit on the same side of the booth. Good - Again, he tells me I look pretty and kisses my cheek. (sweet, sweet boy!)

Best - He brings a dollar to buy us a "romantic treat" at the show. Not-So-Good - The "romantic treat" costs $2 and he chooses Skittles, knowing how I detest Skittles. The Ugly - I have plenty of money to cover the Skittles and buy myself a consolation bag of M&Ms.  I ate the whole darn bag by myself in about 5 seconds. Good - Once again, I get to hear how pretty I look.  I'm beginning to believe it less and less and wonder when the next request is coming. (Note to self - Jacob needs to expand his vocabulary a bit)
It looks like I will be having to tell this child that his flattering words will only take him so far.  
I'm so glad I have a little time to set things straight.

My fancy man puts up a rockin' pose with the Blue Man Group band!

All joking and grading system aside, an evening with my 9 year old is always a highlight. Always. Let the training begin!

Mrs. Priss
Feeling pretty... oh, so pretty... like


(Name that musical!)

Welcome To The Jungle

We just started school this week, but the two weeks before school started were full of visits from family.  My kiddos had a great time with their cousins.  The weather was not hot enough to spend a day in the pool (Oklahoma... in August... what??) but it was absolutely perfect for a day at the zoo.  
You are either a zoo person, or you are not. We are zoo people.
For my sister and I, the day was a time of reflection from zoo trips as kids.  My mom was quick to mention the polar bears mating at my 6th birthday party.  My sister had sweet memories of riding on the train with our grandfather.  Me?  I just love the zoo.
I'm fairly certain the boys' memories for the visit will revolve around seeing this.

I wonder what has captured the boys' attention?

I have video (of course!) but I will not make you watch the horrors we witnessed. We went straight from butt-picking monkeys to nose-picking statues. That's how it is when you have boys.

Picking the Chia Head's nose...

My oldest son, Michael, took a selfie with a goat in the petting zoo.   I guess this goat gets his picture taken a lot because he put a nice big grin on his face!

Say CHEESE!

Every trip to the Tulsa Zoo involves spinning the world around.  If you've been here, you know what I am talking about.  No matter how many times you come here, they must must must spin that thing.

My two boys with my three nephews

When it was all said and done, big red (my Michael) carried little red (my nephew) out of the zoo so we could go get some ice cream.

And in case you were wondering, the ice cream was my favorite part of the day.
Fall is almost here and the weather will be perfect for being outdoors. How will you spend your days?




Mrs. Priss
Hanging outdoors for a change like...

My Top 10 for Summer 2013

With first day of school pictures starting up on Facebook and our own first day back looming in the near future, I thought it might be nice to reflect on my summer.  Amazingly, I pulled pictures from my files and it turns out I have exactly ten favorite summer memories.  Isn't that nice, David Letterman?

I'm hoping this will inspire some of you to compile your own list and include it in the comments.  If you have a blog, send me the link when you comment!  I would love to know what you have been up to this summer!  If you don't have a blog, just type it out in the comments.  Even if you didn't take a big trip, it is always nice to think about what made this part of your year special.

With a kiddo starting high school this year, I guess I'm enjoying looking backwards more than forwards.  I honestly don't know where the time has gone.  I look at that man-child's face and think that my little boy can't possibly be ready for high school!  Eek!  For the record, I had Michael when I was nine years old so I'm still so very young.

We started off the summer with a fun trip to Grand Lake O' The Cherokees with my lifelong friend, Melinda, and her family.  There is something extra special about a friend you have known for 34 years (which is hard to believe since I just told you I am 23 in the paragraph before this one).  I love her and I love her family.  We had the BEST time spending the day with them.  What you can't see in the picture is that I kept my eyes closed most of the time I spent on this tube because I was sure it would flip.

Priss, Priss' son Jacob, Melinda at the lake

The one day I took the boys to the new pool at the country club, the firemen showed up and sprayed the kids down.  It goes without saying that my favorite part was watching the firemen and the boys favorite part was being soaked by the water hose.

No fires here!

Another highlight was flying down to Houston to be a part of one of my best friends' surprise party celebration.  Leslie was in shock!  The Doc and I were in Houston for exactly 16 hours.  It was a whirlwind and we were tired, but it was worth it!

High School friends plus Leslie's Glamazon sister-in-law in the middle.

Taking the boys to the beach is always, always a highlight.  Beach vacations are so relaxing!  This trip we saw two sharks swimming nearby and a crab got my whole foot in his claw.  I was just fine after a few drinks.

My boys - playing with hermit crabs on the beach.

These pictures are all out of order, but you don't mind - right?  

This summer I surprised the Doc for his birthday (which was April) and coordinated a golf trip with friends to Branson.  It was so much fun!  At night, we played The Game of Things in our condo.  If you are looking for a fun game for a group of adults, this one is hysterical.  I am hoping for an encore next year.

Doc & Priss on the left with friends in Branson

Believe it or not, a trip to the dentist made the list.  The boys love going to the Doc's office!  Here is Jacob getting his teeth cleaned and Michael... um... being Michael... on the other side of the window.  We made a Harlem Shake video while we waited.

Doc's office

 I was tired of my boring and messy office so we painted it green.  It felt good to clean this room out!

Only I would consider reorganizing a a summer highlight, yes?

Our annual trek to Colorado must always make the list.  This year, the Doc's sister and her family joined us.  The kids loved it!

Michael and his cousin at the top of the rocks

The day after school let out, my friend Mary and I took the boys to Branson.  We did all of the cheesy touristy stuff.  The boys loved the wax museum.

Beam us up, Scotty!

Vegas.  You've already heard about this girls-only trip twice.  It is worth a third mention.  We are still having withdrawals.  We would tell you more, but what happens in Vegas...

Albright, Leslie & Priss with two new friends at New York, New York piano bar

And that sums up my most fun summer moments.

Now it is YOUR turn.

What did you do this summer?

Mrs. Priss

Living summer life to its fullest like...

Sup, Girl?

Mrs. Albright and I love to go out dancing.  We love the night life.  We love to boogie.  We love to get out and show the world just how silly we are. I'm sure we should be embarrassed.   See?

There is never a dull night on the dance floor.

This is an absolute truth.

Most of the places in our city that have live music also have a lot of men on the prowl.  We have discovered that the pick up lines and moves have not changed so much over the years.  It brings me back to one of the first days in college on the dance floor when I was asked the old standby, "Hey baby - what's your sign?"

I am seriously amazed by the menfolk who try these lines.  But then it begs the question -- do these lines actually work?  Wise up ladies!  Somehow, someway these must have worked for them once or they wouldn't use them again.

This past weekend was no exception.  

Best line ever was asked while the band played "Jessie's Girl" who asked... (drum roll)... (tell me you don't see this one coming)... 

"Your husband's name isn't JESSIE, is it?"

Geez.

But there is just one thing I don't really understand.

Maybe you can answer this for me.

Why are the men using these lines on middle-aged, married women out for a girls' night out?

Mrs. Priss

Who just loves to dance like...

Do I Have To Pretend To Love Camping, Too?

I don't know about you, but I am through trying to pretend I like the same things the menfolk do.  I don't really want to watch sports on TV.  Ever.   I don't mind going to an actual game.  That is, if the weather is just right I will be happy to go to the game.   The older I get the more I like to stay inside.  I know some of you are outdoorsy.  Good for you. I, however, am not. This means camping is a big NO for me.

When I got married to the Doc, he talked of going camping.  I got the willies just thinking about it.  I told him maybe someday he would have sons and they could go camping together.   Hold that thought.

As a kid, we camped at Yellowstone.  I slept in the van because I just knew a bear was going to get into our tent.   When I was in college, I camped out one night in the middle of a float trip with friends from high school.  It was really fun during the day.  At night, I wanted a bathroom, a shower, some air-conditioning, a tent, and a guarantee that no creature great or small would come within 20 feet of me.  None of these things happened.  There was a raccoon invasion in the middle of the night and a poisonous snake swam through my legs when dragging the boat the next day.  I won't go into my friend's canoe running into a cow and her frightful scream.  I swore that would be my last camping trip.
Alas, it was not. My last camping trip was in 1998 with the Doc.  We had a teeny tiny borrowed tent and our cocker spaniel sleeping between us.  In the middle of the night, a giant raccoon tried to invade our tent on my side and made threatening noises.  You can only imagine my reaction.  I did not sleep too well that night.  Our tent was so small you were touching the outside no matter where you were. The camp had some showers and I was thrilled.  At least I could feel clean, right?  My favorite part wasn't the ice cold water that ran through them.  The wasps swarming above made the cold shower almost unnoticeable.  Have I mentioned my love for bees and wasps? Let's face it.  There is one more little bit of information to share.  When I see camping areas, I am also a little frightened of some of the people living in them. There.  I said it.

Now that we have two sons, I notice that the Doc's interest in camping has waned.  
Guess what my boys have only done once? Camping. Know where they camped? A country club golf course. The Doc is perfectly willing to set the tent up in our game room for campouts. So... you tell me - why do we pretend to love camping? (...or is it just me?)

Mrs. Priss Living up to my name like...