Eyore Days

I love Eyore Days. They are grey. They speak slowly, and even when something really exciting happens... it doesn't cause a ruckus. They are good days for stuffed animals and stories under sheet tents, and soup.

Which brings me to blogging. The boys are curled up under fuzzy blankets, watching Ned sing sailor songs - the lyrics to which make me cringe now that I'm sitting here actually listening to them - and anxiously awaiting the emergence of the Nautilus. I'm making potato soup for supper and will throw together a loaf of Bob's Red Mill Wheat Free/Gluten Free bread in a couple of hours. (It's really good for soups if you make it with an extra egg yolk! That gives it a thicker crust that's just perfect for sopping up the remains in the bowl.) Might add fresh veggies and dip to the menu. We've got cabbage, but I'm really wanting to eat that steamed w/ garlic butter, and I want to serve something light and cool along with the soup. It's a texture thing. Makes a meal more of a sculpture than a stick figure. I make enough stick figures elsewhere, but the meal table ought to be a masterpiece.

This brings me to Dr. Laura (notice the smooth transition phase I'm in today... like buttah!) I finished reading The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands. This book is a must read, even if you don't like Dr. Laura. Even if you think your marriage is just great, and especially if you think it's not about you (it's about him) and you'd read it only shortly after Hell froze over, read it. You don't have to like or agree with everything- just glean. Gleaning is good for you. Anyhow, this book is about remembering why you married your guy in the first place, then acting like it. It's about the honor, respect and dedication that marriage deserves. Zorak and I have a wonderful marriage (I checked with him before I spoke for him, too, *grin*) yet there were some really good tips, reminders, and general "I know this is a ways out there, but just keep an eye out for this... and this..." type items. Good stuff. Remember when I blogged about vigilance? It will always be crucial, and will always be an inherent part of our roles in tending to our families. Be vigilant. Slaying dragons is hard work.

While we're talking of books (couldn't think of a good dragon segue, sorry), we figured out the food-related recommendation for Eats, Shoots & Leaves!! It's a Flinstones vitamin! It's good for you, but you wouldn't know it from the yummy taste. It's chewable, and fun, too! So there ya go- take a vitamin and enjoy the book.

Enjoyment...

Fall...

AMY, Dying?! No. Not dying, changing. Morphing, if you will. You don't like Autumn in all it's "Yea! We aren't going to combust spontaneously in this heat" glory??? Silly Texan. Fall is wonderful! Things aren't dying, they are slowing down and preparing to refresh and rejuvenate. They are spending less time branching out and more time putting roots deeper into good soil. See, Good Soil. Coincidence? I think not. Come over, we'll bake and enjoy the weather. Maybe we could get Donna down here to get us to do crafty things. :-)

OK, soup needs tending, children need snuggling. I'm off. Thanks for the coffee break, y'all. Have a lovely evening!

Dy

Santa Daddy, and Life in General

Last night I watched Zorak smile widely and eat an entire handful of Veggie Stix, which he despises, one "delightful" bite at a time. He simply could not refuse the deleriously happy baby who was feeding them to him. The smile was worth fighting the gag reflex.

As if that wasn't sexy enough, tonight he came home from work bearing gifts:

Thera-Flu for Mommy
Honker Horns for the boys' bikes (one b/c James' broke when he wrecked a few months ago, and the other b/c John needed one for his bike)
Fuzzy fleece hoodies for the small children who have both outgrown their jackets from last fall
Tissues with lotion in them even though he may accidentally wipe his glasses with one and get the lenses all smeary
Cough Drops! Oh, ambrosia!

And he didn't make fun of me for the seriously lame dinner my oxygen-deprived brain came up with! WOOHOO!

Oh yeah, he is very, very cool.

***

My "how to do stuff" book was written by evil sadists. The first page explains how to cast on, knit, purl. The next page begins, "How knit with four needles" WHAT?!?! Tell me I've missed something- a page fell out of the book or something! Sheesh.

I've decided, by golly, that I will get this knitting thing figured out. I've known how for a long time, but have never been very good at it. I made a scarf for my niece once. It was six feet long and varied from 5" wide to 13" wide, depending entirely on how tightly I knitted. In some places it was waterproof! Of course, if I can overcome the horrible Home Ec sewing accident of 1984, what with the fingernail and the skirt and the shrieking and the failing... I'm pretty sure I can move beyond the scarf incident, too.

I am, however, really glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks it's just far easier to keep track of one needle, one stitch, and it all moves on its own! Voila!

***

Not much else going on here- quiet day, great game of dominoes after supper, warm lavender baths for the wee ones. Jeans in the wash, kitchen looks great. I'm going to go wrestle with some crafty form of activity and then hit the hay. (Switched out the sheets to flannel last night- oh, I do love Fall!)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Some things I've been chewing on today~

I don't care what's in your wallet, but What's on your bookshelves? I was chatting with Dee last night and we were talkin' books. (Shocker, huh?) In an attempt to be helpful with suggestions for new titles, I glanced at the bookshelf that sits beside our computer desk... Claculus, Advanced Calculus, Basic Technical Mathematics with Calculus, Introduction to Heat Transfer... mmm, I think Zorak took over this bookshelf! Good thing we have others. Hee hee.

***

It is a beautiful thing when a child learns to blow into a kleenex. This is a point often taken for granted. Remember this.

***

Forgiveness isn't about allowing someone to repeat a destructive pattern on you again and again. It's about not allowing bitterness to fester within your own heart and freeing that person up to make positive changes without fear of retribution. That doesn't mean you have to keep permitting someone to continually hurt you. Even forgiving yourself makes it easier to move on and fulfill your own journey better. I think it's easy to forget just how healing and strengthening forgiveness really is, and how important it is to bring it into our lives. It ranks right up there with laughter, I think.

***

Knitting is a lot harder than crocheting. There, I said it, pelt me with balls of yarn. (But make it balls of that soft, squishy, fluffy yarn, please!) I'm trying to knit a hat. It's a simple hat, and it's an easy hat, and I can't get past knitting the first row before I either forget where I am in the process, drop a stitch because I needed to move, or get mauled by a happy, snot-covered baby. Knitting does not survive this onslaught well. Crocheting, however, fares much better. It's more resilient with fewer moving parts.

Gram's lap blanket for reading on the porch is actually starting to look like something! WOOHOO! The babies, however, may remain hatless.

***

Jacob doesn't really have a mohawk. I am not sure what was up with his hair the day we took those pictures.

***

Kim, it was just a commuter train we took across the river. Zorak wants so badly to take a "real" train, complete with sleeper cars and dining car, as a family vacation someday. Personally, I'm waiting for AmTrak to be privatized before I do that. It may be a long, long wait. But what FUN!

Hey, if you're ever feeling adventurous, take the family to Mexico to ride the train through the beautiful Copper Canyon! It's bigger than the Grand Canyon, and you can get off anywhere en route to spend the night, do some hiking, relax and soak in the scenery. Zorak went with his family when he was a young lad and it's still one of his fondest memories. It's one of the big trips we plan to take when the boys are a little older.

***

be, Zorak made up the definition. I can clean a house in no time flat and read a story with all the character voices, but he's the one with the gift for the unusual and creative. I'll pass along the kudos. :-) Good to see you again!

***

Why does John always get some of whatever he's eating in his hair? I'm not sure how this happens. He smells like raisins now and his hair is the envy of Mallrats everywhere. Aquanet and egg whites couldn't get hair this stiff.

~Dy

GEEK!

I have become an Uber-Geek. How do I know this? It's easy.

Zorak tells the boys, "Go ask your mother." He does this more frequently than he used to.

My friends make fun of me because we'd go home and look up grates- the history of, and the different kinds and uses, when we got home. (Which I had actually planned to do, but I didn't tell them that while they were giggling at me, though.)

My favorite website: dictionary.com LOVE IT!

James asked at breakfast yesterday, "Mom, does 'plode' mean to move quickly in a certain direction? You know, like explode (he made arm movements going out) and implode (brought his arms back in)." Good question. Let's find out. So, we looked it up.

Then I spent the next five minutes chasing the boys from room to room, clapping loudly at them. (Go look it up and that will make more sense.)

But the big kicker, the ultimate proof...

Is that none of this strikes me as strange! ACK!

Dy

Cybernation

Cybernation: n. a withdrawl from the internet for a period of time; most often signaled by a lack of blogging or commenting on message boards, also lack of email correspondence; length of cybernation varies, depending on the cause of cybernating, ranging from days to months (seldom years); is generally cyclical and temporary in nature
v. to cybernate, cybernating

There ya have it. That's where I've been. Thank you to all y'all (that is proper grammar, trust me) who have sent us well wishes and peeked in to see how we're doing. We cybernated, and hibernated. We skipped Spanish and swimming, even a much-anticipated trip to the park, in order to beat back the ickies that had camped in our nostrils. We're all feeling much better now, thank you.



We were all feeling much better on Friday afternoon (except for the Smidget, who we thought was possibly just teething, but he produced copious quantities of snot Friday night which proved us wrong), so we packed up and headed to Philly to meet up with some wonderful Invisible Friends. We all met on an expecting club for those with babies due in September 1998, and over the years we've kept in touch. This group of gals is just wonderful: they have been a source of laughter and fellowship, joy and worry, friendship and strength- both received and given. I don't know what I'd do without them, really. The only problem is that the trip was just too short, but that's better than having not gone at all, and it was great to sit around the coffee table and visit in person the way we've been doing for six and a half years online! (Photo pending permission from all the parties involved in the group shoot.)



Zorak went with us. I honestly thought he'd stay home and hunt (two days guilt free hunting time~ I'd have been all over that!) but he wanted to come with us, and that was great. The boys got to ride the train from Jersey into Philly, and James now wants to make certain we ride the train any and every chance we get! Let's hear it for public transportation!



We had a great time touring Philly, chasing ground squirrels, checking out the carvings on buildings and poking our noses into all the grates.

We stopped at a fire station to admire the fire-engines and wave to the firemen. That resulted in a wonderful invitation to tour the station! The boys had a great time, and we learned more about the different features on trucks than I could have imagined. It was a great surprise in our day.





KinderChoir ROCKS!! We made it today. We were an hour early thanks to a misunderstanding: our bedroom clock is an hour fast, so when we glanced over and saw that we had thirty minutes to get everyone showered, dressed, loaded up and on the way, we kicked it into high gear! We all piled into the Suburban breathless, and still somewhat damp, only to realize we had over an hour to spare. Ah, well, we had a good laugh over that and decided to get Squishies and enjoy them on the lawn at church.

The program is designed to be very parent-child interactive, and it's just beyond my wildest dreams for a program. I'm certain a lot of this has to do with the director: she has a passion for music that surpasses any I've seen. She has music centers set up for the children to enjoy before class begins. Tactile music notes, a table to make rubbings of the day's lesson (today was quarter notes), matching games, building games. Each table is tied to the lesson in particular and to music in general. The children have a wonderful time exploring. Then she sings them to the center of the room and begins the program. It's fully interactive and engaging, upbeat and positive. I cannot say enough good about this program, and am so thankful that we are able to enjoy it. The boys had a thoroughly splendid time and cannot wait to go back. An added bonus is that I now have some idea where to go next with our recorder lessons. *grin*

Boy, I've got a bunch to tell you, but this entry is too long already and I'm dying to go have coffee w/ the rest of you wonderful blog-buddies. So tomorrow ask me about Dr. Laura's Care and Feeding, Gram's lap blanket, and the perils of remembering how to purl (as in, "knit one, purl two", yeah, it sounds so simple...)

Love on those precious babies, and enjoy all these gorgeous leaves that are whirling about!
~Dy

Snot-nosed Kids

Nope, not a rant about feral children. It's mine. They're not snot-nosed :: feral, they're snot-nosed :: stuffy-chested, lethargic, snot-infused, running a fever (each one- would that be fevers, plural?) In all, I have three very miserable little ones on my hands.

I've spent the majority of the afternoon trying to convince myself that it's probably just a 24 hour thing. I think I'm lying to myself. The conversation has gone like this:

They were a little punky way back on Friday, remember?
yes, i remember
Monday they had the snuffles and sniffles and started slowing down, remember?
yes, I remember
Yesterday they were all but slugs. Slow-moving, snuggly little slug-like creatures who napped like the wind, remember?
yes, I remember

Wow, it's been a long 24 hours!

Book Review & Lovely Mornings!

Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a wonderful book. It isn't the direction Lynne Truss offers us on proper punctuation that makes it such a fun and engaging read; it's her style. If you were to visit a quirky little village called Punctuation Towne, she'd be the local you would want to connect with early on in your visit. She puts her arm in yours and takes off down the boardwalk, pointing out the local color, sharing wonderful anecdotes about famous visitors, expounding on the local points of interest- all with an eye for the truly interesting that only a local can have. I haven't come up with a food category for Eats, Shoots & Leaves, but this is the book that will take you to the best local breakfast diner, the ultimate little bakery, and, if you pay attention, you'll also find the local brewery. After her tour, you feel you could find each one again without much fretting or frantic roaming.

It's FIFTY! Yep, fifty degrees at nine in the morning. Ahhhh, feel that Crisp! Feel that Chill! Feel that Fall! The boys are freezing, but it is just beautiful outside this morning! The car windows in the parking lot were frosted when I peeked out earlier, and the dew seemed crystallized on the lawn. Mmm, this is the good stuff! As a matter of fact, it calls for a snuggle on the couch in our jammies and some hot chocolate to start the day...

I can't believe Summer is finally at an end. While my mind knew it would end, my heart was so weary from the heat and the stickiness that it had honestly begun to wonder... sort of like the little child who just knows it takes a full year to get from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Off to enjoy the Fall air!
Dy

The end result

Well, supper has been eaten, the downstairs tidied, stories read and shopping done. We stopped for Squishies -Slurpees or ICEEs for some, but for Simpsons fans they are Squishies- after doing our shopping and had a lovely recalibration of the whole thing. For those of you who could laugh, I have to say I'm glad you read here. You "get" it! I was laughing, too (moreso once the RR kicked in, but even before- it was all that could be done). Without our ability to laugh at ourselves and with our friends, life would be depressing, to say the least. Anyhow, in all, the day was salvaged.

The Sea Monkeys, sadly, were not. And they were getting so big, too! But that's the way natural consequences work. If you insist on lifting the legs of the end table to put the beads around the legs of the table, eventually you will knock over the items at rest upon the top of the end table. This will include the water-filled container of creatures, and they will flail upon the carpet while you stare in utter disbelief (and your mother cringes from head to toe because, well, have you ever seen a large Sea Monkey?? And now that thing is in Mommy's carpet!) And Daddy will have to end their suffering with the wet/dry vac. And it is a sad day, but a day of learning. Natural Consequences; you can run, but not fast enough.

Zorak is just so cool! I hope the boys grow up to share his ability to see the ironic, the absurd, the hidden path, and to embrace it. Some days I hope they just manage to avoid needing to spend their tuition money on therapy. He spiked James' hair last night after bath and sent him into our bedroom, where I was putting away the wash. James let out a deep sigh (the one that says, "You people are so weird sometimes!") and said in a very monotone voice, "Dad said to come say, 'It's a nice day for a white wedding.'" He shouted back to the bathroom, "I did it." Then looked at me and said, "Mom, what is he talking about?" I glanced at my skinny, pale, white-haired boy with his hair sticking out in all directions, and promptly lost it. It was just too funny! I wonder if we can get him to do the sneer?

OK, and speaking of Billy Idol (what a segue- wham, you're just sucked right in, huh?), in my quest to find that excellent sneer pic, I found this article by Steve Tilley, reviewing a 2001 Idol show, the 80's, and the seemingly beneficial trade-off of banning Mony, Mony at school dances vs. going out back to drink behind the gym. Zorak and I did not have the upbringing we hope -pray- to give the boys, so this particular article made me laugh so hard I woke the baby.

And ya know what, y'all? I am bushed tonight! I have enjoyed Toad's Wild Ride, but it's time to get off and go find the Pepto - can you use that instead of creamer? - and let Zorak work some mojo on the computer. (I never know if he's actually doing work on the computer or if he's cruising the sales at Sportsman's Guide, but he does manage to look productive either way!) Have a lovely evening!

~Dy

Breathe In... Breathe Out...

UPDATE: we got back on a good track. Jacob slept for two and a half hours and awoke much happier. Our Wonderful Neighbors Who Moved came by for a visit, so we all sat outside enjoying the gorgeous weather and wonderful company. The boys are much improved in their general mood, as am I. See, it was salvageable, and beautifully so, particularly with such a great surprise visit.

Now off to the market!

~Dy

Breathe In... Breathe Out

Just me, havin' a "day" here. It's nearly ten-thirty, and here's how the day has gone by 9:30:

Jacob puked on me before we got out of bed.
James woke up sneezing and watery-eyed.
I gave him some Emergen'C, which he promptly set down.
Jacob saw that as a gloriously serendipitous opportunity to... dump the stuff in my boots. (That'll teach me to put them where they belong, huh!?)
Jacob began screaming - and didn't stop.
John slept late, and awoke with a horrible cough and phlegm. Also whiney.
We're out of eggs.
We're out of oats. (We're also out of jelly, so lunch isn't looking so hot right now, either.)
We're out of apple juice. (Don't know how that happened!)
John has been in tears four times today- not fits, just the helpless crying that he cannot stop. I think he got into some wheat.
James and I went rounds about his attitude (Where is the pencil? *it's in the family room,* NO, it's not, Mom. *James, yes, it is. Your pencils are in the pencil box on the craft shelf in the family room.* NO, they aren't! ARGH- so I went up and sure enough, if he'd bothered to open - the - box he'd have seen them, in all their yellow glory. But I know my Mother had a talent for finding things that were completely invisible to me, so that didn't get me. My issue w/ him this morning was his attitude.)
John wanted to say something, but wanted to take a million years to spit it out, speaking into his chest, and starting over every... single... time... he... got... four... words... starting... over... every... starting... yeah.
Jacob screaming in my left ear,
James clamoring for attention,
John starting over again.

ENOUGH, ALREADY!!!

SO-
I put Jacob down for a nap at 9:30 (he is currently drooling all over the couch- my best guess is that he's teething), set James up with his "Draw Insects" book, and snuggled John in with a tape on Ancient Greek myths, took some Rescue Remedy, and am waiting for it to kick in.

In the midst of all this, we've done Math and Reading, two loads of wash, made the bed, tidied the kitchen, and ran the dishwasher.

*sigh*

OK, I feel better.

Thanks for listening. Sometimes it's difficult to explain, but I think you ladies know what I'm saying. I'm definitely not angry at anyone or resentful of anything, just a tad bit overwhelmed by all that took place in a short two hours. I love our boys and love doing what I do- but even w/ the bestest job in the world, not every day is a Mary Poppins kind of day. :-) Days like this happen, and it's up to us how to approach them.

On the upside, it's only ten thirty, so there's time still to salvage it! I can feel the Rescue Remedy kicking in, James just brought me an amazing drawing of the Assassin Bug, John is on side two of the tape and seems to be a little more calm now. I'm off to have a puppet show and do a little mock bull jumping! Then, provided Jacob arises from his nap in a better frame of reference, we'll go to the market for those peksy food products that keep disappearing.

~Dy

It happened!

This morning, as I sat on the porch enjoying my coffee, I could feel it. So, I *sniffed*...
could it be?
*sniffed again* OH!
Joy! Yes!
I was so afraid that perhaps we wouldn't be able to smell Fall here, but yes, *sniff*, there it was! I sat there for a good fifteen minutes, just inhaling and exhaling and grinning from ear to ear.

Later, as we loaded up for church, I asked Zorak, "Did you smell it this morning?" *he gave me a rather disconcerted look* "Fall, honey. Did you smell it?" He hadn't been outside yet, but just then James came bursting through the door, shouting,

"Mom! Mom! The air outside smells SO good! It smells fresher than Febreeze and nicer than cookies! Come smell, Mom! It smells beautiful!"

Zorak smiled and said, "Well, there you have it. It must be, then."

We enjoyed the sniffing of the air today in a deep and wonderful way. Regardless of what the calendars say, Fall began today for our home, and it's a happy season.

We missed services this morning (I think the extended air-sniffing didn't help), but made it to Sunday School. We went anyway mainly just so the boys remain in the habit of going there regularly. It was good. It'll be nice to finish the visitor's class, though, and be allowed to use a room that has some form of climate control. It's just been stifling in there all summer, and today was no exception.

After church, we drove about looking for a property we saw for sale. STILL couldn't find it. We searched four miles in either direction of the supposed location, too, but no dice. Ah, well, if it's meant to be, right?

Mmm, brain isn't working right tonight. Just feeling a little restless. I am going to go work on my blanket and *sniff* for a bit.

Dy

Hear that?

Shhh, listen! Hear that?

No, that's the dishwasher... listen again.

Um, that's the washing machine... once more. It's the really loud noise coming from outside.

YES! It's the nice powerwasher guy, ridding our house of the green that wasn't put there by the folks at Benjamin Moore! WOOHOO!

Zorak took the boys to the dump. I cleaned. The belt broke on the vacuum cleaner, though, and I thought, "Hmmm, I can break out the tool box and fix it... OR..." so, here I am, blogging, a little after one on a Saturday afternoon.

What fun!

We watched The Missouri Traveler last night- oh, guys, it's a good movie! You can get it right now for $3.99 at Big Lots (double feature DVD w/ The Lone Ranger!) and honestly, it's the best cheesy family movie we've watched in ages. No swear words. No unnecessary nastiness (as in gratuitous). Lee Marvin's character is such a jerk, but he's got a heart. It's not gold, by any means. The only thing that creeped me out a bit was the, um, romance. That, I'll admit was just a little too creepy to sit well with me. But hey, what can you say? Can't have it all. If you get a chance and want a funny, clean, feel-good movie, check it out!

Zorak decided last night that if he had a time machine, he would buy all the solid wood coffee tables at IKEA and go dump them in some nifty section of the Petrified Forest, then fast forward to Today and retrieve them. Wow, wouldn't that make just the neatest furniture? Perfectly formed, unibody, petrified coffee tables that only need to be polished. The brackets would rust away, but the structure would be one piece. Wow. I couldn't come up with anything cool to do if we had a time machine. I was too sleepy.

Well, while it's quiet and the laundry's not quite ready to switch out, I'm going to go blog run and have coffee w/ friends. Have a lovely weekend!

~Dy

Wow, we are SO in the wrong business!

How much would you bid to expand an existing, servicable, three mile road from two lanes to four? And how long would your crew like to have to get it done?

$3.2 million? Sounds reasonable.

$5.5 million? Yeah, even that makes sense.

$15 million? Mmmm, well, okay...

How about $52 million, with a pending additional $10 million (without which, said project would "languish", according to State legislators).

Now, could you do it- from design to completion- in three years? No? How about five? No, hmmm, well, ok, you can have six. To begin with. (But anyone who has worked in construction knows that's only a preliminary target date. It'll move.)

This project won't begin until 2007, and is scheduled to be completed in 2010.

For the most part, this whole project is a joke, but the clincher for me was reading "...project was credited to increases in vehicular registration fees". OH MY GOODNESS!!! *banging my head against the monitor*

Now, it's not as if they have actually purchased the right of ways yet. There are 120 properties along this three mile stretch that will need to be negotiated for (under "eminent domain"). This won't take place until the engineering is completed. Then the purchase.

Roy Dyson and John Bohanan, who voted against the measure (as well as the fee increases), did not attend Thursday's roadside ceremony to commemorate the project. They'll have "way to go" letters from this old gal come Monday morning.

My goodness, but it just gets curiouser and curiouser...

Dy

What a day!

The boys were both a little punky today- not sick, just a little tired and slow on the curve. We slogged through a bit of math and phonics, but then retreated to our favorite hidey hole: reading together. That calmed the Bicker Beasties and warmed the hearth fires a bit, and we did get through the day with relatively few eruptions.

James is working on a new skill set in math. He gets it and enjoys it, but as with most newly acquired skills, this seems to have shoved previously mastered information back into the "must I really drag all that out again" file. Hrumph. Fun. His penmanship has improved so much, it's downright pretty now, and he's enjoying all the various avenues his education is taking this year. I think I'm going to switch the Burgess stories to read alouds, though. He seems to enjoy them more when we explore them together.

John read quite a bit today. He can read with relative ease any of the words I can make using the phonograms he has mastered. The ones he's still working on take a little deciphering, but he can do those, as well. Talk about a warm fuzzy! The way his face lights up when he reads is just one of the best feelings in the world.

Jacob today tried to stage dive. If you've ever seen a Chris Farley movie, then you have an idea of how well that worked out. It seems that either my hair belies the actual size of the head beneath it, or his depth perception is as bad as mine. Whatever caused the miscalculation, however, resulted in a blinding blow to my temple as his knee jerked forward in preparation for the landing. He glanced off my head and tumbled onto a bed of animal crackers, then laid there, looking at me with a "that was sooooo weird" expression on his face. No blood, no foul, and he was immediately back up on his feet for another giggle-filled go. Oh, the resiliency.

Mommy brain strikes again! Got a call from the children's music director at church. She got the blue form, but not the orange form... that means two things: the orange form is somewhere in the Suburban, and I have NO idea what I stuck in the collection plate last week. Anyhow, the boys are signed up for KinderChoir, and we're all looking forward to it. It starts on Sunday! We've held off on music sessions at home until I could get a feel for what they'll be doing in KinderChoir this year, as I'm hoping to incorporate the two.

Ah, well, the baby is just about out now, and we have a sweet movie waiting for us to enjoy. (Missouri Traveler, starring Lee Marvin, who I just adore, although it's strange to see him without Clint Eastwood, a la Paint Your Wagon.)

Enjoy this lovely fall and don't forget to stop and smell, er, observe the critters!

Dy

Ahem...

See, I get all excited about the sauces and forgot the main dishes! Mercy, I'm a mess!

OK, so check out Good Soil. I didn't link it HERE, because it's over THERE! (Pointing to the left of the screen.) See, she's there at the top of the list! Her link will also open in a new window. She's not new to the blogosphere, and I didn't just find her, but you know how often we take things for granted- like lunch with a good friend, or coffee at sunrise (like I'm watchin' the sun rise without coffee! *shyah*)... well, I goofed. Amy rocks. I read her daily (as she can attest by the sheer volume of "when are you going to blog again" comments I leave.) She is funny and energetic and much hotter in her bikini than I am in my 1930's "beach wear"...

Dy :-)

Gettin' Fancy!

OK, I fixed the sidebar links, aaaannnnndddd...

Click on 'em- they now open in a new window!

I've been wanting to figure out how to do that for two years. LOL.

OK, now I'm really going. Have a great day!
Dy

Wowsa.

Good Morning, guys! Can you believe it's October 1st!?!? I can't. It's still August (although I must say, the weather this August is just lovely *grin*)

We had a great day yesterday. We made it to Spanish on time, then got a temporary base pass for me (not nearly as bad as I thought it would be- I think the guy behind the counter took one look at me with three small children in tow, explaining everything in the office to them on their various levels and realized my life is the tangible equivalent of filling out every form in triplicate, without the benefit of carbon paper, and decided that I probably actually really just lost the darned thing in the melee). Then we had lunch with Zorak and headed to the park for Park Day.

The kids had a blast and we stayed for quite a while. It was so nice to visit with the moms in our group. One lady and I were discussing some of the recent not-so-bright articles that have been written about homeschoolers, in particular the concept that homeschooled children are only around other children of like mindset and cultural beliefs, and we had a really good laugh over that one. (This group is about as non-homogenized as it comes!) The weather was pretty nice as long as the breeze kept up or the clouds obscured the sun. The kids all managed to migrate from the play area to the creek. (Kids will do that- you can spend tens of thousands of dollars on playground equipment, but if there's water and Mama says it's ok, they're in the water!)

We drove about on the way home, trying to find a house that's for sale. Never found it. Found one that I thought *might* be it (and I was quite relieved that it's *not* it). John and Jacob fell asleep, so rather than going to the market we came home, had a snack and then worked in the back yard.

We pulled weeds at first.

Then we watched the critters we'd unearthed pulling weeds.

That morphed into trying to identify the different critters, and we spent a wonderful hour and a half just bug watching.

Today we'll work on the front porch. We have to get all the stuff pulled away from the house so it can be power-washed tomorrow. Yippee!! It's very green right now, and it's not supposed to be green, it's yellow. But everything here grows mold if it's not mobile. We were going to wash it ourselves next weekend, but the property mgmt. folks said it's the owner's job. Wow, very cool!

And it's Friday! The time is just flying by. I can't explain it, and I think it has to do with more than just having the boys (although they have sped up my perception-clock tremendously!) Zorak brought up a good point last night: his schedule seems to generate the sensation that each week doesn't take very long. He works a full week, then works a four-day week. We have long weekends every other weekend, and that makes the weeks feel so short, even though he still puts in 80 hours a pay period. We really enjoy the long weekends, and suddenly we look up- *poof* A year has gone by! Hooo, weird.

At any rate, it's a late-morning blog, but it's all good. We're off to read from the Thornton Burgess book we checked out and then to enjoy the beautiful morning while we work on the yard. Have a wonderful Friday!

Dy

GOOD MORNING!

Yes, folks, you read that right, it's morning and I'm blogging! What in the world is going on here???

Well, as it turns out, I hog-tied "Night Dy" last night and hauled her rear upstairs by (get this) ten-thirty! This AM, "Morning Dy" hopped right out of bed, showered, dressed (no, not to the shoes, sorry Flylady), did some laundry, tidied the kitchen, made the bed, and settled down to read the boards. Mmmmm, ok, now *this* is what I'd imagined when I wanted to start getting up early. (For more sense of the Night/Morning people residing in my happy home, check out Staci's musings a few days ago. So true.)

There was no sunrise to watch this morning, but it was beautiful and dark when we arose, and it felt SO good to sit on the back patio and just enjoy the gentle brightening of the sky. A hot cup of coffee, a good man, and a clean dishwasher. Mmm, good stuff!

So, what's on the plan for today? Should be busy, should be fun, but it's not going to be, erm, an interesting blog. HA! Isn't that always the way? It's the weird, out-of-step days, the tirades and ironic highlights that seem to make the best grist for the mill. Alas, there isn't much some days. Sorry folks.

*Wake the children (who are, thanks to this gloriously grey Eyore-like weather, sleeping past six o'clock nowadays! WaHOO!), get them fed, dressed, and somewhat educated for the day.
*Call Zorak and tell him we're ready to brave the Great Big World
*Stop at the pass office on base to admit that I, um, can't find my base pass, no, I'm-not-a-terrorist-who-has-loaned-it-to-a-psychotic-suicide-bomber, yes, I really mean that, and may-I-please-have-another-so-I-can-pick-up-my-husband-from-work-on-days-we-really-need-the-Suburban?
*Make it to Spanish co-op. Perhaps on time, perhaps not. That will depend on the folks at the Pass Office.
*PARK DAY!! I'm so excited! I always forget about Park Day with our homeschool group. Yesterday I got an offlist email from one of the ladies reminding me of it and asking if we wanted to start coming! *Hmmm, could I have found an Activities Coordinator who will call me and remind me of things so I don't completely forget to show up for life outside the house????* (I'll blog more about AC Friends tonight- it's really kind of sad, but beautiful that friends look after me that way. Ha Ha.)
*Market. We're out of fresh fruit, and it's driving us all nuts! (Can't believe I actually wrote that.)

Oh, did I tell y'all about our stop at the Republican Party booth at the fair? Actually, it was Zorak's stop at the Republican Party booth. The boys and I stood outside and spun in circles until we were dizzy and fell over. (I'm sure he didn't proudly point us out to the folks at the booth...) Well, Zorak came back out just beaming! Come to find out, the Republicans have a candidate running against Barbara Mikulski!! Oh, well, gotta find out more aout that, then! So in I went (while Zorak stood outside and spun in circles with the boys- we're odd, but we're well-matched.) I did sign up to volunteer to support Pipkin in any way possible. Zorak and the dizzy boys rejoined me at the table and bumped happily against my leg at this point. (The boys did, Zorak wasn't too wobbly.)

The gentleman recognized Zorak, (enter A-ha! moment here) then he asked my age. (I am so past the point of thinking anyone is ever hitting on me!) The conversation was a little strange:

Me: 30
Him: Would you consider signing up to help out with the Young Republicans group in St. Mary's County?

*awkward silence*

Me: No. I'm not a Republican. Sorry.

He was a little surprised, considering my enthusiasm toward Pipkin (of course, having corresponded with Mikulski, just about anyone would be tickled to support Pipkin, but I'll blog about that later, as well.) Then I had to come out and admit that I've defected to the Libertarian party. I don't think he's ever heard that before, gauging from his reaction. Considering Zorak had just signed up to help with the YR group, it was probably doubly unexpected.

He did ask why! Wow, how cool. I explained that the Republican Party has gotten a wee bit grabby with individual rights, almost to the point of being as bad as the Democratic Party, and that gave me the willies. So, I will support Pipkin in any way possible, but just can't align my support with the party as a whole. He was gracious (and so was I). We reiterated our support for Pipkin, and look forward to helping out with the campaign.

You know, both sides are like that now, and it's depressing, really. Fewer freedoms, more restrictions "for our own good". It's as if we go from our father's homes to our Brother's homes, and never know the point of being grown ups in our own rights. Just sort of sad. Too many hills they want us to die on that I'm not willing to die on. Hills that have nothing to do with Freedom.

...And now for something completely different...

I added some new links to my sidebar, but evidently I'm functionally illiterate in HTML and they don't work because I have too many "http's" in there. I'll fix that tonight. One I love is Modus Operandi, but it seems it's now doing the same thing Krista's (Homeschooling 101) does on my browser, and I get an odd message- my ISP won't let me go there. But check it out (and Krista's, too). Neat stuff!

OK, time to get the boys up and dressed so we can get going! Have a wonderful day!

~Dy

It is a bizarre sensation to log on to NOAA and see that the hurricane that has been terrorizing Florida is the same front that's brought all this rain to us today! Wow. I just haven't the words to synthesize it. What we're experiencing here is nothing to what others have experienced. Perhaps that's what makes it seem more surreal: this doesn't feel like what I would imagine a hurricane would kick off. This feels like, I don't know, late summer monsoon weather. Well, whatever it is that brought it, we've had to turn the a/c back on just to try to pump some of the moisture out of the air. It was downright stifling in the house today. Both John and Jacob have been covered in a sweaty sheen for 48 hours. Poor kids.

Our library evidently has stopped calling each time a "hold" comes available for pick up. They used to call for each hold as it arrived. I've been waiting a few days before picking up our new books, as I didn't want to have to make multiple trips to get what we needed. They never called again, though, after that first call to tell me they had one book in. Well, I broke down today and took James to return some books and pick up the one book that was waiting so it didn't get sent back. HA! We had three big stacks ready and waiting! Gosh, if I'd known, we'd have come sooner. *oops* However, the living room now resembles... something untidy. Books are everywhere, and we had a blast reading before supper. Both boys traipsed upstairs after supper with armloads of books for bedtime. I do love the library!

OK, let me go on record as being in AWE of anyone who has actually hooked up the camera to the TV to watch clips or slide shows! *I salute you, in humble adoration and mild envy* The closest I've come to that is reading somewhere in the instruction manual that it's possible. Otherwise, that's right up there with getting the VCR to record a show on the proper channel (which has never happened for me).

School today was entirely child-led. James did 30 someodd pages in a reading workbook, and ten pages of math. John wanted to do things that pertained to the "k" sound (C and K). You know, it was just too hot to argue, and it's not like they made poor choices. So, no Latin or music, but hey, it's all flexible and good. It was a very good day!

Still no word on buildable land or affordable housing. *sigh* Still looking. :-)

Alrighty, then, I'm going to go catch up with Frodo and see what's going on there, then up to read to my little Hobbits for a bit. Y'all be good to each other! Kiss those babies.

~Dy

Head Coverings?

So, does a do-rag count as a head covering?

John wanted a proper "pirate hat" the other day, and the best I could do was to tie a bandana at the four corners.

Fast forward two days, James came down with it on his head. Then he untied one corner and put it over my head.

There, now your head is covered, and the tail comes down to cover your braid. That's better.

Um, either I am in dire need of a new hairdo, or James is thinkin' I'm just not modest enough for his taste!

So, do ya think this counts? LOL.

Dy