A couple of ETN writers are appearing at local book stores this weekend. Stop by!

Lenore Skomal, a Her Times contributor, author and weekly Erie Times-News columnist, will be signing copies of her newest book "Life Lessons: Kindness" on Sat. Dec. 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble on Peach Street. "LifeLessons: Kindess" is the second in the new LifeLessons kids. It includes an elegant box with inspirational cards and a full-color, 96-page book with writings both old and new, quotations, and inspirations on living a life of kindness.

Less than a mile down the road, you'll find Erie Times-News features writer and food columnist Jennie Geisler signing copies of "etn & Friends" -- a cookbook filled with recipes from our newspaper and our readers -- at Borders Books from 1 to 3 p.m. This is a really cool cookbook -- and for less than $20, it would make a great gift for anyone on your list. It even comes with it's own plastic stand, so it can remain propped upright (safe from drips and slops) on your counter as you work.

Both books are available at both book stores and online at www.amazon.com.

Whoever coined the phrase "terrible twos" surely felt like a fool when their kid reached 3 -- or 3 1/2 to be exact -- when the twos began to look like a cake walk.

My 3 1/2 year old is driving me crazy. And, I remember her sister (who is now quite likeable again at 5 1/2 years) being the same way. I'd think it was just my kids, but a few girlfriends with kids the same age confirm they, too, are wondering what happened to their sweet babies.

Two-year-olds are still cute. Frustrating, sure...because they want to be independent, but lack the physical skills to do things themselves. This leads to temper tantrums galore. But, you can almost understand them, they have no other means of dealing with their frustrations.

Now, at 3 1/2 they've got more than a few tricks up their sleeve. Like repeating what they want endlessly. Lauren has perfected this. It goes something like this "I want a snack. I want a snack. I want a snack. I want a snack. I want a snack. Snack. Snack."

I'm usually elbow-deep in dishes or cleaning the cat litter or seomthing and so I respond something like this: "OK, I hear you. Yes, OK, in a second, honey. OK, sweetie. Yes, I have my hands full right now. One second, OK? OMG....JUST WAIT A MINUTE!

She, of course, disolves into tears. And, then hauls out another recently perfected trick -- guilt. Her face crumbles, big fat tears roll down her cheek and she says in her tiny, squeaky, breaking voice "you don't yike me?" I always say "I love you, but I don't like the way you're acting now." Doesn't matter, she's lost it and I'll spend the next ten minutes consoling her and feeling like the world's worst mother (again).

She even annoys her sister. As I type, she is right now touching everything Kelly tells her not to touch, she takes Kelly's seat every chance she gets, she hordes the toys and will hit her sister when she thinks I'm not looking.

She's bossy, loud, whiny, emotional and perpetually snot-nosed. She always has to have the last word, she makes huges messes around the house and, lately, she's been sneaking into my bed at night and stealing precious elbow-room.

And, yet, I love her so much it hurts.

I see a lot of myself in her (no wonder we butt heads). And, she's still my baby -- still small enough to carry around and hold on my lap. She's affecionate, curious, mostly-kind, independent, cute, petite, social, artistic, extremly physical and typically easy-going. She's not nearly as high-strung as her sister. I'd never call Lauren a Drama Queen -- a role that her big sister excels at.

How can one little girl be, at the same time, so annoying...and yet so adorable?

You never know what you've got until it's gone and that's especially true when the power goes out. We live in the country -- no city water, no sewers -- so when the power goes out, we're done for. No heat, no water, no lights, no flushing toilets, no nothing.

Our power is frequently out. Lots of morons hit telephone poles on our street, it seems. Last year's late-winter snowstorm put us in the dark for two entire days. Hell hath no fury like a wife who can't run (no treadmill) and two toddlers who can't watch PBS.

Vowing not to suffer the same fate this winter, my husband recently plunked down nearly $700 for a generator. I winced at the hit to our savings account, but knew that it would all be worth it the first time the power goes out.

It was out when we came home on Friday night.

The generator was still in the box in the garage ... that wouldn't open ... because the power was out.

My husband is a master electrician -- licensened in three states -- who put an entire 2nd floor on our house, added onto our basement and is more than capable of hooking up a generator (not to mention manually opening the garage door).

If I had my way, he'd have been out there hooking it up that night.

But, no amount of guilt or dirty looks worked that night. He swore it was too big of a job.

The next morning, he went hunting. And, I woke up to a still-powerless house.

I was not a happy camper as I dug around for batteries (because the kids play with all the flashlights and none of them work) and managed to round up all our stuff so that we could go to Grandmas for breakfast and a shower.

Lucky for my husband, the power was back on when we got home from our afternoon holiday party.

He says he's hooking up the generator this weekend.

For his sake, I hope the power doesn't go out before then or he may find himself traveling very quickly toward a bright light.

:-)

It's becoming a holiday tradition for the YMCA to raise their membership rates each December. Merry Christmas. Least they could stick their rate increase letter in a festive card or something.

Family memberships are up to more than $60 a month.

On top of that -- they will begin charging members for kid's swim classes in March of 2007. A "nominal" fee, their rate-increase letter says.

Leaving me wondering just what I am getting for all these annual price increases because I have YET to be able to get my daughter into dance class at the Eastside Y -- despite being in line at the Y at 8 a.m. on the morning sign ups are supposed to start. Somehow the class is always full by then (hmmmm...soemthing's fishy there and, really, if it's such a popular class, why don't they add more?)

And, don't even get me started on the fact that they virtually ignore the working parent. Almost all of the kids and mommy-and-me-type classes (with the exception of soccer and swim classes) at the Eastside Y are during the day. How am I supposed to have my child participate in those?

I used to like to swim laps on Mondays -- the one weekday I am off -- but that ended a few years ago when the Eastside Y filled the pool with senior aquatics classes all morning long. Pool is open for laps after 11:30 a.m., unfortunately, babysitting is over at noon.

No laps for me.

No dance class for daughter A.

No preschool classes for daughter B (because they're all during the day).

And now I have to pay an ADDITIONAL fee for the one class I can actually get my children into?

Unbelievable.

Meanwhile, they hand out free memberships to half of Erie county because their "mission is never denying anyone membership because of an inability to pay."

I thought their mission was to be a fitness center. Or, is it a child care now. I'm just not sure anywmore.

For $60 a month ($750 a year ... which more than I contribute to United way, more than I contribute to my kids' college fund, more than I pay for some of my home's basic utilities), the YMCAs are making membership unaffordable -- even for two-parent working families who can't participate in 80 percent of the classes they offer because we're ... well, working.

Girlfriend Lisa (an eternal optimist) recently sent me a link to this Web site (because she knows I'm an eternal pessimist at heart) and I could not stop laughing.

There are sure to be a few of these that belong hanging in your office.

My personal favorites:
"Burnout: Attitudes are contagious. Mine might kill you."
"Cluelessness: There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots."
"Indifference: It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but it doesn't take any to just sit there with a dumb look on your face."
"Get To Work: You aren't being paid to believe in the power of your dreams."

And, be sure to check out the "Pessimists Mug" on the same site. Hilarioius!

'twas a brilliant plan that came together perfectly on Sunday as I loaded a couple of containers full of yummy Christmas cookies into my car after having done not much more than dishes (and some drinking).

I hate the kitchen.

My sister is Martha Stewart (I seriously think she channels her).

I had to bake a few dozen cookies for the preschool Christmas program and I had planned to buy the refrigerated cookie dough (you know the kind you break apart and bake) when I happened upon an AP story about hosting a Christmas cookie party/exchange.

Ah...ha.

I called my sister and planted the seed. "Hey, didn't you used to do those cookie parties with your friends? You always said they were fun, huh? We should do one with the scrapbooking girls..."

She bit. I knew she would.

I rounded up some family bakers, doled out assignments, divided up the shopping list and promised them a good time.

Sister came through, of course, with the cookie party of all cookie parties with a gourmet lunch -- not just your average soup and sandwich but...the kind of soup and sandwich Martha would serve -- with imported cheeses, special sauces, and mouth-watering dessert.

She also had any ingredient we ran out of, more cookie sheets than we could use, Christmas music on the CD player, fresh flower arrangements on the table.

She even had favors -- seriously -- Christmas-theme spatulas with a cookie cutter attached and the words "Cookie Party 2006" written on the handle.

I took one look at those spatulas lined up on the sideboard and almost cried. All of a sudden, I realized how long I have taken my sister for granted.

Only now do I realize that all the differences that have annoyed me for 35 years are all the things I should've been appreciating about her.

We are as different as two sister can be. She is a slob, I'm a neat-freak; she loves to cook, I hate it; she loves fashion, I could wear paper bags; she can sew gowns, I can't sew on buttons; she loves all the expensive mall stores, I shop bargain basement outlets; she's good at math, I am so bad with numbers it's almost funny. She is a staunch -- and vocal -- Republican. I am a liberal -- and vocal -- Democrat. I love Clinton, she blames him for the downfall of the country (don't even get us started on G.W.B. -- Mom long ago declared politics as a forbidden topic at family dinners).

But, maybe that's the way it should be. She the ying to my yang. She keeps me grounded. She challenges me.

This I love about getting older -- my mind is clearer and I am more easily able to see things for what (and who) they really are. I am more willing to accept people for who (and what) they are.

I've realize now that I've wasted 35 years being annoyed with my sister because she wasn't who I wanted her to be.

I think I'm finally mature enough to just love her for who she is.

We have an angel tree here at ETN each year and each year I am stunned speechless by the generosity of my co-workers.

I call Children's Sevices in the fall and request names and gift lists for 80 disadvantaged kids. I then hand write the angel tags with their first names, age, gender and some of the gifts on their wish list. Sometimes those wish lists are extensive and/or expensive and I wonder if that name will be taken.

They always are.

This year all 80 of our angels were "adopted" by our employees and as I type I am, literally, surrounded by giant gift bags full of incredible gifts -- skateboards, NFL jackets, bags stuffed with new baby clothes, designer handbags, CD players, DVD players, baby toys, 120-piece art kits .... So many presents that they no longer fit in the conference room I'd been storing them in and are now overflowing into my office. I've tripped over them more than a few times today.

And, I smiled every time.

I am fortunate to work for a company that inspires and encourages generosity. And pays us well enough to be generous.

It truly is better to give than recieve.

My sister-in-law, Steph, just sent this to me:

"If you have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or you're a big kid yourself, try calling the "800" phone number below to listen to Santa Claus. He is very jolly and from Dec 13th - Dec 24th, there is a new message from Santa everyday. He reminds the children to be good and thoughtful to others and he sounds very real... Best of all it is FREE!"

1-800-972-6242

I'm a listmaker. I've got them everywhere -- at work, at home and in my car. I make lists of things to do today, things to do this weekend, things to remember to tell my husband (I kid you not...hey, we're busy people), things to do before the holidays, things to buy at the mall tonight ... I even make to-do lists for my husband (which he resents).

I like lists because, well, I like order and organization. I like to know what comes next and I like to outline a logical, practical way to get there. (Spontaneous is not a word I'd ever use to describe myself).

So, I had to laugh this morning when I realized that the little notepad my 5-year-old was carrying around was her "to do" list. She's just learning how to write, so all her tasks were just a bunch of gobbly-gook letters, but next to each one, was a box (just like Mommy does) where she checked off items as she got them done.

"Put on shoes, check. Put on coat, check. Go to Grandma's, check. Go to school, check."

She even made a list for her little sister and gave her a crayon to check off her items as she got them done.

That's my girl -- my first-born, Type-A, emotional, overachiever -- the one my husband says I'll definitely have the most trouble with because she's just like me. We already butt heads.

Kelly dutifully took her to-do list in the car when we went to Grandma's this morning & quickly realized Lauren had forgotten hers on the table at home (forgot, or deliberately left it there? Hmmm... Lauren IS just like my husband).

"That's OK, Mommy, I'll just make her a new one."

Which is just what I'd have done.

It's terrifying to realize how much our kids learn just by watching what we do and how we react to things.

The pressure is on for me to walk the line because these girls are paying attention.

And, taking notes.

There won't be many surprises for me under the Christmas tree this year.

No, I haven't been snooping. And, yes, I've been a good girl this year.

But, my husband has discovered online shopping and, well, he's not very good at it.

I got a call from Visa a couple of weeks ago confirming some new charges that they flagged as suspicious (and I am apparently getting that magnetic memo board from www.boarddudes.com I wanted).

I signed for my iPod Nano on Monday.

I got a confirmation of order email from Amazon on Friday.

I got a shipping notice from The Container Store yesterday.

They're spoiling Christmas for me with all their emails, safeguards, updates and the tell-tale boxes with their logos plastered all over them that keep arriving at our house every day (And, yes, it's becoming apparent that dear hubby went way over budget on me this year).

Now, I wouldn't say that I LOVE surprises, but I'd prefer to wait for the good stuff. I didn't find out what my children were before they were born, I have NEVER jumped to the end of a book to find out who did it and I never want to hear about the end of a movie until I've seen it for myself.

So, after Christmas this year I'll need to have a sit my husband down for a little lesson in cybershopping.

A.) Have presents shipped to another address (like your mothers house)
B.) Create your own accounts at online stores.
C.) Do not use your wife's email address for confirmation emails.
D.) Don't use the family credit card when the wife is the one who handles the household bill-paying chores.

Ah...but the man tries. He's just out of his element on the 'net. He'll catch on quick enough.

And, soon discover that he can buy hunting supplies, tools, boots and other "guy stuff" online, too.

And, then I'll get my surprise ...
when I open the Visa bill.

It pays to plan ahead. I've been done christmas shopping for a while now, wrapped last week, baked cookies a few weeks ago. So, this morning after cleaning up from a party last night, we found ourselves with an entire day with nothing much to do.

Didn't have to clean -- we'd already done that in preparation for the party. Ditto with the grocery shopping. With no last-minute holiday chores, we were able to enjoy a rare afternoon together just having fun.

We ended up taking the kids bowling. It was Lauren's first time and it was hysterical. Is there anything cuter than a 3 year old with pigtails and a plumber's crack trying to roll a bowling ball? We had a great time and one game was all we needed (toddler balls roll slooooowwwwwllllyyyy down the lanes) so it cost us a mere $10.

We followed up with hot fudge sundaes at McDonald's, a place I normally shun, but since the local ice cream stands are all closed for the season, Micky-D's was the only nearby choice.

Making a perfect day even better, both girls fell asleep on the ride home -- which means we'll have nice, happy girls when we go to Aunt Rhonda & Uncle's Bill's vow renewal ceremony tonight (with a party following, of course...yes, we Cass' love to party).

These days -- with not much to do -- are few and very far between in our household. Tomorrow starts the holiday rat-race. Church to brunch to party #1 to party #2 to dinner at Mom's ... and so on and so on for the next several days.

Today was a reprieve -- A really, great, wonderful, welcome reprieve.

If only every Saturday could be like this.

I'm on vacation this week and, yet, I think I'm still spending as much time in front of a PC as I do at work.

See, I got the iPod I wanted for Christmas and the kids got Fisher Price digital music players (call FP3 players) and I've been trying to install the software to use them since....oh' 10 a.m. on Monday.

I've officially given up now and packed my cute little Nano back into the tiny box it came in because I just can't deal with it right now.

I'm no computer programmer, but I'm PC-wise enough to know how to fix most problems. For those I don't know how to fix, I just google the error message and solutions pop up.

Which is what I did when I kept getting error messages when trying to install the iPod (and the FP3 player) software. But, nothing worked. I'd get one message "fileE: \INSTMIA.exe not found" fixed and then another would pop up "missing export NTDLL.DLL:strstr."

The bottom line? After three days of downloading updates and patches and software and drivers and this and that and this and that...it all boils down to this: iPods will not work with WindowsME (Millenium edition) which is what I am running on my 7-year-old, obsolete, ancient, decrepid son-of-a-motherboard PC at home.

So, here I am with my $200 iPod that is now going to cost me an additional $2,000 to use because I'm going to have to buy a new computer ... which will be outdated the day it arrives on my doorstep.

Bah humbug!

After giving up on the iPod Tuesday, the girls and I had a busy and fun filled week.

I don't usually take vacation in the winter, but I had to use up a week before the end of the year, so I chose the week between Christmas and New Year's (Truth be told, I've never minded working that week -- most everyone else is off, it's a quiet week and you can get a lot of work done).

I was, in some ways, dreading the week -- wondering what we'd do indoors for an entire week. I made a list of household things I'd been meaning to get to and made plans for my mom to take the kids on Friday because I was sure that we'd need a break from each other by then. But, I was wrong on all accounts. We ended up having a blast running all over town doing the things we never have time to do:

We went to see a movie at Tinseltown, we went to the ExERIEnce Children's Museum (and stayed for hourse), we went to see "A Star for Santa's Tree" at the Erie Planetarium, we went out to lunch at the Plymouth, we went swimming at the Y a few times, we watched some DVDs we borrowed months ago, we went on a winter picnic at the park, we played games, slept in, took naps, painted, colored and partied like Rock Stars.

And, now vacation is over and I didn't do any of the "inside" chores -- things like weeding through the file cabinets, cleaning out the spare bedroom, organizing the bedroom bookcase, updating the paperwork in our safe deposit box, etc., etc.

The other stuff was much more fun. And, soon my kids will be grown up and I'll have all the time in the world to clean, organize and plan for my future.

Right now, I'll just live in the moment.