My Foil Hat

I AM a grown up!!!!

2012-01-27T00:33:00.002-05:00

Despite my many posts that prove the opposite, I am an actual grown up person.  I do stoopid things every now and then but, mostly, I live my life as a adult.  WHY WHY WHY then can I not get the allergy medicine I need? Allegra-D is the best invention ever as far as I am concerned.  I think my family would agree.  I KNOW Ian and Tim (legally now grown ups) agree.  Andy also takes Allegra-D. (Andy is NOT a grown up, he just plays one on TV.)   We all take it for about 3-4 months each winter and again in the fall - you know, allergy season (at least in Florida).  Four people taking one tablet a day for thirty days equals 120 tablets, right?  (I used the calculator to be sure.)  

Well, someone "in charge" has decided that we can only  buy 10 tablets at a time and each adult in the house can buy 10 tablets per month.  Four adults times 10 tablets each month leaves us about (hang on, getting out the calculator) 80 tablets short.  Allegra-D doesn't work if you don't take it continuously during the seasons you need it.   Well, we NEED it. We're rationing it.  It's getting mean here.

Tonight, I asked the pharmacist (I was at Wal-Mart, but it's the same at all the drug stores and super markets) WHY I could not get the medicine I need.  She was a cute, young woman and she shrugged and said, "Well, people use it to make 'bad things' (her words not mine) and we have to control it."  Arrrrgghhhhh ...  I get that people make meth out of some drugs.  But, c'mon  ... every single person who doesn't use or make meth has to submit their info to a national database?????  Drugs are bad and they ruin lives.  But, allergy medicine also life-changing in a good way.  I would submit that there are more allergy sufferers than drug makers/users. Why the database?  Can't the stores just use judgement and say, "Hey, you're buying 30 boxes of this stuff, I'm going to say 'NO.'"  

Is anyone else struggling with this? Do laws vary state-to-state? Is this a state law or a national one? I want to know who to bother in terms of my representatives.  I'm not asking for anything crazy.  I want 30 pills per month for about 5-6 months out of the year and I want that for everyone in my family that needs it.  Why does the majority of law-abiding citizens have to suffer for the relatively few illegal drug manufacturers/users? Is there NO other way to find these people?  

But ...(think of me using my best Sham-Wow-guy voice)... there's more... 

While at WalMart tonight, I bought six cans of spray paint for various projects.  I had to produce identification, which was then entered into the cash register/computer in order to buy each can.  I asked why. I was told that some people like to sniff spray paint, mostly young people.  ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?????  Again, why can't common sense rule? A clerk sees a person who appears to be under 18 buying nothing but a box of spray paint?  Can she not just say, "Sorry, I can't sell this to you?" No, ALL the people buying spray paint for legitimate reasons have to have their privacy invaded and (I'm not sure about this part) put into a database?????  

I also make soap.  I buy lye (because without lye you cannot make soap) and, generally, when I buy lye, I buy quite a bit (50# or so). I have to submit a waiver, pay HAZMET fees and all of that. Mike and Andy build and launch rockets.  Some of the stuff they use for rocket fuel, hmmm, also used to make drugs. Again, Mike has to submit a waiver and pay HAZMET fees to buy this stuff.  We're okay with the HAZMET stuff because it is dangerous stuff to transport, but the waiver?  Not so much.  

Our house is a toxic dump.  Yet, somehow, we manage to use scary drugs, chemicals and paint for legitimate purposes! In the nearly 10 years I have been making soap, I have not poisoned one person, nor have I "misplaced" any of my lye.  In my twenty years of parenting, I have not killed one child with allergy medicines (and, believe me, we've gone through the gamut).  Yet, I am treated as though I'm trying to get away with something when I buy things for a reason?????  

Am I alone? I'll be researching tomorrow because I am going to start writing letters and making phone calls. If nothing else, I am much nicer if I can take my Allegra-D each morning.  And, just because I have a burst of creativity/energy where I am painting every dang thing in the house should not make me accountable to the folks at Wal-Mart and whoever else is getting my information.  

Okay, I'm done. I'm clinging to my last dose of Allegra-D. We have used up our allowance for the month according to Wal-Mart, Walgreens and CVS (yes, I'm turning into something like an illegal drug-manufacturer in search of supplies all the time). I imagine before the month ends, I will get grumpier - pollen and the unceasing headaches, sleepiness and gooey eyes do that to me. Or not. Maybe I can figure out how to use those paint fumes to my advantage??????

New week . . .

2012-01-24T02:14:00.001-05:00

I really want to get back to blogging daily, but I'm also kind of enjoying my extended break from the online world following being sick.  It's a fine line, I guess.  As you can see, Mike and Andy are bundled in for the winter - watching the Food Network.

Since I last left you, Andy has officially turned 12!!!!  We did a little visit to KeeWee's, a new place here - kind of a Chuck E Cheese for older kids and grown ups with a few neighborhood friends to celebrate. There are pictures, but they are on Ian's or Tim's camera so I am not holding my breath. 

In the past, we've always celebrated Andy and my dad's birthday together (Andy is the 20th and my dad is the 22nd). Sometimes we get lucky and have my cousin Mandy and/or Uncle Tony here to really fill up the celebration.  This year, however, Mike and I went out to dinner with just my parents.  Andy hung out at the neighbor's.  Ian and Tim went to a concert. Dan insisted on being in Tallahassee for some reason. I have to say that dinner this year was WAY better than the usual pizza.  How often do you see four adults clean their plates - I mean clean them to the point where the bread is gone, the sauce is gone, the fingers are licked????  That was us. I don't remember the last time I had such a great meal. It was a really wonderful night.  I've said it a million times here, but it's true, I got really lucky in the parent department.  I would not have believed it when I was 16, but I love hanging out with my parents!

Other news? Not much. Lately Mike and I are struggling with WHAT? I dunno patience with old, old Scout? Patience isn't the right word, I'm not sure what is the right word. Poor thing is so old and confused, but essentially healthy and pain-free.  But, more and more, she is stinky and farty and constantly slamming into walls and barking at 3 AM.  It's heartbreaking.  And, still, she has really good days where she runs with Cally and knows who she is.  I'd love for her not to stink, but mostly, I just want her to be happy and pain free for as long as possible.  Anyone who has tips for dealing with really old dogs (Scout will be 15 soon) please share. We're struggling with feeling guilty for begrudging Scout the care she needs (she gets the care, but I'm not always happy about giving her a bath at 3 AM) and wanting to have her around forever.  I've already told the boys to smother me with a pillow when I start walking into walls and smelling bad more often than I smell okay. I had a boyfriend in high school who had "older parents." He was a senior and his parents already had multiple grand kids.  I thought his mom was a loon for saying "Just push me in front of the Pepsi truck."  Now I get it.  Wonder what happened to her?

I do have some pictures - gah, I finally, yesterday, bought my own memory card so that I do not have to wade through 100's of Ian and Tim's arty photographs just to get to my stupid little pictures. I labeled it "MOM" all over so here's hoping things improve!!!

Here is a dark picture of our bedroom. We added the two bookshelves and, strangely, our bedroom feels bigger now. Weird, huh? You'll notice the bed is on risers (that strangely resemble romper stompers - we found that Cally cannot dive on top of us in the morning if we raised the bed 5 inches. $9 well spent - not that pretty, but sleep is priceless, isn't it?

The computer desk with its new "hammered black" finish. I am so pleased with how it looks. I wish I could get a picture of the whole room - it really is much better. If you haven't checked out spray paint in the past few years, definitely make a visit to that aisle. It's not the drippy, runny stuff you remember. In fact, it's kind of magical.

These are the fabrics I picked up for the new quilt for our bedroom. The colors are not true but you get a sense of the texture. I just need to find a great red/deep rose and a bit of black fabric. Rest assured, you will be seeing the progress on the quilt once I get going. It's been SO SO long since I made a large quilt - at least 10 years. I am really looking forward to it.

Okay, that's all I've got for now.

I hate sharing . . .

2012-01-19T02:47:00.001-05:00

I have all kinds of pictures to show you . . . pictures that show my new-found appreciation at being healthy and awake and awake.  But... I share a card reader with Ian and Tim and I do not dare enter their room without full light . . . it's that crowded.  I hate sharing sometimes.

I wish the appreciation I have for my current healthiness was something I could maintain and not just take for granted.  The past few days have been wonderful!  Up early (well, early-ish) and focused.  I've moved the game closet to Andy/Danny's room, freeing up a giant closet for linens (as it was originally intended).  I feel so grown up.  In all the years we have lived here we have never used that closet as a linen closet.  Now, it's so purty (we just need better linens).  As a result of that renovation, our bedroom closet is nearly empty!  I also cleaned out the by-the-front-door closet.  Up north, this closet would be a coat closet.  Down here, it's about school and craft storage.  Again, it's nearly empty now.  Sheesh!  In addition, I painted the computer desk - very cool and now it blends in with the rest of the room!  I rearranged some bookshelves and now our bedroom looks and feels bigger (go figure) and the kitchen is making me smile.  And, I have no pictures, but I will.

On the outside, I've torn out most of the winter vegetable garden (look for an email Portia), cleaned up some of the outside front of the house and, because our laundry is in the garage (which is in the front of the house) cleaned that up as well.  I LOVE having this energy and I'm trying to preserve it. In the works are chair makeovers and a quilt for our bedroom (bought the fabric tonight!).  Also, I'm in love with the Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastics!  I remade an outside chair the other night.  Next up?  The neighbors' pool area - it's going to look amazing when we're done.  Yes, there will be pictures.  ;)  

What else? Not much.  Ian and Tim are into their new school routine.  Andy is slowly coming round to things again and so am I. Strangely, we're still on schedule - I guess all the earlier years DID help me learn to plan more realistically! Huh. Andy turns 12 on Friday.  Wah!  My BA-BEE is going to be 12.  How did this happen?   And, still, I look like I did back in my early 30's (if it's dark and shadowy and you're not wearing your glasses!).  

So, nothing really new here. I'm just enjoying feeling fully human and functional and trying to make the best of it. Anyone need a closet cleaned out? I'm just about out of projects.

(Picture? That's Tim using his new studio lights - a b-day gift from my brother. I dunno, I think he thinks he's cuter than you think he is - but he's still pretty cute, huh?)

I am not yet dead . . .

2012-01-15T01:27:00.000-05:00

Though, I was sure I was a goner for a few days.  I caught the sore throat/cough/sleeping sickness times about twenty.  Yikes!!!!  I've been asleep for nearly a week.  It was not pretty.  It still isn't pretty - if I stop moving, I am napping.  It is so unlike me to crash that hard.  And, still . . . 

I've learned in my week away from the planet that the news doesn't matter (thought it's nice to sleep to), we will not be paying a day more on our satellite tv beyond our contract - there is NOTHING on but junk.  When the highlights of A&E (you know, Arts and Entertainment) are Beyond Scared Straight and some other horrible reality thing, you know it's a lost cause.  We'll stick to Netflix on demand and dvd's.  

During the "throes" of my illness, I had a notepad at my side and despite my raging fever, aching body and unquenchable thirst, I managed to make a list (because I love lists) of things I wanted from late night television.  Poor Mike!!!!  He got up in the morning and asked if I wanted anything.  He got me some water and came back and spotted the notebook.  I was nearly asleep again when he whispered, "Please tell me you did not order all of this stuff last night."  I had not ordered a thing - just made a list.  Yay sick me.  Still, I wonder about the diamond-lined skillet and the Brazilian Butt Lift thing.  Oh well.  

Speaking of late-night television - what the heck is up with Marie Osmond's lips? There is so much more to talk about, but I'm going to leave it there.  Honestly, seek out a Nutri-System commercial.  Marie Osmond is a beautiful woman, but she's in her 50's, right? We all know that, she has to know that.  Does she really think inflating her lips to the point that she looks like something is wrong with her is making us forget her age?  Gah!

In addition to bad, bad television, I watched simply bad television, namely HGTV.  By the time I woke and felt human, I was ready to implode our house and/or seek out horrible 20-somethings with $700,000 budgets for their "starter homes" who whine about granite counters and the need for "more space" as they wander through 4000 sq. ft. homes.  I get that whiners make "better" tv than normal people, but come on - there cannot be that many totally spoiled, unimaginative young couples running around out there, can there?  

Sorry to be gone so long . . . I am awake and ready to go again, though. Here's to a new year (kind of late)!

Day One 202121

2012-01-02T03:53:00.000-05:00

And, actually, it's already Day Two. LOL.

I hope everyone had a nice New Year's Eve, whether you went to bed early or stayed up late partying. For the first time in years and years, no police visited our house!!!! We were sore confused. By the end of the night, the plates we'd prepared for the police had been eaten - by us.

Despite the lack of flashing lights and sirens, we had a really awesome New Year's Eve. At its peak, our crowd reached about 40 people. Mostly though, it was good friends, family and a lot of really tall kids. Oh. And food. A LOT of food.

The neighbors way down on the end of the street spent the big bucks this year and had monster fireworks early in the evening. All the fun, none of the hassle. They are my new favorite neighbors!!!! We all had tons of little fireworks here - funny how the bigger boys lose their love of monster fireworks when they're the ones paying for them. HUH?

My parents were here early in the evening to celebrate Ian and Tim's birthday. My brother was missed, he succombed to the horrible sore thoat/head cold/sleeping sickness that seems to be sweeping Florida. I saw a couple of my neighbors actually wipe away tears as we sang Happy Birthday. We've lived here since the twins were four and Ian went around introducing himself as "Murphy." Still trying to figure Ian out.

We had a fire outside (it was below 70 and brrrrr). The kids are all old enough now that we don't have to worry about someone running away from home or something crazy. They were great and, did I mention the food? Man, can they eat. Confetti, balloons, fireworks, food and no police!!!! It doesn't get much better.

We all crammed into the house to watch the ball drop and say "Awwww" about Dick Clark. We used the Pick Your Nose cups my sister sent for Christmas for our champagne/soda toast. Funny stuff. I love the picture of mostly everyone stuffed into the living room for this picture. So many years . . . talk amongst yourselves.

After the ball dropped, we headed outside for the end of the fireworks and Dan, Tim and Ian surprised us with these amazing paper lanterns. I grabbed a bunch of sharpies and everyone wrote their New Year wishes on one of the eight lanterns. I have to say, the lanterns were FAR better than any of the fireworks. At first everyone was joking about writing their wishes down and after we all saw the first lantern go up, everyone wanted to write real wishes. They were really beautiful. A new (and blessedly quiet) tradition is born!!!!!

Tonight, we invited anyone who was around to come eat leftovers adorned as new food - I love meatballs and all that, but I cannot face eating them night and day for a solid week. Some people stopped by, picked up what they wanted to eat and went home, others stayed and ate with us (much more fun). We were all packed safely into our houses by 8 pm and I have a manageable amount of food here. Although, if you need cookies, let me know, we still have a mountain of them!!!! By the time I convince Mike we do not have 19 kids, the 4 kids we do have will be long gone.

Now, I'm moping around the house, finishing up the laundry. Dan goes back to Tallahassee tomorrow. He's a slob, for sure, but I am really, really going to miss him. I think I'm going to miss him more than I did when he left this summer. WAAHHHHH.

Overall, it was a good start to 2012.

Merry New Year!!!!!

2011-12-31T18:13:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012!!!! (almost)

Ian and Tim turned 18 today. Dan and Ian went to the convenience store at midnight last night so Ian could buy a lottery ticket. (It's never too early to plan for retirement.) Tim's been in Syracuse visiting a friend so he didn't get his lottery ticket until this morning.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. Things were pretty low key here. Andy was really sick all through Christmas and through most of this week. I actually rewrapped some of his presents because it was days and days until he could play with anything. Still, it was nice to all be together.

Christmas day we started a new tradition - a Low Country Boil with the neighbors and all of their families. We set up tables covered in paper outside, cooked outside and ate and ate and ate. It was an excellent way to spend Christmas. Andy was in the house, sleeping with golf playing in the background on the television. My dad was also home sick. Next year the goal is for everyone to be healthy and hungry on Christmas Day.

Last night we had a visit from Mike's best friend and his daughter - they've been friends since the 4th grade! I was sad his wife and son couldn't come, but it was really fun to see "the other Mike." He and I have always joked that he and Mike each married a female version of each other (or as the Other Mike likes to say, they each married their best friend but with 'fun parts'). Mary and my Mike are both morning people who love to cook huge meals and go to be early. The Other Mike and I will sit up all night talking and then sleep the morning away. Miranda is a year younger than Ian and Tim - in fact, when Mike and Mary came to visit the twins as newborns, Mary had just found out she was pregnant again and I was more than happy to unload my maternity clothes on her. Here is Miranda with Dan, Ian and Andy last night. :::sniff::: They're all growed up.

Tonight we are once again hosting an unknown number of people for New Year's Eve. Any bets on how early the neighbor calls the police? That's fast becoming my favorite tradition! I hope we get a cute police officer.

Hope you all have a great night! I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite Christmas present. My new garden donkey.

It's officially a holiday!!!!!

2011-12-23T23:29:00.001-05:00

Sick kid? Check!  Andy woke this morning with a high fever and in a panic that he that he had the same strep that Ian just had.  Our regular doctor is on vacation, so we went to the local doc-in-a-box.  Crazy - he has an ear infection!!!!  Andy has not had an ear infection since he was two!  He was up and down all day. I am hoping a full round of the abx will bring results in the morning.  I've never been so happy to have a kid with "just" an ear infection.  He's been snuggled in with Cally for about four hours now, let's hope that does the trick. (I am so relieved, though, that we have not contaminated the  neighborhood.  Andy is sick, but he was never contagious. Whew!!!!)

Police? Check!!! We had our first official holiday visit from the police this afternoon.  It WAS our (read Mike's) fault - Mike was testing a rocket engine (NOT a rocket) and a 1 x 1 piece of pvc bounced off of the neighbor's roof.  Who the heck can even hear that? You got it, our neighbor.  And, rather than call here or stick her head out the door and ask "WTF?" She opted to call the police.  They came.  They talked to Mike for 15 minutes and then talked to our insane neighbor again.  Then, the police stayed and watched Mike drag an extension ladder to the neighbor's house to check her roof for debris.  Nothing.  Gah - we've gone too long without regular police visits and we've been slacking - I did not even have a cookie plate ready.  I wonder what the rest of the the holiday holds?  I wrapped up soap to stick in her mailbox as kind of a thank you for the lack of police visits these past few months, but now I'm rethinking the whole thing. 

Saltine Toffee?  Check!  I made two lovely batches this evening, but every time I make this stuff, I am reminded of the first time I tried to make this stuff.  (Really, click on the link, it's a funny story.) 

Okay, I still have a few things to finish up tonight, we'll talk later. . . 

Whew!

2011-12-21T02:11:00.001-05:00

569 words of holiday goodness complete.  My eye is actually twitching.  Eighteen years I've been writing a Christmas newsletter. I am usually happy with the results, this year's is pretty good, but dang it's hard to put a year into so few words and not brag or be stupid.  OK time to make the toffee.

I'll try to post our hairy tree tomorrow - no one ever let me near wine and tinsel on the same night - ever again!

Reverse prom?

2011-12-19T01:59:00.001-05:00

Last night, Mike, me and two other couples from our neighborhood were lucky enough to be invited to the wedding of friends of ours.  Like most people with kids and a small budget, getting dressed up and going out for a wedding + dinner and dancing is a big deal.  We were all excited for the evening.  

We paid Dan, Tim and Ian to serve as sitters for the younger kids and to be our chauffeurs.  Our Suburban holds eight,  The wedding and reception were within 10 minutes of the house.  And, as it was the first time in about four years that we've all gone out together we decided it was worth paying the boys to drive us safely to and from our destination. I think it ended up being a good lesson for the boys as well. (This picture is of our across the street neighbors - Paul and Preston's parents - aren't they cute?) 

What a fun wedding!  Steve and Terry have both been married before and they have been dating for several years.  The past six months have been rough on both of them.  Steve's mom passed away unexpectedly a few months ago.  Terry's mom died after a long illness just six weeks ago.  Since her mom's death, Terry struggled with pneumonia.  She was a tall, thin woman to begin with and I was surprised to see how much weight Terry had lost yesterday.  Still, Terry was a beautiful bride.  The ceremony was just lovely with Terry's adult daughter and Steve's 13 year-old daughter participating.  

There were about 100 people attending and we all had so much fun during the reception eating and drinking and dancing and sharing stories.  It was like playing a real life Kevin Bacon game - how many degrees are you separated from the bride and groom?  It's funny what you can learn about people during these kind of conversations.  Mike says it's not the conversations but that people just like to tell me stuff, either way, it's fun. 

The wedding was at 3:30 and we were there until around 7 pm.  Dan came and picked us up and we headed to a funky local place.  Dan dropped us off and we told him we would call for a ride home. Dan handled us all very nicely and barely rolled his eyes  as the backseat drivers shouted advice as he drove.

While at the funky local place, we ran into a dozen Caroling Elvises (with bee-hived girlfriends no less) raising money for a local hospital. How fun is that?  We danced.  We laughed.  And then we pooped out and came home.  All the kids slept here last night, as they were mostly crashed anyway. A few years ago, I would have said our neighbors owe us, but eh, our kids are all old enough that we usually have to wake them up anymore. No big deal.  Mike is always up early and I could hear him out in the kitchen laughing and making pancakes for breakfast with the littlest guy - who in the end opted for cereal lol, while I snuggled back under the covers and slept in - Mike is my favorite.

All in all, it was a truly fun evening.  Normally, when we all get together at someone's house, we're in sweats or shorts or (if you're me) overalls.  No make up.  No earrings.  No cologne.  Last night was different.  I had forgotten how handsome Mike is when he wears a suit and, apparently, Mike had forgotten I had legs.  Huh.  We all talked about how we'll have, between all of our kids, eight weddings coming up eventually/possibly. Who knows, by then we might all know the music and line dances? Or not. Probably not.  ;) 

Before we left, I got a chance to talk to the bride.  I asked her how she had managed to keep her strapless dress up after losing so much weight.  She gleefully reached down the front of her dress and started pulling out t-shirts.  Yep.  Reverse prom indeed.  As we were waiting for my son to pick us up, the "queen of the prom" was unstuffing her bra and we were all laughing hysterically.  It got even funnier when she pulled out (beyond the multiple t-shirts) a random paper towel and a piece of foil.  Ahhhh, it's nice to have funny friends. 

I'm going to stick some pictures in here.  As you can see, I have relied too heavily on my sons for good pictures AND my camera kind of sucks.  I have no business behind or in front of a camera, but I promised pictures to my mom and others.  

Ahhhh . . . .

2011-12-17T01:11:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the planets align and all is good. Tonight is one of those nights. Danny is safely home, exhausted and in dire need of a shave, but he's here. Ian FINALLY sort of woke up tonight - he's been sleeping 20+ hours a day since Sunday night. He ate a plain baked potato and kept it down. Yay Ian! That's the first thing he's eaten and retained in a week. He actually looks semi human - skinny human for sure - but human. Aaahhhhh.... let the Christmas festivities begin. I love having everyone in one place.

Who's in charge?

2011-12-16T00:29:00.001-05:00

I already did high school, if you are the one in charge.  I already had to deal with monster zits on special occasions.  I'm old now.  I rarely get a chance to dress up. Mike and I are going to a wedding on Saturday.  I have an awesome dress, kick-ass shoes and yet, somehow, I have a monster zit dead-center on my cheek.  I'm not talking about a spot or a blemish or a pimple, I'm talking about a Saturday Night Live skit-zit.  Every time I pass the boys' bathroom, I dab on a blob of oxy 10.  Now I have a dry flaky zit. And, just this past minute, I walked by the boys' bathroom, blobbed on some stuff and realized I have just treated my monster zit with athlete's foot cream.  Oh yeah, I'm going to be looking hot on Saturday.  

Whoever is in charge of this - FIX IT! (Please.)

Rant and repent . . .

2011-12-15T03:02:00.001-05:00

In my last post I ranted.  I don't do that too often and now I remember why . . . there are always consequences. Sunday night was Mike's birthday (happy belated b-day to Ami Mental!). It was weird not having Danny here, but we managed.  Andy actually scrounged up 49 assorted candles and Mike managed to blow them all out (it helped that they were concentrated on a small angel food cake). Mike's 50th is most definitely going to be an outside cake.  There is a great picture on Tim's camera and I promise to share soon.

Later that night, Ian, Tim and I were working out their community college classes and the end of their senior year of high school.  In the past, this has been a fairly easy proposition.  Sunday night?  Ian was being mean and ugly and finally I suggested, firmly, that he go to bed.  Sure enough, 6 am, Tim woke me to tell me Ian was barfing his guts out.  How many years?  And, yet, I never catch on.  My kids are many things but they are not mean or nasty - UNLESS they are on the verge of getting majorly sick.  Doh!

Pollen is bad here, so I let Ian go for two days thinking stomach virus - his temp was up and down, and he had no symptoms other than the fever and the vomiting.  I was kicking myself for slacking on the boys' flu shots.  Last night was bad. High fever (over 103) lots of dry heaves, lots of miserableness. And, still, Ian is not registered for his classes.  I called around in the morning and they agreed to let Tim come in and register for Ian.  It took forever, but it's done.  It was too late by then for us to go see our regular doctor, so we went to the CVS Minute Clinic.
 

At one point, I thought I was going to have to drag Ian through the store he was so shaky. I have not seen him this sick since he was about 6-7.  Somehow the Shaggy-chin-beard makes him even sadder than when he weighed 42 lbs.  We got in right away and the nurse practitioner was like a tall, fat sister to our Aunt Judy.  Ian and I were both smiling as she did her work.  It's nice to find comfort in weird places like that.  We both knew "pseudo-Aunt Judy" would fix Ian.  

He has strep and a sinus infection.  Gah.  Poor Ian has been asleep since around 3:30.  I keep waking him to drink something and he's had two antibiotics.  His fever is down.  He's snoring on the couch as I type.  I think he should be feeling much better late tomorrow. Cross your fingers!  He was so sad today.  I used to get strep all the time as a kid and young adult and few things make you feel worse. 

And, did you see how skillfully I made it all about me?  I ranted on Saturday, Ian fell sick on Sunday.  Yes, I do live in the year 1256.  

Slow week and a bit of a rant . . .

2011-12-10T00:49:00.001-05:00

Things here are kind of boring.  It's so strange to be homeschooling (mostly) just one kid.  It feels too easy and lazy, even when things are hard.  After years of struggling with the older three boys, it's weird to have just Andy. You cannot even imagine how much time has been freed up in my life.  I guess I knew this day was coming, but I really did not think it would ever change.  Now that things have changed, I'm confused!!!!!  It's not a bad thing, but it's a little confusing.  I'm really having to rethink how I spend my time and re-prioritize what is and is not important.  Weird.  

Ian and a bunch of scouts and friends spent tonight working on Ian's Eagle Scout project.  Nothing like cutting it close (you have to complete an Eagle Scout project before you turn 18 - Ian turns 18 on New Year's Eve.) WHEW! It went well, ran about one hour over the projected time and it's DONE!!!!  Being an Eagle Scout can be a huge advantage in "grown up" life - colleges, military academies and many employers value that special distinction.  Dan and Ian both earned their Eagles on their own merits - they did ALL the work.  Mike and I offered food and transportation.  Mike has been part of our troop's leadership for years and years and years.  Me?  Cub Scouts did me in.  I have had very little to do with Boy Scouts beyond driving and providing food when needed.  I have enough boys in my life, I don't need a troop.  Still, some of our best friends are scouting friends.  

IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU!!!!!!  I am disturbed by a trend I see where parents are rushing their kids through the scouting program in an effort to have them "get the Eagle done" by the time the boy is finishing eighth grade. If you are one of those parents, I urge you to rethink your stance?  Who wants the Eagle, you or your son? At 13-14, I have to think it's you that really wants the award. How much are you doing FOR your son? Is he growing and learning to fend for himself or just following your plan for him? If you are pushing and pushing for your son to earn his Eagle by the end of middle school, have you thought how this denigrates the older boys who truly earn the honor? The boys who are truly doing all of the work on their own, because they want to do it? 

And, yes, perhaps your son is advanced, gifted even.  That's great, but there's nothing you can do to rush maturity.  And, so much of this award is about maturity.  Another big part of this award is about respect.  If your 13 or newly turned 14 year old is awarded an Eagle merit, do not fool yourself for one second into thinking that the other boys in the troop, (unless you have an assembly-line troop  and then shame on you), or the other parents believe for a second that your son earned that award on his own.  They know you were in there - helping/doing/prodding.  It's not the same.  

And, for the Eagle Scout to count, the people that look to it as an indicator of a kid's personality/potential can spot in just a few minutes which boys earned the Eagle and which ones have ambitious parents.  

Have I mentioned how glad we are that we let Tim quit scouts when he was about 13????  We could have pushed him through, but it would not have been right.  He was there tonight helping on Ian's project (and he worked on Dan's Eagle project as well) - he appreciates that his brothers like camping and they are okay with Tim's hatred of camping.   Tim is as proud as me and Mike at Ian's triumph tonight. Sorry for the rant, but sometimes, I just have to get it out of my system. 

My homeschool mantra is "It's not a race."  The farther I go with homeschooling, scouting, parenting, the more true I find this to be.  Give your kids the freedom to figure out who they are and what THEY like to do.  Don't schedule their lives so tightly with things that you think they should do that they do not even have time to breathe.  I expect a lot from my kids re schoolwork.  And, though their days are far shorter than their peers, their work load is stringent.  If they commit to something like Scouts, they  are committed for the year. It's not a race, but we have been striving to get the boys to understand , as they get older, their part of the deal. Most of their school work is non-negotiable. Free time?  It's one thing for Mike or me to think one of the boys would be great at something - If the kid has no interest or commitment, why bother? 

OK, off my soap box.  Big step down.  

(While we pressure our kids, we unschool the dogs.  Cally opted to spend the day shredding the BIG Orlando phone book.  Look how happy she is?  I let her shred the phone book because without my glasses it kind of looked like snow in the front yard and also, because our mean neighbor has to pass our house every day on her way home. I'm hoping to add to her enjoyment of the holidays.  ;) 

$6 worth of happiness!

2011-12-04T00:02:00.000-05:00

That's right, too your left, it's a leg lamp.  Terrible picture, but it looks awesome in person - To quote Ralphie:  "Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window."  

If you haven't seen it (how is that possible?), it's time to sit and watch A Christmas Story.

And, then run to Walgreen's and pick up a $6 window cover that gives you your own glow of electric sex gleaming in your very own window!!!  Trust me, you'll smile.

Anyone else stockpiling?

2011-12-02T22:59:00.002-05:00

Loved the line about getting salmonella from his Easy Bake Oven. (I always wanted an Easy Bake Oven.)

Quick! Someone flip me a fish!

2011-12-01T00:07:00.003-05:00

I did it!!!  I finished my Nano Book!!!!!! Okay, I did not actually finish the book, but I hit the 50,000 word mark before midnight AND those 50,000 words make me a winner, at least until I fall asleep tonight.  I'm guessing I have another 20,000 words to go to actually finish the story I started.  

Whew!!!!!  Lesson learned.  I am not a good procrastinator.  I will not procrastinate again.  Really.  I promise. I think. 

So, this makes my fifth Nano book out of seven tries.  I actually like this one.  I liked my first, but that was mostly because it was first. I hated the other ones, but I wrote them to the end. This one feels more like a real, albeit badly planned, book to me.  

Okay then, that's over.  Hello December!!!!

Evil, thy name is procrastination . . .

2011-11-28T00:41:00.002-05:00

When did I become a procrastinator?  Ugh . . .Yet, here I am.  I will have to pull a miracle to finish this stupid novel that no one cares about but me.  Still . . . Thanksgiving was great!  My mom managed to fit all 25 of us into her living/dining room, see the picture?  Isn't her house pretty?  

Wednesday, Uncle Paul dropped off my two nephews and only niece for the day.  He had errands to run.  My mom and my sister were getting the house and all the food ready.  Ian was on his way to Bing's (my mom) with chairs and tables and the muscle to empty her living room!  Tim was working.  Mike was working.  Dan was on his way home from Tallahassee!  Andy was thrilled to have his cousins around.  They ran wild in the back yard, swinging and running and shouting while I made rolls and some "back-up" mashed potatoes.  At one point the kids came in and ate REALLY fast and ran back out.  As the day wore on, more kids showed up and then some more.  Funny how they showed up in time for the last batch of rolls to come out of the oven - even funnier how their parents seemed to come with them.  

Thanksgiving Day was the best.  There was just the right mix of big kids and little kids and everyone was happy.  Everything was so pretty.  There was a ton of food.  My mom cooked the biggest turkey I have ever seen, 24 lbs(Yes, my mom essentially baked a two year old in her oven and he was delicious).  And, we all ate nearly everything in the house!  It was fun to see old friends and to have new families join us as well.  It's pretty overwhelming how much we all have to be thankful for sometimes.  In a good way!

Friday was spent putting up Christmas lights that did not go up Thanksgiving Day, a first.  Saturday, I ran out of Allegra D and tried the wee Allegra we had in the house.  Ummm . . . no.  I am dying from some kind of pollen right now.  I went to the grocery pharmacy and got some Allegra D.  I asked the pharmacist what the odds were of me killing myself or ending up in the emergency room if I took one of the Allegra D a mere 8 hours after taking one of the on the shelf Allegra's.  He looked at me and said, "Ma'am, I cannot tell you to ignore the instructions printed clearly on the box."  I nodded.  I was not out to get anyone fired.  I paid for the drugs and started out to my car when, there was the pharmacist, casually walking near me but not looking at me.  "I can't say much," he muttered, "but you won't end up in the emergency room." At that, he veered off in a new direction.  I bought a bottle of water and ran to my car to take a real  pill.  Lo and behold, I was human within 90 minutes.  Thank you pharmacist!!!!  

While I was out, Dan and Mike had also been out.  By the time we all got together again, I learned that we had some people coming over to watch the Florida/Florida State game.  Mike was going to make wings.  I ran back to the store to get sodas, chips and beer.  When I came back, I learned there were more people coming.  What had started out as Mike and the boys watching the game, turned into Mike, the boys and at least 20 other people watching the game!  

Impromptu is good and fun.  I did not have time to do much more than make sure the bathroom was clean. People brought snacks and drinks as they rolled into the house.  No time to worry or do anything but visit and have fun.  AND, bonus, our mean neighbor never even called the police!!!!

And, now I go write.   

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

2011-11-23T23:25:00.000-05:00

I am thankful to have my whole family under one roof tonight.  Dan came home this afternoon!!!  We have not seen him since August.  I love seeing how happy all four brothers are to be together tonight.  It won't last long, but they're sure happy right now.  

Giblet of the week? 

I dragged Andy to the thrift store, my most favorite one, yesterday.  He was not pleased, but what can you do when you are 11 and your mom drags you somewhere? As I searched through different aisles, Andy entertained himself in the aisle of weird stuff.  (To the person who snagged up the $10 accordion before my son who had exactly $11 in his pocket, just in case,  God bless you!)  Andy came in search of me once he recognized the accordion was gone.  I was scanning the dresses.  I held one up and, more to myself than Andy, said, "Hmmmm, What do you think?"  Andy testily replied, "DO I LOOK LIKE YOUR GAY FRIEND?  No!  I am your son.  I'm only here because I cannot drive."  :::sigh:::: I took that as our cue to leave. 

In Other New:s:

My mom is hosting me and 22 other lovely people for Thanksgiving dinner. I spent the day hosting the cousins while my mom and sister got the house ready.  While I hosted, I made about 8 million dinner rolls, some for our Thanksgiving dinner, some for a neighbor's.  Glad I made so many.  As I was pulling the last batch out of the oven, every kid in the neighborhood and some of their parents showed up for hot rolls and butter.  I hope we can get through with just 2 million rolls for dinner.  I have the back up mashed potatoes made and ready to go.  I refuse to say how much butter I used there but, Paula Deen is smiling.  

In the morning, Mike will be making pies.  2 pumpkin, 1 cherry/cranberry, 1 chocolate and one apple.  He's also going to be cooking the back up turkey breast.  As I type, the boys are tromping in the attic, not quite through the ceiling yet, hunting down the Christmas lights.  That is how they'll spend their morning - festivating our house at moderate heights with staple guns in hand.

I'm going to work on my sad, sad novel now.  I'm sore far behind @ 27.000 words.  I will be bummed if I don't finish.  I was lazy about it this time around.  But, who knows?  This weekend will make it or break it for me.  I don't know, this is on of those dumb things that means a lot to me and no one else.  Yes, that counts, but maybe not as much as other stuff?  

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  (I will accept any and all leftover stuffing (plain, cornbread, sausage, oyster, you name it!) should you feel the need.)

Goodbye Sunday . . .

2011-11-21T00:21:00.001-05:00

Andy is done with football.  His best friend, Paul, finished up baseball this week.  For the first time in a long time they have had a full weekend of running around barefoot and filthy.  I love that they have this kind of time.  I do, however, wonder at my back yard.  Andy shouted to me, in the kitchen, to tell Ian to get the camera.  I know better than to rush outside for this kind of shout.  I yelled back to Ian to get the camera.  

There, in the middle of my back yard were two enormous albino turkeys.  Why The Face, I ask you?  To misquote Humphrey Bogart, "Of all of the yards . . . " Gah!  Where in the world did these things come from and why are they living here?  I may never leave the house again at this rate.  I wonder if someone had them penned in their yard, I dunno to eat for Thanksgiving? But, I doubt it.  This is suburbia, we like our turkeys frozen and wrapped in lots of plastic.  Anyway, if anyone wants a pair of white turkeys please let me know.  

After I calmed down about the turkeys and made Andy and Paul circle the house aboutr 50 times to make sure they were no where to be seen, I went out to weed the garden.  I'm so old.  I was about half way through when Paul's mom stopped over to ask if I wanted to go to a new nursery that has opened near us.  She needed a break from holiday cleaning and I needed to stand up straight for an hour or so.  Cool nursery - I came home with garlic ready to plant and some farm fresh eggs.  

When I arrived home, Mike was pretending to watch college football with his eyes closed and I found Andy, Paul and Cally hanging out in the hammock.  All Sundays should be this great!!!!  

21,000 and stuck

2011-11-20T02:28:00.000-05:00

I am dying here on the novel in November, aka Nano, this year. The kids are older. No one needs as much from me, yet I am finding myself filling days with things that "have" to be done that don't really "have" to be done - no one cares but me. Arrgghh. It's November 19 and I am at 21,000 words. I have lots more to write, I'm not stuck, but It's also 2:20 am when things are finally settling down. I'm going to be bummed if I don't finish this - it's not the end of the world, but it's something I like to do. Cross your fingers, toes and everything else that I can work out a plan for the end of the month and get this thing written. Please????

The truth . . .

2011-11-20T02:13:00.000-05:00

It doesn't get easier, it just gets different.  I often hear from people who have boys asking me when it gets easier.  I don't know, I'm still waiting to find out.  Now some things come easier to people than other things.  For instance, potty training did not bother me too much.  However, nagging preteens to floss between their braces made my blood pressure sky rocket.  

I'm still trying to find a balance with television and movies - most of what they like to watch (Mythbusters, stoopid cartoons, etc) are okay once or twice, but, mostly, these days, I find myself knitting and listening to a book on tape.  I'm not willing to let the kids have full tv access in their own rooms, so that's a price I pay.  

It's funny, when my mom was my age, I was getting married.  Now, I have friends who are my age and still dealing with young kids.  I think in your 40's you have more patience, but you also need a lot more sleep!  It's tricky.  And, if you're dealing with teenagers, you're just tired all the time.  They can be extraordinarily fun, but then, they can also drive or go off with friends who drive and you worry that they might be too much fun.  And, funny thing, most teens are not going out for early bird specials or twilight movies, so you, the old parent, end up waiting and waiting and waiting.

I think the whole parenting thing is exhausting no matter when you start or where you finish.  We all have a plan for our kid(s) and it's amazing how they manage to foil those plans. Just when you conquer one hurdle, a new one is presented.  And, somehow, you manage to climb that mountain.  In the meantime, you just hang on, know when you're right, admit when you're wrong and move to the next level.  It's a long and painful real-life video game.  But, I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel . . .

I asked Dan (finishing up his first semester of college) what he wanted for Christmas. After some hemming and hawwing, he admitted he would really love a second set of sheets. Sniff!!! My baby is all growed up! In the end, they all grow up - for real. And when they do, it's easier to like them again.

Bob Seger is old!!!!!

2011-11-15T00:15:00.000-05:00

I've said it before, I'll say it again, I'm sure, but we have awesome neighbors!  Our neighbor that works for the radio stations stopped by Friday night to offer Mike and the boys tickets to a local event, Orlando Calling.  Ian and Tim had looked into attending this on Saturday, but the tickets were well out of their budgets.  They were so thrilled and our neighbors are thrilled with their new indentured servants.  Ian, Tim and a friend went to this event Saturday and had a great time - you know it was a good time because they came home SHOUTING to me what a good time they had and could I believe how EXPENSIVE a piece of pizza was?

Sunday, it appeared, was a day for older folks with the likes of Bob Seger and Chris Rock and Dwight Somebody.  Mike was excited.  Mike also knew he was on his own.  I hate concerts.  I hate the crowd.  I hate not being able to see anything and did I mention how much I hate the crowd?  So, Mike was on his own to find a "date" for the concert.  He had it all planned out.  Ian had an Eagle Scout fundraising thing in the morning.  Mike planned on coming home for a quick lunch and then a power nap and then a night of musical fun topped off by Bob Seger.  Now, Mike has seen Bob Seger many times in concert, but that was back when he was in his late teen's and 20's.  Mike called around.  As Bob Seger did not go on until 9:30, most of his friends begged the late hour - ::::sigh:::: how is it we hang out with a bunch of 80 year olds?  Finally, Mike found a concert buddy among our scout friends.  

Fast forward to 12:30.  Mike came in.  I was sitting here writing my incredibly bad November novel.  I asked how it was as Mike slammed peanut butter and some bread together.  "Bob Seger is REALLY old."  And, with that, he stomped off to bed.  I felt so sad for Mike.  When I talked to Mike this morning, he was okay with it all.  He said the concert was actually pretty good, but, Bob Seger is still old.  Ya think?

Guess I won't be getting Mike the new Tony Bennett cd for Christmas.

The Joy of Thrifting . . .

2011-11-12T01:04:00.000-05:00

Went with Ian, Tim and Andy to Costco this afternoon to pick up a few basics.  I'm sure it is not you, dear readers, but the rest of the world needs to get a handle on the free sample thing!  People, especially old ones, are out of control.  Once again I remember why I avoid warehouse shopping on Fridays.  

On our way home, we stopped at Goodwill, because it was there.  I have been looking for a long table for the televison, but no luck.  As I was just about ready to leave, I noticed a stack of chairs in the corner.  Sure, they were bright green, but they were sturdy.  I flipped a chair over, it was a restaurant chair. The chairs we have had for the past 10 years were hand-me-downs from Chili's and they were old when we got them from Chili's.  Still they were sturdy and up to hard use by six people all day everyday.  These new chairs?  Same maker, much newer model.  Our kitchen is many things and one of them is multi-colored!  I'm going to stick with the bright green through Christmas.  The seats will be easy to re-cover once I figure out what the chairs are going to look like.  In the meantime, we'll all be sitting in level chairs!  So exciting! Go ahead, guess what I paid for four awesome chairs?  

Okay, you gave up pretty quick.  I paid $6.99 per chair.  Go ahead, flip me a fish!!!!  Or not.  That deal was pure luck.  No skill involved.  

It's the weekend and I'll be dedicating myself to bad fiction, my own fiction in particular. I'll check in when I can. As always, I'd appreciate a few extra thousand words if you have some just floating around.

Home inspections . . .

2011-11-10T00:45:00.002-05:00

I am dying trying to write this silly novel. My house is clean, clean, clean. The laundry is completely caught up. The garden is weeded. The pantry is stocked. Meals are being made and served pretty close to a normal dinner time. The schoolwork is graded and planned for the next couple of weeks. Wait! I'm not done. My toe nails are painted. Things are plucked, shaved or whatever they need. Emails are answered. Bills are paid. And, still I procrastinate - I never procrastinated when I was young. I hate getting old.

As I procrastinate (and consider going to the street behind our house to set the dog that has been barking for two hours straight free), I've been wondering what Nora Roberts or Stephen King or Maeve Binchy's or other prolific writer's houses look like (pre-making-the-millions)? Maybe this is something normal???

Okay, I AM going to set that poor dog free. If you're going to have a dog in neighborhood of small lots, you have to let the dog in the house. Crate training is a good thing. If you do not have acres and acres and acres surrounding your house, you simply cannot leave a dog trapped in a small space all night long and ignore its barking. (And, yes, I did let my kids cry themselves to sleep sometimes.) This poor little dog (based on its bark) is frantic.

Blogging is easy

2011-11-09T02:30:00.001-05:00

You get to write about whatever you want and it does not have to make sense day-to-day.  

Writing a novel is not like blogging (at least the way I blog).  I had a good start and was up to about 15,000 words on Sunday.  Monday morning, though, it came crashing down, I hated my novel.  I hated the people in it. I did not care one whit what happened to them.  Ugh. I deleted the whole mess. 

So I started over late last night.  I like the new novel better, but, wow, I have a lot to write, I've lost over a week.  But, I like to write and I prefer to write about things and people/characters I like!  Only 44,000 more words to go.  

In other news, I'm a camera spaz. The garden is growing really well - I had a picture. The fire pit is cute and fun. We got rained out, though, Sunday night. We did make some Butterfinger s'mores over the stove. You need to do this. They were really delicious - gooey, crispy, a little burnt . . . aahhhhhh.

Hanging out in the 'hood . . .

2011-11-05T21:54:00.001-04:00

Thanks American Science and Surpus. Years ago I bought some action figures - Einstein, Da Vinci and Shakespeare to be exact. They were awesome. Durable, realistic and fun, fun, fun. I think Da Vinci went to college with Dan. Shakespeare mysteriously disappeared a couple of years ago. Einstein, though, he was a trooper, he stuck with us! Lately, he's been hanging out on our "spinny thing" in the middle of the table, aka The Apprentice. Sadly, Cally got to Einstein this evening. I am sure it started as a bout of friendly frolicking, but it's ended badly. Just look at the picture. Cally feels terrible, but as a reminder, I have shut down her Facebook account and cut out all of her television time. I hope she learns from this. ;)

I love Halloween.  I'm not all that uptight about the candy.  It's a week out of a year.  We are not candy people, we don't have huge dental issues, so my approach is "Go for it.."  Problem?  Ummmm . . . it would be me over-buying candy every year.  It WAS buy one get on free.  Mike and I seem to be on a mission to eat our weight in Butterfingers.  Surely, there is a bottom to this bowl.  Right??  

Mike started building a new fire pit this afternoon. He says it will be ready for use tomorrow night. I'm seeing Butterfinger s'mores for all the neighbors in our very near future.

Quick, send me 3000 words!!!!!

2011-11-04T01:15:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year - November.  Time to write a novel  of 50,000 words in one month.  I've got a "map" of my lame idea. I'm even down one kid.  And, still, nothing.  To stay on track, I need 10,000 words by Sunday.  I think I can do it - if you read here even randomly, you'll notice I don't lack for words.  What I lack is time!!!!  I know it would be wrong to enroll Andy in public school for one month, but it's OH so tempting.  

Since I first started this whole Write a 50,000 word novel in November madness, aka Nano, in 2005, I've finished four incredibly AWFUL novels. Yep, that's right - four novels, baby! ;) If you like to write, it's fun. If you haven't signed up yet, it's not too late. Join me - I'm just starting tonight. It'll be fun!!!!! Trust me.

Halloween!

2011-11-04T00:49:00.001-04:00

Well, this was most definitely a transitional Halloween for me.  Dan, of course, spent the holiday in Tallahassee.  (sniff - I sent him a bag of candy, an ugly-Mrs-Weasley-scarf and some soap), Tim and Ian went to a concert of some local bands.  It was just me, Andy and Mike.  In the 13 years we've lived here, trick-or-treating has been a group activity.  In the past, we've banded together with some other parents and kids and marched around the neighborhood.  Often the parents would dress up as well.  This year ... not so much.  Parents are working different and/or more hours.  Girl children want to t-o-t with other girl children (not many of those on our street). 

As it worked out, a bunch of us assembled.  Quickly, the older boys (wah - Andy is now an OLDER boy) set off on their own trek for treasure.  The rest of us kept walking, slowly as we were basically herding cats.  We'd gone about 20 yards when it occurred to me that not ONE of the kids in our group was mine. WHY was I even there????  I'm now the creepy old neighbor.  Waaahhh.  I couldn't figure out a graceful exit so I stuck with the group.  But, really????  I no longer have to dress up as the Keeper-of-the-Crypt, I AM the Keeper of the Crypt!!!!!  

Still, we had good pumpkins.  Mike stayed home and rested his sorry broken toe.  Toes seem like such silly things until one of them stops working.  And, it was fun when Andy got home to hear about his adventures.  He was really excited to have gone off on his own with his friends. I'm glad he had fun.  This is one of those transitional things (at least here it is), but it makes me a little sad. Won't be too long until I'm complaining about my aching shoulders as I teach him to drive.  

I was really happy when Dan called on Tuesday and Andy was able to fill him in on all the details.  Andy REALLY misses Dan and I think the feeling is mutual.  I love when they get a chance to talk and I love that Dan will listen and have an actual conversation with Andy.  

Adding pictures - Andy is the kid with the burlap sack on his head (yes, I am proud) - he's a scarecrow and designed his own costume. The pumpkin is Tim's creation. A pumpkin eating an apple carved like a pumpkin vomiting watermelon. :::sigh:::: I'm glad I took the time when I had it to make their costumes when they were little and cute and willing to wear whatever I pulled over their heads.

Honestly, I do not just run around looking for this stuff!!

2011-10-30T20:17:00.001-04:00

Something Has Exploded in a Spectacular Fashion on Uranus. Heh.

Okay - this will keep me giggling all night.

PMS House 893

2011-10-27T01:39:00.006-04:00

This getting old really sucks.  PMS is here almost as often as Nice Amy is lately.  Honestly, there should just be an off switch for when you know you're done with certain body parts.  

That said, I'm in a mood and you should all stay out of my way.  For example, the parents I sat next to at Andy's football game this evening. First, let's be clear, I despise adult women who try to carry themselves as children.  The woman in question  has long, long hair (actually, it's kind of beautiful) that she ties with a loose ribbon that matches her visor, her short shorts (sorry ladies, if you're past 40 and you're not Demi Moore, short-short shorts are not your friends) , matching cuffed ankle socks and even sneakers with matching stripes - she also affects a weird pigeon-toed thing when she walks, but I'm not willing to go into that.  Okay, that's enough reason to hate her and her pretty hair and her over-exposed cottage-cheese thighs.  BUT . . . I was sitting all of 18" away from her.  I said "Hi!" when I sat down.  I tried to be friendly, but she was having none of that - I'm thinking my super-short hair might have freaked her out????  I held in my "whatever feeling" at her absurd outfit. WHY could she not keep her own mouth shut????  

If Andy was 46 and a woman, he would look a LOT like me - we look that much alike (he's just way prettier).  STILL, I have to listen to her b*tch and moan about the coaching and how unfair it is that some kids are taller than others and that her son hasn't had a growth spurt yet.  (Have I mentioned that Mike is the coach????) I have to defend her husband here.  He kept trying to interject things like "Honey, life isn't fair." and "Kids grow when they grow ... it's not X's fault that he's not as big as some of these kids, but, then again, I'm not as big as some of these kids' dads!"  Nice, sensible guy.  She stopped talking to him altogether.  :::sigh:::

I bit my tongue. This is the 9-11 age group - HUGE stretch size-wise.  Guess what, lady, it gets worse in the 12-14 group!!!!!!    In this woman's mind, Andy is a giant.  Andy has not had a true "growth spurt."  He's just a big kid - doh!  Look at his dad or even me, I have the shoulders of a Division II linebacker.  Anyway . . . if you don't know who you're sitting amongst, shut your mouth.  If the coach is a volunteer - duct tape your mouth. If your kid is a spaz who cannot even catch a snap from the center - go home.

Honestly, this woman was so ugly and so critical of Mike and every single kid on the field but her own . . . I was grateful for half time and a chance to move without making a big deal of it.   Be nice to the volunteer parents in your lives.  Be really nice to them.  They try so hard.

And that's all for tonight.  Nice Amy should be back sometime soon.

Oops . . .

2011-10-26T01:35:00.000-04:00

Forgot to blog these past few days.  Well, I didn't really forget, I just never got to it.  I could use another hour or two in everyday - I think I'd get a lot more done. 

We've had wonderful cool weather here since late last week.  THIS is the reason to live in Florida.  Shorts, barefeet and a sweatshirt in the evenings.  Ahhhh . . . The garden is enjoying the weather as well.  There are sprouts of every plant.  Very exciting stuff.  It's supposed to warm up again tomorrow - 85 I think.  We'll see how that goes.  Thus far, though, the fall/winter garden is looking promising.

Spent some time on Saturday in the thrift stores.  All of my winter clothes seem to be missing.  I'm thinking Dan is up in Tallahassee with some VERY short jeans.  Mine are all gone.  I found these awesome shoes - never worn -- for $3.99.  We're invited to a wedding in December and I think they'll be perfect.  Now to find something other than sweat pants to wear with them. 

I don't think I've mentioned Andy's science with Alton Brown lately.  We really enjoyed "FRYING" week.  We had a lunch of fish and chips, delicious, one afternoon.  A few days later we made pork chops (fried for only a minute on each side and then baked) with a crust of salt and vinegar potato chips.  Go ahead, drool.  They were the best pork chops I've ever had.  Andy is doing all of the cooking, so the credit goes to him.  For dessert, we brought on the deep fryer again and fried up some cookie dough.  Yum - but one little piece was more than enough for me.  I'll stick with fried Twinkies, thank you very much.

Last week, we sauteed.  Andy practiced sauteeing by flipping dried beans in the pan.  He graduated to tortellinis in butter, over actual heat.  The triumph of the week was his "Chicken with Garlic and Leeks."  My mom came by to eat with us and she loved it too.  And, we love her just a little bit more for bringing pineapple upside down cake for dessert.  This week, we're studying the art of boiling/poaching.  Not as much fun recipe-wise, but the science side is intriguing.  Friday, we're going to poach a chicken in wine and stock and eventually turn it into chicken/sausage gumbo.  I'm looking forward to Friday. 

This past weekend was wonderful weather-wise.  It's awesome to have the windows open again!  On Saturday morning, Mike and Andy were rough-housing and Mike smashed and broke his pinky toe.  Mike spent most of  the weekend in the recliner with ice off and on and a LOT of football and rugby.  I spent a LOT of time outside avoiding A LOT  football and rugby. I like both sport just fine, just not in 12-hour doses.  Mike's never broken a toe before.  Do women go barefoot more often? Most women I know have broken toes in the past.  I've done it several times.  Mike seems to think I'm making my suggestions of taping two toes together, keeping his foot elevated and using Tylenol or whatever as necessary out of the blue.  Oh well, I guess he'll figure it all out.  Right?????

Andy and I went out and picked up pumpkins tonight.  If you're near an Aldi's, all the pumpkins are $3.99.  They had some HUGE pumpkins at ours.  We're keeping them in the cool house, uncut until Sunday or Monday - pumpkins get moldy fast in Florida.   It felt weird to only buy three pumpkins this year.  We miss you Dan!!! 

Back to the routine . . .

2011-10-18T00:36:00.001-04:00

Long weekend here - Teacher Workday for our county.  Had a house full of boys all day long.  The weather is perfect - warm enough for shorts and bare feet, but cool enough to function.  I really do love the 9-12 year old boys.  They make up weird games and everyone is okay with rule changes every three minutes.  They talk intelligently about something one minute and the next they're howling over something disgusting. 

Saturday, after football practice, Mike wanted to do the biannual bug spray around the house.  This requires us leaving for at least four hours and then me scrubbing all the surfaces when it's all done.  It was time.  Dan isn't here.  Ian was camping. Tim was working.  Just me, Mike and Andy headed out into the big world to kill some time. 

Hmmm . . . we suck at killing time.  We're not shoppers.  We're broke.  That kind of limits the options.  We wandered around my favorite garden place for a while.  Then, it occurred to me that we had Andy trapped and it was a good time for force him to try on jeans.  He's grown so much the past few months.  We dragged him to Old Navy.  We left with shell-shock and two pairs of jeans (everyone pray he doesn't grow before it gets cold). 

What to do, what to do?  We still had to kill 2 hours.  We went to Michael's and I found some yarn and needles to change things up a little bit.  I still suck at knitting, but I like knitting, so I stick with the cheaper yarn.  Anyone need a scarf?  Next up?  A run to Dollar Tree (everything is a dollar!) for some cleaning supplies and plastic cups.  Finally, I sat in the car knitting while Andy and Mike visited nerd-central - the Hobby place - to look at rocket-making supplies.  Color us officially shopped out for the year!

Sunday was fun.  We got to stay home.  I put in my fall garden - FINALLY!!!!  I was about half-way through when Preston, the 6 year-old who lives across the street, came to help me.  Whew!  I was sore and tired and there are few things more enthusiastic than a 6-year-old with a hand rake and a packet of carrot seeds!  I got a break, he got dirty and had fun.  At the top is a "map" of the garden - yes, I am that bored. Plus, markers are fun.   Here is a picture of the dirt filled with hidden seeds. 

Sunday evening, it cooled off, the kids made fire kites and the grown ups talked about football, groceries and other exciting grown-up stuff.  It was a really nice way to end the day.  

Storms are moving in - let's hope the garden doesn't flood. Tomorrow is supposed to be messy!!!

Uranus is ALWAYS funny!

2011-10-14T22:59:00.001-04:00

Not just Uranus, but yours and yours too.  I want to know who wrote this headline!  

Uranus takes a pounding more frequently than thought

WOW - who'd of thunk?

New Territory

2011-10-12T00:58:00.001-04:00

Mike turns 49 in December. I think we may have crossed a threshold with mailing lists. Well, not we (yet), but Mike has definitely crossed the line. Consider the best piece of junk mail we received today:

Most of our junk mail these days comes from colleges. I just opened it because I was bored - I didn't really look at it. "Plan to Live" indeed.

That's right. We're invited (along with two of our closest friends) to eat a free meal and plan Mike's funeral. I know the economy is bad, but honestly? They're hitting on the soon-to-be-49 crowd? This was a seriously expensive mass mailing. The longer it sat on the kitchen counter, the funnier it seemed to me, Andy, Ian and Tim. Poor, Mike. By the time he came home we were just dying to see his reaction.

Being old, like Mike, he couldn't see what he was looking at initially without his glasses. He asked just holding the envelope "Who's getting married?" "Did someone have a baby?" and then he put his glasses on. His reaction was the same as mine when I first saw the thing. Shock. Awe. Horror. And . . . then, because he's the man I love, he laughed and laughed and laughed. Yes . . . we're going to die. Yes . . . we get few dinners out on our own. Yes . . . better to eat Mac and Cheese at home than this.

Free tickets if anyone can use them.

I cannot even imagine what our future "old people" mail holds. Rest assured, I'll let you know.

Rainy Saturday

2011-10-08T16:19:00.001-04:00

So much for gardening today - it has been pouring non-stop since late last night.  So, the fence is done and just waiting for the plants.  Tim took a picture for me yesterday - nice huh?

Nice, huh?  Our grumpy neighbor is most pleased.

Since I was stuck inside, I made garden markers out of some wooden spoons I picked up at the thrift store yesterday. They need a couple coats of polyurethane and they should be good to do. I hope the horse like them.

All's clear!!!

2011-10-06T22:54:00.001-04:00

Andy had his eye doctor appointment.  After 9 days of what basically amounted to bed-rest, Andy is nearly free!  Eye drops, no contact sports, and no swimming until Wednesday, but beyond that no restrictions!  The doctor saw what he called "a little debris" but the clot was gone and no signs of further bleeding.  Woohoo!  Andy gets to go back to his bed (he's been on the couch b/c he couldn't climb the bunk bed OR wrestle for bed space on the bottom bunk with Cally).  He was able to run around outside and play with Paul this afternoon.  He's actually tired tonight.  Whew!!!!!!!  

I'm resisting the urge to make Andy wear safety goggles full-time.  I'm also resisting the urge to guilt you all into making your kids wear safety goggles.  Even the doctor thought I was nuts.  But . . . it's hard!  ;)

Stay-tuned this weekend - garden going in - ponies being evicted. (My imaginary ponies, that is.)

It's not easy being weird

2011-10-04T02:38:00.000-04:00

Andy has 2 1/2 days left of being still and quiet.  He's been incredibly great during all of this.  As a result, his eye is clear.  No change in the iris.  No blurry vision.  No nothing.  We're doing school-lite this week.  And, as much as I love and adore Andy, I will be happy to let him loose on the world Thursday afternoon.  

Who knew he was such a talker?  Who knew he was so susceptible to television.  He's been watching lots of Monk on Netflix.  I was fine with that until I took him with me to the grocery store (for a nice slow walk around the produce section)?  As we were driving, we both had matching cups and drinks in the car beverage holder, Andy asked me, in all seriousness, to take a big sip of my drink.  I asked why?  Well, duh, mom, our drinks are not level with each other.  Monk is on hold for a while (maybe forever).  

Weird stuff? I was paying bills today (I put it off because I like having a bank balance over a weekend).  The bill I MOST hate to pay is my student loan bill (yes, I am 1000 years old and still paying on a student loan).  I owe the money, I pay it, but it ticks me off that I was soooo stoopid back then - I let myself be talked into those loans.  This, dear children of mine (if you're reading), is why I am so opposed to going into debt for an undergrad degree.  Anyway, I went to pay the loan, like I do every stoopid month and there is nothing to pay.  The balance is gone.  I called.  All they could tell me was that the loan was gone.  I emailed (because I don't trust SallieMae) and they told me the same thing.  I know this will come back to bite us in the butt, but for this month, I'm enjoying the little cushion.  

I told Mike, poor Mike, that in my delusional world a knight-in-shining-armor has stolen our identity and is using his powers for good.  He's going to pay everything off and build us a retirement fund.  I might have slipped this past Mike - he's not stupid he knows to just half-listen to me - but I had to push the envelope and mention putting ponies into my newly painted, fenced garden of dirt.  I'm sore tempted to go find some Pretty Ponies at the thrift store tomorrow.  

Anyway, the student loan thing is weird. I'll be keeping my eye on it for sure. In the meantime, I'm going to bed tonight dreaming of pretty ponies, knights and Robin Hood identity thieves. I'll see you when I get up around 4 pm - just enough time for me to dress and pretty-up for happy hour.

$800????

2011-10-02T00:41:00.000-04:00

So, what would you do with $800?  I can configure that amount about 200 ways.  Each of the 200 ways would be helpful to us.  I imagine it's the same for you.  

But, if you're Danny, you spent that money on a required Humanities Class called "Ethnicity and Diversity."  (I will spare you my rant on how much this is a NON-issue for kids in this age group - the school is making it an issue by making this a required class . . .) Anyway, Danny is taking this class.  He (and I) thought he'd finished all of the humanities credits for an engineering major when he was attending the local school.  Oh well.  We told Dan, Dan's advisor told Dan to just suck it up and get through it.  

He called me Friday after his class.  Dan and I share a lot of traits, but one of the best things he got from Mike is his ability to be sane and rise above people who try to tick you off.  I fail that class every single time I take it. His E&D teacher has been taking the class through US History discussing the issues.  Friday marked the day the were supposed to start on the Civil War and then Reconstruction.  The instructor announced that she doesn't like talking or thinking about war so they would be skipping those sections.  You know, because they have nothing to do with R&E issues in the late 1800's or the entire 20th century.  GAHAAHAHAHHHHHH.  And, there you go, that's about $800.  I'm happy that Dan at least realizes the gap in history and how important it is.  What about the other 200++ kids in Dan's class?  Are they aware?  I wonder if she'll skip WWII and the Holocaust as well - those are potentially upsetting.  @@  

Andy and I are losing our minds being quiet and housebound and doing so much sitting.  We have to do this until Thursday!!!!  I have to say that Andy's best friend (since he was about 3) has been here everyday (and this kid is NOT a gamer or a sitter in any way shape or form).  It means so much that he's here and he's willing to tone things down.  (I do wonder what kind of nightmare his parents are facing at the end of each day - we're all used to having physically tired kids); BUT, it's working.  No blurring, no swelling, no bleeding.  We can do this.  Right?  

lt's fall garden time.  Mike is building me a fence that is Cally-proof (as she ate most of the summer garden).  It should be done tomorrow..  I painted the first two panels last weekend.  I painted the next two panels tonight while enjoying the end of the audio version of Salem's Lot.  (This was extra fun as it's actually cool here - well, below 80)  Once I figure out what to plant, it had all better grow really well to match up to the fancy fences!!!!!  

Is anyone else on Pottermore? Dan's girlfriend got me a spot for the Beta testing. It's a total hoot. I was sorted into Ravenclaw (me and Luna, doncha know?) tonight. It's fun, but hugely time-sucking. I might put Andy to work this week.

Good eye!

2011-09-29T23:17:00.001-04:00

And, thank heavens for funny relatives!  I think we might use this picture as part of our Christmas newsletter.  Andy laughed and laughed when he saw it.  

Andy has been amazing.  He has been still and glued to the recliner.  (I think the Benadryl's I've been slipping him in the evening have helped) But, he took the doctor seriously.  Today we went in for our first follow-up appointment.  The doctor was very pleased.  The cornea is nearly healed.  The bleeding has stopped.  Now, we're left with a big clot behind Andy's eye.  

The doctor took pity on Andy and gave him "wander around the house s-l-o-w-l-y" privileges until next week.  Until the clot resolves itself there is still a danger.  Andy was actually thrilled to be allowed to shower again.  (Yes, I DO know this will not happen again in the near future.)  So, everything is going well.  We are facing a long week of keeping a very active kid very still, but we can do it, right?  All things are possible if you make ice cream every meal?  Or something like that.  

Keep your fingers crossed.  Smooth sailing for another 7 days . . . we can do this!!!!!

And, thanks for the pictures, John!!!!! 8)

He's okay.

2011-09-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

My mom suggested that this story is better if people know right off the bat that Andy is OKAY.  He is.

Today, after going through Math and Latin with Andy, I decided to get a shower.  I left him and Tim working peacefully at the kitchen table.  ::::sniff:::: It was a beautiful scene of scholarly joy.  (You know right now it's going to end well, don't you?)  As I lathered up the shampoo, I heard the wails.

Somehow, they'd decided that the black triangle inside of one of the three-ring binders (don't worry about it if you don't know what I'm talking about) looked like a boomerang.  Tim tossed it in Andy's direction and waited for it to come back to him.  Unfortunately, it hit Andy in the eye.  He did not throw it hard.  He did not aim at Andy's eye.  Nonetheless . . . 

I stuck ice on Andy's eye and had him sit still while I finished getting dressed.  By the time I came back out, the bottom of Andy's iris looked weird.  I called the optometrist.  They asked how fast I could get him there.  10 minutes later we had bumped a patient out of the doctor's office and Andy was inside.  The doctor put some drops in that made Andy's eye green (spooky) and looked at it with all of his doctor stuff.  He tried to work the intercom and ended up shouting for his assistant to call "the professor."  Once "the professor" was on the phone I heard lots of hmm's and yeses and ahaha's.  

The doctor hung up and started writing and sent us to an eye surgeon on the other side of town.  Scary stuff this.  Andy was crying (Andy never cries) and I wanted to cry (I chose to let my blood pressure rise instead).  We drove as fast as the Suburban would go through downtown to the surgeon.  I did not even have to fill out paperwork, the doctor simply saw us as I filled stuff out.  

Good news.  The retina was not torn.  No surgery today.  Andy has something called hyphema.  There is bleeding behind his eye.  For the next two days he must remain as still as possible with limited bathroom breaks.  We've dragged the recliner from Mike's reading spot in our bedroom to the middle of the living room.  It is Andy's new home.  We have drops, painkillers and lots of snacks that Andy only need "snap" his fingers to obtain.  

With luck, the bleeding will have stopped by Thursday afternoon and this will all be a memory.  A scary memory.  Think good thoughts, send your best "petrificus totalus" spells and/or say a prayer for Andy.  

 
Pictures are included courtesy of Andy - he liked the idea of "sharing" the misery.  8)  I do wish I'd gotten a picture before the green left his eye.  Oh well.  Use your imagination.

Bear with me on the new blog format. I haven't decided which way to go yet . . .

Field Trip!!!!!

2011-09-23T01:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've planned a specific homeschool-related field trip. But, it's unfair to keep Andy here in the house full time with just me (and sporadic encounters with Ian, Tim and Mike). AND, it's unfair to make me join a goofy homeschool group in the name of "socializing" Andy. Andy would be fine in a homeschool group. Me???? I'm thinking not so much. I'm old and grizzled and all of that.

Today, we went to St. Augustine.  This year, Andy is studying American History.  We just finished up a big study on Native Americans and I really want to focus on how the United States became the United States.  St. Augustine seemed like a good starting point.  

Ian and Tim got up early to join us.  We packed a lunch and headed on up.  It was a rainy, cloudy day here.  Still in the 90's, but cool-ish.  We spent a lot of time at the Fort.  It's so cool - it's all built of shells.  It's amazing to think how much smaller people were back then.  The bunk beds and the "broiler beds" (Andy's name for them) are so short in length and it's amazing how many people were stuffed into them.  Toss in the lack of a/c, soap, hot water, regular showers??????  It's amazing anyone stayed in St. Augustine!!!!!!!!

After lunch and the fort, we wandered around town.  Ian and Tim both have serious cameras.  Andy and I wandered ahead as Ian and Tim climbed and crawled over and under stuff.  I will share their pictures tomorrow (if they let me).  I have to say that it's a different city viewed through their eyes.  

All-in-all it was a FUN day. The drive home was a bit rough. We pulled over for a bathroom break and somehow I ended up back on the road heading east (home was west). None of us noticed for about 15 minutes - yes, we talk that much. THEN, there were NO exits. ::::sigh:::: In addition to driving an extra 30 miles, we spent an extra hour in the car. Pretty sad when your entire one-way trip should only take about 100 minutes. Upside???? Ummm . . .. we were all really, really happy to get home.

Where I get older and older . . .

2011-09-21T01:22:00.000-04:00

Last week Andy wanted a hair cut.  Andy is weird about his hair.  It's fine with me so long as he keeps it clean and brushed.  THIS is his new haircut.  (Ya think the fact that all of the older boys are now sporting super short hair has made a difference?)  

Sniff... look at him.  My baby is only 11 and he looks SO much older now.  And, he looks a lot like Tim.  You may recall that we suffered through a parade of middle school girls stalking, calling, knocking on our door when Tim was about Andy's age.  I don't know if I can face it all again.

WHY?  Glad you asked.  Tim went to the Homecoming Dance this weekend. (Nice allergy shiners, huh? Yay for fall ragweed!)  He opted to go with a group of friends and one of the friends' parents sprung for a limo at the last minute.  I knew all the kids.  Mike dropped Tim off and talked to the parents hosting the pre-party.  What we didn't know was that Tim was going to ride with 10 girls in the limo.  All 10 girls claimed him as her date.  

Imagine my delight an surprise when I got up Sunday morning to find this picture on Tim's Facebook.  Yes, that is Tim with 10 girls and he's holding a baby.  The baby is one of the girls' stepsisters and the girls all thought the picture would be cute since Tim is wearing pink (none of the girls are lol) and so is the baby.  Yes, girls, I hope you, too, one day wake to a picture like this of your son.  Muhaaahahaha. 

(See why I'm freaked out about Andy's hair cut?)  Tim is friends or  friendly with all of these girls, but none is a "love" interest.  I kind  of wonder what it's like to be Tim.  Wherever he goes, girls (youngest  to the oldest) gravitate. I think it's because he's kind and he is a  really good listener and he's adorable to boot.  Who knows? 

Happy Friday!

2011-09-17T00:26:00.001-04:00

I am finally figuring out this new camera.  So, lucky you all . . . you get random pictures! It's Friday - cooking with Alton Brown & Andy day.  Today we made roasted chicken in a flower pot.  I was not totally sold on this idea, but Andy was.  

Here is the finished product.  We could tweak it a bit - I think a bigger flower pot is in order. When we first unveiled the chicken the wings clung to the sides of the "lid" and it was kind of freaky. Bigger pot and truss up the chicken - those splayed thighs are kind of obscene in this picture, but the chicken was delicious.  Crispy on the outside, perfect on the inside.  Yay Andy!!!!!!

There he is, on your left, Coach Mike.  Mike is coaching "The Bills" this season for Andy's flag football league.  They won their first game on Wednesday!!!  Now that I've seen how they'll have the field set up I'll be able to get pictures of awesome Andy in action.  (This is such a relief after last year where the teams were stacked and Andy's team continually played teams where the average height was 12" over the height of the tallest kid on Andy's team.  Losing over and over and over sucks.)  It appears they have this year's league set up with a much more even hand.

Years and years ago I picked up some true action figures - Albert Einstein, William Shakespeare and Leonardo DaVinci (courtesy of the best stocking stuffer site in the world American Science and Surplus.)  They all came with goofy props and I stuck them in the older boys stockings at Christmas.  Andy recently discovered Albert Einstein.  He drags this poor action figure around all day talking to it and posing it. (And people say homeschooled kids aren't socialized????)  

It took my neighbor's daughter to pose him in front of our Apprentice organizer thingie in a running pose.  How awesome?  Now to dig up Shakespeare and Leonardo. 

And, strangely, that kind of sums up our week! Eight weeks of school down - 32 to go (for Andy). It was a good week. I'm looking forward to a few days with no lessons and lots of books and even some cleaning (not really on the cleaning, but you know). Tomorrow morning is the opera-at-the-movies with my mom. I'm excited - I've enjoyed half of the first two we've seen. ;) I don't think I'll ever be a fan of German opera. Cross your fingers for tomorrow. I miss the live opera company here in town, but there's something to be said for sitting in comfy chairs and ordering yummy snacks and wearing sneakers to watch something at La Scala.

Happy weekend!

Nancy Drew

2011-09-15T01:49:00.001-04:00

I LOVE Nancy Drew.  I loved her when I was a kid. I secretly loved her as a teenager (comfort books, you know? Nancy Drew, Little Women and The Secret Garden) and I unabashedly love her now (the old Nancy Drew, not the modern Barbi-ized version). 

Andy and I have been spending an inordinate amount of time at the library lately. (GAH! How much do I hate teaching research papers?).  And, we never fail to visit our little library without a stop at the Friends of the Library bookstore near the exit.  I could spend days in that tiny space - so many crazy, great books.  

I was specifically looking for historical fiction and biographies for Andy when I chanced upon some "old" Nancy Drew books.  One was the textured blue cover that I remember reading and knowing those books had been my mom's Nancy Drews. Others had the old-fashioned covers (circa 1964) that I remember receiving for every birthday and Christmas (early-mid 1970's). I cannot even explain how much I loved Nancy Drew - the pumps, the clothes, the formal way they talked - everything.  :::::sigh:::::  No girls here.  The Nancy Drew books went, rightfully, to my niece. I flipped and fondled the books on a recent visit to my sister's house.  ;)  (Nothing creepy about Aunt Amy, really.) 

So, there I stood, paralyzed by the Nancy Drew books. Andy approached, sucking on a mint from the "free mint" bowl on the counter at the entrance. I wanted to buy them all. Andy rolled his eyes at me. "Really, Mom? Didn't you already read them? Those books will take you about two hours to read again." I knew he was right, but wahhhhh. Finally, I bought the oldest one. The Clue in the Jewel Box. I read it. I still love Nancy Drew. I almost feel like I will wake up in the morning and put on a pair of pumps, a crisp linen skirt and a shirt waist and go have someone dye my hair Titian. ;)

The picture above shows all the books I found that day. Nancy Drew, of course, is on the very top.

Art, middle school and all the rest of it . . .

2011-09-14T01:50:00.000-04:00

First, art.  Ian was subjected to my art lessons as a grammar and middle school kid.  We did some art history in early high school.  Recently (in the past year) he's developed a real interest in drawing.  He's most definitely my mother's grandson (she's an artist) because he sure did not learn this from me.  He's been attempting self-portraits for a while now.  This, while not the most flattering picture of my handsome, handsome son, is dead-on. (I'll try to get him to send me a bigger version tomorrow)  He makes this face so often when he's concentrating or confused or even just squinting in the sun.  I think it's pretty amazing.  

Next, middle school.  Gah!  Andy is an awesome kid.  He's incredibly easy to deal with compared to his brothers.  I think the lack of brothers sharing the same school work helps.  But . . . he's getting older and I am seeing signs of the evil puberty, mind-sucking phase we're about to enter.  Math today took over two hours.  It was review. But, based on Andy's work, it was a brand new subject.  I'm feeling old.  I don't know if I can do this for a fourth time without losing my mind.  Given our alternatives, I guess we'll all find out together if I can weather the storm.  Not sure who the saint for puberty is, but if you don't mind googling, please bury his likeness in your backyard, upside down.  We're going to need it.  

Talked to Dan on Sunday night.  He's doing really well.  He hates the two remaining Humanities classes he's taking, but what are you going to do? He's really enjoying Calc II and Physics with Calculus - this cannot be my true child!!!!  Apartment living seems to be going well - the four roommates all get along thus far.  He's got a job working in the big dining hall on campus. So far, it's working well.  He gets two long shifts per week and gets to take home tons of food.  According to Dan, it's way better than cutting meat at Winn Dixie.  I'm so proud of him for adjusting so quickly and for just being him.  And, I have to say I felt like a girl getting a call from a boy she likes when he called on Sunday!  ;)  It was so nice to just talk to him and know he's okay.

Not too much else going on here. I'll be back if I think of anything, though. (Good news, I have resumed doing laundry and no sign of the lady-who-likes-to-roll-in-the-driveway!)

Talk to me about lamps . . .

2011-09-14T01:20:00.000-04:00

I know, we don't know each other all that well, but my living room is killing me. I know I want to get rid of the monster tv "container" we currently have. But, I'm stuck with the coffee and end tables and what to do with them. The furniture is deep red. The walls are avocado-ish. The trim is white. The kitchen is similar and most of the furniture in there is either black (but not deep, glossy black) or distressed white. I like the kitchen. I hate the living room.

I especially hate the lamps we have in there. But, I'm frozen when I go to look at lamps. I don't want matchy-matchy stuff but GAH!!!!! So, please share your thoughts. I think my problem is an absolute hatred of lampshades. As far as I can tell they are simply collectors of dust and dog hair. Have I mentioned my even more extreme hatred of overhead lighting? It's a dilemma. Someone come fix my living room, please? (The picture? This is what you get when you google "worst living room ever" LOL)

9/11

2011-09-10T00:04:00.000-04:00

It's on everyone's mind. I remember it being one of our first days of homeschooling.  Dan was just-turned 8, Ian and Tim were 6 and Andy was 17 months old.  My mom called and asked if I had the tv on.  I didn't.  I was a new homeschooler, for goodness sakes.  But, I turned on the tv.  And we watched.  I remember scribbling a scavenger hunt for the boys - to go outside and find all of these things before you came back into the house. And, they did.  They remember very little of 9/11/01.  I, like so many people, watched in horror. And watched and watched and watched.  You could not get away from it.  I remember consciously avoiding going online that day and I'm glad I did that.  

The next day, I had no clue what to do. I knew I could not sit there watching tv all day. I packed all the boys up and we went to the beach, the same beach mentioned in the post below. We were the only people there. Just a few days ago, I found this picture of Andy on the beach on 9/12/01. I LOVE this picture. It says so much to me and reminds me of so much every time I look at it. I cannot believe I lost track of it. Won't happen again.

Allergy-buster

2011-09-09T23:39:00.001-04:00

I'm an idiot - every single season I'm surprised by allergies.  Every, single season I spend a full week thinking I'm getting sick as well as the boys.  And, then, suddenly, it dawns on all of us that it's fall or spring and we're not sick, we're just missing our allergy drugs.  This week was such a week.  I should feel stupider than I do, but I don't so there.

Thursday, we scooped up Bing and headed for the beach.  Ahhhhhh the beautiful, pollen-free beach. It's still really hot here, but you can feel fall in the air.  For instance, the chilly 82 degree water.  (I kid.) The waves were huge and the current was really, really strong, but it was a perfect day at the beach.  

Ian and Tim have Thursday free of classes, so I imagine we'll be heading to the beach on the next few Thursdays before the weather really changes. We all love having the time with Bing! I have her trapped in the front seat to listen to me for an hour there and an hour back. Once we get to the beach, the boys get her trapped in the water and talk and talk and talk. In the end, we're all happy. And breathing. And not sleepy! Yay beach!

This week's ride on the crazy train . . .

2011-09-08T02:32:00.000-04:00

It's still only (just) Thursday, but once again, the crazy has invaded my world. (Because, you know, my world is not crazy enough with me in it? If you doubt me, see my previous post.)

Football season has started.  I don't mind A football game. I lose patience with multiple TV's (2 in our case) playing different games and 1-2 of those TV's are re-playing games from the 70's and 80's. (Mike swears it's the equivalent to me re-watching Little House on the Prairie, but he's wrong.) I'm sure all the football announcers are nice in person, but WHY are they allowed to talk? Why do they get paid to talk? They're not the most articulate group of people. Add their voices to Mike and the boys - ummm, no thanks. 

But, I'm outnumbered here. I tend to gravitate to the porch or to the garage (if I have laundry) to listen to my audiobook and knit my ugly scarves.  Last night, I was knitting an ugly scarf and listening to a weird book that I still have not decided if I like or not and doing tons of laundry (Scout has become *ahem* leaky since starting the prednisone - so glad we do not have carpet anywhere in the house.  But, I'm going through towels like crazy . . .AND the prednisone is working - Scout is no longer trying to gnaw off her tail or legs, so yay!)

It was about 8:30 pm.  I was coated in bug spray, laundry rolling, curled up in my favorite outside chair and knitting like the yarn-spaz I am. (Honestly, it was 90 degrees at 8:30 and I'm knitting a scarf?????)  Scout and Cally usually follow me so they were at my feet, enjoying the story as it unfolded.  Suddenly, they were both up barking and wagging their tails furiously.  (Yes, it does make me feel safe.) 

A family of five - mom, dad, girl, boy and dog - were taking a walk through the neighborhood. I've never seen them before, but they were friendly as I explained that our dogs were okay and the electric fence would keep them in our yard. I like to think of it as my "Move along, 'friends,'" speech. However, I was thwarted by the little boy who asked about the fence and I explained to him how it was underground and that the dogs' collars gave them a warning beep and that they were not hurt by the fence. I also explained how it was mean to tease them from the other side of the fence.  

The mom (who reminds me of someone well-known, but I cannot for my life figure out who) asked if she could step inside the "fence" to pet Scout as Scout reminded her of a dog she had when she was growing up.  I said sure and called Scout and asked Scout to sit.  Scout is amenable to attention.  Honestly, this took only 30 seconds.  I turned around to tell the mom that Scout was there and the mom was gone.  Oh wait.  No she wasn't.  She was splayed across my driveway semi-shouting at me "I know how to do this."  

"Do what?" Was the first thought that passed through my mind.  "Why is this woman sprawled in my filthy driveway?" was my next thought.  Scout was looking at me, mirroring my thoughts.  Scout does not suffer fools.  Cally, noting the woman in our driveway (mind you, the rest of her family had continued walking) and ran over and started licking her face.  Scout wandered over, you know, like an older sibling does when his little brother finds his "FAVORITE" Happy Meal toy that he hasn't played with in five years????  

Meanwhile . . . this woman is still flopped in my driveway, talking to my dogs.  Honestly, I was just out to do some laundry and knit and avoid football.  I like knowing my neighbors and I don't want anyone to be afraid of our dogs, but this seemed above and beyond!!!! WhyTheFace??? In my head this all went on for at least twenty minutes, but it was probably more like 5 minutes - my dogs are smart, but they don't have HUGE attention spans, even for strange women rolling around our driveway.   

Finally, the woman's husband and kids rounded back and told her they were going home. She hopped up.  She thanked me for allowing my dogs to bless her evening. I'm an idiot, I said, "Sure, anytime."  Really, I said that.  I'm glad she left happy, but really???? This woman had a perfectly lovely dog that was part of her own family. But, no, I said "Sure, anytime."  Do they all have to come to me? How do they find me?

As soon as the family left, Tim, Ian and Andy were outside asking me about them.  I just stared at them.  "You saw all of that and left me out here on my own?"  They were laughing too hard to respond.  Finally, Tim said, "They come for you, Mom, not us."  Gah.  I'm afraid to do laundry now.

So there, go on with your day appreciating the normal. ;)

What's old is new again . . .

2011-09-06T00:27:00.001-04:00

Work with me here . . . if you are a mother of older boys, you know how it goes.  If you have younger boys consider yourself warned.  If you don't have boys or a husband, well, this is an eye-opener, I guess.  So, let's go with you being the mom of boys.  You deal with grossness from the minute they're born - baby girls never pee in your face (or that's the rumor).  You get through potty training as best you can (always wallpaper AFTER potty training, trust me).  And then, they're just gross and dirty and kind of gross.  But, they're still little and cute and once they're asleep you pretty much forgive them the bad aim. 

And, then, one day you wake up and your little boy is as tall as you.  The child who once begged to do an extra math or to be allowed to make his own lunch is alternately surly, weepy, snarky and that's in just one head spin. They start eating everything in your house.  Their shoes become like actual pieces of furniture.  In short, they grow up.  But, you're okay with it because you still get glimpses of the little boy you know.  (It's okay, that little boy is still in there.) 

Suddenly, it's time for your folks or the inlaws to visit.  If, like us, you are lucky enough to have two bathrooms (meaning you don't share with the kids) you panic.  Sure, the kids have been cleaning it lately and they do a decent job.  BUT, they do not do a mother-in-law-worthy cleaning.  So, you get the rubber gloves, the bucket of bleach and ammonia (kidding - sort of) and get to work.  you get to the shower.  You reach to move the bar of soap and AACKKKK - what is stuck in that soap????  Why is that in your house???  You hurl the soap into the trash bag you dragged into the bathroom with you.  By the time your heart rate slows down, you start to realize . . . that soap was sprinkled with pubic hair!  And then your heart rate speeds up again and you crawl out to the safely clean floor in the hall and prostrate yourself and scream "NOOOOOOO." 

But, it's true.  Why do you think body washes, even if they smell awful, are so popular???  It's one of those unspoken mom things.  The older boys know my feeling about "pubes" in the soap and it's not been a problem.  Andy isn't quite there yet.  So imagine my joy and delight when I was mopping today and I kept finding random, oogy dark hairs?  Gah!  

So, Cally doesn't shed like a normal dog, she just leaves random stray hairs around the house. I dunno, I kind of prefer dog hair tumbleweeds. Yep. That was the whole point of this post.

Just nod and smile and don't look me directly in the eye.

I've been remiss . . .

2011-09-05T01:18:00.000-04:00

Fridays are "Cooking with Andy and Alton Brown Fridays" from now on.  I love this part of homeschooling 6th grade.  The boys get an awesome dose of real science AND learn how to cook.  Now that I have my new little camera, I can document the experience.  

Pre-camera, Andy made seared duck breasts, baked potatoes and sauteed green beans for me and his godmother (and eventually his brothers as they trickled home).  Pretty impressive.  Last weekend, Andy learned from Alton and Mike how to grill a perfect strip steak. It was perfect.

This week, as an addendum to the grilling, Andy learned to broil.  He chose Alton Brown's recipe called "Get Breakfast."  No pictures this week, but I have to say, broiled hash browns mixed with spinach later topped by salsa, cheese and broiled eggs????  Keeper.  

Next Friday (promise with pictures!) we're roasting something . . . 

19 years ago just about now . . .

2011-09-05T00:38:00.000-04:00

I was waking up from general anesthesia to wish my mom a Happy Birthday and introduce her to her first grandson (then I threw up and they wheeled me away). Sunday was Danny's birthday, he turned 19. Monday is my mom's birthday. She's older than 19. This was the very first year Danny was away for his birthday. I talked to him. I talked to my mom. My mom talked to Dan. We all survived. I'm thinking the doctor that delivered Dan was about my age when he delivered him. Wonder how many grandkids he has now? Funny how slow days can seem in your life, but how quick the years go, huh?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dan and Bing!!!!!!

Fun at the grocery store!!

2011-09-01T23:56:00.000-04:00

Andy and I had to run some errands this afternoon.  One was a quick trip to the grocery store.  As we were walking into the store, we found ourselves behind a mom with three little kids and the youngest (4-5?) was pitching a fit and wailing as they walked into the store.  Having been-there-done-that, I telepathically sent sympathies to the mom and headed in the opposite direction.  

We were in the frozen food section in search of a box o'spinach and some hash browns.  I was standing next to a woman who was about my mom's age. She and I were discussing frozen potatoes.  When, guess who came down the aisle?  Yep.  Sad, crying boy and his family.  The older woman and I exchanged "poor puppy" glances as they passed.  But, as soon as they passed, the older woman tugged on my arm.  "Do you speak Spanish?"  I shook my head no.  She burst out laughing.  "I finally figured out what that little boy has been whining the whole time he's been in the store, "You just don't love me enough, Mom."  We both laughed really hard.  We had been sympathetic to the little boy with the mean mom until that moment.  LOLOL - Nice to have a translator when I needed one.

After we checked out, Andy and I were trying to figure out where we'd parked. (Okay, I was trying to figure out where the car was, Andy was just messing with me.) As we were standing there with me thinking out loud (gah -- what am I going to be doing in 20 years?), I noticed an old woman pushing a woman who was obviously her daughter in a wheel chair headed straight for us. The woman grabbed my arm and stared at me. I stared back. I thought she needed help or something. Finally, she asked "Are those your real eyes?" Not knowing about fake eyes, I kind of shouted "YES, THEY ARE." She turned to her daughter and said "Dayum they really ARE that blue." Then she turned back to me, lightly smacked my cheek and told me I should be in commercials and headed on her way. I was surprised she hadn't noticed Andy, whose eyes are FAR bluer than anyone I've ever met until I turned around and saw Andy studiously tying his shoes. Once again, we have odd encounters in public. I guess it's a step up we weren't at WalMart, huh?

(That is NOT my eye, but it's blue.)

Do not be deceived by the cute.

2011-09-01T01:48:00.000-04:00

Cally recently celebrated her 1st birthday (with some cheese and pepperoni). We've had her now for five months (I think). She's the most graceful, enthusiastic, clumsy, unladylike dog I've ever known. I just love her. Scout, poor old Scout, is decidedly in the "I-hate-her camp." But, Cally definitely found the right home here.

She LOVES rain. You know it's going to rain because about 15 minutes ahead of a storm she'll start racing all over the place and "throwing" toys at us. She'll play fetch, but she won't bring anything back to you. Instead she races around with whatever she's fetched and, if she still feels like playing, she'll come back to you and hurl the bone, ball, branch at you. It's so un-Scout-like. Scout is a play-by-the-rules kind of girl.

Scout just glares at me and flops over for a new nap whenever this happens. Poor Scout. Still, I think she secretly likes Cally - all the growling is for show.

Ian caught this picture of Cally today in a lunch-time thunderstorm. I was not keen on adding a dog to the family, but I'm really glad we did.

Everyone Loves Leo! UPDATE 9/6/11

2011-09-01T01:21:00.002-04:00

9/6/11:  
Leo  has been discharged and is headed *HOME*!!! He'll have the PICC line  in, for antibiotics over the next three weeks, but he'll be home and his  family will be together! Thanks for your prayers and good thoughts!!


9/5/11: From Andie!
Feeling well enough to act silly before bed. :-) (Yay Leo.  Please keep praying!  They still have a long way to go. - from me)

The worst of the med reaction seems to have passed. He's still a bit itchy and tires easily, but otherwise feels okay. He had another med (not an antibiotic) reintroduced and seems to be tolerating it well, though I'm hesitant to say that until... oh, when he's FINISHED WITH IT. Tomorrow he gets a break, but Friday we're testing another antibiotic to which he may be allergic. But that's Friday, and I don't have room for Friday in my head yet.

He was having trouble with his PICC line, so that had to be pulled today. He may need that replaced in the future depending on which med he ends up taking, but for now, he's on oral meds and unhooked from things. He is much more comfortable.

He got to spend time with Eleanor today, which was good for both of them. (Eleanor went down to the playroom to do a craft and ended up meeting Miss Virginia, who colored a picture with her and gave her a teddy bear. Eleanor really loved the crown, so maybe when all this is over we'll get her into pageants. *snort*)

I hesitate to say it, because so much has changed so often and so completely, but barring any more complications it looks like we'll be home next week sometime, one way (or med) or another. Then we get down to the business of wiping out some Lyme meningitis and cleaning up and healing some cranial nerves. I'm sure the kid will be grateful to stop seeing two of me.

His third "fifteen more minutes" of reading are nearly up, so I'm going to tuck him in. Thank you all for your support and prayers and help.

Please keep praying, thinking good thoughts, dancing nekkid (though we all know you just like any excuse to do that!) and whatever else. Leo has a long way to go but the kid is a trooper! Look at how far he's come. (Isn't the picture awesome? My friend Deb made it in honor of Leo's favorite book!)

The fog has begun to lift . . .

2011-08-30T02:23:00.000-04:00

I was not heartbroken to drop Dan off in Tallahassee. He's ready to be on his own. Still, I was sad when I got home. The past few days have been a little foggy. It's weird.  He's really gone and life here will never be the same.  I know Dan will come back and we'll have fun, but we'll never just be all six of us.  The end of an era.

Today, however, after talking to Dan yesterday (he's doing well and I even think he misses us a little bit), I felt "normal." Normal is relative, but normal for me. I like a routine.  I got the floors thoroughly mopped last night and went to bed with a house that smelled like gingerbread (I use my soap scents with my usual vinegar and water). Today, Andy and I got school done in a reasonable amount of time with no tears!  Tonight, I made bread, yogurt and granola - part of my usual Monday night routine.  It's been a while.  It feels good to get back to the new normal.  

I'm headed off to bed but I'm not dragging or dreading or feeling sad. Progress, right?

Pray for and send good thoughts to little Leo, please!!!!!!! UPDATED 8/31/11

2011-08-28T00:51:00.002-04:00

Please join me in prayer and good thoughts for my friend's son, Leo, 7. He has an extreme case of Lyme disease, which has caused him to also have meningitis and vision problems. Last night he was admitted to the hospital for the second time in a week because of a fever and vomiting. And today he developed a rash. This little guy has had a fabulous attitude throughout his illness, but it is taking a toll on him and his family. Please keep them all in your thoughts. ♥

Please keep Leo and his family (mom, dad, four young siblings) in your hearts and minds today. I know personally how scary it was when Mike was sick here. I can only imagine how incredibly more awful it would be to have a child that sick. Andie, my friend, is exhausted and worried and so very scared. Much as I'd like to have a magic wand, the best I can do is use my blog to ask you all for your well wishes.

UPDATE: Leo was a trooper for the lumbar puncture today. They're still trying to figure out the right treatment for him and it's been a long, distressing day. Please keep them all in your prayers and good thoughts.

Daisies and the 70's!

2011-08-28T00:26:00.000-04:00

Does it get much better?  Here are the daisies Mike arranged for me when I came home from "abandoning" our oldest child in the godforsaken town of Tallahassee.  Clearly, though, I've recovered.  Ian and I stopped at Goodwill today and I found this box of 1970's recipe cards.  I am pretty sure my mom had the same thing but she had a red box.  I've had so much fun going through recipes this afternoon.  Some great, some truly scary. Dan called this afternoon.  He's doing well - bought his books, found the gym, discovered hills and how they change your life as a runner.  He was going to a concert tonight.  Classes start Monday and his world is going to seriously change . . . until then, I hope he's having fun.  

Me? I'm trying to figure out how to talk Mike into grilling stuffed-hot-dogs. Hot dogs stuffed with things like American cheese and apples, onions and raisins, I would have to get the card to go on, but it cracks me up just to picture the look on Mike's face. We'll see.

Mission Accomplished!

2011-08-26T00:54:00.001-04:00

We were up by 4:15 (okay, Dan was up, it took me until about 4:45 to really put my feet on the ground and stop whining - early morning is EVIL).  We were on the road by 5:30.  Dan drove the whole way to Tallahassee - that early in the morning it took us about four hours and a lot of negotiating around trucks.  Fortunately, I had a scarf to knit that did not require my full attention.  I was able to watch the road and emit little shrieks as needed yet still remain focused (sort-of) on the scarf. My mom's car was jam-packed with Dan's possessions and some food.  Using the rearview mirror was out of  the question.  And, yet, we arrived alive!!!  Yay, Dan.

We found the apartment complex on the first try.  I'm SOOOOOO glad we went today instead of Saturday.  The place was packed full of people.  They could not find Danny on the list even though we did the paperwork a month ago.  There's just something about us and paperwork.  Finally, a manager took over and found us right away.  He told us what we owed and I handed him my credit card.  "Uh, ma'am (the manager was Danny's age with a 12-year-old face) we have new owners and we can only take a check or a money order."  I stared at him.  "What is this, 1985?" I asked.  "I'm sorry, ma'am. Those are the rules."  I think the last time I used a money order was about 1985.  I don't carry checks with me because I never use them.  I was tired from being up at the crack-of-middle-of-the-night, shrieking at Dan for driving too fast and just being weepy about abandoning my baby.  The kid was nice and sent me in the direction of a place that would do a money order.  I made him promise we would not have to go back to the back of the line.  We got a money order and went to the head of the line.

Dan was so happy to finally get into HIS apartment.  It's a perfect apartment for four guys.  Older, not too fancy but not too yucky.  Dan FINALLY has his own bedroom with a big closet, lots of storage and a built in desk.  Their apartment does not yet have a fourth roommate, so Dan has his own bathroom.  Talk about upgrades!!!!  He let me make up his bed.  We unpacked and put away all the kitchen stuff.  Next we went to the grocery store to pick up cold stuff.  Milk, meat, OJ, bread, etc.  Went back to the apartment and put that stuff away.  And then, I got the vibe.  You know the vibe . . . the one that says "Okay, you can leave now."  Dan gave me a huge hug and a kiss.  He set the GPS so that I would only have to try to leave town once (*snort* - Dan DOES know me pretty well).   

Surprising to me, I was ready to leave.  Dan is good.  He's more than ready to live on his own. He doesn't "need" me on a day-to-day basis. When I left today I wasn't weepy, well a little.  Mostly I was happy and excited for Dan.  I think he's going to have a great year.  I am excited to see what he does over the next few years.  

The happy, excited feeling stuck with me during the five-hour drive home.  I will really, really miss Dan and our late night conversations, but I feel confident that he's ready to be on his own.  It's exciting to think of all the possibilities open to him.  

Mike is my most favorite husband - of all my husbands.  When I got home, there was a giant bouquet of white daisies (love the daisies) waiting for me.  :::sniff::: He's definitely a keeper!
(Like I didn't know that after 21 years, but sometimes he outdoes himself!)

Wow - to think when I started this blog, Dan was a whopping 12 and I was about 25 (grin)!!!!! He'll be 19 next weekend. It's so weird to feel surprised that our lives (mine and Mike's) are going to change a lot now too. Don't even get me started on Ian and Tim graduating high school this spring. I don't think they are going to actually dig a basement to live in. I think they might be thinking of leaving too. Yikes. Everyone pray, cross your fingers, whatever for Andy. I will have way too much time and energy to focus on him in the coming years.

I CAN do this . . .

2011-08-24T22:41:00.000-04:00

The car is packed. Dan is so excited. I'm feeling excitement for Dan alternating with feeling weepy for me. My first baby - my test case - is leaving. Sure, he'll come home, but it's never going to be the same. We're planning to leave here around 4:30 or 5:00 am. Yes, I am going to bed. I'll be back tomorrow night. Wish me luck in not making a scene in front of Dan's new roommates. How is this possible? Aside from that crick in my neck, I don't feel any older than I did when Dan was born. And now he's leaving ... I figure if I can contain myself while I get him unpacked (and make his bed for the first and last time), I can be weepy for the whole drive home, right? By the time I get back here (4-5 hours), I should have it all out of my system.

Need help - quick!!!!

2011-08-23T02:39:00.000-04:00

OK - the plan was for me to take Dan to Florida State on Saturday, early in the morning.  Plans change.  He can get into his apartment on Thursday.  This will give him a couple of days to look for a job and get settled.  Gah. Fine, but my plan was to give him a notebook with some ree-sypes (what the kids call them) for one.  I have a couple of ideas.  I'm sure you all have more.  No allergies, no aversions to anything.  What did you live on when you were in college?  The good, the bad and the ugly are all welcome.  Any additional tips for someone living on their own the first time would be appreciated as well.  

I KNEW he was leaving. Something about him leaving two days early is fuh-reaking me out. He's really going to go off and live his own life. I know this is what we've been working for, but it's kind of a punch in the face. It seems like just a few weeks ago that I was calling my mom all freaked out because Danny was taking books to park days and opening and propping open some of the other books and "reading" the books to the characters in the other books that were propped open. Go figure. No one beat him up. And, now he's all living in an apartment and taking classes and having a job and just WHERE does mom fit in?????? (Everyone say I prayer that I don't turn into the mom on Everybody Loves Raymond)

New Camera!

2011-08-22T02:37:00.000-04:00

My old camera disappeared right before Christmas.  I've torn the house up and down in search of it.  In the meantime, all three bigs have received or bought amazing cameras for themselves.  The other night, I decided to use the money I did not spend on freezer items this month (hurricane season, dontcha know?) on a little camera.  Now, to find things to take pictures of.  LOL For months I've been whining about missing pictures and now I'm in a drought.  Never fear . . . 

Last night, we had my parents, my brother and Danny's girlfriend here for dinner. My mom left today for a week at the beach with her painting buddies and she'll miss Dan leaving for school (in LESS than a week - I'm fine, thanks for asking!). We had an easy dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with salad and heart-killing garlic bread. We had so much fun. I love that my kids are so easy with my parents and with "Muncle" Matt. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Danny's friend-that-is-a-girl, Christi, fits right in. It was an excellent evening, as you can see from the excellent pictures from my new camera!!!!

It's me or something about me . . .

2011-08-22T01:59:00.001-04:00

I attract people.  I find this strange as I really don't like most people.  I don't dislike them, I just don't seek them out.  Went to WalMart today.  :::sigh::: I've almost reached my limit with the people using the SNAP cards (aka food stamps).  I cannot remember the last time I stood in line at a grocery store where I haven't watched someone buying 1) total crap food for really young kids (this from a woman who loves Wonder Bread and Spaghettios) OR 2) buying totally awesome food that I can never afford. (This from a woman who loves a good steak)  

Today I witnessed a very young woman (who kept looking at me for approval) with three very young children buying groceries with her clearly meth-addicted boyfriend. This guy was so scary and sad and mostly scary that he was around those young kids. They had a cart filled with complete garbage. Frozen bagel bites, taquitos, burritos - you know, stuff wasted people like to eat in the middle of the night.  For the kids?  I'm guessing she does WIC as well because there was no milk or cheese or anything.  Just marshmallow fluff, popsicles, a variety of soda and cookies.  I tried to tell her how I remembered how hard it was to be stuck with three really little kids.  I dunno. 

I was so torn.  One, the mom was really, really young.  Maybe 21.  The youngest kid was maybe 3 months old.  STILL she had enough cash to buy a couple of bikini tops and a six pack.  BUT, the father was so scary and so strung out . . . That is not the kids' fault.  Yet, the parents both had "smart phones."  

And there I am buying chicken parts I don't particularly care for and dried beans. I'm sharing a phone with three kids.  That's what we can afford right now and it's working just fine -tricky sometimes, but just fine.  But, we DO pay taxes as a family and as a business and WHY am I paying for their sodas and junk food and all the other crap?  I was so upset and angry when I left the store today. I don't want kids going hungry.  I never let my own kids go hungry.  But, why am I still shopping the clearance aisles and these folks are checking out people.com while they wait for their SNAP cards to clear?? Something is so very wrong with this picture.  To top it off, as I loaded up my 1998 Suburban, they were tossing their kids into a shiny, new Toyota Sequoia.  And, yes, I mean they were tossing them in, not a car seat in the car.  

Ugh.  And, to type this out makes me sound ugly and mean and I'm not.  (Well, I guess ugly is relative.) I just don't think the current system is working to help anyone.  

Later tonight, our newish-neighbors stopped by with a Rottweiler they'd found loose on their walk. They had scoured the neighborhood looking for her home with no luck and wanted to know if I could take her for the night. They are planning to take her in to see if she has a chip tomorrow morning. We gave it the good two-hour-college try. She is a nice (huge, powerful) dog, clearly well-trained, but equally clear was that she was used to being the ONLY dog in the house. Once she and Cally started snarling at each other, we had to take her back down to the neighbors. I hope they're doing okay - they have three dogs already and Miss Rottweiler is not going to be an easy addition. I feel bad for not keeping her, but I have no interest in hosting dog fights either. And, yet, I wonder, I'm not the only neighbor with a dog or even two dogs. They came here first. And now I feel bad.

PMS House ... version X.0

2011-08-18T02:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, it's been a while since the XX House series ran, but I think PMS House is kind of timeless.  Feel free to skip this if you do not share my sentiments.

(Me, in the closet talking to the secret camera - reading my list of complaints)  

1) Yeah, yeah, yeah, save water and all of that.  Honestly, I don't care.  Flush the toilet every time you use it, no matter what you use it for.  Yikes, with five of you peeing into the same pot all day????? Just no.  I'll dig an outhouse if you want.  (Note to self, rant about raising and lowering the seat and peeing on target NOT on toilet next session.)

2) Believe it or not, I will notice the throw pillow you tossed over the nasty crumbly mess of something you shouldn't have been eating on the couch anyway.  Thanks for the opportunity to catch up on my crumb catching skills. I was kind of bored anyway.  

3) If it doesn't fit, for heaven's sake put it in the Goodwill box don't just keep tossing it into the hamper for me to wash.  

4) Addendum to #3:  Are you there, God? It's me, Amy.  Any hints on when they'll stop growing?  Dan's grown nearly 2" this summer and Tim and Ian have grown even more.  What's up with that? How am I supposed to buy jeans if they just keep growing and growing and growing?  If you can't get back to me on the older boys, I understand, but I could sure use some hints with Andy.  He's already FAR taller and bigger than his brothers were at 11.  Just saying.  At a certain point, it's not funny.

5) HAH!  I'll show you, phone battery wasting family.  Yes, we still have a land line.  We're mean.  Until the boys can pay for their own phone, they share my cell phone or the house phone.  You cannot imagine how horrified some of their friends are when they call and I answer.  "What do you mean X doesn't have his own number????"  Ahh and still they manage to have friends and stay in contact with them.  

Until tonight, the house phone has been the standard Costco two unit wireless model.  But today I could not answer my phone.  Why, you ask? Because the people who mostly get phone calls leave the phones flopped everywhere but on the charger.  My options today were to spend $50 on batteries (if I could find them - old phone), spend $100 on a new 2 unit wireless thingie or spend $8 on a stick to the wall model with a (are you sitting?) cord attached to the wall.  Guess which option I picked?  The kids are horrified and fascinated.  I have new found counter space in the kitchen.  Hmmmm . . . maybe they'll rediscover the art of doodling while talking on the phone????? I feel so "Mad Men."

Okay, I'm out of olives.  Time for bed.  Have a great Thursday.

Homeschooling and fun stuff . . .

2011-08-17T02:25:00.000-04:00

We're into week three of Andy's school year.  Well, technically, we are.  Last week was kind of a mid-tri-week break since his cousins were in town and we opted for the beach and bouncing on trampolines and running wild here.  Cousins are good.  And, since we don't have room to house the cousins while my mom does, hanging out with my mom for a week is really good.  

This week, we're back to "school-school."  It's weird just having one kid to concentrate on everyday. Ian and Tim still have two "classes" here with me, but they're pretty relaxed and definitely NOT day-to-day.  I was worried we took too long of a break, but Andy is proving me wrong.  He remembers math and Latin and even some grammar.  

We've started "Middle School Science."  Here at the Baker Academy, that means working through Alton Brown #1 and Alton Brown #2.  Both books contain a lot of good science - with fun pictures no less - and with a basic science text, you can round it all out.  Additionally, the kid learns how to cook and bake (kid may not like it, but he'll know how to do it when all is said and done).  As added torture, I teach them basic sewing, laundry and cleaning skills through middle school.  Andy has already been through this drill simply because he lives here and knows most of it, but we'll do it again.  

Dan, who will be gone in TEN days actually asked for a crock pot and went out and bought his own set of pots and pans. Go figure. Something sunk in. I think. We'll see what his roommates are saying in December!

So glad all my kids read well!!!!!

2011-08-17T01:43:00.000-04:00

Guess where Andy and I went this afternoon?  Go ahead . . . I'll wait.

That's right.  We went to WalMart - though for this story, we could have gone to any store that sells groceries.  I despise shopping during hurricane season.  I have to abandon my usual pattern of shopping because it only takes one good storm to lose everything in a freezer.  (Ask me how I know.) 

So, these days, we're doing a lot of pantry-shopping and filling-in-as-we-go-shopping.  

Fortunately, Mike excels at shopping with a list and he's been doing most of it since the end of May.  Me and a list - eh, not so much. There are too many shiny, sparkly, tasty things to add to the cart.  Andy is more like Mike.  He was holding the list and he approved the 5/$3 movie candy purchase.  

We found a reasonably short check-out line and began unloading. As a family, we're compulsive readers - cereal boxes, labels, tabloid headlines and magazine tags in check out lanes.  Andy was anxious to get out of the store and was much more focused on unloading the cart than I was.  I was reading magazine tags.  A woman with three little kids, the oldest maybe about 7-ish came up behind me.  Cute kids.  The 7-year-old and I found the same tag at the same time.  I read and kind of choked.  He sounded it out VERY loudly and I thought his mom was going to DIE.  The tag?

"What Your Va-Jay-Jay is Dying to Tell You." I have to say, whoever is teaching this child to read is doing a great job - he sounded it out perfectly. And, I have to say, Cosmo, you win. Just when I think your covers can't get any sleazier, you come up with a new one. Gah!!!!! The mom of the young reader handled it well - "Here, honey, look at this shiny thing over here!!!!" I feel like I got out clean because Andy missed it entirely.

Woohoo - it's Sunday tomorrow!!!!

2011-08-14T01:30:00.000-04:00

I spent all day thinking it was Sunday.  Imagine my delight and surprise to find out it was only Saturday this evening!!!!!  I feel like it's leap year or something.  

My mom, the cousins (Jamie, Mitchell and Jesse), Ian, Andy and I went to the beach on Thursday.  :::sigh:::: I miss the beach.  I've been so few times this year.  It was TEXAS hot, but the water was cool and wonderful.  I'm so glad I remembered to bring rash guard t-shirts for everyone.  We spent all day in the sun and no one had a sunburn.  Did I mention the awesome water?  No strong current.  Great boogie board-type waves and it was cool and refreshing!!!!!  We had a great day.  I'm ready to go back now.  Ian took this picture of my mom.  I love it. 

 We started school for a week and stopped school for cousin-week. We start up again Monday.   I'm really trying to figure out some options for Andy.  I gave him some choices this evening and told him to think it over - he's a thinker!  He's on board to do flag football with Mike this fall.  I offered him musical theater, swimming or 4H or something he can come up with.  Cross your fingers, folks. My vote is for swimming - he's built for it and I think he'd like it once he gets going.  But, I'll go with whatever.  (If you have a car you're not using, please send it our way lol.)

I'm afraid as I get older my already strong opinions are getting stronger. Since late 2007, I've tried hard to be moderate and keep my opinions to myself for the most part. There's nothing I'm going to say to anyone that is going to change their mind. I figure if I respect their opinion it's all good. However, I think 10+ years of homeschooling has ruined me for polite society. I hope I did not permanently piss off my neighbor this evening. She was lamenting her 7th grader's schedule and activities and the lack of hours in the day. I kept asking "WHY" is he doing this or that? How does it benefit him? Does he enjoy it? I dunno. I've been through three middle school kids. Middle school is there for a reason - they HAVE to learn certain things to move into high school work. Beyond that, you want them to come out intact as human beings. Middle school, in my opinion, is NOT the time or place to apply pressure. It's 2-3 years a kid has to survive. If college is the goal, they do NOT look at middle school. EVER. Just let them wallow in their hormones and figure out the new way to deal with your newly hormonal kid. If you can get through the middle-school years, it's not smooth sailing, but it's much saner. I just feel so sad for people who feel pressure to have their kids perform at the TOP in every grade. What are your experiences with middle-school aged kids?

Whew!

2011-08-10T03:17:00.000-04:00

Welcome August 10!!!!! August 9 marks the 7th anniversary of Mike getting VERY sick. In the Emergency Department, when the doctors finally figured out what was going on, they insisted I call family and friends. After a long 7+ weeks, Mike came home. He barely made it and to this day he can be in Home Depot or the grocery store and nurses or technicians who worked on him back then will stop and shake his hand and say what a miracle he is. Lucky Mike! He remembers none of it, thanks to his lil' box o' morphine. ;) The kids remember a lot more, and I remember a WHOLE lot more than the kids. I'm thankful it's so far behind us and Mike is perfectly healthy. We are a lucky family. I post a reminder every year because 1) it is on my mind and 2) the support I received from so many, many "imaginary" online friends was beyond tremendous. I will never forget the prayers and emails and gifts and encouragement I received late, late at night or early, early in the morning from people I "know" but have never met. Thank you all again. Here's to the next seven years! (This, of course, is a pic of the boys this winter. Danny was 11 when Mike got sick - I thought he was so grown up. Ian and Tim were 10 and Andy was 4.)

Random Thoughts . . .

2011-08-09T02:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, it's late summer.  Late summer is when I watch a lot of television.  The DVR is the best invention ever for me from July through late September.  Currently, I'm watching: "So You Think You Can Dance," "Design Star," "Project Runway," and "Food Network Star (or something close to that)." Additionally, I've discovered "Dance Moms" and an upcoming series that is much like SYTYCD and Food Network, but for artists.  Check Bravo.  We watched the end of the season last year with my mom while we are at the beach.  

I really like shows that show people who have an actual talent for something. It's inspiring even when I know I lack that kind of drive or talent - thinking about food shows here.  I love food.  I love watching people who love food make food.  I'm NOT that person.  Fortunately, I married that person.  

So You Think You Can Dance is the lower-rated dance show on television.  Dancing With the Stars can be fun, but ugh.  SYTYCD is about truly talented dancers.  This season is amazing.  It's not a show I'd watch with young-ish kids without previewing.  Some of the dances are kind of out there taste-wise.  But overall, it's a testament to what true athletes dancers are.  Your mileage my vary - but  I will say the older boys will stop and watch and often ask me to rewind.  What these dancers do is truly amazing.  

Design Star?  I've watched this every season.  I have to say I'm disappointed with this season.  Anyone else watching?  So far it seems like they should retitle the show Shopping Star.  Heck, if that's what it's come to, give me $15,000 and I can make a beautiful kitchen too - with a FULL backsplash.  I want to see people who can actually think on their feet and do something.  I don't care who picked out the best lighting fixture or the best coffee table or the worst bench.  I'm kind of hating the show so far this year.

Project Runway? I love fabric.  I love texture.  I love watching people who actually know how to construct things make clothes.  Sure, they're not clothes I'd ever wear. But, I love watching the process.  This is another show I've watched since the beginning.  I'm kind of over Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Heidi Klum - I think they need to mix up the judging a bit more.  Nina especially ticks me off as she, herself, never, ever actually looks any more interesting or different from show to show.  Tim Gunn, keep him.  He makes me smile.

"Dance Moms?" Yikes - I thought Toddlers and Tiaras was bad. Who are these people who allow themselves and their children to be followed around by cameras for months on end.  The women are scary, scary, scary.  The kids seem nice enough, but confused about what their moms want and what their obese dance teacher wants.  It's everything bad in the world on one tv show.  I don't know that I'll watch again after last week.   

In that spirit, I've been bored out of my mind all summer. I really need to come up with a plan for my old age. Saturday, I started on that road and got all my hair cut. I think I like it - still learning to fix it. Long story, but I ended up getting an expensive haircut from my mail-lady's son at a rock bottom price. I think he was more excited about my hair than I was. Here's a picture late at night the first night it was cut. Not it's best, but you get the idea. It's strange to not have wild curls waving all around my head. And, it's much cooler in this heat.

What are you all watching, reading, listening to? Mike and the boys are into Swamp People and Pawn Star. We're lucky to have two televisions!

Biographies?

2011-08-07T02:32:00.000-04:00

Andy likes to read. Of all the boys, though, he's my first to really, really like biographies. Any recommendations? Our library is a pit of mediocrity in terms of biographies for kids/young adults. I love biographies, but, generally I prefer my biographies to be about people who are dead and who have some space from the time they occupied in history - I think you get a better picture of the person this way. Our library is full of bios of sports figures, movie stars and a whole shelf dedicated to President Obama. I think it's fine to include those books as part of a collection. I don't think they should be the entire collection. So, I'm looking for biographies your kids or you have enjoyed of people born before, say 1950? Please?

I'll have the #4 with an egg roll . . .

2011-08-06T01:50:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh . . . it's so nice to leave the house - alone.  I did this today and I'm convinced I need to leave more often.  I stopped by the Memorial Gardens to get a map to where Mike's grandfather is buried for my mother-in-law.  I have to say the folks working in the the office were straight out of central casting.  I ended up talking to a strange bald man with long fingernails.  :::::shudder:::::: Long nails + man + man who is not musical = ::::::shudder:::::: Still.  He was nice enough.  He was definitely disappointed I was not looking to bury anyone in the near future, but once he accepted that, he graciously helped me and made me a map and everything.  However, while he was making a copy of the map a man that had to have been 140 years old started lurching down the hall staring at me with piercing black, black eyes.  (No, I do not read too much Stephen King.)  The old guy made it about 1/2 way down the hall before I shrieked (in a most unbecoming way) "It's okay, the bald man is helping me. Just stop where you are."  Just then, the bald man came out and gave me the maps without saying a word, just half-smiling. I didn't run, but I moved out pretty quick - let's call it fast-skipping.  YIKES!!!!!

Once I was safely parked in the grocery store parking lot a few blocks down(surrounded by lovely mini vans with car seats and no creepy old guys) I called my friend Kate.  Of anyone, Kate and I have "done" this homeschool thing together since 2000.  Among the adults Andy knows, Kate ranks #1 or 2.  He thinks she's a great cook because she always had dinosaur chicken nuggets and Sponge Bob on the tv for lunch.  When you're 3 (or 40) it doesn't get much better.  

Kate and I are both at a point where our kids are leaving.  Kate's youngest heads off to school in early September. The Memorial Gardens are close to Kate (that's why I called her) and she was able to meet me for lunch.  We went to a little Chinese restaurant.  We were just about the only people there and our waiter kept trying to get rid of us.  Silly man.  That only made us stay longer.  It was so so so nice to talk to someone who knows me so well and who is going through some of the same feelings that I am right now (those feelings would be, can't you leave now? and don't go, you're still a baby - depends on the time of day and my mood).  We laughed and laughed and laughed.  In the end, we agreed we should get all the "boys" together for one last play date - the upside?  Kate and I can FINALLY have margaritas at the park.  We both have long extension cords for the blender.  Our homeschooled babies can drive us home. Watch out pre-school moms!!!

Good news? We've managed to raise five functioning (mostly) adults thus far - Andy is still a work-in-progress.  How about that?  Based on some of the conversations we've had over the years and years and years, you never would have guessed they would have all turned into normal, functioning people.  

After lunch we walked through Tuesday Morning looking for bargains for the college-bound. Again, it's nice to know someone for a long time.  We laughed and laughed at bizarre accessories, strange kid toys and weird kitchen gadgets. We even managed to find Danny a crock pot (his request -gah!!!).  I don't think either of us is getting out of the house enough, but we definitely had fun today.  

Thanks, Kate! I am so glad I found you and your boys in that monster mess of a co-op we first joined. Here's to the non-gifted kids!

Quick Hiccup Trick

2011-08-01T03:04:00.001-04:00

I'm off to bed - finished school planning for Andy (sniff, just one kid at home this year). Dan is abandoning us in just 26 days. Ian and Tim are taking three college courses and two here, but it's not like the good old days where we mummified chickens or built and then burnt down London. And, in the spring, Ian and Tim will be gone. So weird.

But, earlier tonight, I ran into a kid with hiccups. If you have not tried this, I swear it works - 90% on the first try and 98% if you have to try again. Fill a cup with 4-5 oz of water. Have the hiccup-er hold the glass, ready to drink while you light a match and toss it into the cup. The minute the match hits the water, the hiccup-er should drink the glass of water (minus the match, of course). I don't know why it works, but it does. And it's way better than trying to suck down a spoonful of sugar - what was Mary Poppins thinking?

It's not what you weigh . . .

2011-07-31T01:56:00.003-04:00

I wish I had understood this concept as a much younger woman, but . . . 

I am as thin as I'll ever be - really.  I weigh about four pounds more than I did when I graduated from high school.  sure, it's all in different places and it doesn't look quite as nice, but this is it for me. I do not strive to maintain this weight. I'm active, but I don't run or anything that might cause me to pee my pants. For now, that's the weight my body seems happy with. I eat what I like mostly - bacon, butter, chocolate even the rare bologna sandwich (on Wonder bread with mayo!). I think I'm just where I am supposed to be and I don't fight it. In this, I know I'm lucky. I spent ages 12-22 or so (and beyond) counting calories and agonizing over every single thing that went into my mouth. I am happy to be free of that and am grateful to be free of that. If, as get get EVEN OLDER, I need to pay more attention to what I'm eating, I think I can do it in a sane way. 

I don't look fat, but I don't strike anyone as delicate or tiny.  I'm a solidly built person who 100 years ago would likely have been birthing children between pulling the plow (because, you know us, the mule would be sick lol).  

Yesterday, as I was taking Andy and two neighbor boys to Rock Springs, we stopped at a grocery store for water and ice (Publix for those of you who know the store) and they all had to weigh themselves on the big old-fashioned scale.  C has grown about 8" this summer.  He's 12 and nearly 1 1/2 years older than Andy and Paul.  C maxed out at 108 lbs - I have to look up to talk to him now, but I could squash him like a bug if I sat on him!. Yes, the boy is en route to being a super model.  Andy, who is built a lot like his sturdy parents and is about 5'2" is 93 pounds.  Andy's best friend since diapers is about 5', all legs and has a much more delicate bone structure than Andy, weighed in at 75.  He was horrified.  We talked and walked through the grocery store. Andy, since they were babies, has always outweighed Paul by 10-15 lbs even when they were the same height. Andy's not fat, Paul's not underfed. They look the same, even now and especially when they're swimming. I assured Paul that with size 10 feet, odds were he would be a tall, lean man but that everyone grows at different times. I offered to buy him a stick of butter to eat with lunch.  All the boys thought that was a riot.  :::sigh:::: It's so hard to grow up.  

Still, I'm grateful to be dealing with boys.  I don't quite get them, but if you are honest and upfront, they get you for the most part.  There was no more discussion of who weighed what or who was taller or anything. It just rolled off their backs and we went on to the next thing - whistling.  Whew!!!!!!  I don't know if it would have been the same if I had had three girls with me.  Bullet dodged.

Anyone have good instructions for how to whistle with your index finger and thumb in kind of a circle as you stick them in your mouth? I can do it with two hands, but they want to be able to do it with one hand because it's cooler.

Goodwill Hunting, July 2011

2011-07-31T00:43:00.000-04:00

Ian joined me this afternoon in a thrift store prowl.  I was on the hunt for shirts for myself that did not involve paint stains or food stains. Yes, I am a snob.  Mostly, I was looking for stuff  Dan needs to go off to college in a stylish, well-equipped, yet cheap fashion.  Ian was looking for art supplies - especially cheap, good paper for his sketches.  Have I ever shown you guys one of his drawings?  If not, I'm sticking one I like here in the post - okay it's not a drawing, but you get what he's kind of doing, right? I think he's good and getting better - especially for someone whose only formal education in art thus far is working through Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain a few years ago with me and his brothers.  Trust me, none of us was producing this kind of work back then (or even now, if you have to ask).  

Ian is a great traveling/shopping partner.  He talks if he has something to say, but much of our day was spent in a comfortable silence.  Ahhh.  I found a couple of cute shirts at the first store.  Ian didn't find much.  We moved to the next thrift store.  Score!!! I found a in-the-box-brand-new-set of Corelle dishes for Dan.  They were marked $14, but it was half-off-housewares day!  Woohoo!!!  So finding the brand-new ice cream maker machine for $14 felt like a super-duper bargain.  We have all the stuff to make Heath Bar stuffed Vanilla ice cream in waffle cones tomorrow.  :::sigh::: So happy.

When we got home, Mike was just finishing up helping a neighbor hang a tall, heavy light fixture in their vaulted living room.  Mike told me all the details.  I came away with swimming, snacks and beer in an hour.  It's all good. We had a great time visiting and going in and out basking in the glow of the new light fixture.  We had a better time drinking beer and swimming and lamenting the lack of any sort of breeze.  Aside from the one neighbor, we live in a really awesome neighborhood.  

Now, I'm trying to catch up on laundry. Soooo much laundry.  I'm listening to Under the Dome (yes, I'm on a Stephen King kick).  I read the book last summer and I'm enjoying it again - the reader for this book is really  pretty good!  He's no Jim Dale, but he'll do.

Tomorrow?  Mike and the boys are off super-early to catch waves at the beach.  I'm sleeping in and getting up to make ice cream and something for dinner.  To fill in the empty spaces, both dogs need a bath and I'm certain there will still be more laundry.  It's also probably time to cut down my morning glory/moon flower vines as well.  I hate August in Florida - all the pretty, colorful things die for a bit.  I like green, but August always makes me feel like I'm living in a terrarium.    

How has your weekend been?

I'm just a slacker . . .

2011-07-30T00:44:00.002-04:00

I'm a slacker, but I'm here tonight.  It's been a long summer for Andy and me.  Sharing a car with three older, working, schooling brothers is not all it's cracked up to be.  Andy and I have spent a LOT of time together this summer.  We've watched a LOT of Sponge Bob, done some puzzles, played a ton of board games, but sometimes you just want to leave the house.  I took a shower on Wednesday morning and came out to find Andy sitting on the couch, eating cold leftover spaghetti, with two long curls of paper hanging out of his nose and singing along with Sponge Bob. School starts on Monday.  We've crossed the line into stoopid. 

Last night, however, we got a break.  Two of Andy's friends spent the night. They got to stay up late, eat junk and sleep in.  Well, the sleeping in was an option I hoped they'd take, but, ehhhh, not so much.  Today, we had a car!!!!  The three boys and I piled into the car and headed to   

(This video was taken by someone, not me, in December when no one is there.  But, it truly is this beautiful. For our visit today, add several hundred people floating in giant inner tubes and almost no wild life - the boys did see a fawn today, though!)

We packed a picnic of bread I baked last night while I was waiting for the boys to settle down, pepperoni, assorted cheese, apples, water, ginger ale and a couple of Diet Cokes for me.  I had my book (The Stand, Stephen King - Dan convinced me that the mini-series I saw back in the 80's - with Molly Ringwald!!!!! - does not compare to the book - so far, he's right), ice and a comfy beach chair.  The boys are old enough to float down the trail on their own - it takes about 1/2 an hour.  I positioned myself at the end of the trail in the shade.  They'd stop by for snacks or a drink with each run.  This pulled me out of my book and let me know all was well. 

In front of me were two women about my age who, between them, had nine kids.  The kids ranged in age from 18-19 down to about 3.  The women were having an animated conversation about courting vs. dating (yes, I guess this does happen in real life).  I was into my book, but I could not help eavesdropping.  One of the women was clearly in charge of the conversation.  The other must have sought her out for advice.  I'll be the first to say you could not pay me to attend whatever church it is they attend - they were not kind or clever or even very persuasive in their arguments.  Still, though, they had absolutely beautiful, fun, nice kids - their kids were doing what "my" kids were doing, running the trail and checking in about every 1/2 hour.  I guess because the women were so wrapped up in their own conversation they lost track of the little kids.  I was mostly reading and I assumed that the very short folks were being watched by the older siblings. 

I was wrong. Late into the day, I was snacking and reading and ignoring as best I could the women in front of me (the older, louder woman was still going on and on about modesty and training up girls to be wives and mothers - as a wife and mother, I'm glad I had a choice and some fall-back skills in case Mike had turned out to be a total loser) But, once again, I digress.  Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed red and movement.  It was a lifeguard (at best this kid was 17) carrying a small girl in one arm and leading another small girl by the hand.  By small I mean under five. 

He addressed the two women in front of me saying he'd pulled the little (wee, wee, tiny girls) out of water 2' over their heads and in a strong current.  He asked the women if they'd seen the multiple signs about kids under the age of 8 being supervised at all times.  The older of the two women was angry.  "You mean we have to move?  Those girls (all of 3&4) can swim."  The poor kid-lifeguard was trying very hard to be nice.  I noticed an Orange County cop (who had been patrolling up and down in his Reno 9-11 shorts all day long - nice enough guy, but the shorts????) talking into his radio.  The lifeguard explained that, if they wanted the little girls to swim in the shallow part of the Springs, that yes, they'd have to move and keep an eye on the girls.  "WELL ISN'T THIS YOUR JOB??????"  Yes, she did.  She said this.  I was up out of my chair and, thank heavens, the park manager arrived to take charge. I'm thinking Reno 9-11 called him.  Whew - I suck at confrontation.

REALLY?????  A young man-boy brings you your 4-year-old who you have not looked at once in three hours (I assumed the little girls were being supervised by the older kids) and the best you have to offer is  "WELL ISN'T THIS YOUR JOB??????"  It was horrifying to watch.  I have seen all kinds of crazy things at this park, but this was by far the most upsetting.  Do any of you truly rely on a 17-18 year old boy in charge of hundreds of people for the absolute safety of your itty-bitty daughter????? 

And, this is a woman "training" her daughters to become good wives and mothers.  Maybe mom should try mastering this first?? 

Lest you think I'm unforgiving, I've "lost" all of my kids (not at the same time) at least once.  However, I've never left them near water where I could not see them - at least not until they could outswim me. I went years and years and years without reading on the beach or at the springs while I stood in nasty mucky water and withstood waves. I don't care how many kids you have or how old you are when you have them, you HAVE to pay attention. That teenage lifeguard is there because he wanted a job where he could scope out teenage girls . . . your toddler is not high on his list. 

Heck I made the two 11 yo's and one 12 yo today  at least stop and wave at me between runs down the trail. (And, that's a stretch, when Dan was 11, I was still in the water most of the time with the boys!)  AND, I'm all for teaching kids to cook, clean, do basic sewing, do laundry, iron, garden, fix cars, fix the house and all the rest - but it's something I think they need to learn as PEOPLE - not as a future wife, mother, husband, or future anything.  You just need to know how to do that stuff.  I figure the kids have a leg up if they know this stuff coming out of high school. 

Grrrr . . . weird day. 

Happy Monday!

2011-07-25T04:02:00.001-04:00

I'm headed to bed, FINALLY.  By the time anyone reads this it will be Monday (Sabrina, is it still Monday there in Japan? Has the stock market completely tanked? No, don't tell me. I'm not watching the news - sort of - no really, I'm not watching - heh, send me an email but shhhhhh).

We (me, Mike and Andy) went out to Melbourne today to visit Andy's godparents and test out the new Tree Top Trek Zipline courses at the Brevard Zoo. If you are ever on the east coast of central Florida, the Brevard Zoo is a must-do! It's great for toddlers to teenagers.  The zoo itself is awesome and has two kayak courses through the animals on different islands. They always have great programs going on as well with well-staffed, friendly volunteers.  The Tree Top thing is new and separate from the zoo though located on the same grounds.  You can do one or the other or both.  I cannot recommend it enough.  We've always been able to use our own local zoo pass for entry, sometimes with a small added fee, so definitely check that out. 

What were we thinking when we agreed to meet around 1 pm, in Florida, in the summer?  It was well over 100 degrees as we were filling out the endless paperwork. (If you plan to do this, do the paperwork online!) I, stupidly, wore flip flops and was not allowed on the course.  I became the designated "stuff" holder for Mike, G, A, Katie, David, Andy and Lara.  By 2 pm, everyone had their gear and were slowly making their way to the training station.  I was told the whole thing took about 90-120 minutes.  I hauled everyone's gear to our truck and went to get cold Gatorade for when the crew finished and a magazine for myself to entertain me until they did. 

About an hour later, I was stationed at base camp with a frosty Diet Coke, a cooler of Gatorade and a Marie Claire magazine.  I never read magazines anymore - I used to devour them, but they're all the same. Still, if you only read one magazine a year, they're kind of fun.  Did you know they make a facial lotion that includes umbilical cords in it? Me either.  Freaked me right out and there was no one around who looked like they'd be interested in talking about it. Actually, all of the people sitting around me looked like the cast of Swamp People.   (Have you ever seen this show? It scares me to death, but Mike and the boys lurv it.  They don't even mind having to use subtitles to understand what the people are saying.  It comes on and all I hear are banjos and the voice of a very scary professor of Modern Literature from many many moons ago.  No thank you.)

Suddenly,  I noticed that I was actually feeling comfortable as I read.  I looked up and, sure enough, Florida thunderstorms were looming right over us.  Just then my phone rang.  Mike and our gang never even made it past the training stage.  With each sound of thunder, this outfit reset the clock for 30 minutes of wait time. I get it.  If I ran a business that involved suspending gooey people 20-40 feet above ground, no way would I be hoisting them up if there was thunder.  The thunder was coming every 2 minutes, there was no way we were going to make it to the day's cut-off point of 4pm.  We took the refund and retreated to G&A's house. 

Of course, by the time we got to their house, the skies were clear and blue. :::sigh:::  The kids swam, we caught up on things and made dinner.  OK, A already had dinner made, we just watched her do stuff. (I did take a bowl of pretzels out to the kids, that counts as helping, right?)  It's such a far cry from our visits of old where at least two of us had to be in the pool to keep the kids afloat while someone else did pool toy duty (I lost the goggles, where is the dinosaur, Barbie's head is stuck in the jacuzzi) and the fourth adult heated up chicken nuggets for dinner..and then we'd eat really fast and rush home to avoid bedtime meltdowns.  Now, the kids swim like fish and we can sit in the a/c in peace - watching the kids through beautifully sound-filtered glass.  It was a great way to end a weekend.  I'm bummed we  didn't get to do the Tree Top thing, but we've all agreed that it might be way more fun in October/November when it's in the high-80's - brisk and refreshing, Florida-style. ;) 

Directionally-challenged folks, unite!

2011-07-24T02:52:00.000-04:00

My mom and I get along really well. We have fun no matter what we're doing. Even when we're not having fun, we end up cracking up. Tonight, she drove over here to pick me up so we could go see "Twelfth Night," the play Ian has been working on as stage manager. We left in plenty of time. I was driving my mom's cute little car.

Yet,as we were talking and laughing and talking, talking, talking we still missed a few turns and arrived 15 minutes late. The sign on the door said not to barge in, someone would come get us. We waited and waited for over 30 minutes. No one came. Finally, we grabbed brochures to prove we'd been there and left. It's pathetic. My mom and I spend a lot of time together, but rarely in the places we intend to be. Ooooo, look a butterfly!!!

As we tried to explain what had happened to Mike and Andy when we pulled into the driveway 90 minutes early, we barely had to say a word and they filled in the blanks. Mike even said "I knew better than to let the two of you go off alone." If only my sister lived closer - she's got an actual sense of direction and pays attention to detail. I talked to Ian after the play and explained what had happened and he just laughed and said, "Why didn't you bring Dad or Andy?" Oh well. Ian wasn't crushed that we didn't actually make it to the show, my mom and I did not end up on Ocala or somewhere far, far away from our destination. We had fun. The night was a semi-success, right?

A never-ending list of worries . . .

2011-07-22T02:13:00.001-04:00

So, Dan came home tonight. He really, really likes the comforter.  Should I worry that he's feminine now or should I worry that Ian and Tim take such joy in tormenting me? To be safe I'm going to worry about both. (The comforter in question is the one in the picture.)

Scout.  :::sigh::: I have spent the past few days yelling at the kids and their friends about dribbling water from the fridge all over the house. Today I finally figured out it is not the kids, it's Scout. She's been dribbling pee everywhere she goes. It's a mess.  I used four rolls of paper towels today and finally ran to Goodwill and cleaned them out of towels.  The worst part is that poor Scout is mortified.  I have to keep pulling her out from under our bed. She knows what's happening and clearly has no control. I hate this.  I'm hoping the vet can squeeze us in tomorrow - maybe it's just a little infection, not the fact that she's 14 years old? I'm going to worry about that a lot.

Andy is someone else I worry about lately. We've had a strange summer.  He and I have been largely housebound due to sharing the house and, more importantly, the CAR with three working teens.  It's not terrible, we're both readers and we both love board games and he has enough friends around later in the day to make up for my lack of 11-year-old-boyness. But, homeschooling him alone seems strange.  Ian and Tim will still be around this coming year, but they're on a whole new level. I don't want Andy to be too lonely or too dependent on me.  So far he seems fine. Public middle school is off the table and private school is not an option either.  

Yes, there are homeschool groups and co-ops around. But, to be honest, I dread the prospect.  I don't want to join a group that makes me sign a statement of faith. I also don't think Andy and I are a good fit with an unschooling type of group.  That's all I've been able to find.  Additionally, I dread being the oldest mom involved.  Sure, I have opinions on breastfeeding, potty training, etc. but I'm not terribly passionate about any of them and I shudder at the thought of hanging out with women whose oldest child is Andy's age and are still involved with all the other stuff. What to do. What to do. I think I should probably just suck it up and find a group.  I can't very well start a group with "older mothers left homeschooling their youngest child" as a requirement, can I?  So, I worry about this, too. 

Can you be too weird? Danny was excited that the condo he stayed at this week had a toaster and a tea kettle.  We used to have those things.  But, we no longer do. Six people using a toaster is a disgusting mess. I taught the kids how to use the broiler for toast - we can do 15 pieces at once and there are no crumbs all over the counter.  The tea kettle? I love having a tea kettle on the stove.  However, once Mike and the boys discovered it could be used as a weight for bacon and flat bread sandwiches, I got sick of scrubbing scum off of the kettle. Now I boil water in a pan and it tastes the same in tea.  But, I worry that my nearly 19-year-old son is excited by these little things.  Andy loves to eat across the street because he can use their toaster. Maybe I should just suck this up too?  I kind of worry about this stuff - but only when I'm done worrying about the rest of it.  It's kind of my leisure-worry.

The other stuff I worry about is pretty standard: money, getting old, kids with driver's licenses, money, the house falling apart . . . you all know the drill. That stuff, I can handle.

I try, but I hate shopping.

2011-07-21T03:01:00.000-04:00

My neighbor stopped by this evening to let me know about a great sale at Kohl's today (yesterday if you're reading this)ONLY. As Ian and Tim were carpooling with my car, I patiently waited for Mike to get home and took off for the sale.  I was hoping to get bedding and bathroom stuff for Danny.  I found a really nice comforter/sheet set (say THAT five times fast - just the sheet set part), four towels and a pack of nice wash cloths.  $96.  Not bad.  The sheets were 200 thread count, the comforter was sturdy and cheerful in a manly way.  I was happy.  

Got to the check out line and was met by an incredibly pretty AND incredibly annoying cashier.  She kept pushing me to get a Kohl's credit card.  As we are working frantically to get ourselves OUT of debt, I kept saying, in a polite-friendly-I-could-be-your-mom, kind of way, NO THANKS.  She then proceeded to tell everyone in line behind me that I was being stoopid and could they even BELIEVE on the savings I was missing out on by not getting this card.  I bit my tongue, turned bright red and imagined myself being a person who could stop biting their tongue long enough to speak up. As I walked out into the heat of the evening, I found myself getting madder and madder.  Yes, it was a great sale.  But, honestly, I'd rather pay a little more and not have the attitude and subjection to public humiliation.  

A couple hours later, Ian and Tim got home. I showed them the comforter and both of them shuddered and said "ICK. It's a girl comforter and Danny is going to hate it." Guess I've got two reasons now to go back tomorrow and return my stuff. I'm bummed. I thought I'd made a good choice. If I thought I'd made even an iffy choice, I'd have given that girl a piece of my mind and left. (Who am I kidding? I'm a wuss. I'd be right where I am tonight and taking the stuff back tomorrow.) And, here is illustration #8654 of why I hate shopping.

Hmmm. . .

2011-07-20T02:52:00.002-04:00

Dan has been gone for the past few days.  His friend-that-is-a-girl's parents invited him to join them for part of their vacation at a local beach.  Funny.  The house is so much cleaner since he's been gone.  I think we've pin-pointed the problem of trails of dishes, clothing, and general detrius.  Poor Dan, his re-entry into family life is not going to be easy. The other boys are shocked and awed by how easy it is to keep a bathroom, bedroom,  living room and kitchen clean. 

Still.  I can tell I'm going to miss Danny when he's gone.  Andy is REALLY going to miss him. I think the timing of Cally the psycho-dog joining our family could not have been better.  She clearly sees Andy as another puppy. Crazy as she is all day long, she follows Andy to bed and they sleep with arms and paws wrapped around each other.  It's very sweet and I think she'll be a comfort to Andy when Dan really does leave.

Andy wants to clear the room of all things Danny the minute Dan leaves.  That's not going to happen, but there is much to clear out.  The boys all share small, small rooms.  Having a room alone is HUGE in this house. I've been measuring and mentally rearranging things all week. I still need another 400-500 sq. ft.  If you aren't using your extra space, please send it here. 

In other news, Andy and I joined our neighbors on Sunday to see Harry Potter AGAIN. Yep. We've exhausted the "fun budget" for the summer, but we're both happy that we spent our money on this. It's better the second time. I actually cried more the second time around.  Really well done. (imo)

The gardens are officially baked and dead. I'm trying to work up my UMPHHH to get out there and remove the dead stuff and clear out the weeds to make room for a fall garden. Sadly, much of my gardening motivation has been lost because I cannot just stuff an I-pod into my overalls and listen to a fun book while I work. I have killed two I-pods.  The kids can make them work for me but if I have to pause or turn the story off . . . I have to find a kid to restart things.  It's just too pathetic and needy for me.  Yes, silence and contemplation are good and I just have to embrace those things.  I will.  It might take a little time, though.  I've tried the rubber covers, pushing the buttons with a wooden skewer, wearing rubber gloves.... I'm just THAT electric, I guess.  Wish it translated into something income-worthy.

More on stuff you don't really care about . . . I think I need some locks on my television.  News should most definitely be off limits to me.  It makes me crazy.. I actually have a degree in journalism! So little is news. So much is hype. So much is opinion.  HGTV is another channel that should be locked. I watch it and watch it and think one of two things.  The first thing is "I want to beat up these incredibly spoiled 20-somethings that NEED everything in their first house."  I hate them.  The second thing is the redecorating aspect of the channel. I like watching the how-to's and the what-if's, but I come away depressed and convinced that we live in a hovel.  (We don't.)   

Okay, let's end on some happy notes.  Dan has an apartment. Furnished. Reasonably cheap. Yay. I'll be taking him up to Tallahassee Aug 27.  Woohoo. 

Tonight was BLT night.  Dan is away. Ian was working. Tim was working. Mike had a Scout meeting and Andy was playing until the sun was completely gone.  I made the bacon.  Lots of grease.  I recently picked up a mandolin slicer thingie. I had potatoes.  Yep. BLT's with homemade potato chips (fried in bacon grease) . . . Oh my. Good stuff.  I sliced up some apples to alleviate the guilt, but, to be honest, there was no real guilt. Even Ian, the resident vegetarian, scarfed up the chips. Mike and I spent some time reminiscing about the "good-old" McDonald's french fries.  

Okay, that's all I've got for now. It's scaring me how I become less and less interesting as the boys get older and older.

I can't believe it's over.

2011-07-15T04:12:00.000-04:00

We just got back from Harry Potter, the final installment. It was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Though it's 4:00 in the morning, I'm still all wound up and the dogs are insane so I figured I'd come here and ramble for a bit.  

There were eight of us tonight: me, Dan, Tim, Ian, Andy, Bing, Dan's friend-that-is-a-girl and her brother. We got to the theater at 9:45.  We were all decked out in t-shirts we made last night.  I'll have pictures of some of them tomorrow. As we walked to the theater, Dan casually asked me if I'd printed out our confirmation for the tickets (I bought them through Fandango over a month ago).  Well, of course I hadn't printed anything out.  Nothing.  I assured Dan that the ticket office could use my credit card to verify our tickets.  Well, they could have done that had I not received a replacement credit card with brand new numbers just last week.  When the guy told me that I thought I might throw up.  

I figured I had time to run home and be back in time if I had to do that. First, I stopped by the manager's desk after telling everyone else to go find Tyler and Christi and get in the long, long, long line. I explained it to the manager and I could feel myself getting teary (how insane is that). He was really nice and pretended I was not insane and offered to call the Fandango office.  After he had been transferred a couple of times I started digging for my keys when *poof* he found the right person and they were able to find me in their system. Viola!!! Tickets!!!!!

After walking ALL the way around the building I found our group.  Everyone in the line was hot and sweaty and really excited.  I could not believe the people wearing cloaks and gowns and hats.  It was 90 degrees at 10 pm.  I was dying in my t-shirt and shorts. The line was fun for people watching, though. I mentioned to my mom what a shame it was the girl a couple of groups ahead of us had such a nasty scar on her forehead because otherwise she was adorable.  Yes.  I said this out loud while standing in a line of dressed-up people waiting to see a movie about a boy with a nasty scar on his forehead.  You know that feeling of wanting to grab words out of the air as soon as they leave your mouth? That's the one. 

Slowly, they started letting groups into the theater, filling one theater at a time. The back of the line wasn't so bad. Once you could see into the theater and watch all of the people inside NOT sweat, it was kind of like water torture. I concentrated on getting our supplies all together.  I had my giant beach bag stuffed with a box of tissues, a giant sweatshirt, eight little bags of candy and my car keys.  To that we added Christi's bag with more candy and a couple of sodas. The bag was heavy.  I ended up leaning on Andy's shoulder so I didn't walk like a staggering drunk.  

Tyler, Christi's brother, who I still think of as being Andy's age and is, in actuality 17 and about 6'4" tall, had a bag of chips that would not fit into my bag.  My mom offered to stuff them into her wizard's hat. The hat is decorated with some kind of gold paint, which in the heat had melted off onto my mom's hands.  By the time we were close to the front of the line, my mom's hands, face and neck were covered in shimmering gold PLUS she was wearing the hat with a lumpy bag of Frito's stuffed inside. She looked like a deranged Twilight fan.  Tyler kept staring at my mom as if to say, "Don't stand near me or at least take off the ridiculous hat."  Of course the rest of us picked up on that and kept saying things to Tyler like "Why are you being so mean to your grandma?"  Poor Tyler.  He's a mild-mannered kind of guy. I think he's a little scared of us. 

We finally reached air conditioning, found our theater and promptly took a row right in the middle.  My mom and I went to the ladies room - funny how glitter just never ever comes off your skin - and then to get popcorn.  Three tubs of popcorn, two sodas and $87 later (kidding, sort of) we headed back to our seats. Our theater was packed. As with most of the HP midnight movies there were costumes, hats, scarves, glasses and all of that fun stuff.  We waited through what seemed and endless number of movie trailers.  I'm still kind of freaked out by the one for Rise of the Planet of the Apes :::shudder:::: Finally, the movie started and the crowd went wild and then fell instantly silent for the whole movie - except for when everyone cheered when Bellatrix bit the dust. Honestly, there was not one cell phone on, no one was whispering, everyone seemed to be sucked right into the movie. Very fun.

The movie itself was an incredibly good end to a fun, if flawed, series of movies. Of all the movies, I felt like this one truly delivered a complete story even, I'm guessing, for someone who hasn't read the books. It was far more violent and bloody than any of the other movies. If your young kid isn't intimately familiar with the books, especially the seventh book, I'd suggest previewing it before taking them to see this one.  (By young, I'm thinking under 12 or 13.) I have about ten favorite parts of this movie and I can't wait to see it again. I was really impressed with how they handled so many difficult parts of the book.  Sure, I'm a geek and I would watch an 18-hour Harry Potter movie, but most people won't and I think the compromises made were good ones.

Hurry up and go see the movie so we can talk about it!!!! If you saw it, please comment on your favorite part and your least favorite part. I'd like to see if our opinions match up.

It's a lie.

2011-07-13T02:24:00.001-04:00

It's a lie when you say you don't have a favorite child - unless, of course you have one child. That doesn't mean the "favorite" is set in stone. Around here it changes hourly.

Today, Andy (see how cute he was a mere 7-8 years ago?) is my favorite. We've been hosting Andy's best friend's brother who has been suffering from a horrible allergic reaction to "something" for the past two days. He was in no shape to go to summer camp.

The poor little guy is covered head to toe with a rash that swells and gets itchy if he's too active. Ummmm . . . he's six. They're always too active. So he's been swollen and itchy for the past two days.

I always wondered how Andy would be if we had had another baby. Now I know. He's kind and sweet and funny. He taught Preston how to play "Chest," yes, the rest of us know it as chess, but Chest is too funny to correct. Andy and Preston watched some Sesame Street, some Pengoo (sp?) and something called Shawn the Sheep. Andy is my hero. By the end of the day, Preston was tired but looking and feeling much better. Woohoo! I know his mom and dad are exhausted after five almost sleepless nights. Andy, too, was exhausted. He's used to being the recipient of patience from his brothers . . . go ahead, everyone, hugs all around.

And, if you have a favorite, you most likely have a least favorite. Tonight, that son would be Ian. We just had a conversation. Ian is funny and smart, but he does not appreciate getting old yet. First off, I handed him a tube of Clearisil I picked up at the store as he headed to the shower. I suggested he stop in and rub some on Andy's forehead. Ian suggested that was creepy and weird and Andy wasn't old enough for pimples. I agree. I think Andy's pimples are mostly sweaty hair and bike helmets, but waaahhh he's awfully close to REAL pimples. I shared that with Ian and he just smiled and said, "Just think in a few years we'll all be gone. It'll be you dragging Scout around in our old wagon, reminding Dad of what he started out to do." Thanks.

I thought he was heading to the shower when the giant calendar on the door caught his attention. Absentmindedly, he said, "Wow, Dan is going to be gone really soon." So now we have pimples on my baby and my oldest LEAVING. Nice. I suggested, gently, that he head to the shower. As he was walking off he said "Can you believe Harry Potter will be all done in just two days?" Like a knife through my butter-like heart. Yep. Ian is out of the will.

In other news, our week has been pretty quiet. Tonight we learned why. Our new-ish neighbors, on the OTHER side of mean neighbor, have had two visits from code enforcement this week. Tim offered to cut their lawn until they give up their crazy Northern ways and lose the push mower - the equivalent of cutting your lawn with nail scissors if you live in Florida. Nice she has two houses to watch now, I guess. I like the new neighbors, though.

Time to put on my Depends and go to bed.

It's real.

2011-07-11T01:41:00.000-04:00

We found Danny an apartment. He's really going to just leave us and go to college. My feelings are mixed.  Mostly, I am excited and happy for him, but part of me is already lonely.  I'm going to miss him (and his mess) a lot.  Andy is going to miss him even more.  But, it's real.  He's going to leave. 

Such a strange feeling.  In some ways, I've been waiting for a couple of years for this.  In other ways, I'm stunned that I have a child this old and this ready to be on his own. The crow's feet around my eyes are in a crazy battle right now about whether to sway up or down. So far, up is in the lead.

After we found the apartment, Danny casually said, "Well now you (meaning me) know what to get."  Ummm, hell no.  I'm not going to IKEA alone.  We'll be spending some quality mother/son time getting him stocked up and ready to leave. Danny wasn't as excited as I was, but I think it might take some time for the thrill to completely engross him.

In other news, not much to report. The recent, nearly constant, rains have officially killed the big garden. It was going to go anyway as it's getting too hot here, but we lost a couple of weeks.  My monster grape tomato plant is still going strong, though. I have that planted in my garage-side herb garden.  Best $3.50 I've ever spent.  My best guess is that we've gotten 20 pints of tomatoes out of that crazy thing.  It's currently climbing on our ladder, multiple stakes and the backs of a couple of chairs.  Think Little Shop of Horrors.

In the news about people not related to me:

Kate!!!  (The royal one.  You know?  She just married Prince William???) had a bit of an uh-oh moment over the weekend.  Bet Queen Elizabeth was pleased. I bet even Diana wore granny panties. 

Less government is a good thing if you ask me. Given the house in the picture, if you lived in this neighborhood, would you object to what this woman is doing? Are you opposed to a front yard garden? If you are opposed, odds are you took care to buy a house where there is a homeowner's association. That way the rules are clear and everyone knows what they can and cannot do. And everyone living there has agreed to those rules. This, however, seems more like my own neighborhood. There's always the thrill of waking up each morning to see if your neighbor has painted their house pepto-pink. I have to admit, I prefer this. I don't think the lady's garden looks bad, no worse than many unkempt lawns, and it has an actual purpose. What do you all think? I'm sore tempted to plow the front yard . . . muhahahaha

For the Harry Potter nerds . . .

2011-07-08T02:47:00.001-04:00

The boys found this video and it's a riot of you're familiar with the books and the movies. We are all so excited/sad to see the last installment next week.

Harry Potter spoof video

If you want 8 mini-clips from teh movie, click here: Harry Potter potential spoilers