I’m wishing all you fabulous readers a happy Thanksgiving today! Hope it’s wonderful!

Remember how I’ve said Erin is my "sensitive" daughter?  By that I mean she’s got a crazy hair growing out of her butt whose origin is unknown.  This child of mine seems to be attracted to the bad boys.  The last one she "went out with" (they don’t say "go steady or going with" anymore) was the king of bad boys.

How bad was he?  One of my friends called because her Mom is a teacher at Erin’s school. She WARNED me that he is the baddest of the bad.  Gulp! I faced a dilemma… if I made a big deal out of it or if I FORBADE her from seeing him, she’d just want him more.  Instead, I talked about how important it was for guys to treat her the way she deserved to be treated, how *she* was awesome and any guy would  be privileged to go out with her, blah blah blah.  I also emphasized that if any boy made her cry, then he definitely wasn’t worth her time, energy, or affections.

So she saw a picture of this bad boy online with another girl.  When she asked him about the picture, he got mad at her and said, "I hate you! I wish you were dead!"  What a jerk.  So she’s done with him and didn’t waste but one or two tears on this dude who we’re thankful is now an EX.

Given the harshness of his words, I did ask my friend’s Mom to talk to the teachers so they could quietly keep an eye on my Erin.  I want to make sure the guy doesn’t continue to bully or intimidate her.  This parenting stuff is HARD.

Maybe it’s just me, but is anyone else not really feeling the Black Friday deals this year? This might be the first year in my adult life that I didn’t see one single thing that makes me want to get up at the crack of dawn and go stand out in the cold to wait for it.

JoAnn’s Fabrics is having a sale on their flannel for $1.49/yard on Black Friday, so I will be getting out on Black Friday. I just don’t think that’s a get up at dawn kind of thing. I’ll be snoozing away in my bed this Black Friday, and that feels good.

For Black Friday information, go here.

Straight outta my childhood- my brother and I would sing this over and over to annoy my mom.

Straight outta my childhood- my brother and I would sing this over and over to annoy my mom.

Photo: Stuck In Customs on Flickr

Last night my pal Kathy (yes, the fabulous Kathy T from Shak & Jill and here) asked me for a favor. Now, I highly respect Kathy and I think she’s one of the most fabulous people I know, so when she asks for the favor, I instantly want to do it, no matter what it is.

She asked if she could borrow my husband’s convertible for a Christmas parade coming soon. I just started laughing hysterically when she said that.

Five years ago, my mother gave me her shiny red convertible when she bought a new car. I felt like a star when I drove down the street in that thing. Sure, it had a few problems, like the radio’s volume control was all kinds of wonky. To get it to turn down or up, you had to turn it to the quietest radio station around (the classical station) and then beat on the knob. Sometimes it would turn way up, sometimes it would turn down. It was always random, and there were many times that my oldest son would slink down in his seat while we drove through the streets of our town, bumping Beethoven at full blast. Good times.

When we got a safe, sensible Honda Accord, Mr. Ivy took the shiny red convertible and I drove the Honda. I bought him a new stereo and he was happy.

Then the hubcaps began to fall off, one by one. Always in bumper to bumper 80 MPH interstate travel, so no chance of picking them up and savaging them. Then the rear windows stopped working. Finally, the coup de gras- Mr. Ivy was hit by a trailer as he sat at a stoplight, and now there’s a one foot dent in the rear of the car. Snazzy.

So, the thought of this in a Christmas parade? It’s not even cool enough to be the clown car. Well, maybe the clown car, if you covered it in flowers or something.

I remember my dad driving the biggest pieces of junk in my childhood while my mom drove the newer cars. It seems my own family follows that tradition. There’s hope for Mr. Ivy- my dad finally got a Lexus after we kids moved away, and last month he traded it on a shiny new Toyota Avalon. So, Mr. Ivy will probably get something nice to drive someday, like my dad did. For now, it’s the Dadmobile- the once shiny, now beat up and ghetto convertible. Sigh.

Not really, since she’s actually drinking hot cocoa. And that "stunt your growth" thing is apparently a myth, since I remember how my now-14 year old would climb up into his grandma’s lap at the tender age of two and would beg for coffee. He’s now taller than I am (and I’m 5′9!) and still growing. And still drinking coffee, much to my chagrin.

Not really, since she’s actually drinking hot cocoa. And that "stunt your growth" thing is apparently a myth, since I remember how my now-14 year old would climb up into his grandma’s lap at the tender age of two and would beg for coffee. He’s now taller than I am (and I’m 5′9!) and still growing. And still drinking coffee, much to my chagrin.

This is a great video about plastic bags and the harm they do. Reusable bags are the way to go!

This is a great video about plastic bags and the harm they do. Reusable bags are the way to go!