It's My Burf-Day

The bad news is that this picture was taken 32 years ago today. 32 long-ass years. Ago. Today. And no, I no longer have the Slinky. Or the stuffed dog.


The good news is that my son looks a little bit like me after all! Or at least, like I used to look. This is Bruiser on his first birthday.


And here we have my fourth birthday. It appears I got a piece of luggage, among other things. Either that, or this was some kind of combo Happy Birthday/ Surprise! We're Sending You to the Funny Farm! Party (and who the fuck was in charge of cutting my brother's hair?!).


And here's Punky on her fourth birthday. I don't see any resemblance here. Do you?

In other news, here's what's going on over at my Parents.com blog this week...

• I haven't mentioned it here, but I'm on vacation this week! Whoopee! Sand, sun, mai tais... Well, not exactly, but still. It's something of a break. Find out what I'm talking about here.
• I learn an important lesson about raising teens: Whether you're an evil overlord or their BFFabee, YOUR FOOLPROOF PARENTING PLAN WON'T WORK. My advice is just to give up now, while most of you still have kids who are pimple-free.
• And suddenly spanking is becoming an appealing option. Somebody give me some advice on how to "discipline" a 14-month-old in a way that doesn't involve swatting his little beehonkus. A 14-month-old who poops on the idea of "discipline."
  

And just because it's my birthday, here's a helpful tip from Penny Pressed (does anyone remember her, from the Fashionable Chaos blog? I miss her so much! In fact, when I first discovered mom blogs back in ought-five, Penny Pressed and Susie Sunshine were my two BFFs-who-didn't-know-it, and now they've both closed up shop, although Susie can be found writing under the pseudonym of "Angie" over at Parent Dish.): Here's how to get rid of fruit flies. First, take a wide mouth jar and fill it 1/2-3/4 full with apple cider vinegar. (No other type of vinegar-- has to be cider vin.) Then, put a few drops of dish soap in and fill with water until the bubbles reach the rim of the jar. Then wait for the carnage.

"Penny" sent me this e-mail almost three years ago and I hunt it down and use it every single summer. It works so well, but don't expect instant results. Give it a few hours (or even a day or two if you've got a major infestation) and your fruit flies will be a thing of the past, no matter how many you have in the house. Forget the fame and fortune, this tip alone made starting this blog worthwhile!

Have a great weekend everyone! And if you go out tonight, the water's on me!