Friday, August 18, 2017

Fly On The Wall At Summer's End

     Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group postings, hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today, nine courageous bloggers are welcoming you into their homes to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors.

     I'm sad to see that we only have a few more weeks of summer left. August has been an amazing month for us. We've had several birthdays in the family and all sorts of celebrations recently. We cracked open a bottle of champagne the day my very first article was featured on The Washington Post (WARNING: get your tissues out. You can read it HERE), something that has been on my bucket list for 2017, and then we celebrated Hub's birthday over the course of two weeks (because a Doyle celebration can never last just one day). Family gatherings have filled almost every weekend this summer, which makes me realize how fortunate I am to have all of my adult children living nearby. This has been one of our best summers yet---I can only hope that the fall will bring even more of the shenanigans that my family seems to love.


     As always, there were plenty of silly conversations going on during our gatherings, and I was lucky enough to catch a few.....


"I was just reminded of why I love being an empty nester."
"How so?"
"My youngest stopped by for the night. By the time he left, there were dirty dishes in the sink, a wet towel on the bathroom floor, a pizza box on the stove and an un-flushed toilet. Yeah, I don't miss the good ol' days of having a house full of teens...."

"I was just talking to a bluejay outside. Seriously, in bird language."
"Snow White has nothing on you."

"Cheese sticks are your remedy for everything. Hungry? Eat a cheese stick. Tired? Eat a cheese stick. Angry? Anxious? Got diarrhea? EAT A CHEESE STICK."

"I call my new fashion style, 'Anything With An Elastic Waistband'."

"I want to write a new blog post titled, '10 Reasons I'm A Good Wife.' Can you help me with it?"
"No, because I can't come up with of 10 reasons."

"Stop feeding all those little birds from our hotel balcony. If you don't stop, this place is going to look like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. "

"I think I just swallowed the wrong pill. It was supposed to be my antidepressant, but I think it was one of the dog's pills."
"Well, at least now you don't have to worry about getting fleas."

"My skin is so bad from my landscaping job, the dermatologist will think I'm using sandpaper to erase my wrinkles."

"The medical form asks what my marital status is. Doesn't that depend on the day?'"

"You know you're getting old when you visit Disney World, a place that you've been going to for thirty years, only now you have to wear a knee brace to walk around the park, and you've become like Pavlov's dogs by needing to pee every time you see a restroom sign."

     Goodbye, summer. We'll be looking forward to more celebrations in the fall!


****WANT MORE MENO MAMA? This week you can find my featured essays at The Mom Life Chronicles and The Washington Post.


Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

Baking In A Tornado                  http://www.BakingInATornado. com
Menopausal Mother                     http://www.menopausalmom.com/
Searching for Sanity                 http://singlemumplusone. blogspot.com
Spatulas on Parade                    http://spatulasonparade. blogspot.com/
Never Ever Give Up Hope                   http://batteredhope.blogspot. com
Bookworm in the Kitchen                http://www.bookwormkitchen. com/   
TaylorLife                                         http://www.TaylorLife. com
Cynful Thoughts                               http://hercynfulthoughts. blogspot.com   
Evil Joy Speaks                               http://www.eviljoyspeaks.com

30 comments:

  1. I am a bit jealous of you having your family close by! I have a small family, and we are dispersed hither and yon. I had one night where my entire extended family was together and it was wonderful. Maybe some day one I'll end up living nearby at least one of my girls... By the way, Marcia, I think you are aging in reverse. You look younger in each photo!

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    Replies
    1. I know that one day my kids will probably move somewhere else, perhaps far away, but for now, I just want to enjoy the time I have here with them. Thank you for the compliment, Seana--very sweet of you. I do pamper my skin to ward off some of the aging process, lol.

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  2. There is simply nothing better than having family close by!
    and went and read your WP article. Had to wait a while to be able type . . .

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    Replies
    1. Awwwww....thank you so much for taking the time to read it, Diane <3

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  3. I loved the first one. No, I don't love being an empty nester. But, I do wonder why I feel I have to hold my tongue over such boorish behaviors that I would NEVER have accepted before any of these kids went away to college. Because they are adults? Adults don't do that :-)_

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  4. I hate having my family so scattered, until they come to visit and beds are unmade and toilets unflushed. Damn, there's just no winning.

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    1. The reality of it all.....but I know you would still love to have your boy home with you. I missed my kids so much when they were away at college.

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  5. I really can't believe that summer is almost over! It flew by this year!

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  6. OMGGGggg, your family is TOO beautiful. DAMN YOU.
    Also, I'm SO proud of you: WASH. POST WHAT!!????
    Fabulous.
    Please teach a class for us wann-a-beeees.
    Luv Ya. xxxx

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    Replies
    1. You are too kind. I will be happy to help you any way that I can---you are a good writer and deserve to be heard. Love you, too <3

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  7. Cheese sticks seem to be the preferred treatment for a variety of ailments in my house, too. Glad to see there are others JUST LIKE US. 😊

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  8. This post reminds me of a conversation my wife had recently. Her doctor asked if she was sexually active. She said no. "My husband does most of the work."

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  9. Sounds like a wonderful and loving family. Happy Birthday to everyone and I have a son and husband that does all the things your youngest son did. Would you like to take them for a day I could use a break. Now, mind you in 5 minutes the house might be to quite and I would have to ask for my son back. Just not sure about hubby because like you it would depend on the day.

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  10. Loved this, Marcia. I needed this post to dry the tears I shed reading your Washington Post article. Wow, what a moving piece. Sharing your experience will no doubt help so many parents dealing with the loss of a baby. Congratulations on being published there, too. Happy weekend to you, yours and the fly on the wall! :)

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    Replies
    1. You just made my weekend. Thank you and big love to you <3

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  11. Cheese sticks are truly a miracle food. I remember the first time I watched The Birds, the very next day a magpie came and tapped on my window, I was so freaked out, I thought the movie was finally coming true.

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    1. LOL I love birds and I'm not happy unless there are 20-30 in my yard every morning, feeding. Freaks my neighbors out, that's for sure....

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  12. So when you visit you grown son, does he do the same at his place as he does when he visits your home? I certainly can relate to your marital status comment LOL

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    Replies
    1. He keeps his own place much cleaner. Don't they all?

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  13. You guys always make epic happen.

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  14. Hello Marcia, It's been a long time. Congrats on the article! As always, enjoyed your funny family.

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