Cops and Robbers . . . and Marijuana

Sometimes adults need a break from life, a chance to revisit their adolescence, an opportunity to let loose and play. That's what my friends thought they were doing last night.

The game was "Cops and Robbers." Five couples divided into teams (boys against girls, of course) and tried to spot each other while they trekked back to base, hopefully without being seen. Each team had to stay together, and they were declared "out" when they were spotlighted with a flashlight from the other team.

My friend Tina was one of the cops at the time. Together with four other friends, they drove up and down streets in the neighborhood hoping to catch their husbands dressed in black before they reached home base (i.e., the park).

Shortly before they reached the park, they spotted five men dressed in black. Excited, they spotlighted them, yelling, "We caught you! We got you! Come back!" When the men kept running, they chased after them, perplexed that their husbands were cheating. They were supposed to stop when they got spotlighted.

Tina and her entourage didn't catch their husbands, so they went back to home base--the park. Their husbands were already there.

"Why didn't you stop when we caught you?" they asked.

"We were already here when we heard you yelling," they explained. "But we did see five teenagers dressed in black sprinting through the park scared out of their minds. Oh, and they smelled like they'd been rolling doobies."

What started as a simple game of cops and robbers ended up as an accidental drug bust by five middle-aged moms! Oh the irony!

Look-alikes, basketball games, and new website and book

Today was a great day! We spent the morning hanging out with our cousins, who are staying with us for a few days. Then we took Jake, Maia, and Lizzy to an audition, where they performed their monologues and commercials in front of an agent. The agent said Lizzy looked like Marie's daughter. Darn, I thought she looked like my daughter! :)

Here's a pic of me at age 2-ish and Lizzy at age 2-ish. There's a slight resemblance, although I agree that she looks more like Jeff!






After the auditions, we went to Maia's basketball game. They didn't win but gave it a valiant effort!

My company, Sourced Media Books, just finished updating the website. It's totally different with lots of new features. Check out sourcedmediabooks.com.

We have also just finished a new book called "Full Bloom: Cultivating Success." It's written by 27 highly accomplished women, ranging from doctors to business owners to stay-at-home moms, on what success means and how to achieve it. Preview it at http://www.amazon.com/Full-Bloom-Cultivating-Amy-Goodman/dp/098410688X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295789443&sr=8-1

Words by Jenny

Isn't it amazing how much children learn by age two? Experts say that a child's capacity for language is virtually unlimited until age six. But even with a super-smart absorbent brain, the English language can be confusing for a two-year-old, as I found out this week. Here are a couple of my favorite Jenny-isms:

On Sunday at church:
Jenny: "I want to go to Mystery!"
Amy: "Mystery? What's that?"
Jenny: "You play with toys."
Amy: "Oh, Nursery?"
Jenny: "Yes, Mystery!"

Before preschool on Wednesday. She points to her dress:
Jenny: "I have coconuts."
Amy: "Coconuts? What are those?"
Jenny: "Circles."
Amy: "Oh, polkadots. What a cute dress!"

Christmas at Mom and Dad's

It was a wonderful Christmas at Mom and Dad's house--the first time all of my brothers and sisters and I have been together for Christmas in 3 years! We had to get together on Dec. 22, but who cares about the day :).

Highlights of Christmas:

1. Jake LOVED his ipod touch. We gave it to him as a combined birthday/Christmas present.

2. Maia wanted a black men's wallet, so we found a nice leather one. She also wanted some Barbies. Maia is complex.

3. Lizzy talked about a "Magic Pie" for over a month. We got it for her, and she was ecstatic! Since then, she has maybe played with it twice.

4. Jenny wanted play-doh and paint, so she was easy to please.

5. My absolute favorite present was the digital picture frame that Jeff gave me for Christmas. I uploaded our family photos and stare at them while I'm eating breakfast. Jenny loves it almost as much as I do, and she gets really excited every time she sees herself. In fact, she usually wants to go change into the outfit she sees on the screen. "It's Jenny in the Green! Jenny in the Green!" is a typical response.

6. I got Jeff hot sauce and some new clothes.

7. We all got together and gave Mom Photoshop CS4. I think she likes it?

8. Dad got an ipad. I'm still trying to get him to play Words with Friends with me.