Menopausal Mother

Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group blog postings hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today, there a three of us opening our homes to you so that you can see what goes on behind closed doors. 

The fly followed my family to the annual Renaissance Festival again, but this time I think he got a little tipsy on the mead. Hopefully, he didn't see or hear EVERYTHING that went down at the festival (what happens at Ren-Fest, stays at Ren-Fest). I love attending these events with my kids and friends because we always have so much fun and there's lots of laughter involved (with a bit of debauchery tossed in, of course). 

I'm sharing some of my favorite photos from the day in the hopes that it might entice you to attend the Renaissance Festival if it travels to your area. Then again, some of these pics might just scare you off....

***Want more Meno Mama? Check out my latest for AARP---some Superbowl (or anytime) awesome snack foods HERE. And of course, in light of Rhianna's big reveal at the Superbowl, I had to write about surprise celeb pregnancy reveals for Family Minded, which you can read HERE.

Buzz around these other blogs for a peek into some other homes:

 Baking In A Tornado                                https://www.BakingInATornado.com

                                  

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver         https://thediaryofanalzheimerscaregiver.com/blog

Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group blog postings hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today three bloggers are bravely inviting you into their homes to see what goes on behind closed doors. 

That nosy fly has found me reflecting on past holidays quite a bit lately. I love the holidays, but there are always some bittersweet memories attached to the festivities. While I embrace the holiday spirit of decorating, shopping, tree trimming, gift wrapping, Christmas music, and baking, I'm also reminded of the Christmas' from my youth when our family gathered for the big day. Now, several of my family members are gone, and the memories they've left behind are tinged with sadness. 

When the church choir sings the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah, I remember my father standing silently beside the pew in a show of appreciation. 

A fragrant, newly-decorated spruce tree reminds me of my mother carefully hanging her delicate glass ornaments on the rich, green boughs. 

Chocolate buckeye candy makes me think of my sister Cherie and the hours we spent rolling sugared peanut butter balls in the kitchen while Christmas music played in the background. 

Mom's frosted spice cookies were my brother Randy's favorite treat. Every Christmas after dinner, Randy and I snuck into the kitchen to pack a large bag of spice cookies for home before the others discovered what we were doing. 

Although they are gone now, I know my parents, sister and brother would want me to embrace my own family and create new holiday traditions to cherish for years to come. And that's exactly what we have done.

Here are some of my favorite photos with family and friends celebrating the holiday together:

     Okay, I messed up. I forgot to post my Fly On The Wall blog last month! And May was such an outstanding month! I guess I have been a little too distracted lately, (i.e. extremely forgetful!) but after decorating my office with Post-It Notes for this month's FOTW, I remembered to write it! So here we are with another edition of the Fly On The Wall group blog postings hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado.

     I'm going to tap into last month's fun for today's post. The fly saw us being social butterflies--so many fun activities going on (yay for summer!). We attended a local festival one night and got to see all the neighbors, then we were invited to a pontoon boat party which was a blast. We celebrated a few birthdays with family and then of course there was Mother's Day---another extraordinary day spent with the people I love most. As always, the conversations were ripe with humor and sarcasm---at least the ones I remember!

 

"I love this old photo of you, Hon. Look how young you were."

     And that's a wrap! I promise to write myself more reminder notes in July so that I don't forget to post the next FOTW. In the meantime, I'm heading to the nearest barn to find myself a cow.....

This was the BEST day! As you can see in the pic, we had a fun group on the pontoon. If you look really hard, you'll see me with Mac squished somewhere in the middle of the group, ha-ha!!

***WANT MORE MENO MAMA?? I've been busy!! You can find me over at AARP talking about the benefits of my Zumba classes HERE  and some yummy meatless meals HERE plus the best way to care for your teeth HERE. If you watched the Belmont Stakes and you want to know a little history on the race, check out my latest for Always Pets HERE or info on a puppy's first year of life HERE and facts on the American Bulldog HERE plus the animals with the shortest lifespans HERE

 

Buzz around these other blogs for a peek into some other homes:

 

Baking In A Tornado   https://www.BakingInATornado.com

                                

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver         https://thediaryofanalzheimerscaregiver.com/blog.html/

     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.

 
    Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group blog postings hosted by Karen of  Baking In A Tornado. This is your opportunity to get a sneak peek at what goes on behind the closed doors of the writers who are participating in today's postings.

   
     Things have been pretty busy here since January, but rather than tell you all about it, I'll SHOW you what the Doyle family has been up to. If you've been reading my Fly On The Wall posts on a regular basis, then you know there's never a dull moment around our home. I am blessed with a loving, crazy, close-knit family that enjoys being together and having fun. These photos tell it all:






Ringing in the New Year with close friends and family. The evening would not have been complete without a champagne toast, some booty dancing, and a surprise appearance by Olaf the snowman. Um, yeah.....don't ask.....



My daughters and I are sticking to our New Year's resolutions to get in shape and stay that way with the help of our awesome Zumba instructor. Nothing like a vigorous dance workshop to sweat off the holiday pounds. And God knows I had a LOT of cookies and egg nog to work off.



I finally completed something on my bucket list: a trip to Disney World to celebrate my granddaughter's fifth birthday. We made some incredible memories that I hope she'll always remember and hold dear.....because I certainly will.



Check number #2 off my bucket list: For years I have wanted to raise a pug puppy, but never had the opportunity, until recently. This beautiful, furry ball of love was adopted by us just a few weeks ago. Say hello to Yoda, the little boy who melts my heart (and destroys my shoes). He's the best cure for depression! Yoda always makes me laugh because he's such a little stinker, but I love him to bits. Our two, adult pugs are still confused about his presence and wondering when his real parents will return  to pick him up. Sorry guys, but Yoda is here to stay. #MyForeverPup



This photo is blurry for a reason. My daughters and I were laughing too hard at our annual Super Bowl party. Did I watch the game? Nope---just the commercials. But I had more fun goofing around with my girls. Super Bowl to me is synonymous with chicken wings, chip & dip, and unlimited desserts. That's okay though, because everyone knows that calories don't count during the Super Bowl weekend.



After all the excitement, it was time to wind down with a visit to our favorite local park----Morikami Japanese Gardens. It's our little slice of heaven on earth that we can't live without. We're lifetime members, because the beauty and serenity of Morikami's zen gardens center us after a hectic week.  It has nothing to do with the fact that their cafe also makes the best tempura I've ever eaten....and I'm totally addicted to the stuff. Maybe calories don't count in Morkiami, either.



Check #3 off my bucket list: Seeing Andrea Bocelli in concert! My daughter and her boyfriend surprised us with the tickets, and we were thrilled! It was a lovely evening with dinner on the water in Miami, and then being treated to hours of superb music. Best Valentine's Day gift ever!

     Up next: we're off to the local Renaissance Festival, so you know there's going to be some unusual photos in my next FOW post.  Didn't I tell you Doyles like to have FUN?



Cluttered Genius                            http://www.clutteredgenius.com