I have one of those faces

You know. Whenever I meet someone new, they say, "don't I know you from somewhere?" Or "Did we go to highschool together?" Or most commonly, "You remind me of my" sister, cousin, roommate, high school girlfriend, anyone really. I've been compared to Molly Ringwald, Hayley Mills, and Kim Basinger, and Goldie Hawn which I found most flattering. Now, mind you, I look like none of these people. But I look familiar, so people have to place me.

Because I'm familiar, and thus non-threatening, people also tend to unburden themselves. I have heard the most amazing confessions from relative strangers. People also say, "I don't know why I'm telling you this." I do. I have one of those faces, and therefore you trust me.

If I were evil, I could use this power to make money. Blackmail or insider trading, or something. But I'm not, so I just listen. Hi. Nice to meet you. Tell me all your secrets.

Things I don't miss about not working

1. Digging through the couch cushions for change to find enough money to go to McDonald's with my daughter. (We used to share a Happy Meal because we couldn't afford two meals.)
2. The constant mess that I alone was responsible for picking up.
3. Diapers.
4. Having to choose between formula and food. We couldn't always afford both, and formula had to win.
5. That panicky feeling when the car broke down and we had to put the repairs on the credit card.
6. Not talking to grown-ups for days on end.
7. Driving to dance, and soccer, and tae kwon do, and girl scouts, and soccer, and dance, and the library, and swimming. . .oh wait! That hasn't changed.
8. Having peoples' eyes glaze over when they ask "what do you do?" and you answer them.
9. Feeling under appreciated and under paid--again! That hasn't changed.
10. Looking at the budget and realizing there is no money for a family vacation.

Things I miss about not working

1. Naps
2. Walking my kids to school.
3. Lunches with my friends.
4. Shopping when no one else is in the store.
5. Getting the best parking spaces at Target.
6. Oprah.
7. Time to read for pleasure.
8. Really cooking--not just re-heating frozen pasta.
9. Going on field trips.
10. Not having to account for my schedule to anyone.

Why I hate winter

1. It's cold.

2. It's cold.

3. Sweaters add pounds.

4. I have yet to find a fashionable hat that keeps me warm and doen't make my hair all icky and staticky.

5. Did I mention the cold part?

This is my idea of what winter should look like.

Just because

I hate having to do things one way just because it's always been done that way. I get that people feel comfortable with the same old, same old. But is the old way always the best way? Isn't progress good, sometimes? Or a lot of the time?

We give kids the summer off because that's the way our great, great grandparents did it. Why? We add two spaces after every sentence because manual typewriters needed it. Why? We eat turkey on Thanksgiving because the Pilgrims did. Why? (Actually, I agree with that one but because I love turkey and I make the most amazing dressing, but you see my point.)

I have too many things I want to do in life to waste time doing things just because it's the way it's always done. So tomorrow, I'm going to walk on the right, eat the pizza crust first, and have cookies for breakfast.

Things I would rather do than go to work tomorrow

1. Break my ankle.
2. Go out on a date with my ex-boyfriend who has the crazy mother who thinks her neighbor is a member of the mafia (she lives in Provo, UT) and a house full of cats.
3. Miss a flight to Australia and be stuck in the airport all day.
4. Go to dinner with a bunch of mid-level Chinese bureaucrats and discuss China's ability to control the weather during the Olympics.
5. Sit at home during a typhoon with a house full of whining, bored children.

I actually might have a shot at that last one.

10 things from my childhood I wish my children could experience

1. Mr. Rogers after school. I still have a soft spot for zippered sweaters. I'll never forget the wonder I felt when I realized "he knows I'm afraid of falling down the drain!"
2. Ding Dongs in tinfoil. Oh wait! They have these again! It's so much more fun to unwrap a yummy chocolate treat in tinfoil than to rip open plastic.
3. Movie re-runs. Remember when the great movies would come around to the theater again the next summer? I saw most movies this way because my parents couldn't afford to take us to the full price run.
4. Coming home when the street-lights went on. We left the house in the morning and came home in the evening. The middle was filled with running through sprinkelers, riding bikes, and Italian ices from the general store, and most importantly, no adult supervision.
5. Phones with long cords. Bouncy, swirly, strechy, and you always knew where it was because it never left the kitchen wall.
6. Banana bike seats. We could fit three people on those!
7. Roller skates. I hear these might be making a comeback. I put mine on the last day of school and didn't take them off the whole summer.
8. Summers on Grandpa's farm. Whose Grandpa has a farm anymore?
9. Beach day. Once a week we'd go to the beach with friends. I would so do this if we lived anywhere near a beach. We don't, so no beach days for us.
10. Toy catalogues. We used to spend hours pouring over these wishing for things. Now everything is online, which isn't the same as hiding the catalogue under your bathrobe and sneaking it into your room to look over with your sister.