In case you are wondering, I am wandering around North Carolina.
I left a west coast paradise for my east coast paradise on High Point Lake in the most peaceful home on earth. What makes it so peaceful? Aside from the theater featuring the most excellent "Live Free or Die Hard" (no time for a review but looooved it) there is an unlimited supply of homemade bread, cookies, lake vista views and foresty trees, Deliverance style, and truly, love at home. Did I mention the handmade mattresses that feel like clouds? Mmmmm...
Meg experienced the love firsthand as she was there with BigMomma allll day long (literally 6 am to 7 pm.) Much thanks are in order there as well as to Jen who will be watching her for me all day tomorrow.
What am I doing with my extra time? Working, not catching up on email and falling behind on my blogging. I owe:
1) Three email responses
2) A blog post with dessert contest
3) A picture of the home described above
When I have time these things will come. In the meantime, BIG thanks to the TBB and AFB network for keeping me entertained while driving (2.5 hours tonight and 1.5 yesterday, 1.5 hrs total tomorrow and YES I am tired.)
Also big thanks to Chick-Fil-A for making it worth it to be in the car for at least a portion of that time.
Until we meet...
PS Math teachers, quit before you start (except the honorable Tim H. in case he reads this)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Who needs Fisher Price?
center.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Thinking Skills--An education bit
I am trying to summarize what is broken about the current ed system to help my fellow Americans since I have such a hard time articulating it.
I am going to try reeeeallly hard to avoid jargon so here goes...
Students are not trained to think creatively or solve problems. They are trained to follow instructions and are evaluated on their ability to retain information. Why is than an issue? Well... the factory jobs are gonzo so kids actually need to have thinking skills, not just follow direction skills.
We live in an information age. Certain knowledge does not need to be retained because it is available at your fingertips.
Last night no one knew what year Lionel Ritchie sang All Night Long, what Karamu was, or if it was about Spanish holidays. Maybe 15 or 20 years ago memorizing such facts would have been essential for viewing pleasure, but now 3/4s of the group could simply pick up a phone. If you look at a test in a classroom which question do you think is most likely to be asked of students:
Q1: What is karamu?
a) a word with a combination of pleasing sounds for the ear, commonly used on the Delilah Show
b) Lionel Ritchie's poodle
c) An African holiday
d) A word that the recording studio was trying to make happen
Q2: What does the line "fiesta, forever?" refer to?
a) Come on and sing my song
b) Karamu
c) The Spanish equivalent of "All Night Long"
d) The Santa Barbara fiesta court
Q3: What are the implications of Lionel Ritchie's line "Karamu. Fiesta, forever"?
a) No one has heard of Karamu, confusing the listener and taking away from the musicality of the song
b) Mixing a Spanish word with an African holiday reflects cultural insensitivity therefore rendering the song inappropriate for Africans and Spanish-speakers alike
c) Lionel gets a higher "ethnic" quotient even though he grew up detached from African culture in Illinois where he majored in Econ and played on the tennis team.
d) Because the song was so long ago, people watching American Idol will largely tune out the song and assume "Karamu" is an old word for cool and therefore there are no major implications of the line for Lionel or AI
Let me clarify that most good teachers ask a combination of these items--the bigger point is the kind of thinking the teachers are regularly developing in the classroom. Are they mainly asking kids what Karamu is? Are they quizzing kids on it? Or are they delving deeper and asking them to solve problems? Would your child's teacher even KNOW the implications of using Karamu on the AI stage?
Everytime your child comes home from school you should ask them a follow up question: What does that MEAN?
Somewhat Fictional Example:
Kid: Mom! Today this lady brought in a walking stick and she had to have a permit to carry it because they are considered a threat to an ecosystem!
Mom: Aws. What does that MEAN? Why did she come in?
Kid: To talk about how certain species can affect a local economy.
Riiight. The real answer might be "Oh she was just showing us different cool animals and insects."
You can try to say to me "but she is only in second grade!!!"
This girl understands economy. She understands that if she walks in the house and tracks mud in, I have to spend more money on the carpet cleaner and she gets cheaper shoes.
Luckily my kids have teachers who develop this kind of thinking. But for many, they just want kids to check out cool animals and talk about creatures and their magical qualities.
Rethink the system people, ask your kids why. If they don't know, then ask the teacher. If the teacher doesn't know, ask the principal why they are wasting your tax dollars telling your kids something they could learn on youtube in ten seconds.
I am going to try reeeeallly hard to avoid jargon so here goes...
Students are not trained to think creatively or solve problems. They are trained to follow instructions and are evaluated on their ability to retain information. Why is than an issue? Well... the factory jobs are gonzo so kids actually need to have thinking skills, not just follow direction skills.
We live in an information age. Certain knowledge does not need to be retained because it is available at your fingertips.
Last night no one knew what year Lionel Ritchie sang All Night Long, what Karamu was, or if it was about Spanish holidays. Maybe 15 or 20 years ago memorizing such facts would have been essential for viewing pleasure, but now 3/4s of the group could simply pick up a phone. If you look at a test in a classroom which question do you think is most likely to be asked of students:
Q1: What is karamu?
a) a word with a combination of pleasing sounds for the ear, commonly used on the Delilah Show
b) Lionel Ritchie's poodle
c) An African holiday
d) A word that the recording studio was trying to make happen
Q2: What does the line "fiesta, forever?" refer to?
a) Come on and sing my song
b) Karamu
c) The Spanish equivalent of "All Night Long"
d) The Santa Barbara fiesta court
Q3: What are the implications of Lionel Ritchie's line "Karamu. Fiesta, forever"?
a) No one has heard of Karamu, confusing the listener and taking away from the musicality of the song
b) Mixing a Spanish word with an African holiday reflects cultural insensitivity therefore rendering the song inappropriate for Africans and Spanish-speakers alike
c) Lionel gets a higher "ethnic" quotient even though he grew up detached from African culture in Illinois where he majored in Econ and played on the tennis team.
d) Because the song was so long ago, people watching American Idol will largely tune out the song and assume "Karamu" is an old word for cool and therefore there are no major implications of the line for Lionel or AI
Let me clarify that most good teachers ask a combination of these items--the bigger point is the kind of thinking the teachers are regularly developing in the classroom. Are they mainly asking kids what Karamu is? Are they quizzing kids on it? Or are they delving deeper and asking them to solve problems? Would your child's teacher even KNOW the implications of using Karamu on the AI stage?
Everytime your child comes home from school you should ask them a follow up question: What does that MEAN?
Somewhat Fictional Example:
Kid: Mom! Today this lady brought in a walking stick and she had to have a permit to carry it because they are considered a threat to an ecosystem!
Mom: Aws. What does that MEAN? Why did she come in?
Kid: To talk about how certain species can affect a local economy.
Riiight. The real answer might be "Oh she was just showing us different cool animals and insects."
You can try to say to me "but she is only in second grade!!!"
This girl understands economy. She understands that if she walks in the house and tracks mud in, I have to spend more money on the carpet cleaner and she gets cheaper shoes.
Luckily my kids have teachers who develop this kind of thinking. But for many, they just want kids to check out cool animals and talk about creatures and their magical qualities.
Rethink the system people, ask your kids why. If they don't know, then ask the teacher. If the teacher doesn't know, ask the principal why they are wasting your tax dollars telling your kids something they could learn on youtube in ten seconds.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Doctor is In
The doc told me today that my reflux has improved--she did not use a tube but instead a long mirror she poked down my numbed throat. It wasn't nearly as bad as the previous visit and she reassured me that I was fine. She did say, however, that I need to decrease the stress in my life to help with the acidic environment in my system.
Since I think my posts lately have been about high stress situations (transitions, delinquent renters, etc.) I think I need to focus on all the amazing and positive things that happen to me and see if that works some magic.
Latest cool things:
1. My son. This guy makes my life easier. I don't blog much as much about him because he is my strong and steady. He loves his mama and he dislikes kids who cuss at school. I have no idea how that happened but I love him to pieces. Here he is absolutely loving the rodeo:
You might not be able to tell but he LOVED it. My uncle let him borrow that Jeep cap so he could fit in at the rodeo.
2. Me and kids at the parade together. I love traveling with these guys (in fact I would rather drive several thousand miles alone in the car with them than go to church for one measly hour.) See Meg's little roly poly leggies? She is yummy.
3. My alma mater, the beloved Sonora High School. Casey and Bridget stayed behind and Meg was in her chair in case you think I was playing favorites here.
I took another fifty hundred so if you want to see more of this and SHS scenery please email me.
The last one I took for effect because really, how many people went to a high school with a beautiful stream running through it? It was amazing.
4. Freighbor Katie. I watched AI at her place in preparation for our end of the season finale party tomorrow night and I ended up talking to her forever about my mum (sniff) and other things. It feels good to have a friend so close by and I will be really and truly sad when she leaves. Thank goodness for her blog.
Since I think my posts lately have been about high stress situations (transitions, delinquent renters, etc.) I think I need to focus on all the amazing and positive things that happen to me and see if that works some magic.
Latest cool things:
1. My son. This guy makes my life easier. I don't blog much as much about him because he is my strong and steady. He loves his mama and he dislikes kids who cuss at school. I have no idea how that happened but I love him to pieces. Here he is absolutely loving the rodeo:
You might not be able to tell but he LOVED it. My uncle let him borrow that Jeep cap so he could fit in at the rodeo.
2. Me and kids at the parade together. I love traveling with these guys (in fact I would rather drive several thousand miles alone in the car with them than go to church for one measly hour.) See Meg's little roly poly leggies? She is yummy.
3. My alma mater, the beloved Sonora High School. Casey and Bridget stayed behind and Meg was in her chair in case you think I was playing favorites here.
I took another fifty hundred so if you want to see more of this and SHS scenery please email me.
The last one I took for effect because really, how many people went to a high school with a beautiful stream running through it? It was amazing.
4. Freighbor Katie. I watched AI at her place in preparation for our end of the season finale party tomorrow night and I ended up talking to her forever about my mum (sniff) and other things. It feels good to have a friend so close by and I will be really and truly sad when she leaves. Thank goodness for her blog.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Transitions
I have had too many transitions in the last three weeks:
Indiana.
Home.
Steve gone.
Sonora.
Home.
Napa.
Home.
Steve leaves Friday for Illinois (Mormon Historical Association Conference) and comes back Sunday while I leave Monday morning for North Carolina.
I have decided that when I am "transitioning" I lose focus on the joy of the journey. I find no joy in coming home after a long trip and doing housework/getting back into the groove makes me angry. I have no idea why.
So since these transitions are not going away anytime soon, I need to come up with a strategy for coping. This is what I have so far:
1) Plan an outdoor activity for the day I get home. If we are out with the kids doing something fun, I can jump right into the enjoyable part of being our family without the drag of feeling like I need to clean.
2) Focus on just playing with the kids and ignore housework (puzzles, reading, crafts, etc.)
3) Come home and focus on doing the cleaning stuff I haven't done for a while--like the stove, behind the fridge, etc., so I can feel that "deep cleaning" satisfaction that you get from those moments.
4) Buy new rap songs on itunes on Fridays so that when I get home I can play it really loudly while I am doing the chores
5) Get through the day and then call friends for a dessert night out
Any other suggestions? Don't say "Sit in your bed and take naps while waking up periodically to read a book and yell at the kids" since that doesn't work. Sadly, I know this.
Indiana.
Home.
Steve gone.
Sonora.
Home.
Napa.
Home.
Steve leaves Friday for Illinois (Mormon Historical Association Conference) and comes back Sunday while I leave Monday morning for North Carolina.
I have decided that when I am "transitioning" I lose focus on the joy of the journey. I find no joy in coming home after a long trip and doing housework/getting back into the groove makes me angry. I have no idea why.
So since these transitions are not going away anytime soon, I need to come up with a strategy for coping. This is what I have so far:
1) Plan an outdoor activity for the day I get home. If we are out with the kids doing something fun, I can jump right into the enjoyable part of being our family without the drag of feeling like I need to clean.
2) Focus on just playing with the kids and ignore housework (puzzles, reading, crafts, etc.)
3) Come home and focus on doing the cleaning stuff I haven't done for a while--like the stove, behind the fridge, etc., so I can feel that "deep cleaning" satisfaction that you get from those moments.
4) Buy new rap songs on itunes on Fridays so that when I get home I can play it really loudly while I am doing the chores
5) Get through the day and then call friends for a dessert night out
Any other suggestions? Don't say "Sit in your bed and take naps while waking up periodically to read a book and yell at the kids" since that doesn't work. Sadly, I know this.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Dessert Contest
We have decided to host a dessert competition this year and invite anyone who reads this post to participate. Please email me if you are interested in joining us. Here are the rules:
1. The first round starts on May 24th, 7 pm followed by the second round on June 7th. As long as you can bring a dessert to one of those nights you can qualify for this year's tournament. We will have two initial rounds to determine seeding and then set up a bracket based on the results of our first two rounds. Once we get back from summer travel we will begin the tournament.
2. Someone will win. Lots of people will lose. Everyone is not a winner in this game. Participants may be mocked both on this blog as well as possibly in a podcast.
3. The purpose of the tournament is to not only eat a ton of dessert but to have fun.
4. Participants must make a different dessert each round. If you make peanut butter cookies with hershey kisses in the center (or any other dessert) for two different rounds you will be disqualified.
5. Desserts must have a name. Useless names like "brownies" do not qualify but "Large and Luscious Chocolate Bars" is an acceptable title.
6. Children under the age of 16 cannot vote. Sorry but families with a lot of children try to pad the voting block and we don't allow that.
7. You can come and eat at each event even if you don't want to participate as a baker--in fact bakers should try to bring friends to increase their chances.
8. During the first two rounds, participants bake a dessert and all those in attendance will vote. The desserts will then be seeded and placed into the tournament. If we have a small number of participants we could go double elimination, but if we have a large number of people we will go single.
Any questions?
1. The first round starts on May 24th, 7 pm followed by the second round on June 7th. As long as you can bring a dessert to one of those nights you can qualify for this year's tournament. We will have two initial rounds to determine seeding and then set up a bracket based on the results of our first two rounds. Once we get back from summer travel we will begin the tournament.
2. Someone will win. Lots of people will lose. Everyone is not a winner in this game. Participants may be mocked both on this blog as well as possibly in a podcast.
3. The purpose of the tournament is to not only eat a ton of dessert but to have fun.
4. Participants must make a different dessert each round. If you make peanut butter cookies with hershey kisses in the center (or any other dessert) for two different rounds you will be disqualified.
5. Desserts must have a name. Useless names like "brownies" do not qualify but "Large and Luscious Chocolate Bars" is an acceptable title.
6. Children under the age of 16 cannot vote. Sorry but families with a lot of children try to pad the voting block and we don't allow that.
7. You can come and eat at each event even if you don't want to participate as a baker--in fact bakers should try to bring friends to increase their chances.
8. During the first two rounds, participants bake a dessert and all those in attendance will vote. The desserts will then be seeded and placed into the tournament. If we have a small number of participants we could go double elimination, but if we have a large number of people we will go single.
Any questions?
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Belated Mother's Day
I think I have done an annual post dedicated to my mother since she died in 2003. It seems like a long time ago but when your mom dies it always feels like it was recent.
At first it is a very raw sadness but over time it becomes more of a dull ache and irritation, like "WHERE ARE YOU!! I HAVE A QUESTION!!!"
I have had a few people step in and take over the motherly duties for me as an adult so I really do get a lot of support and mother love so you don't have to feel sorry for me (shout out to BigMomma Arlene, my Aunt Judy and si claro, my Mother in-law .)
So here is to me being super dumb and not asking my mom the following questions when she was alive. Mom, if you were around, this is what I would want to know:
1) Did I wet the bed? What did you do to make it stop? Do you think my children will still wet the bed when they are college?
2) Did I have friends? Sometimes people from high school ignore me on Facebook when I send them emails. I am also insecure about friending people from high school. Why am I so insecure about those people?
3) What did you say to me when I quit sports (swimming, bball, etc.)? Why didn't I stick with those things? When did I start sitting around and eating all the time? Why do I still want to eat so much when I go to Sonora?
4) Did I ever have an attitude problem? I have a recollection of being a perfectly behaved child. If that is true, why are my children so stubborn?
5) What ever happened to that one girl who I used to hang out with when I was 4. Leah? And what about that lady Yvonne and her daughter Jennifer? What ever happened to them? And Susie Cream Cheese, why did we call her that? She used to be really into the Dead Milkmen. Why were her parents so whack? How did you know them?
6) Remember how that daycare place had their licensed revoked because the owner's son was spending a little too much time with the young girls there and it was shut down? What was that kids name? What was the name of that place? Were you sooo freaked out? Were you so relieved when I didn't even know who the kid was?
7) What did you say when you knew I smoked a cigarette with the cool girls in 7th grade? Did you know I thought it was totally disgusting? Why didn't you care that I had smoked (well, like Clinton I didn't inhale and never did it again)? Why were you more mad that I shaved my legs in 5th grade than when I smoked in 7th? That seems backwards.
8) Did you know that our neighbor Valerie who moved in with her white trash family next door when I was in junior high was bad news bears? Did you know that she tried to hook me up with her 19 year old cousin from LA? He seemed really cute at the time but I think that is kind of creepy now.
9) Why didn't you take me to the rodeo? Or have I repressed that memory?
10) Did you really drop me off at the library for 8 hours a day throughout the summer? Did you make me pay the late fees I accrued myself? How did I have late fees if I was there all the time?
She is the memory of my youth. Perhaps it is best if I idealize it and skip the gory details anyway. I am thankful to the women who are proud of me and make me feel loved today but sure miss the one person who knew me before she met me and who dreamt me into life.
I hope that I will always be happy and feel successful to honor her memory.
At first it is a very raw sadness but over time it becomes more of a dull ache and irritation, like "WHERE ARE YOU!! I HAVE A QUESTION!!!"
I have had a few people step in and take over the motherly duties for me as an adult so I really do get a lot of support and mother love so you don't have to feel sorry for me (shout out to BigMomma Arlene, my Aunt Judy and si claro, my Mother in-law .)
So here is to me being super dumb and not asking my mom the following questions when she was alive. Mom, if you were around, this is what I would want to know:
1) Did I wet the bed? What did you do to make it stop? Do you think my children will still wet the bed when they are college?
2) Did I have friends? Sometimes people from high school ignore me on Facebook when I send them emails. I am also insecure about friending people from high school. Why am I so insecure about those people?
3) What did you say to me when I quit sports (swimming, bball, etc.)? Why didn't I stick with those things? When did I start sitting around and eating all the time? Why do I still want to eat so much when I go to Sonora?
4) Did I ever have an attitude problem? I have a recollection of being a perfectly behaved child. If that is true, why are my children so stubborn?
5) What ever happened to that one girl who I used to hang out with when I was 4. Leah? And what about that lady Yvonne and her daughter Jennifer? What ever happened to them? And Susie Cream Cheese, why did we call her that? She used to be really into the Dead Milkmen. Why were her parents so whack? How did you know them?
6) Remember how that daycare place had their licensed revoked because the owner's son was spending a little too much time with the young girls there and it was shut down? What was that kids name? What was the name of that place? Were you sooo freaked out? Were you so relieved when I didn't even know who the kid was?
7) What did you say when you knew I smoked a cigarette with the cool girls in 7th grade? Did you know I thought it was totally disgusting? Why didn't you care that I had smoked (well, like Clinton I didn't inhale and never did it again)? Why were you more mad that I shaved my legs in 5th grade than when I smoked in 7th? That seems backwards.
8) Did you know that our neighbor Valerie who moved in with her white trash family next door when I was in junior high was bad news bears? Did you know that she tried to hook me up with her 19 year old cousin from LA? He seemed really cute at the time but I think that is kind of creepy now.
9) Why didn't you take me to the rodeo? Or have I repressed that memory?
10) Did you really drop me off at the library for 8 hours a day throughout the summer? Did you make me pay the late fees I accrued myself? How did I have late fees if I was there all the time?
She is the memory of my youth. Perhaps it is best if I idealize it and skip the gory details anyway. I am thankful to the women who are proud of me and make me feel loved today but sure miss the one person who knew me before she met me and who dreamt me into life.
I hope that I will always be happy and feel successful to honor her memory.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Kid Line-Up
Before I left town (officially in Sonora now) I forgot to post these pictures of the cute line up of kids at playgroup last week:
What was cute about this is that it was totally not staged. The kids were lined up and we had no idea why.
Then they all dropped to the ground:
Makes WAY more sense now.
So if you have a gopher, think twice about getting rid of it. It was at least 15 minutes for these kids. Maybe 20.
What was cute about this is that it was totally not staged. The kids were lined up and we had no idea why.
Then they all dropped to the ground:
Makes WAY more sense now.
So if you have a gopher, think twice about getting rid of it. It was at least 15 minutes for these kids. Maybe 20.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Yuck E. Cheese
So I heart my friend Memzy, whose new beautiful home I stopped by to see in B-town and we shared a poignant moment over the loss of Allison Iraheta. I didn't cry, for the record.
The next day Memz claimed that her mama, Aunt Visor, had especially requested that we meet for lunch at Chuck E's. This turned out to be a lie but because Memzy knows people go to great lengths to hang out with the Visors she used this as a way to try to convert me to her wicked ways.
Surprisingly my kids were not excited. Here is Bridget giving Chuck the two thumbs down while my other two refused to take a picture under the sign (Casey: "Chuck is gross")
One thing I immediately noticed that I could not catch on film were the requirements for customer appearance. You had to have either a large tattoo or some serious cleavage. In some cases you could have both. I did not feel comfortable telling my children to pose nearby these people to sneakily capture their souls as some of you inevitably would have done but believe me, they were there.
There were only two other people in the building who like us did not meet the required dress code: The Visors.
If you don't have an Aunt or Uncle Visor like I do, you are surely missing out. Uncle Visor is always asking great questions and then throwing out an acronym or too like asking if JennyESP is my BIF (best internet friend) or some other goodies.
Aunt Visor of course is Mrs. Nurturer. Just seeing her feels like a warm hug. That is NO exaggeration. She was very lovey with Megs of course who felt her magical powers and reciprocated the love.
The cinnamon and cheese sticks were pretty good for white flour products and the service was nice for central valley carny types. Also the salad bar had both spinach and romaine instead of just iceberg and a nice balsamic vinagrette. In the end, I couldn't get over the low SES mom-types and the flashing lights and bells. Pizza remained disgusting.
In the end I will have to stick with my original weigh-in:
Chuck E. Cheese: 1
Visors: 100
I would eat at CEC again and again to see the Visors. But not for anyone else.
The next day Memz claimed that her mama, Aunt Visor, had especially requested that we meet for lunch at Chuck E's. This turned out to be a lie but because Memzy knows people go to great lengths to hang out with the Visors she used this as a way to try to convert me to her wicked ways.
Surprisingly my kids were not excited. Here is Bridget giving Chuck the two thumbs down while my other two refused to take a picture under the sign (Casey: "Chuck is gross")
One thing I immediately noticed that I could not catch on film were the requirements for customer appearance. You had to have either a large tattoo or some serious cleavage. In some cases you could have both. I did not feel comfortable telling my children to pose nearby these people to sneakily capture their souls as some of you inevitably would have done but believe me, they were there.
There were only two other people in the building who like us did not meet the required dress code: The Visors.
If you don't have an Aunt or Uncle Visor like I do, you are surely missing out. Uncle Visor is always asking great questions and then throwing out an acronym or too like asking if JennyESP is my BIF (best internet friend) or some other goodies.
Aunt Visor of course is Mrs. Nurturer. Just seeing her feels like a warm hug. That is NO exaggeration. She was very lovey with Megs of course who felt her magical powers and reciprocated the love.
The cinnamon and cheese sticks were pretty good for white flour products and the service was nice for central valley carny types. Also the salad bar had both spinach and romaine instead of just iceberg and a nice balsamic vinagrette. In the end, I couldn't get over the low SES mom-types and the flashing lights and bells. Pizza remained disgusting.
In the end I will have to stick with my original weigh-in:
Chuck E. Cheese: 1
Visors: 100
I would eat at CEC again and again to see the Visors. But not for anyone else.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Natural Disasters
Some regions have tornadoes or hurricanes while others have earthquakes.
The central coast of California suffers from Wildfires. As soon as the weather gets a bit warm the Santa Ana winds come down the canyons and we have a fire or three. This last fall the exclusive community of Montecito suffered a nasty fire that burned several $$$ homes.
Tonight it is up San Roque Canyon and I received a call that the kids' school is cancelled for tomorrow. I had a fun lunch appointment scheduled but now those women are all going to be home with their kids too.
Any fun indoor activity ideas? I could head to the beach but it seems irreverent when the hills are burning.
The central coast of California suffers from Wildfires. As soon as the weather gets a bit warm the Santa Ana winds come down the canyons and we have a fire or three. This last fall the exclusive community of Montecito suffered a nasty fire that burned several $$$ homes.
Tonight it is up San Roque Canyon and I received a call that the kids' school is cancelled for tomorrow. I had a fun lunch appointment scheduled but now those women are all going to be home with their kids too.
Any fun indoor activity ideas? I could head to the beach but it seems irreverent when the hills are burning.
Day 5
To put this into perspective for some people who might find me wimpy, I do have a full-time job. So when my husband leaves town it isn't the kid part that is sooo bad as much as trying to skype while feeding my baby, conference call at 3:00 pm while trying to pick up/drop off 4 other kids in addition to my own in three different locations, and stay on top of the ilandee/gbone podcasts all at once.
I am not trying to say I am busy, I am just saying that it is the work part that makes the absentee husband business more challenging than it would be if I could have days like today where I just focus on parenting. And blogging. And Enrichment.
So I took the day off in celebration of 5 de Mayo. I have a conference call at 2:30 but just because it is super important and all.
Anyway this morning I decided that, because I had a "free" day I would run to the grocery store after carpool. In the car Gillian and I have the following conversation:
G: Am I adopted?
M: No. You were in my tummy, remember?
G: Well how did Haley get adopted? (Gillian loves her little friend Haley who had the good fortune of being adopted by an incredible family with FOUR boys )
M: Well, Haley went to a special place where kids get to pick new parents (on the fly that was the best I could do)
G: I want to go that place
M: What??? I don't want you to go there, I want to keep you in our family
G: But you said you would check and see if Blythe and Andrew would let me live with them (once she said she was bored and we were on our way to our friends so I said I would check and see if she could live there as a joke)
M: I was kidding. Do you really want to be in a different family?
G: Our car is boring
Any takers?
I am not trying to say I am busy, I am just saying that it is the work part that makes the absentee husband business more challenging than it would be if I could have days like today where I just focus on parenting. And blogging. And Enrichment.
So I took the day off in celebration of 5 de Mayo. I have a conference call at 2:30 but just because it is super important and all.
Anyway this morning I decided that, because I had a "free" day I would run to the grocery store after carpool. In the car Gillian and I have the following conversation:
G: Am I adopted?
M: No. You were in my tummy, remember?
G: Well how did Haley get adopted? (Gillian loves her little friend Haley who had the good fortune of being adopted by an incredible family with FOUR boys )
M: Well, Haley went to a special place where kids get to pick new parents (on the fly that was the best I could do)
G: I want to go that place
M: What??? I don't want you to go there, I want to keep you in our family
G: But you said you would check and see if Blythe and Andrew would let me live with them (once she said she was bored and we were on our way to our friends so I said I would check and see if she could live there as a joke)
M: I was kidding. Do you really want to be in a different family?
G: Our car is boring
Any takers?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Day 4 Update
Don't judge me. But I doubt I will go to Church on Mother's Day. I do love going-- It is a fast and efficient way to see a lot of people I love (in my home town) but after today I think I can't hack it alone and I don't like saying to people (who I prefer to have think that I manage my life well) "hey I haven't seen you in a few years, but I can't handle my kids on my own so could you give them the following instructions while I am out in the hallway with my crying babe?"
Instructions:
-you can only leave once to get a drink water
-don't pick your nose
-don't peel the papers off the outside of the crayons
-don't fight with your sister/brother about who sits next to me
-you cannot bring that picture to our neighbor/your primary teacher/the chorister during the prayer
-it is not appropriate to sit on the floor in the foyer during church
-put your skirt down
-you can't play in the primary room during church
-sit up
-don't turn the ringer on my phone so that it will ring during someone's testimony
I think I did a post like this before but this list only includes specifically what I said today.
So as a present to myself I am unlikely to attend OR I will leave the baby at home with my aunt. I don't want to dislike my children or be stressed by them on the one day a year in which I have the expectation that my kids will get along. I know, I should lower those.
Other than the first hour of church being a bit rough (and most of that occurred within the last ten minutes), today was nice. I had a nice morning with the kids and made a pretty good apple scone recipe in which I substituted whole wheat, of course, and reduced milk to 1/4 cup as the first reviewer recommended. Oh also added 1 t cinnamon to the mix. We attended a nice little potluck after church with some neighbors who were only an hour late bringing out the main dish for the event, and I got to hang out with my favorite freighbor (pronounced fray-bor, a variation of frousin and it refers to a friend/neighbor) for a nice long chat interrupted only every 20 seconds or so by one of my children.
This evening Casey cried because he misses his daddy. I said "you never cry when I am gone" and my three oldest kids said "we are used to you leaving." I am glad for Steve that they don't cry but I hope I die first because it was brutal. I told them to wake up early and write him an email.
Evening wrapped up with a nice review on the Smart Remarks Book Club and me getting five pounds of spinach and grape tomatoes plus a bowl full of lemons from freighbor Katie.
So even though I have a nice long evening to catch up on Facebook and read my book, I really feel like Sunday is the one day that man should not be alone. Or his wife anyway.
Instructions:
-you can only leave once to get a drink water
-don't pick your nose
-don't peel the papers off the outside of the crayons
-don't fight with your sister/brother about who sits next to me
-you cannot bring that picture to our neighbor/your primary teacher/the chorister during the prayer
-it is not appropriate to sit on the floor in the foyer during church
-put your skirt down
-you can't play in the primary room during church
-sit up
-don't turn the ringer on my phone so that it will ring during someone's testimony
I think I did a post like this before but this list only includes specifically what I said today.
So as a present to myself I am unlikely to attend OR I will leave the baby at home with my aunt. I don't want to dislike my children or be stressed by them on the one day a year in which I have the expectation that my kids will get along. I know, I should lower those.
Other than the first hour of church being a bit rough (and most of that occurred within the last ten minutes), today was nice. I had a nice morning with the kids and made a pretty good apple scone recipe in which I substituted whole wheat, of course, and reduced milk to 1/4 cup as the first reviewer recommended. Oh also added 1 t cinnamon to the mix. We attended a nice little potluck after church with some neighbors who were only an hour late bringing out the main dish for the event, and I got to hang out with my favorite freighbor (pronounced fray-bor, a variation of frousin and it refers to a friend/neighbor) for a nice long chat interrupted only every 20 seconds or so by one of my children.
This evening Casey cried because he misses his daddy. I said "you never cry when I am gone" and my three oldest kids said "we are used to you leaving." I am glad for Steve that they don't cry but I hope I die first because it was brutal. I told them to wake up early and write him an email.
Evening wrapped up with a nice review on the Smart Remarks Book Club and me getting five pounds of spinach and grape tomatoes plus a bowl full of lemons from freighbor Katie.
So even though I have a nice long evening to catch up on Facebook and read my book, I really feel like Sunday is the one day that man should not be alone. Or his wife anyway.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Please bless...
That daddy and grandpa won't get Swine Flu and that robbers or bandits won't attack them.
Amen, Casey.
Amen, Casey.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Day 2
I know you all want an update on my status sans spouse.
I have to say that I actually think it would be kind of cool to be a fulltime SAHMer without the job but I think just making a guest appearance in domesticity does not give you the full sense of what it would be like.
The real trick is to just close the computer lid. I did that yesterday from pick-up time until after dinner and I will do the same tonight. Today there is a ton of laundry but I am making the bed-wetters wash after school. Yes it is plural. Bane of my existence.
Anyway wish me luck over the weekend because I will probably go crazy with no escuela in session. And church too
In case you are wondering about dinners, I did crock pot yesterday and tonight we are doing homemade pizza. Yes I already made the dough. I know.
I have to say that I actually think it would be kind of cool to be a fulltime SAHMer without the job but I think just making a guest appearance in domesticity does not give you the full sense of what it would be like.
The real trick is to just close the computer lid. I did that yesterday from pick-up time until after dinner and I will do the same tonight. Today there is a ton of laundry but I am making the bed-wetters wash after school. Yes it is plural. Bane of my existence.
Anyway wish me luck over the weekend because I will probably go crazy with no escuela in session. And church too
In case you are wondering about dinners, I did crock pot yesterday and tonight we are doing homemade pizza. Yes I already made the dough. I know.
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