It's Friday! Before I was a mom, that meant something but post-children, it doesn't have quite the Zing! While the alarm doesn't have to ring at 6:00 to make it to school, I don't sleep in. No... my children miraculously rise on their own and wake me on days that they don't have school. Or the dog starts licking my face and jumping on my head. Or my husband has to go into work and needs to wake up early. Whatever the reason, weekends really don't provide lazy, sleep-in mornings.

***

RIP Mike Nichols

An icon passed away this week in Hollywood -- Mike Nichols. Everybody has a dream list of people they wish they could work with and Mr. Nichols was on the top of my list as an actress. As we both aged and my career aspirations died evolved, I obviously knew that the likelihood of that dream happening were slim. Sadly, that sliver of hope died along with the man. He was a great director, a brilliant comedian, and from all accounts just a darn nice guy. When on "Inside the Actor's Studio",  he was asked what he would like God to say when he arrived in Heaven. He famously said, "Welcome Mike and Diane". It seems he will have to wait to get his wish.

***

Have you had a Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day?

Long before the recent movie, the desire to move to Australia existed with all of those who commiserated with Alexander. Here is a disclaimer and it may solicit boos and hisses around the world. I hated this book! Why? Not because I didn't like Alexander but because I did. I felt like poor Alex got  a raw deal. His brothers did mess with him... a lot. And why couldn't his mom wait and buy him shoes when they had the ones he liked? Why did she force him to wear shoes for months that he hated? Anyways, I felt like he might have been grumpy but he also had a lot of legitimate gripes.My Sonny-Bunny had his own version recently. First, through no fault of his own, we had no lunches to send to school with him. We did not have time to shop before drop-off, so I promised him I would bring the lunch by the school. And before you begin to boo Mommy, I followed through. In fact, I went straight to the store after drop-off and returned to the school at 8:15 with lunches in hand for both children. They let me walk the lunch to the 2nd grader but asked me to continue the 5th grader's independence by dropping it at the office and promising they would call him down to pick it up. Well, I don't know where the shoe dropped but he was never told he had lunch.Add to that, he forgot his homework -- definitely his fault -- and therefore, he was ZAPped which means Zeroes Aren't Permitted and they lose recess. Finally, he fell in PE and scraped his knee. So when he got at to the car at pickup, he was starving, bleeding, and sad. Pretty pitiful. It was pretty much a Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Maybe I'll take him to the film where Alexander wishes his bad luck on his family. Either way, I am hoping he has a better day today.

***

Finally, for those of you I only "see" on Fridays, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. Despite a roller coaster year of illness, injury, and all-around craziness, I am very blessed and have untold reasons to be thankful. If you have little bits, you'd like share, join Mrs. 4444 i her Friday Fragments at Half Past Kissin' Time.