Full moon

The house is quiet.  Everyone else is asleep.  I should be, too (haven't been sleeping well) or folding laundry. (I've got quite a mountain of clean clothes.  At least they're clean, so I'm not totally neglecting the family.  Everything that they need is clean, they may just have to dig for them.)

Instead though, I'm here.  Writing.  Finally.  Maybe it's the full moon.

Fighting with the book

My fingers are cold and dry.  This should help provide excellent inspiration for writing tonight--the part I'm working on takes place in Alaska.

I'm procrastinating again.  No matter how many chapters I have saved on various computers, in notebooks, on napkins...I have to rewrite them.  I may have mentioned this before.  The story hasn't been working because it has to come from the daughter.  That's OK.  I didn't want it to be her story, initially but I think that'll work best.

Except for all of the rewriting.  I'm lazy.  Of course, if I had a hot cup of coffee on the desk, rather than a glass of red wine, that'd probably help.  A little. ;)

Karma and all that

A while back, I stated that a book I was reading was not good.

In all fairness, it is the writer's first book.  I hope, one day, when my book is done and out there--my critics will offer more than two words.

I decided recently to give it another shot.  It is getting better.  The narrator bothered me but as it turns out, he thinks of himself as quite a know-it-all.  That doesn't make me like him any better but makes me want to give the author the benefit of the doubt.

So The Gargoyle is back on my nightstand.  At least, until I find something else to read.

Sagas: Twilight and facebook

The Twilight books are certainly YA but many moms like myself have been sucked in. Is it just the love story?  Maybe.  The fact that there is something familiar?  Sure--she has referenced and followed some classics with each one.

I had been reading some non-fiction and some bad fiction, so I think Ms. Meyers' books were mostly a welcome change.  There is something there, though.  I looked at the first book and told my daughter to go ahead and start reading.  I hoped I'd catch up--and make sure it was OK--but I knew that at the rate I've been reading, it'd take a month for me to finish that BIG book.

Instead, I finished all four books in less than three weeks.  It has been a long time since I simply COULD NOT put a book down.  And I've been looking for another "good" book to read since, but haven't been able to get another fix.

Part of my fascination lay with her characters.  In my comments about her first book, I mentioned that Edward reminded me of someone and I was curious.  As it turns out, I've lost touch with an Edward** and at least one Jacob* and I wanted to see what happened with Bella's.

(I had no idea until recently that a few of those people I lost are hanging out on facebook!  They have not all become my "friends" but that is an entirely separate distraction.)

In the meantime, somebody post the title of a book that I should be reading!

THANKS!

_________________

*Different names, of course.

** I have never--knowingly--dated a vampire

Immortality or longer life?

So if you only have so many free hours in the day--and you really want to sleep during some of those nighttime hours--do you place writing over exercising (if you are published, your name could live on forever) or do you get on the treadmill first (if you live longer, you have more time to be published)?

(Or do you spend them mindlessly blogging?)

That's all I want to say to you

Thanks to the Carpenters and, of course, Sesame Street for "Sing a Song."


My youngest is getting pretty good at singing his "la la las" so it's been fun but I've had enough.

We have moved on to the Police. (YouTube won't let me embed this one but you can click on the link.)

Sold out

It is done.
I never made a MySpace page and had no intentions of ever logging onto Facebook. So much for sticking to my guns. I caved.
I am on Facebook.

P.S. - For a certain person who may have used my daughter to suck her mother into the latest technology, I hope you are happy. I still don't know how to find your photos.

Happy Anniversary on Fat Tuesday!

To my parents, Happy Anniversary today! 41 years! THAT is something to celebrate!

Of course, many others are celebrating today--just 'cause it's Tuesday!
Here, we had Paczki (pronounced "punch-key") and king cake for breakfast, so we had our own small Fat Tuesday celebration, here!

The kids also had a half-day at school so each one brought a friend home. They pulled cookies out of the pantry for a snack a little while ago but my daughter would not eat the sugar-free cookies that her friend picked out. Though they are sugar-free, her friend kept calling them "fat-free." My daughter replied, "It's Fat Tuesday, NOT Fat-Free-Tuesday!!"

TGIF

(Basement issues are not fixed.)

Science projects complete--the Science Fair is tomorrow; birthday treats delivered safely to school today and party scheduled for Sunday; finished reading the Twilight saga; washing machine running; baby sleeping.

Dishes to do and many, many words to write.  Of course, when the hubby gets home, I'll tell him  that I couldn't get anything done.  At least I did get a shower early this morning--that never happens!  (The early part--showers do occur, occasionally!)

Enjoy the weekend!

Checklist

The weekend is over (thank goodness)!
The water damage is not yet fixed but we're getting there.
(The carpet damage is limited to a fairly small area but it is in the center of the large part of our finished basement. To avoid seams, they want to rip up a large portion of carpet). At least, we're on track there--just don't want the kids spending too much time in the basement--which means we're on to plan B (or C) for my son's birthday party next weekend. (No sleepovers yet)

One science project is complete!

One more getting closer--his volcano is built; we tested 3 different "recipes" yesterday to see which eruption is the biggest. Now he just needs to paint the volcano/prepare his display.

The father/daughter dance was a success--hubby and daughter enjoyed Saturday night.

Made it to the boy scout banquet with side dish on Sunday and addressed a few birthday invites for his upcoming birthday. We're running late but ought to still be able to get a few kids by next Sunday!

Still behind on laundry--as always. That's on the eternal list!

Now I just have to squeeze in a run, shower and writing before the youngest gets up from his nap! (I usually have great ideas when I do not have time to write them down!)

How's your Monday looking?

Still distracted

And I'm on to book 4.  (Ms. Meyer's, not mine).   I'm still embarrassed but inspired, as well.  Reading a young adult novel inevitably brings back a few teen memories of my own.  Quite a few character traits and/or scenarios pop up when I look back for too long. ;)

I might have to put the books away soon--to keep my daughter from the temptation.  I'm not sure she is ready to read books 3 and 4, yet.  (I'm quite sure she will not be reading book 4, yet, actually.  We recently got through the puberty talk and while I am willing to answer other questions regarding birds, bees and even humans--book 4 has a bit more than a 10-year-old needs to ask about!) ;)

Having said that, I am happy to see that each of these books references--and contains allusions to--classics that I do want my daughter to read:  Wuthering Heights, Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice.  As I've mentioned before, my daughter is not a big reader but maybe if she sees that these books are good enough for Bella...

New genres?

I'm sure it's the sleep deprivation but I still have this new story spinning around in my head. Mine would not include vampires or any other "monsters" but might have an element of fantasy. I've never tried writing one before and it may never make it to paper but it's an idea.

For my writerly readers--have you ever tried writing in more than one genre?

A little preoccupied

The book came.  I've been distracted--it's not that complex--not hard to see what is coming next and yet--I can't seem to look away.  I'm halfway through so maybe I'll have more interesting posts soon--unless I pick up the third book!

 As I said previously, I was a little unnerved to see how obsessed people were with these books.  Now I'm right there with them.  I look like a vampire myself--dark circles under my eyes as I know better than to stay up too late reading but I do it, anyway!  

 It has inspired yet another story idea for me, as well.  More on that after I sketch it out better--and get some sleep.  No need to share all of my loopy, sleep-deprived epiphanies just yet!

I'm infected--and embarrassed

I may have mentioned that I don't read kids' books. I also have not read a romance in quite a while.

I read Twilight, mostly to make sure it was appropriate for my daughter and to see what the fuss was all about. (I was a little unnerved by just how many people are reading it--though I'm sure Stephenie Meyer is enjoying every minute of it!) ;)

I purchased the second book online but opted for "Super-Saver shipping." I didn't think my daughter would finish the first by this week and I figured I'd need a break before beginning the next one.

I had not planned on staying up past midnight for a few nights last week to finish the book. I haven't done that in years. I find myself looking out the front window, several times a day now, looking for the brown box with the arrows on it. I am embarrassed to admit that I've been sucked in.

A good love story does tend to pull me in. That's why I don't read too many; I get too preoccupied and the laundry piles up--not to mention my own writing comes to a screeching halt. I did not think I'd get wrapped up in a teenaged-love story but it gives me a chance to escape my middle-aged life for a short while!

I'm off to fold laundry. And glance out the window, on my way.

Young adult saga

I don't read "kid's" books.

OK--that is not entirely true. I've read Goodnight Moon several times, just this week! Of course, I read to my children. When it's my turn to sit down and pick up a novel however, I'm done with juvenile fiction.

Or so I thought. I didn't read what the kids were reading when I was a kid. By the time I was in middle school, I was reading the paperback versions of The Winds of War, North and South (and the sequels), Gone With the Wind, books on Hiroshima and I threw several mysteries in there, as well.

Partly due to the books that I was reading when I was twelve however, I have always said that as my kids got older, I would know what they were reading and would read those books as well. (My own mom would ask about some of the books that I picked up. She didn't have time to read them and I may have misled her a little as far as how explicit they were. Sorry, Mom!)

I let my daughter go ahead and start reading Twilight, based on another mom's assurances that the first two books would be okay. (This mom is my daughter's best friend's mom, a teacher,and a pretty good judge of age-appropriate material). So I let N start the book, and I am trying to catch up. It's not bad! Who knew? Of course, this book is more young adult--the characters are seventeen. Maybe she thinks she is reading a grown-up book and I can feel like it's not for children.

I have heard that the third and fourth book in the series are not something she should be reading yet so I'll have her wait but I may just check them all out, myself. I'm only in the middle of the first one and read a scene last night in which Bella found herself in a dangerous situation but the way it was written, I'm sure that my daughter had no real idea of the just what the imminent danger entailed.

My daughter is not a big fan of reading and we try to coax her just to read. (They have the Accelerated Reader program at school and this year, it is part of her reading grade, so she has to do a certain amount of reading at home). She was all set to read this book though--because everyone is reading it. While it annoys me that she is at that age where she wants to be just like her friends, I am happy to see her excited about reading. (I just have to get ahead--and stay ahead--of what she decides to pick up!)

Catching up

The "books on my nightstand" list down on the left side of this blog has not been updated in quite a while!  Let's see...

The Audacity of Hope did give me hope, indeed.  I am not going to spend too much time summarizing it here as you've likely heard bits and pieces in various interviews, campaign speeches, etc.  It is an inspiring read.

Wickett's Remedy  was entertaining.  I love the asides in the book--though I'll admit, it took me a chapter or two to come to love them!  Apparently the format presented some issues when it was time for the paperback to come out so it gave her a chance to make some changes.  She uploaded the changes online but I have not read them so I don't know how the paperback differs from the hardcover.  I thought it was cleverly written and her historical details were well done.  

My only criticism would be that the ending seemed hastily done.  The letters between the creator and the beneficiary of Wickett's Remedy were the essence of the book--they tied the years and events together but the ending felt more like loose ends being tied up rather than a satisfying conclusion.  Perhaps that is remedied in the paperback!

I still have not read much of The Gargoyle.

I recently finished The Faith Club.  This non-fiction book chronicles a few years in the life of the three co-authors as they educate each other and struggle with their own faiths at the same time.  It is a story of three women who came together to write a children's book that would explain what common stories the Islamic, Jewish and Christian traditions share.  As they try to put their pieces together, the women learn as much or more about their own faiths as they learn about the other two. I had to rethink a few of my own views along the way.  This is one that I'd recommend reading in small amounts--too much to take in at one time--but well worth the read!

Now I just have to go update my list! ;)

Snow Day II

There are other days when a "snow day" would be welcome! We're at 5 inches (and counting) and most schools around here are closed or on a 2-hour delay. We were scheduled to have only a half-day today, anyway. (It is Catholic Schools Week this week, so they all go to the highschool, have Mass with the bishop, do a craft and they're done. So you can guess which school was open and ready to go, on time, today!)

Memories of the arctic

It's been a few years since I've said, "Hey kids! We're getting snow tomorrow--that means it's warming up!"

(Although in Alaska, my daughter still went out to recess until it was -20 degrees. Here, school is closed because it is currently -14. (The wind chill is -30 and even things in Alaska shut down at -30, so I guess I can't put down the school. The kids, of course, are thrilled!))

Snow day

Those two words are not quite as exciting for parents!  

Pet names

I had not yet logged in this morning so when I commented on my own post below, I had to type in the security letters.  Today's letters spelled "phiedo."

The family has been talking about when to get a dog.  I think, when we do, we should name him Phiedo.

(The rest of the family wants a girl dog but that simply won't do, now!)

Your response is important to me, please be patient and I'll post again, soon

It's Monday!

I'm back up, healthy and back online.  Unfortunately, I was on the telephone line--not internet--most of the morning.

I tried to reschedule an appointment for myself (they have all been on Wednesdays--the boy's library day--and he knows I've missed more of his than his sister's); make one more for me (separate issue but at least that will be on a Thursday); find someone to fix the mailbox (a car slid into it at some point yesterday) and and an assortment of other phone calls this morning meant doing the breakfast dishes with the phone on speaker.  I put the baby down for a nap and listened to a depressing selection of hold music, interspersed with "your call is important to us..." every thirty seconds.

Now that I have spent a full hour on the phone, I need to find a way to fold laundry and type at the same time.

It's time for a headset (and voice recognition software)! ;)

I can't blog, I'm washing my hair

The New Year came in quietly but went well.  We settled back in to start our routines, got back to school and then it hit.  The baby wouldn't eat much Tuesday or Wednesday and started with the runny diapers Wednesday.  Thursday, the hubbie and I were hit hard.  Either our flu shots don't work or they shortened the flu as we were better by Friday but Thursday, we were lying on the floor or crawling up the stairs to bed.  I let J just crawl on top of me while I was on the floor, thinking I caught this from him but Friday, it hit him harder!  He and I both were wiped out again (though not to the same extremes) yesterday.

I went to bed last night at 8:30 and though I got up with J a few times, we went back to bed.  He's sleeping again now so I finally took a shower.  As I sit here typing, I was just thinking how nice another nap would be but it sounds like he's stirring.

I'll get back to the writing life--I hope.

In the meantime, Happy New Year!  I hope you have a happy, healthy and productive 2009!

It's tradition

I am always late.  I am now addressing Christmas cards that were supposed to go out weeks ago.  I'd say I'll start over in 2009 but I wouldn't be fooling anyone!

I hope you all had or are having a wonderful holiday with your families!  Happy New Year!

(Thought I'd try to be a little early on that one!) ;)

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

Sorry I've been MIA. We have been passing viruses around this house for the past few weeks. (See? We do share!) I've been battling sniffles and sore throats while caring for everyone else but this latest one is doing me in! I think I have a combo of the baby's congestion/cold from last week and the sore throat from hell that my daughter had a few days ago.

I'm going to bed--have a great week! Stay healthy!

Indiana kids and the tower of laundry

I say I'll use the baby's naptime to write.  I need that naptime to shower though, too--oh, and clean up the dishes.  Now that he's mobile, naptime is a really good time to load the washer and fold clothes, or eat a peaceful lunch, or try to read something.

We have all taken turns being sick lately so I'm behind on everything--except cleaning the bathrooms.  Nothing like physically ill children to inspire me to follow behind and truly scrub those bathrooms.  When I look back at the week, it seems I can get more done than I thought!  (Although the clean laundry is not only spilling out of the basket, it has surrounded and conquered it.)  

It all works out in the end.  If the kids can't keep up with helping out, they'll just have to hunt for their socks in the Tower of Laundry.  They won't find the Holy Grail but hopefully, they can find some socks without holes.

Another week gone by

Have a great weekend!

I'll try, next week, to get to this more often. Life did not change much from last week with the exception that we've all taken turns passing a cold around--with the exception of my son--who tried to stay home yesterday by claiming a sore throat. It seems he needed a little more attention as everyone else had been getting more but he's healthy otherwise! (I let him stay home for the morning to be sure. He had so much makeup work from missing one morning that he's learned it's much simpler to just go to school!)

The baby is still feeling miserable but hopefully will recover, soon. (I really did move the trash!)

Otherwise, it's a gloomy, rainy day outside but I'm thankful that it's rain in the middle of November and not snow, yet!

(Snow is due tomorrow but I'll think about that later)

TGIF

A week after minor surgery, I can actually sit in my chair and type.

In-laws have come and gone, Halloween whizzed by and the baby is now a year old! (One year and 6 days but who's counting?) ;) He's taking a few steps, climbing in the bottom of the kitchen table and then climbing onto the chairs. (Just when we thought one short fall from his hiding place under the table, he's standing on chairs already. I guess if he's going to fall--he's going to make it as dramatic as possible.)

While I marvel at how quickly the baby is growing, my oldest daughter is asking to begin shaving her legs and, when she notices that I am trying to do 3 other things at once, she tries to get me to sign a blank piece of paper before going to school.
Poor boy--the middle kid is doing great on comprehension quizzes but can't remember to bring home a book or use shampoo in the shower.

I had a new story idea so I thought I'd throw myself into NaNo again this year and get it written but can't quite remember what it was I was going to write...

Recycling

It used to be a fight to get the family to remember to recycle. Everyone is doing much better, now. I remarked to my husband that on trash day, we only had two trash bags to put out!

My daughter remarked that this might be because the baby eats out of the trash can now.

My glass is still half-full but I'm not thirsty, anymore!

It could have been worse.

Last Monday, my husband offered to drop my son off at his tennis lesson. He waited until my son saw someone with a cart of tennis balls. My son said that was his coach and hopped out of the car.
Hubbie returned at the end of the lesson to find that there had been no lesson. My son had been mistaken--saw the balls and was eager to go. His coach never showed. The coach sent someone to tell the class that the lesson was canceled but she was held up at work so no one knew for a while.
Luckily, a few other moms who had shown up know my son and waited with him. It could have been much worse!

Wednesday, the dermatologist called to say that one of the suspicious spots he'd removed from my thigh was, in fact, melanoma. He has already removed it and is fairly confident that he got it all, but will take another centimeter out of my thigh, just to be sure.
Scary word but the spot is gone, so it could have been much worse.

Friday, on the way to a make-up tennis lesson (being held to make up for the canceled class on Monday) we were in an accident. My bumper looks bad but everyone was unhurt. Even with gas prices, there are some days when it is good to be the one in the big SUV! The car behind me had much more damage but still, it could have been much worse.

For once, I am glad it is Monday! I am ready to begin a NEW week! My chest has been aching all weekend. I've been blaming brands of coffee and amounts of coffee until it occured to me last night that I've been holding my breath. While all outcomes were about the best they could have been, I usually wait for these things to happen in threes. I had forgotten about Monday's tennis incident but have decided now that these are my three and I can move on. We're done!

Have a wonderful and safe week!

A week, already?

Although it was not Monday yet, my last post seemed to start the following week on a theme!
Baby has been sick, we've had at least a few things scheduled every day...you know: life. Finally, today I have a little breathing time again--I just can't believe it's been a week already!

My daughter and husband traveled up to South Bend and stayed overnight after the Notre Dame football game last weekend. My son had a friend sleep over and the baby went to bed pretty well. So I actually had a little time to myself! I was going to curl up and read a little more of The Gargoyle but just could not get motivated to open it back up, so I went looking to see what was on my bookshelf that I have not yet read. I found Wickett's Remedy. This book sat on my wish list for a long time. It seemed intriguing but I kept buying other books. A while back, I wandered into Barnes and Noble and the book was on a bargain table and I could no longer pass it up. Yet it still sat on the shelf until last weekend. I do not know why. I am only half-way through (life tends to interrupt my reading time) but it is delightful.

I don't know if you can judge a book by its cover but the price certainly is no indication of the value contained within. On impulse, after reading a review online, I bought a hardcover copy of the bestselling book, The Gargoyle. I am not impressed. It reminds me of the DaVinci Code in the sense that the premise is intriguing but the writing is not good. This is the author's first book and I should be kind--I hope someone will read my first book one day--but he is trying too hard. I might finish it and let you know if I change my mind. On the other hand, Wickett's Remedy was bargain priced--I again bought a hardcover--for $5.95. This is certainly a bargain!

More than a bargain, this book has been a gift. I've been toying with the idea of including angels--or at least, an angel--in my WIP but am struggling with a way to do it that is not corny. The asides* in the margins of this book have reminded me that once in a while, it is literally OK to write outside of the box.
___________________________________
*The asides in the margins refers to the hardcover edition. I learned, while looking for a link to share with you here, that Myla Goldberg had the chance to make some revisions to the text for the paperback edition. She has included them online to download to replace certain pages of the hardcover edition but I have not yet done so. I don't know if the paperback edition is in the same format. Perhaps this explains the bargain price!

We're far from Monday

I don't work outside of the home but Mondays are still usually the craziest mornings here. Today was an exception.

Although we have as many bathrooms as people in this house, my one and only toothbrush is in the one bathroom that my husband was getting ready in when I got up. One son had crawled into bed with us an hour earlier and the other was screaming in his crib so I told one to get up and got the baby out and nursed him. I just wanted to brush my teeth and have a cup of coffee.

A little later, I took the baby back upstairs, told my older son again to get up and woke his sister. Hubbie was back in the bathroom so I helped older son find a red shirt for school (Spirit day--yay!) and took the baby back downstairs. Hubbie came downstairs --asking why I was making coffee after spending so much money on a pot that would do it for me. (My new, fabulous coffee pot that can be programmed to make my coffee for me works great--if all the parts are washed and reassembled the night before--but I had left them out to dry.)

As the coffee started brewing, I got breakfast ready for the kids. I'd tried to make it easier by buying lower fat, pre-made croissant sandwiches yesterday but they were very chewy so it just took longer to heat those and then make another breakfast. At least, I remembered vitamins! I took two out for my daughter, and put them in my hand while talking to my husband. I was holding the baby in my other arm, so he took one vitamin and had it in his mouth before I'd realized that the 11-month-old had the gummi vitamin, rather than the 10-year-old girl!

Hubbie, who was standing directly across from me, watching me try to fish the vitamin out of the baby's mouth simply asked, "how did he get a hold of it?"

At that point, I still had not brushed my teeth, nor had a sip of coffee and am in the habit of holding vitamins out for children so I realized too late that the one that can't have it is the one who got it. I explain this--though I'm quite sure that it should be obvious. My husband optimistically points out that at least the baby does have a cold, so maybe the vitamin will help!
(Yes, the one with 5 teeth took care of that gummi vitamin before I could get a hold of it!)

So I go set the baby down in the living room, in front of the tv. (I may have already poisoned him--why not fry his little brain with a little Fox News?) The baby pulls himself up, stares at the tv, looks directly at Senator Joe Biden, and yells, "Mama! Mama!"

Still here

I am still here.

I was, and had nothing urgent to share.
Then, I wasn't here. The hubbie and I got a chance to go to Chicago for a conference (his) without the kids! My parents came and watched all three kids! I found so much inspiration in Chicago and was ready to write but had no time and did not bring the laptop. (I know--it wasn't my conference--so I should have had time but we got to meet up with great friends that we had not seen in two years, so, there you go.)

I have not forgotten my few, loyal readers! I have funny comments about the election, worrisome thoughts about the bailout, funny mass emails about both that I could share but I'll wait until I have something new to say.

How are you?

Unfinished business

Yesterday, the kids and I were talking about when my daughter was in preschool. I made the comment that it was nice--during the time she was in preschool, my son would nap and I would write.

"You have been working on your book that long?" my son asks.
"Well, I've started a few things along the way, and I've rewritten it a few times now but...yes."
"Mom! That's six years! That's almost my whole life!"

Chastened, I left the breakfast dishes in the sink and sat down with the computer while they played games downstairs. The last six years have slipped by rather quickly. I actually have made much progress but it never feels "done." I've got too many other stories in my head to keep wasting time with this one, however. I'm going to work on it NOW.

Well, after one more comment. I included Infinite Jest in a previous post as a book I feel guilty about not finishing. Much like the book I'm writing, I made it most of the way through but never finished. The author, David Foster Wallace, passed away recently. I wonder what he left unfinished.

Take a hike, Ike!

Pick a place a hurricane can strike and I probably have relatives, friends or both living nearby. A week ago, I was worried that Ike would slam into my parents. It is going far away from them now--right towards my husband's family and my friends in Houston.

My daughter has, up to now, been relieved that hurricanes don't hit Indiana! We received some thunderstorms left over from Gustav however, and Ike looks like he's trying to swing on up here, as best as he can!

It looks like a good weekend to visit Kansas. Or Canada.

I don't know if many of my friends in Houston read this blog but B ~ I know you do. Post a comment when it's all over and you have power to let me know y'all are OK, please!

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

Joshilyn Jackson's latest book takes place in Florida. 

Her first two novels put you in the South.  I grew up in Florida and went to college in New Orleans and her books captured much of the essence of what I like to remember as "home."  I was excited to learn that her latest book took place in Florida but I did not get as nostalgic with this one.  

While she included some references to the sandy soil (which differs, apparently, from the actual dirt next door in Alabama) much of this novel takes place in Anywhere, USA.  Which is actually closer to where I really grew up--and where I live, now.  

Ms. Jackson has a talent for creating memorable characters and locales.  Her details put you right into the story.   I was sure I had the "whodunit" part figured out this time--and was wrong again!  It was worth the read--I just didn't feel like to I got to escape to the South this time.  I felt like it could have taken place here--in my current home.  (Although I do not have a pool, nor a dead girl floating in one.)

Thank you, Blogger

Today's "blog of note" from Blogger is Nathan Bransford, Literary Agent. I popped over to take a look and was glad to have done so. I've found yet one more site to look at while I pretend to be writing.  It's great and he has plenty of interesting information. What I'm sharing with you today however, is a link --and a question--that he shared from the Washington Post book blog: Short Stack.

What book(s) are you embarrassed not to have read?

I have read parts of--but never the entire--Bible. I don't know if that counts. (Actually, books I've started, read parts of or are still theoretically reading could be an entirely different category! Infinite Jest and Les Miserables would top that list...)

(Unlike other members of my family, I have not read one Harry Potter book--but I'm not embarrassed by that.)  

Books that I'm embarrassed to say I haven't read yet would include:

Moby Dick - Melville 

The Divine Comedy (The Inferno, The Purgatorio, The Paradiso) - Dante 

A Room of One's Own - Virginia Woolf (I keep saying I'd be a better writer if I had one but I    still haven't read the book!)

Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger (I'm pretty sure everyone has read this but me)

Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe (I've read so many other Civil War books and even have a WIP based during the War so it's particularly shameful that I have not read this one!)

Seven years ago

It took a while to get our furniture--we slept in new sofa beds for a month.  Once our goods arrived, it took a while to get the boxes unpacked.  We finally got things put away, had the children settled into their new rooms and were finally adjusting to the new house.

I had been telling my family we'd have time and would likely be ready for a visit by September.  In normal fashion, I waited until September to get online and book a ticket.  It was around 6 or 6:30am.  The kids were playing nicely; I logged on to the computer but when I tried to price a flight, I saw the message informing me that, in light of recent events, all flights were suspended until further notice.  I remember looking out the window, up at the clear, Alaska sky and wondering what could have happened.  My imagination took off and I pictured a few horrible scenarios.

I turned on the television.  Nothing I had imagined came close to what I saw.

I am thankful for my gift of procrastination.  In  August, 2007, I looked at the calendar, checked our schedules and thought that we would be ready to travel by September 11.  While it took a bit longer to actually get on a plane and visit my family, I am glad that I waited until that fateful day to attempt to book our flight.

May God be with the families who lost loved ones seven years ago today.

Focus on what's important

The title of this post is a reminder to myself.

My daughter picks on her brother more each day. The more I chastise her for it, the more she does it. (Life is a bit busier with three kids and now that the baby is mobile, I guess any attention she gets--even if it is negative attention--is welcome.)

It was a wonderful treat to open my email earlier this week to find an email from N's teacher. She wanted to take the time to tell me that N had impressed her by stepping up and helping a fellow student at school. Another girl was feeling left out and the teacher asked N to move to a new desk--away from her best friend--to help this other girl feel more included. The teacher went on to tell me how my daughter did not hesitate and displayed Christian behavior.

While I want my daughter to receive a good education, the note was an affirmation that we are doing the right thing for our children in sending them to a school where Christian values are stressed just as much as math facts and spelling words.

(Here is where I have to remind myself again to focus on what is truly important. The note from my daughter's teacher was loaded with misspelled words and grammatical errors. Realizing that this person is also my daughter's English teacher makes me cringe but I am choosing to believe that she is a person that believes that spelling and grammar rules do not apply to hasty email messages.)

The note was also a reminder to me that encouraging her is probably a better way to get N to be nice rather than yelling at her when she picks on her brother. I am fully aware that much of her pestering would stop if I simply ignore it--but it's hard when my son is right there--I don't want him to think I won't stand up for him. Having said that, he keeps telling me "from now on, I will stand up for myself with N." I should give him a chance.

Whether she pesters him or plays with him, C will do anything that N says. He loves her and wants her attention--negative or otherwise. We looked at some photos last night and found one of her snuggling with C when he was a baby. He smiled, looked up at her and said, "I guess you do love me."

I tried to use that as a reminder this morning when she was picking on him. I didn't catch on to just how much she is looking for the same thing from me until after I finished yelling this morning. I still haven't folded the laundry or unloaded the dishwasher but at least I can say I've learned something today.

(Now I am going to look for a coffee pot with a timer so I can spend the rest of my mornings smiling and being nice, rather than yelling at my kids for not helping out when Mommy hasn't even had a chance to make a pot of coffee!)

Getting the idea

Yesterday, my son got dressed for school before coming downstairs but as he took a bite of his breakfast, he whined that his throat hurt.

"It really hurts, Mommy. And I'm not lying this time."

This time.


(Perhaps his worries about Purgatory aren't as sinister as I'd feared.)

Tidying up

Thank you for the kind responses to my last post.  I am happy to have an ending!

I went for a run on Monday, hoping the fresh air would blow the cobwebs out of my head and I could figure out how to sort out all of these scenes, words, chapters...

I did come up with an answer and I think it will make a better book.  But I have to dump over 30,000 words.

I really hate that.

Sitting in the middle with my thumb in my mouth

Finally, I have an ending for the WIP I've been trying to finish up.  I have most of the major details and many more minor ones typed up in separate files but now I have to put it all back together.  

This part is more overwhelming than coming up with an ending!  I have all the pieces but they're scattered--like the toys and clothes in my son's room.  I have to sort through and decide what to throw out, what to keep and where to place the pieces I'm keeping.  I just to have to figure out where to start!

Not exactly clouds in my coffee

I try not to waste food or drinks in my house, so when my son left an almost full glass of milk on the table after breakfast, I decided to pour that into my coffee cup.   Milk however, should not go "plop!"

(My kids are currently enjoying "Vita Worm" vitamins.  My daughter tried to toss one onto her brother's plate in the morning but missed--it landed in his cup.  She gave him another one and he never knew--nor did I, until I almost had vitamin-enriched coffee!)

I don't want to know

My son was asking if it was possible for him to go to Hell before he'd made his First Reconciliation. Now that he only has two months before making that First confession, he has moved on. Now he wants to know how much time people spend in Purgatory.
Hopefully attending Catholic school will be good for him--he certainly knows Someone is watching him--but I'm a little worried about what he has been up to!

and round and round we go....

I was thinking that school starting would bring some sense of routine and calm back into our lives. I forgot how much I was looking forward to the end of school in May! Whew! We're back...the baby and I are back volunteering at school and magazine sales have already started, along with volleyball (for the girl) and tennis lessons (for the boy).

We just returned from a family reunion in Michigan this weekend and as I was emailing photos and going through my mental checklist for tomorrow, I checked the forecast/Fay update for Florida.

That was all it took to remind me that I can't complain. Sure, just when I thought dinner was almost ready, I spilled frozen corn all over the floor--and I have a crawling baby that eats ANYTHING in his path--but Fay is literally circling my baby brother's home and headed for my parents. A lot of dirty dishes and some spilled corn just ain't that big of a deal! It was a beautiful day here and I can see the moon tonight. I may not be able to predict how much sleep I'll get each night but living on the edge of the cornfields, I know that tropical storms and hurricanes are not going to make it this far!

I hope you are warm and dry!

Quiet time for mom?

My sister and her family went back home to Florida for a visit and took my daughter with them for a week!  My son spent the night with a friend last night and both the baby and husband are sleeping.

I have my coffee and quiet time at the computer.  Thus I am sitting here, hoping my son slept OK and hoping he behaves today while I dash to Ohio to retrieve my daughter.  Hopefully she'll handle the additional 4-hour drive back home well after her journey.  The baby should sleep most of the way there and back--he does well in the car--but maybe I should go ahead and wake him up.

I don't know why

Watch what you ask for--and what you post on your blog.

The baby has not actually eaten any live creatures--at least, not that I am aware of.  He has not actually tried eating a spider--but I have seen him try to catch an ant.  (It was a tiny, fast ant trying to escape a big, clumsy baby--no real danger for either of them).

The day after my last post however, a fly was hitching a ride with us in the car.  Everyone else can shoo him away but the baby is still learning.  My older son kept yelling things like "the fly is on his nose!"  Then he really started shouting--"J is going to eat the fly!"

Luckily, the baby's reflexes are not that fast.  Otherwise the fly could have been in danger.  

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly

I don't know why she swallowed the fly.

Once upon a time, I was worried about spiders biting my unsuspecting children. How foolish of me. The older kids can spot a hairy invader from 20 yards away--no unsuspecting victims, here!
The baby, of course, senses no danger but is curious about everything. He has perfected his pincer grasp and he's on the move. I was once worried about spider venom being poisonous but now I wonder what will happen if a child ingests the entire creature.

I justify smashing the critters with my shoe not just as a means of protecting my children but also as a type of mercy killing for the unsuspecting bug. If I were a spider, I'd rather go quickly than have to wriggle and jiggle and tickle inside of anyone.

But I'm thirsty!

With the first child, the first time she dropped her cup from the highchair, we picked it up, smiling. The second time, we retrieved it again. Around the 10th time, we realized it was a game--how cute! She was training us! She realized we would pick it up for her! What a smart child!

When the second child did it, we smiled knowingly but still picked up the cup a few times.

Third baby watches it land with a thud on the floor, smiles up at us and we simply smile back.

Herding turtles

As the baby becomes mobile, I become less so!  (I feel more like a hamster in an exercise wheel--I I'm always moving but not getting much done.)

We got a new all-in-one printer that will do everything but print, at the moment.  Laundry (clean and dirty) is spilling over baskets and hampers.  As I'm not finding any more time, it was tempting to break out the wine and just give up. (It's 5pm somewhere, right?)  I knew it wouldn't help me get more accomplished but I wouldn't care so much.

I did get the baby settled down for a nap and tried to figure out where I could score some sort of energy drink--preferably in gallon form-- but I found the hubbie's chocolate covered espresso beans.  I'll just call these "Mommy's other little helper!"  Now I can spin my wheels faster.

Key lime pie at 2am

It's been quite a while since I was out "late!" Hanging out with a few friends after our highschool reunion was the first time in many years! I used to come home from college and hang out with some of those same friends but we never left before 9 or 10pm. When the clubs closed at 2am, we'd head someplace to get a cup of tea and a slice of pie. I'd order key lime pie whenever I could.

It is not often that I eat key lime pie anymore, but the hubbie and kids picked one up for me for my birthday.

My daughter had a friend sleep over last night but they were having trouble getting to sleep. (I've stopped checking on these two often as this friend has slept over many times but last night they got me out of bed to tell me they could not get to sleep and their movie was over!) So I came downstairs, put another movie on and decided to settle in on the couch until they fell asleep. I tried to ignore the call of the pie from the freezer.

Sometimes it feels like somebody's watching me

While I have posted a few entries over the years that I probably should have held off on--most of them were examples of bad writing or ideas that were not as clever as I thought they were at midnight.  I do try to keep in mind that anything I post can be seen by anyone, anywhere at any time.

There are people however, who have internet access but do not think about how many people can view their posts or videos or do not care.

My daughter is upset that I've blocked You Tube on the computer downstairs.  I have not blocked it due to videos she has found but because of the clips that she may find.  Responsible adults out there can decide for themselves what to look at but I'm not giving a 10-year-old that luxury.

I came across this article this morning.  Not only should  people be careful about what they post but for those of you who do not have mothers blocking sites for you, you may want to be careful about what you choose to view, as well!  Apparently Google, who owns You Tube, must report the viewing habits of anyone who has ever viewed any You Tube video.  (If you've just been looking at Miley Cyrus and some questionable "wizard swears" puppet videos, you should not have too much to be embarrassed about.)

Be careful what you wish for!

I was not sure when the hubbie decided on a Mac.  I was less sure when he wanted to put it in the "office" (which I'd originally envisioned more of a library--the one electronic-free room).  Since it went up, of course, I've found all sorts of new features on this computer and have done some writing but much more exploring.

We've just had a new bookshelf built in the basement and the office is being relocated there.  It looks like I will get my library after all.

This should work out better for everyone.  The piano is in this room as well and I have to get back to that and back to writing--which I manage when I do not have internet access! ;)

...and the race is on!

At first glance, I thought it was a baby spider...then I thought just fuzz, blowing in the breeze created by the ceiling fan.  The baby was enthralled with it and I finally realized it was a small ant.

A tiny, very fast ant trying to escape a large, wobbly baby is something to see!  J was really trying but has not yet mastered his pincer grip.  If he had simply fallen where he was, he'd have crushed the tiny insect--a fact the ant knew, no doubt!

At home among the cornfields

While a trip home last week reminded me of some of my favorite things, it is very peaceful to look out the kitchen window in my new home and watch the fireflies light up the backyard as the sun sets in the exact center of my view!

It is immediately relaxing to hear the crickets, cicadas and/or tree frogs at night in Florida but I've never seen a lightning bug there!

Home is where your children have quietly fallen asleep. ;)

inspiration...

For years, I was working on a novel set in the South during the Civil War.  A few years ago, I set that aside to work on a story set mostly in Alaska.

Each time I travel home (to Florida) however, I think of something new to add to that first book.  Now, having over 5 consecutive hours of sleep (and almost 8 in one day), I'm ready to get to it!

The kids lost all of their electronics today and I remembered what it was like--back when they were in school--when I got a crack at the computer!  I may just get something done, yet!

Leaving on a jet plane

The kids and I are headed to Florida!  It will be absolutely wonderful to reconnect with old friends!  I am excited that my parents have offered to watch all three kids for the night but I've never left the baby for that long--I'm a tiny bit nervous!  This is my 3rd child and my parent's 12th grandchild--so the anxiety is reduced a just a little! ;)

I am debating whether or not to post photos when I get back.  (I haven't posted a photo of myself, yet!)  Maybe we'll see what kind of photos we end up with!

You say potato...

I called it "a stomach bug."  Dr. Hubbie called this morning to report that rotavirus is going around.  Same thing.  

The baby has actually been vaccinated against rotavirus so I won't have to keep worrying that he will start showing messy symptoms, too.  Which is good and bad.  It is fantastic to think that I should be finished cleaning up after people.  The frustrating part is that the fever that he woke with this morning is something different.  (With a teething baby who chews on everything--it could be anything!)

20

I cannot believe that my 20th high school reunion is coming up already!  It will be great to see old friends again and my parents have offered to watch the kids.

If only I were twenty pounds lighter...

Summer reading

Do you have a summer reading list?

Each year, I believe that the kids and I will read more during the summer.  The kids are reading a little more, grudgingly, as we've told them they have to in order to play video games or go to the pool.

Keeping them busy during the summer does not leave much more time for me to read during the summer than any other time of the year, however!  I have these fantasies of reading through a few classics and a few new bestsellers but at the rate I'm going, I'll be lucky to finish an entire book!

What are you reading?

I'll never win the Mom of the Year Award

The older two are already trying to let the baby play video games with them.  (He can hit the "A" button for me, Mom!)

Oh, and the baby is already watching Spongebob.

High aspirations

"I am going to be a priest," says my middle child.

"You are?"

"Yes!  I am going to be a priest, then a bishop, then a Catholic* and then Pope!"

*He meant cardinal. 

Shaping up

Middle son has not been following directions.  Taking privileges away has not phased him; taking video games away has made no difference.  I've decided to take a cue from his soccer coach.

Each time my son does not listen or misbehaves, I ask him to run a lap around our entire backyard.  (We have a very large backyard!)  We began this yesterday.  He was winded after the first run but I still had him go out two more times.  

Since then however, all I have to do is say "get your shoes" and that gets his attention!  If this can continue, he'll either shape up or get in shape!

Count your blessings

Kids, let's GO!

Mom, my shirt is missing a button.

That's OK.  Just wear a different shirt and I'll fix it today.

I can't!  It's FRIDAY.  We have to wear the shirts with the logos on them to Mass and I only have this one.

Do you know where the button is?

Nope.

I have some in my sewing kit. *sigh*  I need a cup of coffee.

(Hubbie is walking by, on his way out the door.) There are extra buttons on the bottom of my dress shirts.  Use one of those.

Thanks.  (Kiss)  I'll find the sewing kit.  I just need a sip of coffee.

MOM!  Can I just pull the button off of Dad's shirt?

*LOUD SIGH* I will be right there!  Do not pull anything off of Dad's shirt!  I'm getting a cup of coffee.

Hey, Mom?  Have you seen my belt?

I'm sure it's on the floor of your closet but I'll help you look.  Just let me pour that coffee.

MOM?  I'm getting that button, OK?

*Storm upstairs*  I will get it.  Go eat your breakfast.

(Look in laundry room for scissors and sewing kit.  Find neither.  Grab another pair of scissors and gently remove button from dress shirt.)

MOM!  Is the baby up yet?

No but he will be if you keep yelling.

WHAT?!?!

*sigh* I bring the button downstairs.  The sewing kit must be in the mud room.

Hi, Mom!  Did you get my belt when you were upstairs?

*Blink and sigh*  No.  I need to find my sewing kit and get a cup of coffee.

You have a sewing kit?

*Blink and nod*  Hard to believe, I know.

Wait, Mom!  I've got it!  You don't have to fix my shirt!    I'll just wear a t-shirt under it!  Then people will see more white--they won't know!

 I'll fix it.  Have you seen my sewing kit?

Nope.  Is breakfast ready?  When B comes over after school, can you take us to the park?  What are we going to have for lunch?  Did you remember it's a half-day, today?

Yes, maybe, we'll see and yes.  Let me get a cup of coffee and then I'll find that sewing kit.

 (Where IS that thing?)  I say a prayer out loud and another to St. Anthony to help me find the sewing kit.  (I'm trying to teach the kids to ask for divine help when mom isn't quick enough!)  I repeat the prayer as I look through every room and still can't find it.  I need a cup of coffee.

I get my coffee mug, pour a splash of milk in.  Aha!  It's on top of the fridge--found the sewing kit!  

OK, let's fix that shirt!

That's your sewing kit?

Yep.

It looks like a shoe box.

I nod and realize I never poured the coffee.  I grab the mug and almost step on the toes of my shadow, behind me.

What does your mug say?  Can I read it?

Yes. (I finish sewing the button while he turns and reads the words on the mug.)

 "Count your blessings, not your problems."

That's cool.

Yes, it is.

I hand daughter her shirt, pat son on the head and smile.  I reach over son's head for mug and take my first, long sip of coffee.

Perspective

My son asks, Have you seen that cross that they carry down the aisle at the beginning of Mass?

I nod.

Have you noticed that if you turn it upside down, it looks like a sword?

baby (duck) steps

Shortly after we moved into our new home, my husband discovered a bird's nest in a little alcove under our mailbox.  (It's for the newspaper that we have not yet subscribed to).  He thought it was just sticks and grass so he poked around and then realized what he'd found.  The mama bird never returned.

Today, the hubbie was pulling weeds from the front garden and under some small shrubbery, he disturbed a mother duck--who scared the living *!%* out of my husband before she flew away.  He saw the eggs--swears he didn't actually touch them--but I'm wondering if she'll come back.  She flew off but was keeping an eye on him as he continued weeding and told us about the encounter.

Any guesses on if this mama is ever coming back?  If she doesn't incubate the eggs will they hatch?

(Of course, the hubbie found the weeds--and the eggs--after he went out to clean smashed eggs off of an outside garage window.  He blames highschool kids but I've heard lots of very vocal birds the last few mornings--I'm thinking we had an earlier aves-related mishap).

****

Update:  Mama duck was back under the shrubbery last night.  Hubbie admitted he's surprised the duck before--it just wasn't as up close and personal.  Maybe we'll have a little row of ducklings following mama to the pond soon.

Baby steps

I recycle, put E85 into my fuel tank and try to remember to bring my own bags to the grocery store.

Now that we have brought another child into the world however, it is time to work a little harder at lessening the impact we are making on the planet.  Yes--I know it is quite overdue--it is time to stop using disposable diapers.

For those of you who are already more evolved than I, perhaps you can share your wisdom. Any favorite brands?  

Prayers again, please

If you have a second, please remember my FIL in your prayers.  He is back in hospital with an infection.  Thanks!

Easter Mystery revealed

If you call me "Aunt Lory," stop reading this and please go draw a picture for me.  I can't wait to see it!  Thank you!

******************

She was testing the waters well before Easter so I knew it was coming, it was simply a matter of when.  Maybe I was just ready to give up the charade with her as I could tell she was testing us and this time, I refused to play along.

Many times, during the weeks before Easter, she told me that she could not wait until Easter to see what Webkinz she would get in her Easter basket.  Though I explained that the Easter Bunny has never brought her a Webkinz before, she listed the pals in her class who had received one the prior year.

We explained that Easter "is not Christmas."  (When we celebrate Jesus's birthday, everyone (except Him) gets presents.  When we celebrate the fact that he conquered death, fulfilled an ancient prophecy and appeared to several people after he died---we color eggs and eat chocolate bunnies.))

Over the years, they have received small bunnies, bunny pens or pencils and books in their baskets along with candy.  They remember getting small gifts from their grandparents last year but they were with us to celebrate.  This year, they did each get an Easter DVD as well so I guess they DO get presents.  I just kept refusing to go and purchase another Webkinz, just because it was Easter.  (They each have over a dozen Webkinz, so this is not a boycott--just me making a lame attempt at making a point.)  She kept repeating that she could not wait to see what Webkinz she was going to get and I intentionally let her down.

Two days ago, while playing with her baby brother and avoiding eye-contact with me, she simply stated, "I know you are the Easter Bunny."  When my comment about my normal-sized ears did not dissuade her, I figured it was time to come clean.  I have felt guilty about misleading her a couple of years ago when she tried to ask me about the Tooth Fairy and I figured now she was old enough.  (Of course, she was not completely sure and was clearly hoping I'd offer some other explanation.)  She told me that she was pretty sure because EVERYONE in her class got at least one Webkinz from the Easter Bunny, except for her.  She was also suspicious of the plate of Hershey's kisses that were left on a plate in the middle of the table Easter morning because the plate was not there when she went to bed.  ("The bunny" leaves a plate of candy for the entire family every year but she was looking for some other clue.)

She is disappointed.  She is not happy about my request that she not tell her little brother but she hasn't totally given up.  Whether it's an attempt to hold on to the magic or look out for her materialistic interests, she did bother to tell me, "Don't worry.  I still believe in Santa."

The apple never falls far

I was told, on occasion, that I was a smart-aleck.

I was told, on several occasions, of my mother's wish that I would have a child just like me, one day.

I have heard from many sources that I give my daughter far too many choices.

So this morning should have come as no surprise.

N, if you're feeling motivated, could you please change the baby?

Umm, I'm not feeling motivated today.

All is secure

I have a cell phone should an emergency arise and now I have OnStar, should I not have my cell phone.  We live in a safe neighborhood.  We have an alarm system on the house but the windows are pretty secure and we have deadbolts on the doors.

While I'm sure that a savvy burglar who really wants to get in can,  a mom who has just successfully gotten three kids into the car but has locked the house keys, car keys and the cell phone in the house is simply stuck.  (My daughter was right--OnStar does not help if you can't start the car!)

I have the high-tech backups for all sorts of emergencies but as it turns out, what I need is a hide-a-key.

Coolin' and Droolin'

I try to play classical music for the baby when the older kids are not around.  (Then it's Hannah Montana 90% of the time, with a little Radio Disney sprinkled in.)  I use the word "classical" to include Mozart, Bach and the Beatles, so we have a little variation!

This morning however, I knew soothing music would have me asleep at the wheel before we got home from taking the others to school.  So I switched.  

The baby had been quietly drooling and playing with a toy in the backseat.  When Whole Lotta Love began playing however, he started singing (baby singing, but singing, nonetheless) and didn't stop until the last beat of the song.  

Stop Yelling Across the House!

We're back

We are getting back into the swing of things here after being gone last week.  Hopefully I'll get back into writing and blogging a little more regularly, soon!  I am trying to catch up on laundry and sleep.  (I always tell my husband that I need a vacation after our vacations!)  I was complaining that I had to reschedule a hair appointment before we left so the gray is making another appearance (matches the dark circles under the eyes) and then I  totally forgot about my new appointment today until it was too late.  (I really have to start sticking reminders to my kids!)  (Of course, if these are my worst issues, life is pretty darn good!)

Last week was busy but it was great!  At the last minute, we decided to take the kids to Washington D.C.  The kids, of course, were most interested in the hotel's pool but we were able to see some great, historical places and some interesting museums.  The National Air and Space Museum was the biggest hit with the kids.  

We were able to catch up with one of my old friends from back home and his family. We had a wonderful time and my daughter even included the dinner in her school journal.  Her assignment was to write what she did over Spring Break, so along with her favorite D.C. sites, she wrote that she had dinner with "old friends."  When I smiled, she explained that E is her friend.  (I love that to N, a 16-month old that she just met is an "old friend!")

Of course, they tired easily and "almost died" from the walking (these are the same kids that can dance and perform gymnastics to Radio Disney for hours) but they had some fun along the way!  The baby won't remember any of it so hopefully we can get back when everyone is a little older.  Perhaps we'll do some hiking/training in advance before we go back!

Percolating

I have found an interesting idea for a blog post but this one actually includes links and/or backup.  I'm working on it.

The bigger news is that the idea has inspired an intriguing sub-plot for the current WIP so I'm very excited!

With the new baby (and additional laundry), increased extra-curricular activities and playdates and this lovely spring weather, I am thrilled to finally be excited about research and writing again!  

A new thought or fact has bubbled up each day.  I'm not sure how the whole thing will turn out yet but it smells delicious.

Cliché

We bought the exersaucer with all sorts of toys, sounds, textures, etc.

In true baby fashion, he was much more interested in the box than the actual toy.  He is too young to really play with the box but he was fascinated with the baby girl pictured on the box!  

The box went out with the recycling yesterday however, so now he is stuck with an overwhelming amount of toys.  He's currently chewing on his spit rag.

Mama said there would be days like this

Are you curious as to how things are going here on those days that I just can't seem to post?

Go here. Yep.  It's like that.

New car

When there are no friends in the car, everyone can sit without touching another person!  

I can tote as many children as will fit and still not lose cargo space!

Everyone can get out of the car without doing front-flips over other seats.

I have a sensor that lets me know if something or someone is behind the car when it's in reverse; I can make the backseat colder or warmer than the front; I am sitting higher and can see more of the world around me while I am driving.

I cannot see a lunchbox left in the backseat for the duration of the school day.

Sticking it to the kids

I'm sure I've mentioned my poor memory at some point here, I just can't recall.

I've tried lists, asking my children to remind me and my latest trick is a dry-erase board.

I've got a new idea now which may be worth every penny of tuition we've paid this year, if not more!  My son came home from school wearing one of those stick-on name tags but where you would normally see a name written, it said, "Mrs. R, You have a hair appointment at 3:30."

Apparently his teacher had forgotten her hair appointment the day before.  The school secretary printed out these labels and stuck one on each child in Mrs. R's class yesterday.  Genius!

I've often told my kids that I need to stick a "post-it" to my forehead but it's awfully hard to read it up there.  Now I know where to stick them!

Spring fever?

Is it time for spring cleaning, already?  

My house is never completely "up-to-snuff."  However, I try.  (Nevermind the fact that I'm blogging right now rather than folding laundry.)  The hubbie is much more of a neat-freak than I am so he does clean up around the house.  (We actually make a decent pair most of the time as I'm more worried about actual dirt and grime and he is more flustered by clutter.  My stack of 14 different pieces of paper, kid's spelling lists and a grocery list doesn't bother me.)

Over the last couple of weeks however, I've had one child home sick, then another, then we lathered, rinsed and repeated.  I do find that I stop to scrub a sink, Lysol the couch and throw day-old kitchen towels in the laundry much more often this week.  I've assumed it is just because I am TIRED of the infections running rampant through my home.

I have run across multiple blog posts this week from frustrated moms who feel that they can't keep up with their house this week, however.  Is this part of a larger trend? Is this a week for people across the nation to feel overpowered by housework?  Is it simply that the time for spring cleaning has arrived?

Marking time

I'm not a huge fan of exercise.  I know I have to do it ~ so I make it as entertaining as I can.  I've got quite a selection of music on the iPod now to inspire me to go a little further or a little faster.

Do you all work out to music?  

Am I the only former band-geek who finds that, whether I am walking or running, I must begin each new song on my left foot?  

Current events

N's class was discussing the primary elections.  When the teacher asked if anyone knew the names of any of the people running for President, N was happy that she could raise her hand.

She was proud as she told me, "I knew both of the Democrats, Mommy."  (That's my girl!)

"Who are they?"

"Obama and Clinton," she replied, smiling.

"That's right.  Do you know who the Republicans are?"

"I don't know them."

(He he.  Not what the hubbie would want to hear!)

"But Mommy?  Don't you think Hillary is a funny name for a boy?"

(Hmmm...guess she hasn't been watching the news coverage.)

"Ummm, Honey, Hillary Clinton is a woman."

"WHAT!?!?  There is a woman running for President?"

"Yes! "

"Well, I hope she doesn't win."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to be the first woman president!"

Mea culpa

I have been saying that I will finish "the book" for my daughter's entire life.  While she asks about it once in a while, she is not surprised any longer that it is not done.  I've justified it lately, saying that it was more important for me to focus on keeping track of everyone else's tasks, activities, etc.   I had not thought of the larger example I was setting.

Progress reports came home from school last week and while hers was not horrible, it was not indicative of the intelligent daughter we know we have.  On the way to school this morning, I suggested that she set a goal for each class and if she reached her goal by the time report cards come out, we could work out a reward.

She quickly announced that her goal was to get "straight A's!"  I told her I thought that was an excellent goal!  Then she thought about it for a minute.

"No, my goal is to get all As and Bs."

"I'm sure you can do that," I said, "but why not aim for all As?  If you do fall short, you ought to end up with As and Bs."

"Because if I don't meet my goal, I won't get my prize."

We've been frustrated lately by this general attitude.  We have been reminding her all week to finish reading her book as she has a book report due at the end of the month.  Last night, she announced that she will begin working on her report after school today.  She has not finished the book, however!

 Maybe if I make a more obvious attempt to finish my projects, it will at least give her a better example.  (Though growing up watching her father work hard for multiple degrees hasn't made much of an impression on her, apparently!)

She is a smart kid.  She knows she is a smart kid.  She spends her creative energies trying to find loopholes or ways out of work however, rather than just sitting her butt down to do it.  I can't imagine where she gets it!  (Says the woman who got excited about a new writing software program and spent a half an hour playing with it, when she could have just been writing!)

That's what it's all about!

I put the blanket on,

you kick the blanket off!

I take the blanket out

and you kick your legs about!

You do the hokey-pokey

and you turn yourself around,

and Mom finds you upside down!

I have to leave the blanket out of the crib now that he turns himself 180 degrees during the night!  I find his feet where his head used to be!

Quite bright at the end of the tunnel!

The baby has slept for a few hours at night here and there...I had glimpses of the light at the end of the tunnel. 

It's been cold, so I've been making sure he is nice and cozy in bed.  I bought "blanket sleepers" so I could zip him up in those and not worry about a blanket.  But I'm always cold, and try to keep the baby warmer than myself, so I've also been putting the crib blanket on him.  (Tucking him in, then tucking the blanket on each side of the mattress tightly, so he can't pull it up over his head.)

It looks like this kid is hot-blooded like his dad and sister, though.  Last night he managed to get that blanket loose and kicked it completely off.  And slept.  All night.

Bye-bye, blanket!

From the mouths of babes

C is watching me apply make-up.

"What's this?"

"Blush.  It puts a little color on my face--makes me look like I'm 'blushing'."

"You have another one?"

"That's eyeshadow."

"What's that for?"

"A little color above your eyes."

He watches me apply eyeliner.  "And that is to make you look more tired?"

Not quite gospel truth

As you can likely guess from the title, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, is not the most scholarly account of the life of Jesus that you will ever read but it might be the most fun!

The angel, Raziel, has resurrected Levi, who is called Biff, to write his version of the Messiah's life.  The angel keeps Biff in a hotel room until he is finished and the duo have a few entertaining discussions along the way, including how much God sounds like James Earl Jones.  

In this novel, Jesus travels to the East and spends time with each of the three wise men who visited him at his birth.  He tries coffee and declares it is OK to eat bacon.  He learns yoga and a form of kung-fu, known here as "Jew-do."  Reading this book, you will finally see how bunnies became associated with Easter!

Moore has intertwined a few thought-provoking ideas with witty humor to make  this an entertaining read.  One of my favorite lessons/hints comes from a scene when Jesus and Biff are studying meditation.  The young Messiah makes the comment that prayer is important but prayer is talking to God, whereas meditation is listening.

Check it out.  It won't change your religion but it will make you smile.

 

In his defense

Recently, I posted a few remarks from my son.  Lest you think that he spends his entire life making my blood pressure rise, I thought I'd share this one that just made my heart swell!  (It is a couple of weeks old but I keep this one posted on the refrigerator!)

In case you can't make out the first-grade handwriting in my small photo,  it says: you are the gratest mom in the hall wrld.

In case you can't read the first-grade spelling/handwriting, that translates to: you are the greatest mom in the whole world! 

I am more often in contention for the WMITW (Worst Mom In The World) Award, so I make sure to save things like this!

Teachable moment

(If you look very closely, you may be able to see the slight smudge on Joshua's forehead.  If not, just enjoy the photo of our happy baby!)

I attended Mass today and received ashes on my forehead.  Every year on Ash Wednesday, we hear the gospel reading telling us not to advertise when we fast, pray, etc. but rather to keep those activities private.  So it has seemed hypocritical to me to hear this lesson on the day that we are advertising to the world that we have been to church this Wednesday, as we walk around with black crosses or smudges on our foreheads.

Today I decided to look up some answers and after a little research online, learned that the crosses on our heads are not meant to advertise that we went to Mass because we are any holier than anyone else but rather as an evangelizing tool.  Some of the answers that I found suggest that at the very least, someone who sees the cross on my head today will realize that I went to Mass and might think, for a moment, about going to church.  Whether it brings a smile to some or makes others cringe, for a split second, some stranger will associate the mark on my face with church or with God.

Others will just wonder how I left the house without noticing that I have something on my face.  I learned this well during the last few years in Kansas.  I attended Ash Wednesday Mass and then went to the grocery store.  Each time, at least two well-meaning people tried to discreetly tell me that I had something on my face.  I should have used this as a "teachable moment" and explained that it was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, a good time to think about God.  Instead, I usually just nodded.

Today, I went to Target with the kids after school.  Most people we passed just smiled.  I don't know if they were embarrassed for me or if they recognized the black cross on my head.  (Perhaps walking through the store with two kids in Catholic school uniforms, also wearing ashes on their heads, gave them a hint).  I had even almost forgotten that I looked odd today until after checking out when the woman walking by us elbowed her mother in the ribs, then pointed at my head, at which point both women stopped and stared.  Rather than pretending to not see them while I shooed my children out the door, I should have used this as a moment to teach them.   

Good one

My son and I have a standing argument every Saturday morning.  (I tell him to put his shorts on for basketball practice and to put sweats over them so he won't freeze outside.  Every week, he wants to wear jeans.)

As we went through it again this week, I made the comment that "this argument is getting really old."

His reply:  "So are you!"

The English major and the minor

My son would not stop rolling the baby's new ball (a plastic toy with bells inside) over the furniture.  My repeated requests for him to stop went unheeded.

Finally, through clenched teeth, I roared: If you roll that ball ONE more time...

But then I stopped.  What consequence was I going to come up with this time?  It had to be something new at this point to get his attention.  I mulled it over just a little too long.

He stopped rolling the ball long enough to roll his eyes and reply,  "If you roll that ball one more time" is NOT a complete sentence.

Thank you

Thank you for your prayers for my father-in-law.

He has been extubated finally and so he's able to talk now, too.

(He says he wants to go home!)

He is still in the ICU but is improving.  So keep those prayers coming--they're working!