Rainy days and Mondays...melt the snow!

Rainy days and Mondays...melt the remaining snow!

AND Mondays are usually my days to "catch up."  Last Monday was a day off for the kids, so I didn't catch up so much while they were home.  My daughter started with a fever Tuesday evening and was home from school the rest of the week.  I felt sick the week before and last week so after getting her on antibiotics, I went ahead with some myself. (I'd been exhausted, stuffy, foggy, had a sore throat, earaches but blamed it on lack of sleep until her strep test came back positive!!)  Huh.

My son had a few friends over to ice-skate and spend the night this weekend so now...it's just the 3-year-old and I!  My husband was trying to stay out of the way Saturday (when one friend was over, early) so he caught me up on almost all of the laundry folding so that is no longer a looming, insurmountable mountain! ;)

It's raining but that means the snow is gone (for now). After a few days on meds, I no longer feel like diving into the frozen lake! I made it to bed before midnight, last night so life is looking good!  I have high hopes for catching up on writing, during the little guy's naptime, today!  (Here's hoping I didn't just jinx that!) 

Enjoy your week!

Seeing Red

My son's assignment was to write a poem about a color.  He chose red. I enjoyed seeing the drafts progress.  This week, he brought the final product home.  He typed it in computer class and printed it on red paper.

RED

Red is blood
Stained on the rug.
Red is fire
That burned a wire.
Red are the stripes on the American flag
That I wish were plaid.
Red is the color of Santa's hat
Don't forget he's kind of fat.
Red is the lava inside a volcano
If you get too close you will become a mashed potato.
Red is the color of Santa's sleigh
If you yell, he might fall in hay.
Red is the heat
Coming from the sun.
Red is fire
Coming from a candle.
Red is such a wonderful color
It can make you happy forever.

Is it Monday, yet?

You can have Friday.  I'm ready for Monday!

I spent last weekend assisting with two science projects.  It's been a busier week after school this week.  My son has been in basketball practice on Saturdays but they just began having games against other teams, recently.  One Monday night, one Tuesday night and now, one that was canceled during The Storm last week has been rescheduled for tonight.  I'm driving three additional teammates, so after dropping my daughter off at gymnastics, we might dash home for bathroom breaks and let them change before the hour drive to the away-game tonight.

At least the three-year-old is taking a nap today! ;)

This Saturday features a science fair, a birthday party and perhaps getting my daughter to gymnastics to watch her friends compete.  She competes on Sunday, after which I am scheduled to work the next competition while she watches more friends.

Writing?  Reading?  Yep.  Promised I'd get that draft sent out today.  (It's still officially "today" until Monday, right?) ;)
******
Update: the boys lost the game so they played well but made for a grumpy ride home.  It's all good.  All kids are in bed and I have wine.  ;)

Happy Friday!

Reading and Writing (but no arithmetic, whatsoever)

I don't deserve to win this book.  Of course, I would love to have it but I don't deserve to win another, until I've at least read the last one!

You deserve to win it!  Go over to Joshilyn Jackson's blog and tell her you want Evenfall!

I won one of the copies of American Rose in Joshilyn's last drawing and while I really, really want to read it, I haven't gotten to it, yet.  So this book should go to someone who might get to read it sometime this year!  (And then we can compare reviews after I read it, after The Book Thief, and American Rose, and finish Jen's book and finish putting mine in order and...well, let's be optimistic and say July-ish.)

Reckoning

Why're you trying to second guess me?
I am tired of second guessing
What will be your look this season?
Who will be your book this season? ...
~ R.E.M., "Second Guessing"

Once upon a time, a girl met a boy.  Or a boy met a girl, however you want to put it.

Many months later, she had no recollection of the first meeting but he remembered her.  He decided to call her, as she was no longer dating his friend.  He left a message with her roommate.  She did not call back.  One day, after two shelves worth of sticky-note phone messages, she answered the phone herself.  (Our story takes place long ago, before caller I.D.)

The boy begged her not to hang up and then convinced her to join him for one lunch, on campus.
After lunch and a walk, he asked her to join him for dinner, that weekend.  She explained that she was already busy on Friday.  (It was true.  She already had a date with a very nice guy on Friday).  This boy nodded and quickly said that he was busy Friday, too, but would like to take her out on Saturday.    She was at a loss for a quick excuse so she said yes.  (She could call and cancel, later.)

The weekend in question was Labor Day weekend, however, and our girl was not creative enough to come up with an excuse that would keep her busy for the rest of a long weekend.  Saturday night the boy picked her up in a friend's car and popped a cassette into the tape deck.  The girl started to relax, a little.  He had chosen one of her favorite bands!  This was an album that she loved but did not own.  It brought back memories of riding in friends' cars back home.  She started to think the boy had pretty good taste and the evening might not be a total waste, after all.  In fact, if all went well, maybe she would get to know him well enough to borrow the tape!

Twenty-one years later, a woman was running errands and heard an old favorite on the radio.  She smiled as the song brought back memories of riding in friends' cars back home and a particular first date, as well.  She even laughed as she realized that she never did borrow that tape.

She came home, downloaded the song and has enjoyed listening to it often, lately.  She asked her husband if he had ever really owned that tape, or just borrowed it from the friend who told him to play that particular album.  Her husband swears he owned it.  Of course, he gave away all of his cassettes a few moves ago, so there is no proof.  When questioned, he was able to provide the correct title of the album on the first try, so it's possible.

Snow days

You have seen the storm rolling across the nation.  You can't see my state on the radar right now but we're still here, under that blanket of clouds, just like most of you.
In anticipation of the storm, my husband emailed me from work Monday, asking if we had all of the necessary supplies.  "Yes," I replied.  "We have plenty of wine and printer ink.  Oh, but we need milk." :)

We attempted to get my daughter to gymnastics as the edge of the storm rolled in and we never made it to Taekwondo but we stopped, on the way home, for the rest of the kids' essentials:  junk food.

So we're set.  I was grumpy, yesterday, as I'd planned to get much writing and reading done while I was "stuck" at home.  Unfortunately, with three wild kids who were also home, and who riled to dog up, too, I didn't accomplish much but cooking.  (I had the oven and the stove and the slow cooker going!)
Today the BIG snowflakes have arrived and are falling.  I gave up on being productive and made chocolate chip pancakes for the kids.  So now, they are building a fort, the dog is napping and I just might get something accomplished, after all!