Grey hairs, part 2

SO, I left you when I was standing at the gas pump with the sick realization that I was no longer in possession of my wallet. (A very sick realization, indeed). Babyman was crying, traffic was bad and my gas tank was on empty. I finally caved in to the fact that my wallet was NOT in the van, and started thinking back. Had I left it somewhere in the mall? Did it fall in the parking lot somehow? It's always hectic loading everyone into the van when I am by myself with them, and Sweetcheeks had nearly run out into the parking lot that day- perhaps in the chaos my wallet somehow fell on the ground. I hopped back into the van and joined the traffic crush (doing my best to soothe Babyman) to head back to my previous parking space.

The ride back sucked, of course- I felt a sense of urgency, because if the wallet was in the parking lot, I wanted to find it before anyone else. But traffic was very slow, and meanwhile Babyman's cries grew in decibels and intensity. Littleman slept peacefully on, but Sweetcheeks threw in one more element by asking me innocently "Where is the wallet, Mommy?" over and over and OVER again. (WHY do they do that?) Argh. And all the while, I try to conserve gas where I can because that needle is frighteningly low. THAT would just be the icing on the cake, I'm thinking- to run out of gas and be stranded with the kids without any money or ID. Yeah. Oh, and one more thing: I had to pee. Bad.

Good news, I made it to my parking space. Bad news, no wallet anywhere. My next hope is that either it was picked up by a good soul who turned it in to a lost and found, or that I'd left it at Teavana (where I'd last used it). Babyman is super upset by now, so I sit in the van to nurse, trying not to fret too much. I try using 411 on my cell to call Teavana, but the number turns out to be a fax line. I'm going to have to drag everyone back into the mall.

I put Babyman in the stroller and unbuckle Sweetcheeks, and try to wake Littleman. He is SO asleep. Littleman does not do well with rude awakenings. At ALL. Finally, finally I get him out of the van and we are all moving. The nice lady at the Nordstrom has not seen the wallet. She calls Nordstom's lost and found to see if anyone had turned it in- nope. Next I shuttle everyone to the bathroom, as I'm about to burst. We all crowd into the big stall and I turn to find Littleman's already sitting on the pot. I hop around slightly, trying to be patient with him. . . until I realize he is pooping. Geez! I dash for the next stall while Littleman whines that his door is open and what if someone comes in? At least I'm feeling MUCH better. I help Littleman and Sweetcheeks finish up, and shuttle everyone toward the sinks.

That's when I hear someone say my name in surprise. Looking up, I spot a neighbor whom I know from the Homeowner's Association. She's very friendly, and I pause so she can ooh and ah over Babyman. She senses that I'm uncomfortable though, and finally asks how I'm doing. "Fine", I reply, "though I'm actually having a minor crisis right now." I explain and she springs into action, offering to help. She holds Sweetcheeks' hand as we all troop out to Teavana, and offers to loan me money for gas in case we don't find the wallet. What started out as an irritation (because I was in a hurry) turns out to be a wonderful help.

As we walk into Teavana I catch the clerk's eye and ask if anyone had found a black wallet. "Yes!" she says, "Here it is!" And it's my wallet. I could melt with relief. We all cheer, and I thank my neighbor. Whew. Thank goodness.

We do make it to the gas station, and I fill the tank and we go home. Whew. Whew. What relief.

It's funny how very much more stressful these sorts of situations become when I am by myself with the kids. Once upon a time, this would have been little more than an annoying footnote to my day. Now, it's a situation that probably took a year off of my life. And really? What for? I'm glad I went straight back and retrieved my wallet, but was it really worth that sort of stress? Probably not. It's hard to remember this when you are in the situation, let alone manage to apply it to your state of mind.

Anyway, it all ended fine, and I relaxed at home. And now, Babyman's crying again. Off I go!

Grey hairs

Sheesh. I gained a few grey hairs today! I am now recovering by checking out Pioneer Woman's new site, and sipping some of my Mom's homemade limoncello. Aaah. But earlier, I was not so calm.

See, the day started out pretty well. Hectic, but well. I didn't get enough sleep, but that's no news. I dragged my butt out of bed at 7 am ok, 7:30 so I could get Sweetcheeks off to Montessori. While he and I (and Babyman) are getting ready, there's a knock at the door- it's the plumber! I haven't been regaling you with my quest for a plumber's assistance, so suffice it to say I was very pleased to see him. Perhaps I will catch you up in another blog post. I am very glad it was a school day, so that I was up and dressed. Anyway, he took a good look at the dishwasher situation and started right to work. Despite that distraction, I manged to get Sweetcheeks to school (barely) on time.

So, the plumber completed all tasks admirably and was done by noon! I am the proud new owner of a functioning, energy-efficient, stainless steel dishwasher that's all fancy and stuff and runs as quiet as a mouse. It's quite a departure from the previous model (circa 80s) that was small, beige, so NOT energy efficient, and sounded just like a jet airplane taking off. (No joke. You had to hear it to believe it). I immediately made my huge sink-full of dirty dishes disappear. Hooray!

Anyway, to abbreviate (ha!) a bit: we picked Sweetcheeks up on time, I had time to prepare a healthy lunch AND take care of Babyman, we were early (beyond amazing) for Littleman's gym class, he had a good class, I got to do a little knitting, the weather was gorgeous. We went to the mall to get a birthday present (a boy's shirt), my first-choice store (Gymboree) had adorable stuff in stock which was on sale, and I got to get Littleman and Sweetcheeks each something they needed, too. Score! The boys had a blast at the indoor playground, actually playing tag in a semi-organized fashion. It was hilarious, and fun to watch. We all got tea at Teavana (LOVE that store!) and the boys received balloons from the nice lady in Nordstrom on our way out.

Drove all the way home, and realized that I was VERY low on gas. Littleman was asleep and the other two boys were chill, so I turned right back around to go to the gas station. Good thing too (and here's where it got interesting)- I reached for my wallet and it wasn't there. I looked and looked in the van, but no luck. (Right about now, Babyman starts to fuss). I started really digging for it, under stuff, in bags, in the back, under the seats. No luck. I start freaking out a bit. I start wondering if I might have to cancel credit cards, debit card, get a new license, replace insurance cards, how much cash did I have in there? Probably not much, but I can't remember. . . What other important cards are in there? I'm not even sure. . . Shit. Plus, it's traffic time, my gas tank is on empty and I have no money anywhere. No ATM card. No credit card. Oh, and a crying baby.

* * *

As if on cue, as I was writing this blog post it was right about here that Babyman started crying. I went to tend to him, and fell asleep, and now it is 2:30 in the morning and the rest of this story will just have to wait. To be continued. . .

Wordless Wednesday

a trip to Gramy's

Sorry for my recent absence! I have just been in a flurry of activity. I went to visit my Grandmother, which is something I don't do often enough. She is dear, and she misses us all. She is not that far away either- it's no small feat with the kids, but it's doable. And she is 83- she won't be here forever. Auntie G is on my way, so we arranged for me to pick her up and she went along. It was a very nice little trip.

Going to see Gramy always leaves me feeling guilty for not going more often. I need to do that!

Anyway, while there we took the boys down to the nearby playground and I actually remembered to take pictures!

Sweetcheeks. The weather was gorgeous. He loves being outside.


His slide technique is a wee bit sloppy! ;) He sort of hikes like that, as well- in a shambling, relaxed sort of manner that actually works very well. It's his own unique style.


Littleman on the other hand, likes to tackle his challenges precisely. That doesn't mean he is tidy- just check out the hair and his sandy fanny- but he knows what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. He preferred to scale the side of the play equipment rather than go around to the stairs.


Littleman, the victorious.

* * *

Oh, and in case you were wondering why Sweetcheeks ended up with that silly moniker, let's just say that his cheeks used to look just like Babyman's do now:

Reminds me of a bulldog's jowls. I just kiss and kiss them! Sweet cheeks!

* * *

Today's thumbs-up is for these pics of funny signs. I chuckled, smiled, snorted, giggled and snickered.

take 2: circular breathing

Monday, March 17, 2008

take 2: circular breathing
Current mood: sleepy

CRAP CRAP CRAP.
I had this great blog post almost complete, and my laptop (at more than 30% battery power) shut off unexpectedly. It's been having serious battery issues lately. And *!@^*!! myspace does not save your work until you finish and post. So the whole damn thing is gone. I have got to do something about this battery, and I really must start composing my blogs over at blogspot instead, or in a word processor. Dammit.

Sigh. Lesson learned? Old habits die hard.
Oh, wait. Here I am again. Composing in myspace. Nosir. Nosirree. Off to blogspot I go!

* * *


Anyway, what I was saying is that there's one in every family, I think. The vortex. The conversational black hole. The one who practices circular breathing. Once they corner you and start talking, there is no escape.

In our family, it's Billy's "Aunt" M. She is visiting Billy's folks right now, and today I brought the boys up to see everyone. Babyman was unusually good, which meant I could sit outside and knit for some time. Now, there are good and bad things about knitting in Aunt M's presence. On the one hand, I become a sitting duck just waiting for Aunt M to come sit beside me and crochet (and TALK!). On the other hand, I can concentrate on my knitting and just nod my head and murmur once in awhile to show that I am not ignoring her. Aunt M's conversational black holes are, shall we say, imaginative. It's too bad she won't write some of these stories down- unfortunately, she prefers voluble oral storytelling. I can't remember everything she told me of today, but here are just a few examples:
- By about 1 1/2 years old, her son knew his full name, his address, and he could dial his home number on the telephone. He knew all about strangers and knew he shouldn't tell this information to anyone. He was also speaking in full, coherent sentences, and could hold an adult level conversation. (Her son tragically died at about 2 years old or so- this I know to be true- so I can understand why she would wish to fantasize about what could have been).
- In the same vein, there was a lengthy story about how her son could play any piece of music by ear on his toy piano, everything from TV show themes to complicated classical pieces. He requested a baby grand piano. He was really quite a prodigy.
- I learned that Jerry Lee Lewis was an SOB who cussed out little kids. It was Aunt M who put him in his place, of course. She threatened to "go public" with his disgraceful behavior if he didn't shape up.
- However Frank Sinatra was a lovely man who knew Aunt M on a first name basis. He had a beautiful Chinese Junk (green) that Aunt M got to tour.
- There were a number of anecdotes from her disgraceful marriage, all of which ended with Aunt M standing up for herself and putting her husband in his place. There was also the tale of when she had a miscarriage 3 months into her pregnancy, when she'd not been aware that she was pregnant. It was twins, and the miscarriage was her husband's fault. She never told him. Some of these stories made me a little uncomfortable, because I don't know if they are true or not. I didn't know how to react appropriately. I'll have to ask my mother-in-law about it. Luckily Aunt M never stays with one subject for too terribly long, because to pause for breath would be to lose her captive audience.
- She told me about the wild lizard who fiercely "protected" her while she was napping- another in a long tradition of tales about her special affinity with animals.
- Oh yes, and there was the goose who could communicate with her.

I wish I could remember more of them- they really are quite interesting. They do start to blur together after awhile, though. I was starting to get a little desperate when (thankfully) one of the older boys needed something from me, and then Babyman woke, and finally Aunt M was called away to do something. Whew.

* * *

Oh, guess what I was finally able to order yesterday? A wii! We've been wanting one for the studio for quite some time, but have been unable to find one available. I'm excited! It looks like a lot of fun. I am sticking to my plan not to have video games here in the house, but Littleman will be able to enjoy it when he hangs out at work with Daddy. Plus it will be fun for our clients. Anyway, I mention it here just in case one of you are looking for one- as of yesterday, there were still quite a few in stock at. . . oh, wow. Damn. Well, I just went to get the link to post here, and they are all gone. Wow. I'm sorry! But it was here at www.toysrus.com that I'd found it. Maybe check your local Toys R Us store? Probably better to call ahead.

* * *

Today's thumbs-up is for these awesome photographs by Michael Eastman. Enjoy!

Hair, will- and yes, rosemary!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Hair, will- and yes, rosemary!
Current mood: catalyzed


I think I am going to cut my hair.

No no, hear me out!

I would really like to be able to wear my hair down more, without it getting ridiculously tangled up in everything I am doing. I'd like my hair to frame my face, instead of being pulled back in my ever-present ponytail, doing nothing for my appearance. I'd like to do something to improve my daily appearance, because these days I feel like I always look like hell. (Lack of sleep, ill-fitting clothes, infrequent showers and a frazzled demeanor can do that to a gal). And, (dare I say it?) I think I'd just like a little change. What good is all this romantic, luxuriantly long hair if all I can do with it is keep it out of the way?

I went and asked a really good hairdresser's advice today, and she gave me some good ideas. I think I'm going to make arrangements for an appointment soon- something that will take some planning, as I'll have to find a sitter for the two older boys and an adult to tag along and hold Babyman. (Or some other suitable arrangement). And, don't worry! It will still be long by most standards.

And it will always grow back. :)

* * *

Today Billy and I finally got around to working on our will. This is something we've been meaning to do for awhile- anyone with kids really should have one. Most people can do it themselves with online forms and websites like www.legalzoom.com. We ultimately decided to consult a lawyer, and I think that was the right decision for us. I am looking forward to having it all squared away- it is one more checkbox in my mental list of financial planning goals. Baby steps. Besides, it's no fun to have to think about what would happen if both Billy and I were to bite it too soon. My precious children. . . Even though we have wonderful family who would be ready to help, it's chilling to imagine our plans having to be enacted. As one family member added after agreeing to be an executor, "Drive safe!"

If you haven't made your own will, go ahead and do it. It can make sure your wishes are carried out, it can go a long way toward protecting your assets (and we're not just talking rich folk here; we all have some assets), it makes things much easier on your surviving family as they tie up your affairs, and it ensures that any children you have will be entrusted to the guardian of your choice, rather than someone of the state's choosing. Pretty important stuff.

OK, off my soapbox.

* * *

Today's thumbs-up is for gelato! Specifically, Paolo's Gelato in Atlanta. Still more specifically, for Paolo's rosemary gelato. Yes, rosemary. Ooooooh, Oh. So. Good. ~drool~

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Wordless Wednesday
Current mood: sympathetic

I have seen other blogs do a regular feature they call "Wordless Wednesday", in which they simply post a picture on Wednesday, in lieu of a normal wordy blog post. A picture tells a thousand words, right? So, since today is technically Wednesday, and I am tired. . . (though I've already blown the "wordless" part, but who's counting?). . .

Cheddar Crackers

Monday, March 10, 2008

Cheddar Crackers
Current mood: smitten

Today, I cooked with Littleman again. We made cheddar crackers, which I have been meaning to try for some time. I'd bought a fish-shaped cookie cutter awhile back which came with a recipe. The cutter and recipe are by Ann Clark Ltd.. The cutters are awesome, and I have to say I am SO impressed with the cheddar crackers we made. I think it's OK for me to give you the recipe, but I'm not absolutely positive so please go check out the website (linked above) and consider buying a cookie cutter or two. I do heartily recommend them, and there are tons of shapes to choose from.

Anyway, the recipe! I warn you, this is NOT healthy. I mean, two whole sticks of butter? Yikes! But I have to say they are delicious. Especially with a glass of wine.

Cheddar Crackers

1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 oz. cream cheese (I used Neufchatel cheese)
1 Tb minced sun-dried tomatoes
2 tsp basil
2 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste
2 cups of flour

- In a large bowl or food processor (I used my trusty Kitchenaid mixer) beat together all ingredients except flour and spices until well-blended. (Ours was VERY well-blended, in fact it was downright fluffy).
- Add the flour and spices. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Divide dough in half, and form into two balls. Cover and chill for two hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough and cut. (I rolled ours too thick, but they were still delicious).
- Bake 10 - 12 minutes, or until light brown. (Ours weren't quite brown- more golden). Sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired. (I did).
- Cool and store. (Store? Where, in my tummy? Because that's where they went. . . OK, I had help).

Enjoy!

* * *

Today's thumbs-up is for those awesome Ann Clark cookie cutters! I'm a sucker for cool cookie cutters. :)

the things they say. . .

Saturday, March 08, 2008

the things they say. . .
Current mood: distractable

"Do NOT climb up your wardrobe, Littleman. You don't need anything on the top shelf."
“But I wanna wear my pool pants!”
“Pool pants? You mean your swimsuit?”
“Yeah!”
“No you can’t wear your swimsuit today. Please pick out some pants.”
(whining) “But whyyyy?”
“Because it’s 30 degrees outside! It’s too cold for a swimsuit.”
(Getting upset) “Why?”
(Firmly) "Because you’d freeze your tushes off, silly! Now find something appropriate to wear, or I’ll make the pizza without you."
(Collapses on the floor in frustration, and mumbles something)
"What?"
(still mumbling, but audible this time) "But I wanna go to the pool today."

I just shook my head and went off to do something more productive. In hindsight, I suppose I could have let him wear his swimsuit. We weren't going anywhere (especially not to the pool, LOL!) In hindsight, the creative, cool, fun mommy thing to do would have been to let him wear his swimsuit, and then pretend we were going to the pool. The couch could have been the pool. We could have pretended to swim, and bounced a balloon back and forth for a beach ball. We could have pretended to splash each other. But none of this occurred to me at the time- I was caught up in making sure we had time to finish preparing and eating lunch before nap time rolled around.

At least the pizza activity was good! Littleman cut up mushrooms, tomatoes, green bell peppers and broccoli. I used a pizza crustmix , pizza sauce from a jar and plenty of shredded mozzarella. These convenient ingredients make "home made" pizza so quick and easy. :) This will probably be one of the first things Littleman learns to cook himself. We put it all together and it was baked in 10 minutes. YUM!

* * *

Littleman cracks me up with his growing sense of humor. Sometimes I get it, sometimes not so much. . . but it thrills me to hear him playing with language to make little jokes. For instance, one day he informed me that "Cliff could fall off of his name!". Tonight, he was in the bath singing "We all live in a leaky submarine. . ." as he sank his sub. Those are just the two that pop into my mind now. As for some of the mysteries, well there was his signature way of saying good bye on the phone- after saying goodbye (usually when he had called Billy to say goodnight before bed) he would add, "We're going to a playground!" After a pause (in which he's grinning like a madman) he'd finish "NO we're not!!! Hahahahahahahaha!" and then hand me the phone. He kept that one up so long that by the time he finally quit doing it, it had eventually become the obligatory way to end a phone call, mindlessly repeated without the previous humor. Which made it even funnier to me, somehow!

Sweetcheeks likes to pick up on Littleman's jokes and repeat them. Sometimes he pops out his own little gems, though. More often I am amused by his simple observations and interactions with the rest of us. A couple days ago I was talking to Babyman. Sweetcheeks was watching me with an expression of incredulous pity. "Mommy" he says with careful emphasis, "Babyman. Doesn't. Talk."
LOL!

* * *

Tonight's thumbs-up goes to this National Geographic tutorial on forces of nature: hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and volcanoes. REALLY interesting, and fun to navigate. Enjoy!

Stuff I like: children's books

Friday, March 07, 2008

Stuff I like: children's books
Current mood: cheerful

Whew. What a week.
* * *

Anyway, tonight I have a post that was inspired by Foolery. Here, in no particular order, are just a few of our most favorite children's books (thus far)- I'll shoot for some of the lesser-known.

First, some board books:


Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Marla Frazee
I love this book for it's sweet text, great rhythm and lovely illustrations. My boys have enjoyed it, and it's been a favorite for some of my friends, too. I like to give it as a gift. I like how the illustrations show a nice variety of people, places and objects that young children might encounter in their own lives.



*


Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton
This is classic Boynton, with wonderful rhythm and a nice sense of whimsy. It always made my boys giggle. We also love her Barnyard Dance for the same reasons.



*


Global Babies by the Global Fund for Children
This is a very beautiful book, with brightly colored close-up photographs of babies' faces. Any book with clear photos of baby faces seems to be a delight to other babies, and my boys have been no exception. I also love that this book celebrates the beauty found in many other cultures. The text, while not inspiring per se, is sweet and doesn't detract from the photography.


*


The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear, illustrated by Jan Brett
This is the classic poem by Edward Lear, only here it is illustrated in Jan Brett's lush, detailed style. Be warned, older children (and silly adults) may giggle incessantly at the cat's being called "Pussy", but despite the antiquated language the poem is a delight and the illustrations are positively superb. Again, this one has a lovely rhythm when read out loud.



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My First ABC Board Book by DK Publishing
This has simply been a favorite of my boys. They really love looking at the pictures, identifying things and learning the letters. Over and over again, they choose this book.


*


In the Garden With Van Gogh by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober
I love that this book introduces children to the paintings of Van Gogh, and the text is nice too. My boys enjoyed it (especially Sweetcheeks). There are several other books in this series, as well.




I think I will stop there for now. More another day!

* * *

Tonight's thumbs-up is for Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap. I have been having to wash all our dishes by hand (long story) and this stuff is great. I'm really pleased about that, because it is also biodegradable, all natural and cruelty-free. Booya!

Sunshine and crashed out

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Sunshine and crashed out
Current mood: tired

Today, the weather was gorgeous. (It's a little scary, considering what the first week of March should feel like around here, but it was very enjoyable). I took the kids to a playground this afternoon. They had a blast playing, Babyman napped in his carseat/carrier and I stretched out on on a bench, lying relaxed on my tummy while keeping an eye on the boys' whereabouts. The sun was so warm on my back and legs, and the breeze was refreshing. I needed that fresh air time, and I think the boys did too. It was good.

* * *
A couple days ago, the boys were having lunch and Sweetcheeks was taking a looong time. Finally, I just left him to finish up while the rest of us went upstairs to prepare for a nap. I figured he would eat more efficiently if we weren't around to distract him. I nursed Babyman and changed his diaper, got Littleman all ready for a nap and found the Boxcar Children chapter book that Littleman and I were reading at the time. Then it occurred to me that Sweetcheeks still hadn't come upstairs, and it was suspiciously quiet in the kitchen. When I went down to check on him, here's what I found:



LOL! Poor sweetie. I cleaned him up and put him right to bed.


Which is where I am headed now. After today's thumbs-up: a cute little video:
http://www.lejo.nu/dj.html
Now, those are some talented fingers!

lost memories (thank goodness), and DCD

Saturday, March 01, 2008

lost memories (thank goodness), and DCD
Current mood: relieved

Whew.
Total. Chaos.
That was my evening.

But now the boys are all sleeping, the dogs are quiet inside, everyone is fed and watered, Dead Can Dance is playing softly, and my nice hot cup of tea is steeping here beside me.
Deep breath.

* * *

Amidst the chaos tonight, I had a special treat: Littleman thanked me for making him a delicious dinner. THAT was a pleasant surprise. Littleman is far, far more likely to take one look at anything I give him and whine, "But I don't waaaant that" or, "I don't like ___". (Though he'll usually eat fairly well, in spite of that). Even if he likes whatever I've given him, he'll simply eat it- compliments are unheard of. When he said that tonight, I remember glancing down at his bowl to be sure that he was, indeed eating the same food I'd prepared. Yup- simple buttered pasta (pirate-shaped, for fun) with fresh steamed broccoli florets and leftover roast on the side. I'd thrown it together as fast as humanly possible while Babyman screamed the whole time. Who knows why, but Littleman turned on the charm for me. It made me feel much better about the whole evening.

* * *

Have you ever noticed that women's clothing doesn't have pockets? I mean sure, most (but not all) women's jeans have pockets- but most other clothing items simply have no place to put anything. Men's clothes have pockets. Even men's pajama pants generally have pockets, while women's don't. WHY is this? Is it because pockets add bulk, thus disturbing our attempts to look as slim as possible? Is it because our clothes are fashionable rather than utilitarian? Is it simply assumed that we all carry purses? Really, what's up with this?

* * *

I feel like sometimes, I am hovering on the brink of insanity. Not literally, just in the sense that at any moment I might really blow my top and start screaming. It's SO hard, because my tension only helps escalate the general tone of my interactions with the boys, and their interactions with each other. We spiral out of control, and next thing I know one of them has hurt the other, or I am yelling, or somebody's crying. . . or more often, all of the above. Everybody needs my attention every minute, so there is ALWAYS someone who's feeling left out, ignored or upset. The best I can hope for is a temporary, uneasy compromise for peace. Or to have everyone sleeping!

But a silver lining occurred to me: right now, when things are hardest, the boys are all very young. They won't remember most of this. Even Littleman, who has an incredible memory, will probably forget most of the day-to-day insanity (I hope). By the time they get a little older and their vision of me is being imprinted in their long-term memories, I will be less stressed out and more myself. I think their memories will be of a much better person than I am now. And, that's a very good thing. :)

* * *

For tonight's thumbs-up, I went a-webhunting for something about Dead Can Dance. Found a bunch of stuff! But of course, youtube is where I got lost. Here's my selection for this post:



Good night.

Blank, bunk beds, and some thumbs-ups

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Blank, bunk beds, and some thumbs-ups
Current mood: blank

As so often happens, if I wait until all the kiddos are sweetly asleep before I sit down to blog, I am sitting here staring blankly at the computer. None of the assorted ideas I'd had to blog about are making themselves known at this moment. I'm tired. Also, it's hard to think when the dog is licking himself repeatedly- that slurpy lick, lick, lick is driving me mildy insane.

I think it is time to look at bunk beds. Sweetcheeks is currently still in the crib in the nursery (Babyman sleeps in the cosleeper in our room), and a couple days ago he finally decided to climb out of it. We still have a while before Babyman will need the big crib, but I'd rather have Sweetcheeks in a big boy bed than climbing in and out of the crib when he is groggy. Besides, he's been doing great with staying dry all night, and if I am going to put him in underwear at night he really ought to be able to get out of bed to go potty. So I think a trip to Ikea is in our near future! Ahh, Ikea. Somebody hide my wallet!

I need to do dishes, so I am going to make this short and boring. (Sorry). But I realized that I forgot to do a thumbs-up on my last couple of posts! So you get a few of them tonight. First, thumbs-up to the Arm's Reach cosleeper which I referenced above. This is one of THE most valuable pieces of baby gear we own. We have the "mini" size, and my babies have been able to use it until they were between 8 and 10 months old. It is SO helpful. It also makes a great little travel crib.

Next thumbs-up goes to Scott Wade's dirty car art. He uses dry paintbrushes to draw in the texas dust on his car's rear window. Um.

Finally, thumbs-up to this video that Kyddryn brought to my attention:



I just think that's really cool. :)