I think any mom can relate to this song. Not all of us may be able to sing it like this, though!

This sign hangs on the door of Kiki’s bedroom:

How welcoming!!

Cheerios just came out with a new flavor, Banana Nut.  My Muzbee Crazy clan loves all the Cheerios varieties and so we were very willing to try it out.  Of course, I asked my children if they liked it as they were stuffing their faces so I simply got the thumbs up sign.  It has quickly become our new breakfast choice.

I tried it and I have to say, General Mills nailed the banana nut flavor.  Great taste of real banana and a great source of calcium and Vitamin D.  Plus it’s made with whole grain which is even better for you.

I have 3 awesome gift baskets to give away.  By leaving a comment on this post, you can win a gift basket consisting of a  box of Banana Nut Cheerios, 2 cute cereal bowls, a bread loaf pan (perfect for banana bread), and a banana holder with a fruit basket underneath.  But leaving just any comment is too easy.  So before you comment, head on over to www.banananutcheerios.com, peruse their recipe section, and leave a comment on here with your favorite recipe.

You have until Saturday February 2th, 11:59EST to get your comments in.  I will pick the 3 winners and post them up on Sunday March 1st.  Good luck!  Also, check out www.banananutcheerios.com for discount coupons and additional information on this great new product.

This morning I took Kiki to the doctor’s office for a follow up on her ear infection.  The morning was running along smoothly.  I picked Kiki up at school (she was waiting in the office for me which was a plus), traffic wasn’t bad, and we made it to the doctor’s office with 10 minutes to spare.

We walked right up to the receptionist’s desk where she promptly asked for my co-pay.  No problem.  The transaction was complete and she handed back my debit card.  At this point, I put my purse up on the counter to place my card back into my wallet and I knocked over a clock that was sitting on the counter.  The clock fell onto the desk below where a steaming cup of coffee was sitting.  It looked like a 20oz cup of coffee with maybe 2 sips taken out of it.  Coffee went all over the desk, the papers that were in it’s path, and around their telephones.  It was a mess.

I apologized profusely as the office staff came running over with tons of paper towels.  I know I was speaking audibly, but it was as if no one heard me.  I retreated to a chair and waited for Kiki’s name to be called while contemplating finding a new pediatrician.  Clearly, I can never show my face here again!

Once we were back in the exam room waiting for the doctor, I muttered how bad I felt that I spilled this woman’s coffee.  My sweet Kiki overheard me and said, “Mom, when we go back out just say you are sorry again.”  Such words of wisdom from my seven year old!

I took her advice and apologized again when we went back out to the waiting room.  This time the receptionist acknowledged my apology and said not to worry about it.  She even laughed a little bit, but I still felt like a moron.  I am wondering if they made a note on Kiki’s chart that her mother is a klutz who will destroy the entire front desk with one swoop of her purse.  Maybe my husband will have to do the next few doctor’s appointments.  At least until they take down the picture of me with a bulls eye around my head!

Happy Monday morning!

Earlier this week, I wrote about a former classmate of mine that passed away on February 10th from a heart attack.  I was deeply impacted by this news because this is someone who was my peer, someone I remember from elementary school, someone who was about to welcome his first child into this world.  I kept telling myself that a 28 year old doesn’t have a heart attack.  That just didn’t seem right.

I want to thank all of you who commented on that post.  There were so many kind words shared.  Last night I received a comment from my father that I am going to pass along.

This post drew a lot of attention to your classmate that lost his life at the age of 28, leaving behind a wife with a baby on the way. In your next “What I Learned This Week”, I think you may want to mention what else you learned as to why his wife is alone with a baby on the way. Dad

I’m not going to wait until Tuesday to share what else I learned, I’m going to tell you now.  Shortly after my post on Tuesday, I found out that my former classmate did indeed die of a heart attack; a heart attack induced by huffing.  This bit of news came from my sister who spoke with her friend that was a police officer on the scene.  I’m going to be completely honest with you at this point, this changes things drastically in my eyes.

If I could see him now, I would love to ask him if it was worth it.  Was his fleeting high worth ending it all?  Was that brief rush he felt worth the emptiness that those left behind must feel?  It’s a shame he couldn’t stick around for a bit because I’m willing to bet that seeing the face of his newborn child would have been a greater high than any he would have experienced sucking on air.

It is sad that a young man lost his life; his parents lost a son; his wife lost a husband; his child lost a father.  But did it have to be this way?  I’m sure there are plenty of people in this world that know they are dying and are fighting it with all they have.  People that know the end is in sight and are trying everything possible to stay alive to see their child come into this world, or graduate, or get married.

While my heart does ache in the sadness that he probably felt like he needed that high, I can’t get past the fact that this death was so senseless.  Maybe he didn’t think that this huff would be the one to end it all.  But it did.  And the aftermath of this is immense.  Death is the hardest on those left behind.  And for a young widow that is 8 months pregnant, I am sure the unanswered questions are endless.

Sunday night we attended a Mardi Gras celebration with my husband’s family.  It was a chance for us to “eat, drink, and be merry.”  There was some great Greek food being served as well as a DJ who played a mixture of current American songs and Greek songs.  The kids had a great time dancing to all the music; especially Kiki who seemed to find her niche Greek dancing.  The highlight of the night was when the kids paraded around with their Mardi Gras masks that they made at the craft table.  Although this year was a little rowdier than years past, it was a great time as always!

Kiki dancing with her Yaya

Kiki and AJ with their cousins

My husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law

My husband and I (awww!)

It’s time for What I Learned This Week hosted by Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife.  This week I learned many lessons.  Some lessons could be considered trivial, others left a mark.

• I learned was reminded of how cranky and emotional I get when I’m feeling sick.  Not good!

• I learned that taking your 7 year old daughter to a PG movie doesn’t mean it won’t be scary.  We went to see “Coraline” on Friday and it was pretty freaky.  I thought Kiki might have nightmares but fortunately she slept peacefully.  It was a good movie, just a little twisted.

• I learned that I am more scared than I thought to fly to Vegas in April (after these 2 recent plane incidents).  I am seriously contemplating having my husband and I fly out on separate flights.

• I learned that we are not invincible and that there is no guarantee that we will live to see our kids grow old.  A former classmate of mine died this past week of a heart attack at the age of 28, leaving behind a wife that is pregnant with their first child.  Cherish every minute with your spouse, children, and loved ones because all too quickly it could be taken away.

• I learned that relationships are like a checking account consisting of deposits and withdrawals.  A kind word or gesture is a deposit toward the relationship.  Negative actions toward a person are withdrawals.  And according to Father Tom, it is never too late for deposits.  This was Sunday’s sermon and although it may seem a little corny, it is actually worth thinking about.  My husband and I have been commenting since Sunday on whether or not our actions toward each other have been deposits or withdrawals.  For example, yesterday morning I poured him a cup of coffee and took it upstairs to him while he was still in bed.  That was a deposit.  Now if I poured the cup of coffee on him as a means to get him out of bed that would be a withdrawal.

• And finally, I got the iphone on Saturday and I have learned that it is completely AWESOME!

For those of you who did not see Joaquin Phoenix’s interview on David Letterman February 11th, I’ve posted it here.  I loved him in “Walk the Line” and I find him to be a very talented individual.  To see him like this is extremely sad to me.  To be optimistic, maybe he was “pulling one over on us” and just acting like he was as high as a kite.  If not, someone should get in touch with the television show “Intervention” ASAP.