I am not one of those parents who will take my kindergarten graduate to Red Lobster in a limo or party bus while he carries 10 giant balloons with 2 dozen roses…Y’all know the type!

So, I cooked. He went out to buy ice for the cooler. After we’d eaten and cleaned up the kitchen, we started moving all of our meats and other stuff to the cooler. As the sun started to go down, I began gathering and strategically positioning all of the candles throughout the house. My 6 year-old, who at first was excited because we’d eaten in a shadowy kitchen, started getting anxious as he relaized that no power = no night light. He begged us to sleep with him. I agreed since my bedroom would be a sauna without the air or fan (my room is on top floor).

I must admit, we settled into a nice quiet and calm evening. We all helped light the candles, my son helped carry our pillows down to his room, we were content. The children enjoyed having stories read to them via candle-light. It wasn’t even too hot in the house. Because we had no lights, everyone kinda got tired earlier than usual. We all had our pjs on early so we wouldn’t have to get ready in the dark. I set my alarm on my cell phone to wake up this morning. One of the last thoughts I had was how it must have been pretty nice back in the “olden” days to live by nature’s clock. No sooner than I had this thought than I heard the intrusive hum of the dishwasher. We could hear our neighbors cheer outside, my husband exclaimed “masha’Allah”!!! I smiled when the air conditioner kicked back on. My 6 year-old and 2 year-old all took delight as we walked through the house blowing out the candles.

Then all of a sudden, everyone “woke” up. No one was tired anymore. Hubby went down to the basement to go on the internet to check out ESP.N Zone, the kids started playing with their toys all over the floor, I was able to check the voice mail and return some phone calls. We did this for about 40 minutes. When it was bedtime, my son said, “mommy I guess you’re gonna take your pillows back upstairs now right?”. Before I could say, “yes”, I said, “no of course not”. He smiled. We all climbed into the bottom bunk of my son’s full size bed. I can’t say I slept like a baby. I was kicked, my neck and back ache still, and my feet were peed on. However, I can say it was the nicest crappy nights sleep I’ve had in memory.

I wish the power never came back on last night.

This dish I ordered contains sliced or diced chicken, roasted cashews, broccoli, and some water chestnuts in a nice plum sauce. That’s all. So you know I was heated when I sit down to lunch…STARVING and the dish has no cashews, no broccoli, and what MAY be considered chicken in some parts of the world. What I was looking at was a bowl of chopped celery, waterchestnuts and some kind of meat. That’s not the worst of it…

I immediately call the resturaunt to complain. I told the lady that I ordered cashew chicken but the meal didn’t contain cashews or broccoli (I didn’t mention the suspect chicken). This lady had the nerrrrrrrrrve to say that the next time I ordered, they will give me some cashews and broccoli. ‘Scuse me? Yes, they will put some cashews and broccoli pieces in a bag for me! Needless to say I got it straightened out!

Now I excuse me while I continue my savory lunch of Rol.d Gold Honey Wheat Braided Twists and Diet Dr. Pepp.er.

I remember when I was a kid, my parents would send me down south to Georgia for the whole summer with family. Times are so diiferent now. I don’t feel comfortable sending my son that far away without us…especially since I can’t be 100% sure my family would adhere to some of the rules we live by. My son is funny acting he probably wouldn’t even want to go anywhere but up under me all day anyway.

If you have children, what will they be doing this summer?

When I arrived, my 6 year-old told me that the lady had already come by. I was p-o’d b/c the house was a wreck….but at least my hubby just handed the board to her at the door right? Right? WRONG.

How about my husband was asleep when she came over, my son let her in the house! The story I got from my son and hubby is that when she first knocked on the door, my son tried to wake up hubby (who’d decided to take a power nap!!!!). Hubby said he thought he was dreaming…mmmk.

Hubby said by the time he realized what son had been saying, he jumped up out of the bed just as the lady was WALKING UP THE STAIRS ONTO THE LANDING IN FRONT OF THE BEDROOM!!!!

There are soooooo many things wrong with how this went down. First off, I reminded my son that he was not supposed to answer the door…let alone OPEN it!. He says he didn’t think it was nice to make her wait outside until I came home from work! My hubby should not be power napping with a 6 year-old roaming the house! AND FINALLY, what in sugar and spice is the lady coming in a house at the urging of a 6 year-old for? If it was me, I would be scared to just walk into some stranger’s house!

You are all invited to my house this week if you’d like to attend the following workshops hosted by your’s truly:

1. Stranger Danger 101

2. Power-naps…over-rated

3. Divorce for the Power-napper 101

4. Trespassers can be shot on site

I mean geesh, can you imagine if this was a Craigsl.ist transaction? I woulda been all over the news!

Now, looking at the picture, one might assume that it is a nice sized tote. NOT! When it arrived I was disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I love the bag and am wearing it today but I swear, when I first tried it on it looked like a had shoved Barbi.e’s purse under my arm!!!

Man, you know times are rough when you order accessories that make you look fat.

I am so sure you know how it is!

My aunt came to visit from New York City and she wanted to go here. I live in Northern VA (DC metro area) and only 10 minutes away from Mt. Vernon. I have never really considered going here before. Driving along the GW Pakrway is breathtaking as you are driving parallel to the Potomac River. I live very near the river. Anyway, it never interested me because …well, it just never did.

I must say, Mt. Vernon is beautiful. Washington was definitely a visionary, a planner, shrewd businessman and all the rest. Mt. Vernon is captivating…this place is what comes to mind whenever I’ve envisioned a plantation in my mind. The mansion (big house) overlooking the river, the stables, forests, outbuildings, etc. The sheer beauty of the land….over 4 thousand acres is by far the most beautiful land I’ve ever seen. I took the tour of the whole place. There are still areas under the houses that I wasn’t privvy to. They had houses specifically for salting meat, one for smoking meat, one for shoe repair. Mt. Vernon was conceptualized by Washington and realized by the people who were under his “employ”. There was so much history there. Some of it I knew already-a lot I did not.

I would encourage everyone to visit this place if you ever have the opportunity. From a purely historical perspective, it is a must-see. Washington was ahead of his time in agricultural and horticultural practices.

I visited the slave memorial and slave quarters, overseer’s house etc. I was brought to tears. So much work went into building Mt. Vernon. As I walked along this magnificent land, marveling at it’s beauty and scope, something kept tugging at me. I mean, I was happy to be seeing this splendor - grateful even. I kicked myself for never having come before this. As the guides talked about the greatness that was Washington, I could see the truth of it around me. The guides at Mt. Vernon do not ignore the fact that he had slaves. In fact, many of the plaques state at the time of his death he owned 316 slaves. However, it is downplayed on the tour. You can take a separate slave tour….I may the next time I visit.

I can say a lot more about my experience while at Mt. Vernon, but you should go yourself. As I walked off the plantation, one thought came to mind and escaped my lips, “I want my 40 acres and a mule”. Seeing this place gives a whole new meaning to the idea of reparations.

About 20 minutes later:

He says - “mommy, can we have a conversation?”
I say - “yes, what about?”
He says - “well, this is crazy stuff so I am crazy”
Me - “just tell me, I won’t think you are crazy”
Him - “you remember that car that was upside down?”
Me - “yes”
Him - “well I don’t know those people but I almost want to cry about them…that’s crazy right?”
Me - (as I get choked up) “No that’s not crazy, that’s pretty great! It means that Allah has put caring in your heart. That means that you care about other people and that you are so cool. That means that at 5 years old (he just turned 6) you have a huge heart. I am so proud that you want to cry for those people”
Him - “oh, ok”

The above makes me disregard his usual conversations. Like this one from yesterday:

Him - “Mom, if we had an accident will the ambulance come?”
Me - “yes, to make sure no one is hurt”
Him - “Will they take us to the hospital?”
Me - “yes”
Him - “what if I fell out the car on a stick and my private parts got chopped off?”
Me - (thinking…here we go again, I am so not in the mood for this right now)
Him - “mommeeeeee, I’m talking to you”
Me - Yes, J. If that happened they would take you to the hospital”
Him - “What about my peni.s?”
Me - ” The doctor will sew it back on”
Him - “That would hurt too much! I don’t want them sewing it back on”
Me - “ok”
Him - “They have that medicine that can put you to sleep and I won’t know they sewed it?”
Me - “yes”
Him - “How do they do that?”
Me - (getting annoyed b/c I’m TIRED and the commute is long and he talks THE WHOLE WAY HOME NON STOP) “I don’t know. I am not a doctor”
Him - “Can we go to the doctor school and ask them right now?
Me - “no”
Him - “That’s why I don’t know nothing cause you never take me anywhere”